By: Mike O'Rourke on August 3, 2011 - 11:34am - Add new comment
Seniors have always been my favorite category of people to interview. They combine perspective, knowledge and the willingness to say exactly what’s on their mind. As a result I was pleased to be asked to talk about the Brainerd Dispatch at The Senior Morning Club at the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center on Aug. 3.
By: Mike O'Rourke on November 30, 2010 - 4:13pm - Add new comment
It's a long way from the days when the Dispatch newsroom of the late 1970s was equipped with manual typewriters and glue pots on the desks to the current push for online blogs.
In those days, the Brainerd Dispatch published social news from local correspondents such as Alberta Irwin of Motley and Mrs. Milt Pearson of Wadena. Those were really the original blogs letting readers know who the pastor entertained last Tuesday and what was served.
Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.
By: Mike O'Rourke on January 25, 2011 - 10:45am - Add new comment
Civility in government is the latest buzz phrase and if it causes politicians to actually curb some of their wilder, less than accurate statements, I'm all for it.
Many Republicans and Democrats have decided to cross the aisle and sit with members of the opposing party during the president's State of the Union speech. That's a small gesture and one that seems like a no-brainer from the perspective of a small town journalist. It's not unusual for political rivals in Crow Wing County to see each other in church, at service club meetings or at the grocery store.
By: Mike O'Rourke on January 7, 2011 - 3:07pm - Add new comment
News of the death of Brainerd's Patt Krantz, brought to mind a lesson she taught me — one every reporter should keep in mind.
Patt was an energetic woman, an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church and a tireless promoter of the Brainerd Lakes Chapter of Sweet Adelines. As city editor I often worked with her, arranging news photos that would help promote Sweet Adelines' concerts and fundraisers.
By: Mike O'Rourke on February 10, 2011 - 10:48am - Add new comment
Just as purchasing a ticket to a baseball game grants one the privilege of yelling at the umpire, buying a music concert ticket probably gives a person the right to grouse about disruptive fans.
By: Mike O'Rourke on March 22, 2011 - 8:55am - Add new comment
Obituaries are great at providing glimpses into lives that are way more colorful than our own.
A case in point is The Associated Press obituary for blues piano player Pinetop Perkins who died Monday of cardiac arrest in Austin, Texas.
By: Mike O'Rourke on March 9, 2011 - 9:15am - Add new comment
There’s a long-suffering Minnesota Golden Gophers fan I know who used to wear a worn-out t-shirt every time his favorite football team played Ohio State University.
“Oh how I hate Ohio State” were the words written on the t-shirt.
It’s not hard to do these days.
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