Living In Carver County Minnesota

Most families don't know David Sherman exists — until they're already in crisis. As the owner of Disability Consulting Solutions, David has spent over 30 years working alongside families navigating disability, chronic illness, cognitive decline, and the decisions that come with aging. His work sits in the gaps — the space between what county case managers can provide and what families actually nee...

Dr. Kamruz Darabi didn't take the obvious path. Trained in Germany, New York, and Ohio, fluent in four languages, he could have practiced anywhere. He chose Chaska — and then chose to go out on his own. In this conversation, Greg Anderson talks with the founder of Darabi Dermatology about what that journey actually looked like, and what Carver County residents should know about their skin health....

If you drive Highway 5 between Chanhassen and Victoria — or you own property anywhere near that corridor — this is the episode to listen to before construction season shifts into full gear. Carver County is in the middle of a $116 million Highway 5 overhaul. A 3.5-mile stretch from Highway 41 in Chanhassen to downtown Victoria is going from a two-lane rural road that was already carrying over 20,0...

What does it actually take to keep a community's most vulnerable families from falling through the cracks? In this episode, Greg sits down with Molly Koivumaki, the first Executive Director of Beyond New Beginnings — a supportive housing program in Chaska that provides safe, stable homes for young moms and their children as they work toward independence. Molly brings nearly 25 years of Chaska root...

Chaska City Manager Matt Podhradsky returns to the podcast to talk about the city's brand-new $48million Public Safety Center, set to open in just weeks. Greg got a privatetour of the facility and sits down with Matt to unpack the full story — fromwhy the old buildings couldn't keep up, to the historic Chaska elements builtinto the design, to the decontamination zones protecting firefighters fromc...

What do you do when your parents have 40 years of stuff in a 4,000 square foot house and they need to move to a 1,200 square foot assisted living apartment? Most families are paralyzed by this question—and Ernise Beckel has spent her career solving it. Ernise is a registered nurse with 20 years of experience who kept walking into seniors' homes and seeing the same problem: people discharged fr...

From social worker to sourdough entrepreneur—Elaine Dube turned a friend's encouragement and a 106-year-old sourdough starter into Hello Simple; a business teaching hands-on sourdough classes across Minnesota. Elaine moved to Cologne, Minnesota in December 2023 and started by simply posting in the local Facebook group asking if anyone wanted to learn sourdough. Twenty-five people said yes. Now she...

Melodie Bridgeman from the Carver County Community Development Agency pulls back the curtain on programs most residents don't know exist. We dig into the CDA's down payment assistance offering up to $50,000 in forgivable loans for first-time buyers, break down how Community Land Trusts let families purchase $400,000 homes at $250,000 price points, and Melodie tells the full story behind Chaska Yar...

Seventy-five million Americans are caregivers. That's one in four adults—and the media is calling it our nation's largest mental health crisis. But what does caregiving actually look like behind closed doors? In this raw and candid conversation, Michael Boylan shares his 20-year journey caring for his son Connor, who was diagnosed with Williams syndrome at age three. Michael walked away from a thr...

Estate planning attorney Karl Tsuchiya pulls back the curtain on the legal decisions families face when a loved one starts declining or when life throws unexpected curveballs. This conversation gets real about capacity issues, protecting vulnerable adults, and why every family needs certain documents in place regardless of their net worth. Karl's a partner at Helmuth & Johnson with deep ex...

Why does downtown Chaska look the way it does? How did a small river town of 8,000 people become one of the most sought-after suburbs in the Twin Cities metro? This is the first episode of "Origins"—a new series exploring the backstory of things Carver County residents take for granted. And there's no better place to start than with Dave Pokorney, who served as Chaska's city manager for 25 years....

Carver County Commissioner Lisa Anderson explains how your property taxes are calculated, why growth doesn't automatically lower your tax bill, and how residents can influence local decisions before they're made. What does a Carver County Commissioner actually do? How are your property taxes calculated? And why doesn't all that new construction in Chaska, Victoria, and Waconia automatically lower...

Food insecurity is surging in Carver County—and it doesn't look the way you might think. In this powerful conversation, Bountiful Basket Executive Director Patti Sinykin reveals why demand has jumped 72% in just one year, who's really walking through their doors, and what it takes to serve 9,615 people annually with dignity and compassion. You'll discover: Why hunger exists in one of Minnesota's m...

Living in Carver County Podcast: Building a Better Society with Heather Tran In this episode of Living in Carver County , Greg sits down with Heather Tran , co-founder of A Better Society , a Chanhassen-based nonprofit that’s redefining how communities come together to solve problems. Founded in 2008, A Better Society takes innovative social ideas, incubates them, and scales them into sustainable...

In this episode of the Living in Carver County Podcast , host Greg Anderson talks with David Brecht , Director of Finance & Operations for Eastern Carver County Schools (District 112) , about the upcoming November 4th school funding referendum . They discuss Minnesota’s state funding gap , how local referendums support classrooms in Chaska, Carver, Chanhassen, and Victoria , and how the propos...

Taylor Hubbard is the new Mayor of Chaska after years on the city council and time on the board of the Chaska Human Rights Commission. We talk about municipal projects underway as well as upcoming commercial development happening in Chaska. She has a huge heart for service, a sharp mind and commitment to the community. Please refer to the City of Chaska's web site for information about new develop...

The South West Chamber of Commerce serves the cities of Chaska, Chanhassen, Victoria & Carver as well as the broader Carver County area. Since combining the chambers several years ago, the combined efforts have been a force multiplier and enabled business to expand, network and collaborate across city boundaries to promote local business and commerce. Steve has brought a breath of varied work...

When the Chaska Herald shut down in April 2024 after being bought by anout-of-state ownership group, Eastern Carver County became a "newsdesert." No coverage of city council meetings. No school board reporting. No accountability. What filled the void? Facebook rumors and misinformation. Former Chaska City Council member Mike Huang watched residents show up tomeetings outraged about thing...

Welcome to the 1st episode of SEASON 7! :-)If you've been around for a while, you know I like to start with Chaska community champion Bob Roebke and we like to discuss the latest comings and going in Chaska and Eastern Carver County. Bob is a champion for building community and is the "OG" of this podcast agreeing to be interviewed before anyone knew how this would unfold. He is always pitching in...

Erin Rathke is the new superintendent for Eastern Carver County school district 112. She gets to flex about the great things happening in the district and also addresses some of the challenges of late. We talk about what is is like to be in the fastest growing county in MN.

Have you ever wondered how your brain works? Why do you respond a certain way when something that you don't like happens? Is there a way to train your mind to be more intentional? This interview was very fun to do and I learned a lot and connected several dots in my head. Bhante is on a mission to help people be more mindful or intentional about how they engage with the world. For additional infor...

Graham Johnson wanted to be a writer most of his life. He landed what he thought was going to be a dream job reporting for SW News on the Chaska Herald and Chanhassen Villager. Unfortunately for Graham and the community, the parent company decide to close both papers. We visit a little about the importance of local news and then dig into effective story telling. Graham is kind, thoughtful and give...

Have you ever read those thoughtful editorials about the human condition in the Chaska Herald or Chanhassen Villager? Doug and Lynn Nodland offer readers wisdom and assurance based on years of life experiences as accomplished professionals, Lynn in counseling and Doug practicing law. They now run a successful coaching business and work with clients of all ages but with a specialty with people goin...

Erika has a compelling story filled with overcoming adversity, perseverance, grit and a sense of being part of something bigger than one's self. Hers is the story of an immigrant who has overcome many challenges with grace, determination all while being good natured and committed to giving back to her community in her work with the county and in her personal life. She is a strong, determined and a...

If you haven't been to Carver in the past year or so, you will be blown away with the construction, both commercial and residential. We have Carver Mayor Courtney Johnson here to discuss all the new development, the city's plan to address the coming needs that go along with this growth. Courtney is committed to managing these changes with transparency and citizen involvement. We also talk about wh...