Bob Collins
The first grade class was supposed to dress up as a policeman, a cowboy, a biker dude, a construction worker or a Native American to perform YMCA during a talent show.
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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.
The Janesville, Wisconsin school superintendent has apologized for the showing of this video last month at a high school day to bring ‘attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.’ Read more →
The handshake at the end of a Stanley Cup playoff series, sadly, occurred at the Xcel last night after the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in overtime. Read more →
MPR reporter Laura Yuen’s fine story on the the new Green Line light rail service is quite a bucket of cold water for those of us who’ve been fairly anxiously awaiting the inauguration of service one month from today.
The initial estimate of a 40-minute trip on the rail line between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis was already far too long — it’s a 26-minute bus trip now — and now, Yuen reports, test trains have taken an hour or more. Read more →
Some kids appreciate the opportunity they get with a free education; some kids don’t. Two stories in the news today make that point abundantly — and frustratingly — clear. Read more →
There are now seven living recipients of the Medal of Honor as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
President Obama presented the medal to former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White, a Seattle native, today. Read more →
Stuck in a cubicle this afternoon? We’re not entirely sure this is going to make you feel any better but it’s pretty neat anyway. Alex Chacon, a freelance photographer, has been driving his motorcycle around the world — although he pretty much missed the entire American Midwest — after putting his doctoral studies on hold Read more →
We may never know the identity of a man who apparently brandished a gun at another driver in Brooklyn Park today in what, at least at first, sounded like a road rage incident. Read more →
There were the predictable, “how am I supposed to explain this to my child?” comments after Michael Sam was drafted at the end of the NFL draft last weekend and kissed his partner. This video might help. Might not be suitable for some workplaces. Related: Brennan: Michael Sam most important football player in U.S. (USA Read more →
Students at Rochester’s Mayo High School have taken to social media today to protest the apparent disciplining of a teacher who dropped an ‘F bomb’ in class.
They’ve organized a ‘Free Thorson’ campaign on Twitter to build support for Jon Thorson, an English and speech teacher at the school. Read more →
We baby boomers have one final, selfish act before we go, a new study suggests. We’re not going to leave you an inheritance. Read more →
We’re not sure we’re ready for this yet. The Minnesota Lynx have removed the name from the jerseys. We knew it was coming when they signed a marketing deal with the Mayo Clinic, but we like this… Over this… Media Day @minnesotalynx @twin1532 @janelmccarville @Lindsay_13 @seimoneaugustus @mooremaya. #LosLynx #Champions pic.twitter.com/bmFeLRWSPX — David Sherman (@David_Sherman) May Read more →
The Minnesota Vikings may be looking to dump Adrian Peterson, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman is reporting. Read more →
The Northland Veterans Service Committee says it’s raised enough money to build a statue to David Wheat, a Duluth man held for more than seven years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. Read more →
Another side of the story is being told in the case of last week’s alleged bullying of two kids in Fosston. Their mother sat them down for a video of them telling their story. Read more →