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Range town PUC considers abandoning coal for alternatives
The head of Hibbing Public Utilities says the city should consider phasing out coal in its power generation, preferring instead renewable sources of energy or buying cheaper power from Minnesota Power. Mike Jennings has the story in today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune. … Jim Kochevar, the public utilities general manager, said Monday that some problems with…
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Dylan Days stokes literary flames on the Iron Range
As some of you know, I am one of the organizers of Dylan Days, an annual event celebrating Hibbing’s own Bob Dylan and the arts community of northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. This week we’re releasing the results of the Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest. The contest takes on even deeper meaning this year in the…
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MinnesotaBrown featured in ‘Politics in Minnesota’ weekly report
My thanks to Politics in Minnesota and their morning report editor Peter Bartz-Gallagher for profiling me in the new Blogger Q&A feature in their Weekly Report. To be the first blogger included in this feature is an honor deserved more by some of the fancy big city bloggers out there but I wasn’t about to…
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Rangers polled on bitterness, result: bitterish
I suppose this was inevitable. Larry Oakes of the Star Tribune localized the two-week-old “bitter” comments of Sen. Barack Obama by interviewing Iron Rangers. You know, because Rangers get laid off a lot and like guns. Opinions about the comments (that Obama himself has expressed regret over wording poorly) vary widely based on who the…
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Smoking ban aftermath: Duluth bars holding on
The Duluth News-Tribune reported Saturday that a review of tax receipts has shown little change in the success of Duluth bars after the statewide smoking ban went into effect last year. Tax data collected by the city of Duluth suggests that the statewide smoking ban that went into effect six months ago has not had…
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A game changing announcement in Bemidji
State Rep. Frank Moe (DFL-Bemidji) surprised the political establishment of SD 4 and northern Minnesota by announcing he won’t seek re-election during what was expected to be his nominating speech for the 4A DFL endorsement Saturday. (The Bemidji Pioneer has a good story on this). Moe is finishing his second term in the House and…
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Newseum shows that in journalism, puns reign supreme
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, April 20, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. I archive columns at my writing site. Newseum shows that in journalism, puns reign supremeBy Aaron J. Brown I love puns. If I were a football player, Iād be a pun-ter. I wake up each day to see the pun rise.…
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The world needs more Jerry Springer
I’m normally not one of those people who cite stories they heard on National Public Radio to make conversations more intellectual. (For instance: “Can you believe it, a Manhattan researcher has learned that too many NASCAR races cause brain stem detachment. It’s called the Petty Effect. Can you believe they let those people vote.” Yeah,…
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Range women’s leadership initiative discussed in Star Tribune
Several weeks ago I wrote about a women’s leadership conference on the Iron Range sponsored by the White House Project. Well, the conference was held and the Star Tribune ran a commentary today that discusses the outcome. The whole idea is to get more women involved in the local political scene. I’m supportive because I…
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T-Paw warming up to Iron Range
It’s Iron Range reconciliation week at the governor’s office. Gov. Tim Pawlenty apologized for a recent verbal dust up with State. Rep. Tony Sertich on his radio program today. This comes the day after a reported compromise on funding for the Iron Range miners’ health study. Group hug, everyone. Let’s hug this out. Related posts:…
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Brown on the Air: Eyesores
I have converted my column from last Sunday (“Blight Me: the Unique Aesthetics of the Iron Range“) into a radio essay for tomorrow’s “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE. The weekly talk and music program is exploring the topic of northern Minnesota eyesores. You can call in to share your perspective or just take…
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BS Factory will stop at nothing
Now that Excelsior Energy’s boondoggle Mesaba Energy Project is hitting the hard wall of reality (that its overpriced coal gas plant won’t have a customer because of the vast expense of the technology) its leaders are lashing out at opponents. I joked in an previous post about Excelsior co-CEO Tom Micheletti’s reference to Minnesota Power…
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Governor to sign Iron Range health study bill
I just got word from a source at the Capitol that Gov. Tim Pawlenty will sign a bill funding mesothelioma research for former and current Iron Range miners to determine if there is a link between this rare cancer and taconite fibers. Funding for the study will come from state sources and not from the…
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Debate analysis: Media hungry! Media feed!
From the wooded wilderness in the shadow of the Mesabi Iron Range’s western ridge, I offer a brief commentary on the national political scene. The progressive blogs are hammering last night’s ABC Democratic Presidential debate moderated by Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos (along with more objective media critics and journalism experts). I’m glad that I…
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Minnesota Steel groundbreaking delayed
Financial close on Essar’s Minnesota Steel plant has been delayed until May or even June, according to reports I’m hearing. I have confirmed this in Range political circles. The worldwide financial market is bad, so Essar is having trouble locking in on “financial close” for what would be the first iron to steel facility on…