Bob CollinsGolden Valley’s reaction to a proposed mental health center for kids was hateful, and shameful. 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.
You’re stuck on a highway going nowhere. What do you do? Wait it out, or do something like this? Cars are turning around in front of me on 394 and driving the wrong direction to escape the gridlock. pic.twitter.com/GWhjjvF7Hk — Chris Egert (@ChrisEgert) February 21, 2014 Three semi-trucks are blocking the road near I-94. This Read more →
Why it’s good for your workplace to watch hockey today, why newspeople shouldn’t explain editorial decisions to the government, why don’t you move to the back of the bus, the art of shoveling the roof, and why is there homelessness? Read more →
5×8 will be delayed a couple of hours this morning while I plow out Casa Collins. In the meantime, talk among yourselves in the comments section. Post pictures. Exchange recipes. I’ll be back after this.
This is a perfect example of why news organizations in the U.S. are so anxious for the FAA to adopt regulations allowing them to use drone cameras to report news events.
There are only two kinds of Minnesota drivers in winter: The ones who do this, and the ones who don’t. It is of questionable value and meaning. In freezing rain, theoretically, it could prevent breaking the wiper when pulling it out of the ice. This, however, requires an ice pack equal to or greater than Read more →
In Tuesday’s 5×8, we had a good discussion on the Mothers Against Drunk Driving push for Minnesota to change its constitution to allow the state to once again stop people at checkpoints to see if they’re drunk. Other states can do it, so what’s up with Minnesota? Asked on Twitter to further explain, the public Read more →
Feeling upbeat about shoveling as the big snow approaches? Read more →
Many of the images coming from Kiev have been otherworldly. Read more →
A plea to step back from the brink in Rogers, the business of raising the minimum wage, the art of getting old, from Norway with love, and a boy and his dog. Read more →
What drives people to suicide? Some insight. Read more →
It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a daytime view of ourselves from the International Space Station. That wait ended this afternoon when astronaut Rick Mastracchio posted this image to his Twitter feed of Minneapolis St. Paul in all of its “why would anyone want to live on this planet” glory. It’s not clear, Read more →
Why is there a red flag on mailboxes? These days, it’s to alert thieves that there’s something to steal. Unable to get to the post office, the other day I shoved a bill and a Netflix disk into my suburban mailbox and raised the flag to alert the mail carrier that there was outgoing mail. Read more →
The timing of the NBA trade deadline and the Kevin Love rumors couldn’t be worse for the Timberwolves. Read more →
Public broadcasting’s funding mechanism is, perhaps, the most grassroots of media funding. But it is a fine line that stations walk when it comes to grants. Read more →