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On PolyMet and the price of hope
This week, the U.S. Forest Service announced the approval of a land swap with the PolyMet Mining Corporation. The government will release 6,650 acres of federal land in Northern Minnesota to PolyMet in exchange for 6,690 acres of non-federal lands. Essentially, PolyMet gains access to a large contiguous section of forested land located within its…
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Hope for broadband in 2017 MN legislative session?
As I mentioned before, the state of Minnesota’s efforts to expand broadband access in rural areas had one big effect last year. MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters is now hooked to a fiber optic cable capable of delivering gigabyte internet speeds. And I pay less per month for my internet, phone, and television services than I did…
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Fairview takes over Grand Itasca
The Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, is now under new ownership. The Fairview System officially took over Grand Itasca on Jan. 1. Fairview is affiliated with the University of Minnesota Health system in Minneapolis. Fairview also operates the Range Regional Medical Center in Hibbing, the Iron Range’s largest hospital. According to…
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New Northern Minnesota lawmakers sworn in
Several new state lawmakers from the Northern Minnesota were sworn in at the Capitol in St. Paul today. State Rep. Julie Sandstede (DFL-Hibbing) now represents District 6A, including Hibbing, Chisholm, Floodwood, Nashwauk, Keewatin and Bigfork. “As a lifelong Ranger, I know how important it is for us to never stop fighting for our economic vitality and…
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Format changes shake up Iron Range radio dial
Last August I shared news that Midwest Communications had purchased five new stations from Duluth-based Red Rock Radio. Wausau, Wisconsin-based Midwest owns more than 73 stations in seven states. Due to federal regulations, Midwest had to shed some of its other frequencies in Northern Minnesota to take over the new stations. On New Year’s Day, format…
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Iron Range Makerspace finds home in Hibbing
Iron Range Makerspace announced just before Christmas that it bought the empty Hibbing VFW building on the Highway 169 Beltline. The move will finally provide a permanent location for this unique laboratory for tinkers, be they students, amateurs or professionals. I wrote about the Iron Range Makerspace concept just over a year ago. CEO Andrew Hanegmon and his…
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MinnesotaBrown’s Top Posts of 2016
Goodbye, 2016. Hello, 2017. As we mark this turn of the calendar page, let’s look back at the year that was at MinnesotaBrown.com. This year I celebrated 10 years of blogging at MinnesotaBrown.com. Fifteen years of writing a column in the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Twenty years of work in Iron Range media, dating back to…
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Keewatin Taconite will reopen in March 2017
WDIO reports that Keewatin Taconite will reopen in March 2017, ending a 19-month shutdown. U.S. Steel announced it signed pellet contracts with third party steelmakers, providing the spark to reopen the long dormant Keewatin plant. KeeTac was the last taconite mine on the Range still closed after last year’s steel downturn, which at one time had…
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Merry Christmas from MinnesotaBrown
Happy Holidays, dear reader! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Happy New Year to those who mark more secular holidays. And Happy Friday to those who would prefer not to deal with any of it. [Silent nod to ninjas and people with sleeping babies] We are nearing the end of 2016, a time of reflection.…
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Life on the Dinner-Supper line
Everybody eats. Not everybody does it the same way. And still more call the same meal by different names. So, my whole life I’ve eaten something called “breakfast” in the morning, a word derived from “to break a fast,” or end a period without food. At midday, I eat something called “lunch,” short for “luncheon.” And…
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On the solstice, winter’s beginning foretells its end
Today is the Winter Solstice. When I was younger, I used to let days like this pass without notice. Just a meaningless notation on my day planner. Not any more. The solstice is the shortest day of the year, the time we in the Northern Hemisphere spin farthest from the Sun. The event marks the first day…
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Season 3 of ‘Fargo’ headed for Eden Valley, MN
Season 3 of the critically-acclaimed “Fargo” on FX will begin filming in Canada in January. This week, the show announced most of its cast. I reviewed the first two seasons of “Fargo” here at MinnesotaBrown.com, providing a uniquely rural Minnesota-centric point of view. The reviews were quite popular during Season 1, but traffic fell back to…
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Don Ness to lead Ordean Foundation
Former Duluth Mayor Don Ness announced Tuesday he would be the next executive director of the Duluth-based Ordean Foundation. Just six months into a new gig in workforce development at Lake Superior College, Ness posted on social media that the opportunity to lead the Ordean Foundation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Ness assumes the new job in January. Duluth…
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Lee, Reyelts retirements to shake up Duluth TV news
Last month, longtime KBJR news director Barbara Reyelts and newscast anchor Michelle Lee both announced their impending retirement. Their departure reflects changes in the Duluth TV News market that began when WDIO’s legendary Dennis Anderson retired five years ago. Lee steps down Dec. 27. She has been doing TV news in Duluth since 1983 and has anchored the 6…
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Speaking the hope of tomorrow’s Northern Minnesota
A few weekends ago I found myself in the rural environs of Northome, Minnesota. Two of my sons had a LEGO robotics meet there, an insanely long Saturday of watching LEGO robots intermittently pick things up and put them down again. The occasion left lots of time to wander the halls of Northome School. Northome is a logging town located in…