Community Focus

Guests Heather Jones and Jess Wide, board members of the Crosslake Winterfest Committee, join us to preview the 24th Annual Crosslake Winterfest, happening February 5th–7th. They break down everything packed into this three-day winter celebration, including the popular Medallion Hunt, Soupfest, live music, and a full lineup of activities and events for the entire family.

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Guests Martha Smithson, Principal of Early Learning, and Jen Lindholm, Early Childhood Program Administrative Assistant, join to share what’s coming up in Early Childhood Family Education. They discuss new ECFE classes beginning next week, along with special events and upcoming field trips families can look forward to. The conversation also covers important preschool information, including registration opening early next month and the child screening process that takes place prior to attending preschool, helping families feel prepared and confident as they take the next step in their child’s early learning journey.

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Guests Jessica Gangl, Executive Director of the Brainerd Public Schools Foundation, and Amye Miller, Big Event Chair, join to talk about the Foundation’s upcoming Big Event on February 21st at Grand View Lodge. They share details about the event, how funds raised directly benefit a wide variety of students, and discuss current opportunities for sponsors and donated auction items to support this important cause.

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Guests Lowell Johnson, a member of the Lakes Area Justice Table, and Rev. Candace Adams from Compassionate Way join the podcast to discuss the upcoming Cultivating Compassionate Communities training happening later this month. The conversation explores what the training will offer participants and why building compassionate communities begins with cultivating compassion within ourselves.

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Guest is Tony Housey from Camp Ripley. Housey recaps a very busy 2025 at the Camp, highlights the impact those operations had on the region, and gives us an early look at what’s ahead in 2026. We’ll also talk about Winter Operations Training, what it means for scheduled visiting units, and how those activities shape everything from local traffic to the broader mission at Camp Ripley. It’s a great behind-the-scenes update on one of Minnesota’s most important training centers.

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Brainerd Public Utilities Director Paul Sandy and City Administrator Nick Broyles join to break down the city’s upcoming galvanized water service line replacement project, including what homeowners need to know, how to check if their property is affected, and what the timeline looks like moving forward. We also cover a Public Works update, a Brainerd EDA update, and wrap up with details on a fun community event, the Community Open Skate at Memorial Park on February 7.

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Guests are Alex Dominguez, Programs Manager and Mandy Flitsch, Advocate

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Guest is CEO Shane Riffle

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Guests are Crow Wing County Administrator Debby Erickson and Crow Wing County Sheriff's Lt. Craig Katzenberger

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Guests are Faith Hamson, Marketing Coordinator of Lakes Area United Way and Jana Shogren, Executive Director of Bridges of Hope

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