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The cold comfort of adulthood
Everything is easy until you open the door. That’s true of life, but especially winter in Northern Minnesota. After Christmas, winter becomes an extended stay in a Residence Inn. We already know what keeps in the hotel fridge, how long to microwave the popcorn, the cost of every item in the vending machine. Our only enemy…
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Analyzing President Trump’s inaugural address
President Trump’s inaugural address eschewed the literary finesse that most presidents strived for, and instead drove home one of the most confrontational, populist speeches ever uttered in this setting. It could have been Huey Long up there. “While they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for people across our land. That all…
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Slice of Life: 78 years of columns from Floodwood writer
Every once in a while I congratulate myself because I’ve written a continuous weekly newspaper column for the Hibbing Daily Tribune since June of 2001. Every Sunday (and sometimes more often) I’ve had an original thought, sometimes coherent, in the paper. As of today, that’s almost 16 years of columns, not insignificant in today’s media…
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100 years of Finnish independence marked in MN
This year, Finland marks 100 years of independence from Russia, Sweden and any other European powers that at one time held its Nordic territory. And as Jenna Ross from the Star Tribune reports, Minnesota will play a role in the Finnish celebration. An American tour of Finnish cultural performances (including a traveling sauna) will begin and end…
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Recalling a lovely day in John Lewis’s district
By now perhaps the hubbub of yet another Donald Trump Twitter battle has waned, soon to be replaced some fresh outrage. But this last one caught my attention. The President-elect singled out civil rights hero and Democratic Congressman John Lewis at the dawn of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday weekend. Lewis, of course, is no fan…
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‘Dig Deep’ with new KAXE/KBXE podcast
Readers here at MinnesotaBrown.com might be interested in one of my new projects. Starting this week, Northern Community Radio will release a new podcast and radio feature called “Dig Deep.” It’s a one hour program featuring Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns fame and yours truly, produced by Heidi Holtan. “Dig Deep” is a monthly conversation…
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The necessary drama of transition
As divisive as these times may be, at least Donald Trump won’t be sneaking into Washington, D.C., on a midnight train like Abraham Lincoln. After the election of 1860 Lincoln became the most anti-slavery president since John Quincy Adams a generation earlier. Six slave states immediately seceded from the Union, while others threatened to join…
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Hear Actual Wolf single ‘Baby Please’ off ‘Faded Days
Stop the presses! Actual Wolf is working on a new album, “Faded Days,” and MinnesotaBrown.com has an exclusive preview. Here’s “Baby Please” off that new record, which is set to be released May 2017. Actual Wolf is a rock band piloted by the Wolf himself, Northern Minnesota’s Eric Pollard. Actual Wolf has bounced around the music scenes…
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Rick Nolan considering run for MN Governor
J. Patrick Coolican of the Star Tribune reports that U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan is considering running for governor in 2018. Nolan, a Democrat, represents the Eighth District of Northeastern Minnesota. Nolan pulled off a remarkable victory in his 2016 re-election bid. He defeated his Republican challenger even though this toss-up district swinging decisively toward Donald Trump in the presidential race. Nolan…
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Rural broadband grants reach far, but little in St. Louis Co.
This morning, the state of Minnesota unveiled its list of projects funded under the Border-to-Border Broadband rural internet expansion program. The grants total more than $34 million and will fund 42 projects throughout the state. Several Northern Minnesota projects made the list. Paul Bunyan Communication will continue its expansion in Itasca County, including new territory in Harris Township…
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On PolyMet and the price of hope
This week, the U.S. Forest Service announced the approval of a land swap with the PolyMet Mining Corporation. The government will release 6,650 acres of federal land in Northern Minnesota to PolyMet in exchange for 6,690 acres of non-federal lands. Essentially, PolyMet gains access to a large contiguous section of forested land located within its…
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Building faith in free people
As 2016 rolled to a close, the musician George Michael died — one of many celebrity deaths that turned social media into a sea of crocodile tears. I wasn’t particularly connected to Michael or his music, but I grew up in the generation that watched his butt wiggle on TV as he sang “gotta’ have…
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Hope for broadband in 2017 MN legislative session?
As I mentioned before, the state of Minnesota’s efforts to expand broadband access in rural areas had one big effect last year. MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters is now hooked to a fiber optic cable capable of delivering gigabyte internet speeds. And I pay less per month for my internet, phone, and television services than I did…
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New Northern Minnesota lawmakers sworn in
Several new state lawmakers from the Northern Minnesota were sworn in at the Capitol in St. Paul today. State Rep. Julie Sandstede (DFL-Hibbing) now represents District 6A, including Hibbing, Chisholm, Floodwood, Nashwauk, Keewatin and Bigfork. “As a lifelong Ranger, I know how important it is for us to never stop fighting for our economic vitality and…
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MinnesotaBrown’s Top Posts of 2016
Goodbye, 2016. Hello, 2017. As we mark this turn of the calendar page, let’s look back at the year that was at MinnesotaBrown.com. This year I celebrated 10 years of blogging at MinnesotaBrown.com. Fifteen years of writing a column in the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Twenty years of work in Iron Range media, dating back to…