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Company: Essar Steel Minnesota not for sale
Essar Steel Minnesota isn’t for sale. That according to the India-based steelmaker seeking to build a new taconite plant on the western Mesabi Iron Range. Earlier reports had indicated that the company might be packaging its new plant for sale once its completed in 2015, but Essar says those reports were speculative and incorrect. Given the…
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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 8, “The Heap”
The FX series “Fargo,” inspired by the 1996 Coen Brothers film, is based in northern Minnesota. As northern Minnesota’s leading pop culture, news, entertainment, iron mining and invasive species blog, MinnesotaBrown is here to review the show through Minnesota eyes. Now, to this week’s episode: Deputy Molly is on the ropes and the weasel Lester…
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Northern MN lessons from the ‘town for misfits’
For weeks, I’ve been enjoying some success at this blog writing about “Fargo” the TV show on the FX network. One of the most common questions about that show is “why do they call it ‘Fargo’ when most of it takes place in northern Minnesota?” My view is that in both the movie and the book, “Fargo” describes…
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Entenza springs primary challenge on Otto: Is this about mining?
As the final minutes ticked away on Minnesota’s election filing period, former State Representative and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Matt Entenza strolled to the counter and became a candidate for State Auditor. He’ll challenge incumbent and fellow DFLer Rebecca Otto, who was already girding for a tough race in November amid pockets of resistance in the…
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Northern MN House races set for 2014
The filing period for state and federal offices, along with many local offices, closed Tuesday afternoon. The State Senate isn’t up for election this year, so here is a look at the State House of Representatives races that have formed in northern Minnesota: 1A (Roseau): Dan Fabian (R) – inc. Bruce Patterson (DFL) Rematch of…
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Summer shows at Range’s Jewish heritage center
The B’nai Abraham Cultural Center in Virginia, Minnesota, announces its summer concert series. Stressing strong musicianship with Iron Range roots, the schedule allows you to experience the arts in the Iron Range’s last Jewish cultural heritage center. There’s a lot of history in this building. The first show lets you see one of Minnesota’s best…
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U of M students commended for skeptical PolyMet paper
This is certainly one of those stories that will be read very differently by various audiences, but it’s worth a read regardless. A group of undergraduate economics students at the University of Minnesota won scholarships in a juried competition for an ethical economic analysis of the PolyMet project in northern Minnesota. Their finding: PolyMet is not…
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A year out: MN teen sleeps outside through hard winter
Rudy Hummel, 17, of Hermantown, will spend one more week sleeping outside his northern Minnesota home before a long-awaited return to the indoors this Saturday. Hummel has slept outside every night for nearly a year. Yes. In northern Minnesota. Some nice writing from Sam Cook at the Duluth News Tribune: [Hummel] started with the idea…
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The DFL mining battle that wasn’t
Last week the question was how badly a pro-mining resolution would damage the electoral prospects of DFLers after this weekend’s state convention in Duluth. What we’ve learned is that Democratic-Farmer-Laborites have at least figured out that the more they bicker in public on this issue, the worse things get for them — especially among a…
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‘A hundred years went by’
Last week the leaves popped and it became summer on the Iron Range. Once again we fly the colors of our flag — birch green, sky blue and iron ore red. Our haunted northern Minnesota spring, which revealed all that the snow had covered, dissolves into a comfortable summer — the woods obscured by woods,…
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Chris Dahlberg’s dark horse bid falls short
Republicans endorsed investment banker Mike McFadden for U.S. Senate at their state convention early Saturday afternoon. With a well-financed campaign and the blessing of national Republicans, McFadden was the candidate many Democrats expected to see running against U.S. Sen. Al Franken this November. But the headline obscures a compelling story that unfolded late last night…
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Weekend political storm, clarity to follow
This weekend, delegates for Minnesota’s Democratic Farmer-Labor party meet in Duluth while Republicans gather in Rochester for their respective state conventions. The Uptake has live coverage of both events, which I recommend if you enjoy momentary political intrigue and long stretches of suffering. Most of the drama will be on the Republican side, where delegates…
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Mesaba Park arts camp is June 16-19
The Mesaba Co-op Park, one of the unique vestiges of Iron Range labor history, will be holding its 20th Annual Northstar Arts Camp, “Poetry in the Park” this summer from June 16-19. If you’re interested in a cool arts and outdoor activity for 8-14 year old kids, check this out: Registrations are being accepted for the 20th Annual…
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Blood on the tracks, ice in the harbor
Some cool events are happening in Duluth today and through the weekend. Tonight you can catch the “Blood on the Tracks Express,” an actual no-messing-around moving train that has live music and hospitality. The event is part of Duluth’s Dylan Festival, which mostly wrapped up last week (along with Dylan Days in Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing).…
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‘Timberjay law’ makes gov’t contracts public
Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law a bill that would make public all government contracts, applying the Minnesota Data Practices Act to private businesses. They’re calling it the “Timberjay Law.” Here’s why: Recently, the Timberjay newspaper in Cook, Tower and Ely had sued to make public an $80 million public school contract agreement between the…