Door County Pulse Podcast

Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) sits down with Pulse editor Debra Fitzgerald to talk about the new legislative session, his priorities and committee assignments, the budget that will be built this year, a CAFO expanding in Forestville, the recently released plans for Potawatomi State Park Observation Tower, and what Republicans may be planning for the state's abortion law.

Door Community Auditorium releases a slate of winter main-stage shows, coffeehouse concerts and talks. Plus, Andrew Kleidon and Myles Dannhausen Jr. discuss Ephraim’s decision not to expand alcohol licenses in the village and Sturgeon Bay’s tribute to Jim Benesh.

The Door County Granary project and the Sister Bay-Liberty Grove Fire Department both won big awards in the $1.7-trillion Omnibus Appropriations Act that Congress passed just before Christmas. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks with Debra Fitzgerald about how these projects were funded and about Congressional earmarks in general. They also dive into Destination Door County's new Community Investment Grant...

It looks like rental companies will be staying at the Sister Bay Marina after a December hearing brought dozens of people out in support of the operators. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to Andrew Kleidon about that issue, plus three big decisions coming up for Ephraim. But first they introduce a new column debuting in this week’s Pulse and the aerial photography of Dan Anderson.

When Lawrence University found a new director for its Door County campus, Bjorklunden, it brought home a familiar face. Tom McKenzie talks to Myles Dannhausen Jr. about returning to the county where he co-founded the Pulse and how locals can get to know the 441-acre campus south of Baileys Harbor.

Dan Kane, Door County Director of Emergency Management and Communications, talks with Pulse editor Debra Fitzgerald about the critical employee shortage at the county's 24-7 dispatch operation that receives about 50,000 calls for help annually, and what the county is doing to attract and retain employees while filling the gaps in the short-term.

The real estate market has changed quite a bit since the Door County Board of Realtors (DCBR) was first founded 60 years ago. Debra Fitzgerald talks with Mary Kay Shumway, DCBR treasurer, and Jeff Isaksen, DCBR president, about the past, present and future of Door County real estate.

Tom Groenfeldt has written about the arts, business and technology for the Peninsula Pulse, but he got his start in Door County many years earlier as an intern for the Resorter Reporter. He talks to Myles Dannhausen Jr. about his stint as Chan Harris’s roving summer photography intern whose job was to capture scenes for the cover and inside pages of the publication.

It's a phrase we all use, but what exactly does it refer to? This week in the Pulse we sought to determine where the line demarcating northern Door County is – and found that it depends on who you ask. Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Andrew Kleidon break it down.

If Door County is the Cape Cod of the Midwest, and the Cape is a far more thickly settled and visited place than Door County, what can Door County learn from the Cape about balancing environmental protections and economic progress? That's the conversation the Door County Environmental Council wanted to start when it guest-hosted the Cape Cod Commission's Erin Perry this fall. Andrew Kleidon talks...

The Sister Bay Marina Committee is considering eliminating commercial activity at the popular marina. That has ignited an avalanche of backlash from locals and visitors, including some of the 50,000 people who use the services each year to get on the water. Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Andrew Kleidon discuss the reasons behind the discussion, and what it might mean.

The fiction, nonfiction, poetry and photography winners of the Pulse's annual Hal Prize have been released in this year's 8142 Literary Review, which is hot off the press and available now. Grace Johnson, editor of the literary review, talks with Pulse editor Debra Fitzgerald about this year's contest winners (a local writer won the fiction category), the making of a literary journal and the local...

Three weekends of Christkindlmarkt kicks off in Sister Bay over Thanksgiving weekend, and John Nelson of the Sister Bay Historical Society joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to tell us what to expect, new highlights, and what went into the creation of a hugely popular new holiday event.

Door County Sheriff Tammy Sternard talks with Debra Fitzgerald about the county's largest, tax-levy-supported department and how they enforce the law, community policing, mental health crisis call challenges, the county's jail population, and finding the employees needed for Door County's vital, public safety sector.

Andrew Kleidon is joined by Grace Johnson to talk about how she spends her winter: with books. Door County Reads is on the horizon, plus a sneak peak at a profile on Door County author Jill Stukenberg from the winter Door County Living magazine. After the break, a deep dive into the final evolution of the cheese board: the butter board. What is it, and why was it the best thing Kleidon tasted all...

What if we didn’t design our communities around cars? That’s the question Nate Bell, a trustee for the Village of Sister Bay and an avid cyclist, has been thinking about a lot since he started biking in 2020. He joins the podcast to talk about changing thinking when it comes to connecting communities and steps the village hopes to take in the coming years.

A walk in the park is something most of us take for granted. Adam Peronto and Kinect M1 are trying to make it possible for those who can’t. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to Peronto about the Action Trackchair the organization hopes to donate to Peninsula State Park, and the experiences it provides for people with disabilities.

For Pulse Editor Debra Fitzgerald, election season brings adrenaline - and frustration. She joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to discuss how the national political discourse now infiltrates the letters page of a small-town local newspaper, and how she wades through the mess. They also talk about the election signs that now dominate the county roadsides.

It’s a weekend of frightening fun in Door County, and Andrew Kleidon and Myles Dannhausen Jr. break down what they’re looking forward to, and Andrew airs his Halloween grievances. Then, they discuss the fire at Mr. G’s and the art of Nathan Hatch.

The Director of HELP of Door County, Milly Gonzales, joins Myles Dannhausen JR. to talk about the struggle to stop and prevent domestic abuse in Door County, and the many ways it impacts the community.

Susan Kohout and Ann Morgan with the League of Women Voters of Door County sits down with Debra Fitzgerald to talk about the organization's nonpartisan work to inspire civic involvement and education, and how they're recruiting the next generation of civic leaders who are so important to local communities and to the health of a strong republic.

Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Andrew Kleidon talk upcoming Halloween events, Fall 50 runners, and last week’s improv show at Peach Barn. Plus, they recap a Fall Fest weekend that has become much more than crowds and drinking, Dannhausen says.

Andrew Kleidon is joined by Pulse reporter Sam Watson to talk about journalism, discovering Door County through writing, and how Watson tackles news reporting versus arts and entertainment writing.

Andrew Kleidon is joined by Third Avenue PlayWorks artistic director Jacob Janssen to talk about his return to Door County, his first season at TAP, the importance of bringing a community together through theater, and TAP’s upcoming Play Reading Club.

Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Andrew Kleidon talk Pumpkin Patch and broadband progress in Liberty Grove. Then, we remember Patty Williamson, who for 14 years wrote hundreds of articles for the Pulse and became our office grandmother. Patty died in September not long after turning in her final article.