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Range energy project given breath of life by desperate lawmakers
I did not miss the fact that the state legislature expanded the exceptions and special language for a proposed Iron Range coal gas power plant advocated by Excelsior Energy, a new company formed in 2001 by energy industry lobbyists. I saw the news. I was well aware of this bill’s slow slinking through the back…
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Good night, everybody, and be kind
Tonight brings the final evening news broadcast of northern Minnesota newsman Dennis Anderson. He’ll anchor his final edition of WDIO/WIRT Eyewitness News at 6 and 10. the ABC affiliate in the Duluth, Minnesota, market. While the final broadcast of some news professional happens fairly often, Anderson’s career has greatly impacted the region’s quality of journalism…
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Excitement over Dylan week builds in northern Minnesota
Dylan Days opens tonight in Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing and Dylan Fest is ongoing in his birthplace of Duluth. A host of music, arts and literature events are on tap for a celebration of the folk rock icon’s 70th birthday. Media coverage is starting to pick up with a fascinating collection of reflections and musings…
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Dylan Days Eve brings acoustic show in downtown Hibbing
Dylan Days in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, officially opens tomorrow. Nevertheless, tonight there’s a “Dylan Days Eve” show at Zimmy’s featuring acoustic Nashville performers Brittney Lee and Josh Dunne. Lee is an Iron Range native. Find out more about Dylan Days at the website or by following Dylan Days on Facebook or Twitter.…
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Ship named for former Rep. Oberstar christened
The James L. Oberstar was christened yesterday and set off into Lake Superior fully loaded with iron ore for Indiana. The giant laker was named for the now former Iron Range Congressman after his decades of transportation advocacy, including near total expertise on Lake Superior shipping issues. (Story, WDIO) Related posts: No related posts.
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Hibbing nurses reauthorize strike
Registered nurses at the Range Regional Medical Center in Hibbing have reauthorized a strike. A strike vote was OK’d earlier in the spring but the strike was called off on April 29 as negotiations made progress. Now that process will be revisited as mediation was rejected today. This is the largest hospital north of Duluth,…
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The session, the shutdown, the malaise, and a secret plan
I hope you’ll forgive me for not spending much time analyzing the latter portion of Minnesota’s legislative session. To quote a character from Jon Hassler’s “Staggerford,” this year’s session “makes my ass tired.” In truth, I called it the day after the election with this tweet: @minnesotabrown Aaron Brown MN voters seem to have found…
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Happy 70th Birthday, Bob Dylan!
Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan! Dylan turns 70 today. Born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth Minnesota, May 24, 1941, he was raised up the road in Hibbing on Minnesota’s Iron Range. This week Hibbing and Duluth celebrate Bob’s 70th with Dylan Days May 26-29 in Hibbing (I’m one of the organizers there) and Dylan Fest in Duluth…
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Follow MinnesotaBrown’s new Facebook page
Fans of this blog should follow the new MinnesotaBrown Facebook Page. My cool new Facebook real estate is at Facebook.com/ironrange. Until now I’ve offered a Networked Blogs feed for Facebook that many of you follow. I’ll still support that feed but I ask that all of you “like” the new page if you’re a Facebook…
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Iron Range Maidens win big, and what it means
On Saturday night I watched the Iron Range Maidens compete at the Grand Rapids IRC arena for their first home bout against the Capital City Roller Girls of Bismarck, North Dakota. The Maidens rocked the near-capacity crowd with a dominant 123-58 victory. For much of the year I’ve written about the Maidens in the abstract.…
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History shows copper mining has always been tricky business
Historian Jeff Manuel is an occasional contributor to this blog and today presents a fascinating historical take on the issue of nonferrous mineral mining in northeastern Minnesota. Recent debate over possible nonferrous/copper-nickel mining in northeast Minnesota has largely framed the issue along the predictable jobs versus the environment divide. Although Minnesotans will ultimately have to…
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Business North looking for reporter
My friends at Business North, a great independent publication doing real economic journalism in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, are looking for a reporter. This makes them a bigger job creation project than some of the things they cover. (Hi-yo!) This post is for you, disaffected journalists of the region. Business-to-business publication covering northeastern Minnesota and…
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COLUMN: Bob Dylan at 70
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, May 22, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Bob Dylan at 70By Aaron J. Brown On Tuesday, the Hibbing kid once known as Bobby Zimmerman turns 70. We’re not sure where Bob Dylan will be on his birthday. Probably not here, though that’d be nice. Bob…
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Brown on the Air: OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE
My weekly contribution to the Saturday morning 91.7 KAXE program “Between You and Me” joins the show’s rotating topic, “Outside the Comfort Zone.” Guest hosts Michael Goldberg and Gail Otteson will share stories and music relating to times we step outside our comfort zones, the roles we play as we become strangers in strange lands.…
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The Picture Grace, almost a century later
Among several events going on these days, consider this one. Many might not realize that the iconic Picture Grace, which can be seen here, was taken in 1918 on the western Mesabi Range by Bovey photographer Erik Enstrom. The Minnesota Discovery Center is hosting a gallery opening for two related exhibits this weekend. Info below:…