Aaron J. Brown
@minnesotabrown.bsky.social
Minnesota author, MN Star Tribune columnist & historian from the Mesabi Iron Range. Read and subscribe for free at http://www.minnesotabrown.com
There is a serious (and unexpected) blood shortage across the country. To save lives, we have to step up to donate blood, even if we’re squeamish, like me. www.startribune.com/brown-danger...
Brown: Dangerous blood shortage demands action, even from the squeamish (like me)
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...
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Wildfires are receding in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, but tourism towns like Ely, Minn., won't recover anytime soon. Tourism not immune to the economic and environmental change of our times.
Brown: Summer wildfires reveal vulnerability of Minnesota’s tourism economy
"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.
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We all know college costs is expensive. That's why uncertainty over recent changes to federal financial aid could be a sneaky factor in fall enrollment this year.
Brown: Students, your college financial aid might shrink this fall. Here’s why.
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.
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We won't understand the true value of darkness in the night sky until it's unattainable to all but the owner of a space ship.
Space junk is leaving permanent streaks in our darkest skies
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...
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The iron and steel industries shed about 83% of their jobs in the last 50 years, all while making the same amount of steel. This is a warning and a guide for what today's technological transition in mining and steel can do, and what it can't.
Brown: American steel transition will require ingenuity ― not just patriotism
"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.
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So grateful for the chance to talk to @minnesotabrown.bsky.social . He captured it all in the last line: “The road back from disaster is more than just a vacation route.” Thanks so much, Aaron — this is outstanding.
Aaron J. Brown@minnesotabrown.bsky.social · 3w agoWildfires often hit beloved tourist and recreation places, which is tragic, but not as tragic as it is for the people who live here. A harrowing story and valuable perspective from someone who stared down a Minnesota wildfire.
Wildfires often hit beloved tourist and recreation places, which is tragic, but not as tragic as it is for the people who live here. A harrowing story and valuable perspective from someone who stared down a Minnesota wildfire.
Brown: As fires burn up north, don't forget about the people who live here
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.
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Talon Metals has quietly emerged as a contender for first nickel mine in Minnesota. With that comes the requisite controversy, and the questions that underly all mining: What's it worth to us? Is it worth the risk?
Brown: The big question behind Minnesota’s mining debate
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.
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In Chisago County, a public employee strike now enters a record-breaking third month. The standoff illustrates the conflict we'll all face as rising costs strain our society.
Brown: Now in third month, Chisago County strike exposes social price of rising costs
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...
startribune.com
The Fourth is a joyful time on the Iron Range, even when joy is hard to find. For Rosanne Omersa of Gilbert, Minn., the Range polka tradition is the reason why. Here's how a button box accordion can solve the world's problems. www.startribune.com/us-patriotis...
Brown: Hard times call for the healing power of ... polka?
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.
startribune.com
In rural Minnesota, mental health care is harder to find as hospitals and clinics are often understaffed with limited facilities. But one hospital on the Range is showing progress, and also the challenges ahead.
Brown: This rural hospital is taking a step forward in emergency mental health care
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...
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President Trump has been talking about Herbert Hoover lately, perhaps worried about his presidential legacy. But, listen, Hoover was a great president, until quite suddenly he wasn't. Why? He lost sight of the one thing that counts, and still does.
Brown: Trump risks learning the wrong lessons from Herbert Hoover
"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...
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It's easier than ever to make your own media and defy the gatekeepers. It's just harder than ever for anyone to care. Corporate media mergers tell a story of higher consumer costs and homogenization.
Brown: The paradox of today’s media
"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...
startribune.com
This is an absolute first for StarTribune. Much credit to @minnesotabrown.bsky.social for writing about media consolidation in critical terms www.startribune.com/media-consol...
Brown: The paradox of today’s media
"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...
startribune.com
mportant column from @minnesotabrown.bsky.social - ticks are a serious and growing threat. Beware. www.startribune.com/minnesota-ti...
Brown: Ticks are on the rise in Minnesota ― and so are the diseases they carry
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 ...
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Preventing tick bites is no longer exclusive to deep woods scolds and creepy-crawly-phobes. The expansion of tick territory and seriousness of tick-borne pathogens requires each of us to prepare.
Brown: Ticks are on the rise in Minnesota ― and so are the diseases they carry
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 ...
startribune.com
The data center debate has focused on jobs, tax revenue, energy use and environmental impact (all important). But what is the long term cost? What happens when small towns are on the hook to serve a business bigger than they are?
Brown: Data center deals may seem sweet, but costs could swamp Minnesota cities
"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.
startribune.com
We now have enough evidence to suggest that strategic tariffs work but ultra-high, blanket tariffs sandbag the economy. It's time to act on this intelligence.
Brown: Finally, a Trump trade policy that works: reducing tariffs
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...
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Watching war from afar makes it seem like a video game. New drone technology only enhance that illusion. But tech is changing war in terrifying new ways -- not in mass destruction, but in small ways that could one day bring war anywhere: even here.
Brown: Is Minnesota ready for the age of drone warfare?
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.
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subscribe to Aaron's MinnesotaBrown site & get a gift link to his Star Tribune posts - always worth the read: "If business is a bacteria that lives and grows, private equity is a virus that is neither alive nor dead, nor does it mind killing its host. "
Aaron J. Brown@minnesotabrown.bsky.social · 2mo agoWith costs rising, people are mad. Much blame can be cast on the way private equity is cornering key industries for profit-taking. But it's not clear how this translates to the 2026 midterms. The populist vibes are strong, but yet unformed.
With costs rising, people are mad. Much blame can be cast on the way private equity is cornering key industries for profit-taking. But it's not clear how this translates to the 2026 midterms. The populist vibes are strong, but yet unformed.
Brown: Voters are fed up with private equity's war on affordability
"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...
startribune.com
The cadre of policy nerds I've associated with these past 25 years are showing up in statewide politics. If you can write in Chicago style, get on board. We're gonna change the world.
Chris@chris-hhh.bsky.social · 2mo agoBen Schierer name-checks both @strongtowns.org and @minnesotabrown.bsky.social in this interview, and it's pretty wonderful If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the great Aaron Brown piece he mentions: minnesotabrown.com/2026/04/buil...
Even after I wrote today's column I read more reports of general sadness, malaise and discontent. Birthdays are tough, America. Apparently 250th birthdays are toughest of all. We've got to snap out of our national existential crisis. www.startribune.com/july-4-usa-2...
Brown: OK, America. We’re 250. Time to snap out of our existential crisis.
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.
startribune.com
See you all at @subtextbookstore.bsky.social Wednesday at 7p! To tide over everyone waiting for my full sized book, I wrote 1/33 of this fine book.
Belt Publishing@beltpublishing.bsky.social · 2mo agoMinnesotan fans of On an Inland Sea: the free author event at @subtextbookstore.bsky.social is tomorrow, Wednesday the 27th! Featuring a reading with Martha Lundin, @lilacwaabigwan.bsky.social, @sheilapacka.com, and @minnesotabrown.bsky.social. Get a copy here: bookshop.org/p/books/on-a...
❣️ "There’s some complex psychology at work here, and it involves a whole lot of people who will never seek therapy. So, this is the best I can offer." minnesotabrown.com/2026/05/nobo...
Nobody hates you, honey - Minnesota Brown
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...
minnesotabrown.com
Aaron J. Brown@minnesotabrown.bsky.social · 2mo agoAs a lifelong Iron Ranger, I hear the chatter. I know what some will say. But as Minnesota's own Bob Dylan turns 85, we must reject the idea that he hates his birthplace of Duluth or hometown of Hibbing.
As a lifelong Iron Ranger, I hear the chatter. I know what some will say. But as Minnesota's own Bob Dylan turns 85, we must reject the idea that he hates his birthplace of Duluth or hometown of Hibbing.
Brown: Yes, Bob Dylan is 85. No, he doesn’t hate us.
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.
startribune.com
I'll be delivering the John Bushey Memorial Lecture at Duluth Dylan Fest from 1-3p this Saturday, May 23 at Duluth Zeitgeist. A blend of humor, history and Hibbing/Duluth backstory in honor of Bob Dylan's 85th birthday. Free and open to the public! See you there.
Wildfires are an even bigger part of life in northern Minnesota. We can all do our part to help.
Brown: As wildfires sweep northern Minnesota, here’s how you can help
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.
startribune.com
The plight of the Japanese kei truck in a restricted American marketplace (banned on Minnesota roads) highlights why U.S. vehicles are unaffordable.
Brown: On tiny Japanese trucks, and the problems with today's car market
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.
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