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Wide variety of free live music lined up for the Range
The “Art in the Park” free Thursday night music show at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm continues. Several fun acts seem lined up for the next few weeks. Thursday, August 18, Minnesota Discovery Center welcomes Fathers and Sons, performing “bluesy acoustic” music on the MDC amphitheater stage at 7 p.m. followed by Mark Henderson…
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Georgia chopsticks factory conjures failed Range experiment
I recently learned about this Georgia factory making chopsticks and exporting them to China. This NPR story points out the contrast of the phenomenon, an American company sending chopsticks to China while we fail to produce so many of our own goods, including electronic devices we ourselves invented. Folks from the Iron Range might remember…
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Another thought on early GOP politics in Range history
Folks seemed to like my Aug. 2 post “Silent Cal at the Hull Rust Mine” detailing the visit of President Calvin Coolidge to the Iron Range on that same date in 1928. I gave a brief overview of the Republican politics in the early 20th century on the Range. David Bednarczuk wrote me with this…
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A generous endorsement from Alaska’s Big Fat Babies
Sitka, Alaska-based punk rock band The Big Fat Babies has generously listed my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” as their notable reading selection this week on their rather entertaining website. It probably helped my case that one of their members and legal counsel Andrew C. Miller is a friend and the former…
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In these lost places we find the holes in our economy
The recent news that the United States Postal Service would be closing scads of post offices around the country, mostly in rural, small towns, has opened a lot of eyes about the true existential danger facing rural America. I’ve just read a couple of great Minnesota entries in the discussion, an Aug. 12, 2011 article…
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Doc ‘Moonlight’ Graham Days begin today in Chisholm
The first ever Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days event starts today in Chisholm. This is a new take on the classic Iron Range summer festival concept, with arts displays, performances, a street dance, car show and Saturday parade. Find the full schedule at the Chisholm Chamber’s events page. Longtime Chisholm doctor Archibald Graham, known locally as…
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Stable mining sector highlights core woes in post-industrial North
You may have noticed the crumbly, jumbly economic news lately. Between the huge Wall Street stock selloff over the past few days or the general stagnation of growth and employment as our population grows and costs rises, we’ve got problems in America, sure. And we’ve got specific problems here in northern Minnesota, but not the…
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Bikes, deer and rock ‘n’ roll; let’s do this week right
We begin the week with some Iron Range stories that you might have missed if, like me, you’ve spent the last couple weeks trying to find a historical precedent for what’s going on in America (hint: noooooooo!) The annual Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour is next weekend. The ride spans from Chisholm to Grand…
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Silent Cal at the Hull Rust Mine
On this date in 1923, Warren Harding, an amiable, if corruptible president who sometimes questioned his own abilities to govern, died of a heart attack in San Francisco. Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in during the night by his own father, a notary public. On this same date in 1928, President Coolidge became the…
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County schools scolded for referendum stumping
The state court of appeals rapped the St. Louis County School District for campaigning for the 2009 referendum that funded the district’s current consolidation and construction plan. (Story: MPR’s NewsCut) This could have a big impact on the way districts handle future bond referendums. This is no small thing, as the state school funding shift…
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Essar cites progress, with a twist in Range steel mill hopes
The Duluth News Tribune reported on the construction status of Essar Steel Minnesota’s new taconite plant in Nashwauk, very near the former location of the old Butler Tac plant. Butler’s closing was perhaps the biggest symbol of the Iron Range’s 1980s collapse. The prospect of reopening a mine there and maybe even making steel on…
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The grand dupe in the great north woods
In 2009 this blog and most northern Minnesota lawmakers, business people and policy types backed the idea of a legacy forest in Itasca County. This would be private land owned by UPM Blandin made available for public use for the vast majority of time it’s not being logged. Blandin took a $44 million payday from…
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Minnesota Power to supply energy for Essar
The Essar Minnesota Steel project near Nashwauk seems to be making slow progress in its construction of a revitalized new taconite mine and still-proposed steel mill. Nevertheless, they are holding press events. Yesterday Essar officials joined officials from Minnesota Power and the Nashwauk Public Utilities Commission to announce that Essar will purchase power from Minnesota…
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Some progress, more work ahead for Minn. rural broadband
Yesterday, work began on the Greater Minnesota Broadband Collaborative Project, extending internet speeds and connectivity in northern Minnesota. A project in southern Minnesota also began construction. These projects largely stem from the controversial federal economic stimulus efforts of 2009 and remind us that those efforts are not yet complete. Most of you know I have…
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Tony Hayward story making waves in Range mining vs. environment clash
Northland’s NewsCenter offers an update to yesterday’s revelation that former BP head Tony Hayward is now working for Glencore, the company behind the PolyMet project here on the Range: UPDATE: I must add, as I mentioned yesterday, that PolyMet has said that Hayward will not be involved in its Range project. That’s true, but I…