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NPR's John Otis at KAXE in Grand Rapids, MN: A Conversation About Columbia and Tourism part 1

While rafting down the Guejar River, tourists stop to hike along a stream to a waterfall near the town of Mesetas, which used to be under FARC rebel control in southern Colombia.
Carlos Saavedra
While rafting down the Guejar River, tourists stop to hike along a stream to a waterfall near the town of Mesetas, which used to be under FARC rebel control in southern Colombia.

John Otis grew up in Minnesota and is the grandson of what is now Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids. He's a journalist who has been covering Columbia and South America for the last 30 years, and now he reports for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
While he was visiting Minnesota this summer he stopped by the KAXE Studios to talk about some of his latest work along with his MN bike pal, Scott Hall.

For more than two decades, Heidi Holtan has helped shape the sound of KAXE. Since joining the station in 2002 as a volunteer music programmer, she has worn many hats including the weekly book program, Realgoodwords, hosting the Morning Show, creation and host of the weekly call-in program Between You and Me, serving as Outreach Producer. Program Director, News Director and currently Director of Content and Public Affairs.
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