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Cravaack to preview MN-8 campaign on Almanac (updated with video)
Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) will appear on TPT’s Almanac tonight, following up the MN-8 DFL primary debate last week. The visit should hearken the coming general election campaign. If you missed that DFL debate last week, check it out. UPDATE: Here is video of Cravaack’s interview: Related posts: No related posts.
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Future of Range DFL politics at stake in 6B primary
With all the attention paid to the DFL primary in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District, state political watchers are missing out on an equally interesting DFL primary in State Rep. Tom Rukavina’s soon-to-be former House district. For that matter, the new District 6B will also be home to one of the first Republican primaries in recent…
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Fair caps the closing innings of an Iron Range summer
The famous St. Louis (Minn.) County Fair opens today at the fairgrounds in Chisholm and runs through Sunday. Dubbed the “Five Best Days of Summer” by, well, the people who run the fair, this spectacle is usually a signal of the end of another brief but memorable Iron Range summer. Find out more. I shared…
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The tilted stool of Minnesota’s taxes
Last week I spoke with my home state’s Commissioner of Revenue Myron Frans as he made his way across northern Minnesota for a tax reform discussion tour. I always like to see the ways in which bland-seeming statistics can be applied to real problems in our communities. Frans and I had an interesting chat and…
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Trampled by Actual Turtles
Fans of northern Minnesota’s music scene know well the progressive bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles. But have any of us ever contemplated what it would be like to actually be trampled by turtles? I think not. The Consumerist has the story of 1,600 turtles who slowly escaped a Georgia turtle farm. Scrap metal thieves apparently…
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Return of the Zombie Power Plant
Leslie Brooks Suzokamo of the St. Paul Pioneer Press penned this story about the latest attempted resurrection of Excelsior Energy’s failed Iron Range power plant. As we’ve observed here before, the beleaguered decade-old start-up has proposed a natural gas plant now instead of its originally-planned coal gasification plant. Give the story a read. Founded by…
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A little metro AM talk radio for this rustic fellow
I was a guest on the LeftMn Radio Hour with my blogging/speech instructor counterpart Aaron Klemz on AM 950 Sunday afternoon. I talked about the MN-8 DFL primary and the debate this past Friday on Almanac. You can hear the show in the embedded player below. My section is about halfway through. Podcast Powered By…
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COLUMN: We support ourselves; we support each other
This is my Sunday column for the July 22, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. We Support Ourselves; We Support Each OtherBy Aaron J. Brown We all remember how the year 2000 was once emblematic of the future. “In the Year 2000” was a phrase that meant “When we figure out our problems and…
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Almanac debate sharpens approaching MN-8 DFL primary
On Friday night the DFL candidates for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District debated on TPT’s statewide news magazine Almanac. If you missed the debate, I encourage you to watch it below. Hosts Cathy Wurzer and Eric Eskola took candidates Rick Nolan, Jeff Anderson and Tarryl Clark through a series of questions about some of…
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See the Iron Range through new eyes
Amy Rea at the Flyover Blog recently visited the Iron Range. She wrote about it for WCCO as well. Sometimes seeing the place through a newcomers eyes can help us appreciate what the place has going for it, the impression it can leave. Related posts: No related posts.
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MN-8 DFLers to square off on Almanac tonight
On Aug. 14, DFLers in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District will vote for a party nominee to take on freshman incumbent Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8). The race has been heating up steadily. Tonight we might see some sparks as the candidates, Rick Nolan, Jeff Anderson and Tarryl Clark, spar in a live televised debate on TPT’s…
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Trampled by Turtles play ‘Walt Whitman’ on Late Late Show
The Duluth based progressive bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles was on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson last night. Good stuff: Related posts: No related posts.
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Keeping ‘Wits’ about us
I’m late to the party, but I caught the recent buzz over Minnesota Public Radio’s third-year, limited run show “Wits” and finally took in an episode of the comedy variety show. Hosted by veteran public radio anchor and all-around witty guy John Moe the program’s June 30 episode was an enjoyable listen with some hilarious…
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Mining wages outpace other private sector jobs
On Tuesday, I shared some statistical analysis of mining employment in northern Minnesota. Yesterday I heard from a friend in the industry of some different numbers, also from DEED: Average weekly mining wages (included part time, no benefits) 2000 2011 (inflation equivalent) 2011 (actual)Mines $979 $1278 …
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Theatrical showboat takes on theatrical volume of actual water
Meantime, on the western edge of the Mesabi, this is the most adorable story you’ll ever read about a sinking riverboat full of theater-goers. Captain Dan even stayed in character. Everyone is fine and it would appear that the 47-year-old “Mississippi Melodie Showboat” has been restored to its normal working condition. Such is life in…