On Thursday, June 23, candidates in the House 6A DFL primary and St. Louis County board district 7 primary will participate in a forum at the Hibbing City Hall sponsored by the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce. Even though the prior is a legislative race and the latter a county race, both districts overlap at their… Read More →
The Iron Range soda boss who beat Coke
June 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A few years back I traveled to Atlanta as the arm candy of my wife, who was attending a conference there. I spent time as a tourist in a town seemingly run by the Coca-Cola company. Coke was all you could drink. All pop (yes, pop; I’m from Minnesota) was called Coke, even if it wasn’t… Read More →
Melissa Scaia to run for St. Louis Co. Board
April 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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… Read More →
Range revitalization: From words to action
April 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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… Read More →
Let us see what we believe
March 20, 2016 by 7 Comments
When immigrants came to America, their first image of the new land was the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. This wasn’t just some green lady. She represented freedom and opportunity. She was all of America, welcoming those in need. The Statue of Liberty told a story that was happening in real time. She… Read More →
UPDATE: Interesting races on St. Louis County board
February 22, 2016 by 2 Comments
St. Louis County is a huge swath of land in Northeastern Minnesota. The county includes the region’s largest city of Duluth, more than half of the Mesabi Iron Range, and much of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area — along with miles and miles of woods, waters and small towns. Geographically St. Louis is the state’s largest… Read More →
Iron Range musher wins fourth Beargrease
February 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Nathan Schroeder, a Warba native who lives near Chisholm, won his fourth John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon early this morning when his team crossed the finish line near Billys Bar in Rice Lake, just north of Duluth. Jason Campeau of Alberta finished second, while defending champion Ryan Anderson of Ray took third. Schroeder won in… Read More →
Steelworker Mark Larson joins 6A DFL race
January 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Mark Larson announced late yesterday that he’ll run for the DFL nomination for House of Representatives in the central Iron Range 6A district. Larson is a Steelworker at Minntac who lives north of Chisholm. He’s also a woodworker, a former associate pastor at Hibbing Alliance Church and married father of three. Larson lists four major issues in… Read More →
Actual Wolf: Christmas in Chisholm
December 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Merry Christmas! I wasn’t going to post anything today, but then I ran across this holiday offering from Actual Wolf (aka Eric Pollard). He took an old John Prine melody and penned a timely, funny, heartfelt Iron Range Christmas song. Without further ado, here is Actual Wolf, “Christmas in Chisholm“: Love the lyrics on this… Read More →
WWI Christmas Truce musical in Chisholm Dec. 2
November 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment
War is hell. But the kind of hell seen in The Great War, now known as World War I, is hard to understand today. See, there are terrible wars in our times, but they are fought with an understanding of what modern wars are. In WWI, soldiers were sent to battlefields trained for old wars without… Read More →
