-
Two ‘Great Northern’ alumni in Saturday Reif Center show
The Reif Center in Grand Rapids is holding the 3rd Annual Reif Top Ten Talent Search Saturday night at 7. This isn’t some random collection of wannabees, but rather a tested, auditioned group of 10 regional musicians, dancers and performers. I’m excited to see two performers from my Great Northern Radio Show in the mix.…
-
Essar "about halfway finished" at Nashwauk plant site
Officials toured the new Essar Steel Minnesota site yesterday with the company’s India-based CEO. Essar says the project is about half complete. We western Iron Rangers have seen the enormous cranes from Highway 169, but the video from the tour shows what they’ve been up to. A whole lot of earth has been moved. Absent…
-
That cop pusher is the dead deer sex guy!
So this story about a vehicle prowler who pushed down an off-duty police officer trying to detain him was no big deal. Hermantown Wal-Mart, right? Just another day. But guess what, it’s the dead deer molesting guy!* He’s back! Next up is the casino tour with the exercise ball popping sex guy. Welcome to the…
-
Gauthier changes mind; opts to end campaign
Rep. Kerry Gauthier (DFL-Duluth) has now dropped his bid for re-election according to WDIO. He had earlier announced he would continue his campaign despite the sex scandal that caused many DFL and GOP leaders to call for his withdrawal or resignation. Gauthier appears to have changed his mind after a strong negative reaction to this…
-
Gov. Dayton calls special session for Duluth area flood relief
Just announced, Gov. Mark Dayton has called a special session of the legislature for Friday at 2 p.m. to deal with flood relief for the Duluth area. There was some question about whether this would happen because of slow negotiations over the scope of the legislative agenda. Now it appears the efforts will go forward.…
-
Gauthier announces he will continue campaign
Rep. Kerry Gauthier (DFL-Duluth) has announced to Northland’s News Center that he will seek re-election, despite widespread rebuke of his candidacy in the wake of a sex-scandal involving a 17-year-old boy at a rest stop. I don’t know at this time how he plans to address the incident itself or the fact that his House…
-
Gauthier sex scandal hurls West Duluth into political anarchy
The situation in West Duluth keeps escalating. Rep. Kerry Gauthier, who last week admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old at a rest stop, has yet to address the media. Late last week he checked out of a Duluth hospital where he was observed for a couple days for breathing problems. Duluth city councilor Jay…
-
COLUMN: Another King’s Man
This is my Sunday column for the Aug. 19, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired on KAXE’s “Between You and Me” yesterday. Another King’s ManBy Aaron J. Brown August mixes the heat of summer with crisp night air, reminding us that seasons do pass and, so too, memories.…
-
Excelsior Energy gets fresh attention: permits, no customer.
Jennifer Austin at Northland’s News Center reports on Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Energy Project. The PUC has allowed the permits already granted to stand while the developers search for a customer. Only Minnesota Power seems capable of making a deal happen and they are mum on the subject. MP and Excelsior have not played well together…
-
Gauthier must address incident immediately
I haven’t been ignoring the Rep. Kerry Gauthier (DFL-Duluth) “rest stop incident” story. I just don’t know what to say about it. If what all involved parties describe is true, that Gauthier had sex with a 17-year-old at a rest stop, he should at minimum end his campaign for re-election, and he should probably resign…
-
In 6B primary, Metsa followed a winning playbook
Here’s another Chris Saunders graphic showing the DFL primary results in the Minnesota State House District 6B primary last Tuesday. The results went like this: LORRIE JANATOPOULOS, 2590, 41.16% JASON METSA, 3396, 53.96% DAVE MEYER, 307, 4.88% You can see Lorrie Janatopoulos had support in the southern townships, while Jason Metsa carried the Range cities.…
-
Primary aftermath: Cravaack vs. Nolan in MN-8
On Tuesday night, former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan won the DFL nomination for Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. With about 38 percent of the vote, he defeated Tarryl Clark (32 percent) and Jeff Anderson (29 percent), ending an 18 month campaign that promised excitement but delivered a rather staid affair. A few elbows were thrown near…
-
Top notch accordion show on tap this weekend in Virginia, Minn.
My friends over at the B’nai Abraham Cultural Center, site of the last remaining functional Jewish culture site on the Iron Range, announce a concert event that should be of interest to any fan of good music. Mark Stillman and his Klezmer Musicians will perform there Sunday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. It’s a free…
-
The changing Range takes center stage
I’m still working on a major post dissecting Tuesday night’s primary results and previewing the fall campaign. By now everyone knows Rick Nolan won and will face Chip Cravaack in the MN-8 election this November. Several legislative primaries occurred in northern Minnesota, all of which broke for the party endorsed candidates. So I’m focusing on…
-
Oh boy, do we like secret guns in NE Minn. or what?
I caught this late but if you haven’t seen this map of concealed handgun permit density in Minnesota, you should. Northeastern Minnesota has a lot more concealed handgun permits per capita than the rest of the state. Minnesota Public Radio’s Dave Peters explores the question, why? It’s not hunting. Though the region has a conservative…