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The good ol’ boy litmus test
Before reading this post, please respond to the following quiz: Do you think everything that has been done in [any given Iron Range town] by its local leaders is pretty gawl-darn amazing, that the city is a flawless ideal of 21st Century prosperity, and should be celebrated far and wide, regardless of critical thought? Do new or remodeled industrial…
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Under the deep clear waters of Tioga Pit
For your captivating view of the day, check out this video posted by Curtis Lahr of a scuba dive under the Tioga Mine Pit near Grand Rapids, Minnesota on the western Mesabi Iron Range. There’s an old rumor that there’s a train engine at the bottom of the Tioga. This dive doesn’t show them going…
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Marking 39 years since the sinking of the Fitz
Today, ceremonies will be held in port cities across the Upper Midwest to commemorate the largest shipwreck in the history of the Great Lakes: the Nov. 10 sinking of the iron ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald. Some years I talk about this date, and some years I don’t. It caught my attention this year because my…
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Iron Range battle for future of IRRRB
With last week’s announcement that Tony Sertich is leaving his post as Commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) to lead the Duluth-based Northland Foundation, a sudden sense of drama has enveloped the Iron Range political scene. Gov. Mark Dayton will need to appoint a replacement amid a swirling sea of local political and…
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Mixed election results pose clear challenge
As the first snow of the year falls, we see campaign signs vanish from roadsides, dissipating like the fading drone of negative ads that oozed from our TVs and radios last week. They are tomorrow’s yard sale signs and ideal mats for your garage floor to change oil or paint furniture. Like the elections themselves,…
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Cook County candidates must draw Scrabble tiles to settle tie
UPDATE: Frank Moe was declared the winner in the drawing today, the account of which is here. The two candidates for District 1 Cook County Commissioner in far Northeastern Minnesota ended up tied after ballots from Tuesday’s election were counted. Now they will participate in a drawing to determine which will take office, unless a…
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Deer hunting season begins with big announcement
The 2014 rifle deer hunting season opens tomorrow morning. Though the deer hunting looks to be tough this year, thousands of hunters are making the trip into the woods and wilds of Minnesota to participate in this annual tradition. The annual Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener is taking place in Bemidji this year. Like the Governor’s Fishing Opener…
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The Undefeated Rick Nolan: Analyzing Election 2014
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan deployed the vaunted ground game of Minnesota’s quirky Democratic-Farmer-Labor party and a passionate closing message to eke out the toughest election of his career. Nolan’s years in Congress bookend an entire generation, serving first from 1975 to 1981 — then later returning in 2012. Though the political map surrounding his home in the Crosby area has…
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Tony Sertich to step down as IRRRB commissioner
Later today, Tony Sertich, commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, is expected to announce he will step down before the second administration of Gov. Mark Dayton. Sertich will succeed the retiring Tom Renier as President of the Duluth-based Northland Foundation. The change means Gov. Dayton will need to appoint a new leader for the unique…
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Chairman of the Bob: Dylan’s next album to cover Sinatra
“The Tempest” may have been William Shakespeare’s last play, but “Tempest” will not be Bob Dylan’s last album. Jay Gabler at The Current’s blog reports that Duluth-born, Hibbing-raised Minnesotan Bob Dylan will release a new album in 2015, one surely to raise some eyebrows. Dylan’s new album will be called “Shadows in the Night,” and will feature…
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LIVE BLOG: Northern Minnesota Election Night 2014
PROJECTIONS BOLD denotes MinnesotaBrown/media projection of winner; * denotes incumbent U.S. Senate: Al Franken* (DFL) vs. Mike McFadden (GOP) Governor and Lt. Gov.: Mark Dayton and Tina Smith* (DFL) vs. Jeff Johnson and Bill Kuisle (GOP) U.S. House MN District 8: Rick Nolan* (DFL) vs. Stewart Mills (GOP) vs. Skip Sandman (Green) MN State House…
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ELECTION DAY: Last minute advice for the undecided voter
There was a colony of insects working out in a field one fall day. There was much work to be done, and tempers were starting to flare. “Watch where you’re waiving that maxillary palp,” said one beetle. “Well, we wouldn’t have this problem if your big ol’ rostrum wasn’t in the way,” said the other.…
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What to Watch: Election 2014 in Northern Minnesota
UPDATE: The Election Day Live Blog is now fully operational. Minnesota voters are about to do something in a booth this Tuesday, Nov. 4. Or maybe not. Besides deciding which candidates to vote for, many voters are deciding whether or not to vote. Taken together, the temperament and turnout of people like you and me…
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Celebrity sillies in Minnesota’s election countdown
So, this happened. One commercial break during Sunday’s football game mostly included Christmas shopping ads, while the next commercial break was wall-to-wall political ads. That’s right. Christmas season has overlapped with election season. Since Christmas isn’t officially “holy” until Dec. 25, I’m going to declare this most unholy. I get a lot of press releases…
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Whither blow the winds of Northern Minnesota?
I spent my high school years working as an overnight disk jockey for an easy listening radio station on Minnesota’s Iron Range. This experience warped me in many incalculable ways, not least of which will be exhibited in the following analogy. Earth, Wind, and Fire is more than a 1970s pop supergroup, it’s an accurate…