Bob CollinsWe like to bike slowly and found fairly quickly that Minneapolis bike paths aren’t for the likes of us. We were scolded for being slow.
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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.
People don’t appreciate the value of local radio until it’s gone. And once gone, it never comes back. Read more →
Some people, it’s safe to say, cheat on their returns. Some choose not to file at all. What should be done to these people? Two researchers say they should be shamed in public. Read more →
For a region that calls itself the “state of hockey,” there’s a remarkable amount of restraint greeting the area’s first legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup. Read more →
Thanks to the rowing team of Washington University in St. Louis, we have quite possibly the most bizarre video yet of Asian carp. Read more →
Results from the Minnesota State Patrol’s crackdown on distracted drivers suggest maybe it shouldn’t be a short-term crackdown. The Twitterverse, however, is pushing back. Read more →
If you go to a Twins game, you’ll have to pass through metal detectors. Major League Baseball this year has expanded its security procedures that it tried out late last season.
Is there a big problem at ballgames? No, security expert Bruce Schneier argues in the Washington Post today, it’s just part of the theater to make you feel safer from a threat that isn’t that big to begin with. Read more →
From the ‘Department of We Can’t Have Nice Things’ comes word that the longest trestle bridge still standing in Minnesota has burned, thanks to the work of an arsonist.
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Perhaps one way to curb xenophobia is to stop giving it a megaphone. Read more →
Theoretically, the Twins stadium tax would expire as soon as the stadium was paid for. But the theory ignores the physics of politics: Taxes don’t expire, even though the tax is taking in more money than expected and the stadium will be paid off early. Read more →
You may soon have another reason to try to live to age 84. You’ll get to shoot a doe. Read more →
Live video of SpaceX’s attempt to land a used rocket on a barge in the ocean. Read more →
Nope, still not tired of seeing returning soldiers surprising their families in odd settings. Read more →
It’s only a matter of time now before the Federal Aviation Administration gives news organizations full authority to fly quadcopters. Read more →
The Maryland parents who got into trouble in January for allowing their children to walk the streets alone were worried this weekend when the 10-year-old and 6-year-old didn’t come home from the park.
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