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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…
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Excelsior facing long odds at PUC (yes, again)
Excelsior Energy, proponent of the vast and controversial Mesaba Energy Project on the Iron Range, goes before the state PUC for one final plea for special treatment in finding a customer for its expensive electricity it intends to generate in a carbon capture coal plant. Doesn’t look so good for them. An appeal to follow.…
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Dylan Days Today: Welcome to Hibbing!
The opening day of Dylan Days is typically the whole kit and caboodle for me, even more so this year. I am one of the organizers of the Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest, the winners of which participate in this evening’s Literary Showcase. The special highlight is the world premiere of “Blur in the Rear…
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Bye American?
Here’s an interesting quandary. We all know the Iron Range mining sector is reeling right now. Partly because of this, our elected officials sought and received some strict “buy American” provisions in the federal economic recovery package. The logic was to bolster American steelmakers and iron mining operations by ensuring that American steel was used…
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There’s more iron in them thar’ hills
Magnetation, Inc., the outfit that is reprocessing old Iron Range mine dumps, made Fortune Magazine this week. The company shows a lot of promise. Beats a kick in the face, economically speaking. Buuuuut … none of our taconite mines are producing anything right now. Contextually, we’re still in the rough. On a side note, a…
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Taconot
How much taconite (an iron ore product used to make steel) is being produced on the Iron Range right now? Catherine Conlan at MinnPost tells us: none. The Iron Range is the largest domestic source of iron ore in the United States and we are generating zip as of today. They’re shipping some stockpiles, but…