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.
It is actually somebody’s job in Minnesota to make sure that there is a giant gold state emblem in front of politicians who dress down for a look at the flood problem, though the informality doesn’t neuter the political pretentiousness of the shield’s presence. Dayton, Franken, Klobuchar about to head off to survey S Minn Read more →
These are tough times for the self-esteem of Minnesota Timberwolves fans. Kevin Love can’t get himself out of town fast enough and he probably won’t even pause long enough to say “see ya,” when he’s finally traded. It would be refreshing if whomever is coming here would be excited as all getout to play in Read more →
It’s a little late for Father’s Day, but you’ll get the picture anyway. This one is racing around the InterTubes today, and with good reason. McKenzie Michelle Carey, who has Mitochondrial disease, wanted to be in a summer pageant. She needed a dance partner.
How do you fix the giant mudslide threatening to swallow Fairview Medical Center at the University of Minnesota? Read more →
Sometimes a flood gives us the opportunity to look at the half-full side of things. Read more →
If you read USA Today (or watch KARE 11), you’ve probably seen or read the story this week asserting that the National Transportation Safety Board is too quick to blame pilots for crashes involving general aviation airplanes. Nearly 45,000 people have been killed over the past five decades in private planes and helicopters — almost Read more →
First, let’s acknowledge that we all have heard the warnings not to drive through standing water. That said, today’s various photos provide a great chance to evaluate the worst way to do what you’re not supposed to do in the first place. People blast through, apparently figuring if you go through really fast, all the Read more →
The flooding comes at a bad time. In the spring, the schools are in and the supply of young people with strong backs is inexhaustible. Not so in late June. Read more →
A Seattle newspaper is banning the use of the name Washington Redskins in an acknowledgement that it’s a racist expression.
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The developing civil war in Iraq is raising the question anew: “How much of the decision to get involved in Iraq again should involve the fact that the U.S. has already lost more than 4,000 soldiers there?” Read more →
It’s back to the ’50s for the American Doll collection. The toy maker, Mattel, is retiring four of its dolls, including the only Asian American doll in its collection. Read more →
Is the Green Line more a transportation system or development tool? Read more →
That questionable study we mentioned last week that suggested that there are more head injuries in cities — including Minneapolis — where there are bicycle ride-sharing programs is looking even more questionable. The researchers’ theory was that people don’t wear helmets for most rideshare rides and that accounts for the increase in head injuries. As Read more →
Changing a racist name can take a long time, but it might be about to pay off for opponents of the Washington Redskins name. The U.S. Patent Office today canceled the trademark on the Redskins name. That only took about 20 years. Opponents figured out long ago that if the profit from the sale of Read more →
Everybody wants to be a star in Minnesota, apparently. Read more →
Bob Collins