Jearlyn Steele

On this edition of Center Stage, the following guests chat with Jearlyn:

• "The Chinese Lady" actress Katie Bradley
• Singer/musician/songwriter Jalan Crossland
• Star Tribune lead theatre critic Rohan Preston
• The Customers founder/singer/musician Ryan Sexton

Do you remember the PBS show “The Joy of Painting”?  For 11 years, painter Bob Ross showed up on our television screens to help us grow our artistic skills with his soothing voice, signature afro, and “happy little trees”.  Now, a Minneapolis-based company has ownership of the first painting ever created on the show…and they’ve put it on the market.  Modern Artifact president Ryan Nelson explains how this all came together.

It's officially the season corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and apple orchards.  For the family-owned Afton Apple Orchard, this means that the company’s annual Apple Festival starts next weekend.  How is business going in 2023?  And how much of an effect has the prolonged drought had on this year’s crop?  Assistant manager Sarah Parkos gives us an idea.

Afton Apple Orchards assistant manager Sarah Parkos previews the company's annual Apple Festival weekends.

Modern Artifact president Ryan Nelson talks about how the business acquired the first painting created on the former PBS show "The Joy of Painting".

Last week marked a milestone in a local neighborhood’s comeback story.  Anthony Bradford recently became the first person to become a homeowner by using St. Paul’s Inheritance Fund, marking a milestone in the comeback story of the city's Rondo neighborhood.  St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter discusses the progress of this initiative.

Jearlyn talks about a historic game for one NFL team.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter gives us an update on a milestone for the city's Inheritance Fund.

It's a jam-packed edition of Center Stage.  Jearlyn invites the following guests on the show:

• Rising musician Yohannes Tona
• "Cookin'" production supervisor Kate Young Eun Park
• Star Tribune lead theatre critic Rohan Preston
• Jazz MN Orchestra music director Pete Whitman

This week, nearly 150,000 autoworkers hit the picket line, marking the latest high-profile strike of 2023.  The work stoppage from the United Auto Workers now sits next to stoppages in national industries and local business alike.  But is a historically busy year for strikes, or does it just seem that way with our 24-hour news cycle?

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee distinguished professor of Economics John S. Heywood joins the program to go through this particularly active Summer of Union solidarity.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee distinguished professor of Economics John S. Heywood discusses labor unions and the bevy of strikes happening this year.  After the conversation, Jearlyn opens up the phone lines to talk about the impact of unions.

What are the legal and political ramifications of this week's announcement of more indictments against Hunter Biden?  We ask local attorney and owner of the Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm Joe Tamburino to provide his legal expertise on the new charges.