-
Jim Oberstar: a memory held up by union steel
My Sunday newspaper column for May 11, 2014 was excerpted from the post I wrote after the passing of Jim Oberstar on Saturday, May 3. I am republishing that post today. Early Saturday morning former Congressman Jim Oberstar died peacefully in his sleep at his Maryland home at the age of 79. The news of…
-
Oberstar honored by House, Great Lakes fleet
The Duluth News Tribune reports that the U.S. House of Representatives will honor the late Rep. Jim Oberstar on the floor with a moment of silence during tonight’s session. Wednesday night, the Oberstar family will host a private wake in Washington, D.C. His public funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady of…
-
Uneasy feelings at Saturday’s #MN08 DFL convention
This story is cross-posted with my Up North Report blog at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. This Saturday at 9 a.m., DFL delegates from Minnesota’s Eight Congressional District will hold their biannual convention at the Nashwauk Rec Center on the western Mesabi Iron Range. U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (DFL-MN8) is unopposed in seeking endorsement for re-election.…
-
Tom Rukavina considering return to Iron Range politics?
The talk of the Iron Range political universe is the possibility of former State Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Township) returning to politics with a run for St. Louis County Commissioner. Incumbent Mike Forsman of Ely is retiring, leaving an open seat in a county board district that is bigger than most legislative districts (and most…
-
Mesabi Daily News adds voice to broadband support
It’s always a treat when the Mesabi Daily News is this right. Saturday, Bill Hanna and the gang offered a strong endorsement of high speed internet funding, calling into question the same frustrating observations of local lawmakers’ views that I wrote about last week. The Mesabi Daily News added some good points to the discussion: And what about the…
-
BREAKING: Congressman to live-tweet UPS ride-along
Fresh across the wires, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) will be live-tweeting a ride-along with a UPS driver in Duluth, Minnesota, this morning. How could you not check in on this? His campaign indicates that Nolan paid for his college education working as a UPS driver back in the day. UPDATE: Oh, this is happening.…
-
Nolan calls for U.S., Iron Range steel in pipelines
U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) is calling for steel used in the construction of proposed transnational oil and gas pipelines to be made in America, with American iron ore. Nolan discussed his proposed bill with the Mesabi Daily News yesterday in an interview published today. We don’t know the political status of the bill, but…
-
Range lawmakers cool to broadband bill
As Katie G. Nelson reports for the Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Tribune and Grand Rapids Herald-Review, Iron Range lawmakers are taking a decidedly unenthusiastic stance on a bill that would fund new broadband infrastructure in Minnesota. On one hand, there is acknowledgement that $25 million is not enough to extend broadband to unserved regions of…
-
Minnesota minimum wage to gradually rise to $9.50
On Monday, April 14, 2014 Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) signed a minimum wage increase into law. Over the next couple years, the minimum wage in Minnesota will gradually rise to $9.50 per hour for most businesses, excluding many small businesses and resorts. The wage will eventually be indexed to inflation beginning in 2016. The UpTake…
-
All you really need to know about politics
Related posts: No related posts.
-
UPDATE: MN lawmakers reach deal on minimum wage
The Associated Press is reporting that Minnesota lawmakers are nearing a deal to increase the state’s minimum wage to $9.50. The deal does not include the more controversial indexing of the minimum wage to inflation, though that is still being negotiated. UPDATE: The deal is done, and there is a provision for indexing (see bottom…
-
Range projects faring well in bonding proposals
There’s still a few miles of debate ahead, but Iron Range bonding projects seem well situated in either the House or Gov. Mark Dayton’s bonding bill proposals. The Senate is expected to release their bill soon, where Majority Leader Tom Bakk, an Iron Range state senator, is unlikely to short shrift the region. The Duluth…
-
Bill would rename Asian carp; solve everything
This blog is nothing if not your inconsistent source for up-to-date Asian carp snark. We also cover politics. Today these worlds collide, as a bill to rename Asian carp as “invasive carp” has made its way into the hopper at the Minnesota Legislature. UPDATE: Holy carp. They might actually to do this. WDIO has the…
-
Schultz wins DFL nod in 7A, shocking tough field
Four strong candidates. Seven ballots. By the end, Jennifer Schultz had won the DFL endorsement in House District 7A to succeed retiring Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth). The Duluth News Tribune has a detailed story. Schultz, a political newcomer, is a professor of economics and director of the health care management program at the University of…
-
TPT explores Iron Range political influence
Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac: At the Capitol” with Mary LaHammer dedicated last night’s show to the influence of the Iron Range on state politics, including a discussion about Range political history and the current nonferrous mining debate. Since I’m still working on my script for the Great Northern Radio Show, maybe this will tide…