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Ecklund rides labor tide as 3A race enters final week
Tonight the International Falls Chamber of Commerce held a House 3A special election DFL candidate’s forum in advance of next Tuesday’s primary election in the race to succeed the late Rep. David Dill. Two of the four candidates call International Falls home — labor leader Rob Ecklund and businessman and former Republican nominee for this seat Eric Johnson.…
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Ely adventurers begin year in the BWCA
At this hour, Ely and Grand Marais-area educational adventurers Dave and Amy Freeman are entering the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. That, in itself, isn’t very surprising. The Freemans make a living showing people the BWCA while going on educational adventures all over the world. But one thing is unusual: they aren’t coming back for…
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Range paper lashes at 3A candidate; Hansen strikes back
The most interesting dynamic in the House 3A special election DFL primary is the competition between a nonferrous mining skeptic in Tofte businessman Bill Hansen and three candidates who generally support copper-nickel mine proposals in the district. Most campaigns in Northeastern Minnesota have been a knock-down drag-out battle to see who supports mining MORE. Now mining…
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Hear the House 3A DFL showdown
Tonight at 7, the four DFL candidates in the House District 3A special election will participate in a forum at Vermilion Community College. The forum will be aired live on WELY and recorded for rebroadcast on Ely TV. The four DFL candidates are Koochiching County Commissioner Rob Ecklund, Tofte business owner Bill Hansen, International Falls…
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Everybody to the primary in House 3A special
The local DFL will not hold an endorsing convention for the Sept. 29 primary in the House 3A special election to replace the late Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake). This settles an important question many had about the process spurred by the loss of the popular, moderate DFL lawmaker to cancer last month. That means Koochiching County…
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Big mix of candidates, intrigue in House 3A special election
Filing has closed for the Sept. 29 primary and Dec. 8 general election in the House District 3A special election to replace the late State Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake). Six candidates spanning the wide geographic and ideological spectrum that characterizes this enormous rural Northeastern Minnesota district will vie for one ticket to St. Paul. Early…
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Paper shows PolyMet runoff could reach BWCA after all
While the proposed nonferrous Polymet mining project near Hoyt Lakes nears the end of its environmental review process, questions remain about the speed with which it could receive permits. One of the most fascinating developments I’ve seen recently is this Marshall Helmberger story in last week’s edition of the Tower Timberjay. According to a June 18,…
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House 3A special election will be Dec. 8
To update my earlier report, the House 3A Special Election to fill the seat vacated by the untimely death of State Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) will now be held Dec. 8, with a primary on Sept. 22 29, according to sources familiar with the situation. The Governor will likely issue his call for the special…
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DFLers already running in 3A special election
Though official word on the special election has yet to be announced, DFL candidates have already emerged in the House 3A race to succeed the late State Rep. David Dill. UPDATE: A supporter tells me that Ely City Councilor Heidi Omerza, current president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, is also considering a run for State Representative in this…
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Ely adventurers to spend year in BWCA
Dave and Amy Freeman, who split time between Ely and Grand Marais in far northern Minnesota, are adventurers in every sense of the world. It’s their job, their hobby, and their way of life. I’ve written about their adventures in my column and here on my blog. Amy appeared on my radio show when Dave was kayaking Rio Roosevelt in…
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Northern Lights Music Festival brings classics back to Range
The Northern Lights Music Festival is returning to the Iron Range this summer with its annual classical music and opera tour across the region. Last summer, I spoke with Veda Zupancic, the accomplished musician and director from Aurora who founded the event. This year, the Northern Lights festival kicks off today and includes events that run through July 20.…
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First-ever Ely Marathon will be run Sept. 26
If you’d like to run a marathon in a place where there are more moose, bears and wolves than usual, you’ve got a chance Sept. 26 with the first-ever Ely Marathon. Starting on the north arm of Burntside Lake, the marathon route follows the historic Echo Trail down into Winton and eventually ending in downtown Ely.…
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Ely Folk School slated for June 6 opening
In a digital world, one is often left to ask, Who is it that actually knows how to do stuff? Make things. Build structures. Produce crafts and useful items. Get by when the power goes out. Who does that now? Enter the Ely Folk School, slated to open on June 6. A story about the…
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IRRRB mulls $33 million 2016 budget
Even though the legislative session may go to the wire tonight at midnight, Iron Range lawmakers — who comprise the statutory Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board — will meet Tuesday morning in St. Paul to hash out the agency’s $33 million FY 2016 budget. “I am pleased that over half of the proposed budget…
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‘Dirty Shirt’ a rough hewn yet moving tribute to BWCA, family
My Sunday column referenced a new book by Jim Landwehr called “Dirty Shirt: A Boundary Waters Memoir.” I figured I’d spend a little more time talking about that book today. Here’s what I said in “On Wilderness“: Landwehr, a St. Paul native now living in Wisconsin, writes about he and his family’s special relationship with…