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Dylan Days 2012 begins in Bob’s hometown
Dylan Days 2012 kicks off Thursday in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing. I’ve been involved with Dylan Days since 2001 but this is the first year I’ve stepped back a bit from some of the press work. I’ll be emceeing the literary event on Friday. Many of the press and social media activities have been…
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Meyer files for DFL primary in House 6B seat
Dave Meyer, an Aurora construction worker active in Laborer’s Union Local 1097, has filed to run in the DFL primary to replace Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) in one of the Iron Range’s hottest contests of 2012. “I’m going to fight to keep jobs here, to keep them from heading south,” said Meyer. Infrastructure investments top…
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A week of Bob Dylan celebration in northern Minnesota
Duluth’s Dylan Fest continues this week, and Dylan Days in Hibbing kicks off Thursday. The Playlist on WDSE previewed our Range event on its last episode: I’ve been an organizer and press rep with Dylan Days since 2001, participating in its growth from a small acknowledgement of the Iron Range’s most famous artist to a…
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Hill of Three Waters
This is my Sunday column for the May 20, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. My visit to the Hill of Three Waters took place a year ago. While photography is forbidden at the site, I did snap this photo of the entrance to the hill to show what the forest looks like. Hill…
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No DFL endorsement for Rukavina seat, primary awaits
In the open seat to replace Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) in the new district 6B, two DFLers battled to a draw today at the DFL endorsing convention in Hibbing. Jason Metsa led Lorrie Janatopoulos after four ballots but lacked the 60 percent needed to win endorsement. Turnout at this convention was suprisingly low; just 42…
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DFLers Saxhaug, Persell, Anzelc endorsed in Cohasset today
The hotbed in legislative battlegrounds this year is the new Senate District 5 and House Districts 5A and 5B in Itasca, Cass and Beltrami counties. Redistricting paired three DFL incumbents with three GOP incumbents here. Today, the DFL made its endorsements at the Cohasset Community Center. For Senate, the DFL unanimously endorsed incumbent Sen. Tom…
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U.S. Postal Service spares Duluth processing center
The U.S. Postal Service has announced it will spare the Duluth mail processing facility. The sorting center currently distributes mail to northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Closing would have added a day or two to the delivery time of first class mail in this region. U.S. Sen. Al Franken played a major role in getting the…
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Meantime, Ely escapes raging fire
While I was sipping water and preparing to read the names at the Hibbing Community College graduation (congratulations graduates, by the way), on the other side of the region the Vermilion Range city of Ely was being evacuated from the path of a raging wildfire. This photo is from Wayne Erickson at the U.S. Forest…
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Controversy nets Minnesota Zoo dolphins
There’s quite a tizzy brewing over the Minnesota Zoo’s decision to discontinue its dolphin exhibit after receiving state bonding funds last year to repair its dolphin tanks. You have to drain the tanks to fix them, and apparently the costs are too high to house the dolphins elsewhere during that time so they are just…
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Labor organizer Metsa to seek Rukavina seat
Jason Metsa, field coordinator for the North East Area Labor Council on the Iron Range, has announced that he will seek the House 6B seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Township). Metsa, 31, is a fifth-generation Iron Ranger with roots in the Angora and Nashwauk area. His family moved to Rochester for…
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Janatopoulos first to announce run for Rukavina seat
Over the next few days I’ll be sharing candidate announcements in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Tom Rukavina in a key Iron Range state House seat. The DFL endorsing convention will be held Saturday, May 19, and it remains to be seen how many candidates will run and whether they will honor the endorsement…
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A busy week of Iron Range politics
Last week Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Township) announced he would retire from the State House seat he’s held for 26 years. This is will likely remain a solid DFL district in the heart of the Iron Range, though Rukavina seldom drew a very strong GOP challenger. Once again, we test the true index of an…
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Cravaack plans "major announcement" 5:30 p.m. Saturday
UPDATE: The announcement relates to Coast Guard jurisdiction on Mille Lacs. Team Cravaack has used their one “major announcement” fake-out for the year. Hope it was worth it. This looks interesting: MEDIA ADVISORYCravaack to Make Major Announcement Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN) will make a major announcement tomorrow, Saturday May 12th. WHO: …
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Rukavina retires, marking end of an Iron Range era
Today, the passionate, populist, often enigmatic Iron Range state Rep. Tom Rukavina announced his retirement. Rukavina has represented his eastern Iron Range district for 26 years. This district, now called 6B, was known as 5A for much of his career. This district includes the city of Virginia where Rukavina grew up and first became involved…
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Anzelc IRRRB daylight provision to become law
A bill that would reopen financial data for Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board activities successfully passed the state legislature yesterday and is expected to be signed by Gov. Dayton. The daylight provision in the omnibus tax bill was the work of Rep. Tom Anzelc, who managed to find enough Republican support for repealing the…