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Itasca OKs Essar land sale
WDIO is reporting that the Itasca County Board has approved a $2 million, 4,000-acre land sale to Essar Steel for its proposed mine and steel-making facility in Nashwauk. UPDATE: Business North has more. Related posts: No related posts.
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Thank you, Brainerd!
On Monday I enjoyed a fantastic event at the Brainerd Public Library for my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” About 40 people showed up to hear my talk on the Iron Range, northern Minnesota culture and life as an (increasingly less) young professional in an old place. The Brainerd Library has done…
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Radio and Brainerd: the day ahead
Here’s an oh-so-quick reminder of the day’s activities. I’ll be doing an interview on Iron Range/political issues at 7:20 this morning on 91.7 KAXE. They post archives if you miss it. And then at noon I’ll be at the Brainerd Public Library for a brown bag lunch discussion of my book “Overburden: Modern Life on…
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Susan Gaertner: The MinnesotaBrown interview
My semi-regular series of interviews with DFL gubernatorial candidates continues today with Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner. My previous posts have included Tom Bakk, Paul Thissen, Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza and John Marty. I’ve now interviewed a little over half of the probable pool of candidates for the 2010 DFL gubernatorial nomination. I met with…
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I’ve gone Joad
This Brainerd Dispatch story explains my upcoming Monday noon visit to Paul Bunyan town for the public library’s brown bag lunch series. It’s pretty standard, but my favorite part is this: Aaron Brown, 29, of the Iron Range I’ve gone the full Tom Joad. I don’t have an address. Wherever people are hungry I’ll be…
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COLUMN: The Wienermobile rides full circle
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, July 12, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. For frequent readers of this blog, fear not, this is the last time you should have to read about the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile here for some time. The Wienermobile rides full circleBy Aaron J. Brown You may have…
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Brown on the Air: 7/13 Range Roundup
Tune in to hear my semi-regular Range news and views segment on the Monday KAXE Morning Show. The segment is scheduled for 7:20 a.m. on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota and streaming online all over the world at www.kaxe.org. Subjects will range from local mining woes, to Excelsior Energy’s recent Hail Mary pass into the…
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Bakk ties Range history to modern times
Grace Kelly at the Minnesota Progressive Project features a video of State Sen. Tom Bakk explaining and analyzing Iron Range history in the context of modern politics. Bakk is actually pretty good at this stuff when you can keep him on point. Check it out. Related posts: No related posts.
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The exodus
This Grand Rapids Herald-Review story relays data that has been in several newspaper stories this week. Census data is showing something that most northern Minnesotan have observed for themselves. People are moving from the towns to the country. This is changing the culture of the region a little more each year: more of a focus…
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Start your excavators
An impasse in negotiations between the state of Minnesota and U.S. Steel is dashing hopes of a new state park on Lake Vermilion. (MDN) Related posts: No related posts.
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Are the Hell’s Angels coming to your town?
West Duluth’s Spirit Valley Days events are moved up two weeks to avoid conflict with a scheduled congregation of the Hells Angels. Apparently the police thought that combining street dance patrons and Hell’s Angels was a little too much like red ants/black ants. Related posts: No related posts.
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‘Overburden’ road show closes Monday in Brainerd
We’re entering the long hot summer of my semi-regular Minnesota tour for my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” At noon this Monday, July 13, my last (for now) scheduled book event will take place at the Brainerd Public Library (416 S. 5th St.). I’ll be participating in their “brown bag” lunch series…
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Brown on the Air: TURTLES!
My weekly radio essay for Saturday morning’s edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE deals with turtles. Why turtles? Well, each week the program explores a new aspect of life in northern Minnesota (with great music, too!) and this week we are delving into the woes of the many local turtles crossing highways…
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MinnPost series: Iron Range mining among worst hit sectors of Minnesota economy
MinnPost has been doing a series about the state of the Minnesota economy. Their third part ran today and includes a compelling comparison between the various regions and economic sectors of the state. The following excerpt may seem obvious, but sums up our problems here: May’s job statistics tell mining’s story. Unemployment in Duluth was…
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Hurry, the pipeline’s in trouble
The Duluth News Tribune is slapping down late hour protests against Enbridge Energy’s proposed pipeline from Canada to Superior, Wis. The theme: Where were these protesters when there were public hearings? Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, I don’t have a dog in this fight. People want a pipeline? Fine. Oil. Tar sands. I care, but not…