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COLUMN: On the move, on our dime
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, June 13, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. On the move, on our dimeBy Aaron J. Brown It would appear that another Iron Range highway must move to accommodate mining activity. It’s the 21st century but I can’t help wondering if war with the Spaniards won’t…
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Brown on the Air: TATTOOS!
What would a guy like me say if he were assigned to write an essay about tattoos? As I write this (for advance posting, mind you; in real time I am in the Chicago suburbs attending a conference about online education assessment improvement) I am wearing khaki pants and a soft, very nice cotton t-shirt…
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Planes, trains and automobiles: the true story
On the ground in Chicago. I love Chicago. I don’t love the suburbs. I took some pictures but don’t have a camera cord. I made some notes and amusing observations, but lack the will to write them down here tonight. So, tomorrow. I’ll say this. In keeping with my choice of graphics in yesterday’s preview…
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An Iron Range journey into John Hughes territory
Tomorrow morning I’ll be on the plane that buzzes above my woodland house every morning as it approaches the Range Regional Airport in Hibbing. We don’t have many commercial flights in and out of the Iron Range. It was a big deal when they added the third daily flight this year. The red winged aircraft…
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Highway motion
I just wrote a column about the rerouting of Iron Range Highway 53 for United Taconite’s mining operations south of Virginia, Minn. Bone up by reading Monday’s story from the Duluth News Tribune. The column will run Sunday in the Hibbing Daily Tribune, but ask yourself the question: how does this story compare to the…
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COLUMN: Shocked, shocked to find oil in this establishment
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, June 6, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Shocked, shocked to find oil in this establishmentBy Aaron J. Brown I’m supposed to have a very strong opinion about all this BP offshore oil spill down South. That’s what the TV tells me. I guess I do.…
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Brown on the Air: SURVIVAL!
This Saturday morning’s topic on “Between You and Me,” the KAXE call-in and music program lighting up the northern half of the best state ever, is “survival.” Host and producer Heidi Holtan and others will be asking for stories of survival, thoughts on survival and its many meanings. I’ll chime in with my usual thematic…
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Another reason to love Range history: soccer version
If you’ve read my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range,” you know that I like making abstract, sometimes comical connections from history to the present. In that spirit, here is another reason I think northern Minnesota’s Iron Range can be a cool place sometimes. We all know the World Cup is coming up,…
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Challenges from the middle in open Duluth DFL races
There were a few interesting turns in the last day of candidate filing here in northern Minnesota. I’ve already mentioned the intrigue in Duluth with State Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon leaving office to run for Lt. Governor. State Rep. Roger Reinert rather quickly announced his bid for the seat and faced little opposition. Now it…
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COLUMN: A furtive glance at an old metal friend
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, May 30, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A shorter version of this piece was broadcast on the recent episode of 91.7 KAXE‘s “Between You and Me.” A furtive glance at an old metal friendBy Aaron J. Brown Having grown up around truckers and mechanics I…
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Dylan Days: Sunday in Bob Dylan’s hometown
It’s all over folks. Dylan Days 2010 is in the history books. And while we didn’t see Bob Dylan himself, that’s OK. Plenty of great memories were created all the same. This morning there’s a farewell brunch at Zimmy’s, but for the most part the hundreds of visitors who stopped into Hibbing this weekend to…
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Dylan Days: Saturday in Bob Dylan’s hometown
Saturday is traditionally the biggest day of Dylan Days in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota. Hundreds of people are expected to be wandering the streets of the town and attending a wide range of events. Enjoy! Dylan Days Bus Tour 10:30 am – 2:30 pm. A fascinating guided tour of the Hibbing that inspired…
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Brown on the Air: BICYCLES
Tune in to Saturday morning’s “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE for more fun than you can fit in a flowered basket on a set of handlebars. I’ll be joining in with an essay to suit the week’s topic: bicycles. Every week the show explores a usually relevant, sometimes random subject and allows the…
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Dylan Days: Friday in Bob Dylan’s hometown
Today is when Dylan Days 2010 really heats up with our major events. This year we’re experimenting with holding the literary event in the afternoon to catch the early arrivals for the night’s big songwriter contest. Please come out to see one or both, but we especially hope to build a crowd to support the…
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My Range alma mater now has just 24 graduating seniors, and other tales of woe
Some statistics from a recent regional high school graduation story in the Hibbing Daily Tribune:Cherry School: 24 seniorsNashwauk-Keewatin High School: 52 seniorsChisholm High School: 44 seniorsHibbing High School: 146 seniorsThe headline for the story was “Graduates abound” and these stats were included with information such as class colors, motto and song. For instance, Nashwauk-Keewatin’s senior…