Public Policy This Week

 This week's hosts, Joe Moravchick and Rich Larson talk with Dr. Dan Sullivan, the Curriculum Director of the Cannon valley Elder Collegium, and Jack Sielaf, a retired master Carpenter who is a student at the CVEC about the Elder Collegium program and the importance of never finishing one's personal education. 

Hosts Jon Olson and Steve Sviggum speak with MDVA Commissioner Brad Lindsay about caring for our veterans, the State of Minnesota's responsibilities and priorities vs. the federal government's, and the importance of celebrating and honoring Veterans Day. 

 Hosts Nathan Leaf and Rich Larson talk with Northfield, Minnesota Chief of Police Mark Elliott about the Fentanyl epidemic, what is being done at the federal, state and local levels to combat the issue, and what resources are available to those with drug problems and their loved ones. 

Hosts Rich Larson and Nathan Leaf talk with Assistant Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services Natasha Merz with the Minnesota Department of Human Services about the current challenges faced by long term care facilities, including staffing and funding.

Host Steve Poskanzer and his guest, Professor Alan Rozenshtein of the University of Minnesota Law School, discuss some of the most interesting cases the Supreme Court has agreed to hear in this term. Those cases could impact Congressional regulatory power, the viability of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (and possibly the Federal Reserve Bank), and 2nd Amendment rights for those convicted...

Hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson talk with Con Law Professor and President Emeritus of Carleton College Steve Poskanzer about the United States Constitution, and how it has not only survived and remained viable, but actually remained vital for 236 years.

 Hosts Nathan Leaf and Joe Moravchik talk with Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel and Northfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann about the state, and the importance, of civics education in the State of Minnesota right now. 

Hosts Christopher Chapp and Rich Larson discuss the state of the 2024 Presidential election 14 months before Election Day with Professor Christopher Galdieri of St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

Hosts Christopher Chapp and Rich Larson talk with Torey Van Oot, the political reporter for Axios Twin-Cities about new models of media, the challenges of covering the news in today's climate, and what the public wants and expects from news sources. 

Hosts Joe Moravchik and Nathan Leaf discuss the importance of forensic medicine, the role it plays in society, and the trends being seen by medical examiners around the country with Hennepin County, Minnesota Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker

Hosts Nathan leaf and Rich Larson speak with Dr. David Tilman and Dr. Jeannine Cavender-Bares about the ongoing 6th Mass Extinction and how it might affect our environment, our economy and our society.

Host Rich Larson talks with Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott discussing the legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota, getting into specifics of where and how it may be sold and consumed and some of the concerns held by law enforcement agencies.

 Hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson discuss the things that nobody wants to talk about - what to do when we lose a loved one. Scott Mueller of Mueller Memorial in the Twin Cities and the author of the book What to Know Before You Go answers the most commonly asked questions about death, grief and funerals. 

Hosts Bruce Morlan and Rich Larson talk with Shawn Riley, the co founder of Bisblox, and the former CIO of North Dakota about the emerging technology of Artificial Intelligence, how it works, where it's uses are helpful, where they aren't, and what to look for from Artificial Intelligence in the future. 

Hosts Chris Chapp and Bruce Morlan discuss the widespread use of misinformation and how social media has made it so easy to insert conspiracy theories into our lives, with Dr. Christina Farhart, a professor of Political Science at Carleton College who has also worked with the the National Science Foundation in the Division of Social and Economic Sciences and the American Educational Research Assoc...

Host Steve Poskanzer, the President Emeritus of Carleton College, and Professor Alan Rozenshtein of the University of Minnesota Law School discuss the slate of decisions handed down this year by the United States Supreme Court. 

Dr. James Densley returns to Public Policy This Week to talk with hosts Nathan Leaf and Joe Moravchik about the problem of street gangs in our society. 

Hosts Joe Moravchik and Christopher Chapp talk with Walker Orenstein of MinnPost about the 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session, which is being called the most impactful in 50 years. 

Hosts Christopher Chapp and Jon Olson discuss the importance of demographics to a democracy with Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower, and how Minnesota's shifting demographic landscape will shape policy, and politics, in the future.

Hosts Nathan Leaf and Rich Larson talk with Judge John Stanoch about the efforts to bring a World Expo -  commonly known as the World's Fair - to Minnesota, the cost benefits for the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota, and the scope of an event like this.

Hosts Christopher Chapp, a professor of Political Science at St. Olaf College, and Rich Larson talk about Academic Freedom, and free speech on American college campuses with the President Emeritus of Carleton College President Emeritus Steven Poskanzer, author of the book Higher Education Law: The Faculty

Hosts Joe Moravchik and Nathan leaf talk with Eric Peace, the Director of Operations and Communications with the Lakes Carriers' Association, about the importance of shipping on the Great Lakes to the economy and the security of the the United States.

Hosts Bruce Morlan and Joe Moravchik talk with the Executive Director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership, Anne Mavity, about the housing shortage being experienced in Minnesota and what can be done to create more affordable housing in the state and in the country.

Hosts Nathan Leaf and Bruce Morlan talk with Michael Noble, the retiring Executive Director of Fresh Energy, a group that looks to develop clean, renewable energy friendly policies.

This week hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson talk with Corey Adkins and Bruce Lynn of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum about preserving the memories of the vessels and crew lost on the Great Lakes, and why it is important that we do not forget.