Our April conversation on Dig Deep is about health care. We pair our liberal commentator Aaron Brown and conservative commentator Chuck Marohn to look at where health care came from and what it used to mean. We'llmove thru this topic all week - on Wednesday it's health care right now and we'll talk reform on Friday. Send us an idea for a topic and let us know what you think and sign up for the Dig Deep podcast to keep up to date on all our topics.

Program 14: Damming the Headwaters A radio series produced by historian Don Boese. Don is the author of eight books dealing with local history in Itasca County, including "John C. Greenway and the Opening of the Western Mesabi", and the main source for this series, "Papermakers: the Blandin Paper Company and Grand Rapids, Minnesota". The series begins with the arrival of the first Euro-Americans to the forested wilderness of Itasca County in the 1870s. In those early days the site that became

Our resident phenologist John Latimer takes us through the many signs that spring is upon us in this edition of the P henology Show. If you love nature and take notice of the subtle changes happening around you, please share your observations with us! We love to hear what is going on in our listeners' necks of the woods. Give us a call on our comment line 218.999.9876, email the station or email John directly . If you dig the Phenology Show, you'll dig our KAXE-KBXE Season Watch page on Facebook

TED Talks have been available online as videos and podcasts for years. More recently, TED has branched to communities across the country, creating another arm of their events called TEDx . Bemidji, MN will host its inaugural TEDx talks Friday, April 14 from 2-5pm . The event will take place at the Historic Chief Theatre in downtown Bemidji, there will also be satellite events with live feeds at both the Beaux Arts Ballroom on the Bemidji State University campus and the Rail River Folk School .

The Ragamala Dance Company has brought their "emotional vistas" of Indian Dance to audiences large and small for the past 25 years. The troupe brings Sacred Earth, a multi-modal original theatrical dance experience , to Bemidji Wednesday, April 19. The performance will take place at Bangsberg Theater on the Bemidji State University Campus . In this segment of Area Voices , Ashwini Ramaswamy talks about the history of Ragamala, what audiences can expect at a performance and the importance of

Fresh beans are easy to grow, delicious and nutritious. You can grow them in your garden or in a good-sized pot on your porch or doorstep. They come in a variety of colors and types--green, burgundy, yellow; bush, pole, or ornamental. For these reasons, fresh beans were chosen for a starring role as the "one vegetable" for the first year of Beltrami County's "One Vegetable One Community" project. "One Vegetable One Community" is a campaign to inspire conversations about food using one particular

Program 13: Dan Gunn A radio series produced by historian Don Boese. Don is the author of eight books dealing with local history in Itasca County, including "John C. Greenway and the Opening of the Western Mesabi", and the main source for this series, "Papermakers: the Blandin Paper Company and Grand Rapids, Minnesota". The series begins with the arrival of the first Euro-Americans to the forested wilderness of Itasca County in the 1870s. In those early days the site that became the town of

The creative spirit is strong in northern Minnesota and here at Northern Community Radio we celebrate it! On the First Friday of every month, our Area Voices segment connects you with the arts events happening around the listening region. We talk with Katie Marshall from the MacRostie Arts Cente r in Grand Rapids, Molly Olson from the Ely Folk School , and Katie Carter, Northern Community Radio's Area Voices Producer, in Bemidji. From award winning McKnight ceramics artists to bent willow chair

DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and Grand Rapids Area fishing guide Tom Neustrom stopped by the KAXE studios to talk about state budget concerns and what fee increases can mean for all Minnesotans. According to the DNR : Minnesota is home to world-class fishing opportunities, abundant wildlife, award-winning state parks and thousands of miles of trails on both land and water, all of which add to our high quality of life and attract millions of visitors during all four seasons. These sought-after

Spring is in the air and the phenological signs are all around us! We heard from kids and grown ups all across the listening area this week! From as far north as Baudette and as far south as Crosby-Ironton , our listeners are observing the subtle changes in nature and we are loving it! Thanks to everyone who contributed to the talkback show this week. Red wing black birds, tundra swans, fox, cougars, buffleheads , wolves and coyotes are just a few natural wonders our local phenologists took note