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NewsCut

MPR News Reflections and observations on the news

By Bob Collins

Bob Collins
bcollins@mpr.org • @newscut

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.

Economy

John Oliver doesn’t like you much, North Dakota

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 12, 2015, 7:51 AM Oct 12, 2015
28

Count the insults John Oliver delivered on his HBO show last night.
Read more →

Politics

Should parking meters be installed on Grand?

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 12, 2015, 7:21 AM Oct 12, 2015
35

The paper on the other side of the river is pushing for meters on Grand Ave., in St. Paul, over the objections of businesses on the street. Read more →

Arts & Culture

Smashing pumpkins in Stillwater

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 12, 2015, 6:44 AM Oct 12, 2015
1

Is there anything better than raising a giant pumpkin with a crane and then letting it drop to watch it smash to pieces? Read more →

Sports

The most gifted athlete in Minnesota is…

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 10, 2015, 8:27 AM Oct 10, 2015
4

The competition isn’t that close. Read more →

Video: The cranberry harvest

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 5:07 PM Oct 9, 2015
2

Wisconsin is the #1 cranberry-growing state in the nation. From the eyes of a drone, it also was the most colorful state in the nation. Read more →

Crime and Justice

Domestic abuse victim won’t testify, so judge jails her

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 12:32 PM Oct 9, 2015
5

The law is the law, but sometimes the law is lame, too. A Florida woman who was choked in a domestic abuse case was sent to jail for three days because she refused to testify against her attacker.
Read more →

People doing good · The jobs we do

At harvest time, the circus comes to town

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 11:00 AM Oct 9, 2015
6

If you’re a city slicker and you don’t take a drive to farm country, you’re missing quite a show at this time of the year.
Read more →

Politics

Vader, R-Empire, surfaces as favorite in speaker race

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 10:17 AM Oct 9, 2015
4

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen is getting some online love nationwide today for his joke on Instagram. But his idea seems like the most workable plan at the moment. Read more →

Crime and Justice · Politics

Wisconsin loves its drunk drivers

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 7:48 AM Oct 9, 2015
11

Wisconsin is getting some national shaming today for its refusal to make drunk driving a crime when it’s someone’s first offense. Read more →

Arts & Culture · Crime and Justice

No more pumpkin fun for you, America

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 7:31 AM Oct 9, 2015
7

What kind of country have we become when we can’t even throw gourds anymore? Read more →

Science

The big show? Look up

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 9, 2015, 7:05 AM Oct 9, 2015
2

Venus, the moon, Mars, and Jupiter are all together in the early morning sky, something that won’t happen again for years. Read more →

Economy

Politics surrounds closing of Mpls. eatery La Belle Vie

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 8, 2015, 3:35 PM Oct 8, 2015
52

The white-linen, polished silver restaurant that’s been in its Minneapolis location for 10 years, is calling it quits. Is Minnesota’s minimum wage increase to blame? Read more →

The jobs we do

Video: The people on the steeple in Stillwater

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 8, 2015, 10:42 AM Oct 8, 2015
9

How’s the view where you work? A small group of craftsmen climbed recently to the top of St. Michael’s Church in Stillwater. The stunning drone video shows it’s not a job for just anybody.
Read more →

Economy

Amazon begins food delivery in the Twin Cities

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 8, 2015, 9:38 AM Oct 8, 2015
20

I had a craving for potato chips today, but there are no chips in the house.

Fortunately, Amazon started its new home-delivery service in the Twin Cities today. Read more →

Science

Northern Lights over Duluth

Bob CollinsBob Collins October 8, 2015, 8:37 AM Oct 8, 2015
2

Here’s what you missed if you lived in that fancy metro area well south of Duluth. Read more →

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