Public Policy This Week

This week, hosts Steve Sviggum, Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson take a break from more serious topics to talk with the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins, Cory Provus, and then have an in-depth discussion about why Earl Battey was actually a better catcher for the Twins than Joe Mauer.

Hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson talk with President Emeritus of St. Lawrence University, Dan Sullivan, and President Emeritus of Carleton College, Steve Poskanzer, about the affordability of college in the United States, and what can be done to make sure college is accessible to all Americans.

Hosts Bruce Morlan and Nathan Leaf talk with Joe Mahon, a Regional Outreach Director with the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. They discuss the role the Fed plays in maintaining a healthy economy, and how it's actions affect bank stability, inflation, and other more day-to-day situations.

This week, hosts Rich Larson and Nathan Leaf visit the Center for Transportation Studies on the University of Minnesota campus to talk about the work they are doing in developing Connected Autonomous Vehicles, or self-driving cars, and the infrastructure and policy adaptations that will be necessary to bring CAVs online.

This week hosts Bruce Morlan and Rich Larson talk with Dr. Beth Malow, a physician and advocate for the elimination of Daylight Saving Time.

Hosts Jon Olson and Chris Chapp talk with Pat Dillon, the President of MNSBIR, and Chip Laingen, the Executive Director of the Defense Alliance about helping Minnesota small businesses do business with the US Defense Department, and the challenges those companies face.

Host Bruce Morlan talks with Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin about his company, Tree Range Chickens, and the belief that many practices that we consider fundamental in the raising of livestock could be approached differently and yield better results.

This week hosts Joe Moravchik and Steve Poskanzer discuss international law as it relates to space with the Co-Director of the Air and Space Law Program University of Mississippi, Professor Michelle L. D. Hanlon. The discussion covers the concept of "Space Law" itself, territorial rights on the moon, the need for agreements regarding space junk, and the nonprofit organization founded by Professor...

Hosts Jon Olson and Joe Moravchik talk with former Collin Peterson, who chaired the House Agriculture Committee from 2019-2021, and Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson about the Federal Farm Bill and Minnesota's Agricultural Economy.

Hosts Joe Moravchik and Steve Poskanzer talk with Eric Brever of the Law firm Wornson Goggins in New Prague.  Brever explains important details about wills and trusts. 

Hosts Bruce Morlan and Joe Moravchik discuss the intricacies of crypto currency with Shawn Riley, the CEO of Bitzero Blockchain and the former Chief Information Officer of the State of North Dakota. Riley discusses the origins of crypto currency, how it works and what exactly is blockchain.

Hosts Jon Olson and Bruce Morlan discuss the direct effects of climate change on the state of Minnesota with Olmsted County Commissioner and former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, and Senior Climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Dr. Kenneth Blumenfeld.

This week's hosts, Bruce Morlan and Steve Poskanzer, speak with University of Minnesota epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of President Biden's Covid-19 Advisory Board, about lingering questions from the pandemic, how we should prepare for the next one, how the virus was politicized, and the need for scientific humility.

This week, hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson talk with Derek Meyers of Imminent Brewing, and the President of the Minnesota Distillers Guild, Mark Schiller of Loon Liquors, both in Northfield, Minnesota. The discussion ranges from distribution models to state alcohol regulation, to expansion strategies.

This week's hosts Bruce Morlan and Rich Larson discuss the situation over what was once the unofficial Rice County dump, and is now a toxic waste site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, with Bridgewater Township Supervisor Glen Castore.

This week hosts Joe Moravchik and Steve Sviggum, who himself is a farmer, talk with David Legvold and Hannah Malecha, both of whom operate farms in South Central Minnesota, about the state of farming in the 21st Century. The four discuss soil erosion, legislation, new pests, the importance of education, and much more.

This week hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich larson discuss the intersection of politics and religion with Professor Christopher Chapp, the Director of the Institute for Freedom & Community at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

This week hosts Bruce Morlan and Jon Olson discuss the problem of rising sea levels with oceanographer and author John Englander

Carleton College President Emeritus Stave Poskanzer, who will be an occasional contributor to Public Policy This Week, talks with University of Minnesota Associate Professor of Law Alan Rozenshtein about cases that will come before the United States Supreme Court in 2023, and the makeup of the court itself.

This week hosts Joe Moravchik and Rich Larson talk with Northfield, Minnesota Chief of Police Mark Elliott and Rice County, Minnesota Behavioral Health Supervisor Dante Hummel-Langerfeld about the Rice County's Community Based Coordinator program that embeds social workers and mental health professionals with local law enforcement agencies to assist with mental health calls.

This week, hosts Bruce Morlan and Joe Moravchik talk with Erin Zamoff, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Fair Vote Minnesota, and former US Congressman Tim Penny, President of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, about ranked choice voting, which some believe could a fairer, more comprehensive voting system for both Minnesota and the United States.

This week hosts Joe Moravchik and Bruce Morlan have a conversation with Emmy Award winning journalist Tom Hauser of KSTP News about the importance of a free press in a democratic society. They also discuss the book Tom wrote about his time covering then Governor Jesse Ventura and his role in solving the case of slain St. Paul police officer Jim Sackett.

This week hosts Rich Larson and Steve Sviggum talk with Kathryn Pearson, a renowned professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota about the results and aftereffects of the 2022 midterm elections.

This week hosts Bruce Morlan and Jon Olson talk with veteran nuclear power consultant Don Harker and Dr. Josh Jarrell of the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability program. They discuss nuclear power, it’s merits, the dangers both real and perceived, and how it has evolved in the sixty years since the first nuclear power plant came online in the United States.

This week, hosts Bruce Morlan and Joe Moravchik speak with North Dakota's Chief Information Officer Shawn Riley about cyber security at both the national and state levels. Recorded at the 2022 Global Cyber Security Summit on October 26, 2022