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Let the Not Bad Times Roll
The glass is always half full at the Mesabi Daily News. I wish I could muster this level of optimism in my life. Today, the paper’s editorial cites the scheduled callback of 321 Iron Range miners (out of thousands currently on layoff), the opening of a new hotel and the fact that local GM dealers…
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Meantime, over at that other blog: another Bakk post
By special request I wrote a post on State Sen. Tom Bakk’s gubernatorial campaign over at the Minnesota Progressive Project. Not much new, but saying things that aren’t new about one of the 8,768 gubernatorial campaigns is so hot right now. Related posts: No related posts.
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Rural Range district closes schools, consolidates during troubling times
The St. Louis County Schools have approved a consolidation plan that will reshape this struggling rural district. A good start, but their money troubles won’t go away overnight. Also, this plan is subject to approval by the voters in a rural, parochial district that hasn’t been able to pass anything for more than a decade.…
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‘Me Talk Pretty One Day’ author appears in Duluth
One of my favorite authors David Sedaris did a reading in Duluth yesterday and I didn’t even know he was going to be in the area. I’m literally reading his last book “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” right now. It’s on the nightstand and everything. D’oh! For perhaps obvious reasons I have great affinity…
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Check out arts camp for kids at Mesaba Co-op
Looking for something fun for your kid this summer? Send them to an historic spot on the Iron Range for an arts camp. The 15th Northstar Arts Camp, June 15-18, is a day camp that offers 8-14 year-old children an opportunity to work with professional artists at the beautiful setting of historic Mesaba Co-op Park.…
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COLUMN: ‘You don’t need a weatherman’
This was my weekly column published in the Sunday, June 7, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. You don’t need a weathermanBy Aaron J. Brown Have you ever received a gift that became much more than a gift? Have you ever received a gift that became an obsession? Flashback: Christmas 2008. It was a…
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‘Mr. Greyhound’ faces tough segregation questions
I made a big to-do out of the fact that Hibbing is the home of the three way watershed that feeds some of the world’s most important bodies of water last week. This week, the Duluth News Tribune points out that Hibbing is also the point of origin for the Greyhound Bus Company (even though…
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Range taconite trains rolling again
MinnTac has restarted a pellet line at its taconite mine, ending the total shutdown of taconite operations on the Iron Range. 321 workers are being called back from layoff. Other Range mines are slated to restart over the next month or so but economic conditions will make this touch and go all summer long. This…
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Nonferrous mineral mining on Range holds potential for jobs, controversy, and the unknown
A couple of recent stories show the perils and potential benefits of nonferrous mining on the Iron Range. The stories focus on PolyMet’s proposed operation on the East Range. MPR: New mining opportunities pose environmental concerns Tower Timberjay: PolyMet officials have high hopes for new type of mining Related posts: No related posts.
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Bakk to run for governor, will honor DFL endorsement
It’s official: the Mesabi Daily News reports that State Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) is running for governor. Probably not surprising for most, but here’s a twist. He’s going to honor the DFL endorsement and pursue a convention strategy. If he doesn’t get the June 2010 endorsement he will run for re-election to the State Senate.…
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Twins win, ‘Overburden’ metro jaunt wins too
Thanks to all who attended my Twin Cities events this week for “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” We had a fine crowd at the Har-Mar Mall Barnes and Noble Thursday evening and an equally fine assortment of visitors at Common Good Books in St. Paul on Friday. Both locations now feature a limited…
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Join the KAXE media juggernaut!
If you haven’t yet, become a member of KAXE, Northern Community Radio, today. This is one of the finest independent media organizations I’ve ever seen. They stream live all over the world, continue to bolster their new media credentials and do amazing things with not a lot of money. This station has also been a…
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‘Overburden’ road show makes final Twin Cities stops Thursday and Friday
I’ll be appearing at the Har-Mar Mall Barnes and Noble in Roseville tonight for a 7 p.m. reading and signing of my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” Recently this book won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award. On Friday, I’ll be doing a signing at Common Good Books in St. Paul at 1…
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How T-Paw’s call is playing up north
Not many surprises in the reactions of Range legislators to Gov. Pawlenty’s decision not to seek a third term. (Story in today’s Mesabi Daily News) The real question will be in how his unallotments affect all manner of public services across the state … all to protect the already favorable tax rates of people who…
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O-dorable
This Mesabi Daily News story features the most optimistic view of an odorant leak I’ve ever seen: MOUNTAIN IRON — While the gas-like smell was really bad in Mountain Iron, Virginia and Gilbert Tuesday morning, there was no danger for residents and businesses in the area. And it actually signaled a good thing — the…