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Sec. Simon, Sandy Layman among guests for KAXE's 2-hour 'Dialed In' show

News Director Chelsey Perkins, left, and Heidi Holtan, director of content and public affairs, work together at KAXE studios in Grand Rapids.
Contributed
/
Lorie Shaull
News Director Chelsey Perkins, left, and Heidi Holtan, director of content and public affairs, work together at KAXE studios in Grand Rapids.

"Dialed In" is dedicated to informed civic dialogue on the political and social issues that matter to Northern Minnesota. Our debut episode focused on the 2024 election.

"Dialed In" is a new program from KAXE dedicated to informed civic dialogue on the political and social issues that matter most to Northern Minnesota, connecting listeners with stories that shape our communities and engaging them in conversations that foster understanding and participation.

Dialed In is dedicated to informed civic dialogue on the political and social issues that matter to Northern Minnesota. Our debut episode focused on the 2024 election.

In our second episode, we focused on the 2024 election and featured:

  • First-time voter Zane Poenix
  • Creative solution to sign stealing case
  • A roundtable discussion with Northern Minnesota candidates under 35
  • Listener questions
  • Foreign election observers in Minnesota
  • Authors of Ungoverning discuss declining trust in journalism
  • DFL and Republican activists in Grand Rapids ready for Election Day
  • Why we vote for judges
  • Live conversation with Sandy Layman of Majority in the Middle about bipartisanship
  • Live Q-and-A with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon
  • KAXE News' Chelsey Perkins and Megan Buffington
  • Legislative candidate fact checks about education

Follow along at KAXE.org on Tuesday, Nov. 5, for Election Day coverage, and join us Wednesday morning for post-election analysis and results.

KAXE News created this Northern Minnesota Election Guide for our audience — especially those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to candidate information.

Learn about the candidates in contested races by clicking here.

Dialed In music by Paul Spring

  • Speaker Emerita, Melissa Hortman, speaks to Bemidji Chamber of Commerce members during Bemidji Day at the State Capitol on March 5, 2025.
    Lorie Shaull
    /
    KAXE
    A man impersonating a police officer shot Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband in their Brooklyn Park home. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot multiple times.
  • Onion Pie is one Erin Haefele's favorites for using freshly harvested onions.
    Contributed
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    Erin Haefele
    When the garden or farmers market gives you everything at once, the best way to handle it is to return to the fundamentals: roast, grill, bake, pickle, can, dry, freeze and sauté. These aren’t just methods, they’re survival tools during harvest season. Especially grilling. Because it’s summer. And everything tastes better with a little char and a lot of butter.This week, Amy and Heidi talked to Erin Haefele of Green Scene in Walker, Minnesota, "a charming food haven nestled in the heart of rural northern Minnesota where small-town warmth meets big-city sophistication." Erin inspires us with simple preparations to deliciously fresh garden ingredients. And we hear from Amy's friend Beth Friedrichson from Wisconsin, who gushes about dilly beans and life on the farm with chickens and alpacas.Lots of folks phoned in to talk about their harvests, whether it was peonies in Stillwater, garlic near Detroit Lakes, urban front yard CSAs in Minneapolis, potato varieties in Deer River or stuffed grape leaves in Chicago, you had a story to tell. Share yours! This week's community recipe to cook along with us is Onion Pie: kaxe.org/community-recipe-onion-pie-ham-radio-amy-thielen. Give it a try and send us your reactions and photos at comments@kaxe.org!Ham Radio Features original licensed music — "You Know How I Like It" by Jeremy Messersmith.Made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Culture Heritage Fund. Support KAXE by becoming a member today: https://donate.nprstations.org/kaxe/donate
  • And: Brainerd senior Ty Nelson wins a second triple jump title, and Red Lake County will play for a baseball title Saturday.
  • Ashley Johnson and Chris Bell from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation share the story of their building's origin in the last century as the Charley Miles Block during a Bemidji Heritage Preservation Commission ceremony on June 11, 2025.
    Larissa Donovan
    /
    KAXE
    Entrepreneurs shaped downtown more than 100 years ago near the Lake Bemidji waterfront. Members of the Bemidji Heritage Preservation are committed to sharing their stories.

Heidi Holtan is Director of Content and Public Affairs. She manages producers/hosts and is the host of the KAXE Morning Show, including a variety of local content like Phenology, What's for Breakfast, Area Voices, The Sports Page and much more, alongside Morning Edition from NPR.