Bob Collins
In the era of #MeToo, muting artists who are accused of violence against women is understandable. Who will make the decision on what art is acceptable and what isn’t? 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.
Billions of years from now, another civilization will come to what remains of earth and its archaeologists will uncover evidence of the Duluth smelt parade and come up with some fascinating conclusions about the species that once inhabited the planet. Read more →
There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about Hal Newman’s announcement that he intends to run for mayor of Rochester.
Except that there is apparently no such person as Hal O. Newman. Hal O. Newman. Get it? Read more →
Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear today on MPR News. Read more →
Chad J. Rygwall, 47, and his wife, Jill, 48, of Princeton, Minn., died when their Cessna 172 struck power lines and plunged into the river. The National Transportation Safety Board said they likely never saw the lines, which were below the tree line, and the pilot may have been blinded by a setting sun.
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After several weeks of trying, Gina Smith, has an answer from Nino Niederreiter of the Minnesota Wild, whom she asked to go to a #TwitterProm to raise money for Children’s Hospitals & Clinics tomorrow. Read more →
Someone will probably ask Richard Overton the secret to longevity today and he’ll respond with his usual answer: ‘Not dying.’
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Dwane Casey has made a habit of coaching well and losing his job. Read more →
The Alpharetta, Georgia police chief invoked the ‘this is not who we are’ reaction to the latest display of police escalating a situation, releasing a video on Facebook that shows five police officers — all white men — wrestling a 65-year-old African American woman to the ground. Read more →
Say what you want about John McCain, but you’ll likely not see a politician do what he did in Lakeville in 2008. Read more →
Debbie Kujava and her brother, Dennis Kujava, are settling in as millionaires just fine, thank you very much. There are no sad stories about the burden of new money in Ross, Minn. Read more →
Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear today on MPR News. Read more →
Canada has been on a roll — PR wise — in recent years but an ugly incident at a Denny’s has proven there are no boundaries for racists. Read more →
Theme of the day: School custodians. Here are three stories on the subject.
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Any driver knows that the vehicle making the turn yields the right of way to oncoming traffic. So why was the first question whether the cyclist was wearing a helmet? And how might the stories be different today if the answer was ‘no'”? Read more →