-
Celebrating midsummer night’s eve in the people’s park
I’ve written before about Mesaba Co-op Park near Cherry, the cooperative recreational facility built by Iron Range workers in the 1920s. Mesaba Park holds its annual midsummer festival this weekend. Cindy Kujala of the Hometown Focus in Virginia, Minnesota, compiled a historical column on Mesaba Park in a recent edition. You should read the whole…
-
Teen’s Range historical group meets today
Tucker Nelson is a pretty interesting guy. At 16, he’s a talented actor and musician at Virginia High School. He appeared in our Eveleth Great Northern Radio Show last fall. He also has an eye for history, frequently posting to popular Iron Range history pages on Facebook. Today Nelson is hosting the first meeting of…
-
Peeking into the boat house
My dad’s old boat is still in my garage. Reading what I wrote about it, I realize it’s now been there five years. The motor requires the kind of attention that I just can’t provide. But we reckon with it daily, what it is, what it was and what it could be — all very…
-
IRRRB OKs extension for failed Range project
On Monday the IRRRB voted to approve the reorganized loan agreement for Excelsior Energy, the failed Iron Range economic development project that spent $40 million in taxpayer dollars with no results. The agreement extends the loan until 2019, since the company is unable to make payments. The Duluth News Tribune reported on the proceedings. Board…
-
Running of the bulls in Zim
I was raised on a family-owned junkyard out in Zim, Minnesota, a tamarack marsh that provided refuge to Finnish immigrants blacklisted from early 20th Century iron mines for their labor organizing. Sleepy old Zim doesn’t get much press, lessen you count the birds, but it did Sunday. Bull. No, bulls. Two buills have been running…
-
In the sticks? Mind the ticks
It occurs to me that I’ve lived my entire life in Tick Alley. From the Minnesota Department of Health The late spring confounded ticks in our area, but they are out in full force by now. By the time the black flies come out the ticks usually thin out a bit. It’s been a heavy…
-
Adventure-seeking northern Minnesotans need your help
Whales! They kayaked with whales! A couple months ago I wrote about Dave and Amy Freeman, the northern Minnesota couple who kayaked, dog sledded and canoed across and around North America as part of an educational project. Dave and Amy have been nominated for the Spirit of Adventure award by Canoe and Kayak Magazine. It’s…
-
May the force be with you this Father’s Day
This is my Sunday column for the June 16, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. May the force be with you this Father’s DayBy Aaron J. Brown Before we begin, I must disclose that my credentials as a full-fledged Star Wars nerd are pretty thin. I saw all the movies as a kid, of…
-
Great Northern Radio Show to rebroadcast Bagley show Saturday night
As we prepare for the June 29 Great Northern Radio Show at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, you can hear our most recent show this weekend. From 9-11 p.m. Saturday, Northern Community Radio will rebroadcast our March 2013 program, which aired live from the Bagley High School auditorium. If you’ve missed it, this…
-
IRRRB to seek loan restructure for Excelsior Energy
So, in case you’ve forgotten, Excelsior Energy, the beleaguered company forged by energy industry lobbyists with Iron Range ties more than a decade ago, still exists. It’s out of money. Its efforts to mandate a customer using political connections to finance the construction of a new power plant in Itasca County have all failed. But…
-
Upcoming events fuel debate over northern MN mining issues
The nonferrous mineral mining argument in northern Minnesota hasn’t gone away, it’s just ensconced in a chrysalis, waiting for the first project, PolyMet, to share it’s updated plan with the EPA. This Tuesday, June 18, a free luncheon will be held entitled “The Economics of Sulfide Mining: Benefits and Costs.” The event is sponsored by…
-
Land of the Loon arrives in Virginia, MN this weekend
This weekend brings Land of the Loon, a festival of arts, crafts, music and family events in Virginia, Minnesota. This Iron Range event kicks off a long summer of street dances, festivals and Fourth of July celebrations. A few years ago we saw a magician set his goatee aflame while trying to eat fire at…
-
Cliffs to provide iron ore to Essar through 2024
Here’s an interesting item. Cliffs Natural Resources today announced that it has signed an extension of an existing iron ore contract to provide taconite pellets to Essar Steel’s Algoma steel mill in Ontario through 2024. They had already been providing ore to Algoma, India-based Essar’s foothold in the North American steel industry, while Essar completes…
-
Mills mulls 2014 run against Nolan in MN-8
Stu Rothenberg reports that Stewart Mills III, scion of the Mills Fleet Farm stores, is considering a run for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. He would challenge U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) as a Republican. Rothenberg spends considerable time talking about how good looking the 40-year-old CEO is, but I keep going back to…
-
Paul Bunyan slasher pic on national TV tonight
Sharpen your eyes, America. It’s time to see what’s in plaid sight. “Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan” airs TONIGHT on SyFy at 8 p.m. CST. Check your local cable or satellite listings. “Axe Giant” is the oddly enjoyable B-movie I’ve been advocating for no compensation, purely of my own volition. It chops down…