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.
In the world of hyperbolic “breaking news,” there aren’t many people left who can tell a good story about people who barbecue in the snow, collect laundry soap, or do their own thing outside the 494/694 beltway. Now there’s one fewer. Jason Davis of KSTP has announced a date for the retirement he originally announced Read more →
At a session of the National Association or Broadcasters event today, CEO Gordon Smith urged TV broadcasters to put up a unified fight for a new TV broadcast standard, called ATSC 3.0. It uses Internet and cellular systems for TV transmission instead of antennas on tall towers. Read more →
Congress is about to be tested on how much sway the airline industry holds over consumers on Capitol Hill.
So far, the industry is winning.
Read more →
Freighter Hon. James L. Oberstar arrives in #Duluth this morning pic.twitter.com/uEiougm5xE — Andrew Krueger (@akpix) May 8, 2014 As funeral services began today in Maryland for former Minnesota congressman James Oberstar, a maritime tribute played out in Duluth this morning when the laker, “James L. Oberstar” , approached the lift bridge in the city Oberstar Read more →
Railroad buffs, a few reporters, and a couple of officials far outnumbered people getting on or off the Empire Builder train on its return to St. Paul’s Union Depot. Read more →
It might be a tough hiring market for this year’s college graduates, but a new survey says if you’re a young person looking to start a career and put down some roots, you want to be in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. Read more →
So this is a thing, now.
Across the Twitterverse this week, high school and college kids are making deals with their professors and teachers, who are supposed to be in the business of educating students. Read more →
Anybody who hung around downtown Saint Paul during the 2008 Republican National Convention knows that it was a dud for most local businesses. It wasn’t surprising; analysis of other conventions showed somewhat similar results. What sounds like a big infusion of cash barely makes a ripple. But local officials put out a post-mortem assessment saying Read more →
The kidnapping of girls in Nigeria at the hands of the Boko Haram rebels is finally getting traction in news cycles, thanks primarily to Twitter and social media. This week the United States offered to help find them, almost three weeks after their abduction.
Why the slow world response? Read more →
One of these days it would be fun to come up with other ways of measuring hail. Traditionally, it’s described as pea-sized (just heard the TV anchor warn Belle Plaine the peas are heading your way, by the way) , nickel-sized, golf-ball-sized or baseball-sized hail. We have a thing for food, money and sports in Read more →
Nothing gets suburban legislators at the Minnesota Capitol cranked up more than having to slow down when driving on I-35E in Saint Paul. Read more →
There will be no same sex marriages in Nintendo’s social simulation game “Tomodachi Life.” Nintendo made that clear today when it confirmed that while players will be able to form romantic relationships in its virtual world, and maybe even get married, same-sex marriage will not be allowed. The game is to represent “a playful alternative Read more →
Roundy’s decision to dump its Rainbow grocery stores in Minnesota and head back to its roots caused a momentary heart skip for many people today. But it’s not like days of yesteryear when we had a meaningful relationship with the grocery store. Nobody knows our name, and with a few exceptions, what you can get Read more →
Today is a big day at Union Depot where Amtrak will make its first passenger stop there since the time when it was actually a dependable mode of transportation.
The only thing missing was a train, but there’s no way to adequately plan such a thing. Read more →
What’s wrong with us? Just about everything when it comes to adults and youth sports, Read more →
Bob Collins