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Iron Range agency extends funds for audit, limited operation at former Ironworld
The Mesabi Daily News is reporting (subscription link) that the Iron Range Resources Board has approved a $450,000 expenditure to the Minnesota Discovery Center, formerly Ironworld, “to pay some bills do an audit of the operation, heat the buildings, secure its historical documents and also to reopen the facility to those who want to use…
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Rybak post delayed by crushing force of reality
I don’t know what I was thinking by suggesting that my interview post on R.T. Rybak would be ready by this morning. With a healthy stack of papers to grade and some unexpected (well, more like “forgotten) tasks to complete today, I think this post will most likely appear in a couple days, no later…
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COLUMN: ‘Problems of an iron world demand iron will’
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Problems of an iron world demand iron willBy Aaron J. Brown Ironworld (by any other name) is, or was, the interpretive center designed for the sole purpose of telling the story of the Iron Range. In a fitting…
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Brown on the Air: HOT STOVE LEAGUE (you know, sports)
This week’s topic on 91.7 KAXE‘s Saturday morning call-in and music radio show “Between You and Me” is “Hot Stove League.” The hot stove league is an archaic but lovable term for talking about baseball in the winter. (Hellz, yes, 1950s!) The show features guest hosts Scott Hall and Fred Friedman, the regulars from the…
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‘Overburden’ holiday book signing in Hibbing Thursday evening
The holiday tour for my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” continues Thursday where it all began. I’ll be signing books today from 5-7 p.m. at Howard Street Booksellers in downtown Hibbing, the site of my first signing last year. “Overburden” is a part-funny, part-serious creative nonfiction title written in a memoir style.…
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Rural Range district narrowly OKs consolidation bond
With few votes to spare, St. Louis County schools passed its bond referendum yesterday 52 percent to 48 percent. (Stories in today’s DNT, on WDIO and elsewhere). This affirms the district’s plan to consolidate its seven K-12 schools into four K-12 schools and an elementary school. The plan combines the building of new schools with…
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Interview with R.T. Rybak on the way
Wednesday I’ll be interviewing Minneapolis Mayor and DFL gubernatorial contender R.T. Rybak on the Hibbing stop of his Minnesota kickoff tour. Rybak reflects the FINAL entrant in my series of DFL candidate interviews and analysis. I’ll be leading an Iron Range-specific line of questioning that I hope will reveal a fair amount about Rybak’s Greater…
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Important vote today will determine future of rural Range district
People are voting right now on the St. Louis County Schools referendum that will fund a consolidation and construction plan in this rural Iron Range-area district. District 2142 covers Albrook, Babbitt-Embarrass, Cherry, Cook, Cotton, Orr and Tower-Soudan, along with a vast swath of locations that once had schools many years ago but no longer do.…
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COLUMN: "How rude our world really is"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired on a recent “How Rude”-themed episode of “Between You and Me” on KAXE. ‘How Rude’ our world really isBy Aaron J. Brown In the terrible, yet beloved 1990s TV show “Full House,”…
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An update on Ironworld
Business North reports on the latest news regarding the former Ironworld, currently shut down and entering reorganization. Yours truly briefly enters the scuffle. My opinion is short and sweet: The unique history and culture of the Iron Range demands preservation. Ironworld (by this or any other name) is in the public good and a variety…
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‘Overburden’ at Northern Lights Books in Duluth this Saturday
Hey, Duluth. You are so awesome. I know so many people from you. You are a large freshwater port with cool bridges and a Norwegian brick tower and a crazy big hill. Guess what, Duluth baby, I’m comin’ down for a visit. The holiday tour for my award-winning, well-reviewed, otherwise-hyphenated book “Overburden: Modern Life on…
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Brown on the Air: HOW RUDE!
When you’re driving to Duluth to attend my book signing at Northern Lights Books and Gifts*, tune in to “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE from 10 a.m. to noon. Heck, even if you aren’t, why not give this radio program a shot? It’s a call-in and music show that highlights the passions, stories…
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KeeTac to resume production soon
The word is that Keewatin Taconite workers are being called back at the start of 2010. We had a false start on a KeeTac production restart a couple months ago, but this one looks like it could hold. I’ve heard from a connected source who says the company is eying January 1. When KeeTac comes…
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COLUMN: "Jump back, recession; here comes Santa"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Jump back, recession; here comes SantaBy Aaron J. Brown There’s a moment after Thanksgiving dinner when the pants feel tighter, the couch calls like an upholstered siren, and you realize that this is your reality for the next…
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‘Overburden’ book signing today in Virginia, Minn.
I’ll be signing copies of “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” today at Woodward’s in the Thunderbird Mall in Virginia, Minn., from 1-3 p.m. This book won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award this year and is a good gift for people who like humor, history, culture and especially the Iron Range. Related posts: No…