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Rogue carp shot on sight
Perhaps you recall that this blog stands ready to defend northern waters from Asian carp. No blog has been more on the cutting edge of exotic carp awareness than this one, a claim we stand ready to defend by way of jumping out of the water and crashing against the bow of your boat, causing…
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Sudden heat, wind fuel dangerous Northland fires
This morning a fire service helicopter buzzed just above the treetops over our home in rural Itasca County. The incredible swing from a cold, snowy spring to today’s hot, dry, windy conditions has brought a sudden and extreme fire danger. We were under a red flag warning with yesterday’s high winds. Large fires prompted evacuations…
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WATCH: Gov. Mark Dayton signs Minnesota marriage equality bill
UPDATE: Gov. Mark Dayton signed marriage equality into Minnesota law this afternoon. He gave these remarks before signing the bill, pictured below: Yesterday, the Minnesota State Senate approved same-sex marriage. At 5 p.m., Gov. Mark Dayton will sign the marriage equality bill into law in a ceremony in St. Paul. Minnesota becomes the 12th state…
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Canada wins space race for first music video in orbit
I know this has already gone viral, but Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency left behind a truly special gift as he returned from the International Space Station this week: the world’s first music video shot in space. Reprising David Bowie’s famous “Space Oddity,” Hadfield more than carries his own (it’s his actual…
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Making the Range more welcoming, because apparently there’s some damn test
These are some damn trees by my house. They’re pretty. Hope that’s good enough for you MinnPost’s Marlys Harris pens an interesting piece on what makes a people attached to place in terms of economic growth. These days, those people most likely to drive the growth of a city, namely young people between the ages…
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WATCH: MN Senate tackles monumental marriage equality vote
After last Friday’s dramatic Minnesota House of Representatives vote in favor of marriage equality, today brings the crucial Senate follow-up. If the measure passes the Senate Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign the bill. The Uptake will once again provide live coverage of the debate and the activity around the capitol building. This…
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Iron Range’s ‘Great Gatsby’ now probably regrets that nickname
Phil Falcone, the Chisholm native, jet-setting hedge fund manager and co-owner of the Minnesota Wild hockey team, was dinged for an $18 million fine for misuse of company funds. The Star Tribune detailed the story last week. We’ve mentioned Mr. Falcone here before, at the peak of his financial empire building in 2008. It was…
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Governor, Thissen, Bakk reach agreement on Minnesota budget
This will be a big political week in Minnesota. While the marriage equality debate rolls to an historic conclusion Monday, leaders of the state House and Senate have announced that they and Gov. Mark Dayton have reached the framework of a budget agreement. Specific measures that would affect people living in northern Minnesota’s Iron Range…
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What to get for the mom upon whose survival the colony depends?
Happy Mother’s Day! I’d like to wish my mom, Sandra Johnson, a very happy mother’s day. I figure the best way to say thanks is to chase the bizarre sense of humor we share down the rabbit hole … or in this case, ant colony. This is my Sunday column for the May 12, 2013…
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Bus service returns to the Iron Range
As the folk history of Hibbing goes, the most famous exports of this city on northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range have been iron ore, Bob Dylan and the Greyhound Bus Company. Though several bus companies joined together to form Greyhound, the earliest fore-runner was a little taxi service that brought men from the location towns…
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Stonich takes interesting new novel on northern MN tour
Minnesota author Sarah Stonich kicks off a tour of the state’s great northern environs this Monday for her new book “Vacationland.” The tour puts her in most of the libraries of the Arrowhead Library System. May 13: Duluth, 6 p.m., main libraryMay 14: Hibbing, noon; Buhl, 3 p.m.; Aurora 6 p.m.May 15: Gilbert, 10:30 a.m.;…
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Radinovich, others show courage of conviction in marriage vote
Yesterday the Minnesota House of Representatives voted to extend marriage rights to all Minnesotans, including gay and lesbian couples, by a vote of 75-59. Four Republicans supported the measure and two Democratic-Farmer-Laborites opposed it, making this a bipartisan split. All northern Minnesota DFLers supported the bill, including several in districts that have recently opposed gay…
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WATCH: Historic MN House marriage vote slated for today
Today at noon the Minnesota House of Representatives will debate and vote on an historic measure extending the freedom to marry to all Minnesotans. Thanks to The Uptake, you can watch the proceedings here at MinnesotaBrown.com. Though it is only the first step in legalizing gay marriage in the legislature this year, the House is…
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Marge Simpson was an Iron Ranger?!!
Mind. Blown. Today’s “Eh?” column in the Duluth News Tribune discusses the obituary for the mother of Matt Groening, creator of the iconic and influential TV show “The Simpsons.” Simpsons fans learned a couple years ago that the “real Springfield” was Springfield, Oregon, near where Groening grew up. He has also revealed that Marge Simpson…
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You can haz Virginia Police Department
Before the internet they used to take all the stupid stuff that is on the internet and print it onto paper and then distribute this paper to readers using a vast network of 11-year-olds on bicycles. Hold up. They still do this. This is still a thing. Only now the papers are distributed in a…