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Hibbing nurses’ strike to begin Monday
Hibbing hospital nurses are slated to strike beginning on Monday. The nurses nearly went on strike earlier this year but pulled back when negotiations on their complaints about staffing levels and patient safety made progress. Those talks broke down, leading to a strike re-authorization in May. Now we again face a major strike at the…
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Gould first DFLer to announce for 3B
La Prairie City Councilor Joe Gould has announced his candidacy for House District 3B, the seat currently held by Rep. Carolyn McElfatrick (R-Grand Rapids). I will be covering House 3B the same way I’ve covered competitive races in 5B last winter and 7B years prior. Below is Gould’s press release: (July 6th, 2011) La Prairie,…
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Summer fun makes for light blogging
I’m easing back into regular blog updates after the July 4 weekend. Decent people would be outside this week, and I am trying to be decent. The state government is still shut down. Local economic development is still as stagnant as it is difficult to understand or describe. We have purchased tickets to see Thomas…
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‘Iron Range Blast’ to rock the Twin Cities Saturday night
Half of the people who call themselves Iron Rangers actually live in the Twin Cities. If you’re reading this down in the Cities you should know about this Saturday night “Iron Range Blast” event at Cuzzy’s Bar and Grill in Minneapolis. Check it out, if only for the cool image shared here. A review of…
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Live music, junk art & creative social media on the Range
“Art in the Park” returns to the amphitheater stage at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm at 7 p.m. Thursday. Josh Palmi and the band Colmekill will provide free live music at this Iron Range culture and history center. I neglected to mention the show last week. They do this every Thursday, for free, during…
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This week on the Range — Bar fire, senators & Showcase Showdown
Late last week fire destroyed the Risky Business bar in Gilbert. No one was hurt. Gilbert, you may recall, is the historic epicenter of the region’s checkered relationship with alcohol. Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) visited Chisholm Friday for an event with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The two discussed their Range roots in this interesting Duluth…
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Remaking the Mitchell Yards on the Iron Range
My life takes place in two worlds. In one of these worlds the history and seemingly immovable fate of the Iron Range of northern Minnesota collides with the hopes and dreams of its people. In the other (the one preferred by my three young sons) trains with faces work, play and explore their way across…
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Essar reiterates plans to produce steel on the Range
The Hibbing Daily Tribune reports that the Essar Steel Minnesota project near Nashwauk is making progress (subscription link). This according to statements at a public meeting between local officals and Essar represntatives. The company’s commmunication with the people of the region, who have underwritten much of the infrastructure, has been lacking, however. The meeting was…
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A big day of mining news on the Range?
There will be some news rumblings on the Iron Range today. The IRRRB meeting at 9 this morning isn’t expected to generate many sparks. Nevertheless, like a pistol in a Chekhov play, you shouldn’t be surprised if it goes off at some point. The meeting I’ll be waiting to hear about will be the gathering…
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Alaska Sen. Begich to join Sen. Klobuchar on the Range
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) will be on the Iron Range Friday night to appear at a fundraiser for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota). This is Begich’s first public trip to the Range since he was elected to the Senate from his home state. He is the nephew of former State Rep. and current IRRRB board member…
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Pan fish restrictions proposed for some northern Minnesota lakes
Pan fish restrictions in Itasca County? Five crappie bag limit? That’s just great, DNR. The good news is that the government will fall long before these proposed restrictions take effect. So we’ve got that going for us. I highly doubt the warlords will enforce these rules. Long live Kronos! Related posts: No related posts.
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The old Cherry School is gone
I attended Cherry High School, graduating in 1998. Cherry is a township at the edge of Hibbing’s rural eastern borders on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. On Tuesday the old part of the school, built in 1928, was torn down to make way for a major renovation. I’ve written more on the topic to…
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B’nai Abraham Center to hold benefit jazz concert on the Range
A cultural center in the last remaining synagogue on the Iron Range will hold a benefit concert Thursday night featuring jazz singer Connie Evingson, a Hibbing native, and a host of other Minnesota jazz musicians including the Miltich boys from my west Range township. The B’nai Abraham Museum and Cultural Center in Virginia stands a…
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Spirit of Iron Range captured in upcoming photo exhibit
The photographer Richard Colburn will be hosting a series of exhibits on the Iron Range over the next few months. Colburn’s primary subject has been the people and places of the upper Midwest. He’s spent some time on the Iron Range over several years and will be displaying his work at these exhibits. Lyric Center…
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Promising new blog from Harvard econ major with Range roots
I’ve got to give a plug to Tony Sterle over at “A Little Bit of Liberal.” Tony will soon graduate with an economics degree from Harvard (the actual one, not the nickname for the community college where I work). Tony’s point of view is that of a pragmatic liberal advancing reasoned, researched ideas about modern…