-
Cravaack pens op/ed on Range mining permits
The next couple days will feature the thoughts of DFL candidates seeking to replace Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) in this unique northeastern Minnesota district. I’ll be talking to Cravaack in a couple weeks, but for those who seek an immediate counterpoint Cravaack has an op/ed in today’s Duluth News Tribune about Iron Range mining projects.…
-
Rick Nolan: the MinnesotaBrown/KAXE interview
Today I feature an interview with Rick Nolan, DFL candidate for Congress in MN-8. Nolan is a former Congressman from the Crosby area. In 1980 Nolan opted not to seek re-election and has since run a sawmill and international trading business. This interview was conducted Jan. 18 at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm as…
-
Anzelc introduces bill demanding IRRRB loan transparency
Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsam Township) has officially introduced a bill demanding more transparency in the loans given by the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) to private companies. The IRRRB is the unique state agency that governs mining production taxes paid by iron mines in lieu of local property taxes. The agency’s economic development…
-
Ready the horses; MN-8 charge to begin
Minnesota Public Radio has a nice summary of the MN-8 Congressional race. It’s a good primer before I release the audio and video from my interviews with DFL candidates Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark and Rick Nolan, recorded Wednesday at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm. The candidates weighed in on hot-button issues like the federal…
-
The MinnesotaBrown MN-8 interviews begin Wednesday
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, I’ll interview each of the DFL candidates for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm. At 1 p.m. I meet with Rick Nolan. At 2, Jeff Anderson. At 3, Tarryl Clark. You might recall the series of interviews I did with DFL gubernatorial candidates in 2010. This…
-
Zenith City’s Hipster King Speaks Fire from Podium of Ice!
Duluth, Minn., mayor Don Ness delivers remarks Monday from a unique lectern after being sworn in for his second term in office. Ness ran unopposed in the November 2011 election. Ness enjoys historic popularity as some credit him with leading a more youthful, economically diverse Duluth, once known mostly for decline and political discord. Several…
-
Kicking our habit: The trouble with politics in our time
In the last couple years I’ve come to regard modern politics as a drug. You take the “politics opiate” for a reason you regard as good — the future of your country or community, issues close to your heart, a cause of some importance. But it doesn’t take long before you can find yourself in…
-
Fanning withdraws from MN-8 race
Daniel Fanning, the Iraq war vet and Duluth political organizer, announced Wednesday in a letter to supporters he would withdraw from the race for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth District. Citing a lack of funds and insufficient support from likely delegates in the DFL endorsement process, Fanning said he will focus on helping the DFL win…
-
COLUMN: Time to delve into ’12
This is my Sunday column for the Jan. 1, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. My annual predictions column is one of my favorite traditions. Enjoy and Happy New Year! Time to delve into ‘12By Aaron J. Brown The pathway was clogged with skunks. I hate skunks. Warm winters bring out the skunks. So…
-
2012 brings new energy to MN-8 donnybrook
Later this week I’ll be sharing my top posts for 2011, including my favorites and the ones that were most popular. Traffic would indicate that many of you still come here for political analysis of the Iron Range and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. Last summer I wrote a series on the topic, which largely holds…
-
Tepid St. Louis County mining resolution reflects need for new perspective
Another St. Louis County board meeting has led to a new blip in the debate over nonferrous mineral mining in northeastern Minnesota. The county board voted 4-3 Tuesday to back a rather tame nonferrous mineral mining resolution, according to a story in today’s Duluth News Tribune. Five hours of testimony and deliberation produced the following…
-
Growing local economies like snap peas and green pepppers
I was recently sent a narrative explaining a unique approach to economic development called “economic gardening.” Sure, this is one of many different buzzwords going around now but I thought the description was worthwhile, and relevant to some of the ideas about economic innovation here on the Iron Range and throughout post-industrial or rural communities…
-
The sound and the fury of Range mining politics
The St. Louis County board heard hours of comments on a proposed resolution to back nonferrous mining on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. After scorching through vast amounts of time, emotional energy and professional costs, nothing was done about a resolution that was never going to change anything. Everyone involved looks forward to doing the same…
-
Remembering John Spanish
Former Iron Range state Rep. John Spanish (DFL-Hibbing) died Monday at a care facility in Eveleth at the age of 90. He had been in declining health. Last winter he was a candidate in the House 5B special election won by Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing). Spanish is one of the most interesting people I’ve met…
-
Shifting from wars to, well, just about anything else
Some friends of mine passed this along. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, professor of Peace and Justice Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, is coming to Grand Rapids for a talk regarding MN ASAP: Minnesota Arms Spending Alternative Project. A resolution process to build political support to shift federal spending priorities of war to…