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Cohasset proposes $300 million power plant
UPDATE: New information offers more clarity to this story. Cohasset City Administrator Max Peters said that the city backed the Navosota project as a matter of routine for potential buyers for lots in its industrial park. Though there are other bidders for this project in the Upper Midwest, this is the only one looking at…
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WWI Christmas Truce musical in Chisholm Dec. 2
War is hell. But the kind of hell seen in The Great War, now known as World War I, is hard to understand today. See, there are terrible wars in our times, but they are fought with an understanding of what modern wars are. In WWI, soldiers were sent to battlefields trained for old wars without…
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Rich history, stark present, unknown future for iron and steel
From the beginning, humans forged a special relationship with iron. Ancient people knew the mineral before they had the ability to mine it, discovering slabs of pure iron that fell from the sky in meteorites. The Sumerians and Egyptians called it “heaven stone,” according to Brooke C. Stoddard’s in his new book “Steel.” The strength…
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Makers unite for Iron Range Makerspace
Some of you might recall my Oct. 11 column “Tinkers, Thinkers and 3-D Printers,” in which I suggested one way to diversify the Iron Range economy was to develop homegrown inventions and entrepreneurship. In that piece, I talked about “maker spaces,” places where dues-paying members would have access to sophisticated building, welding and milling equipment along with 3-D printers.…
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Happy Thanksgiving on the Iron Range
Happy Thanksgiving! To you, reader of MinnesotaBrown.com, however you got here, I am thankful for you. This blog doesn’t make much money and it hasn’t made me famous, but it has become a authoritative source for news, commentary, and discussion about Northern Minnesota, my home and the place I love. I didn’t make a…
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Everybody wants to save the Range
I can’t stand this indecision Married with a lack of vision Everybody wants to rule the world Say that you’ll never never never never need it One headline why believe it? Everybody wants to rule the world ~ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears So, that’s the tune, only try it…
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FARGO REVIEW: Ep. 7, ‘Did You Do This? No, You Did It!’
The seventh episode of “Fargo” Season 2, entitled “Did You Do This? No, You Did!” aired last night on FX. What follows is a Minnesota-centric review that contains spoilers. This year, “Fargo” takes us to Southwestern Minnesota in 1979, the same year I was born on the other side of the state. A small town family…
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Awkward Minnesota turkey non-pardon ceremony continues
On Monday, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton greeted a frightened turkey in a poorly-lit conference room somewhere near his St. Paul office. While the President typically pardons a turkey every Thanksgiving, turkeys aren’t pardoned here in the nation’s leading turkey-producing state. One ceremonial bird is “greeted,” “petted,” and then whisked back to the turkey farm to rise…
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Free Park Friday lets Minnesota hike off the giblets
Last week, state officials announced that the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, would be “Free Park Friday,” in which entrance fees would be waived at all Minnesota State Parks. The goal is to encourage families to enjoy the state park system, spend time together, and stay active after a traditional day of overindulgence. Here at MinnesotaBrown…
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Fargo will be back for third season
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Noah Hawley’s “Fargo” has been renewed for a third season on the FX network. Once again, the new season of “Fargo” will involve an entirely original cast of characters and plot line set in the fictionalized Minnesota landscape first created by hometown filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen. As many of you know, I write…
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Immigrant experience brought to life by Hibbing violinist
Hibbing native and world-traveling violinist Sara Pajunen will appear in her hometown for a special concert at Hibbing Community College on Tuesday night. Here is the information: Exploring the Immigrant Story: Violinist Sara Pajunen will perform Laatikko/Box at the Hibbing Community College Theater on Tuesday, November 24th at 7 p.m. This is a FREE multimedia concert.…
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Is this the 1980s again on the Iron Range?
I grew up in the 1980s on a junkyard just a few miles south of Eveleth Taconite. Growing up on a junkyard is probably the best way to understand the things humans build, sell, use and discard. So let’s consider a new car. I’ve only ever bought one brand new car fresh off the lot. It…
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Home for the holidays, as if we ever left
It’s fitting to talk about family reunions this time of year. Everyone’s coming home. First comes Thanksgiving. Then Hanukkah. Christmas. New Years. Car doors slam. Snow crunches on familiar sidewalks. Huggers hug, smokers smoke, the rest waive awkwardly before reaching for snacks. These early winter holidays center around families coming together to celebrate what matters…
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Reed Drug in Grand Rapids, MN, to close
Reed Drug, arguably the most iconic downtown business in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, will close its pharmacy this Monday, Nov. 23 at the end of the business day. The gift store will close at the end of the year. The store has been at this location since 1955, though has been operating in Grand Rapids since…
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State to fund Itasca County rural broadband proposal
Company officials just announced that Paul Bunyan Communication received a nearly $2 million grant from Minnesota’s Border to Broadband program to bring high speed internet to underserved regions. Their proposal would connect 1,250 households in rural Itasca County to better, more affordable internet options than currently available. My friend Tom Anzelc, fellow Balsam Township resident…