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Great Northern Radio Show Brainerd episode chuffs onto MP3
The downloadable MP3 of the Brainerd edition of my Great Northern Radio Show is now available at KAXE.org. Please give it a listen as it is probably our sharpest overall program. Certain sections are good while others are excellent, but the general mix is diverse and hits the harder edge we’ve been looking for. We…
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COLUMN: Poor man’s apocalypse
This is my Sunday column for the July 8, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. As you may have noticed last Monday night’s storm knocked out power throughout Itasca County where I live. We didn’t have power back until later in the week, so I’ve been slow to resume blogging because of the backlog…
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Operational capacity returns to MinnesotaBrown.com
I am happy to report that power is restored at MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters. It was a 67 hour outage for us, which is a tad longish. I wish I could say I have a notebook full of material to unload all at once but there is a lot to do around the house. I have…
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No power. No blog.
A large rural power outage that began Monday night in northern Minnesota has shut down MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters. Blogging will resume when possible. Related posts: No related posts.
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On the Range, marriage amendment a contentious issue
Minnesota Public Radio has done an excellent story about how the anti-gay marriage amendment is playing in the Iron Range’s largest city of Hibbing. MPR’s Sasha Aslanian did a marvelous job talking to people on both sides of the issue as they organize ahead of this fall’s big vote. In my experience no issue causes…
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COLUMN: Bugs of the Modern Democracy
This is my Sunday column for the July 1, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I’ve rounded up Iron Range Fourth of July parades, street dances and fireworks displays here. Bugs of the Modern DemocracyBy Aaron J. Brown Two years ago I depicted an historical reenactment of the Continental Congress as it would have…
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Great Northern Radio Show rebroadcasts on July 1, July 4
It’s been a busy summer so I neglected to post an update on our broadcast of the Great Northern Radio Show from Central Lakes College in Brainerd on June 16. The show went very well, arguably our best effort yet, certainly a major step forward in pacing and production value. If you missed it, the…
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Duluth tourism numbers drag after historic floods
Duluth is struggling with a big drop in tourism after last week’s floods. The most popular tourist areas are largely cleaned up from the mess, but visitors haven’t returned at normal summer levels yet. Residential areas and streets were the worst hit. This is a great city and could use your support this summer. Related…
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Range labor politics web talk was on MPR today
I did a live video interview with Michael Olson at MPR’s Minnesota Today this afternoon talking about labor politics on the Iron Range. You can view the conversation here at MPR or below. Yes, that is MinnesotaBrown world headquarters. I put the white fedora on my coin jar to class up the dehumidifier for the…
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Talking Range labor woes at 2 p.m. on @mntoday
I’ll be doing a live video chat over at Minnesota Public Radio’s “Minnesota Today” site at 2 p.m. talking about my recent post about the union vote at Mesabi Nugget last week. The Steelworkers lost that organizing vote in this Iron Range labor region by a 2-1 margin. I’m hoping that my satellite internet holds…
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Excelsior Energy tries new approach to failed Range project
So Excelsior Energy is still kicking around. This is the collection of energy industry lobbyists and lawyers who had proposed a $2.1 billion coal gasification plant that never got built because it was overpriced and unwanted by any potential customers. Nevertheless they received more than $40 million in local, state and federal taxpayer dollars. Now…
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Trampled by Turtles to play Duluth for flood relief
There had been rumblings of a concert event to benefit Duluth, Minnesota flood victims and those from affected areas in the surrounding region. Now something has come together and it’s pretty big. The Twin Ports Bridge Festival, already scheduled for Saturday, July 7, has added a second day on Sunday, July 8 that will be…
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Steelworkers suffer big defeat in Mesabi Nugget vote
Last Friday, the United Steelworkers conceded defeat in the unionization vote at the Mesabi Nugget plant near Aurora. The Mesabi Daily News had the story. According to Mesabi Nugget the vote was 57-21. The vote took place over two days, included a complete unionization drive by the Steelworkers and was overseen by federal labor officials.…
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COLUMN: When the water comes
This is my Sunday column for the June 24, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Those who would like to do something to help the people in Duluth, either financially or with your time and effort, should go here. When the water comesBy Aaron J. Brown Like most folks we’ve encountered leaky basements in…
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A harrowing flood story of fear and miracles
Here is the definitive story of that 8-year-old boy who was sucked into the Duluth floodwaters Wednesday, dragged through a culvert and spit out to relative safety, by Jana Hollingsworth for the Duluth News Tribune. Related posts: No related posts.