Bob CollinsRegular NewsCut readers know how obsessed I am with well-written obituaries. Some of us go through life; others live it, and the well-done final tribute can be a call to recalibrate it. Today’s Star Tribune obituary of Harold Macoubrey Cragg is a perfect example and not to be missed. He died late last month at 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.
Guilty until proven innocent? North Dakota justice. Jesse Ventura: Embarrassment. Dreaming trains. And songs to move the NPR headquarters by. Read more →
Faced with a stinging weekend of criticism — I wrote about it on Saturday — the Cleveland Indians today relented and agreed to give new tickets to its fans who were forced to either go home or stay until midnight when a rain-delayed game got underway. Here’s the team’s statement today: The Cleveland Indians today Read more →
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision could expand DNA’s role because it allows warrantless DNA searches of people who are arrested, not just those convicted. Read more →
Because of Tim Samaras’ encounter with a tornado in South Dakota, we know a lot more about what happens when a tornado hits than the fact it sounds like a train.
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China is pouring money and workers into Iraq to get control of most of the oil the country is producing. Read more →
The power of hope, the people who don’t give up, cereal racists, tangled up in Bob Dylan, and the people who raise bullies. Read more →
Other than the airlines, nobody is better at treating customers like dirt than Major League Baseball. Friday night’s game in Cleveland is a perfect example. It was Friday night fireworks night at Progressive Field, a tradition that dates back decades in the city. Tickets for fireworks night go quickly because few stadiums provide the after-the-game Read more →
People with a chance to win who quit in politics get a special place in the political cemetery. Read more →
Coincidence and the shootout, is class rank outdated, the Marines lose a hot meal, the New York Times gets taken, and the Boston Strong concert.
The day photo journalism diedA couple of new panels of the fence that separates my and my neighbor’s house appeared a few weeks ago. This weekend, the blacktop driveway sealer people did their thing on his driveway (psst: that stuff doesn’t do anything). The poor guy has been out mowing every few days. New flower beds are being put in and the place looks great. It must be costing him a fortune to spruce the joint up.