Bob Collins
While everyone was focused on South Carolina’s vote last night on flying the Confederate flag on state property, another controversy over racial/ethnic displays was playing out at a museum in Boston.
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.
Toni Poletes was beloved enough that many in the town of 600 people got naked for a 2015 calendar to raise money to help her pay for her medical care. Read more →
There’s a particular violation when teachers run a scam. Read more →
There’s not much difference between the Wisconsin and the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River. But where the law is concerned, they’re on two different planets.
Read more →
Today’s glitches that affected United Airlines, the New York Stock Exchange, and Wall St. Journal could be worse. Twitter could be down. Read more →
It was a good run for Joseph Rosenfeld of Virginia, who got some fame this week for discovering an error in the Golden Ratio at Boston’s Museum of Science. Rosenfeld noticed the apparent mistake right away. “I immediately thought it was incorrect, but I still double-checked myself on my cellphone going to Wikipedia and other Read more →
It’s taking Chris Ring, the Navy veteran who is swimming the length of the Mississippi River in a show of support for the families of soldiers killed in combat, a bit longer than expected because he’s running into so many families. He’s fine with that. Read more →
Which ecosystem is the right one for the Sand Dunes State Forest in Big Lake? The one that’s there now? Or the one that once was there? Read more →
We suppose there are worse ways to mourn than with a generous dose of laughter.
Read more →
Over 75 9-1-1 calls were reported during the July 4th celebration on Lake Minnetonka. Read more →
General Mills really brings the parental guilt with a release today of a video under the auspices of the Canada unit of its Nature Valley Granola brand that compares the memories of today’s oldsters with the ones of young people. Read more →
Robin Ficker specializes in making life miserable for other humans. Read more →
A University of Minnesota professor is among those considering what will happen when we cede control over the car to a robot. If actually steering the car is one cure for motion sickness, what happens when cars no longer need to be steered? Read more →
With all the glorification of war that takes place during the nation’s sporting events, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if a sports team around here pays homage to guy wearing a banana outfit while riding a Segway.
Read more →
U.S. Bank is asking for a better deal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport, where 35 million passengers a year are a “captive audience” but the bank still can’t make money charging people for money. Read more →