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Grills, grills, grills!
This is my weekly Hibbing Daily Tribune column for Sunday, May 25, 2008. I archive my columns at my writing page. Grills, grills, grills! I think it’s safe to say that summer has arrived. I thought that a while ago but then we got eight feet of snow with sustained winds of about a billion…
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Dylan Days literary showcase today
Today at 2:30 p.m. I’ll be emceeing the Dylan Days Literary Showcase featuring the winners of the Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest, Toby Thompson and the world premiere of the first-ever Dylan Days One Act Playwright contest winner, Demetra Kareman’s “Lessons and Carols.” The event takes place at the Hibbing Community College Theatre. Admission is…
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Brown on the Air: Exercise (for real)
The “exercise” show scheduled for last week’s “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE was postponed and will air, for real, this Saturday. My audio essay talks about exercise from an evolutionary standpoint, but don’t worry it’s not nearly that serious-sounding. Tune in between 10 a.m. and noon on 91.7 FM or streaming online at…
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Range high speed internet debate comes to Nashwauk
Once again, opponents line up to say we don’t need universal, affordable high speed internet on the Iron Range. They don’t want competition and are unwilling to provide the service themselves. I don’t care whether it’s FiberNet, Qwest or someone else — our leaders need to recognize that if the Iron Range doesn’t make a…
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‘Tangled Up in Ore: Bob Dylan and the Iron Range’
Dylan Days starts today. There’s plenty going on in Hibbing these next four days, but I’d like to point out the special Bob Dylan exhibit that opens today at Ironworld in nearby Chisholm. As Dylan Days co-chair, I played a role in the early stages of this project. But the hard work and vision came…
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Critical Greenway referendum fails
Greenway’s referendum failed after Tuesday’s votes were counted. My information comes second hand from someone in administration. I don’t have vote totals, but what I heard was the measure failed by about 200 votes out of about 1800 — roughly a ten-point defeat. (UPDATE: From the May 21 Grand Rapids Herald-Review, referendum fails 1170-898. That’s…
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Dylan Days opens Thursday, May 22
Dylan Days opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota. For those who don’t remember, I am one of the organizers of Dylan Days. I use this blog, perhaps inappropriately, to promote the event to the strange collection of political operatives, computer-owning Iron Rangers and Google searchers looking for articles…
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Rangers declare session successful
Better late than never; here’s Brady Silver’s roundup of the legislative session from an Iron Range perspective that ran in today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune. First hand accounts from my friend and colleague Rep. Tom Anzelc echo the sentiment that, while long and arduous, the session just plain went better than last time. Related posts: No…
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Legal troubles for Minnesota Steel owner
The company that aims to buy and run the proposed Minnesota Steel plant near Nashwauk is running into legal problems related to its recent attempt to gain a larger share of the North American steel market. A MinnesotaBrown reader gave me this tip. From Business Standard: Domestic conglomerate Essar’s latest US possession, Esmark, is caught…
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Today’s vote has Range school district on the ropes
Today there’s a levy referendum for the Greenway School District on the western end of the Mesabi Iron Range. If you’re not from the Range, this is one of the schools who used to kick your school’s ass in hockey. Part of the reason they haven’t been kicking your ass lately (I’m talking about you,…
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Session wrap in waiting
I didn’t get to the Minnesota legislative session analysis I had hoped to write today. Here’s the short version: despite the challenges, this was a good session for the Iron Range in general. Not perfect but pretty good considering. Check out round-ups from the DNT. The Range papers have stuff, too, but it’s not posted…
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More Dylan Days press, including my large head on a webcam
This morning’s Dylan Days interview on the top-rated 95 KQDS morning show out of Duluth (and repeated on the Iron Range at 105.5 FM) was rescheduled for Wednesday at 8:35 a.m. I will take the Dylan Days act to 91.7 KAXE in northern Minnesota (streaming online here) and KOOL 101.7 FM in Duluth Tuesday morning…
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Canisteo pit still watery and topographically higher than Bovey
From Sunday’s Grand Rapids Herald-Review: “DNR on Canisteo: Patience required to do it right“ Though it’s discouraging to see foot-dragging on an issue like this, this story shows an improvement over an earlier statement by the DNR commissioner that the Canisteo Mine Pit — a massive reservoir of water perched above the Iron Range town…
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The global pool of money
I’m becoming a junkie for “This American Life” on NPR. I know, I know, that’s so 2005 of me. Still, it’s an ideal show for anyone who drives a lot. This one-hour program details the mortgage crisis we’ve heard so much about in the news. Entitled “The global pool of money,” this episode tells how…
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It’s go time!
We’ve got a life or death school levy referendum on the west Range, flood waters perched over an Iron Range town, the potential unraveling of a economic development boondoggle, Dylan Days in Hibbing, the end of the legislative session, the potential end of the Democratic nomination fight,and it’s finals week and I have two reams…