Public lectures were once a hot ticket on the Iron Range. Before TV, streaming services and YouTube, you had to see someone talk at the local auditorium if you wanted to go down an informational rabbit hole. Well, these days, some of us try to keep the tradition alive. I’ll be giving a free public… Read More →
Hate and hope on the Iron Range
July 6, 2024 by 2 Comments
A century ago, Iron Rangers cheered, fretted and fought the rise of the Ku Klux Klan across the Mesabi. The hate and hope of this time remain with us today. Word of the Klan arrived much earlier. A hit movie, “The Birth of a Nation,’ played in Duluth and Iron Range theaters in 1915 and… Read More →
Our housing crisis is a very, very fine mess
June 8, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Get a job. Start a family. Buy a house. For many — even most — these simple-sounding goals become our life’s work. But jobs, families and housing have all changed significantly in recent years. It’s important to recognize those changes as we collectively seek “the pursuit of happiness” promised in the U.S. Constitution. Employment data… Read More →
Mixed Blood theater spotlights Iron Range culture
April 20, 2024 by 1 Comment
Sometimes I hear folks here say they don’t have a culture. Other people have cultures — people on TV, people from someplace else. But us? We’re just … regular. Iron Range history demonstrates that a collision of many cultures produced a local culture so unique we share a distinct dialect studied by linguists. Outsiders talk… Read More →
To build and rebuild
March 16, 2024 by 3 Comments
When I was young, I could spend a whole afternoon building a city of blocks, filling its streets with Matchbox cars. But if my mom asked me to spend one hour cleaning my room, I’d declare bankruptcy. I don’t have time for THAT! We like to build things, or have them built for us, but… Read More →
‘Crossing the Divide’ with big ideas
February 17, 2024 by 2 Comments
Every day we awaken to a choice. Will today be a day for hope, vision and big ideas? Or will we stick to what we usually do? Most of the time, we choose the latter. That’s OK. Often, we have work. Other days, we are tired and need a break. But if we go too… Read More →
Big ideas at TEDx Silver Lake
January 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
On Feb. 23, TEDx Silver Lake will take place at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia, Minnesota. Based on the popular TED conferences, TEDx events welcome speakers to present interesting ideas that build community and grow knowledge. The theme for this event is “Crossing the Divide.” I bring this up because I know… Read More →
Cliffs offer to buy U.S. Steel portends shakeup in Iron Range mining
August 14, 2023 by 3 Comments
Today, I have a news analysis piece running in the Minnesota Reformer: “Cliffs offer to buy U.S. Steel holds huge implications for the Iron Range.” On Sunday, the two biggest iron ore and steelmaking companies on the Iron Range signaled discussions that could lead to a consequential sale. U.S. Steel announced it was fielding offers… Read More →
The old roads still taken
August 12, 2023 by 1 Comment
Travelers from Duluth to the Iron Range learn the rhythm of concrete on Highway 53. Staccato thumps mark time and distance between homes and cabins, town and country, and the consequential journey of small town patients to Duluth’s big hospitals. I’ve known this road all my life, and yet it is only one version of… Read More →
Curtain opens on new era of Iron Range performances
May 9, 2023 by Leave a Comment
You may have seen my column from last weekend, “Final Goodman show marks new era on Iron Range.” I marked the end of an era with the closure of the Goodman Auditorium and the dedication of the new Rock Ridge school. On Tuesday, I appeared on Minnesota Public Radio’s “Minnesota Now” with Cathy Wurzer to… Read More →
