Bob CollinsThe plan to move a huge floating bog on North Long Lake near Brainerd seemed a little far fetched to succeed but you have to admire the spunk of the area Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
By Bob Collins
Bob Collins retired from Minnesota Public Radio in 2019 after 12 years of writing NewsCut and pointing out to complainants that posts weren’t news stories. A son of Massachusetts, he was a news editor 1992-1998, created the MPR News regional website in 1999, invented the popular Select A Candidate, started several blogs, and every day lamented that his Minnesota Fantasy Legislature project never caught on.
Kelly Pflanzer, of Milwaukee, posted a video to YouTube today (language warning) , which is something when you consider she died two weeks ago. Read more →
The value of a high school diploma has been minimized in recent years, but it’s still a pretty big deal and putting in 12 years of work should be a cause for wild celebration. Read more →
Pay no attention to the sportswriters and their incessant focus on what’s wrong with baseball. They’re on the clock; they’re like most people who are working: they just want to go home. Forget them.
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If you pay close attention to NPR’s Morning Edition, you’ve probably noticed a shift in the journalism. Gone — mostly — are deep dives from reporters. In are interviews with ‘newsmakers’, and it’s causing waves with NPR listeners, as NPR’s ombudsman, Elizabeth Jensen, wrote last month when she said listeners are finding it unsatisfying.
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Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear today on MPR News. Read more →
Exit polls, the notoriously inaccurate in-person survey of voters at polling places, could be vanishing under a plan announced today by the Associated Press.
The AP says it will replace its exit polling system after 2016 exit polls appeared to favor Hillary Clinton.
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Another person was ready to jump from the Robert Street bridge in St. Paul today and, as we’ve said in this space too many times, it’s impossible to stay focused on the systemic failures that can lead to suicide when we never know the story and likely never will know. Read more →
There are certain things that should be none of your business and who you vote for or what your political ideology is should be one of those things.
But political parties crave that data and since politicians write the laws, there’s little hope for keeping your business private. Read more →
Leila al-Ghandour was 8 months old when she died today from tear gas during protests in Gaza, the family claims.
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Four high school seniors hauled half a car to the school, taped black plastic to the brick wall and made it look as though the car had crashed through the school near the principal’s office. We know from experience that some schools would chase down the offenders, expel them, and deny them the opportunity to graduate.
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The Minnesota Legislature is thick with lawyers in its ranks so it’s hard to believe that when the Senate followed the House in passing legislation to ignore a judge’s order addressing water levels in White Bear Lake, they didn’t know it’s probably unconstitutional. Read more →
Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear on MPR News today. Read more →
Maybe it’s time to dial back prom a little bit. Read more →
Something new to remember the next time a sports team comes asking for public money for a stadium: The value of their teams just doubled, according to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, citing today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a federal law banning sports betting in states not named Nevada. Read more →