"On Monday, President Donald Trump welcomed Iowa officials and the Minnesota iron mining company Mesabi Metallics to the Oval Office for an announcement. The news he revealed was stunning," columnist ...

Offloading risks onto taxpayers is one way. Advancing bankable knowledge is a better way.

"Hoisting myself into the cab of a Barko loader outfitted with a strong-arm grapple attachment, I wondered if agreeing to this celebrity log loader competition was a good idea," columnist Aaron Brown ...

"What if, for $100 a month — less than many of us pay for cell service — you could go to the doctor anytime you feel sick?" columnist Aaron Brown asks.

On Sept. 19, the ReVive Virginia Food Truck Festival returns for its seventh year in this Iron Range town, helping entrepreneurs test their business concepts, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

"What if we right-sized the data center debate? What if we acknowledge the need for computing power without giving a blank check to companies who consume resources with reckless abandon?" columnist Aa...

Focused on communities with populations of less than 15,000, the Empowering Small Minnesota Communities Program boosts the development capabilities of small towns, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

The Smithsonian is on tour ― including here in Minnesota, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

Loathed by fishermen, these birds are actually vital stewards of our water, dredging up human garbage from lakes as they build their nests. But that litter can kill baby birds ― which is why volunteer...

When the John A. Blatnik Bridge connecting Duluth and Superior closes to traffic early next year, it could take four-and-a-half years before the new bridge is ready, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

North-central Minnesota’s deepening storage drought is a warning that even a water-rich state has limits, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

"Klobuchar will be better off if she abandons the past to connect with a new generation of voters. That might be the only way for DFLers to reverse their losses in Greater Minnesota," columnist Aaron ...

"We followed a Baby Boom generation that was much larger, and therefore intractable from leadership roles. We even had the most lead exposure of any recent generation, which can’t be good," columnist ...

The solar-component manufacturer Heliene announced 93 layoffs at its Mountain Iron, Minn., production plant last week, citing “unforeseen business conditions," columnist Aaron Brown writes.

Columnist Aaron Brown writes: When I had to give a blood sample years ago, I wilted across the fainting couch like Scarlett O’Hara. I’ve been uncomfortable with blood draws ever since ― until last wee...

"What happened to Ely this summer would be like a Christmas tree farm closing for the first three weeks of December," columnist Aaron Brown writes.

From columnist Aaron Brown: Come fall, university students' tuition bills might look different. And that different might be to the tune of a couple hundred or a couple thousand dollars.

Satellites aren't the only threat to our darkness, columnist Aaron Brown writes. One California startup is launching orbiting mirrors that can reflect daylight to any place, any time. If you wanted mi...

"While Minnesota mines are finally competing with new steel technology, their delay was costly. Workers and affected communities face more uncertainty than ever," columnist Aaron Brown writes.

It’s OK to worry about the Boundary Waters and Betty’s Pies. But people's homes are at risk too, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

From columnist Aaron Brown: Less than 10 miles away from one of the state’s most productive wild rice stands, Talon Metals is planning what could become the state’s first nonferrous mine.

From columnist Aaron Brown: Today, every local government must contend with rising costs and service demands. This won’t be the last strike, and the length and contention of this one should concern al...

From columnist Aaron Brown: The Fourth of July is a joyful time on Minnesota's Iron Range, even when joy is hard to find. For Rosanne Omersa, the Range polka tradition is the reason why.

From columnist Aaron Brown: Virginia is a small city of about 8,400 people, but its hospital serves the entire eastern Iron Range, including the many BWCA and "up north" travelers. That increased traf...

"Hoover, our 31st president, routinely ends up at the bottom of historians’ lists of presidential greatness. That’s what happens when the stock market crashes during your first year in office," column...

"Perhaps content-generation is more democratic, but the attention span of the American public, and the distribution of media, is thoroughly fascist. A small number of companies hold power, and power i...

"Perhaps content-generation is more democratic, but the attention span of the American public, and the distribution of media, is thoroughly fascist. A small number of companies hold power, and power i...

Disease-carrying ticks now occupy more of Minnesota than ever, and their pathogens are growing more diverse. Though the dog (wood) tick is most common, the black-legged tick, or deer tick, is rapidly ...

Disease-carrying ticks now occupy more of Minnesota than ever, and their pathogens are growing more diverse. Though the dog (wood) tick is most common, the black-legged tick, or deer tick, is rapidly ...

"One aspect of data centers is not well understood. How will communities afford to maintain the massive public infrastructure required to run them decades from now?" columnist Aaron Brown writes.

President Donald Trump declared June 1 that he would reduce tariffs on certain farm equipment and HVAC materials from 25% to 15% ― an admission that costs have, in fact, been borne by American consume...

If sneak attacks like Operation Spiderweb can happen in the forests of Russia, even as far away as Siberia, we should note our similar geography here in Minnesota, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

"What does the closure of a longtime manufacturing company in northern Minnesota have in common with the hapless Boston Red Sox? According to critics, private equity management ruined both," columnist...

According to a recent survey, 1 in 3 Americans is currently experiencing an existential crisis, including more than half of Gen Z, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

On Saturday, May 23 (the day I’m posting this) I will deliver a 1 p.m. lecture about Bob Dylan’s Hibbing and Duluth roots at Zeitgeist Duluth. Today’s column (gift link) touches a few of the themes, b...

Sure, Dylan doesn’t do public events and declines all formal invitations. But we don’t need to be weird about it, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

For one, don’t shoot firefighting planes, as a man is accused of doing last week. But you can do more than that, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

Kei trucks, designed for the narrow streets of Japanese cities, have proven popular around the world. But only some Minnesota towns allow their use on local roads, columnist Aaron Brown writes.

A finals week hack put more than a third of all U.S. college students in a panic. It also exposed a deeper problem.

Close to home, the Canvas breach hit the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin systems, columnist Aaron Brown writes. In total, more than 40% of all American universities may have been a...

For one outstate Minnesota child care center, providers recommend parents get on the waiting list "a year before they even try to conceive," columnist Aaron Brown writes.

For one outstate Minnesota child care center, providers recommend parents get on the waiting list "a year before they even try to conceive," columnist Aaron Brown writes.