NewsCut

Back in the winter of 1971, Ron Knappen, of Galesville, Wis., went for a drive while he and his wife were on a trip to visit relatives in Illinois for Christmas. He came back with eight old wood wall telephones which he'd bought from someone for $50 each.
Here are the stories, topics, and guests you'll hear today on MPR News.
Stephen Martin, who owns a sporting goods store, has a lot in common with a guy he doesn't much care for: Colin Kaepernick, who angered some people for protesting racial inequality in America.
Vets with no family not forgotten at funerals
It was entirely predictable what would happen today at the funeral for James McCue, 97, who died at a home for old folks in Methuen, Mass., outliving all the family he had.
Every once in awhile, a day comes along when a simple tweet captures everything that is good in the world. Today is that day.
Minnesotans are particularly bad at a number of things: taking the last piece, the zipper merge, and catching turkeys.
The racism of La Crosse
In a decent society, you ought to be able to go to work without seeing a racist message spraypainted on your business when you get there.
In snow removal policies, some people are more important than others
Removing snow seems like a no-brainer for local politicians' career paths, but as cities struggle more with removing it, there's little evidence that the disinterest in making such a mundane task a priority is a threat.
Unhappy trails for St. Paul’s police horses
The mounted unit patrols the State Fair, street festivals and the cities parks. But the city needs to reassign the officers for a crackdown on distracted driving.