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The cold comfort of adulthood
Everything is easy until you open the door. That’s true of life, but especially winter in Northern Minnesota. After Christmas, winter becomes an extended stay in a Residence Inn. We already know what keeps in the hotel fridge, how long to microwave the popcorn, the cost of every item in the vending machine. Our only enemy…
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Analyzing President Trump’s inaugural address
President Trump’s inaugural address eschewed the literary finesse that most presidents strived for, and instead drove home one of the most confrontational, populist speeches ever uttered in this setting. It could have been Huey Long up there. “While they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for people across our land. That all…
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Slice of Life: 78 years of columns from Floodwood writer
Every once in a while I congratulate myself because I’ve written a continuous weekly newspaper column for the Hibbing Daily Tribune since June of 2001. Every Sunday (and sometimes more often) I’ve had an original thought, sometimes coherent, in the paper. As of today, that’s almost 16 years of columns, not insignificant in today’s media…
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A cautionary tale from Duluth’s Russian sister city
U.S./Russia relations continue to make headlines during President-elect Trump’s transition. Setting aside reports of Russian interference in American politics, there is the fact that Russia has sought to reassert itself as a counterbalance to American power on the world stage. The Russian intrigue is guaranteed to continue into Trump’s presidency. Trump announced last week that his first foreign trip will…
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100 years of Finnish independence marked in MN
This year, Finland marks 100 years of independence from Russia, Sweden and any other European powers that at one time held its Nordic territory. And as Jenna Ross from the Star Tribune reports, Minnesota will play a role in the Finnish celebration. An American tour of Finnish cultural performances (including a traveling sauna) will begin and end…
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Recalling a lovely day in John Lewis’s district
By now perhaps the hubbub of yet another Donald Trump Twitter battle has waned, soon to be replaced some fresh outrage. But this last one caught my attention. The President-elect singled out civil rights hero and Democratic Congressman John Lewis at the dawn of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday weekend. Lewis, of course, is no fan…
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‘Dig Deep’ with new KAXE/KBXE podcast
Readers here at MinnesotaBrown.com might be interested in one of my new projects. Starting this week, Northern Community Radio will release a new podcast and radio feature called “Dig Deep.” It’s a one hour program featuring Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns fame and yours truly, produced by Heidi Holtan. “Dig Deep” is a monthly conversation…
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The necessary drama of transition
As divisive as these times may be, at least Donald Trump won’t be sneaking into Washington, D.C., on a midnight train like Abraham Lincoln. After the election of 1860 Lincoln became the most anti-slavery president since John Quincy Adams a generation earlier. Six slave states immediately seceded from the Union, while others threatened to join…
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Lake Superior shipping season ends today
As cold as it was last week, sailors and dock workers were still on the job in the harsh Lake Superior winds. While there will still be maintenance work to do, the ships are coming in off the water today. The locks at Sault Ste. Marie close today, marking the end of the shipping season on…
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Hear Actual Wolf single ‘Baby Please’ off ‘Faded Days
Stop the presses! Actual Wolf is working on a new album, “Faded Days,” and MinnesotaBrown.com has an exclusive preview. Here’s “Baby Please” off that new record, which is set to be released May 2017. Actual Wolf is a rock band piloted by the Wolf himself, Northern Minnesota’s Eric Pollard. Actual Wolf has bounced around the music scenes…
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Hwy 53 bridge work spans cold Iron Range winter
We woke up to 32 below in my western corner of the Mesabi Iron Range this morning. Unlike other parts of the country, that’s a matter of personal comfort. It would take even colder conditions to disrupt routine. Minnesotans may not like, but generally can handle such temperatures. After all, the vast majority work indoors, where…
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Mesabi Metallics sues former parent Essar Global
Essar Steel Minnesota, now doing business as Mesabi Metallics, is suing former parent company India-based Essar Global over mismanagement. WDIO and other media outlets reported the news Thursday. Mesabi Metallics seeks to emerge from bankruptcy and resume construction of a $1.6 billion taconite plant near Nashwauk, Minnesota. But according to their lawsuit, the project site…
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Rick Nolan considering run for MN Governor
J. Patrick Coolican of the Star Tribune reports that U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan is considering running for governor in 2018. Nolan, a Democrat, represents the Eighth District of Northeastern Minnesota. Nolan pulled off a remarkable victory in his 2016 re-election bid. He defeated his Republican challenger even though this toss-up district swinging decisively toward Donald Trump in the presidential race. Nolan…
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Rural broadband grants reach far, but little in St. Louis Co.
This morning, the state of Minnesota unveiled its list of projects funded under the Border-to-Border Broadband rural internet expansion program. The grants total more than $34 million and will fund 42 projects throughout the state. Several Northern Minnesota projects made the list. Paul Bunyan Communication will continue its expansion in Itasca County, including new territory in Harris Township…
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On PolyMet and the price of hope
This week, the U.S. Forest Service announced the approval of a land swap with the PolyMet Mining Corporation. The government will release 6,650 acres of federal land in Northern Minnesota to PolyMet in exchange for 6,690 acres of non-federal lands. Essentially, PolyMet gains access to a large contiguous section of forested land located within its…