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Get ‘shovel ready’ to rumble
Two items today from Jon Collins, the legislative correspondent for several Range newspapers, illustrate the way the federal stimulus package could be invoked in Minnesota’s budget mess. First, one analysis says that Minnesota could receive up to $3.23 billion in federal aid. That billion with a big “B.” For what? For who? It’d be exciting…
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Voters overwhelmingly rename Range Delegation "Range Delegation"
For the past several days I’ve been conducting a poll on this blog about a humorous, ideally affectionate nickname for the Iron Range’s DFL legislative delegation. I was getting tired of typing all those words. Well, I don’t know what happened. Maybe the malaise over the massive budget deficit, maybe the cheekiness of the nominated…
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Here’s some of this, for the election addicts
Here’s an interesting power ranking of potential 2010 gubernatorial candidates from Jeff Fecke at the Minnesota Progressive Project. I agree with his assessments for the most part, along with Zack at MNPublius’s take that Pawlenty probably won’t run again. Only T-Paw knows, and the decision no doubt hinges on how this terrible, terrible session will…
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MinnPost profiles Oberstar, future of transportation
MinnPost’s Steve Berg wrote a compelling profile about U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN8) in today’s edition. Oberstar is the Congressman for northeastern Minnesota including Duluth and his native Iron Range. He is also the Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the story focuses heavily on his vision for the future of the…
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State media makes something from nothing on Keewatin surplus
A story is going around the state on the Associated Press wire that the Iron Range city of Keewatin ran a surplus this year (unlike most other cities, especially on the Range). This is true, but the fact that it’s being trumpeted as being so unusual is a bit misleading. (The story originally ran in…
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MinnesotaBrown’s inaugural speech analysis comes with FREE GUM!
So, I’ve got two ways I could go here. I could write about the speech. Or, I could point out an opportunity for each and every one of you to acquire free gum in honor of today’s inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Well, I’m a speech teacher by trade so I’ll go that…
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On that other side
Woody Guthrie wrote an iconic American folk song called “This Land is Your Land” in 1940. I sang it elementary school and you probably did too. Guthrie, a Dust Bowl troubadour was one of the most significant musical influences on Bob Dylan, born in Duluth as Robert Zimmerman and raised in Hibbing on the Iron…
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I am DVRing history
In a fitting irony, I will be recording this morning’s inauguration proceedings and watching them around noontime. My reasons are so modern that it hurts. My wife and I are going into town to sign closing papers on a home refinance. (4.875%)! We are very fortunate in that our money situation is solid and we…
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Greenway super staying put
I don’t know how I missed this, but Greenway Superintendent Rochelle VanDenHeuvel turned down the Virginia (Minn.) Schools Superintendent position for personal reasons, according to the Mesabi Daily News. This leaves Cook County Schools Superintendent Chuck Futterer the top choice for the Virginia job. I had written that if VanDenHeuvel had left Greenway, that trouble…
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Even attractive anchors are feeling the pinch (of the economy)
You might remember that I am involved in a special national project called “PurpleStates” where bloggers from all 50 states share their diverse views on the national economy. My segment aired last month. There have been many notable submissions from other state bloggers, though, and I think today’s entry from an out-of-work Republican TV anchor…
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One way to follow the inauguration from a Northern Minnesota perspective
WDIO reporter Kim Johnson is covering Tuesday’s Obama inauguration for the Duluth ABC affiliate by traveling with Northlanders who are attending the ceremonies. She’s keeping a blog at the station’s website. I am also betting that any Facebook or MySpace friends you have in the D.C. metro area can probably give you a pretty good…
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Jeez, I guess history will vindicate just about anyone these days
Bless their hearts. The Mesabi Daily News ran an editorial today in the heart of Northern Minnesota’s blue collar Iron Range pumping up the legacy of George W. Bush. Sometimes I wonder if the MDN‘s editorial positions are, in fact, some kind of elaborate sociological experiment of which I am an unknowing participant. Well, anyway,…
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In honor of the King holiday, a bonus column … reprised
In honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, here’s a bonus column originally published in the Jan. 14, 2007 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. This was before I or anyone could have predicted we’d be swearing in an African-American president tomorrow. ‘Every mountainside’ means ore dumps too By Aaron J. Brown Monday…
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Range’s largest paper finally turns hoses on rabid commenters
A while back I posted about the bat guano insanity of the comments on the Mesabi Daily News website. The MDN is the Range’s largest paper, predominantly covering the eastern portion of the region. One of my friends even went in and determined that many of the comments were coming from the same person and…
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Paper: Range towns offer wide range of pay to elected officials
The Mesabi Daily News published a story Sunday, Jan. 18, comparing city councilor and county commissioner compensation on the Iron Range as part of a series detailing the financial woes facing government units in 2009. It’s interesting to see the differences between the towns. Most interesting is the $55,000 and full medical benefits enjoyed by…