Bob CollinsU.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in a typical condescending dissent of the majority, nonetheless raises some good questions in his dissent today of the court’s decision to apply a ban on life terms for juveniles retroactively. 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.
Take note, people who demonstrate and disrupt government meetings. You don’t have a free speech right to do so, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled today.
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Sure, the airports were closed, people who didn’t pay attention to the forecast got stuck for 24 hours on a highway, and nobody in the neighborhoods of New York has a prayer of getting their cars unstuck today.
But, the East Coasters are having fun with winter. Read more →
A lot of school boards across the country have student representatives to provide the perspective of the students. Fargo’s is dead set against the idea, the Fargo Forum reports today.
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‘The Northwest Suburban Basketball League has decided RAYBA does not fit into the league. The main reason they made this decision is because other teams do not want to play RAYBA due to the skill level,’ a letter to parents and coaches said. Read more →
Tim Harris is the only restaurant owner in the country with Down Syndrome. But he’s given it up for love. Read more →
If you squint, perhaps, the picture underneath Mayor Chris Coleman’s welcome to St. Paul in the program of the national figure skating championships looks like St. Paul from Harriet Island. And the bridge could easily be mistaken for the Wabasha Street Bridge.
Squint a little more, you’ll see it. More. Read more →
Someone called the cops in Gainesville, Florida the other day and complained that kids were making a racket while playing basketball in the street.
You can probably figure what happened next. Read more →
How long would we last if there were actually real disruption and chaos? Read more →
What’s so great about a big blue chicken? Read more →
If you ever wanted to see a great example of how a dedicated editorial writer can provide community leadership, look no further than the West Central Tribune, which has given an elderly bigot the ‘what for’ because of a Facebook post. Read more →
The cops should’ve thrown the book at him. Read more →
It’s nothing personal, East Coast. It’s just us trying to have a laugh now that you get all of the fun these days. Read more →
Today’s photograph from NASA, taken from the International Space Station, is a joy to behold, particularly if you believe, as I do, that the wonder of flight is that it gives you an entirely fresh perspective on your place in relation to the world around you. We learned that when Apollo 8 made its first swing around the moon and gave us a chance to look at ourselves, and this photograph does the same thing.
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In Texas, it’s probably best if you have nothing to do with anyone having an asthma attack in school. Read more →