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Aldi grocery chain to build in Grand Rapids, MN
The Scenic Range News Forum reports that the discount supermarket chain Aldi seeks to open a store in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on the site of a former lumber store. In a subdivision deal, fast food chain Hardees will also open a restaurant on the same site. This lot is located across from the McDonald’s on Pokegama Avenue South. It had been occupied…
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Hooking up: Broadband in Minnesota
On Saturday, a postcard arrived in the U.S. Mail. Perhaps ironically, this small piece of snail mail told us that MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters in Balsam Township, Minnesota, would be connected to high speed fiber optic internet access later this year. It’s official. Paul Bunyan Communication’s Central Itasca Fiber project currently includes my rural neighborhood. You can see the company’s final…
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State luring wood product plant to Northern MN
A large publicly-traded company that makes wood siding is considering building a new plant in Northern Minnesota. According to reports from Minnesota Public Radio and the Associated Press, the plant would employ about 250 people. The company is considering sites near Hoyt Lakes, Cook and Grand Rapids, as well as sites in other states. From Brian Bakst…
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From taconite to tractor
It’s pretty well established that a tractor is made of steel. Iron Rangers generally understand that the trucks hauling iron ore on the edge of town have something to do with making that steel. Nevertheless it can be difficult to understand exactly how ore goes from rock to machine. So much of the process happens outside…
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60 Minutes: Nolan laments telemarketer Congress
Last night U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) was featured on the venerated CBS news magazine show “60 Minutes” for his work on campaign reform. Nolan is co-sponsoring the STOP Act, co-authored by Florida Republican Rep. David Jolly and others, which would prevent federally elected officials from directly soliciting funds. You can see the story here:…
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Give a hoot, disguise your toots
Here at MinnesotaBrown, I’ve been a steadfast advocate of economic diversification in Northern Minnesota. This means all sorts of new ideas; not just ones I think of myself. Thus, I am honor bound to point out this latest concept. An Iron Range couple has created a new app that camouflages personal bodily sounds to avoid awkward social…
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Simonson prevails in SD7 DFL endorsement battle
Almost 500 DFL delegates met Saturday in Duluth to endorse a candidate to succeed retiring State Sen. Roger Reinert (DFL-Duluth). After a strong 57-43 percent showing on the first ballot, State Rep. Erik Simonson was endorsed on the second ballot over former city councilor Sharla Gardner. Gardner vowed to support Simonson, unifying the Duluth DFL apparatus…
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Mud for our modern world
Thus ends the afternoon meeting. You can hear him now, the co-worker who’d rather be fishing. He slaps open the conference room door as though exiting an outhouse. Then comes the husky voiced lady from the department that has no name, the one who smokes reds on the loading dock without blinking. “Clear as mud,”…
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Reforming the IRRRB is tricky business
For decades, reforming the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) has been the intermittent goal of “good government” advocates, gadfly Iron Rangers, and frustrated partisans ascending to or descending from power. Reforming the IRRRB has also been a political football bandied about at the legislature by both parties at different times for different reasons. The concept of “reforming…
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Melissa Scaia to run for St. Louis Co. Board
Melissa Scaia of Chisholm, a well-known family advocate on the Iron Range, today announced she would run for the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners in the Seventh District. Scaia’s entrance into the race ensures a primary. Other candidates include Chisholm Mayor Mike Jugovich and county social worker and Hibbing School Board member Jeff Polcher. The…
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Red dirt, green ideas at Iron Range Earth Fest
Given the constant controversy about environmental issues that permeates Iron Range political thought, one might find it strange that the Iron Range Earth Fest is preparing its 8th annual offering this Saturday, April 23. But in truth the Iron Range is a perfect place to talk about the concept of sustainability. Without getting into the…
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Bemidjigamaag Powwow is Saturday
When the first-ever Bemidjimagaag Powwow was held last year at the Sandford Center arena in Bemidji, Minnesota, something powerful took place. In a community marked by past tensions between natives and whites, people from the three Ojibwe bands that border the city and those of non-native ancestry joined together for a shared powwow. Following up…
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Range revitalization: From words to action
Last week, hundreds gathered to share ideas for the future of Minnesota’s Iron Range. In an MPR forum (listen to it here), specific pitches for diversifying the region’s economy encouraged new action and featured new voices in this oft-beleaguered region I call home. I wrote about my take on the event’s core theme in last Sunday’s column…
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UWS student newspaper flap brings back memories
Last Saturday, the Duluth News Tribune ran a story about perceived outrage over a recent edition of the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus newspaper, recently renamed the Promethean from its previous name, the Stinger. It was an April Fool’s Edition in which the paper renamed itself the “Pessimist” and printed made up stories. The story brought…
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Essar faces spring crucible
Essar Steel has been in the news plenty these days. The stories can all run together, so let’s combine the things we’ve learned recently to form a clearer picture. In a nutshell, I think Essar is headed for a sale. Perhaps a partial sale, but a major new investor is likely necessary for this new Iron Range…