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COLUMN: On fantasy football and our times
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. On fantasy football and our timesBy Aaron J. Brown I begin today with a bit of braggadocio. That means smack talk. For the first time in eight years of participation I have won the “Super Bowl” in my…
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MPR: "Iron Range needs answers more nuanced than ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’"
Minnesota Public Radio published my commentary piece today entitled “The Iron Range needs answers more nuanced than ‘jobs, jobs, jobs.’” This is the second one and I think I’m going to try a few more because we all know what starts happening after the third date, am I right? This piece strikes at some of…
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Iron Range 2011: Everything is wonderful, nothing is safe
Iron Range taconite production recovered in 2010, ending shy of its peak numbers from 2008 just after the recession started. The six taconite plants on the Range, ore dump salvaging Magnetation and the value-added producer Mesabi Nugget are expected to produce as much as 39 million tons in 2011. Keewatin Taconite is getting green lights…
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COLUMN: Top words of 2010: Spillcam is not what you think
This is my annual “top words of the year” column for the Dec. 26, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Thanks for reading and supporting my work in 2010! On to a new year of stories and possibilities. Top words of 2010: Spillcam is not what you thinkBy Aaron J. Brown When I opened…
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In which I make a libertarian argument on Range mining (for once)
PolyMet, the company proposing new nonferrous mineral mining on the East Range in northern Minnesota, is back in the news. PolyMet is asking Iron Range Resources for a $4 million loan as the project approaches the end of a very long permitting process. I expect they’ll get the loan. This is an interesting development partly…
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Overburden wins another kind review
My book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” received a very favorable review from Mark Munger at his Cloquet River Press blog. Munger, a notable northern Minnesota author and well regarded judge, offers the following: For a young person, Aaron Brown possesses extraordinary powers of reflection and observation. He also happens to be one…
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More intrigue in the Oberstar/Cravaack race for MN-08 – UPDATED
UPDATE: This news is on hold as the paper did not endorse today as sources were told. The debate tonight thus takes on even more significance. I apologize to readers for jumping the gun.Well, the Duluth News Tribune‘s shamefully poor management of Tuesday’s debate between Rep. Jim Oberstar and challenger Chip Cravaack now has new…
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Oberstar vs. Cravaack and the future of Minnesota’s Fightin’ Eighth – Part 2
This is Part 2 of my post analyzing the 2010 showdown between Rep. Jim Oberstar and Chip Cravaack in northeastern Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. (Read Part 1). Long term, both political parties — indeed, leaders of all stripes — need to consider the impact of inevitable, ongoing demographic change to northern Minnesota. This region’s unique…
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COLUMN: Keep it interesting, Minnesota
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Keep it interesting, MinnesotaBy Aaron J. Brown I’ve been trying to quit, but it’s so hard. Temptation is all around and it’s only going to get worse. I wish I never started. I’m talking about politics, not pills.…
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Some guy: Big steel company will not screw us
The Grand Rapids Herald Review reports on a discussion held during a recent Itasca County Regional Rail Authority meeting that pokes at a persistent rumor around northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. Namely, it’s been suggested that Essar Minnesota, the local affiliate of India-based Essar, a major global corporation moving up the ranks of the steel, ore…
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Minnesota blog conference lures Browns to urban environs
Today Christina and I will be heading south for the Minnesota Blog Conference in St. Paul. She’ll be presenting in one of the sessions on Saturday and I will be a dutiful participant in all the proceedings. I look forward to meeting some of our colleagues in the Minnesota blogosphere and learning more about our…
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A modern Iron Range take on Tuesday’s DFL primary
Tuesday is primary day in Minnesota. The marquee match-up will be the DFL gubernatorial race, as Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Mark Dayton and Matt Entenza test all sorts of political science theories, many of which involve my native Iron Range and Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. The candidates all exist on this ballot for some cosmic reason,…
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COLUMN: The weather alert radio of love
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece ran was broadcast as commentary on the July 31 episode of “Between You and Me” on KAXE. The weather alert radio of loveBy Aaron J. Brown Since first dawn storms have rumbled across…
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This is a post about carp
So let’s say, hypothetically, that there’s this species of carp, see. It’s from Asia, see. Asian carp. And unlike regular carp, Asian carp is very aggressive, generally wiping out all other species of fish it encounters by consuming up to 40 pounds of domestic fish a day. This carp can walk great distances, swim backwards,…
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COLUMN: Age may be inevitable, but the future is ageless
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, July 11, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Age may be inevitable, but the future is agelessBy Aaron J. Brown I’ve been a parent for just over five years but I’ve finally reached the parent stage where you’re expected to sit some place with the other…