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Hainey to run for Iron Range State House seat
With State Rep. Jason Metsa running for Congress, his vacated House 6B seat becomes an interesting undercard in the impending Iron Range political scrum of 2018. Today, the first DFL candidate announced his candidacy. Shaun Hainey, an employee in the St. Louis County assessor’s office, is a hobby farmer and union member from Pike Township…
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Trump’s steel tariffs rile markets, please miners
Last week I wrote that “The Steel War is Nigh.” That day has come. On Thursday, President Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on most foreign steel. He cited Section 232, essentially arguing that the tariffs were in the interest of American national security. Most nations typically discourage using that nebulous language, because any nation…
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DFL lawmaker Jason Metsa enters Eighth District race
Today, State Rep. Jason Metsa (DFL-Virginia) announced his bid for the DFL nomination for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth District. “I am running for Congress because I know that we only make progress for Northern Minnesota families when we have each others’ backs and stand up to fight for each other,” said Metsa in his announcement.…
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Great Northern Radio Show hits BSU this Saturday
The dawn of March in Northern Minnesota is like those sample stations at your local grocery store. Try this sausage on a toothpick. Here’s a tiny pie on a tiny plate. Tastes pretty good. But do you live in a world where you can just buy a box of those special foods? Are these rare creamy…
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Mills opts out, leaving Stauber for GOP nod in MN-8
As coverage of the suddenly open Congressional seat in Minnesota’s Eighth District intensifies around the DFL candidates, Republicans had also been waiting to see who was in and who was out. Well, their math got easier today. Yesterday Stewart Mills III, twice a candidate for the job, announced he was sticking with his original decision…
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Happy Cornish Pasty Week!
Before I wrote this I worried that I might spend too much time writing about Cornish pasties here at MinnesotaBrown. Perhaps you have heard enough about the buttery, flakey meat and vegetable pies served hot and consumed copiously by underground miners like my ancestors. Perhaps. But on the other hand, if you want to talk…
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With Anderson, Lourey out, MN-8 race grows complex
Yesterday, Jeff Anderson announced he would not run for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. He had been considering such a run. However, the former Duluth City Councilor and District Director for retiring U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) didn’t stop there. Anderson endorsed Iron Range State Rep. Jason Metsa for the job. Metsa (DFL-Virginia) has…
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Heroes on ice: Team Shuster homecoming today
By now you might know about the dramatic Olympic men’s curling tournament comeback that led to a historic Gold Medal for the United States. Team Shuster returns home to Duluth, Minnesota, today. Team USA was led by skip John Shuster, a Chisholm native now living in Superior, and rounded out by John Landsteiner, Tyler George…
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Shuster Rink wins historic men’s curling gold for U.S.
Redemption makes the best stories. The hardest thing in life is to be knocked down and come back better than before. It doesn’t matter if it’s navigating relationships, recovering from injury, overcoming failure, or sliding a 40-pound stone across the ice. The U.S. Men’s Curling team, led by Chisholm native John Shuster, won the gold…
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NY Times lauds Minnesota Olympic triumph
Oh, boy. The New York Times doesn’t know what it’s done. On Friday, America’s vaunted newspaper of record gave Minnesotans something they’ve long craved: big city validation. In a story titled “Team USA? More like Team Minnesota” Pat Borzi argues that the U.S. Olympics team’s biggest successes came because of Minnesota athletes. From key members…
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Digging deeper into environmental policy
This month, the “Dig Deep” podcast explores environmental policy, a ferociously hot topic here in Northern Minnesota. “Dig Deep” is a production of Northern Community Radio, and appears both on the radio and as a podcast. My friend Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns represents a more conservative approach to issues while I present a more…
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Curling team with Northern MN ties vies for Olympic medal
Bad luck? A curse? Whatever you want to call it, U.S. men’s curling team skip John Shuster struggled in his last two Olympics. As part of America’s first medal-winning curling team — a bronze in 2006 — Shuster led the last two teams to ignoble collapses in 2010 and 2014. Until now. After a poor…
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Minnesota legislature launches into the unknown
This week the Minnesota legislature opened the 2018 session, a three-month sprint toward a May 21 deadline to do the people’s business. So, what is the people’s business? Good question. Right out the gate, we’re hearing about whether new Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach should be allowed to serve in her State Senate seat simultaneously. Fischbach,…
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The steel war is nigh
Things are moving quickly when it comes to substantial new American tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. As I reported last week, President Trump signaled new tariffs in meetings. Two days later, his commerce department issued plans to raise steel tariffs by 53 percent. That’s a huge hike. Though the president has yet to make…
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Littlewolf leaves Virginia council for foundation post
Virginia city councilor Nevada Littlewolf is leaving office for a prestigious new job as CEO of a Native American foundation. Last week, the Minneapolis-based Tiwahe Foundation named Littlewolf as its new leader. The foundation grants funds to Native American communities to promote independence and stronger leadership. “I understand firsthand the importance of indigenous voices in…