Bob CollinsDuring a discussion on Morning Edition, Cathy Wurzer asked me whether people will rebel against fees like the one that Spirit Airlines is threatening to charge for carry-on luggage. “No,” I said. “Consumers are reluctant to use the power they have.” Indeed, we make decisions every day on whether fees are worth paying for the 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.
1) Two news stories in the last day or so have certainly put the public image of teachers in the spotlight. First, a meeting at the Capitol yesterday had the governor calling the state’s education system “a relic.” Political and education leaders were considering whether to apply for another round of federal grants to improve Read more →
The Federal Communications Commission lost its battle with the big cable operators today, when a court ruled that the government agency doesn’t have the regulatory authority to require cable companies to treat all Internet traffic equally. This is one of those issues where the court’s decision can easily get lost over the question of whether Read more →
Great ideas occasionally come from a broken furnace. Sometime in the next month, Twin Citian James Gorney, and two of his friends, will launch a Web site to provide reviews of apartments and the landlords who own them. The idea came as a result of his introduction to Minneapolis five years ago when there was Read more →
One solution to paying fees for checked baggage — carrying your baggage onto the flight — is on its way out. Privately-held Spirit Airlines announced today it’s going to start charging as much as $45 for carry-on luggage that’s put in an overhead bin. The airline said anything stuffed under the seat in front of Read more →
These signs have started sprouting at the pumps of some area gas stations. What’s it all about? It’s an attempt by the companies to get Congress involved in the credit card company practice of charging merchants every time a credit card purchase is processed. The companies are making more money off the fees now that Read more →
1) Sports and drug wags in the Twin Cities are wondering whether an unvetted CNN iReport about marijuana use at Target Field is iTrue. An iReporter claims a man spent part of the game carving out a red pepper and then used it to be “the first person to smoke marijuana at Target Field.” Alerted, Read more →
The Associated Press today tried to define the movement known as the “tea party,” by canvassing many states to get a definition. They couldn’t. Why? Because, it seems clear, the tea party is whatever a particular member wants it to be: “That’s the beauty of it,” says George Burton, a Minnesota electrician and history buff Read more →
On a day when word came that a soldier from Rochester has been killed in Afghanistan, the head of the government for whom he and others have died reportedly has threatened to join the Taliban. “He said that ‘if I come under foreign pressure, I might join the Taliban’,” Farooq Marenai, who represents the eastern Read more →
MPR’s Dan Olson reports the Metropolitan Airports Commission tonight will begin installing new signs for people heading to the airport. That, presumably, will kick off another round of “people should know which terminal they’re supposed to go to” comments that have marked the discussion around the signs for the last year or so. Here’s a Read more →
Critics assail President Obama for a lousy first pitch at the opening of the baseball season.
Woodbury is now the city with the highest participation rate in the state for returning the census forms.
How questions skew poll results, marketing the the toddler’s brain, two media approaches to suicide, a look at singing at ballgames, and the obligatory mention of the iPad.