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Governor orders work on state’s broadband needs
From the governor’s office: Today, Governor Mark Dayton issued Executive Order 11-27, establishing the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband and continuing his commitment to strengthening our state’s infrastructure and fostering a strong business climate. The Task Force will be charged to expand broadband access in Minnesota. Dayton’s stated goal is “border-to-border” high-speed internet and cell…
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Latto’s radio legacy shows local programming matters
Yesterday we learned that Duluth broadcasting legend Lew Latto died unexpected at his home as he prepared to go to work hosting his talk radio program. Latto was a pioneering local broadcaster and the owner of several Duluth and Iron Range stations. Though I never met him, I worked for Latto in my first media…
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We govern in a van down by the river
On the subject of town halls, here are some more. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) is sending his staffed mobile office to the Range on Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday, Aug. 26. This after his hotly discussed town hall in Duluth today. The congressman’s mobile office will be at the Keewatin City Hall from 2-4:30 p.m.…
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Cravaack to hold town hall meeting today in Duluth
According to reports, Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) has scheduled a last minute, long-anticipated town hall meeting in Duluth, the district’s biggest city and historic center. The town hall will be held at 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Duluth International Airport. This came together quickly and there was some confusion about whether it…
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Editorial asks necessary questions on Excelsior’s Range dealings
The Duluth News Tribune ran an pertinent editorial today after its must-read, two–part series investigating Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Energy Project on the Iron Range. Worth reading entirely, here is the thrust: Questions abound: Why didn’t elected leaders demand more spending scrutiny? Why has Rep. Anzelc been largely alone in waving a red flag? Why did…
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U.S. Steel, state strike deal on Range pollution, expansion issues
I’ve neglected to mention this deal between the state and U.S. Steel. The largest mining company on the Range would clean up pollution at its properties, most notably MinnTac, in exchange for rights to expand Keewatin Taconite, adding another line and more jobs to the western Iron Range. This is another example of the strengthening…
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One vision for Range economic diversification
Today I follow up on last week’s post about the meaning of temporary prosperity in Iron Range mining. I’ve come up with a working list of things we (that is, the people, by way of our institutions) can do to diversify our economy and bolster our communities. The links go back to previous writing I’ve…
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DNT continues must-read investigation into failed Range project
Peter Passi of the Duluth News Tribune continues his must-read investigation into the troubles facing Minnetonka-based startup Excelsior Energy. Over ten years Excelsior received more than $40 million in public funds for its “clean-coal” Mesaba Energy Project on the Range but has little to show for it. Today, the story is where Excelsior stands today.…
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Duluth paper runs damning report on Range energy boondoggle
Peter Passi has an important Sunday story in the Duluth News Tribune on Excelsior Energy’s controversial Mesaba Energy Project, the Iron Range clean-coal proposal that has yet to materialize, despite its $40-some million in public dollars. I urge you to read Passi’s story. It is a wholly effective explanation of the project’s origins and political…
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COLUMN: I was a sacrifice-only, middle relief bullpen right fielder
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired in an episode of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE earlier this month. I was a sacrifice-only, middle relief bullpen right fielderBy Aaron J. Brown As the Major League Baseball season…
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A final word on Range political history and voting patterns
The history keeps coming! My Silent Cal post from two weeks ago and my update about historical Range voting patterns last week have elicited an important clarification from the Iron Range’s most prominent and respected working historian, Pam Brunfelt. Actually, it is not accurate to state that voters had to request a ballot for the…
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Brown on the Air: RADIO POTLUCK!
I’ll be on 91.7 KAXE – Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me” Saturday morning at 10 a.m. This is the call-in and music program highlighting the voices, stories and condition of the people of northern Minnesota. Contributors like me were asked to “bring something to the potluck” in honor of Saturday evening’s Green Cheese…
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Big Range ore shipments signal big opportunity for diversification
A banner year for Iron Range ore shipments on Lake Superior. Not so for the IRRRB, where the lingering woes of 2009 are dragging down the agency’s three-year taconite tax formula. The 2011 boom of mining activity on the Iron Range should be taken for what it is: another, perhaps final chance to retool our…
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Wide variety of free live music lined up for the Range
The “Art in the Park” free Thursday night music show at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm continues. Several fun acts seem lined up for the next few weeks. Thursday, August 18, Minnesota Discovery Center welcomes Fathers and Sons, performing “bluesy acoustic” music on the MDC amphitheater stage at 7 p.m. followed by Mark Henderson…
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Georgia chopsticks factory conjures failed Range experiment
I recently learned about this Georgia factory making chopsticks and exporting them to China. This NPR story points out the contrast of the phenomenon, an American company sending chopsticks to China while we fail to produce so many of our own goods, including electronic devices we ourselves invented. Folks from the Iron Range might remember…