Rochester Today

Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Kent Pekel talks about the decision to drop from consideration an option that would have moved students at Sunset Terrace Elementary to Gage Elementary as part of a budget-cutting plan. The superintendent also discusses the school districts new strategic plan and goals for improving academic performance.

Patrick Seeb with Destination Medical Center joins Andy Brownell to talk about what to expect when it comes to DMC-related activity in Rochester in coming months and plans for upgrading the cities downtown historic District.

Andy Brownell and TJ Leverentz talk about the big announcement concerning a major data center near Rochester and discussions about the historic district in downtown Rochester that could result in dozens of fewer parking spots.

Chris Miksanek is the Meta-City Movie Guy and joins Andy Brownell to talk about the incredible legacy of film legend Robert Duvall and to review some recent new movies.

Andy Brownell and TJ Leverentz talk about the elimination of primary elections for seats on the Rochester School Board and discussions about more fundamental changes to school elections in the city.

Veteran State Capitol Correspondent Bill Werner was on hand for the opening session of the 2026 state legislature and shares his perspective of the days events and the prospects for the legislative session.

Rochester Public Utilities General Manager Tim McCuollough talks about the recent situation where the demand for electrical power in Rochester and other parts of the upper Midwest came close to exceeding the region's power capacity, which prompted calls for conservation during a time of bitter cold.

Andy Brownell and TJ Leverentz talk about the opening of the legislative session and the local issues on the table, including the push to retract sales tax funding for the new Regional Sports Center in Rochester and a proposal that could lead to automatic speed enforcement cameras in the city.

Rochester City Councilmember Shaun Palmer discusses a proposed large lot housing development in Olmsted County that could hamper the city's ability to provide water and sewer service to future subdivisions on the northeast edge of Rochester.

Steve Lange with Rochester Magazine talks about a fascinating article involving Helen Keller's close relationship with Mayo Clinic and Rochester.