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Bellwether school vote in Hibbing Tuesday
Tomorrow a smattering of elections will take place around Minnesota. An interesting one I’m following is the school vote in Hibbing, up here on the Mesabi Iron Range. The school vote in Hibbing is over whether to renew a 10-year school bond operating levy that expires this year. Simple enough, perhaps, but the vote comes…
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In which Rob Farnsworth challenges Dayton to debate
Hibbing special education teacher Rob Farnsworth, a Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, has challenged Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) to a one-on-one debate. One criticism of Farnsworth is that he opted to run for governor before running for local or state office. Yeah, he’s not doing much here to instill confidence that he’s ready for prime…
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UPDATE: Former Hibbing mayor dies unexpectedly
Former Mayor Rick Wolff died unexpectedly Tuesday according to the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Cause of death has yet to be announced but Wolff had recently undergone hip surgery. Wolff defeated Mayor Pru Lolich in 2002 and was re-elected in a memorable campaign against Jason “The Mechanic” Roebuck in 2006. (Roebuck was the only Iron Range…
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Talkin’ Dylan, Hibbing on Australian radio
As more evidence of the world’s constant drive to become smaller, I enjoyed hearing this Australian radio interview of my friend David Leaver, a marketing professor in Manchester, England. Leaver is a scholar of tourism, specifically music tourism as it relates to the hometowns of famous musicians. He visited Hibbing, Minnesota, a few years ago…
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Mr. Ed’s Farm shows off true Iron Range horsepower
This Saturday I’d recommend a family fun day at Mr. Ed’s Farm in Hibbing. Mr. Ed’s Farm will be holding its official “grand opening” Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 10796 Foss Road, found south on Highway 5 near the Hibbing/Cherry line. It costs $5 per person, free for kids 2…
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Hibbing special education teacher jumps into MN governor race
Another northern Minnesota Republican has jumped into a statewide race. After yesterday’s announcement that St. Louis Co. Commissioner Chris Dahlberg was jumping into the U.S. Senate race, today Hibbing special education teacher Rob Farnsworth announced his bid for governor on the GOP ticket. Farnsworth joins several Republican candidates seeking to challenge Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN),…
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UPDATE 3: Ammonium nitrate tanker rolls over by Hibbing Taconite
A tanker truck carrying ammonium nitrate rolled over on Highway 5 near the entrance to Hibbing Taconite, according to reports. Officials say the tank did not leak and there are no evacuations planned. UPDATE: Check that, Northland’s Newscenter is reporting a half mile evacuation zone while the wreck is inspected. UPDATE: (from Wikipedia): The chemical…
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Spec no more
While I was gone the Hibbing Daily Tribune reported on a press event held by the city of Hibbing and officials from Detroit Diesel, who will occupy the spec building out by the airport in 2015. I just wrote about that project a few days ago. It’s a big job-creating project and I join everyone…
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Top Iron Range, Canadian officials to meet in Hibbing Tuesday
Things you see through your windshield at train crossings on the Iron Range. Tmrw, 11:30, Hibbing: Canada and #IronRange convo w/ @IRRRB @Tonysertich @Jamshed_MPLS cc: @duluthnews @minnesotabrown @HibbDailyTrib @mntoday— Canada in Mpls (@CanCGMPLS) August 12, 2013 When the Canadian consul general’s office tweets you, you’d better pay attention. Canada’s top Midwestern official, Jamshed Merchant, will…
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Hibbing native jazz singer Evingson featured on NPR
Jazz singer Connie Evingson was featured on last week’s “Weekend Edition” on NPR, giving a charming interview about her music and upbringing on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Evingson was raised just down the street from Bob Dylan’s boyhood home in Hibbing, Minnesota. She’s played a number of shows on the Iron Range over the years. The…
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Hibbing Jubilee marks summer’s halftime on the Range
This weekend brings the Hibbing Jubilee, this central Mesabi Iron Range city’s summer celebration of mines and pines (but don’t call it Mines and Pines because that was the old name and there are proprietary concerns). Hibbing is “the town that moved” for the iron mines, five miles south where they got arguably the most…
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Dylan lets music do the talking in his native Duluth, MN
Bob Dylan performs July 9, 2013 at Bayfront in Duluth. Iris Kolodji Last night Bob Dylan played his birthplace of Duluth, Minnesota, with Wilco, My Morning Jacket and the Richard Thompson Trio. More than 7,000 people attended the show at Bayfront Festival Park, though there was capacity for up to 12,000. Despite my longtime Dylan…
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The myth of the universal iPad utopia
My wife and I, both tech-savvy, blog-writing, Apple product fans, have nevertheless had a spirited debate about this Hibbing Daily Tribune story. The Hibbing School Board recently voted on a set of policies related to 700 new iPads purchased for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders in this central Iron Range district. Now, iPads in…
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Hibbing native’s homegrown indy film premieres at LA Film Fest
Publicity still from “Pollywogs“ Hibbing native Karl Jacob (he goes by that, though is Wiiliainen by birth) filmed his independent movie “Pollywogs” here on the Iron Range in 2011. Last week it premiered at the L.A. Film Festival to good reviews. Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press recently wrote about the movie, which…
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Don’t mind the black smoke, it’s just the power plant
The Hibbing Daily Tribune issued a breaking news alert Wednesday reassuring the people of Hibbing that the black smoke visible over the city was not an uncontrolled fire, but actually the burning of biomass material in the city PUC plant. “There is smoke wafting through the city, but it’s not a from a fire,” [Fire…