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Happy Labor Day from the Iron Range
From the Iron Range, one of the ancestral lands of the American labor movement, Happy Labor Day! The workers of the world may not yet have united, but we do spend a lot of time on Facebook. It’s only a matter of time. It’s Farmers Day in Bovey, with other Labor Day events all over…
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COLUMN: The white pine falls
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. You’ll notice that it is based, in part, on a post I wrote here last week. The white pine fallsBy Aaron J. Brown Sometime in March the ice usually lifted off the untouched rivers and lakes north of…
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Brown on the Air: WORST JOBS
My weekly contribution to 91.7 KAXE‘s Saturday morning program “Between You and Me” joins the rotating topic of “worst job you’ve ever had.” This is, loosely speaking, a tribute to Labor Day, but admittedly a bit of a sacrilegious one. Never mind; if there’s one thing that members of the proletariat have in common it’s…
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For Range broadband, entrepreneurs may hold the key
In rural Texas a 24-year-old entrepreneur has figured out a way to expand broadband internet access to residents who aren’t along the cable routes of big providers while making money in the process. J.W. Breeden, who wrote his business plan in high school, works out of his parents basement and has a plausible vision of…
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Art in the Park closes tonight in Chisholm
Tonight the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm closes its “Art in the Park” concert series at the amphitheater. Admission is free with live local music, food, beverage and fun for all. “Slapshot” will be the headliner at this show, which runs from 5-9 p.m. I’m sure there will be plenty of surprises. As I said…
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Look inside the Mesabi machine
Hello, traveler. You’ve located a blog about the Iron Range in northern Minnesota. Stay! Stay! Peek inside the machinery. See the wonderful gears turn like fingers of the gods. It is magic, magic I say! In olden days Iron Rangers lived and died never seeing the powerful pen flicks and filed papers that controlled their…
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Range roller derby team to thump girls from other towns
Today I am confronted with two alarming facts: Minnesota is home to a roller derby league reviving the all-female rollerskating battle sport phenomenon from the 1970s. The Iron Range DOES NOT have a team in this league. Well, we DIDN’T until I discovered this, the recruitment page for the Iron Range Maidens. (link expired; go…
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How the Iron Range altered American history
As a nerd engaged in a lifelong battle with body weight, an event called “Lunch and Learn” is a siren call to be heeded. Maybe for you too? Iron Range historian Pam Brunfelt will be the featured speaker at this Minnesota Humanities Center event Thursday, Sept. 9 at Valentini’s in Chisholm. I’ll be there. Join…
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The cold, cold circle
Readers of my book, “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range,” might remember that I’m a fan of the myth and historical impact surrounding the Northwest Passage. Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range was just one of many regions that early European explorers believed might have been part of the fabled “sea route to the Orient.” The…
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Whitepine down
When we first considered building our current house in the country, what struck me about the site was this tall white pine along the property line. The woods around northern Minnesota’s Iron Range once teemed with some of the largest white pine in North America, a fact that literally put the place on the map…
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COLUMN: School days spring fresh every fall
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece ran in Saturday’s edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE. School days spring fresh every fallBy Aaron J. Brown You have to love the unbending reality of seasons. A mere human…
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Brown on the Air: BACK TO SCHOOL!
Saturday morning’s edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE explores a topic close to my heart, “Back to School.” Guest host Maddi Frick, a college student about to head back to campus herself, will be leading the conversation. She’s got a great name and a smooth drinkin’ public radio voice, so give it…
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Introducing a new guest blogger series
Today I’m introducing a guest blogger to add some variety and perspective to the content here. I met Jeff Manuel at a book event in the Twin Cities and he’s been sending me some fascinating reading material ever since. He explains the series of posts he’ll be sharing here in coming weeks: Hello, Minnesota Browners!…
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More carping
I’m still on the mailing list for the Asian Carp controversy. A ruling on whether the threat of this invasive species will close two of the Chicago locks is expected soon. MInnesota Public Radio’s Bob Kelleher has the story. Mostly I’m writing this because I get to show more carp pictures. Is that wrong? Probably.…
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Range fun for free: Art in the Park series nears close
The next-to-final show of the “Art in the Park” Iron Range music series hits the Minnesota Discovery Center amphitheater stage Thursday night in Chisholm. Support local musicians Thursday, August 26, at Minnesota Discovery Center’s Art in the Park event. Music begins at 6 p.m. featuring Deafman’s Radio, a blues and rockabilly ensemble out of northern…