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COLUMN: New book helps close old cultural gap
This is my Sunday column for the May 27, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Anton Treuer appeared as a guest in the April 7 Bemidji edition of the Great Northern Radio Show. New book helps close old cultural gapBy Aaron J. Brown When I was preparing to do my radio show in Bemidji…
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On the Air: Remembering as we go
This week, it was lightly noted that Johnny Carson taped his final Tonight Show 20 years ago this past Monday. I was 12 the year Johnny signed off. We were living south of Eveleth, not far from Forbes — a little Iron Range rail location where the elementary school I attended 1st and 2nd grades…
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I talk northern Minnesota mining politics on MPR
If you missed it, here is the audio of my interview with Tom Weber on MPR’s The Daily Circuit this morning. We talked about northern Minnesota mining politics and economics. There’s always more to say, but this went OK. Related posts: No related posts.
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Before the Iron Range, there was iron Waynesboro
Hello to all the new readers who heard me on MPR this morning. Ahhh, who am I kidding? Hello, old readers. We’ve been talking about the way that mining affects communities, for better and worse. Here on the Iron Range it’s not hard to see the impact of mining, both in the changed landscape and…
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‘Mining Truth’ expands nonferrous debate to economics
Today, a collection of environmental groups launched a campaign called Mining Truth, an effort to engage conversation about the actual economic benefits of nonferrous mining in northeastern Minnesota. It appears to be the most substantial effort to date to discredit the economic claims of mining supporters and developers in the region. Aaron Klemz has a…
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Dylan Days 2012 begins in Bob’s hometown
Dylan Days 2012 kicks off Thursday in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing. I’ve been involved with Dylan Days since 2001 but this is the first year I’ve stepped back a bit from some of the press work. I’ll be emceeing the literary event on Friday. Many of the press and social media activities have been…
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Meyer files for DFL primary in House 6B seat
Dave Meyer, an Aurora construction worker active in Laborer’s Union Local 1097, has filed to run in the DFL primary to replace Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) in one of the Iron Range’s hottest contests of 2012. “I’m going to fight to keep jobs here, to keep them from heading south,” said Meyer. Infrastructure investments top…
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The untold perils of media consolidation
I write a column for the Hibbing Daily Tribune, which is part of the Superior Publishing Group, a division of American Consolidated Media of Texas, itself a division of a vast international company, the name of which I forget. Australian bankers, mostly. When the Superior Publishing group reorganized its management structure a year ago —…
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A week of Bob Dylan celebration in northern Minnesota
Duluth’s Dylan Fest continues this week, and Dylan Days in Hibbing kicks off Thursday. The Playlist on WDSE previewed our Range event on its last episode: I’ve been an organizer and press rep with Dylan Days since 2001, participating in its growth from a small acknowledgement of the Iron Range’s most famous artist to a…
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Hill of Three Waters
This is my Sunday column for the May 20, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. My visit to the Hill of Three Waters took place a year ago. While photography is forbidden at the site, I did snap this photo of the entrance to the hill to show what the forest looks like. Hill…
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No DFL endorsement for Rukavina seat, primary awaits
In the open seat to replace Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) in the new district 6B, two DFLers battled to a draw today at the DFL endorsing convention in Hibbing. Jason Metsa led Lorrie Janatopoulos after four ballots but lacked the 60 percent needed to win endorsement. Turnout at this convention was suprisingly low; just 42…
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DFLers Saxhaug, Persell, Anzelc endorsed in Cohasset today
The hotbed in legislative battlegrounds this year is the new Senate District 5 and House Districts 5A and 5B in Itasca, Cass and Beltrami counties. Redistricting paired three DFL incumbents with three GOP incumbents here. Today, the DFL made its endorsements at the Cohasset Community Center. For Senate, the DFL unanimously endorsed incumbent Sen. Tom…
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U.S. Postal Service spares Duluth processing center
The U.S. Postal Service has announced it will spare the Duluth mail processing facility. The sorting center currently distributes mail to northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Closing would have added a day or two to the delivery time of first class mail in this region. U.S. Sen. Al Franken played a major role in getting the…
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Meantime, Ely escapes raging fire
While I was sipping water and preparing to read the names at the Hibbing Community College graduation (congratulations graduates, by the way), on the other side of the region the Vermilion Range city of Ely was being evacuated from the path of a raging wildfire. This photo is from Wayne Erickson at the U.S. Forest…
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Brown on the Air: GEOCACHING!
This week on Northern Community Radio’s Saturday morning call-in and music program “Between You and Me” host Heidi Holtan will lead a conversation on geocaching. This is the distinctly 21st century hobby of finding treasure using handheld GPS devices. I went geocaching once and it was fine, but one of my favorite things about it…