Bob CollinsThe rush to stem the heroin problem as a health problem reflects the new whiteness of the crisis. 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.
A school district west of Minneapolis may be the latest to drop the idea of a valedictorian at graduation time in favor of an honors system that include more students. Read more →
Apparently, there’s nothing quite like sitting on an overturned five-gallon bucket on frozen ice with a winter wind doing that thing the winter wind does around Brainerd. Read more →
If there’s one thing yesterday’s Super Bowl has taught us it’s that nothing is going to stop people from playing football. It’s simply too ingrained in the American culture now.
Read more →
‘Winterfest’ on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, was closer to ‘PhysicsFest’ over the weekend.
Read more →
What puts the ‘arts’ in liberal arts?
Read more →
The First National Bank building has new owners, the sign is in need of repair because high winds tore at its neon tubing, and the new owners say they’re exploring ‘options.’
Read more →
Bernie Sanders’ appearance on Saturday Night Live was the sort of “instant classic” that puts it into SNL history along with Bass O Matic. Read more →
Scott Masini, the principal of St. Paul’s Bruce Vento Elementary School, has been in the education business a long time, but he’s never seen anything like the reaction he’s received since someone leaked his letter last week informing parents the school will no longer celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day.
Read more →
It’s just an ad, but it’s a start.
Read more →
NPR had an odd disclaimer this morning when introducing its StoryCorps segment, the in-their-own words feature in which people tell their own story. It’s a story nobody should turn away from.
Read more →
The sentencing of a repeat drunk driver this week is raising an ongoing question surrounding the problem of alcohol and vehicles: Does getting tougher on drunk driving work? Read more →
We’re about to reach peak Wrinkles the Clown.
Wrinkles patrols the mean streets of Naples, Florida, and nobody seems to know why. Of course, he’s become an Internet hit with occasional videos.
Read more →
If there’s one story today to warm the heart of an old hockey player, it’s MPR reporter Dan Kraker’s story about the hockey players who still play in outdoors rinks.
Read more →
We’re always in the market for a good Wisconsin v. Minnesota argument but where the economy is concerned, we’re running into a reality: it’s no contest between the two states. Read more →