Sadly, I’ve come to learn my parents lacked imagination. At least when it comes to baby names. When I was born in 1953, I shared my first name with almost 85,000 other baby boys. Michael ranked third as the most popular name for boys born that year, behind Robert and James, according to the Social Security Administration. My parents may
Impeach or not? That IS the question
Brooding Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” has become, for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “To impeach or not to impeach.” That is the question, the big question. Pelosi is taking her time, but the pressure is on, especially after Robert Mueller’s televised speech May 29. Tip-toeing through his guarded words, Mueller reiterated his report does not exonerate President
Will fans fill new stadiums when teams fail?
For sports fans, Minnesota offers competitive teams in all major sports as well as a lineup of first-class venues. With teams in all the pro leagues – baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer – the Twin Cities have as much to offer as any metro area in the country. OK, so we don’t have a NASCAR track and we can’t
MIAC booting St. Thomas shameful, wrong
If you can’t beat them, kick them out. This appears to be the main rationale behind the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s decision to remove the University of St. Thomas from participating in its athletics competitions after the spring of 2021. Though as a current Johnnie myself I subscribe to the historic rivalry between St. John’s and St. Thomas, I feel
Passion for sports led women’s quest for equality
The short history of equality for female athletes was showcased recently at Stearns History Museum’s History Maker Gala. The event honored local women who pioneered equality and athletic opportunity for girls and women. For today’s female high school and college athletes, it must be hard to imagine a world where their “athletic” opportunities were limited intramural teams, powder-puff football and
Mary Lou, now 90, is unforgettable
Happy Belated Birthday, Mary Lou Westra! Of the many, many thousands of people I’ve interviewed and written about in my four decades of reporting, there are several standouts. Though there have been so many favorites, three of them often spring to mind. One was singer Tammy Wynette, whom I interviewed sometime in the mid-1980s in her luxury RV between her
Mueller Report deserves proper resolution
In April, after almost two years of investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russian interference in the 2016 election was released. After the release, further argument has been underway between Republicans and Democrats about whether President Donald Trump was vindicated or implicated by the conclusions, respectively. Wherever the country goes from here, any actions based on the report should
Time to move on from retelling Wetterling story
Sometimes you just have to say “It’s time to move on.” The plan for a film to examine the Jacob Wetterling abduction is one of those times. For three years, the producers have filmed key players in the 1989 abduction, including Jacob’s family. Now they have launched a fundraising campaign to support the next stage of production. They started a