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The progressive future … brought to you by coal?
Is anyone else somewhat unnerved by the fact that tonight’s CNN Democratic Presidential Debate is sponsored by the coal industry? I guess it means they think the Democrats will win, but it must also mean they think they can buy 50 more years of good coal prices even if they do. Related posts: No related…
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In honor of Dr. King
I’m again posting from the deep woods instead of the office today in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday. The Hibbing Daily Tribune has an interesting story about a community outreach effort that I’m involved with at the college where I teach. We help bring a diverse group of college students…
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Gen. Butt Naked to face justice
Check out this AP headline from the Star Tribune: Gen. Butt Naked, Liberian ex-rebel leader, confesses to killing thousands I thought maybe it was a deal where an after-hours copy editor slipped a goof into the paper, but this is actually real. By JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH, Associated Press AMMONROVIA, Liberia – One of Liberia’s most notorious…
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Join me in ‘real time’ for 1/23 blogging seminar in Grand Rapids
For those interested in joining a special project for northern Minnesota, take note. KAXE is part of a community journalism initiative to create a website to share local news and culture. They have been holding Community Journalism seminars for people interested in gathering, analyzing and sharing information. Starting this week MinnesotaBrown is getting involved. This…
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Old school nomination fight
The more things change, the more they come full circle. By now you may have heard that despite coming up just short in the Nevada caucuses, Barack Obama takes more state delegates out of Nevada because of how delegates are allocated by congressional district. Let’s just use this as a time to remember that this…
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Celebrate National Something Month this month
… Thyroid Awareness Month must share its month with Soup Month, Oatmeal Month and Braille Literacy Month. Now, I like soup. I like oatmeal. I’m all for the Braille. But as an informed citizen who seeks to abide by the commemorative months discussed on the 5:15 TV news dump, what I am to do? I…
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A view of the presidential race from the Iron Range
I have a cold and lost my voice yesterday, so I have to watch the political coverage today in relative silence. My particular throat issues prevent me from saying the words “yeah,” and “uh-huh” without pain. I had never realized how important those words were in my vocabulary, especially at home. Hillary Clinton just won…
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Brown on the Air: Riding the Bus
Saturday’s edition of “Between You and Me” with Heidi Holtan on 91.7 KAXE will explore the world of buses in advance of the KAXE bus trip to declare rural Effie as the “Capital of KAXE.” (Find out more below). In my weekly essay contribution I talk about the dynamics of my time on a school…
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The Range and the "Recession"
The good and bad thing about the Iron Range economy is that it operates somewhat independently from the national economy. Pretty much, our fortunes follow the international steel market. While the so-called mortgage crisis has some reverberation here, people are strangely more optimistic about the future on the Range than they are in the Minneapolis/St.…
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Update on U.S. coal plant woes
Check out this release from a partnership of energy and environmental research groups. In essence 57 proposed new traditional and “clean” coal power plants were officially cancelled, abandoned or shelved in 2007, not 46 as I reported last week. The reasons are primarily economic, based on the high cost of clean coal technology. Included on…
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Good news for Duluth air base
Here’s part of a story from today’s Duluth News-Tribune. The Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing has been in limbo for awhile as the government decides whether it would be part of the military’s plans for future bases or put on the list of those that might close. It would appear that the Air Force…
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New Al Franken bio ad is pretty good
I normally don’t post political ads on the blog for commentary, but I have decided to break tradition in posting this new Al Franken ad which is set for statewide air time this week. I post it not because I am supporting Franken (which I am), but because I thought it was an exceptionally good…
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Somebody really hates bears
Do you remember the big controversy last month when the DNR announced it was going to shoot one-eared female bear named Solo and her two cubs because they were hibernating underneath a cabin near the Vermilion Range town of Tower? Right, well, after the media flurry the governor “pardoned” the bear, asking the DNR to…
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A cheap swipe by Range’s biggest paper
The attitude expressed in this Mesabi Daily News editorial shows much of what’s wrong with the political climate in my beloved Iron Range. Iron Range residents who realize we are in a battle for the very economic survival of the region don’t need to hear from elected officials that they need more details on several…
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Floods are bad, mmm-kay
I promise: Last bonding bill post for the week. I forgot to mention an item yesterday. The Canisteo Mine Pit is still perched like a big, wet mountain lion over the town of Bovey on the Western Mesabi Range. However, Gov. Pawlenty did not include mitigating the problem in the bonding bill. I spoke with…