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A ‘mitten state’ slap fight
Michigan and Wisconsin are fighting over who gets to call themselves the “Mitten State.” If you’ve ever met someone from Wisconsin or (lower) Michigan they explain where they are from by holding up their hand like a mitten and pointing at the part of the mitten where they are from. This is fine, even if…
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ALERT: Time traveling fugitive on the loose
A man claiming he’s from the future was arrested for trying to sabotage the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. The advanced physics laboratory explores the behavior of atomic particles and the origins of the universe. Some fear it will cause the end of the world, but that’s just silly. OR IS IT? The man from…
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The Pellet Shipping News
Evidence of increased production of Iron Range taconite products was shared today in the Duluth News Tribune. There are 3,900 people now working in northern Minnesota’s taconite industry. Signs of volatility in ore prices should not worry us. Related posts: No related posts.
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The Mr. Spock/Wrath of Khan rule of politics
From my read of local, state and national politics, Mitt Romney has this exactly right: “Don’t ever get involved in politics if you require winning an election to pay your mortgage or if your kids are young — you don’t want money to shape your views, and you don’t want your kids’ heads turned by…
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COLUMN: ‘Peddler from the Range’ leaves great mark, complicated legacy
This is my Sunday column for the Dec. 4, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. On the same page of the newspaper my old neighbor from town days wrote a more detailed account of Paulucci’s history. ‘Peddler from the Range’ leaves great mark, complicated legacyBy Aaron J. Brown Early Thanksgiving 2011 Jeno Paulucci passed…
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A cold one; dry though
“Oh, ya, it’s cold, but it ain’t snowy.” “No, dry November, that’s for sure.” “Not good for the septics.” “No, sir.” “Making ice, though.” “Oh, ya, real good. Five inches already. Heard the lake a whumpin’ yesterday.” “Good for skatin.’ Ever skate on a lake?“ “Oh, ya, but it’s been years.” “Fishing soon.” “Ya.” “Bad…
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Brown on the Air: IMPORTANT THINGS
I’m back on Between You and Me this Saturday morning 10 to noon on 91.7 KAXE. The call-in and music program will be exploring the topic of “Important Things,” or “Things You Wouldn’t Downsize,” or something like that. The title is hard for me to remember. I started writing a thing about “Things” and then…
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Iron Range history, depicted by mustachioed gentleman, giant talking dog
This upcoming Saturday folks can interact with Iron Range pioneer Cuyler Adams and his massive, bipedal, sentient dog at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm. CHISHOLM – See Hibbing resident Richie Johnson as pioneer and prospector Cuyler Adams in a family performance at 1 p.m. Saturday, December 3, at Minnesota Discovery Center. In real life,…
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Range blogger aims to give back, a little each day
A friend of the blog, Mesabi Misadventures, is taking on a bold challenge as November fades into December. She’ll be highlighting different ways to give back on each of the 31 days of December. She’ll be donating her own money and time and talking about her “31 Days of Giving” experiences on the blog. I’ll…
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Mugging for the camera
Duluth News Tribune opinions editor Robin Washington gives us all advice on how to pose for a mugshot photo in the event we are booked on serious charges that could be detailed in a prominent regional newspaper. I accept this advice. Thank you. Related posts: No related posts.
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The wreck of the Mataafa
The other night the family and I were enjoying the light show at Bentleyville in one of our rare trips to Duluth, northern Minnesota’s regional center. In the glare of holiday opulence we caught a glimpse of a big laker gliding through the cold harbor on its way under the lift bridge, out the canal…
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COLUMN: Holiday season inspires potpourri
This is my Sunday column for the Nov. 27, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Holiday season inspires potpourriBy Aaron J. Brown On the game show “Jeopardy” you sometimes see the category “Potpourri.” This is high-class way for intelligent people to say, “We don’t know where this stuff should go.” In rummage sale ads…
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Range, Duluth business legend Paulucci dies
Iconic Iron Range and Duluth entrepreneur Jeno Paulucci has died just four days after the passing of his beloved wife, the philanthropist Lois Paulucci. Paulucci died this Thanksgiving morning at the age of 93. The Duluth News Tribune has published a comprehensive obituary. Paulucci really is a rags to riches story, a poor kid from…
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Happy Turkey Day from MinnesotaBrown.com
Happy Thanksgiving from MinnesotaBrown! Unless major news happens we’ll be going dark for a few days. Indulge my sharing of a snippet from one of my favorite shows of all time. Related posts: No related posts.
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The perils of media consolidation and a new hope
I’ve worked in the media since I was 16, starting in the mid-90s. That meant I got to watch what we now call “new media” come of age at same time as me. I worked in a radio station as it first adopted automated technology. I edited a daily newspaper that was switching from paste-up…