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COLUMN: We support ourselves; we support each other
This is my Sunday column for the July 22, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. We Support Ourselves; We Support Each OtherBy Aaron J. Brown We all remember how the year 2000 was once emblematic of the future. “In the Year 2000” was a phrase that meant “When we figure out our problems and…
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See the Iron Range through new eyes
Amy Rea at the Flyover Blog recently visited the Iron Range. She wrote about it for WCCO as well. Sometimes seeing the place through a newcomers eyes can help us appreciate what the place has going for it, the impression it can leave. Related posts: No related posts.
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Mining wages outpace other private sector jobs
On Tuesday, I shared some statistical analysis of mining employment in northern Minnesota. Yesterday I heard from a friend in the industry of some different numbers, also from DEED: Average weekly mining wages (included part time, no benefits) 2000 2011 (inflation equivalent) 2011 (actual)Mines $979 $1278 …
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Range street dance melee is totally typical, right?
Iron Range street dances get a little rough sometimes, but seldom this rough. Last weekend’s Hibbing Jubilee Street Dance boiled over into a melee that may have had racial overtones. This is from Mark Stodghill’s story in the Duluth News Tribune: “It’s supposed to be a fun family event and it’s been a great event…
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The pasty gets its due
Kate Angus, a Michigander writing for the popular borderline alcoholic snark blog The Awl, has done a fine job telling the story and the makings of the pasty to her jaded audience (myself among them). Her perspective on the pasty comes from a fine source, her upbringing in Michigan where the Upper Pennisula pasty is…
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Nolan issues mining plan for MN-8; Anderson responds
This morning Rick Nolan and Jeff Anderson held dueling press conferences on mining issues at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth as their race for the MN-8 DFL nomination rolls to an Aug. 14 primary election. Tarryl Clark is also running on the DFL side. The winner will face incumbent freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack…
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A Wednesday morning mining showdown in MN-8
Earlier today Rick Nolan, the DFL endorsed candidate for Congress in MN-8, announced he would be holding a press conference at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth regarding a new mining policy proposal he’s been working out. The presser was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Now tonight, Jeff Anderson, one of Nolan’s two opponents in…
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10,000 jobs to break even
A story by Beth Bily in the July 12, 2012 print edition of the Scenic Range News Forum contained the following nuggets of data regarding mining jobs on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Total Minnesota Mining Wages2011: $356.9 million (up 25 percent gross, down 7 percent adjusted for costs)2000: $286.8 million; (adjusted for costs): $383.3 million Total…
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Remembering Gwen Swanson
On Thursday I learned that my friend Gwen Swanson, a reporter during my tenure at the Hibbing Tribune, passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Just three weeks from diagnosis. Just 34 years old. She was one of those kind, gentle souls who put others first as a sort of reflexive instinct. Gwen’s last…
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Major opera production kicks off Range tour tonight
A casual drive through northern Minnesota’s Iron Range might give you the false impression that the Range is nothing but ATV shops and random industrial sprawl. Well, it is those things, but also more. People often overlook the artistic depth of the area, something illustrated by the number of opera houses and performance halls –…
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Mt. Iron approves resolution opposing marriage amendment
I never got to follow up on this because of last week’s power outage, but if you missed it the Mountain Iron City Council last Monday approved a resolution opposing the marriage amendment on this November’s ballot. I had written about how the Iron Range region is a major battleground in this debate. Mountain Iron…
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On the Range, marriage amendment a contentious issue
Minnesota Public Radio has done an excellent story about how the anti-gay marriage amendment is playing in the Iron Range’s largest city of Hibbing. MPR’s Sasha Aslanian did a marvelous job talking to people on both sides of the issue as they organize ahead of this fall’s big vote. In my experience no issue causes…
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Range labor politics web talk was on MPR today
I did a live video interview with Michael Olson at MPR’s Minnesota Today this afternoon talking about labor politics on the Iron Range. You can view the conversation here at MPR or below. Yes, that is MinnesotaBrown world headquarters. I put the white fedora on my coin jar to class up the dehumidifier for the…
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Talking Range labor woes at 2 p.m. on @mntoday
I’ll be doing a live video chat over at Minnesota Public Radio’s “Minnesota Today” site at 2 p.m. talking about my recent post about the union vote at Mesabi Nugget last week. The Steelworkers lost that organizing vote in this Iron Range labor region by a 2-1 margin. I’m hoping that my satellite internet holds…
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Excelsior Energy tries new approach to failed Range project
So Excelsior Energy is still kicking around. This is the collection of energy industry lobbyists and lawyers who had proposed a $2.1 billion coal gasification plant that never got built because it was overpriced and unwanted by any potential customers. Nevertheless they received more than $40 million in local, state and federal taxpayer dollars. Now…