Each week John and Heidi pull up a chair to one of our member’s kitchen tables and get to know them a little bit better. This week’s caller, Chuck, from Brainerd thrilled the Morning Show hosts with his boring breakfast of uncooked oatmeal with raising, banana, milk, and nuts. And, yes, uncooked.

Hear the whole conversation by clicking below.

This First Friday weekend in Bemidji promises all kinds of art, all over town.  Pottery, jewelry, paintings, snowflake decorations, wood-turned bowls...

We spoke with Betty Firth from the Ely Folk School about the upcoming classes and events at the Folk School this month! We learned what a capote is(a coat made from a blanket) and learned about upcoming classes on chaga mushrooms, wirewrapping jewelry and more.  The Folk School will take a break from regular hours from December 15th thru January 13th, but will be open and offering a wide range of classes during the last half of January as they ramp up for the winter festival in Ely.  

Katie Marshall of the MacRostie Art Center stopped in the KAXE studio and connected us with what is happening in Grand Rapids, MN this First Friday of December.  A wreath auction, Bagpipe playing, woven painting techniques, jazz music, handmade ornaments, make and take art and a meet the author event are just a few of the highlights!  Listen to the link for the full report and check out grandrapidsarts.org for a listing as well.

Paddle Minnesota producer Jim Gallagher talks with Pete Moberg about netting tullibees under the ice and Pete's 45 years of experience gathering this resource.

Today our DFL commentator Colleen Nardone and Heidi Holtan talked with DFLer Rep. Rob Ecklund(Int'l Falls) from MN House District 3a.

Mackenzie Lindahl lights up when she talks about cheese. “I love talking about cheese,” she says with a laugh. That’s one of the reasons Mackenzie is considered Bemidji’s “Cheese Queen.” She is also cheese buyer and perishables manager at Harmony Natural Foods Co-op. The job includes frozen foods, meats, baked goods and dairy—which includes cheese—and cheese is the part of the job that has most captured her heart. “I’m responsible for selecting, purchasing, pricing, sampling, talking about cheese.”

If you are looking for a new author - funny, touching with a midwestern bent (say David Sedaris if he'd grown up in Wisconsin and had a beard and wielded an axe) look no further than Matt Geiger.  His new book "Astonishing Tales". 

Steve Simon is MN’s 22nd secretary of state – who just won reelection.  That's not the only thing he can be proud of, once again Minnesota had the highest voter turnout in the nation. 

Adam Swanson is a Duluth based painter and muralist.   His vibrant works will be on exhibit at Frame Up in Grand Rapids this month.  In this segment of Area Voices, he talks about his journey as an artist, his adventures to Antarctica and his recent art experience aboard a research vessel on the Pacific Ocean.