Kinni Cast

For over 25 years, non-profit work has been near and dear to Rosa Magnus. After starting her non-profit journey in her home state of Texas, Rosa eventually found her way north to Wisconsin, and last year she became the new CEO of the River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau .  Rosa joins this special episode of the Kinni Cast to share more about why non-profits are important to her, disc...

48 structures. 236,000 square feet of space. 115 vehicles. Those are all part of what Ken Thill and his team maintain each and every day for the City of River Falls. As the Facilities and Fleet Manager for the City, Ken is responsible for keeping all City buildings and the fleet vehicles running smoothly – both for the employees who utilize them, as well as the public who visit City buildings.  On...

When Alison Page was elected Mayor of River Falls earlier this year, she didn’t allow herself much time to celebrate. Instead, she immediately hit the books to study municipal laws as she prepared to take office. When she did so in April of 2026, Mayor Page became just the second female mayor in River Falls’ history – with the first being her older sister, Katie.  On this episode of the Kinni Cast...

For the staff of the River Falls Public Works department, every day is a little different. Sometimes they’re out late, clearing the streets during a snowstorm. In the summer, they might be mowing the parks one day and putting up new street signs the next day. And as was the case just last week, they might even have to pick up a giant dead trout that somehow appeared on a sidewalk outside of City H...

Even though he’s lived in River Falls for just two years, Harley Mehlhorn has a deep appreciation for the City’s history. That guides him in the work he does as the Senior Planner, helping shape the future of River Falls by drawing on its past. It’s also part of the work he’s involved with as a member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission , which helps highlight and preserve the history o...

As the son of engineers, Todd Nickelski’s career took shape from watching the work his parents did. After years of working as an engineer in the private sector, Todd has now been with the City of River Falls for nearly five years as the City Engineer – and as a resident of the city, he gets to see firsthand the finished projects that he’s been involved with since joining the city.  On this episode...

Despite what the weather might tell us, summer will be here before we know it – and that means summer camps for kids, as well as summer activities for residents of all ages here in River Falls. Leading the recreation programming with the City of River Falls is recreation coordinator Kyle Mackey, who oversees everything from the recently released activity guide , the campground at Hoffman Park, the...

Every March, the City of River Falls holds its annual State of the City Address, which provides an opportunity to look back at the past year and highlight the projects and accomplishments that took place in River Falls. The 2026 State of the City was held on Tuesday, March 3 at Tattersall Distilling and used LEGOs as the theme to tell the story.  The following is the audio from the event, which in...

Elections are an important part of local government, and City Clerks are the people who make sure those elections run smoothly. In River Falls, that role belongs to Amy White, who has been the City Clerk for the past 9 years. But as you’ll hear in Amy’s episode of the Kinni Cast, she also wears many other hats in her role with the City.  Tune in to hear why she feels local elections are so importa...

When Karen Bergstrom joined the City of River Falls nearly 14 years ago as the human resources director, she was able to build the City’s human resources department from scratch. Having worked in HR for another city as well as the private sector, she brought a wealth of experience as she helped establish the HR culture at River Falls.  On this episode of the Kinni Cast, Karen shares more about the...

Matt Walker didn’t grow up in River Falls – he’s an Indiana native – but after living here for 15 years, River Falls is now home for Matt and his family. Recently, Matt helped put River Falls on the national stage as the head coach of the UW-River Falls Falcons football team, which won its first-ever Division III national championship in early January. Being in the spotlight gave Matt the opportun...

When it snows, we often take for granted that the snow gets cleared from our city streets. But that job gets done thanks to the public works crew at the City of River Falls. Plowing the snow is one of just many things the public works team does. They stay busy year-round with tree removal, street sign maintenance, mowing the grass at city parks, and much more.  To learn more about the Public Works...

In River Falls, the parks and natural resources are something residents routinely say is an important part of the community. Helping maintain those aspects of the City is the job of Brooks Ostendorf, who joined the City staff earlier this year as the manager of the newly-created Conservation and Parks Department.   On this episode of the Kinni Cast, Brooks talks about how his background in landsca...

Numbers are Josh Solinger’s thing – which is perfect since he serves as the finance director for the City of River Falls. On this episode of the Kinni Cast, Josh joins to share his passion for helping residents understand how their tax dollars support the services and projects shaping our community. He discusses the city’s annual budget, how the City funds major projects like the upcoming fire sta...

Before she ran for City Council in River Falls, Diane Odeen actually had aspirations of holding office at the state level of government in Wisconsin. While that didn’t ultimately work out, that experience eventually helped her land a spot on the City Council – a role she’s held for more than a decade.  On this episode of the Kinni Cast, Diane takes us behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a Ci...

Growth in a city like River Falls doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a balance of planning, partnerships, and community values. Tying all of those together is part of Emily Shively’s role as the Assistant Director of Community Development for the City of River Falls.  On this episode of the Kinni Cast, Emily joins to share more about how development works in the city, examines the current housing...

Since he was a kid, Gordon Young knew he wanted to be in law enforcement. He saw his dad and grandfather in the profession and seemed destined to follow in their footsteps. After getting his start in his home state of Michigan, he eventually found his way to River Falls in 2015 as the City’s new Police Chief.  On this episode of the Kinni Cast, Chief Young talks about his introduction to River Fal...

The Kinnickinnic River is an important part of River Falls’ history, its present, and its future. Once the Kinni Corridor plan is complete and both dams are removed to restore the river to its natural state, some aspects of the river will look quite different than they do today.  To dive into that topic, we’re joined on this episode of the Kinni Cast by Amy Peterson, the Community Development Dire...

Justin Wilson went to college with the goal of becoming a firefighter. But plans changed, and he eventually got a job in the corporate world. Several years after he moved to River Falls, he decided to join the River Falls Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter. Twelve years later, Justin is now leading the department as its new fire chief. Among the biggest challenges he faces early on is help...

The River Falls Public Library opened at its current location in 1997. And while the library still does so many great things for the local community, it’s in need of some upgrades. Last year, the library received a $4 million grant for renovations, and the much-anticipated construction is underway.  Library Director Tanya Misselt joins this episode of the Kinni Cast to share more about the work be...

In November of 1900, the City of River Falls experienced electricity for the first time as the downtown lights along Main Street were illuminated. This year marks the 125th anniversary of public power in River Falls, which is one of several essential services that River Falls Municipal Utilities provides to residents. Kevin Westhuis is the Utility Directory for the City, and he joins this episode...

Since Abraham D. Andrews became River Falls’ first mayor in 1885, 34 different people have served as mayor in the City's history. None has served longer than the current mayor, Dan Toland . After assuming the role in April of 2012, Mayor Toland has now served the city for 13 years — surpassing the run of Maynard E. Hoffman in the 1950s and 1960s.  Despite growing up in River Falls, Mayor Tola...

People get into local government for various reasons. For Scot Simpson , government was not his initial career path. But after shifting course on his original plan, he found himself gravitating toward city government – and he never looked back.  He’s spent his entire career in that field, including the past 16 years as the City Administrator for the City of River Falls. In that role, Scot has led...

Welcome to Kinni Cast, an all-new podcast from the City of River Falls featuring real people with a real purpose. In each episode, you’ll hear from City employees about the work being done to make River Falls a better place. Learn about what projects they’re working on and what drives them to make a positive impact on the River Falls community.  So if you’re curious about what’s next for River Fal...