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Keillor, Prairie Home dodge the snow for big show
You can hear the Duluth episode of Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” here. I wrote last week about the program’s expedition to the head of the lakes over the weekend. The DNT and Star Tribune reviewed “Prairie Home’s” stop at the DECC. Naturally, everyone’s talking about the “10 Things to Know Before you Move…
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MPR details disturbing patterns of pursuit in remote MN county
The perils of cultural isolation and human nature appear in so many surprising ways. There’s “The Lottery,” of course, and backwoods places where all manner of family arrangements might not pass their way into a lighthearted sitcom. And then there is this shocking story from Minnesota Public Radio today. It details the prevalence of older…
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Hot Bog: Study tests warming in northern Minn. swamp
Fans of this blog know that few things excite me like peat bogs. Well, maybe a few more things, but peat bogs among them. Some people like peat bogs because they are such complex ecosystems. Some people like peat bogs because they welcome a most fascinating collection of migratory birds. I like peat bogs because…
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Dylan Days writing contest deadline is March 1
Dylan Days is an annual arts event in Hibbing celebrating famed alumnus Bob Dylan and the arts community of the region. I have had the privilege of serving in various leadership roles for the event since 2001 and founded and edited the Dylan Days lit magazine “Talkin’ Blues.” That publication features the winners and finalists…
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COLUMN: From the Grange to the Range, Minnesota’s protest history shapes today
This is my Sunday column for the Feb. 26, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. From the Grange to the Range, Minnesota’s protest history shapes todayBy Aaron J. Brown I’ll never forget the night of the 1998 election. I was working as a reporter for KDTH-AM in Dubuque, Iowa. My boss Cindy Kohlmann and…
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Duluth welcomes Prairie Home Companion this Saturday
Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” broadcasts live from the symphony hall at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center this Saturday evening. The show is iconic to public radio, and this broadcast features some great local talent including Duluth’s Trampled by Turtles and the Grand Rapids High School Jazz Ensemble. (My kids could be in…
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Royal Swedes plan Duluth stop
The king and queen of Sweden are planning a visit to Duluth in October. The news comes just one year after the visit of the king and queen of Norway. That leaves only Denmark on the list for our Scandinavian monarchy punch card. The king and queen of Finland will not be visiting because they…
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Minnesota moose population in danger
The Minnesota moose population is in free fall, according to recent reports. Scientists are preparing us for the possibility that Minnesota might one day soon lose its moose population entirely. The cause is not over-hunting. Rather, moose mortality and pregnancy rates are being affected. Biologists in this Duluth News Tribune article say that a generally…
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‘Range of Arts’ event set to begin Feb. 25 at Lyric Center
The Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia, Minnesota, kicks off its annual “Range of the Arts” event this Saturday, Feb. 25. The event, which runs through the following week, includes art exhibits, a crafts expo, a seminar for creative women and more. Check out the Lyric Center’s blog for more. Related posts: No related…
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The Range survives redistricting, but western battle looms
I’ve had a little time to review the new Minnesota legislative and congressional redistricting maps. If you read on, you’ll see what it means to the Iron Range and surrounding political universe. The congressional map is fairly simple. The districts largely retain their shape and constituencies. There are marginal changes in party index, some favoring…
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Range retains similar legislative delegation
Today a five-judge panel has released the final redistricting plan for Minnesota’s legislative and congressional maps. Though there are many large overviews of the plan in the state media, tonight I will spend some time analyzing the impact on northeastern Minnesota House and Senate districts and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. In summary, the 8th CD…
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A ‘new normal’ for America’s economy?
Thought for the day: Is it possible that America’s 20th century strength (and the backbone of our success here in northern Minnesota’s steel and timber empire) was the nation’s forward-thinking and at times complete domination of the energy industry? Now that oil is becoming less reliable and plentiful as a commodity, we are struggling. Thus,…
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COLUMN: The map is dead; long live the map
This is my Sunday column for the Feb. 19, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Check back on Tuesday for my analysis of the new redistricting maps in Minnesota and how they’ll affect northern Minnesota politics. It will be a very busy week. The map is dead; long live the mapBy Aaron J. Brown…
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MNDOT drops most dramatic Range highway reroute
Minnesota transportation officials are scrapping the most controversial of the potential new routes for one of the Iron Range’s most important highways. The plan would have sent traffic from Duluth along the west side of Eveleth into Virginia and points north. WDIO has the story and corresponding graphic. The highway has to be rerouted to…
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Rural Range district feels pain of big plan gone awry
A fascinating story by Elizabeth Dunbar at Minnesota Public Radio details the woes of the St. Louis County school district and the consulting firm it followed in implementing a vast consolidation and construction plan last year. A plan narrowly approved by voters in the seven communities of the large, rural district closed or reduced function…