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All’s well in the potica biz
I have to share this Beth Bily story about Andrej’s European Pastry from today’s Business North. I (and probably every writer who has ever worked at the Hibbing Daily Tribune) did a story about them in the past. Anyone who has talked to Jan Gadzo about his business and his escape from Communist Czechoslovakia knows…
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Cliffs plans biofuel-driven cleanup of Range mine emissions
I missed this business item from the Duluth News-Tribune yesterday when I was (ironically) down at the zoo in Duluth with my family. Cleveland-Cliffs is not only dropping $104 million on production upgrades at UTac, but they claim they can increase their overall production of taconite while reducing their carbon emissions, thanks to biofuels they…
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Essar restates desire to turn shovels soon on Minnesota Steel
The Grand Rapids Herald-Review reported yesterday on a presentation from Essar Steel to Itasca County about the giant Indian company’s impending groundbreaking for the Minnesota Steel project near Nashwauk. August, they say. And Essar officials are still talking like they plan to build the full steel mill with the iron concentrate mine, which has been…
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Generations Part 2; the SNL divide
Yesterday I talked about the generational divide that has influenced the race for President. Today I’ll talk about how this generational divide might be influencing our U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. Democrat Al Franken, an unusual candidate facing unusual challenges, is fighting to reestablish the narrative of a campaign which has been mired in talk…
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KSTP still crusin’ for a bruisin’ on the Range
CORRECTED to show use of Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, not FOIA. Word is that KSTP has submitted a Freedom of Information request (Minnesota Government Data Practices Act request) to Iron Range Resources for all e-mail correspondence between board members, staff and administration regarding Ironworld. Don’t worry; I didn’t get this in an e-mail. So…
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On the road…
It’s too nice out to blog. I’ll be working on more of my series tonight. Today, the family and I are headed down to Duluth to do touristy/kids activities. I’ll give my frank assessment upon my return from this fact-finding mission. Some were angered when I suggested giving a major address from the former U.S.…
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Generations, Part 1: Win or Lose, the Obama Era has begun
From the top to the bottom of the ticket, Democrats in Minnesota, indeed probably all over the country, face generational conflict this year. I imagine the same might be true of Republicans (but when your nominee is over 70 you might not be ready to talk about this yet). Politicos of all stripes are accustomed…
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Cliffs announces $100 million upgrade to Eveleth plant
Cleveland-Cliffs announced it is spending $104 on environmental and production upgrades to its United Taconite facility near Eveleth. This comes shortly after the company bought out the minority owners, assuming full command of the mine and production plant. From today’s Duluth News-Tribune: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is proposing to spend approximately $104 million on improvements to its…
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This one is for the awards
When I worked in radio, there were stories you covered as part of your daily routine and there were stories that you were told were “awards” stories. These weren’t necessarily the top story of the day, but were compelling enough to enter in contests in order to win trophies and fodder for your resume. You…
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Forums set for Duluth House race
Two legislative forums have come to my attention for the hot Duluth House 7B race featuring a five-way DFL primary. There will probably be more. If you know of any, pass them along in the comments. Here is the first press release from Progressive Action: Progressive Action Hosts 7B Legislative Forum August 13 Progressive Action…
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Kicking off a new week with a new look
It was a busy weekend of lawn mowing, web redesigning, assisting with a rummage sale and eating pancakes with a large contingency of visiting Finns in my neighborhood. Here are some things I didn’t write about. Rep. Tom Anzelc issued a blast in the Duluth News-Tribune (click here; scroll down) calling for action on the…
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OKC Thunder? Not OK
My campaign for plural sports team nicknames suffered a blow this weekend after it was revealed that NBA franchise formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics will become the Oklahoma City Thunder. What will their logo look like? A radar screen? Why does a team playing a fast sport name itself after something that comes 1-8…
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Textistential Crisis
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, July 20, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. Textistential CrisisBy Aaron J. Brown I’m slowly entering the age group that, upon hearing young people in public, wonders how the humans of the future will maintain electricity and running water. I’m not all the way there, yet, but drifting notably.…
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New design ongoing: be patient
Apologies if what you’re seeing here appears funkier than usual. I am in the middle of a redesign. We should have this finished by the end of the weekend. Related posts: No related posts.
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Retiring Jaros endorses Stenersen in Duluth’s 7B
This is a nice endorsement for the Stenersen campaign. It’s not typical for a retiring legislator to make a full endorsement in a situation like this. Roger Reinert has many members of the Duluth city council on his side, so we’ll see who’s got the most sway. State Rep. Mike Jaros today says he will…