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COLUMN: The Oracle is keen on 2013
This is my Sunday column for the Jan. 6, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The predictions column is part of an old New Year’s tradition of mine, which also includes my annual “top words” column and “top posts” item. The Oracle is keen on 2013By Aaron J. Brown My hands burn on the…
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Minnesota DNR to investigate moose population losses
WDIO reports that the Minnesota DNR is researching why moose population numbers have dropped so much in the past year. It occurs to me that I forgot to include this graphic in my annual list of top traffic and favorite posts from 2012. I spent a whole morning on it some time ago. Anyway, I…
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After Newtown: fast response in Grand Rapids, MN
This morning, we were working here at the house and my wife and I both got notification calls from the Grand Rapids (Minn.) School District. Law enforcement had contacted the superintendent about a potential danger at one of the schools in the district (not our kids’ school). Here is the notification we got from Superintendent…
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Downton Abbey in Downtown Duluth
Hey, Aaron, do you watch Downton Abbey? No, I’m afraid I don’t. You should. It’s really good. It’s about old stuff and history and elegance and England and such. You like that stuff. I do like that stuff. It’s about power dynamics and such. You like that. Yes, I do. It’s on Channel 8. You…
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Twin Cities public TV sends in the Turtles to debut new show
The Lowertown Line, a new show by TPT’s Minnesota Original public television project, made its debut this week. (I saw this on MinnPost). It is, by appearances, Minnesota’s answer to PBS’s Austin City Limits, where I and many have long mined new original music for my iPod. TPT certainly seems to have ambitions to find…
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BREAKING: Squash named Duluth vegetable of the year
Squash celebrate historic win in Duluth vegetable election, also revealing the segregation that pervades squash community. BREAKING: Duluth citizens elect squash “Vegetable of 2012.” Kale has been defeated. Repeat, KALE DOWN. SELL SELL! DEVELOPING… CORRECTION: We’ve been informed that kale was subject to Duluth vegetable of the year term limits. Kale was vegetable of the…
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Really old pipe breaks, snarls downtown Duluth
A tall ship prepares to embark on Superior Street. A Duluth, Minnesota, water main originally built in 1887 broke on New Year’s Day, flooding a section of Superior Street in Duluth’s vibrant downtown. This is causing some trouble for many returning to work today after the holiday. The Duluth News Tribune, among others, has the…
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Dylan Days readies for 2013, calls for writers
Robert Zimmerman fronts the Golden Chords at the Hibbing Memorial Building Little Theater in 1958. (Copyright: Monte Edwardson, the guitarist pictured at left. LeRoy Hoikkala is the drummer.) I continue to work with Dylan Days, the Hibbing-based arts organization honoring Bob Dylan every year in his Iron Range hometown. The big shindig will be May…
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Nolan names former opponent Anderson, others to staff
Today, Rep.-elect Rick Nolan (D-MN8) announced several of his key staff appointments. Most notable among them: Jeff Anderson, one-time opponenet in the DFL primary and former Duluth City Council President, will be Nolan’s District Director. Anderson will oversee district offices in Duluth and Brainerd, along with yet-to-be-determined offices on the Iron Range and another city…
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The writing life at MinnesotaBrown.com
This is just a reminder that this blog is just one of several ongoing writing projects. You can hear my Northern Community Radio commentaries on the Morning Show and Between You and Me. My column appears every Sunday in the Hibbing (Minn.) Daily Tribune. I write and produce Northern Community Radio’s Great Northern Radio Show.…
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Iron mining has strong 2012; poised for bumps in 2013
The Star Tribune reported yesterday the strong year by northern Minnesota taconite operations and the potential for a slight slow-down in 2013. The Iron Range economy is deeply tied to national and international trends. All our line graphs roughly resemble the national ones. The difference is timing. We don’t always go up or down at…
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Nolan named to key House transporation committee
Rep.-elect Rick Nolan (D-MN8) announced today that he has been named to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Since WWII, northeastern Minnesota’s members of Congress have all served on some version of this committee. Reps. John Blatnik and Jim Oberstar both chaired the committee at different times and outgoing Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8), a former…
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Great Northern alum headlines ‘Acoustic Cafe’ tonight in Chisholm
I haven’t been writing about it every week, but you should know that the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm has continued its free Thursday night live music events called “Acoustic Cafe.” From 5-9 p.m. the cultural center offers free admission so you can hear the tunes and check out what’s new around the former Ironworld.…
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Looking back at the Letterman years
Though having kids dramatically reshaped how I watch late night television, I probably logged as many hours watching David Letterman in my teens and early 20s as anyone but the feed managers at NBC and CBS. It was cool to see him honored recently by the Kennedy Center for his work. CBS is re-airing the…
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What is the sound of five accordions playing A-Ha?
OK, time to change up from the seasonal music: That would be A-Ha’s “Take on Me” by five young accordionists from the KUM SONG School, filmed in Pyongyang, North Korea a year ago. (h/t Dan Lewis’s “Now I Know” newsletter, which has more fascinating back story on North Korea’s fondness for accordions) Related posts: No…