Bob Collins
Isn’t this pretty much a metaphor for Detroit?
They tried to blow up the ancient Pontiac Silverdome this morning. They had one job. 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.
The passing of the generational torch is often uncomfortable, but Garrison Keillor’s rapid exit from the stage when Minnesota Public Radio cut business ties with the man who built the operation is going to leave wounds beyond the allegations leveled against him. Read more →
You probably know how the routine goes if you’ve ever been in the coffee roasting business. You throw the beans in the roaster, get ready to turn on the heat, and remove the Snowy Owl that’s looking back at you from inside the cooling the vent where the bean chaff is collected.
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LeRoy Luitjens and Helmer Haakenson had a bittersweet sip or two as the last two members of Luverne’s Last Man Club opened a ceremonial bottle of bourbon.
Mr. Luitjens died on Sunday. Read more →
He’s lost the Daily Show’s Trevor Noah, who, on last night’s broadcast, inspected Franken’s assertions that if he grabbed women during the many photographs he’s taken with them over the years, it was accidental contact.
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What we have learned from the spate of sexual allegations this week is this: they do not make us introspective. Perhaps it will take time for the shock of them to dissipate and take the worthlessness of visceral reactions with them. The problem is it’s the shock of them that provides the opportunity for progress. Read more →
Here’s the topics and guests on MPR News programming today. Read more →
Solve this photo mystery
You can be a reporter or you can be an employee. But when the story is within your company, you can’t be both. Read more →
This is Max. He’s 25 years old. Mentally, he’s about 5 years old, his sister wrote this week. Read more →
The Duluth News Tribune reports two men — Russell R. Sikkila Jr. of Chisholm and Carl W. Brandt of Forest Lake — have been fined $800 and $1,500. That’s the penalty for hiding bags of leeches in a worm cooler when they crossed the border at Fort Frances. Read more →
Here’s a temperature check on the state of America: It’s still bad for one’s employment prospects to be a Nazi. Read more →
Perhaps a candidate for Michigan attorney general has given us a glimpse of what we’re in for in TV ads during the 2018 campaigns. Read more →
Sexual harassment isn’t usually a joking matter but late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel gave it a shot last evening, what with the allegations against NBC Today host Matt Lauer and A Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor erupting on the same day.
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Today’s topics on MPR News’ programming include sexual harassment, DACA, Facebook’s fake accounts, the public option in health care, and Keith Ellison’s take on the future of the Democratic Party. Read more →