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Hibbing strike averted
City workers and administration have come to a tentative agreement in the Iron Range city of Hibbing, Minnesota, averting the strike that was recently approved. Members of AFSCME Local 791 will vote on the agreement Wednesday. Workers had been refusing overtime during the cooling off period, causing some noticaeably difficult driving conditions in Hibbing during…
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Great Wall of … Asian Carp?
MinnesotaBrown.com has been the internet’s one-stop-shop for those casually interested in the threat of Asian carp species to the fresh waters and Great Lakes of the Upper Midwest, but who do not want to be bothered with excessive “fancy science.” But the fancy science is out there, and a recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers…
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Emerald ash borer, meet Polar Vortex
One of the stories bandied about amid the Polar Vortex of the past few days was the theory that this frigid cold might help knock back the emerald ash borer threat in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ash borer larvae die off when the temperature is sustained below zero for several days. It would take extremely…
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County board, state house races heat up east Duluth
The special election to replace the late Steve O’Neal on the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners will be next Tuesday, Jan. 14. District One includes much of eastern Duluth, where they’re also gearing up for an open state House race after the announced retirement of Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth). The Dist. 1 county commissioner…
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Highway 53 reroute might avoid need for new bridge
One of the big stories of 2014 will be the Highway 53 reroute on the Iron Range, altering the existing path of the north/south regional artery to accommodate new mining near Eveleth and Virginia, Minnesota. For most of last year, talk centered around a bridge that would possibly span the Roucheleau Pit outside Virginia. Now…
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Mesabi Miner crashes into Great Lakes ice-breaker
WDIO reports that the Mesabi Miner, a major Great Lakes ore ship hauling taconite pellets off the Minnesota Iron Range, crashed with a U.S. Coast Guard ice cutter near the Straits of Mackinac Sunday morning. The 220-foot ice-breaker the Hollyhock was badly damaged in the accident, while the 990-foot Mesabi Miner suffered some damage. These…
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Civil war over wind chill breaks out in frigid North
The “polar vortex” has arrived in northern Minnesota, delivering the promised “surface of Mars” deep freeze, and giving everyone something to argue about in lieu of going outside for any reason. We had 30 below this morning. I have not gone out to assess the wind. One of the more interesting semantic battles that has…
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Oracle speaks of turbulence in 2014 predictions
The Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-200 dipped its frosty belly beneath the clouds, revealing the flat landscape of the winter bog, white canvas speckled with dark brown and black tamaracks. The captain’s voice filled the loudspeaker. “This is your stop.” The flight attendant had been nervously preparing my parachute since we took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul.…
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City workers authorize Hibbing strike
Hibbing AFSCME workers voted to authorize a strike late last week. Now the city and its contract employees enter a cooling off period (no pun intended amid the record-setting cold today). The Hibbing strike could begin as soon as Jan. 14 unless talks are successful. The main issue appears to be the city’s request for…
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Northern Minnesota colder than Mars this week
It’s cold in northern Minnesota. How cold is it? It is reported that temperatures in Duluth and surrounding region of northern Minnesota have been colder than Mars this week, according to reports from NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on the Red Planet. Embarrass and International Falls were both under 40 below (F) Thursday night, while the…
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Hell’s Kitchen offers hot deal to Embarrass, MN
The cold weather across Minnesota dominated major headlines and local conversations today. The mere observation that northern Minnesota is as cold or colder than Mars is on track to be my biggest post of the season. But here’s a special deal for folks in Embarrass, MN, widely considered to be the coldest place in the…
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Down in the Boondocks: Author Kate Ingrid Paul
Kate Ingrid Paul is a fellow Sax-Zim Bog spawn who, like me, found the experience worth writing about. She’s got a new book out entitled “Memoirs from Down in the Boondocks: A Spiritual Journey through Poem and Short Story.” Paul was featured in last Sunday’s Hibbing Daily Tribune. Here’s an excerpt from her talk with Tony…
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Family Discovery Days slated at MDC this weekend
The Minnesota Discovery Center, an Iron Range educational and cultural attraction, is planning monthly family events that could ease the sting of winter temperatures. The first one is tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 4) and it looks like fun. Here’s the press release: CHISHOLM, MN, JANUARY 2, 2014 – Minnesota Discovery Center (MDC) in Chisholm has developed…
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In Alt-USA, State of Superior is atop the map
Longtime readers know I’m a sucker for maps. Maps tell us what was, what is, what was known and what was imagined. Maps show what people care about. Maps show what one person cares about. So, when Dr. Andrew Shears and his alternative history map of the United States show up on my desk, I’ll…
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Duluth organizer Gary Anderson joins DFL 7A field
Gary Anderson, a Duluth community organizer well known in DFL circles, will today announce his plans to run for State Representative in District 7A, the eastern Duluth seat being vacated by the retiring Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth). The Duluth News Tribune reported on Gary Anderson’s candidacy a couple days ago, highlighting an event he planned…