River Radio

Host Jim Maher speaks with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon about the pressure facing election officials as November approaches and how the state is preparing for it (5:00). Host Gayle Knutson talks with former Marine resident Dennis Reynolds , a therapy dog handler, on how his dogs helped U.S. Olympic gymnasts this past summer (25:30). Also included is the latest local news (42:00). Matt...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson kick off Season 6 of River Radio, speaking with Dan Kaufman, contributing writer, The New York Times and The New Yorker , on how NAFTA helped our neighboring state of Wisconsin transitioned from its progressive heritage to become a key swing state won by Donald Trump in the 2016 election (4:00); and Greg Seitz, writer and founder, St. Croix 360 , about development...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson welcome U.S. District Judge John Tunheim for an extended discussion about the just-completed term of the U.S. Supreme Court and its potential ramifications for governance and the country as a whole. They discuss Trump vs. the U.S., expanding Presidential immunity, and cases restricting powers of government agencies, among other topics. Matt Quast is technical dire...

Gayle Knutson talks to Pamela Klinger-Horn of Valley Bookseller with her recommendations for great summer reads (5:00); and Jim Maher talks summer travel with Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler (27:00). Also included is an update of local news (48:00), and a salute to all River Radio Season 5 guests (51:00). Matt Quast is technical director. This Week’s Guests Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller K...

Jim Maher talks to St. Croix Valley native and prominent national pro-choice advocate Amy Hagstrom Miller about politics and health care aspects of the abortion issue (4:30). Gayle Knutson talks about the world of choir music with Daryl Timmer, artistic director of the Valley Chamber Chorale (26:00). Plus an update of local news (48:00). Matt Quast is technical director. This Week’s Guests Amy Hag...

Gayle Knutson conducts her yearly interview with Greg Seitz , writer and founder of St. Croix 360, about all things St. Croix River (4:30); and Jim Maher speaks with Deb Ryun who will soon be retiring after 15 years as Executive Director of the Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namakagon (26:30). Plus, and update of local news (46:00). Matt Quast is technical director. This Week’s Guest...

This week on River Radio, Jim Maher speaks with Robinson Meyer , New York Times contributor and executive editor of HeatMap about the state of our green energy transition (4:00); and Gayle Knutson talks with Darcy Becker , who recently left a religious cult after more than 30 years (26:00). Plus, an update on local news (49:00). Matt Quast is technical director. This Week’s Guests Robinson Meyer,...

Gayle Knutson talks to Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry about the challenges facing law enforcement and his thoughts on the recent tragic events that took the lives of three Burnsville, Minnesota first responders (5:00); and Jim Maher has a conversation with veteran television journalist Fred de Sam Lazaro , PBS Newshour contributor and director of the Under Told Stories Project (26:30). Also...

This week on River Radio, Jim Maher talks to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon about new state laws taking effect with the upcoming March 5th presidential primary election and preparations for the November election (6:00); and Gayle Knutson discusses how to get an early start on gardening with Brian Wood, University of Minnesota Master Gardener in Washington County (28:30). Also included is...

Hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher talk to, Dr. Timothy Fong, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program (5:00); and Brianne Doura-Schawohl , consultant and lobbyist on responsible gambling strategies (26:00). Also included is an update on local news (47:50). Matt Quast is technical director. Dr. Timothy Fong, UCLA Gambling Studies Program  Brianne Doura-S...

This week on River Radio, hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to, Oliver Milman, Environment Correspondent for The Guardian and author of the book, “The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World" (5:00); and Tami Vogel , executive director, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota (25:30). Also included is an update on local news (48:00). Matt Quast is technical dir...

Jim Maher conducts a financial roundtable with Chris Farrell of Public Radio’s Marketplace and Ross Levin, financial advisor and Star Tribune columnist (4:30); and Gayle Knutson talks to Kate Seitz , executive director, Marine Mills Folk School (29:30) Also included is an update on local news (46:30). Matt Quast is technical director. Chris Farrell, American Public Media, Minnesota Public Radio Ro...

This week on River Radio, hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher talk to, Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, MN, about top choices for books to consider this holiday season (6:00); and Adam Rogers, senior correspondent, Business Insider , on his recent article advocating for more progressive infrastructure construction titled “ Make America Build Again ” (27:30). Also included is an...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk about why drugs cost so much in America and how pharmaceutical companies are trying to defend their profits with Prof. Nicholas Bagley, law professor, University of Michigan (6:00); and hear from Marius Anderson producer/director of the kickoff documentary for Marine Documentary Night, 40 Below: The Toughest Race In The World (26:00). Also featured is an upda...

Hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher talk about the wonders of the Galapagos Islands and challenges created by climate change with longtime Galapagos naturalist Silvia Panchana (5:30); and hear about how to improve biodiversity in your own backyard with Brandon Hough, Executive Director, Homegrown National Park® (26:30). Also featured is an update of local news (46:00). Matt Quast is technical direct...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk politics with Lori Sturdevant, longtime political reporter for the Star Tribune and River Radio’s national political editor Brian Gruis (13:30); and learn about a Guinness World Record-setting Mississippi River canoe expedition from trip leader Scott Miller (36:00). Also featured is a conversation with Stillwater Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Funk regard...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson speak to Hon. John Tunheim, senior U.S. district judge for the Minneosta district about the new Supreme Court session and other court matters (4:30); and award-winning chocolatier Robyn Dochterman of St. Croix Chocolate Company in Marine (29:00). Also included is an update on polling location changes voters need to know (24:00); and an update of local news (48:00)...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning author (“The Sixth Extinction”) and New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert about the harsh realities of plastic and other major environmental matters (5:00); and local actor David Andrew Macdonald who will soon star in the Guthrie Theater production of “Dial M for Murder” (35:30). Also included is a detailed update of the latest...

Hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher speak to wild food enthusiast and educator Carson Gross, who shares his expertise on how to forage for mushrooms (4:30); and David Nguyen of the University of Minnesota's Technological Leadership Institute on the possibilities and potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence (35:45). Jim and Gayle also share follow-up insights from many of this past season&a...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk with world-renowned journalist and environmental advocate Bill McKibben about the state of climate change and what can be done from here (5:00), and William O’Brien State Park Supervisor Wayne Boerner about the impact of river flooding and construction plans at the park (26:00). Plus, an update on local news (43:15). Matt Quast is technical director. This Wee...

Co-hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Minnesota native Aaron Bogott, a longtime Russia resident who fled the country after the war began, about his experiences and impressions of the situation in Russia (5:00) and Ryan Ramaley, captain of the Taylors Falls Queen excursion paddleboat as we go for a ride on the river (31:00). Also featured is an in-depth story on late-breaking developments in...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson speak with Dr. Dennis McKenna, ethnopharmacologist, on the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelics (5:00); and Kyle Potter, Executive Editor, Thrifty Traveler, with advice for the upcoming traveling season (32:30). Plus an update of local news (51:30). Matt Quast is technical director.  This Week’s Guests Dennis McKenna, McKenna Academy ESPD Event Heffter Resea...

Hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher speak to Craig Hansen, National Park Service Superintendent of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway about the latest on the river as spring approaches (4:30); and Nancy Altman, Co-Founder and President of Social Security Works, about how to save and improve the Social Security system (25:00). Plus,  an update of local news (49:00). Matt Quast is Technical Direct...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson speak to Greg Seitz, founder and editor of the St. Croix 360 newsletter, about news happening up and down the river (6:00); musician John Gorka about his upcoming Marine Library benefit concert (23:00); and Polk County, Wisconsin farm owner/operator Lisa Doerr about the threat of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) (33:00). Gayle also has an update of l...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson speak with David Zipper, Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government on what's going right and wrong in America's attempted conversion to electric vehicles (6:00), and Laurie Schneider of the Pollinator Friendly Alliance with a progress report on pollinators (26:00). Gayle also has a roundup of local...