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The lazy heat of summer’s last act
The lazy heat of summer’s last act By Aaron J. Brown In the pioneer days of Minnesota, sod huts overflowing with Scandinavian stoicism, summer was a time of endless work. From sunup to sundown men and women toiled to complete tasks necessary for the family to survive the long, coming winter. I imagine some of…
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Saving cute animals on the Range by eating delicious ones
The Iron Range of northern Minnesota is the kind of place where people are capable of loving animals and eating animals with similar fervor. If push comes to shove, we’ll eat an animal we love. We might even name an animal we plan to eat, if only to have something interesting to write on the…
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Never mind #SharkWeek, this is #AsianCarpCentury
Progress Illinois Sure, those Great White Sharks on the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” are menacing, to the point that this cable channel’s annual tradition gets a Macklemore shout-out. But you know what? Sharks don’t bother me. We’re in the Midwest, for one, and we’re thousands of miles from salt water. Plus, Mayor Don Ness of…
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Doc ‘Moonlight’ Graham Days begin in Chisholm, MN
Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days begin today in Chisholm, Minnesota. The long weekend of events pay tribute to the longtime town doctor who enjoyed a short stint in Major League Baseball, unbeknownst to many he served. This served as the inspiration for a character of the same name in the W.P. Kinsella novel “Shoeless Joe,” which…
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Pat, Donna Surface offer free Range show at Abraham Center
It’s a busy weekend on the Range as Saturday, Aug. 10 also brings Pat and Donna Surface to the B’nai Abraham Cultural Center in Virginia, Minnesota for a special show. These talented musicians are from Ely with ties to the LaPlant musical family of Grand Rapids. Abraham Museum and Cultural Center Presents…REMEMBER WHEN – A…
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Essar Steel wants to preserve Hill Annex Mine State Park
Calumet’s water tower boasts of Hill Annex Mine. Essar Steel Minnesota, which is currently building a taconite mine near Nashwauk, released a statement today stressing that, despite having mineral rights in the area, the company does not want or plan to close the Hill Annex Mine State Park in Calumet. You may recall that there…
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Simon enters DFL race for SOS, firming the field
Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-Hopkins) announced today he would seek the DFL nomination for Secretary of State, joining fellow Rep. Debra Hillstrom and former Rep. Jeremy Kalin. Rachel Larson Bohman opted to end her campaign, leaving these three as the current DFL field. Republicans Rep. Joyce Peppin, former Rep. Kent Kaiser, 2010 nominee Dan Severson and…
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Bullying, school shootings have northern MN history
Most of us trace our understanding of school shootings back to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1998. I remember being a college freshman, watching the news in the cafeteria, having not fathomed that people would do a thing like that. It sparked a nationwide conversation on guns and the way kids treat each…
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‘Northern Train’ features strong lineup of original musicians
The Third Annual Northern Train Music Festival is slated for Sunday, Aug. 11 at the Mont du Lac Ski and Recreation Area outside Superior, Wisconsin. In addition to a cool train logo (I’m a sucker for train logos) the event features some of the region’s best original musicians, including several who have appeared on the…
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Dylan sculpture in Duluth falls well short of goal
Last week, the Kickstarter project to fund the Bob Dylan sculpture in downtown Duluth fell well short of its $159,000 goal. Sculptor Tom Page, of Cohasset, is going back to the drawing board to consider a “Plan B” for bringing the image to life. I honestly thought the project would draw more backing, what with…
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Tamburitzan show slated for Iron Range on Aug. 11
This looks cool. The Duquesne University Tamburitzans will perform at the Minnesota Discovery Center (nee Ironworld) on Sunday, Aug. 11 from 2-4 p.m. This eastern European folk music is practically a soundtrack of Iron Range history, and Duquensne — from the steel town outside Pittsburgh — is one of the best purveyors of the craft.…
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The developing social contract of a new generation
This is my Sunday column for the Aug. 4, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The developing social contract of a new generationBy Aaron J. Brown When I graduated from high school in 1998, my classmates and I walked out of the Cherry High School gym and formed a receiving line to shake hands…
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Minnesota Power to meet renewable goal 10 years early
Duluth-based Minnesota Power, one of the state’s big energy producers and employers, will hit the renewable energy goal set by state environmental law 10 years early, according to the Strib’s David Shaffer. Minnesota Power still operates several coal fired plants in northern Minnesota, but has made great headway in both reducing emissions at those plants…
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Star Tribune: Essar’s Iron Range project delayed a year
Dee DePass of the Star Tribune reports that Essar Steel Minnesota’s project in Nashwauk has experienced the financing delays local observers have long suspected. Essar is set back a year. Essar Steel Minnesota will delay the opening of its Nashwauk taconite plant until the second half of 2014, officials confirmed Thursday. The plant, 90 miles…
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August prompts end-of-summer self-assessment
In random order, summer projects I’m officially giving up on: Landscaping (next year) Clearing weeds in the lake (next year) Getting a dock (see transmission, below) Staining the deck (fall maybe) Writing a novel (don’t worry, never even started) Summer projects I will complete: Paying for the transmission (Oh ya, dere’s all kinda metal shavings…