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Younger workers, families at most risk in Range layoffs
U.S. Steel is not accepting voluntary layoffs to mitigate the affects on young families of the additional 250 job cuts at its MinnTac plant. The Duluth News Tribune reports. Arcelor-Mittal’s Minorca Mine did accept volunteer layoffs for their upcoming shutdown and many experienced workers agreed to take temporary layoffs to allow young families to keep…
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Dylan Days interview link
For those who missed it, this is the interview I did for Dylan Days on KAXE two Mondays ago. Dylan Days 2009 is May 21-24. I’ll be feeding you some Dylan Days tidbits through the month of May. Related posts: No related posts.
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Red dirt, green events
I’ve written about what I think “sustainability” means to Iron Rangers, but its worth noting that the legitimate concept of “sustainable living” seems to be catching on. The first annual Iron Range Earth Fest was last week and tomorrow, May 1, Hibbing Community College is hosting a Sustainability Fair from 4:30-8:30 p.m. The event features…
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From nursing home to … ‘man-camp?’
You might remember me writing about the closure of Golden Crest nursing home in Hibbing last fall. Not much has changed in the landscape of nursing home policy and funding issues, but the status of the building caught my eye this past weekend. It was advertised in the Hibbing Daily Tribune at a bargain list…
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Entenza interview is today
I’ll be interviewing Matt Entenza today for my series of profiles and analysis of 2010 gubernatorial candidates. Look for the post tonight or more likely tomorrow. Related posts: No related posts.
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Range town considers pulling out of sewer project
The Hibbing City Council is having a huge meeting tonight (Hibbing Daily Tribune). At issue, whether to opt out of the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District, a longstanding effort to create one sewer service for Hibbing, Chisholm and other nearby small towns and townships. A vocal citizen’s group and some city councilors have long…
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250 more layoffs at MinnTac
250 more hourly worker layoffs at MinnTac, the Iron Range’s largest mine (from the Mesabi Daily News). About 2/3 of MinnTac’s workforce is on layoff right now. Related posts: No related posts.
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Why you love us, a series
From today’s Mesabi Daily News: Today we begin a new regular feature — “Power of the Press” — which will tell, through the words of our readers, the impact that Mesabi Daily News stories have had on their daily lives and the lives of others. It will run on various days of the week. You’ve…
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20 percent off "Overburden" until May 2!
Being married to a self-described cheapskate is complicated business. We divide fabric softener sheets. I’m eating some kind of rabbit food for breakfast because it was free with a coupon. But it’s all worth it. We don’t have to worry about money because I’m not spending it on boomerangs (Seriously, one time on a high…
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Divide the Range? One redistricting map suggests this heresy
In case the 2010 speculation isn’t enough, Swing State Project is exploring possible outcomes of Congressional redistricting in 2012. Minnesota is expected to be on the line between keeping and losing its Eighth Congressional District (the one that has historically housed the DFL labor bastions of the Iron Range and Duluth). With seven districts, redistricting…
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Coal Future$
This week on “60 Minutes,” Scott Pelley reports on coal in America’s energy production. Watch CBS Videos Online The segment is somewhat bullish on Carbon Capture and Sequestration technology with most sources saying the technology works. However a look at this story will show you how monumental the engineering challenge for converting our nation’s coal…
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Range schools will consolidate, but how?
One of the “controversial” Iron Range political topics I’ve waded through since my earliest days as an editorial writer has been school district consolidation. Most Iron Rangers are raised to fight consolidation. In a place losing population like the Iron Range, consolidation always brings school closures. But at the same time, declining enrollment strangles our…
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Where are the blue collar bloggers?
Justin Piehowski with the Minnesota Blog Cabin at MinnPost has a great post today about the lack of “blue collar” bloggers. You can find plenty of tech help, coupons and political opinions on the internet, but where are all the blogs about transmissions, engines and heating systems? Piehowski interviews a guy who has a home…
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The real dog days
This is my weekly column that ran in the Sunday, April 26, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. It is based in part on an essay that I wrote for KAXE last year. The real dog daysBy Aaron J. Brown They’ll tell you the dog days come in August when it’s hot, but I…
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Brown on the Air: Monday Morning Range Roundup
I’ll be continuing the new segment at 7:20 a.m. on the Monday KAXE Morning Show. This week we’ll probably explore some state and local political issues. You can listen at 91.7 FM or streaming online at www.kaxe.org. UPDATE: OK, so you should listen in but there is a chance this might not happen. If that’s…