Bob Collins
A man near Bemidji is running for no office and has the campaign sign to prove it. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
This or That
A Mounds View store will soon close, eliminating the last remaining retail store in Minnesota for the radio equipment. It’s the end of an era for a technology that doesn’t appeal much to a younger demographic. Read more →
You’re a 17-year-old kid, alone in an airplane a few thousand feet above the ground and a wheel on your airplane falls off. What do you do? Read more →
KARE 11 says distraction may have played a role in this crash in which a dump truck slams into a line of parked cars.
You think? Read more →
Alright, let’s figure this out, people. We’ve got a bear in Roseau who investigated what was inside a 10-gallon metal milk jug. It turns out nothing was inside until the bear’s head showed up there Read more →
The world is such now that when some people die, the neighbors barely notice. Central air conditioning and backyard decks have insulated us from one another.
That’s what makes what’s happened in Plymouth all the more poignant. Read more →
I am sorry to report that Pernina Burke, who graced these pages in March when she turned 100, passed away on Sunday morning, her granddaughter, Christie reports. My life is full of opportunities I wish I’d pursued but didn’t, so it was particular pleasure to be able to tell her story, which is reprinted here. Read more →
Oh, dear person who got a wrong number from a woman at a bar, you have united a small corner of the world. Read more →
There’s something about local politics that brings out the children in adults. In Waterloo, Iowa, Dwayne Eilers showed up to to speak at the public comment period of the Waterloo City Council meeting and almost got himself arrested for not taking off his hat. Read more →
Folks are going to want to pick apart this ad, released today by Nike, because Colin Kaepernick is in it and that makes them see red. I see confirmation that maybe a kid who needed a ride in the rain is right. Read more →
Monday’s post about the Allstate Insurance survey showing that St. Paul and Minneapolis feature some of the worst drivers in the nation certainly struck a nerve with readers, who went above and beyond in efforts to explain why the survey was probably wrong Read more →
Perhaps you’ve seen the cute Facebook challenge to police departments across America to record a lip-syncing video. An endless string of mostly uninspiring efforts followed.
Read more →
A moose pays the price for our curiosity and desire to share. Read more →
That’s it, then, eh? Summer’s over on Monday and then we wait for the sun to come back in this direction.
We will, again, go gently into the good night of the dark months, shielded only by our memories of summer. So let’s see and hear about yours. Read more →
Some people ask ‘why?’ Some people ask ‘why not?’ Greg Anderson, of Menahga, Minn., clearly falls in the latter category because he built a half-size Star Wars starfighter. Read more →