Dwight Hobbes --- Out At Insight, In At Spokesman-Recorder The by-line of veteran Twin Cities columnist and arts writer Dwight Hobbes, a leading name at community weekly Insight News, was dropped after a decade and a half at the paper. "It was inevitable that [owner] Al McFarlane would get rid of me", says Hobbes.  "It's remarkable I lasted this long."  His exit began in June 2008 with the cancellation of Hobbes' popular opinion column Something I Said, which consistently drew the publications most animated letters both pro and con.  "Stevie Wonder could see McFarlane deliberately limited my exposure.  Why else did he continually leave Something I Said and my arts coverage off the online edition.    He cancelled the column with some transparent bilge about cutting costs to keep the doors open. Talk about pissing on someone's head and saying it's raining.  Advertising actually was increasing and he's spending more and more bread to print color photos.  I offered to write it for free and flatly was told 'No.'        Anthony Peyton Porter, former Twin Cities luminary who edited Colors Magazine, was producer-host at KFAI's "Write On Radio!" and wrote for Minneapolis StarTribune, before leaving for the West Coast, where he now contributes the weekly column From the Edge to Chico News & Review.  His response to hearing Hobbes' column had been discontinued was, "Has Al McFarlane lost his mind?"  Hobbes retorts, "Of course not. McFarlane simply decided he'd gained all the use my by-line was worth, never liked my profile rivaling his and knew he wouldn't lose one advertising dime."        Next to go was Hobbes' arts coverage.  In response to being taken off the theatre beat, he issued a press statement attesting that Penumbra Theatre Company artistic director Lou Bellamy blackballed him by falsely claiming he'd been disruptive at the Penumbra/Guthrie Theater premiere of "Gem of the Ocean".  "Bellamy lied to McFarlane with whom he has juice.  And that's exactly what I said.  Bellamy has the late August Wilson's jock strap on his jaw along with his nose up [Guthrie artistic director} Joe Dowling's ass.  McFarlane, itching for an excuse, actually told me, when he yanked me off the beat, 'I'll understand if you want to quit'.  When I acknowledged what everybody knows, that Penumbra has pull at Insight News – which is not illegal, immoral or fattening, just a fact of life – Insight ceased running anything I turned in. Frankly, much as any freelancer hates to lose a gig, I'm damned good and glad the other shoe finally dropped." Hobbes, who contributes to Mpls/St. Paul magazine and Twin Cities Daily Planet and has written for several local and national publications, including Essence, Washington Post and Reader's Digest, adds, "If my career depended on one outlet, it ain't much of a career, is it?"        Which led to Dwight Hobbes interviewing at the direct competition, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the state's oldest African-American newspaper.  Since July, he's been contributing the commentary column Hobbes In The House and the arts column Arts, No Chaser.  "One door closes, another opens", he reflects. "Far as I'm concerned, it's for the best.  I no longer am looking over my shoulder, worried about staying in print, because of petty spite.  And it's a relief to be treated like a professional, like veteran at what I do instead of a disposable piece of office equipment."