Bob Collins
A movement that has been growing in parts of the U.S. has reached the Iron Range.
People are making or buying hats, scarves, and gloves and then leaving them tied to trees or other public locations for people to take if they need them.
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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.
This’ll teach former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mike Dukakis to share a favorite recipe, let alone give out his home address. Read more →
Three stories in the news today reveals that some realities of war don’t fit on bumper stickers:
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A pitcher for the Oakland A’s and his girlfriend showed a proper response to the fear whipped up by politicians looking for some cheap points with fearful voters. Read more →
As traditional as snow and carols, what’s a Black Friday without a little fight or two? Read more →
There are some honest people in Fertile, Minn. Really honest people. Read more →
This is the day of the year when the president pardons a turkey at the White House and for seven years, Malia and Sasha Obama have been good soldiers for the photo-op. Today was no different. They stood by their father’s side for the cause of tradition on the day we realized — again –that time moves on, and little kids grow up too fast.
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These are tough times on the farm, we’re told. Commodity prices are down and the harvest again was way too bountiful. Many farmers are now losing money.
It’s not that we disbelieve any of the stories we’re hearing. We just wonder what it is that farmer Derek Klingenberg is doing right to make the business consistently look so gosh darned fun. Read more →
The forthcoming issue of ESPN the Magazine has a fascinating inside look at Minnesota Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett and the things that make him tick. And, for once, we understand why the NBA fossil is so slow to retire. Read more →
We ignore the usual warnings because it’s just the way we are. Part of it is because we don’t see the tears in the eyes of people like Courtney Pogones, of Austin, Minn. Read more →
According to the University of Wisconsin Police Department in Madison, nobody likes coconut doughnuts. That’s why they make the perfect symbol of protest for a UW fan who was thrown out of Camp Randall recently. Read more →
An Eau Claire farmer planted sunflowers in memory of his wife, who died of cancer a year ago. Now the seeds he’s harvesting will help other cancer patients. Read more →
When it comes to TV news personalities, the viewers often have a difficult time understanding their boundaries. Read more →
This is an incredible video put together by Milan Vuckovic, a Berlin designer who started putting it together after the attacks in Paris.
He documented every terrorist attack in the last 15 years in which at least 21 people died. Read more →
The mere mention of the word ‘clown’ can send people into hiding.
A clown with an orange jumpsuit has Waukesha, Wisc., under the covers. Read more →