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Trainspotting on the Iron Range
I grew up along the train tracks that ran parallel to Highway 7 in Zim, Minnesota, and then just up the road next to the tracks that fed Eveleth Taconite. Every day of my life on the Iron Range I’ve heard, seen or at least crossed the tracks of trains carrying iron ore, coal, paper…
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Oberstar vs. Cravaack and the future of Minnesota’s Fightin’ Eighth – Part 2
This is Part 2 of my post analyzing the 2010 showdown between Rep. Jim Oberstar and Chip Cravaack in northeastern Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. (Read Part 1). Long term, both political parties — indeed, leaders of all stripes — need to consider the impact of inevitable, ongoing demographic change to northern Minnesota. This region’s unique…
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Iron ore shipping like hot … well, ore (processed ore is quite hot)
The Duluth News Tribune reports that Lake Superior iron ore shipments have returned to pre-recession levels. Another complicating statistic that shows how northern Minnesota’s resource economy operates on a different timetable than the national economy. This is good news for the national economy … eventually. Probably not by Nov. 2, however. Related posts: No related…
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Oberstar vs. Cravaack and the future of Minnesota’s Fightin’ Eighth – Part 1
For 60 years northeastern Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District has stood as one of the nation’s most fascinating political anomalies. Granted, until this year a majority of the MN-08 contests in this period have been fairly boring DFL routs, except of course for a couple high-drama DFL primaries. Even this year’s well-publicized bout between longtime DFL…
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You want an Iron Range roller derby shirt. Trust me.
The Iron Range Maidens, our region’s first organized flat track roller derby team, has unveiled its new merchandise store. Players are selling the shirts, hats and coats directly and you can contact someone through the website. They are using the proceeds to cover the team’s expenses. If you decide to buy, try contacting “Butterscotch Bitch”…
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No more Tuffy Burgers
Tuffy’s Bar and Grill on First Avenue in Hibbing closed last night, according to reports I’ve heard around town. I called to confirm and there is no answer today during normal hours. I’ve heard the same talk from many different sources, so I’m going to lean toward believing that this subtly iconic Range luke warm-spot…
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Bob Dylan’s boyhood synagogue for sale on Iron Range
The synagogue where Bob Dylan and his family attended services when Bob was growing up on Minnesota’s Iron Range is for sale again. The former Agudath Achim Synagogue in Hibbing has been remodeled into a residential home but key attributes remain from its time as the site of young Robert Zimmerman’s bar mitzvah, including the…
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COLUMN: On the other side of the forbidden ridge
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. This piece may or may not be based on my experiences strolling around the vicinity of a certain local mine last week. On the other side of the forbidden ridgeBy Aaron J. Brown For two generations, young people…
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The Minnesota Twins and the Meaning of Life
Growing up on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range through the 1980s and ’90s meant coming of age around an unremitting economic recession. However it also meant being a wide-eyed kid both times the Minnesota Twins won Major League Baseball’s World Series in 1987 and 1991. So in other words, we learned that the world sucked but…
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Brown on the Air: YOUR NEXT MEAL!
Tune in to 91.7 KAXE‘s “Between You and Me” program between 10 a.m. and noon Saturday for a mix of talk, music and rumination over this week’s topic: your next meal. What are you having for your next big meal? This opens talk of meal preparation, recipes and food specifics. It’s also a chance for…
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Northern Minnesota political series on the way
I’m still trying to find the right voice and posting frequency here on MinnesotaBrown. The blog will be an important part of some new radio/internet projects I’m exploring for 2011, but for now I’m still deciding the right mix of political commentary, regional news and my ramblings as a typical internet blather-lord. It’s a strange…
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Obligatory #RandyMoss post, with fish
This photo of Randy Moss on a fishing trip has been making the rounds today. Very Minnesota. Welcome back to the Vikings, Randy. I know some people are happy about the likely trade for Moss from the Patriots today. Others are upset. But keep in mind that real Middle Ages vikings would not judge a…
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Octobrrrrr baseball in Minnesota
October baseball in Minnesota means something new this year. Instead of the pulsing hot Metrodome crowd, the new open air Target Field offers Twins fans and the visiting New York Yankees a blast of cold fall air from the upper Midwest. Welcome to Minnesota! The American League Divisional Series opens Wednesday evening with Francisco Liriano…
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GUEST POST: Hard times, good times
Guest posts last week from Jeff Manual and Frank Haataja inspired Noah Hanson, another longtime member of this blog community, to opine about his time on the Iron Range. I’m enjoying these posts. It reminds those who live here that our homeland is not always as boring as we sometimes think, and that the things…
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Paper: known consultant working inside Range agency
The Mesabi Daily News is shocked, shocked (!) to learn that the commissioner of the Iron Range Resources agency might be making arrangements to become a private consultant after her term is up this winter. The article is full of the sort of dramatic attempts to solicit comments usually reserved for those convicted of unseemly…