Bob Collins
Hate speech, free speech, or both? Ground zero for this debate is the East Side of St. Paul, where some teenagers burned a cross at the home of a black family in 1990. 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.
That was apparently quite the stunning halftime show at the new Vikings stadium last evening when the Minnesota Orchestra played as the entertainment. Read more →
To right an injustice, you have to be part of someone else’s story, New York Times columnist David Brooks says.
That’s difficult when your injustice isn’t theirs. Read more →
You’ve probably seen the technique used by drivers entering divided highways. Maybe you’ve even used it yourself. Get halfway across the highway to the median, then wait for traffic to give you a break to enter.
That technique doesn’t work well if you’re driving a school bus. Read more →
Let’s not miss the big story here, people. A man amassed a $4 million estate by living frugally! If you want to leave a legacy that will educate the next generation, that’s it. Read more →
The tide has been going out for some time on the concept of a valedictorian and salutatorian at high school commencement exercises in Minnesota. Better to honor all academic achievers, rather than crown the top two, the philosophy goes.
A Chisholm student has launched a social media campaign in her school district to bring the honor back.
Read more →
NPR’s news boss is firing back at media critic Jay Rosen, who chastised the news organization on Twitter today for its coverage of Donald Trump’s appearance at a church in Flint yesterday. Read more →
There’s nothing wrong with an FBI agent posing as a journalist for the Associated Press, according to the United States Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General. Read more →
We kind of have a ‘thing’ for promotional videos for cities in Minnesota, so we’re watching a new one for Hopkins. Read more →
The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania is out with its annual assessment of knowledge about how the U.S. government works. And it’s not pretty. Again.
Read more →
In Altoona, Iowa, Ava Hutchinson was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 2. She was treated and declared cancer free in 2009, but it came back in July. She’s 11 now and she may not see 12. She didn’t want any presents, just cards. She got cards. Read more →
You might want to check your data usage if you’re a Verizon customer, if a Cleveland Plain Dealer investigation is any indication of a growing problem. Read more →
Sarah Marshall probably made a mistake when she was riding on the bus. She said ‘hello’ back to someone who said ‘hello’ to her.
Read more →
The increase in the team’s value in one year — $600 million — far exceeds the money Minnesota taxpayers put into building the new stadium.
Read more →
Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres went shopping at a CVS and found that you can drink boxed wine for up to six weeks after you open it. Read more →