The Roadhouse

The future of mining on Minnesota's Iron Range continues to be a topic of discussion and debate throughout the region and beyond our state borders. A new book, "Taconite Dreams," by Prof. Jeffrey Manuel, explores this topic in detail. Joe Friedrichs spoke with Manuel recently. 

Adam (Stariha) & Tim (Tucker), also of the bluegrass group Black River Revue from Duluth/Superior, stopped by The Roadhouse Dec. 11 to chat and play a few high-energy tunes. You can hear and learn more here.

Local explorer Lonnie Dupre recently returned from Nepal, where he and his team explored some newly-opened areas for possible climbs in 2016. He sat down with Dick Dec. 11 to share stories of his trip and what's next. You can learn more about Lonnie and his adventures here.

Mindfulness has been linked to reduced stress and improved mental clarity, creativity and productivity. Alex Haley, who teaches mindfulness at the Center for Spirituality & Healing at the U of MN, spoke with Dave Dec. 11 about how and why mindfulness works to calm and make us more focused.  

Fred Anderson, a local musician, joined Dave and Dick recently to chat and play gorgeous guitar music, including a few originals. We hope to have him back soon!

U of MN landscape architecture professor John Koepke recently received a 'mini-grant' from the U of MN Institute on the Environment to plan a trail and bridge to connect the Cloquet Forestry Center and the Fond du Lac Reservation. He chatted with Dave Dec. 4 to explain more about the project and the importance of landscape architecture.

Briand Morrison (guitar) & Roxann Berglund (keyboard, vocals) took time from a gig at Voyageur Brewing to visit with Dave and play some beautiful music. They're performing around the county in the next few weeks--see WTIP's music calendar for details. And on Jan. 30, Briand will join up with gypsy jazz musician Sam Miltich at Beaner's in Duluth. Find Briand's full schedule and more here.

The Butterball Turkey Talk Line fields thousands of calls at this time of year. Dave chatted with turkey expert Rochelle Kirwan to learn her tips for making the tastiest bird, and to hear a few of the funny calls they've received over the years. You can find lots more at www.butterball.com, or by calling 1 800 BUTTERBALL.

Nov. 20-22 was the annual Winterer's Gathering & Arctic Film Festival at North House. One of the featured films was "Maina," an award-winning movie that tells the story of the first encounters between First Nations and Inuits 600 years ago. The film's director, Michel Poulette, joined Dick in studio to talk about the making of the film. Michel was also teaching a workshop the next day. You can see a trailer from the movie here. 

A new study shows that cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are likely to recolonize portions of habitat in the middle part of the U.S. within the next 25 years. Dr. Michelle LaRue, a cougar researcher and executive director of the nonprofit  Cougar Network, talked about it with Dave recently. She says that northern Minnesota is fairly attractive cougar habitat.