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Great Northern Radio Show weekend is here
This “Straight Outta Compton” parody video by the Fosston-raised rapper turned big city comedian Bino White was our initial inspiration when we started working on tomorrow’s Great Northern Radio Show in Fosston, Minnesota. My radio variety program heads to this northwestern Minnesota farming town Saturday, Dec. 14 for a live broadcast 5-7 p.m. on Northern…
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MnDOT names costs of Highway 53 reroute options
WDIO reports on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s cost estimates for rerouting State Highway 53 on the eastern Mesabi Iron Range. From the WDIO story: For the M1 route, which would take the highway through the current United Taconite mine pit, the costs are estimated to be between $248 and $319 million dollars. For the E1…
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Minnesota’s Iron Range subject of Kentucky forum
Diversifying the economy of a mining region, especially when mining is still a viable industry, is an extraordinarily difficult task. Building a future-based economy is hard because the benefits to tomorrow’s generation are harder to see in the current one. The reward is promissory; gratification delayed. It often seems Iron Range elected leaders and residents remain…
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Grand Rapids’ Actual Wolf has top MN album of 2013
Grand Rapids, Minn., native Eric Pollard’s alter ego Actual Wolf was seen performing at a coffee shop in his western Iron Range hometown today, a jaunt home for the Duluth and Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter who is quickly moving up in the music world. Actual Wolf’s new self-titled album is out now and the Wolf is…
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Great Northern Radio Show, live from Fosston
For the last two years I’ve been producing, writing and hosting a live radio variety program called the Great Northern Radio Show. We’re a production of Northern Community Radio, where I’ve written and produced programming for many years, but this is the show I’ve been waiting my whole life to do. Yes, it’s a take…
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Great Northern Radio Show: Katie Wig
Brainerd-based Minnesota singer-songwriter Katie Wig was an early discovery on the Brainerd edition of my Great Northern Radio Show in 2012. She also performed in Bagley last spring. The 20-year-old recently announced she was going to focus full time on her music. That’s a bold move, and she’s starting on our December 14 show in…
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New use for old building? Ely eyes indoor garden
In between arguments about mining, people in Ely, Minnesota, have been wondering what do with an old city building with historical significance but not much practical use. Hey, how about an indoor garden? Organizers have come up with an idea to have an indoor farming operation in the former Ely Community Center, essentially a local…
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Great Northern Radio Show: Reina del Cid
On Saturday, Dec. 14, I bring my Great Northern Radio Show to the small farming community of Fosston, Minnesota, for our annual winter show. Our program brings music, comedy and storytelling to unique locations around northern Minnesota, exploring what it means to live a modern life off the beaten path. Each show is planned around…
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Kelly Westlund to challenge Duffy in WI-7
Ashland, Wis., City Councilor Kelly Westlund will challenge U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI7) in the 2014 election. Westlund is in her first term as city councilor in this northern Wisconsin city where Duffy served as a county attorney prior to his election in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Duffy won his 2012 re-election bid…
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Insider tips on how to dress for cold
This is how you dress for cold. Dress warmly, in layers. Cover your skin. Wear snow pants or long underwear: both when it’s below -20. Seal the parts of your clothing that could open to the air (where mittens meet coat, scarf over the collar). Invest in good boots. Prioritize your warmth this way: Feet,…
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Detectives still seek missing ruby slippers from Oz
The story made national headlines and ample fodder for late night jokes when one of the pairs of ruby slippers worn by Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 2005. There were no arrests. It was a crude “smash and grab” job on a…
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In anticipation of life’s improbable joys
The news wiled around the internet like whispers in the night. Did you hear about the comet? The brightest comet EVER? The one that will shine 15 times more brilliantly than the moon? It was called Comet ISON and, like most comets, it had been around a lot longer than the likes of us. Comets…
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500 years is a very long time
The PolyMet EIS was released today. MPR noticed the thing I noticed, which is the large estimated cost of mitigating the proposed northern Minnesota mine into the future. They also noticed another number: 500 years. That’s how long some form of mitigation would be required on the mine site, even after the end of…
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PolyMet EIS has been released
UPDATE: You can find the EIS document here at the DNR website. I’ll be on Minnesota Public Radio’s Daily Circuit today with Tom Weber talking about the release of the Environmental Impact Statement for the PolyMet mining project in northern Minnesota. My segment is slated for the 11 a.m. hour. It looks like they’re dedicating…
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Great Northern Radio Show in Fosston Dec. 14
I’ll be bringing my Great Northern Radio Show to Fosston, Minnesota, on Saturday, Dec. 14. The show airs live on Northern Community Radio from 5-7 p.m. We offer free seating at the Fosston Library Arts Center before 4:30 p.m. This will be our holiday/winter special and we have some surprises in store. The show seems…