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Even attractive anchors are feeling the pinch (of the economy)
You might remember that I am involved in a special national project called “PurpleStates” where bloggers from all 50 states share their diverse views on the national economy. My segment aired last month. There have been many notable submissions from other state bloggers, though, and I think today’s entry from an out-of-work Republican TV anchor…
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One way to follow the inauguration from a Northern Minnesota perspective
WDIO reporter Kim Johnson is covering Tuesday’s Obama inauguration for the Duluth ABC affiliate by traveling with Northlanders who are attending the ceremonies. She’s keeping a blog at the station’s website. I am also betting that any Facebook or MySpace friends you have in the D.C. metro area can probably give you a pretty good…
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Jeez, I guess history will vindicate just about anyone these days
Bless their hearts. The Mesabi Daily News ran an editorial today in the heart of Northern Minnesota’s blue collar Iron Range pumping up the legacy of George W. Bush. Sometimes I wonder if the MDN‘s editorial positions are, in fact, some kind of elaborate sociological experiment of which I am an unknowing participant. Well, anyway,…
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In honor of the King holiday, a bonus column … reprised
In honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, here’s a bonus column originally published in the Jan. 14, 2007 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. This was before I or anyone could have predicted we’d be swearing in an African-American president tomorrow. ‘Every mountainside’ means ore dumps too By Aaron J. Brown Monday…
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Range’s largest paper finally turns hoses on rabid commenters
A while back I posted about the bat guano insanity of the comments on the Mesabi Daily News website. The MDN is the Range’s largest paper, predominantly covering the eastern portion of the region. One of my friends even went in and determined that many of the comments were coming from the same person and…
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Paper: Range towns offer wide range of pay to elected officials
The Mesabi Daily News published a story Sunday, Jan. 18, comparing city councilor and county commissioner compensation on the Iron Range as part of a series detailing the financial woes facing government units in 2009. It’s interesting to see the differences between the towns. Most interesting is the $55,000 and full medical benefits enjoyed by…
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Iron Ranger was featured guest on The Daily Show last night
Hibbing/Iron Range native Bethany McLean appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” Thursday night to talk about the origins of the economic crisis. She spoke with great knowledge. I interviewed McLean when I was at the Hibbing Daily Tribune after she first broke the Enron scandal for Fortune Magazine. She now works as a…
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The porcupine and the beaver
I love this cartoon from Wednesday’s Grand Rapids Herald-Review, submitted to the paper by Jeanne Newstrom.I don’t exactly get it, but I love it anyway. Here what I know. The issue is the sale of land from Itasca County to Essar Steel for its up-and-coming Minnesota mining and steel mill operations near Nashwauk. A faction…
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Iron Range arts event calls for writers, poets and playwrights for annual contest
One of my many projects as an cultural and political operative on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range is Dylan Days. I am one of three co-chairs of this annual arts event in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing. One of my main tasks is the coordination of the Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest, which recognizes new and…
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Overburden tour comes home to HCC Theater Celebration this Friday
This Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m., Hibbing Community College Theater will hold its annual Celebration Evening featuring live music, performances, skits, video productions and, believe it or not, a brief reading from my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” by yours truly. I’ll also be signing books at intermission. You might be…
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Range superintendent swap has consolidation implications
Greenway Schools Superintendent Rochelle VanDenHeuvel has been named the new superintendent of the Virginia School District on the East Central Iron Range (Mesabi Daily News). Greenway, serving Coleraine, Bovey, Marble and Taconite on the western Mesabi Range, is one of the most financially troubled districts on the Range. The departure of its superintendent is likely…
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A call for an Iron Range Congress
Last week, I attended a round table (roundish, anyway) discussion on the future of the Iron Range sponsored by a community outreach committee of Messiah Lutheran Church of Mountain Iron. Though the sponsoring group might seem odd for such a topic, I can personally attest that the Messiah congregation and its pastor, the Rev. Kristen…
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Tomassoni likely has clear path to IRR Board chair
An update to an earlier post: It now appears that State Sen. David Tomassoni will have a clear path to become chair of the Iron Range Resources Board this go-around. This was probably helped by his early announcement of candidacy in a recent Mesabi Daily News story. Things could change but my Ranger pals at…
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The Minnesota Re-Miracle: the fight is on
DFL House leaders introduced a bill to reform education funding in Minnesota, essentially restoring the “Minnesota Miracle” crafted in the 1970s that shifted the burden from property taxes to state income taxes. Here’s the story from Jon Collins, the legislative correspondent shared by the Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune and Grand Rapids Herald-Review. It’s…
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Iron ore shipments show last year’s economic whiplash
The Duluth News Tribune reports today that December 2008 iron ore shipments out of the port of Duluth were down 42 percent from December 2007. This story shows the economic whiplash the Iron Range has seen in the last few months. Even though December was way down the boom of early 2008 was so big…