-
A Twitter chat about Modern Life on the Iron Range
This Sunday afternoon I’ll be discussing my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” on Twitter. (@minnesotabrown) “Overburden,” a humor/historical work of creative nonfiction, attempts to understand our unusual rust belt region as it crosses into a new era. The Twitter chat will occur from 2-4 p.m. Sunday on the hashtag #LPBooks. The talk…
-
Do not ask the past about the future
I have more thoughts on my post from last night about Gogebic Taconite ending its plans to open an iron mine and processing plant in northern Wisconsin. Before any of that happened, I planned to write about this letter in the Wisconsin State Journal. A letter-writer had asked people who support mining in northern Wisconsin…
-
Gogebic Taconite cancels northern Wisconsin project
Citing dissatisfaction with a bill that would loosen environmental permitting, officials for Gogebic Taconite announced the cancellation of their plans to mine taconite near Ashland, Wisconsin. Gogebic Taconite CEO Bill Williams offered this brief statement: Senate rejection of the mining reforms in Assembly Bill 426 sends a clear message that Wisconsin will not welcome iron…
-
Minnesota spelling champ hails from the Range
Mesabi East 7th grader Emma Greenlee won the Minnesota Spelling Bee and will represent the state at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. (the one they air on ESPN). The Mesabi Daily News has the story and will have more in tomorrow’s edition. Related posts: No related posts.
-
New Lyric exhibit shares blue collar Range images, more
The Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minnesota, opens a new exhibit with a Saturday reception from noon to 2:30 p.m.”Paintings and Sketches by the Pros: Albin Zaverl and Bob Maki” shares the work of the venerable painter Zaverl and the sketch artist Maki. Both have worked most of their careers on the Iron…
-
Cravaack to hold Gilbert town hall Saturday morning
From the wires: Cravaack Announces Gilbert Town Hall Washington, D.C. – On Saturday, March 3, U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN-8) will host a town hall meeting in Gilbert, Minnesota. All town hall meetings are open to the public. “These town hall meetings are a great opportunity for me to hear directly from my constituents in…
-
The Lud Andolsek story, more than just hockey
Jayson Hron’s Historically Inclined has another fine post today about the early career of Chisholm’s Lud Andolsek, who emerged from Slovenian immigrant roots to build the sport of hockey in Minnesota, specifically the program at St. Cloud during the Great Depression years. Ostensibly this is a post about hockey and a guy who was good…
-
Winter’s Empire Strikes Back
We’ve made much of the lack of snow this winter. It’s still poised to be a well-below-average snow year here in northern Minnesota, and certainly a record warm season. Nevertheless, inexplicably (well, it being winter) it began snowing again last week. We got about 10 inches at our house over the weekend in Itasca County…
-
Keillor, Prairie Home dodge the snow for big show
You can hear the Duluth episode of Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” here. I wrote last week about the program’s expedition to the head of the lakes over the weekend. The DNT and Star Tribune reviewed “Prairie Home’s” stop at the DECC. Naturally, everyone’s talking about the “10 Things to Know Before you Move…
-
MPR details disturbing patterns of pursuit in remote MN county
The perils of cultural isolation and human nature appear in so many surprising ways. There’s “The Lottery,” of course, and backwoods places where all manner of family arrangements might not pass their way into a lighthearted sitcom. And then there is this shocking story from Minnesota Public Radio today. It details the prevalence of older…
-
Hot Bog: Study tests warming in northern Minn. swamp
Fans of this blog know that few things excite me like peat bogs. Well, maybe a few more things, but peat bogs among them. Some people like peat bogs because they are such complex ecosystems. Some people like peat bogs because they welcome a most fascinating collection of migratory birds. I like peat bogs because…
-
COLUMN: From the Grange to the Range, Minnesota’s protest history shapes today
This is my Sunday column for the Feb. 26, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. From the Grange to the Range, Minnesota’s protest history shapes todayBy Aaron J. Brown I’ll never forget the night of the 1998 election. I was working as a reporter for KDTH-AM in Dubuque, Iowa. My boss Cindy Kohlmann and…
-
Minnesota moose population in danger
The Minnesota moose population is in free fall, according to recent reports. Scientists are preparing us for the possibility that Minnesota might one day soon lose its moose population entirely. The cause is not over-hunting. Rather, moose mortality and pregnancy rates are being affected. Biologists in this Duluth News Tribune article say that a generally…
-
‘Range of Arts’ event set to begin Feb. 25 at Lyric Center
The Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minnesota, kicks off its annual “Range of the Arts” event this Saturday, Feb. 25. The event, which runs through the following week, includes art exhibits, a crafts expo, a seminar for creative women and more. Check out the Lyric Center’s blog for more. Related posts: No related…
-
The Range survives redistricting, but western battle looms
I’ve had a little time to review the new Minnesota legislative and congressional redistricting maps. If you read on, you’ll see what it means to the Iron Range and surrounding political universe. The congressional map is fairly simple. The districts largely retain their shape and constituencies. There are marginal changes in party index, some favoring…