Over a year ago KAXE received email from Amanda Roach, explaining that her mom, Peggy Boggs, was both a farmer and one of Northern Minnesota's Strong Women. Peggy Boggs grew up in Chicago but fell in love with farming when she moved north to the Spring Lake area many years ago. Like most farmers, Peggy is super busy. It took us months to find a time when we could talk and share her story. She spoke with Northern Community Radio's Maggie Montgomery. Maggie : Tell me about your farm up in Spring

Mona Abel is a cookbook author, recipe diva, former go-go dancer and self appointed mayor of Side Lake, MN. She's got a new cookbook out and it, and Mona, are a hoot!

Linda LeGarde Grover joined us this week to talk about her latest novel "In The Night of Memory". It's a family story set on a fictional northern MN reservation, much like where Linda grew up on the Bois Forte Reservation. She gives the reader a real, up-close and personal look at the issues of missing and murdered indigenous women, foster care and the affects of boarding schools and forced relocation of the original inhabitants of northern MN. Writer Heid Erdrich said, "Told through generations

In this 2nd Strong Women Podcast only conversation we look at one extraordinary woman in Minnesota History - Coya Knutson.

Today we looked back at a Focus Group we held on June 10 th of 2019 at the KAXE Studios in Grand Rapids. About 13 women were in attendance including hosts and facilitator Heidi Holtan and Laura Connelly. Laura recently read an interesting article in The Atlantic magazine. It said that the best hope for improving the lot of all women is to close the leadership gap by doing the following: elect a female president elect 50 women senators women equally represented in the ranks of corporate execs and

Last week we talked with MN Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman - Brooklyn Park (DFL) about what she thinks got accomplished this session - and what is LEFT to accomplish including holding pharmaceutical companies accountable as well as insulin prices. Read MinnPost's Peter Callaghan's a rticle here.

This is the first of our podcast series from KAXE/KBXE's Strong Women. Not broadcast on the radio they are a little more off-the-cuff. Let us know what you think!

We've been holding Strong Women focus groups at KAXE/KBXE in the last year, talking with women in rural northern MN about their lives and experienced. This time when we gathered we talked about women supporting other women. Laura Connelly led this focus group and in this conversation she talks about themes that surfaced and what they mean. Our Strong Women conversations will continue on the radio, and soon, podcast only conversations as well! Stay tuned!

Sarah Strommen is the new DNR Commissioner for the state of Minnesota. We had a chance to talk about the hot-button issues like Chronic Wasting Disease , Aquatic Invasive Species, Enbridge Energy Line 3 Pipeline Project that the agency works with and the MN Legislature and the DNR's budget, slot limits for fishing and Minnesota's state park system. DNR commissioner announces School’s Out-Campout Challenge March 28, 2019 Goal is to fill all state park campsites June 8 to celebrate National Get

This morning we welcomed back MN author Lorna Landvik to talk about her new novel just out from the University of MN Press "Chronicles of a Radical Hag (With Recipes)". Lorna is the MC of the Friends of the Brainerd Public Libraries Wine and Words events coming up in August at Grandview Lodge. Tickets are now available and sell out fast!