Bob Collins
The day may soon — probably, very soon — come when we tire of KARE 11’s updates of the relationship between an old man and a little kid, but today is not the day. 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.
Are companies really sincerely honoring the victims of 9/11 with their messaging? Or are they simply using the anniversary to push the brand? Read more →
If authorities are looking for ways to reduce the risk of pedestrians getting hit by Green Line trains on University Avenue in Saint Paul, this intersection at Western Avenue provides a good laboratory to test it out. Read more →
Compare and contrast. This is Progressive Field in Cleveland before fans are allowed into the stadium It's a make up baseball day in C'town. Tribe vs Angels at 1:05 ET. Indians Warm Up begins at 12:37. Enjoy !! pic.twitter.com/VBc8wFOslD — Jim Rosenhaus (@IndiansRadio) September 8, 2014 And this is Progressive Field in Cleveland after fans Read more →
The intersection of politics and religion went badly for presidential hopeful Ted Cruz. Read more →
The environment: It’s not just a liberal issue.
That’s the takeaway from this morning’s interview on Midwest Energy News with Debbie Dooley of Georgia, one of the founders of the tea party movement. Read more →
The Minnesota Vikings are going ahead with installing clear glass in their new behemoth stadium despite warnings it’ll lead to the deaths of birds who’ll slam into it.
Read more →
In the cacophony of reaction to a new, bright shiny object from the Apple cult, there was a death in the family that went unacknowledged this week. Read more →
The exchange was evocative of the Gore Vidal-William F. Buckley debates during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, one of the first times when commentators called each other names, although it seemed classier back then.
Read more →
Why are kids beaten to death in Minnesota? Because child protection workers are forced to find the line between discipline and violence. Read more →
What we might think of as ‘bad weather’ may not be a bad thing for everyone. Read more →
A media ethicist says using the video without Janay Rice’s consent ‘violates our ethical obligation to treat Janay Rice and other survivors of intimate partner violence as people rather than vehicles for social change.’ Read more →
Parents judged unfit have the burden of proving that they are capable of parenting children, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today in a divided decision. Read more →
The Guinness people are teasing the release of their new book of records, the 60th anniversary of the thing. Read more →
It was a short run in the spotlight for Peat the cat, the star of NPR reporter Ari Shapiro’s piece on All Things Considered last night about cats as ‘mousers’ in distilleries.
Read more →