-
(Fe)eeling good about this upcoming (Fe)st
The Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm is doing a big fall shindig to celebrate some of the popular local bands from the summer “Art in the Park” series. Anyone looking for some Sunday evening fun on the Iron Range should check out IronFest. See what they did there. Iron, with “fest.” My suggestion would have…
-
Click on this airport post to increase your enreadments
Headline: “Enplanements keep rising.” This is from a Hibbing Daily Tribune story about how one (!) additional passenger flew out of Hibbing’s Range Regional Airport in August compared to July. Now, the news itself is unremarkable, maybe even good in these economic times. But feel free to let your mind work over the wordplay for…
-
Saint Louie, Louie
The Duluth News Tribune has been doing some investigative journalism lately. I’m just going to let that linger on the screen for a second. Nice. OK, so the DNT ran some good stuff Monday about the St. Louis County Board and its travel reimbursements for its seven county commissioners. The smoking gun scandal is not…
-
Open house aims to win support for Range planetarium
The Paulucci Space Theatre in Hibbing, a (literally!) star-spangled beacon of astronomical knowledge on the Iron Range, faces its own existential threat this year. The destructive gravitational forces in this case are provided by the state budget crisis. The planetarium’s operator, Hibbing Community College, cannot afford to operate the facility at a loss, which it…
-
Lyric Center for the Arts needs help
Unfortunately, this is the first of a couple “save this Iron Range arts and/or culture institution” posts I’ll be dropping this week. The Lyric Center for the Arts is the group restoring the old Lyric Opera House in downtown Virginia, Minnesota. They’ve opened the First Stage performing hall, where music, literary and visual arts events…
-
Notable Range history, culture center names new CEO
Lisa Vesel, former communications official for the Hibbing hospital, was named the permanent CEO of the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm last Friday. She replaces Paul Dwyer who had been the interim CEO after the facility re-opened this year from its embarrassing shutdown last year. It’s been good to see the place open, fulfilling its…
-
COLUMN: The wheels on the bus go away
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The wheels on the bus go awayBy Aaron J. Brown The frost glittered off the cold gray highway, yellow lines the warmest part of a crisp winter morning. Bright, flat sunlight beamed off the snow, deadening in the…
-
Brown on the Air: INVENTIONS!
This week’s edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE explores inventions: things you’ve invented, inventions you’ve loved, inventions you wish were invented. The topic will be dissected in traditional call-in and music-playing fashion, blending the unique voices of northern Minnesota and the expert moderation of host/producer Heidi Holtan. My regular contribution explores an…
-
Making the moves
Scene: a northern Minnesota McDonald’s Play Place. My son George, 3, approaches a similarly aged girl outside the tube slide. GEORGE: “We’re going to Wal-Mart next.” GIRL: (stares blankly) GEORGE: (points to coat) “This is my coat.” GIRL: (stares blankly) GEORGE: “Do you like my coat?” GIRL: (pauses) “We’re at the McDonald’s.” GEORGE: Yeah. (long…
-
Lincoln, Power and Perpich
With another political season upon us, the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm has opened a new exhibit reminding us of times when politics was even more important (and somehow even dirtier). “Abraham Lincoln, a Man of His Time, a Man for All Times” debuted this week, with a localized exhibit highlighting two important Iron Range…
-
Some guy: Big steel company will not screw us
The Grand Rapids Herald Review reports on a discussion held during a recent Itasca County Regional Rail Authority meeting that pokes at a persistent rumor around northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. Namely, it’s been suggested that Essar Minnesota, the local affiliate of India-based Essar, a major global corporation moving up the ranks of the steel, ore…
-
Hey, wanna buy a bunch of rocks? We’ve got some
“Overburden” is more than just the title of my award-winning book (though principally that’s what it is). Overburden is also a real word that means something “miney.” Miney is my new word for things related to the mining industry. You start saying things like this after a few years of covering the mining industry. Anyway,…
-
Lake, Cook counties to see broadband to all homes
Lake and Cook counties in Northeastern Minnesota will receive millions in funding to create a publicly-owned network of broadband internet access for all their households. (Note: Link is to a private company’s press release). News items like this will continue to circulate as federal grants surrounding rural broadband start circulating outward from Washington, but I…
-
120 very important years, ctd.
I wrote last week on Pam Brunfelt’s lecture about the significance of the Iron Range in U.S. history. KAXE just shared a 12 minute interview of Pam which is a pretty good distillation of her talk. You should give it a listen. Related posts: No related posts.
-
This is a post about manhole covers and Bob Dylan
Duluth continues to expand its homage to its native son Bob Dylan with new manhole covers on Dylan Way. The heavy metal discs celebrate Dylan by way of his song “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” featuring some kind of fancy image of sandals and candles. The vandals and handles will be forthcoming, I’m sure. You might know…