Today on our montly home buying/selling/renovation segment On the House, Jesse Davis introduced us to Sandra O'Fallon from Kootasca.  She assists first time or low income buyers with the extensive steps required to purchase a house.  Kootasca has a program on Homebuyer Education that give participants the tools to move forward in achieving their own home.  The next class is November 13th in Grand Rapids - check here to find out more information. 

Steve Downing is an area writer and arts enthusiast.  He recently had the chance to get to Central Lakes College in Brainerd for the opening of their season of Verse Like Water directed by Jeff Johnson. 

Bonnie Lundorff owns and operates the Willow Wood Market just south of Bemidji.   Willow Wood is a cozy quilt shop and wool studio that offers a variety of classes, supplies and materials for all things fiber art.  In September, Bonnie hosts the annual Harvest Festival on the Willow Wood property.  The Harvest Festival offers quilts,  soups, desserts, soups arts, antiques and a whole lot more.   Bonnie stopped by to tell us more what kinds of things people can expect this year.  All proceeds from sal

The Minnesota Street Rod Association held their Fall Camp 

out in Grand Rapids last weekend.  Close to Home host Grant Frashier was there to check out some of the amazing cars on display and talk with the owners.  

Turn over your ballot! 

When Tuesday November 6th rolls around you'll be voting for MN Governor, Attorney General, congressional and senate seats as well as legislative seats. AND, if you turn over your ballot, you'll be asked to vote for candidates for judge, including the MN Supreme Court.  Many of us don't understand the

From Austin, Texas, folk duo Dawn & Hawkes came through the KAXE studio last week while in Northern Minnesota.

Listen below to hear a couple songs from their beautiful new album, The Other Side, how they write together as a married couple, trying to make the world a better place through music, and perhaps most shockingly, they still listen to an ipod!

Each week, our resident Phenologist John Latimer compiles his report of the subtle and not so subtle phenological changes he's noticed in the past week and he shares those observations with our listeners. This week, John discusses changes in daylight,  which trees are where in terms of their peak color, the bumper plum crop, rice worms, dragonflies, butterflies and more.   

The school year is underway and that means our weekly phenology talkback segment just got exponentially more fun.  Year-round, we hear from listeners who call or email their observations of the natural world to us and we love hearing from everyone who contributes!  However, when school is underway we have the sweet treat of hearing from classrooms and kids around the listening area as they report what they've been noticing. 

Julia Turshen was back with us on KAXE/KBXE - last time we talked about her cookbook "Small Victories" and this time she's delving into leftovers and tips and recipes for home cooks.  

Are you a deer hunter, live with someone who is, or has a friend or relative who hunts deer?

The University of Minnesota researcher, Joe Bump and his graduate student, Ellen Candler are doing research to better understand what and when animals use deer gut piles provided by hunters across Minnesota.