Community Focus

Kevin Denny, Director of Development for Brainerd Catholic Churches, visits about the upcoming Run for the Son Faithful 5K/10K Walk/Run - a community event and fundraiser for a number of charities in the area. The charities are chosen by those participating. They also talked about the Speaker Series coming to the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts in November that will feature Tik Tok star Tanner Kalina. He will be giving a speech for area youth entitled "Heart of the Matter" geared to uplift and provide support for "screenagers" who may be struggling with tragedies recently happening in their lives.

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Lt. Carla Beierman & Lt. Lance Turcotte with the Minnesota State Patrol visit about the success of the B.I.R. Event over the weekend and how there were no major incidents with traffic during that event. After that, they talked extensively about the upcoming school year traffic. With new drivers, new roundabouts/roadways and the use of electric scooters, drivers need to pay EXTRA attention when driving this fall during morning and afternoon hours. They discussed school bus stop-arm laws and also about car seat rules for smaller children. The two also invited listeners to visit them at the Minnesota State Fair during MN State Patrol day.

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Heather Stanley with the Regional Local Advisory Council joins Community Focus to discuss what Regional LAC is all about and the role it plays in supporting individuals and families throughout the area. Heather highlights some of the resources, advocacy and assistance available through the council and shares details about a free, family-friendly event happening this Thursday from 12-3 at the Northland Arboretum.

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Jessica Gangl, Executive Director of the Brainerd Public Schools Foundation, and Cohen Gangl, an 8th grader at Forestview Middle School, join to talk about BPSF’s mission and goals for the upcoming school year. Jessica shares how funding is still available for Brainerd Public Schools educators and provides an update on the Warrior Store and the support it provides throughout the district. They also preview several upcoming BPSF events, including Cocktails for a Cause, Bingo at the Brainerd American Legion and the BIG EVENT, coming up February 19th, 2027.

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Taylor Lesmeister, Public Health Educator with Crow Wing County, joins to talk about radon and why it’s an important health concern for Minnesota homeowners. Taylor explains what radon is, where it comes from, how it can enter our homes and why long-term exposure can pose serious health risks. She also walks through how easy it is to test your home for radon, what the results mean and what steps homeowners can take if elevated levels are detected. Crow Wing County currently offers free radon test kits to area residents.

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Jack Wawro, Tournament Director, and Jen Lowe, Director of the CRMC Foundation, join Community Focus to preview next week’s CRMC Championship at Cragun’s Legacy Courses. They discuss the tournament, the field of golfers coming to the Brainerd Lakes Area, what fans can expect throughout the week, and the impact the event has on the community. Jen also highlights CRMC’s involvement in the championship and how the tournament helps support the CRMC Foundation and its mission.

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Sue Galligan, Director of Special Events, Brainerd Lakes Chamber about a number of upcoming Brainerd Chamber events. She highlighted the Blue Ox Leadership Experience and that there were only 10 seats left to fill for the 2026/2027 Class, which begins in September. They also talked about Business After Hours events in August and September, WAVE Young Professionals events and the upcoming Celebration of Excellence awards recognizing the "best of the best" in businesses in the Brainerd area for the 2026 year.

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Chip Rankin, Superintendent of Brainerd Public Schools, joins to discuss what has been a trying first couple of months on the job and how the district is working to support students, families and staff. Rankin highlights resources available to parents and students and talks about ways the community can get involved in supporting local schools. He’s also spearheading a new “Warriors for Warriors” group, bringing together Brainerd alumni who want to help meet needs throughout the district. Rankin also encourages community members who have a little extra time to consider volunteering in one of the district’s buildings.

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Brittany Goerges, Program Coordinator for the Crow Wing Master Gardener Program with the University of Minnesota Extension, visits about what a Master Gardener is and does. Brittany encouraged listeners to attend the group's largest fundraising Plant Sale coming to the area and explained how to become a Master Gardener in the future. She explained the different benefits of becoming a Master Gardener and the requirements it takes to become and stay qualified as a Master Gardener.

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Shane Riffle, CEO, Brainerd Family YMCA talks about current youth happenings at the YMCA. They talked about fall programs for kids and adults. They also discussed sport events and registration deadlines, fall membership rates and the upcoming Coats for Kids drive.

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