Bob CollinsSome cultural institutions still have a conscience, or at least a heightened appreciation for public relations.
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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.
At London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday night, Eric Clapton did something he’s never done before: he covered a Prince song. Read more →
So stories of medical achievement in 2019, like the New York Times’ report today on Woods’ spinal surgery breakthrough, cause both moments of celebration and bittersweet reflection. Read more →
Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear today on MPR News. Read more →
The full promise of the internet remains relatively elusive and a decision by the producers of the public radio talk show — 1A — are the latest to prove it. Read more →
The daughter of a Marine, the first service member killed in the war in Kuwait/Iraq, raises money for a memorial with a new beer. Read more →
Gina Warren, 18, a graduating senior at at Teays Valley High School in Ashville, Ohio, has proven that she’s fully ready to take on the world.
You ready, world? Read more →
Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear on Wednesday on MPR News. Read more →
We’ve been on lists like this so long we probably know exactly what this latest ranking is going to say about us. But we like to read it anyway. Read more →
The Navy investigation, obtained by the Navy Times, reveals the jet crew didn’t think the contrails would last long enough for anyone on the ground in western Washington to notice. Read more →
I’ve pretty much given up trying to get the little kids in my neighborhood wear bike helmets while riding on the street out front. Why parents aren’t the ones insisting remains beyond the human capacity to understand the world’s mysteries. Read more →
Even if you don’t agree with it, you have to acknowledge the Minneapolis Park Board’s response to the venture capitalist behind the effort to overturn the renaming of Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska.
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Here are the stories, topics, and guests you’ll hear on Tuesday on MPR News. Read more →
If you’ve ever wanted to trace — maybe even recapture — some of your family’s past, you can probably appreciate the beauty in this beast.
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The Minnesota Court of Appeals has rejected Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson’s assertion that requiring candidates to place a disclaimer on their political ads violates their free speech rights. Read more →