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Controversy nets Minnesota Zoo dolphins
There’s quite a tizzy brewing over the Minnesota Zoo’s decision to discontinue its dolphin exhibit after receiving state bonding funds last year to repair its dolphin tanks. You have to drain the tanks to fix them, and apparently the costs are too high to house the dolphins elsewhere during that time so they are just…
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Labor organizer Metsa to seek Rukavina seat
Jason Metsa, field coordinator for the North East Area Labor Council on the Iron Range, has announced that he will seek the House 6B seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Township). Metsa, 31, is a fifth-generation Iron Ranger with roots in the Angora and Nashwauk area. His family moved to Rochester for…
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Janatopoulos first to announce run for Rukavina seat
Over the next few days I’ll be sharing candidate announcements in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Tom Rukavina in a key Iron Range state House seat. The DFL endorsing convention will be held Saturday, May 19, and it remains to be seen how many candidates will run and whether they will honor the endorsement…
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A busy week of Iron Range politics
Last week Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Township) announced he would retire from the State House seat he’s held for 26 years. This is will likely remain a solid DFL district in the heart of the Iron Range, though Rukavina seldom drew a very strong GOP challenger. Once again, we test the true index of an…
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COLUMN: Sticking to the planner
This is my Sunday column for the May 13, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Sticking to the plannerBy Aaron J. Brown Living in the north woods one learns whatever you leave on the kitchen counter when you drive to town might as well have been hurled into an intergalactic wormhole. It is gone.…
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Cravaack plans "major announcement" 5:30 p.m. Saturday
UPDATE: The announcement relates to Coast Guard jurisdiction on Mille Lacs. Team Cravaack has used their one “major announcement” fake-out for the year. Hope it was worth it. This looks interesting: MEDIA ADVISORYCravaack to Make Major Announcement Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN) will make a major announcement tomorrow, Saturday May 12th. WHO: …
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Rukavina retires, marking end of an Iron Range era
Today, the passionate, populist, often enigmatic Iron Range state Rep. Tom Rukavina announced his retirement. Rukavina has represented his eastern Iron Range district for 26 years. This district, now called 6B, was known as 5A for much of his career. This district includes the city of Virginia where Rukavina grew up and first became involved…
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Brown on the Air: GRANDMOTHERS!
It’s the opening of the walleye fishing season in Minnesota which, for some, is also a good reminder that it’s also Mother’s Day weekend. We’re talking about grandmothers on the Saturday morning talk and music program “Between You and Me” on Northern Community Radio. Host and producer Heidi Holtan is looking for stories and memories…
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Anzelc IRRRB daylight provision to become law
A bill that would reopen financial data for Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board activities successfully passed the state legislature yesterday and is expected to be signed by Gov. Dayton. The daylight provision in the omnibus tax bill was the work of Rep. Tom Anzelc, who managed to find enough Republican support for repealing the…
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Minnesota Power to reduce more emissions at Boswell
Minnesota Power will spend up to $400 million improving emissions by about 90 percent at another of its power generation units at the Clay Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset. The Duluth News Tribune reports the story, though I heard about this elsewhere today. The improvements were required to meet tightening state standards, but the investment…
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‘Defiant’ Duluth music scene gets its due
MPR’s The Current writer Andrea Swensson penned a review of Duluth’s 14th annual Homegrown Music Festival which wrapped up last weekend. She reviewed several of the bands here but also shared her impression of the whole local music scene. This paragraph caught my eye: There’s an underlying seriousness and sadness to Duluth that has penetrated…
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A jazzy start to Mother’s Day (fishing) weekend
Those looking for some quality entertainment up north this weekend might consider this concert in Grand Rapids featuring accomplished Minneapolis-based jazz guitarist Joan Griffith and the versatile northern Minnesota jazz guitarist Sam Miltich. The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Community Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids and will raise funds for the…
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Fear and wolving in Minnesota
It’s hard to lament our times because it is so often difficult to determine which times we’re in. For instance, I read today that Minnesota officials are preparing for a wolf hunt and conceding large amounts of money to “Vikings.” Those sound like old school, old world problems, which is why it’s so vexing that…
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COLUMN: We don’t get it; any of it
This is my Sunday column for the May 6, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired on Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me” Saturday morning. We don’t get it; any of itBy Aaron J. Brown Long ago there was such a thing as a “mainstream” in American culture.…
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Nolan cruises to MN-8 DFL endorsement
Former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan easily won a first-ballot endorsement for Congress by DFLers in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. The victory was expected after a string of convincing victories in local delegate selection contests over the past two months. His DFL opponents Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson will challenge Nolan for the nomination in the…