James Lileks

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James Lileks

Columnist | Metro

Phone: 612-673-7858

James Lileks writes a metro column and is an anchor/producer for NewsBreak, the webcast on startribune.com. He also blogs under The Blog O'Things.
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Lileks: Scientific proof that Minnesotans are darn happy

Minneapolis just piles up the awards in these "best city" surveys: Smartest City, Most Wired City, Best City to Bike to Work to Your Job as a Shaved Almond Inspector, and so on.

Updated: March 08, 2012, - 07:28 PM

Lileks: Disposing of drugs the green way

Starting Monday, Hennepin County will take those drugs off your hands at three drop-off centers. No questions asked.

Updated: March 03, 2012, - 06:22 PM

Lileks: Pursuing art for subsidy's sake? OK, cue the bagpipes!

The Pillsbury A Mill, known locally as "the one that didn't explode," has languished for years. Its gray, craggy, sagging walls await the right plan, the right moment, the right purpose.

Updated: March 01, 2012, - 07:58 PM

Lileks: A few tips on when NOT to call 911 ...

Safety basics: Every parent has the talk with the kid. So, what do we do if someone pulls up in a rusty van and says your parents sent him to pick you up? Scream and run! No, first we throw this military surplus grenade in the vehicle, then we scream and run. Remember? One potato, two potato, toss and go ... .

Updated: February 25, 2012, - 09:57 PM

More modest than your average Minnesotan

Cindy Olson is Minnesota Modest to the core.

Updated: February 25, 2012, - 09:46 PM

Lileks: If absolutely no one's happy, then the system must be working

In the city, everyone has to deal with that most aggravating of petty annoyances, YOU. And HIM. And everyone else.

Updated: February 23, 2012, - 08:01 PM

Lileks: If it's February and your Christmas lights are still up ...

Here's an intervention script for the last days of February. Feel free to use it on anyone who fits the description:

Updated: February 18, 2012, - 08:43 PM

Lileks: And our new national bagging champion is ...

The national grocery-bagging championships were held in Vegas last weekend. It doesn't get the same publicity as high-stakes poker tournaments, and you never hear of the compulsive bettor who put it all on that lightning-handed kid from the Sheboygan Sack-Crammers and lost everything.

Updated: February 16, 2012, - 05:51 PM

Lileks: You can't escape the phone books

Two early signs that winter is not eternal: Girl Scout Cookies, and the arrival of the massive, unrequested, unwanted pulp-dump called "The Phone Books." You can stuff the phone books in your pants to see what it'll feel like when you're done with the Girl Scout cookies.

Updated: February 11, 2012, - 04:45 PM