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On mining and the future in northern Minnesota
Nothing’s going to get better for the Iron Range until we stop talking about 30-year mining plans and start talking about five year reform plans. These thoughts have been building for a time and it will take more than one post to explore them all. A recent headline pushed me to start. David Shaffer at…
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Highway 53 (to be) Rerouted
Iron Range history brims with tales of highway rerouting for mining purposes. Indeed, entire towns have been moved or abandoned to extract iron from the ground. The taconite era has been light on these moves, until recently. Now one of the Iron Range’s central arteries, Highway 53, must be rerouted near the entrance to Virginia…
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Former Range lawmaker charged with animal cruelty, hoarding
The Iron Range is a place of characters and stories. One of the most interesting characters I’ve met is former State Rep. John Spanish. Unfortunately, his story has taken a sad turn. Related posts: No related posts.
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The Hon. James L. Oberstar to cross the mighty lakes this spring
The Interlake Shipping Company has renamed an 806-foot laker after former U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, a longtime transportation committee chair and ranking Democratic member. Derek Wallbank has the story on MinnPost. The Hon. James L. Oberstar will now transport Mesabi iron ore pellets from near Oberstar’s hometown of Chisholm out of the port of Duluth,…
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MinnesotaBrown to cover MN-8 like haul truck on perspective dump
Over the weekend I decided to develop some kind of policy for how I handle Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District race as Democrats line up to challenge freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) in 2012. I’ve been getting calls. The people want to know. So, here goes. This will be an important primary in a true tossup…
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Billionaires using millionaires to attack thousandaires, and divide the nation
I don’t mind a good political debate. The teachers’ unions aren’t right all the time. But the demonizing of public workers generally and teachers specifically in the Wisconsin story is infuriating. Actually, no. The hypocrisy is what’s infuriating. Jon Stewart gets this exactly right. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p /…
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COLUMN: The deceptive numbers of late winter
This is my column for the Sunday, March 6, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The deceptive numbers of late winterBy Aaron J. BrownI froze my fingertips on the gas pump the other day. The temperature was colder than expected, the gas prices higher. It is not the numbers that get you. It is…
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Brown on the Air: MOVIES!
Tune in for this Saturday morning’s edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE. “Between You and Me” combines music, listener calls, stories and produced elements by the likes of yours truly. My essay this week joins the show’s rotating topic of “movies.” Host Heidi Holtan and special guest co-host Julie “The Mom of…
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I wasn’t going to talk about Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Assemblyman who represents Superior was tackled by police yesterday trying to get into the Wisconsin State Capitol. Other places in the world have much bigger problems than Wisconsin, or really just about anywhere in the United States. We have it pretty good. It’s possible this was just a misunderstanding. But erosion of civility…
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Hibbing, Duluth groups work together to celebrate Bob Dylan in May
Dylan Days 2011 is coming, the annual Hibbing arts event celebrating Bob Dylan and the Iron Range. This year our efforts in Dylan’s hometown Hibbing will sync with an expanding roster of DylanFest events in his birthplace in nearby Duluth. The Duluth News-Tribune has the story. Within I am quoted saying that Hibbing and Duluth…
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‘Range of the Arts’ runs March 7-13 with music, poetry, art and some damn nice scarves
My friends over at the Lyric Center for the Arts will be kicking off “Range of the Arts,” a week-long event featuring music, poetry, literature and visual art from Monday, March 7 through Sunday, March 13. Their blog features the many different activities planned throughout the week, all of which are centered in the Iron…
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Good news, bad news in my latest Iron Range economic lookout vlog
Another “Economic Lookout” segment of mine was featured today on the MinnEcon blog for Minnesota Public Radio. This update focuses on optimism in the mining industry and the potential blow of public sector job loss on the Iron Range. Take a look and watch my vlog. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, subscribe…
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Asia expands influence over northern Minnesota’s future
One of the interesting northern Minnesota economic stories of the past decade has been Cirrus Aviation in Duluth. The narrative was innovative airplanes built in an old steel town. And while the company has struggled at times, especially in the recent economic slump, it still represents compelling story. This week a Chinese airplane manufacturer has…
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COLUMN: Pioneering Range leader speaks of history, hard times
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Some additional notes that didn’t make the cut for print are at the end. Pioneering Range leader speaks of history, hard timesBy Aaron J. Brown In 1978 women had been working at Iron Range mines for just a…
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Spend your weekend submitting poems, stories, art to Dylan Days 2011
Dylan Days 2011 will be May 26-29 in Hibbing, Minnesota, the Iron Range hometown of Bob Dylan. Dylan fans travel from around the world for storytelling and nostalgia while others simply enjoy a grassroots series of arts, music and writing activities. This is my 10th year as co-chair of Dylan Days, specializing in the literary…