Being a member of the MPR News staff for a little over a year, and located outside of the St. Paul office, I’ve only had the privilege to observe the NewsCut magic as many readers have, with interactions through emails and reading Bob Collins’ words. But the one time I got to meet Bob in Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Theft of the Blog
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 →
The best submission will get four tickets to the July 30th game (7:10 pm) at Target Field between the Twins and the Cleveland Indians. Read more →
‘I want to tell you about my grandmother Charlotte, or as her friends called her, Chuck. Chuck was an Army nurse during World War II. She was trained in physical therapy and stationed in Belgium until the end of the war. ‘ Read more →
‘In a rural area outside of Arcadia, Florida, my partner and I ended up on a winding country road with a flat tire on the rental car we were driving. We pulled on to the shoulder (such as it was) and got out of the car. My partner, Bob, got the jack and spare out of the trunk and I started to call the Red Cross transportation coordinator volunteer to let him know what had happened.’
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‘It doesn’t take much more than kindness and a little music to turn disappointment into an unexpected gift. That’s what a group of young men did for two little boys and their mother on Thursday at the State Capitol.’
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‘My dad had been going through cancer treatment since March (thank you tobacco industry, agent orange and asbestos). Usually, on a lovely spring, summer or fall day you could find him sitting outside my parents’ garage watching the traffic, yelling at speeders or waving at friends, especially the local ambulance crew. ‘
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My grandmother, Margaret Terry Trowbridge, was 82 when I moved from Alabama to Minneapolis in February 2000 to join the mighty Minnesota Orchestra. A native Minnesotan and lifelong fan of classical music, she could not have been more proud for one of her grandkids to be joining the ranks at Orchestra Hall. I was pretty darn proud, myself, and couldn’t wait to welcome my grandma in person at one of the Thursday morning concerts she’d been attending for years.
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The theme for Friday’s Theft of the Blog: Tell me a story of decency. Preferably it’ll be about someone you know, but at this point, we’ll settle for decency where we can find it. Read more →
There were outbursts, meltdowns, tantrums, in elementary school. Clinical trials, pullouts, educational aides, due process. All in full view of his peers, his friends. To quote a great parenting book I’ve recently read: ‘it’s so hard to be his friend.’ Read more →
Last week, I was in my office listening to my piano volunteer. All of sudden, singing and laughing is added to the mix. I walk out and see for the first time, wheelchair dancing. She is a 97 year old, self-professed dancing queen being whirled around by her daughter. Read more →
The news has been overwhelming lately. I work in an industry that requires that I stay informed about what’s happening in the world, and as with many of us, some days I reach (or exceed) the limit. Fortunately, by the end of the week, I know that every Saturday morning I’ll spend a couple of hours with this sweet mare. Read more →
Wherever you go you hear the term, Minnesota Nice with clarifications ranging from: it’s not really ‘nice’ at all; it’s passive aggressiveness, it’s sarcasm meaning, ‘I am smiling at you and saying welcome to MN but geez, I wish you’d stayed where you were;’ to its genuinely pleasant and polite, it’s just who we are…. pleasant. Read more →
Reader Steven Bailey has provided this contribution to today’s Theft of the Blog theme (details in this post).
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Given that it’s Friday, today you’re writing NewsCut. It’s your blog. Write what you want. The only guideline is whatever you contribute today, it can’t leave us feeling hopeless, anxious, or angry.
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