I wrote this post in February 2008 as Pete Seeger approached 90. With his death, there’ll be plenty of words written today about Seeger’s contribution to America, but — like the comments section in the original post — the ones that matter most are the ones that reveal whether we have yet to grasp what defines a good American.
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One of the most famous Minneapolis Lakers has died. Vern Mikkelsen, an Askov, Minn., native, died Thursday night, the Star Tribune’s Patrick Reusse reports. He was 85. He had a stroke in 2002 and found it difficult to talk, so he started writing more and wrote his biography. “My stroke, ironically, gave me something to Read more →
You probably won’t hear much about Gloria Steinem being awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom today by President Barack Obama. Former President Bill Clinton and current presidential pal Oprah Winfrey seem to be getting top billing in news coverage. Where did Steinem, an activist and writer for more than four decades, end up in today’s Read more →
Bob McDonald, it’s safe to say, never got rich in basketball; at least where money is concerned. And he probably hasn’t gotten the attention that young high schoolers have received. But he must have gotten something out of it because he’s been the head basketball coach in Chisholm, McGregor, and Barnum for nearly 60 years. He’ll get his 1,000th win sometime this season, which opens next Friday. Read more →
Vanishing icons, Dinkytown, and the low percentage of African Americans on campuses (5×8 – 11/15/13)Return of the weatherball, who owns Dinkytown, some people start life on thirdbase, birth of the bull run, and your moment of Minnesota zen. Read more →
Last month’s sudden — and somewhat mysterious — closing of Jerabek’s Bakery in Saint Paul apparently will be followed by a sudden — and equally mysterious — reopening. Read more →
I first met John Michael in 1999, after I moved into the house across the street from him in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. I was coming home from a meeting one night, and the power was out on our block. Everything was pitch black – except John Michael and Chad’s home, which was as brightly lit up as if the power was still on. I knocked on the door, and this gregarious man opened the door, warmly welcoming me to a small cozy living room lit up by what seemed like dozens of candelabras. Typical John Michael – who needs power when you have candelabras? Read more →
Jerabek’s Bakery suddenly closed both of its Saint Paul locations yesterday. Owners Russell Spangler, Ronda Vincent and John Wills broke the news on Facebook. Read more →
Linda Ronstadt has revealed that she can no longer sing a note; she has Parkinson’s. She ushered in a pretty fair era in music in the late ’60s and early’70s, along with James Taylor, Carole King, and the Eagles: folk rock. She was the decade’s highest-paid female singer and it wasn’t because of the high-glitz Read more →
It’s a shame so much attention in Minnesota is being paid to a royal baby because it risks missing the passing of a true legend in the state. Rosalie Wahl, first woman on the Minnesota Supreme Court, died this morning. She was regarded as the “founding mother” of female attorneys in the state. She could’ve Read more →
Helen Thomas died this morning. She was no friend of a lot of sitting presidents; she asked tough questions. President Bush refused to call on her for that reason. She once went three years without being able to ask a question.
Maybe if we loved our iconic places more when they’re still here, we wouldn’t have to mourn their demise. Read more →
Don’t let us down, apple pie. You’re all we’ve got left. Read more →
How we teach the teachers. The dog tags go home to a Minnesota native. Remembering Roy Grow. Why are men so fragile? And should we require deposits on cigarette butts? Read more →
Bob Collins
Laura McCallum
The departure of Maj. Freedman