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Baby, it’s cold outside
Record setting cold is expected this summer for Duluth and International Falls. It’s kind of adding to the ambiance for a summer where almost one in five Iron Rangers is unemployed. All we need now is a serial killer and some kind of enormous chemical spill. Then we’d be a latter day Dickens novel. Related…
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The nine circles of hell. You know, for fun.
This Lapham’s Quarterly graphic clarifies the nine circles of Hell as depicted in Dante’s Inferno. (“Abandon All Hope, You Who Enter Here,” etc.). Do you fear Hell? Do you want someone else to go there? Well, name your sin (your dominant sin, that is) as you’ll know which circle of hell you’ll go to and…
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Rukalinka
It’s a linky kind of day I guess. The Minnesota Independent has a profile of Iron Range lawmaker Tom Rukavina as he considers a full blown run for governor next year. Related posts: No related posts.
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Meantime, in the transportation committee
Forum Communication’s Capitol Chatter has a compelling profile on Jim Oberstar’s big week. His major transportation initiatives are ripening and, amid all else going on, he will be making a push for his vision of a 21st century transportation system. Related posts: No related posts.
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They were right and wrong
I am trying to avoid wading into the morass of national political arguments. I don’t have the time to have cable news yelling wars with every Johnny-Come-Bloggy on the internet. But I will highlight a fine piece by David Mindeman for MinnPost about the lessons that can be learned about race in America from the…
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No one’s been shanked … yet
The first Hell’s Angels riders have begun arriving in the Carlton area for this upcoming weekend’s gathering of the famed motorcycle club. The comments in this Cloquet Pine Knot/DNT story pretty much sum up the divide in the community over how to handle the situation. I predict that nothing happens except for a lot of…
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Iron Range county fairs bring beer, cheer, carnies to town
The St. Louis County Fair opens this Wednesday and runs through Sunday. The Itasca County Fair comes two weeks later. These events mark the waning days of summer for most red-blooded Iron Rangers. The blue bloods get a few more weeks until the houseboats come off Vermilion. The green bloods are still hospitalized. Don’t even…
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Big money, big problems
Politics in Minnesota has an interesting list of the third party donations to legislative candidates in swing districts for last year’s election. There aren’t many surprises, but the amount of money is interesting and a little disturbing when you consider the spending limits that most candidates agree to abide by for public financing. The argument…
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British paper sends reporter to Bob Dylan’s class reunion
The Telegraph of London ran a great story about Bob Dylan’s 50th Hibbing High School class reunion held last weekend. They actually had a reporter at the reunion in the hopes that he might show up. This is worth a read if only because it properly shows the changes in Hibbing’s attitude about Dylan over…
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Women in the mines: the difference today
Mesabi Misadventures hits another home run with a post about what it’s like to be a woman working at a mine today, decades after the sexual harassment made famous in the book “Class Action” and the movie “North Country.” This is a great read. She doesn’t write often but she writes with great depth. You…
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Rukavina speaks as governor bid begins
Joe Bodell at Minnesota Progressive Project has an interview with legendary Iron Range lawmaker Tom Rukavina after he filed paperwork to run for Governor. It occurs to me that my inevitable interview with Tom should be a great deal of fun. Related posts: No related posts.
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Other blogs join the fray
Grace Kelly at the Minnesota Progressive Project joins me in tearing the lid off the fantastical magic factory that is the proposed Mesaba Energy Project on the Iron Range. This project is not a power plant, it’s an expensive metaphor for everything that’s wrong with economic development on the Iron Range. Read the post. You…
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Brown on the Air: ANTIQUES
Tune in Saturday morning from 10 to noon for 91.7 KAXE’s weekly call-in and talk program “Between You and Me.” I am a regular contributor and my essay this week will explore the show’s rotating topic of “antiques.” For instance, which of Minnesota’s three iron ranges today qualifies as one of the state’s most active…
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Rukavina files paperwork for governor run
Longtime Iron Range state representative and colorful orator Tom Rukavina has filed state finance board paperwork to run for governor, according to Minnesota Progressive Project. UPDATE: The Mesabi Daily News has the exclusive first interview, albeit brief. Related posts: No related posts.
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If things get real bad we can eat them books
MinnPost’s Catherine Conlan reports on northern Minnesota libraries as they serve as a refuge during the economic storm, all while struggling with budget cuts of their own. Related posts: No related posts.