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To hibernate, nay, to await the revolution
I’m about to blog about small town planning. DON’T LEAVE THERE IS SO MUCH SEX IN THIS POST! OK, there isn’t, but the possibility that I’m lying might get you through the next paragraph. Anything goes. What’s a small town SLASH rural SLASH urban industrial corridor (ie. Iron Range) guy supposed to do in this…
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Four fried chickens and a coke
Enjoy the last (and perhaps best) of the Blues Brothers videos in advance of Thursday night’s HCC Theater Support Gala, 7:30 p.m. at the Hibbing High School Auditorium. This is another Facebook link. I’ll post all of the videos tomorrow with open links to my server (no time tonight, no time). Related posts: No related…
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Step Two
It’s happening on the east Range, too. After the Nashwauk-Keewatin/Greenway administrative merger last week, Mt. Iron and Virginia schools are also moving in the direction of more sharing and the seeds of administrative consolidation. Note that they are also inviting Eveleth-Gilbert to the table as well. This group of schools has the potential of creating…
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The senator with something to prove
Everyone is retreating to their familiar political environs this evening on today’s announcement of the Minnesota Supreme Court decision declaring Al Franken our next U.S. Senator. Very happy! Very angry! Very indifferent! (Though, to be fair, indifferent people seldom use exclamation points). I’m a progressive-minded writer type so I like Al and voted for him.…
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Meet Joliet Jake
Some positive news on the HCC Theater story. Hibbing Community College has announced a resumed search for a full time theater director to be hired on a temporary basis. This will allow the theater community to reorganize and adopt a model that includes outside fundraising to fill in where the budget cuts have hit the…
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Zinc? Fox News would tap that
Fox News reported on the debate over nonferrous mineral mining on the Iron Range near the Boundary Waters. The online story is boilerplate “jobs vs. environment” chatter, but the video is good fun regardless of your opinion of Fox News. Megyn Kelly mispronounces Ely and references “taking a crack at that zinc and so on.”…
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The true nature of this deal
Here’s a seemingly benign story about the delay of a land sale deal from Itasca County to Essar Steel, the company that has backed a proposed iron mining and steel-making operation on Minnesota’s Iron Range. What is really going on here is that there is question about the true intent of Essar Steel in operating…
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Ely stores embrace Quixotic Olympic bid
The small “end of the road” town of Ely continues to make hay out of its bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. This northern Minnesota hamlet is best known as the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe area. A local company is also holding a contest to create a mascot for the Ely bid. It’s…
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Step One
A first step. Nashwauk-Keewatin Schools and Greenway Schools will be sharing a superintendent. Iron Range districts from Grand Rapids to Ely will have to explore more collaboration and consolidation in coming months and years. Related posts: No related posts.
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No band, no music, no art, no soul, no future, Unless
After reading an AP story (link from WCCO) I wrote this column in one sitting. This is my weekly column for the Sunday, June 28, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I’m posting it on publication day because I want the conversation to begin Monday morning across the Iron Range. No band, no music,…
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Blues Brothers again on a mission from God (to save Hibbing theater program)
One night only, the fabulous Blues Brothers show band and review, will play to save the Hibbing Community College Theater program threatened by MNSCU budget cuts. Thursday, July 2, 2009 at the historic Hibbing High School Auditorium. It’s a big, beautiful barn and we must fill it to save the program. This is a hilarious…
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An eerie silence before, well, what?
Things are quiet on the Iron Range. Too quiet. What’s going on that I’m not writing about? Coming tomorrow: My big education column. Next week: An entertaining series of posts about the big HCC Theater Support Gala on Thursday, July 2 at the Hibbing High School Auditorium. One night only, featuring the fabulous Blues Brothers…
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How to fight the T-Paw cuts: "We’re getting the band back together"
A small victory in the HCC Theater debate, with a price. Hibbing Community College Theatre Director Mike Ricci has announced a major HCC Theatre Support Gala, featuring the return of the original Blues Brothers who performed on the HCC Theatre stage in 2004. This event will be held at Hibbing High School Auditorium on Thursday,…
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To clarify about Entenza and the endorsement
I need to clarify something about how I’ve been reporting the status of the race for the DFL gubernatorial endorsement. I have been reminded that candidate Matt Entenza would honor the endorsement if everyone else does. Former Sen. Mark Dayton has announced that he will bypass the endorsement and enter directly into the primary, thus…
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15 percent and counting
Unemployment on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range is at 15 percent but that doesn’t include the miners who are laid off but have an expectation of being called back at some point. Nor does it include those working part time after having been laid off from a full time job. It “feels” like unemployment is much…