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You say ‘review,’ I say ‘audit’: Either way, the Iron Range is getting bamboozled
As reported, the Office of the Legislative Auditor is spending two months reviewing two loans totaling $9.5 million given by Iron Range Resources to a collection of lobbyists and lawyers calling themselves “Excelsior Energy.” Isn’t that kind of like an audit? Apparently there’s a difference. Anyway, the Hibbing Daily Tribune followed up on my post…
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Franken weathers bad month like freight train full of rocks
… er, smart rocks. Something clever. I have to work on my blog headlines. There was a time there a few weeks ago when my favorite candidates, Barack Obama for president and Al Franken for Senate, were going through their respective former preacher and faux tax controversies at the same time. And, boy howdy, I…
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Rangers declare session successful
Better late than never; here’s Brady Silver’s roundup of the legislative session from an Iron Range perspective that ran in today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune. First hand accounts from my friend and colleague Rep. Tom Anzelc echo the sentiment that, while long and arduous, the session just plain went better than last time. Related posts: No…
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Today’s vote has Range school district on the ropes
Today there’s a levy referendum for the Greenway School District on the western end of the Mesabi Iron Range. If you’re not from the Range, this is one of the schools who used to kick your school’s ass in hockey. Part of the reason they haven’t been kicking your ass lately (I’m talking about you,…
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Minnesota holding blue tone for 2008
The Star Tribune releases polls today showing any Democrat beating John McCain in Minnesota by about 10 points. Barack Obama in particular does very well, showing numbers similar to Amy Klobuchar’s lead over Mark Kennedy in last cycle’s U.S. Senate race at this point. What does this mean? If the year plays out the way…
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State budget deal reached
The DFL legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) are going to announce a budget deal at noon Sunday. I’ll dig into the details when I see the deal. Related posts: No related posts.
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Ventura hinting Senate run again
Former Gov. Jesse Ventura (I-Minn.) is hinting at a U.S. Senate run again. As Larry Jacobs notes in the story, his timing may be right … again. As much as I am a fan of DFLer Al Franken, he has higher than average negatives for a challenger. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has higher negatives and…
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Steelworkers endorse Obama
Here’s a union endorsement in the presidential race that has implications on the Iron Range. (Found via yellowdog) The Range was going to be John Edwards country on Feb. 5 and Obama needs to hold the big DFL margins up here to win Minnesota. The Steelworkers aren’t necessarily the largest constituency up here anymore, but…
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McCain gets all futuristic on the TV
I just watched John McCain give a speech that was carried live on cable news. I came in late so it took me a minute to realize that his rhetorical construct was “it’s the future and here’s what I did in my first term.” He was saying things like “the economy is robust and people…
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Obama deserves to win because…
… he got ABC to break into World News with live coverage of his rally with John Edwards … the day AFTER he lost West Virginia by 40 points. Hot damn! That’s no small feat. Here’s the whole Edwards speech from CNN: Related posts: No related posts.
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UPDATE X2: Folstrom drops out of 4A DFL race; Persell poised as frontrunner
Dammit, blogging, I can’t quit you. So much for the “no blog” Tuesday afternoon. FLASH! From the House District 4A DFL endorsement race. Irene Folstrom withdrew her bid for the endorsement today, leaving a clear path for the other candidate, John Persell, a Beltrami County Soil and Water commissioner and longtime DFLer. Persell has worked…
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Midnight in the halls of Iron Range power
I didn’t think Excelsior Energy could go a whole legislative session without deploying its vast lobbying force for something. Recently, in the tax bill conference committee, State. Sen. Tom Bakk inserted language that extends the property tax exemptions from 2010 to 2012 for everyone’s favorite black hole of government giveaways and special favors. Excelsior is…
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Democracy on the March: Batman vs. the Penguin
In the old Adam West TV show, Batman once battled the Penguin (both in full costume) in a democratic election. Sadly, the satire is particularly appropriate for this year. My favorite is Robin’s reaction at the end of the clip. Related posts: No related posts.
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Update: Forums scheduled for hot 4A race
Here’s an update from the House District 4A race. This is the seat that popular incumbent Frank Moe (DFL-Bemidji) is abandoning to pursue a Ph.D. and focus on his family. We’ve got endorsement fights on both sides of the aisle. DFLThere are still only two announced DFL candidates for endorsement: Leech Lake band member and…
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Getting along
Minnesota Public Radio has a story today on why Republicans and Democrats can’t get along. Iron Range State Rep. Tom Rukavina is quoted near the end. His diagnosis: not enough free beer. His solution: more free beer. Makes sense to me. Related posts: No related posts.