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Here upon my return from the South
It was a glorious trip to Atlanta last week, one I decided not to encumber with blogging efforts. Over the next few days I’ll share some photos and thoughts about my first meaningful trip south of the Mason-Dixon line. But by now readers I’m sure most of you are concerned with what Gov. Pappy O’Daniel…
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Supreme Court orders DFLer Simonson onto 7B ballot
In an unexpected turn today the Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered the name of DFL-endorsed candidate Erik Simonson onto the Nov. 7 House 7B ballot. Simonson was running a write-in campaign after State Rep. Kerry Gauthier dropped out of the race amid a personal scandal. This order removes much of the election day confusion that…
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Steelworkers to back Nolan in MN-8, halting Cravaack gains
The United Steelworkers, representing about 3,000 Iron Range taconite miners, are set to endorse Rick Nolan in his bid to unseat Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8). The endorsement is expected to occur during a “major announcement” planned by the Nolan campaign at 3:30 Wednesday at the Mineview in the Sky south of Virginia, Minnesota. The Steelworkers…
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Hard to write fiction when you’ve covered a small town
This is blog is, in my heart anyway, a thought experiment wrapped in the cloak of local politics. Quite a thing, local politics. Ultimately and alternatingly more redemptive and more cruel than the national business. Jeff Winkler penned a post for The Awl yesterday entitled “My Sister the Candidate.” In this, a small town newspaper…
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Talking mining and MN-8 politics on the radio
On Sunday I was on the LeftMN Radio Hour with Aaron Klemz and Tony Petranglo on AM950 in the Twin Cities. The topic was politics in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District and mining issues in northern Minnesota. You can listen to the show below or here. My segment is at about the 9:30 mark. Podcast Powered…
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The mining fracas continues in MN-8
My recent post about Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District got some attention around the state. If you missed it, here it is. The short version: GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack is bludgeoning former DFL Rep. Rick Nolan on the northern Minnesota mining issue, something Nolan has to counteract if he hopes to win. Nonferrous mining is my…
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Tempest winds lean hard on the North Country’s MN-8 race
This week I listened to the new Bob Dylan album “Tempest” front to back, first time I’ve done that with any album in a long time. It’s a darker turn, playfully macabre with Dylan’s best pure music among his recent albums. “Tempest” is enchantingly foreboding — songs on aging past prime, a double murder-suicide, an…
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Footage of Melin, Weber debate in Iron Range House seat
On Sept. 5, the Duluth News Tribune hosted legislative forums on the Iron Range. You can see several forums involving mismatched candidates from various races in SD3 and SD6 here. But I am sharing the only one-on-one comparison in that day’s activities: a debate between Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing) and GOP challenger Roger Weber of…
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LIVE: Klobuchar, Bills debate for MN-SEN
Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race hasn’t drawn much attention this year. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has held large leads over Republican challenger State Rep. Kurt Bills in all major polls. While Klobuchar is indeed likely to prevail in this contest, this morning’s debate in Duluth — one of the few scheduled debates in this…
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So much progress; so much repetition
I edited the Hibbing Daily Tribune during its last years as an afternoon newspaper in the early 2000s. We had been experimenting with ways to keep that format alive by running earlier deadlines so we could “be on the stands by lunch.” You know, so all the workers out on their breaks would pour quarters…
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Legislative debate season arrives on the Range
I’ll try to pass along news of northern Minnesota legislative forums as I see them. Unlike federal election debates, where candidates are usually fairly polished, legislative debates are often loads of madcap fun. Unfortunately almost no one sees them. They’re like indy bands. Anyway, you should catch some of these and huzzah to anyone who…
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COLUMN: Conventional wisdom
This is my Sunday column for the Sept. 9, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Conventional wisdomBy Aaron J. Brown The two major parties just wrapped up their national conventions: the Republicans in Tampa, Florida; the Democrats in Charlotte, North Carolina. Now President Obama and Gov. Romney begin the sprint to Nov. 6, which…
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Simonson wins DFL nod for Duluth House 7B seat
Duluth assistant fire chief Erik Simonson, who had a bad news week, nevertheless emerged with the DFL endorsement at today’s convention in west Duluth. He narrowly achieved the 60 percent necessary to defeat Julene Boe in one ballot at the lightly-attended contest. Simonson has already been organizing his write-in campaign to replace outgoing Rep. Kerry…
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Family drama, DFL convention charge House 7B frenzy
It’s time to check in with the Minnesota House 7B race in West Duluth. For a time it seemed that the rest stop sex scandal that claimed the candidacy of the incumbent had abated. It was to be just another typical election. You know, an historically unprecedented multiple write-in candidate affair involving a Republican and…
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Range solar plant woes another black eye for local strategy
Struggles at a Mt. Iron solar panel manufacturer have the attention of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I’ve heard that other media organizations are also sniffing around after Silicon Energy has missed two payments on its IRRRB loan. While solar energy is a good thing and jobs are a good thing, increasingly this deal is looking…