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National media do the Minnesota swing
On Nov. 3, voters will elect either incumbent Donald Trump or challenger Joe Biden as President of the United States. Biden holds a wide lead in the popular vote according to national polling, but it’s actually the Electoral College vote that determines the winner. That’s why American presidential elections become a mishmash of individual state…
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Labor Daze on the Iron Range
I feel bad that I’m not posting more often about what’s going on around the Iron Range these days. Hip deep in writing my book and teaching remotely I just don’t have time to whip up posts like I once did. As a result these events keep happening and the social arbiter of it all…
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Duluth senate primary will document changing DFL coalition
It’s primary election day in Minnesota. And while there are some interesting races around the state — notably the 5th Congressional District DFL race for Congress in Minneapolis — only one merits significant attention here in the North. In the State Senate District 7 DFL contest Sen. Erik Simonson of Duluth faces a spirited challenge…
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The politics of unemployment
My latest for the Minnesota Reformer is up. Here’s a taste: The extension of mining unemployment benefits is an ever-present Iron Range campaign issue and legislative priority. Now it could prove to be the biggest national campaign issue in the entire 2020 race. Welcome to Thunderdome! I’m afraid to report the real winners are in…
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IRRR commissioner OKs contested water tower project in Brookston
On Thursday afternoon Commissioner Mark Phillips of the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation announced the approval of a contested $250,000 grant for a water tower in Brookston. The decision concludes a growing controversy over the project’s exclusion from a collection of public works projects funded by the unique state agency. The small…
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CD8 race to test GOP trend in northern Minnesota
The 8th Congressional District race, which drew so much attention two years ago, begins with a dynamic unseen since the 1920s: a Republican incumbent clearly favored. U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber won the high-priced MN-8 donnybrook of 2018. He enters 2020 joined at the hip with President Donald Trump as both seek re-election. With Trump’s approval…
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Competitive legislative races slated across Northland
NOTE: This post appears in today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune as part of a news sharing arrangement. Generational change. A historically contentious presidential race. Not one, but two major parties devoted to legalizing marijuana. These factors and more will influence several interesting northern Minnesota legislative races that formed after last Tuesday’s filing deadline. Though the presidential…
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UPDATE: Layman won’t seek third term in State House
State Rep. Sandy Layman (R-Cohasset) announced late Tuesday she would not seek another term in the legislature. The surprising news dropped just as the filing period closed, leaving the Republican slot blank if she removes her name from the ballot. “Anyone in public service knows there is a balance that needs to be struck between…
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Talking Iron Range economy and COVID-19 on ‘Almanac’
I was a guest on Almanac Friday evening talking about COVID-19 and the economic downturn on the Mesabi Iron Range. Here’s the video: This was the first time I’ve done the show from the confines of MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters in Balsam Township. It was nice not to have to drive to St. Paul. I was…
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Duluth attorney McEwen thumps Simonson for DFL State Senate endorsement
Jen McEwen, a Duluth attorney, won the Senate District 7 DFL endorsement today after party officials tabulated online balloting. She outpaced incumbent State Sen. Eric Simonson (DFL-Duluth) with more than 70 percent of the vote on the first ballot, a stunning margin for an endorsement challenge. Of 435 eligible delegates, 374 cast votes. “I am…
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As economy shutters mines, reflection on 20 years of the same story
My latest column for the Minnesota Reformer is up today: “The mines will come back, many of the jobs won’t.” I reflect on an early career experience offering hollow words to a laid-off miner. Then I explore trends in mining and American industry in general. As world events and volatile markets flap their butterfly wings,…
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Talkin’ Range history, communists & nonferrous mining, as one does
Last week I gave an e-mail interview to Ed Newman for his blog, which he published as “Dylan Town: MinnesotaBrown Talks About Life on the Iron Range and Its History, Past and Present.” It was an challenging exercise for me, as it combined several different aspects of topics I cover here at the blog. First,…
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All workers are essential
My latest column for the Minnesota Reformer appears today. My topic is one part personal and one part political. Childcare providers like my mother are deemed essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis, but few like her are paid a living wage. Here’s an excerpt: My mom is a childcare provider in northern Minnesota. She’s started…
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Dig Deep tackles COVID-19 and what comes next
Last week, my friend Heidi Holtan hosted my other friend Chuck Marohn and me in a live Dig Deep conversation about COVID-19. It was the first time we’ve done the show from different places. The news ebbs and flows, good news mixed with the bad. As a nation we’re not yet free of collective response…
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On the missing pieces in Iron Range political coverage
On Sunday, the national political publication Politico profiled the shifting political winds on northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. Reporter Adam Behsudi and photographer M. Scott Mahaskey toured the region a few weeks ago. And yes, I appear in the story. It’s worth reading. But if you do, consider reading my latest column for the Minnesota…