-
The copper sirens call
MinnPost published an interesting commentary on copper and other nonferrous mineral mining on the Iron Range Monday, written by geologist Rolf Westgard. True Range insiders know that the human story of the Iron Range may largely be explained by geology. Westgard makes some notable observations in his piece. Simply put, global demand for copper will…
-
Fostering a culture of success in ALL Minnesota schools
As many of you know I’m a community college educator who holds the belief that robust, world-class public education is the fundamental responsibility of any modern, civilized society. People have different views of how we should do this. Some have more trust in private education vouchers than I have. Some believe in reform. Some belief…
-
Nolan officially joins Clark, Anderson with DFL bid in MN-8
Former Congressman Rick Nolan makes it official today by announcing his DFL bid for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8). Nolan is touring the district today, though he’s been seen at local DFL events for months. Nolan joins Duluth city council member Jeff Anderson and former St. Cloud area State Sen.…
-
Dayton winning the compromise argument
The choppy, awkward first couple minutes shows why I’ve always wondered what’s up with Gov. Mark Dayton. The strong last minute shows why I respect him and ended up voting for him. Dayton is not a compelling public speaker. Perhaps his policy positions put him in line with a brand of Anderson/Perpich progressivism that is…
-
Hibbing nurses strike underway
The Hibbing hospital nurses began their strike Monday. The Minnesota Nurses Association strike will continue until Thursday with negotiations to start over after that. The sticking point has been staffing levels, patient safety and the inclusion of nurses in the hospitals decision making process. The Fairview University Medical Center-Mesabi is the region’s largest hospital. It…
-
100 years young, a new Iron Range century
Matt Nelson has a nice story in the Saturday, July 9 Hibbing Daily Tribune about a woman celebrating her 109th birthday in this Iron Range town (subscription link). Here’s a excerpt: Signie Burke has lived through two world wars, 19 U.S. presidents, and has been retired for 44 years. Hibbing’s oldest native celebrated her 109th…
-
COLUMN: Animated children’s programming, a dissertation
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, July 10, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Animated children’s programming, a dissertationBy Aaron J. Brown Some among you don’t have children. Some among you have older children you raised some decades ago. Some among you have children, but don’t watch much television because you are…
-
Brown on the Air: MORE FOOD!
This Saturday’s topic for the call-in and music program “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE is food. There are a few tried and true topics for this show; one of them is food. Food lets you talk about all the things that really matter behind the veil of a recipe, a smell or a…
-
Futility loop: State shutdown halts filling of Range rumble stripes
A couple weeks ago I was talking to this guy who works in the St. Louis County highway department and he asks my opinion on the rumble stripes. Rumble stripes? Those are a thing? Well, now I see that they are a thing. This story has everything. Rumble stripes prevent deaths but make noise. Noise…
-
The wild, wild western Range to be 2012 battleground
When the dust settled on Election Night 2010 many surprises highlighted the GOP victories in Minnesota. The biggest, of course, was Chip Cravaack’s defeat of Jim Oberstar in the northern 8th Congressional District. But tucked away among several legislative gains was Carolyn McElfatrick’s 2.5 percent win over Loren Solberg in State House District 3B, a…
-
Hibbing nurses’ strike to begin Monday
Hibbing hospital nurses are slated to strike beginning on Monday. The nurses nearly went on strike earlier this year but pulled back when negotiations on their complaints about staffing levels and patient safety made progress. Those talks broke down, leading to a strike re-authorization in May. Now we again face a major strike at the…
-
Gould first DFLer to announce for 3B
La Prairie City Councilor Joe Gould has announced his candidacy for House District 3B, the seat currently held by Rep. Carolyn McElfatrick (R-Grand Rapids). I will be covering House 3B the same way I’ve covered competitive races in 5B last winter and 7B years prior. Below is Gould’s press release: (July 6th, 2011) La Prairie,…
-
Summer fun makes for light blogging
I’m easing back into regular blog updates after the July 4 weekend. Decent people would be outside this week, and I am trying to be decent. The state government is still shut down. Local economic development is still as stagnant as it is difficult to understand or describe. We have purchased tickets to see Thomas…
-
COLUMN: Everyone loves a parade
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, July 3, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Happy Fourth of July! I’ll be taking a break for a couple days to spend time with family. Everyone loves a paradeBy Aaron J. Brown This weekend brings many ways to celebrate American independence and the founding of…
-
Brown on the Air: TOGETHER WE KNOW EVERYTHING
The Saturday morning call-in and music program “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE tackles an ambitious project this week. The topic is “Together We Know Everything.” Callers, program host Heidi Holtan and contributors like me will all present pieces of knowledge while asking questions about what we don’t know. This is a complicated project…