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COLUMN: Range towns should look inward for future possibilities
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, June 26, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Range towns should look inward for future possibilitiesBy Aaron J. Brown I’ve learned that a sound, compact wooden railroad design will yield many fun adventures for my boys. A poor design will collapse easily, requiring numerous repairs and…
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‘Iron Range Blast’ to rock the Twin Cities Saturday night
Half of the people who call themselves Iron Rangers actually live in the Twin Cities. If you’re reading this down in the Cities you should know about this Saturday night “Iron Range Blast” event at Cuzzy’s Bar and Grill in Minneapolis. Check it out, if only for the cool image shared here. A review of…
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MN-8: The campaigns that never were
My series on the early status of the MN-8 congressional race in northern Minnesota continues. On Monday and Tuesday I’ll be posting updates on DFLers seeking to unseat incumbent freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack. This post focuses, surprisingly, on all the top tier DFLers who opted not to run. Normally you’d just ignore these people. Most…
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Brown on the Air: SHUTDOWN?
The “Between You and Me” program on 91.7 KAXE this Saturday morning represents a bit of a departure. The show, which begins at 10 a.m. and runs until noon, dedicates its weekly discussion to the impending state government shutdown. I’ll be joining the conversation with my usual weekly commentary, this time sounding a bit more…
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MPR: When your high school is torn down, progress seems like a mixed blessing
I’ve got the feature commentary at Minnesota Public Radio today. This is a longer piece about my feelings seeing a picture of the old Cherry School being torn down and replaced. I mentioned this last week, with the picture. Read and recommend the essay over at MPR. It helps! Related posts: No related posts.
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MN-8: Cravaack readies defense against DFL challenge
My series on the upcoming 2012 race in MN-8 continues with a look at the candidates. The list includes Republican incumbent Chip Cravaack and several northern Minnesota Democrats mulling a challenge. I plan to conduct interviews with all the candidates at an appropriate time in the future. Most candidates, including Cravaack, have already committed. The…
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MN-8: A new district in more ways than one
Today we begin my series by discussing Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District and how it might change in 2012. I’ve written about redistricting before, and the changing nature of the district. Below are three possible redistricting scenarios, each of which would produce a very different situation for northern Minnesota politicos. Remember the basic composition of the…
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MN-8: covering a key northern toss-up
MinnesotaBrown is the only daily news blog operating on Minnesota’s Iron Range (Right? Why not? I’m going with that). As a result, when the conch shell is blown I will cover the closely-watched 2012 MN-8 congressional race. This week I’m posting a series on the state of the race at this early date. I’ve held…
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Civic engagement, a dry topic that greatly matters
Peter Levine presents a paper on improving civic engagement in communities that’s worth a look. Below are the five strategies from his executive summary. Strategy 1: Create a Civic Information Corps using the nation’s “service”infrastructure to generate knowledge. Take advantage of the large and growinginfrastructure of national and community service programs by requiring all serviceparticipants…
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Live music, junk art & creative social media on the Range
“Art in the Park” returns to the amphitheater stage at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm at 7 p.m. Thursday. Josh Palmi and the band Colmekill will provide free live music at this Iron Range culture and history center. I neglected to mention the show last week. They do this every Thursday, for free, during…
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This week on the Range — Bar fire, senators & Showcase Showdown
Late last week fire destroyed the Risky Business bar in Gilbert. No one was hurt. Gilbert, you may recall, is the historic epicenter of the region’s checkered relationship with alcohol. Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) visited Chisholm Friday for an event with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The two discussed their Range roots in this interesting Duluth…
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Remaking the Mitchell Yards on the Iron Range
My life takes place in two worlds. In one of these worlds the history and seemingly immovable fate of the Iron Range of northern Minnesota collides with the hopes and dreams of its people. In the other (the one preferred by my three young sons) trains with faces work, play and explore their way across…
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COLUMN: The meaning of lunch in the North Star State
This is my column for the Sunday, June 19, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I voiced a version of this piece on an episode of KAXE’s “Between You and Me” earlier this month. The meaning of lunch in the North Star StateBy Aaron J. Brown If you haven’t seen yet there is a…
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Essar reiterates plans to produce steel on the Range
The Hibbing Daily Tribune reports that the Essar Steel Minnesota project near Nashwauk is making progress (subscription link). This according to statements at a public meeting between local officals and Essar represntatives. The company’s commmunication with the people of the region, who have underwritten much of the infrastructure, has been lacking, however. The meeting was…
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Brown on the Air: CRUNCH TIME!
Stop your internet shenanigans right now and go over to www.kaxe.org or call 218-326-1234 to become a member of Northern Community Radio. 91.7 KAXE is a unique independent public radio station in northern Minnesota producing a wide variety of quality shows. KAXE is a big supporter of my work and I need you to become…