Category: News

  • Scenic Range NewsForum to cease publication

    Scenic Range NewsForum to cease publication

    Another local newspaper bites the dust, this one on the western Mesabi Iron Range. On Tuesday, the Scenic Range NewsForum announced that the weekly newspaper will cease publication at the end of 2020. The newspaper published for decades at the Scenic Range News out of Bovey, Minnesota. The name refers to the local belief that…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “The Nadir”

    FARGO, Season 4: “The Nadir”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 8:…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “Lay Away”

    FARGO, Season 4: “Lay Away”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 7:…

  • Space to think

    Space to think

    This was the first time since I started the blog that I neither maintained a live blog on election night, nor wrote a breathless analysis article the day after. To those who were looking for one, sorry. I’ve got thoughts, and you’ll get them, but not yet. Holding out might have been the best choice.…

  • The view from the Iron Range as 2020 race nears end

    The view from the Iron Range as 2020 race nears end

    I’ve written here and there about the Mesabi Iron Range’s role in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Nothing more to say there. The votes will be cast and tallied soon. Unfortunately, I’ve written very little about other races across northern Minnesota. Deep in the writing process for my book and podcast, I decided to ignore…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “Camp Elegance”

    FARGO, Season 4: “Camp Elegance”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 6:…

  • Pence in Hibbing today for campaign rally

    Pence in Hibbing today for campaign rally

    Vice President Mike Pence and other Republican candidates will appear today at a rally at the Range Regional Airport in Hibbing. Just one week before the Nov. 3 election, the Trump campaign sees Minnesota as winnable despite polls that currently trend toward Joe Biden and the Democrats. National campaign visits to northern Minnesota are typically…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “The Birthplace of Civilization”

    FARGO, Season 4: “The Birthplace of Civilization”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 5:…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “The Pretend War”

    FARGO, Season 4: “The Pretend War”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 4:…

  • Iron Range becomes ‘living political meme’ in 2020 race

    Iron Range becomes ‘living political meme’ in 2020 race

    As I’ve written already, the Iron Range finds itself at the center of the 2020 campaign these days. This happened mostly because of the attention being paid to us by President Trump. But does Trump really have all the answers for the Range or is this just part of a symbolic gambit in his “turn…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “Raddoppiarlo”

    FARGO, Season 4: “Raddoppiarlo”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 3:…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “The Land of Taking and Killing”

    FARGO, Season 4: “The Land of Taking and Killing”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 2:…

  • FARGO, Season 4: “Welcome to Alternate Economy”

    FARGO, Season 4: “Welcome to Alternate Economy”

    Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the Midwest. The ratings range from INTERESTING  (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. Episode 1: Welcome to the Alternate Economy…

  • Breaking barriers and saving lives during Hibbing’s most trying times

    Breaking barriers and saving lives during Hibbing’s most trying times

    During my book research I stumbled across the story of Hattie Mosley. I wasn’t the first to note this fascinating woman’s life. She was elected to the Hibbing Historical Society’s Hall of Service and Achievement a decade ago. But few in her Iron Range hometown know anything about her. In 1918, Hibbing battled a flu…

  • Cleveland Cliffs acquires ArcelorMittal USA

    Cleveland Cliffs acquires ArcelorMittal USA

    Cleveland Cliffs becomes North America’s largest producer of iron ore and flat-rolled steel after acquiring the assets of ArcelorMittal USA. Reuters reported over the weekend that ArcelorMittal and Cleveland Cliffs were negotiating an asset merger that would dramatically affect the taconite industry on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. The deal merges ArcelorMittal’s American operations with those…