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Come see "Overburden 2.0" talk today, Sunday in Virgina, Minn.
I almost forgot to mention it, but if you have some free time this afternoon and are near Virginia, Minnesota, I will be speaking at a St. Michael’s Foundation free seminar from 2-3 p.m. I will highlight some of the themes from my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” including some new material…
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Primary drama, cold winds, hot Iron Range politics flood House 5B special
Open legislative seats on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range always attract drama, and not the sort of snappy, well-timed dialogue like you see in “The West Wing.” No, this drama is sometimes brutal, awkward, but extraordinarily rich, unflinchingly real, spanning generations like a great bridge. Today it begins anew. Seven candidates have filed for the special…
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Five DFLers, one Republican and one IP for Sertich seat special
The field is set. Five DFLers including Shelley Robinson, Carly Melin, Jeff Kletscher, Ray Pierce Jr., and the John Spanish will compete in a Feb. 1 primary election for State House District 5B. Republican Paul Jacobson and Independence Party candidate Cynthia Kafut Hagen will be waiting in the Feb. 15 general election for the DFL…
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Final day of filing for House 5B; full coverage of campaign at MinnesotaBrown
Today filings close on the Minnesota House of Representatives District 5B special election to replace former Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) who is now Commissioner of Iron Range Resources. DFLers Jeff Kletscher, Carly Melin and Shelley Robinson are already in, along with Republican Paul Jacobson. I have heard from one candidate, DFLer Cynthia Kafut Hagen, who…
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Snow poised to win labor dispute
Nothing says, “hello, this is what the apocalypse would look like,” like a snowplow driver strike in St. Louis County in January. It starts Wednesday, unless cooler (get it) heads prevail. Ideally, the union and management sweep aside their differences, piling up grievances out of the way or at least down the middle of the…
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Seeds of "military industrial complex" found in northern Minn. boat house
If you’re a fan of politics or history you might recall the legendary quote from President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address delivered 50 years ago today. The speech warned of the rise of a “military industrial complex” that would grow to drain our federal budget by entangling us in a series of nonstop overseas entanglements. Eisenhower’s…
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COLUMN: The good news, the bad news
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A shorter version of this piece aired on the Saturday, Jan. 15 edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE. The good news, the bad newsBy Aaron J. Brown It is distinctly American, perhaps distinctly human to…
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Jeff Kletscher adds name to DFL primary in 5B
Jeff Kletscher, entering his third fifth term mayor of Floodwood and current president of the League of Minnesota Small Cities, has joined the DFL primary fray in the House 5B special election. Kletscher has been in Floodwood city government for more than 18 years and works as a real estate broker after a career as…
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Paul Jacobson files as Republican for 5B special election
With DFLers Shelley Robinson and Carly Melin already in the race for the House District 5B Special Election, we now have a clearer picture who the primary winner will face in the general election. Republican Paul Jacobson filed today, resurrecting his unsuccessful campaign from last fall when he lost to former State. Rep. Tony Sertich,…
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DFLer Carly Melin will vie for 5B House seat
Carly Melin of Hibbing, an Iron Range attorney, is filing today for the open District 5B House of Representatives seat vacated by Rep. Tony Sertich, now Commissioner of the Iron Range Resources agency. Melin (pronounced Meh-leen) recently graduated from Hamline Law and now works for the Minnesota State Judiciary on the Range. She once worked…
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Brown on the Air: GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS!
This week on “Between You and Me,” the Saturday morning call-in and music program on 91.7 KAXE, we are talking “the good news and the bad news.” Take this however you want. My essay explores the origins of the “good news bad news” joke structure. The concept for the show, however, was inspired by my…
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A heartfelt speech from Sertich
If you’re interested, check out the touching resignation speech from Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm), who stepped down today to start his new job as Commissioner of Iron Range Resources tomorrow. Related posts: No related posts.
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Filings for House 5B special election to open Friday, close Tuesday, Jan. 18.
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has officially posted the special election for House or Representatives District 5B, the seat vacated today by Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm). Filings open Friday, Jan. 14 and close Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. Information on how to file and the list of candidates who filed so far may…
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Shelley Robinson first to announce for 5B seat
Shelley Robinson becomes the first candidate to announce for the House District 5B seat being vacated by Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm). Her statement, made both here and on her Facebook page, is this: Shelley Robinson is announcing her candidacy for MN House District 5B seat vacated by Tony Sertich. Shelley is the Executive Director of…
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Duluth’s population challenge
Duluth Mayor Don Ness has pledged to put the city on a path to increase Duluth’s population to more than 90,000 people by the year 2020. The city has hovered in the 85,000 range the last two censuses amid northeastern Minnesota’s sluggish natural resources economy. Since the late 2000s, however, Duluth has enjoyed more economic…