River Radio

In the final episode of Season 2, hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Fred de Sam Lazaro of PBS Newshour and the Undertold Stories Project about the COVID crisis in India and the aftermath of the George Floyd event in Minnesota (6:30); new Marine Mayor Kevin Nyenhuis on activity in the village (27:00); and Greg Seitz of St. Croix 360 about what's happening in and around the river (47:00...

Hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher talk to Peter Gove, former chair of the St. Croix River Association, about the legacy of the late Vice President Walter Mondale as it relates to the river (5:00); Lisa Doerr, a local farm owner/operator about the threat of large animal operations in the area (24:30); and Pastor Meredith McGrath of Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia on their food shelf operation and h...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to U.S. Senator Tina Smith about major action in front of the Senate this year (6:00); Win Miller of the founding board of the proposed new Marine Village School (28:30); and Angie Hong of the Washington Conservation District on Earth Day and local efforts at protecting soil and water (45:30). Also included is an update of local news and important events on t...

Hosts Gayle Knutson and Jim Maher speak with Emily Ford of Duluth about her recent 1,200 mile winter hike of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail (6:00); Cameron Hewitt, Content Manager of Rick Steves' Europe about what's ahead for travel (27:00) and venerable Twin Cities actor Sally Wingert on the theater scene in COVID times and beyond (52:30). Also catch up on local news (20:30) and Marine&...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Laurie Schneider and Pam Arnold from the Pollinator Friendly Alliance and Emily Bazelon of the New York Times Magazine, Yale Law School and Slate's Political Gabfest podcast on challenges to voting rights nationwide. Also included are local news as well as updates on the Marine Community Library reopening and plans for an Oscar night celebration from...

Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Dr. Rebecca Wurtz of the University of Minnesota about the latest developments with COVID-19 (6:30); former Twin Cities advertising executive Lee Lynch about his recent op-ed piece titled "Please Raise My Taxes," (31:00) and Marty Harding of the North Woods and Waters of the St. Croix Heritage Area and Chris Stein of the National Park Service on the pr...

Gayle Knutson talks with Michael Nyenhuis, President and CEO of UNICEF USA about COVID-19 vaccine distribution challenges worldwide and helping keep kids on track through the pandemic (7:00). Then, Jim Maher conducts a political roundtable with Lori Sturdevant of the Star Tribune, Fred de Sam Lazaro of PBS Newshour and the Undertold Stories project, and Brian Gruis, River Radio's National Pol...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson have discussions on the economy and education with Neel Kashkari, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (7:30); Ross Levin, founder and CEO of Accredited Wealth Investors on the embroiled stock market with the GameStop situation; and Marine resident and City Council Member Charlie Anderson, soon to be deployed with the Minnesota Army Nationa...

River Radio, from Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota with hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson. This episode features a discussion of COVID-19 vaccines, testing and outlook with Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota (2:15); a discussion about financial matters with Ross Levin, CEO of Accredited Investors Wealth Management a...

In an election wrap-up episode, hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk with Pat Kessler, newly retired political reporter for WCCO-TV on his thoughts about this year’s election and memories from the past (5:00); Emily Anderson, owner of the new Highway North gift shop in Marine on St. Croix (22:30); Brian Gruis, River Radio’s national political desk editor with a look at what happened in the natio...

This week’s show features a parade of local authors originating from the St. Croix Valley. Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Lonnie Lovness of Marine on St. Croix about her book GROWING UP WRIGHT (7:30); Thom Rumreich of Scandia on his novel UNHOLY COMMUNION (22:30); Bill Strusinski of Scandia on his Vietnam memoir CARE UNDER FIRE (41:00); Bob White of Marine on his book THE CLASSIC SPORTI...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Shawn Otto of Marine on St. Croix, author of “The War on Science,” about the potential for science to gain new appreciation in the coming years (6:00); Tracy Maki, Chief Executive Officer of Valley Outreach, to talk about how needs have dramatically changed in these pandemic times for those who are less fortunate (31:30); and Leslie MacKenzie and Mark Kras...

Joining hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson on this program are the Hon. John Tunheim, Chief U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota to remember the legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (4:00); Charles Franklin, Director of the Marquette University Poll on the state of the election in Wisconsin and elsewhere (13:00); Oluchi Omeoga of Black Visions, a Minneapolis-based social chan...

On this special episode, hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson welcome Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to talk about a variety of critical issues (5:00); Mary Divine, longtime writer on the Washington County beat for the St. Paul Pioneer Press (29:00); and Lori Sturdevant, columnist and veteran political reporter for the Star Tribune (46:30). In addition, updates are provided on local news (24:30) and (42...

October 24, 2020 In this final episode before the election, hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Rebekah Nagler, University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication on how conflicting information on COVID-19 has made things confusing for the public (6:30); Jerrod and Shanna Spicer, new owners of the Marine Garage (29:30); and Brian Gruis, River Radio’s national politic...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson speak with Dr. Mark Schleiss, professor, Dept. of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, who is involved in the development of COVID-19 vaccines (6:00); Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon about the challenges in conducting elections this year (32:00); and Paul Creager, co-Chair with Gayle of the Marine Film Society, on the obstacles to screening films in...

Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to 6th District Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN) about the Jan. 6th attack on the capitol in Washington D.C. and the fallout from it (8:00); Kyle Potter, editor-in-chief of Thrifty Traveler, about some of the ongoing challenges facing travelers in the time of COVID-19 (33:00); and Dr. Richard Junger, Professor of Communications at Western Michigan University, about the...

Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk about food security issues during COVID-19 with Dr. Jennifer van de Ligt, Director of the Food Protection and Defense Institute at the University of Minnesota (4:00); how the economy is being managed through the pandemic with Professor V.V. Chari from the Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute at the Univ. of Minnesota and an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minn...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Dr. Bjorn Peterson, Medical Director of Lakeview Hospital’s Emergency Department about COVID-19 (7:25); the economy today with Chris Farrell, Senior Economics Contributor for Marketplace on American Public Radio and on Minnesota Public Radio (25:00); Marine on St. Croix City Council Member Lon Pardun on delays in a major downtown revitalization project in...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison about scams related to COVID-19 and other issues (3:15); Steve Delisi, Medical Director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation about substance issues in these times of isolation (26:00); Juli Hagstron, local real estate agent on how COVID-19 has affected the housing market (44:00); and former Marine resident (and Jim...

Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson host a special program featuring insights on COVID-19 from nationally renowned expert Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota (3:00). Also featured are discussions with Loralee DiLorenzo, Vice Chair of the Marine Community Library on how patrons can now access books (31:00); Monica Zachay, Director of...

In the inaugural edition of River Radio, hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson talk to the owners of the Marine General Store, Gordon and Cheryl Arcand (8:20); get financial insights on how to cope with the sudden recession from financial advisor Ross Levin (22:20); discuss how churches are handling the pandemic from Pastor Joel Martin of Christ Lutheran Church in Marine (36:50); talk about books and...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson discuss developments in Marine on St. Croix Mayor Glen Mills (11:00); second grade teacher Molly Arnason on how teaching has been transformed by the pandemic (22:00); Nanc McLeslie of the new Marine Mills Folk School (29:30); Jim and Gayle’s daughter Casey Maher, who resides in Madrid, Spain, a COVID-19 hotspot (43:30); and national touring musician John Gorka abo...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson discuss what’s new in the community of Scandia with Mayor Christine Maefsky (10:00); maintaining a life with purpose with renowned life coach Richard Leider (29:30); money issues with advisor and Star Tribune financial columnist Ross Levin (42:20); and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with Marty Harding and Gary Noren of the North Woods Waters of the St. Croix He...

Hosts Jim Maher and Gayle Knutson discuss the court system under COVID-19 with John Tunheim, Chef Judge of the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis (8:30); the St. Croix Scenic Riverway with Julie Galonska, National Park Superintendent (26:00); and Marine on St. Croix residents and restaurant owners Gordon and Monique Skamser about the challenges in their business in these difficult times (48:50). A...