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USA Olympic Curling teams both fall to 0-2
The USA Olympic Curling teams both lost today in Sochi, each falling to 0-2 in round-robin play. The men’s team, which is composed entirely of Iron Range and Duluth curlers, lost to China 9-4. The women lost to Russia 9-6 despite holding an early lead. This follows yesterday’s disappointing debut for the two teams. The…
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Happy Bob McDonald Day in Minnesota!
Gov. Mark Dayton proclaimed today, Feb. 11, 2014, Bob McDonald Day in Minnesota, a tip of the cap to the legendary Chisholm high school boys basketball coach during his final season at the helm of the Bluestreaks. Tony Sertich, commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, will declare the proclamation at tonight’s Chisholm…
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USA Curling falls to Norway in Olympic opener
This morning the men’s Team USA curling team competed against Norway in its Olympic debut. Despite pulling within 5-3 in the middle of the match, Team USA, skipped by Chisholm native John Shuster, fell 7-4. The defeat is a disappointment for Team USA Curling not because they were favored (Norway is considered a strong medal contender),…
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Cold year has Lake Superior freezing over
Northern Minnesota’s winter, like much of North America, has been abnormally cold this year. This frigid 2013/2014 winter has Lake Superior freezing over, a rare occurrence on the continent’s freshwater sea. The lake was over 90 percent ice this weekend, and speculation is that continued cold will lead to the first ice-over since 1996. (Locals…
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Iron Range discord over Dayton’s LG pick?
The banner headline on the Sunday edition of the Iron Range’s biggest newspaper was clear: “All-Minneapolis Ticket.” And despite Minneapolis’s status as a successful American city on the upswing, this headline is not designed to be a compliment for Gov. Mark Dayton and his new Lt. Gov. running mate Tina Smith. The Mesabi Daily News…
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Flipping ‘The Odd Couple’ in Duluth
The Duluth Playhouse is doing a run of Neil Simon’s famous play “The Odd Couple,” about a mismatched pair of roommates learning to deal with life, change and each other. No big deal, right? Well, the play features lead actors Jody Kujawa and Jason Scorich, alternating the roles of Felix and Oscar each night. In…
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Internet access for all Minnesotans? Live coverage now
The Uptake is providing live coverage of the Border to Border Broadband conference presentation “The Future of Rural Minnesota Broadband.” I’m happy to share the coverage here on my blog at the bottom of this post. Coverage begins at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5. I’ll post archive footage afterward when its available. The huge…
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Actual Wolf sings ‘Victims and Things’ live
You could do a lot worse things with three and a half minutes of your life than listen to this live recording from the Current featuring Actual Wolf and his new single “Victims and Things.” Actual Wolf, nee Eric Pollard and his band, is a northern Minnesota act headed to Nashville. They’ll have a full-length…
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‘Rhythmic biological pattern of life’ goes on
In Sunday’s Duluth News Tribune, Sam Cook writes of the last mail run of retiring postal carrier John Latimer, who doubles as the staff phenologist at KAXE-Northern Community Radio. (Phenology is a Tuesday morning radio show, and also the “rhythmic biological pattern of life”). While John might not be delivering mail in rural Itasca County…
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Dayton selects Tina Flint Smith for Lt. Gov.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton will announce his Chief of Staff Tina Flint Smith as his 2014 running mate this morning. Smith will join the ticket as the DFL Lt. Gov. candidate for Dayton’s upcoming re-election bid having been probably the most influential member of his first term administration. Here’s Blois Olson’s write-up from today’s Morning…
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Dylan Days in Hibbing calls for poems, stories
Every year a group of folks, myself included, throw together a grassroots event in Bob Dylan’s Iron Range hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, celebrating Dylan’s work and influence and the enduring art and culture of northern Minnesota. One of the things we do is a writing contest named in honor of the English teacher who turned…
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Historic changes to IRRRB quietly approach
Last week’s meeting of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board in Eveleth covered some rather groundbreaking territory with relatively little fanfare. So, let’s take a look. First, the required primer. The IRRRB is a state-run agency, but is funded with revenue raised from mining production taxes. Mines in northern Minnesota pay production taxes instead…
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Bob Dylan pitches for Chrysler in Super Bowl ad
Folks who stuck with the Seattle Seahawks blowout in the Super Bowl were treated to one of Chrysler’s trademark American heartstrings ads: this one featuring Hibbing’s own Bob Dylan. The reclusive folk/rock troubadour waxed poetic about America, the road, and the Detroit-made goodness of Chrysler automobiles. My local social media feed did not lack the…
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Area chickens unsuccessful
Late last year, northern Minnesota’s internet elite united for one purpose: get a free Super Bowl ad for a local chicken farm. We voted and voted and voted in the online poll put on by Intuit, who was springing to buy the expensive ad for a small business that uses its software. Our northern Minnesota…
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Nation’s cold spot celebrates Laskiainen sliding festival
Northern Minnesota has drawn national headlines all month for its subzero Martian cold and hip hotspot catering cross-promotion. This weekend it will be the site of a beloved northern Minnesota Iron Range tradition: The Laskiainen Finnish sliding festival in Palo. Laskiainen is a midwinter custom that came over with the Finnish immigrants who were among…