MPR News Reflections and observations on the news

By Bob Collins

bcollins@mpr.org • @newscut

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.

NY v. 9/11 families

Bob Collins September 14, 2011, 10:45 AM Sep 14, 2011

Now that the 10th anniversary commemorations at the World Trade Center site are over, many families of the victims of the attack are back trying to settle a dispute that has raged in one fashion or another since: What to do with the remains of their loved ones.

Where are we risk free? (5×8 – 9/14/11)

Bob Collins September 14, 2011, 7:52 AM Sep 14, 2011

13

Where can nature not touch us, laughter as medicine, a man, the earth, and a dog, dispatches from the suspicion society, and victims fight back in Minneapolis.

The Senser case

Bob Collins September 13, 2011, 4:37 PM Sep 13, 2011

8

In journalism, there are only 6 elements to any story: Who, what, why, when, where, and how. In the absence of answers to any of those questions, we’re not licensed to make them up.

Not my kid

Bob Collins September 13, 2011, 2:38 PM Sep 13, 2011

5

Parents don’t really know what their kids are up to when it comes to drinking booze and smoking pot, a survey suggests.

Whose money is freeing the American hikers?

Bob Collins September 13, 2011, 12:11 PM Sep 13, 2011

3

We may never know for sure whose money is being paid to Iran.

The wildfire quandary: Fight or flight?

Bob Collins September 13, 2011, 11:43 AM Sep 13, 2011

16

Should the Forest Service just let wildfires burn, or make a significant effort to douse them immediately?

Silence and the 9/11 coverage

Bob Collins September 13, 2011, 10:44 AM Sep 13, 2011

2

NPR listeners object to elements of 9/11 anniversary coverage.

The unemployment game (5×8 – 9/13/11)

Bob Collins September 13, 2011, 7:28 AM Sep 13, 2011

24

Can you make ends meet, Owatonna Ted revealed, preserving a history of shame, Alzheimer’s and the baby boomer, and balloon popping 101.

The many faces of Rick Adelman

Bob Collins September 12, 2011, 2:48 PM Sep 12, 2011

3

According to Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, via Twitter, the team has hired Rick Adelman as a coach.

Judge: Horn-honking is not protected speech

Bob Collins September 12, 2011, 11:56 AM Sep 12, 2011

10

As with everything in Wisconsin that doesn’t stem from the Packers, this stems from Gov. Scott Walker’s move last spring to limit the collective bargaining rights of some public employees.

A parachutist’s view of TCF bank stadium

Bob Collins September 12, 2011, 11:43 AM Sep 12, 2011

3

From high above you can get a good shot at the empty student section.

Thirty thousand people pay for bank’s sins

Bob Collins September 12, 2011, 11:00 AM Sep 12, 2011

1

Somewhere, there’s a person wondering how they’re going to pay the mortgage, send the kids to college, and put food on the table when the unemployment checks run out.

That person is not named Ken Lewis.

Three videos that can make you want to be a better person

Bob Collins September 12, 2011, 10:26 AM Sep 12, 2011

Artist Lucas Jatoba believes in sharing.

Ted from Owatonna (5×8 – 9/12/11)

Bob Collins September 12, 2011, 7:02 AM Sep 12, 2011

11

When people do good in Faribault, the BWCA in the rear-view mirror, when the earth speaks, girls just don’t want to sing the National Anthem correctly, and spelling and security.

Surveys and trivia

And now, someone’s national anthem

Bob Collins September 10, 2011, 9:29 AM Sep 10, 2011

3

If national anthems consisted of pop music, what songs would be the national anthems of what country?