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Legendary socialist lair to hold 80th anniversay with picnic, lectures
You know what you don’t see much of these days? Cooperative recreational parks in which membership is based on shared maintenance of the grounds. The Mesaba Co-op Park between Cherry and Hibbing is legendary on the Iron Range and beyond. Of course, part of that might have more to do with its reputation as a…
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10 years or 20: How long can the Iron Range go without a return on investment?
Some recent developments indicate that Essar Steel, the Indian company backing an Iron Range taconite-to-steel plant, is either playing a very short game or a very long game in their endeavor. The company is battling with Itasca County over the duration of access to ore stockpiles depending on the timeline of construction. They’d prefer 20…
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Organizing for America to host listening tour stop on Iron Range
“Organizing for America” — the post-election offshoot of the Obama campaign is holding a listening tour stop in Hibbing on Tuesday, June 2. I’m intrigued, mostly because I’m curious what they’re up to. Obama for America proved to be one of the largest and most sophisticated political organizations of our time. What can they do…
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The certainty of bacon
A belated link. Mesabi Misadventures advocates the virtues of the small town cafes on the Iron Range (and most other places). Related posts: No related posts.
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Itasca women’s leadership project looks to mix, organize Wednesday night
A reminder, via press release, for those interested: Rural Women’s Leadership Project hosts an Itasca County event The Rural Women’s Leadership Project (RWLP) invites women in the Grand Rapids area to an evening of discussion and social networking. RWLP is hosting an event on Wednesday, May 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the MacRostie…
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COLUMN: Ode to a tree, and also to paper
This was my weekly column for the Sunday, May 24 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece was featured on last week’s Between You and Me on KAXE. Ode to a tree, and also to paperBy Aaron J. Brown One of our little boys, Doug, has taken to pointing out the…
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Blue collars fading
The Daily Dish has been featuring a variety of guest bloggers this week as main man Andrew Sullivan is on vacation. One of them is Richard Florida, an economist I often cite, who wrote “The Rise of the Creative Class.” He argues that traditional social class structures are breaking into profession-oriented classes (working class, service…
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FREEDOM! (to buy used)
A scrappy Northern Minnesota dealership stripped of its Chrysler stripes plans to fight on in the used (I’m sorry, pre-owned) market. (MDN) Related posts: No related posts.
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Mining layoffs starting to inflate jobless rate
Some bad news in the short run: Iron Range mining layoffs are just starting to appear in the jobless rate data you’ll be reading about in the coming month. This is from today’s Mesabi Daily News. The state analyst sees cause for optimism. I think, however, that it’s his job to say that. Related posts:…
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Dylan Days Today: Farewell, travelers!
Dylan Days 2009 wraps up today. Thanks to all the people who came to Hibbing to take part in this celebration of music, art, literature and the work of Hibbingite Bob Dylan. Today is Bob Dylan’s 68th birthday. This summer his Hibbing High School class will celebrate its 50th reunion. All that’s left for now,…
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Brown on the Air: BOB DYLAN!
I forgot to mention this week’s edition of “Between You and Me.” Ironic, really, given that it’s a show dedicated to Bob Dylan and Dylan Days. Tune in right now at 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota or streaming online at www.kaxe.org. You can hear the archives if you missed the beginning. The show airs 10…
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Mesabi Nugget announces delay in start-up
Mesabi Nugget, the iron nugget plant under construction in Hoyt Lakes, has announced that it will delay operational start-up until the fourth quarter of this year instead of August as originally planned. This is from today’s Mesabi Daily News. The delay comes amid a global recession and the continued lagging steel prices, a situation that…
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Dylan Days Today: the Saturday apex
Saturday is the premium day of events for Dylan Days. Stop by and soak up the many different people visiting Hibbing in celebration of hometown son Bob Dylan. Saturday at Dylan Days Dylan Days Bus Tour 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., a fascinating guided tour of the Hibbing that inspired a young Bob Dylan. Tickets…
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Dylan Days Today: Weekend brings songwriter smackdown
Now we’re getting warmed up. Friday is when many visitors start arriving in Hibbing for Dylan Days weekend. The highlight today is our signature Dylan Days Singer/Songwriter Contest tonight at Zimmy’s. Twenty-four musicians from all over the world will sign one Dylan song and one original song to compete for prizes and glory in Bob…
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Range newspaper employees face furloughs, layoffs loom
The parent company of the Hibbing Daily Tribune, the paper that runs my column, has announced temporary unpaid furloughs for “many or most” of its employees in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Other papers involved include the Mesabi Daily News and Grand Rapids Herald Review. Some permanent layoffs are likely, according to the story. Related posts: No…