The killing of George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis, by a police officer was like pouring gasoline on a smoldering fire. As many of us watched the protests grow across the country, you may have found yourself wondering: How did we get here? What can we do? And hopefully now you’re asking...how can we move forward--together? Along with peaceful protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, many activists have been encouraging people to read up on the subjects of systemic racism

A statewide conversation with Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. It’s your opportunity to ask questions about Minnesota’s response and plans during this COVID-19 pandemic. This week the Lt Governor answered questions about school's reopening in the fall, isolation of people in long-term care facilities and pandemic fatigue. If you didn’t get a chance to send or call in your question this week email [email protected] or call 612-562-9895.

Kim Green is a board co-chair at the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial in Duluth . She talked with us this morning about the story of the black men wrongly accused and lynched in Duluth in 1920. On the evening of June 15, 1920, three black men, wrongly accused of raping a white woman, were abducted from the Duluth, MN, City Jail. A mob numbering between five and ten thousand people savagely beat and tortured these three young men, then hung them from a lamppost in the middle of Duluth's downtown.

David Manuel has worked with local foods and food sovereignty on the Red Lake Nation for several years. He has worked with 4 Directions Development , Red Lake Traditional Foods, has helped till gardens, hand out seeds and vegetables and also started his own business based on gathering wild food and making jams, jellies, and maple candies called Muskrat’s Specialty Foods . Recently Red Lake Nation Foods bought Minnestalgia in McGregor, and as part of that process David, who is an independent

Black Birders Week is a social media campaign celebrating black naturalists, and black birders in particular. The initiative seeks to interrupt stereotypes about who belongs in nature and science, and was prompted in part by the Central Park birdwatching incident. Co-founder of the event, Chelsea Conner, joins Heidi Holtan and John Latimer on the Tuesday Morning Show. They talk about the challenges faced by black people being outdoors to enjoy nature. Chelsea is a herpetologist, which is the

We missed our weekly reports from students this week, but thankfully we received several reports from other folks in addition to our one student report from Auggie on Northern Sun Farms in Shevlin! So much in bloom, so much activity, so many reasons to get outside and take note of the beauty all around us here in northern Minnesota! Learn how to help a turtle across the road, find out what a snake puked up while Auggie was holding it and discover many, many more observations from him and several

Today we learn to say squirrel in Ojibwe and Nana Boozhoo teaches the moral of the story about the squirrel stuck in a snare.

Pete Kero, vice president of Iron Range Official Road Cyclist, joins Heidi and John on the Friday Morning Show. They talk about the soft opening of the Redhead Mountain Bike Park near Chisholm. The park opened that day and Pete shares the events planned for the opening. Pete tells us about the various levels of difficulty, the hiking trails available, rules to bring your pets and the Trailforks app available for riders. Listen here to learn more.

Michael Small is a volunteer at KAXE/KBXE, a minister and a chaplain. He joins Heidi and John on the extra hour of the Monday Morning Show. Michael talks about being a volunteer chaplain for Cass County, where law enforcement and Chaplains work together to provide comfort in time of personal crisis. He tells us about some of the crisis that confront him, and what his role is in these situations. If you would like to sign up for Michael's email newsletter "Small Talk" email Heidi at heidi@kaxe

During our extra hour of the Monday Morning Show we talked about local law enforcement with GR Police Chief Scott Johnson. We asked about the department's policy on choke holds, de-escalation, the future of police officers and more. Have a question for him? Send it our way! Or send us your ideas on policing now and the future. Walker Orenstein of MinnPost had an article today called "How Common Is It for MN Police Departments to Authorize Chokeholds, 'Neck Restraints'?".