BSU Election night coverage

Valica Boudry's News Reporting Class spent time in the KBXE studios this morning talking about their experiences at the DFL and Republican election night parties.  You can watch their video here! 

BSU students look at Bemidji's recall amendment

In the next couple of week we'll be hearing from Mass Communication students from Valica Boudry's News Reporting Class.  This morning we had updates and information on the proposed constitutionals amendments that you'll see on your ballots as well as Bemidji city recall amendment. Here's info on city of Bemidji's recall amendmendment.  

Recall Amendment

By Danielle Carty

How did this charter come about?

The town of Bemidji is run under a charter, which means we are run under a weak mayor strong management. The people secure the benefits of home rule and affirm the values of representative democracy. There are 8 charter commissioners that are residents of Bemidji that at least have to meet annually, which is in June. The commissioners try to meet the needs of the people. They researched and looked into the recall amendment that rochester has and they believed it would be beneficially to the people.

What is the recall amendment?

The recall amendment provides the recall procedure to remove an elective municipal official for malfeasance or nonfeasance. Which means they are either not doing their job as an official, or they have any unlawful or wrongful conduct that affects, interrupts or interferes with the performance of official duties.

How does the recall amendment work?

Any five registered voters qualified to vote for a successor of the office may form into a committee for the purpose of bringing about the recall of such elective official. The committee shall initiate a petition stating the grounds for removal. The petition, when complete, shall have been signed by registered voters qualified to vote for a successor of the office equal in number to twenty percent of those who voted for the office in the last election. The completed recall petition is then filed with the City Clerk, who thereafter shall determine if the petition is sufficient, the petition shall be submitted to the City Council which shall call for an election of the voters to determine if the alleged actions or omissions constituting malfeasance or nonfeasance is sufficient cause for the elective official's removal from office. If the official is the Mayor, or council member-at-large, the election shall be city-wide. If the official is a ward council-member, it shall be limited to the particular ward.

What happens if the voter doesn’t select yes or no?

The vote is not counted then, it is not like the state amendment where if you leave it blank it counts as no. It does not get counted.

Does this amendment have to do with the Rental Ordinance?

No, this recall amendment has been looked into and thought about by the charter commission for at least three years, this has no correlation to the start of the recall amendment.

How long does it take for the recall to be processed?

The completed recall petition papers hall be filed in the office of the city clerk within thirty days of the filing of the initial recall proposal. Within thirty days of filing of the peition, the city clerk determines if the voters are registered, and valid, and that the petition is legitimate. The petition is sent from the clerk to the council. The council, at it’s next meeting, fixes a date for the holding of a special recall election no less than thirty no more than forty-five days thereafter. The recall election shall be city-wide if the officer is the mayor or council member at large, and shall be limited to a particular ward if the officer is a ward council member. The officer will be removed and the office will be vacant, if a majority of the votes cast on the question be in favor of the recall of said officer, said officer shall be removed and the council shall thereupon declare a vacancy to exist. Unless the officer whose removal is sought shall have resigned within ten days after the receipt by the council of the completed recall petition, the form of the ballot quesiton will read, “Shall ____________be recalled from the office of _______? Then it will be followed with yes or no?

The ordinance will become effective ninety days after its passage and publication according to law.

How long does the official have to be in office in  order to be recalled?

No removal petition shall be filed against any officer until the officer has actually held office for at least six months.

Can an official be put back into office after recall?

No person who has been removed from office by recall, or has resigned from office after the filing of a recall petition, shall be appointed to any office under this Charter within one year after such recall or resignation.

Will there be information on the ballot about the recall amendment?

Yes, there will be a definition of malfeasance and nonfeasance and a short summary of how the recall process works.

 

We the People [the Video]

From loving to brag about cold weather to believing in the power of local, community radio, we the people of Northern Community Radio need you.

From $5 a month to $1 a day, pledge your support at whatever level you can afford and keep independent radio strong in Northern MN. What do you believe?

Pledge online at http://www.kaxe.org
Or call 800-662-5799 / 218-326-1234

Listener support is our single largest source of funding and it's people just like you that make it all possible. Thank you!

BSU: Liberal Arts Without Art?

Last month President Richard Hanson at Bemidji State University released a plan to overcome a $5 million budget shortfall. That plan included cuts to Art, Theater, Music and other programs.

On Monday, protesters gathered at the BSU campus to show their disapproval of the cuts.

BSU: Liberal Arts Without Art?
Charlie Parson is a retired Professor who taught at BSU for 28 years. Charlie was at the protest rally, and talked with us on the 91.7 KAXE Morning Show about the recent decision by Bemidji State University to drop theater and visual arts.

How To Understate Excitement

Here is Steve Downing's thoughts on 90.5 KBXE, the new radio station we’re building to secure and enhance the service of KAXE and Northern Community Radio in Bagley, Bemidji, Puposki, Erskine, Clearbrook, Buzzle Lake and beyond.

You can listen here:
Guido on KBXE

I’ve been involved for just over a year now with the 90.5 KBXE project. I have to admit: the learning curve from the start was steep, and not strictly because I didn’t know Thing One about building a new radio station, although that certainly complicated the issue. My real problem was that I knew virtually nothing about Bemidji, or Bagley, or any of the many other communities KBXE will be serving. Growing up, roadtrips for my family always meant Duluth, which had been my parents’ orientation when they were kids, or the Twin Cities, where they’d both gone to college. I’d just never spent any time in Bemidji. I was deprived. I was. I say that without a whiff of facetiousness.

I’m a huge new fan of Bemidji. It took about five minutes. And everyone who knows me well, the folks I see day after day, have all heard me raving about Bemidji and Bagley and Shevlin and Debs and Clearbrook and so on. As I make connections over there now, with people, with businesses, organizations, causes, I’m reminded at every point what a terrific community, community of communities, we are dealing with here, and this is a very, very good feeling.

One of my first KBXE projects was Bemidji’s 2009 Night We Light Parade, and I was honestly surprised at the reception we got as we walked along the parade route beside our float. The friendliness, the vibe, was practically palpable, something in the air, and I don’t think it had anything to do with the candy we were handing out. This was the case, too, a few miles farther west, as we planned our involvement in the 2010 Clearwater County Fair in Bagley. The people at City Hall, the courthouse, the fair board: everyone, everyone, was nothing but welcoming and helpful and fun to work with. I talked at length about this on my January Arts Round-up.

Saturday afternoon, August 7th, at the Clearwater County Fair, The Brothers Burn Mountain performed at the KBXE booth, and that’s one of my signature memories of the whole year. It was late afternoon. There was a lull over at the racetrack. Fairgoers were between things, milling around on the concourse, and when The Brothers Burn Mountain finished their set and moved into an improv percussion jam, the KBXE booth was in every way center stage. We had everyone’s attention, and no one was having a bad time. I still grin involuntarily every time I conjure up that scene, that physical ground-thumping sound.

That is a perfect indicator-predictor of what KBXE and our circle, our circles and circles, of friends, old and new friends, will be doing in the neighborhood, from Red Lake to Naytawaush, Cass Lake to Fosston---Bemidji, Bagley and beyond: bringing people together, in grass-roots common-ground settings, often to listen to music but sometimes for other community-building reasons, too. As we say, KBXE will be a community gathering-place, in the air, on the ground, on the web. Northern Community Radio has been doing this for almost 35 years: connecting people to each other, to the northland, to the universe. This is what we do.

KBXE will be an all-purpose partner, so in addition to improving what we call quality-of-life we’ll also be impacting commerce, impacting local economies. Here’s a for-instance: last July, at the 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Music Festival, somewhere between three and four hundred people showed up, many of them from out-of-town, and we know that altogether those folks dropped well over $12,000 into local cash registers (festival ticket-revenue not included). This was for gas, lodging, shopping, dinner and drinks, you get the picture. One time, one day. There are obvious multiplier effects, of course, depending on what other events get onto the calendar. KBXE will be doing this sort of business.

So, understatement of the day: this is exciting. It’s exciting for our new coverage area; it’s exciting for our entire coverage area. Northern Community Radio, good as it is and has been, is about to enhance its sound, its member and volunteer and underwriting bases, its product, its service to mission, its human and natural resources. Everything. We’ll need lots of help, your help, to make this happen. Your time. Your talents. Your treasure. Come see us at the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Saturday, February 5th, 6 pm. Come for the fun. There’ll be plenty of that, guaranteed. But come and make a pledge, too. You can spread it out over three or more years, while you and we all spread the love about 90.5 KBXE.

By Steve Downing, aka Guido
Northern Community Radio

How KAXE and KBXE Will Coexist

Thank you for your interest in 90.5 KBXE! We hope this will answer some of your questions about KBXE.

KBXE is a new, noncommercial community radio station that will serve people in Bagley, Bemidji and surrounding areas.

Northern Community Radio will own and operate KBXE, using the same structure that it uses to operate 91.7 KAXE in Grand Rapids (105.3 in Bemidji). This shared structure will help KBXE operate frugally. When you make a membership pledge to Northern Community Radio, you will automatically be a member of both KAXE and KBXE.

KBXE and KAXE will broadcast together. Each studio will create outstanding programming and each station will broadcast a regional signal. KAXE and KBXE will serve most of northeastern and north central Minnesota. Sometimes the programming will originate at KBXE and sometimes at KAXE, but everyone who listens to either station will hear all of it! We are looking forward to a great influx of volunteer energy from KBXE that will be heard from Fosston in the west to the hill overlooking Duluth in the east!

KBXE will operate from studios at 305 America Ave. NW in Bemidji, in space leased from Harmony Food Co-op, adjacent to their new grocery. KBXE’s tower will be located between Bemidji and Bagley, to cover both communities with a strong signal.

The best way you can help build KBXE is to give generously to the building fund. Your capital pledge can be paid over a 3 to 5-year period. KBXE has to be ON THE AIR by MARCH 2012, or we will lose the license. Time is of the essence!

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about this project.  We always want to hear your questions and comments. 800/662-5799 or comments@kbxe.org.

Sincerely, Maggie Montgomery, General Manager, Northern Community Radio

The Women of Roller Derby

The Women of Roller Derby is an intimate view into the life of derby girls. Produced by Doug MacRostie of Northern Community Radio for Culturology on 91.7 KAXE.
 

The Women of Roller Derby
Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby has exploded across northern MN, with the Babe City Rollers in Bemidji, and the Iron Range Maidens. Derby is a very physical sport, known for hard hits and short skirts. Producer Doug MacRostie wondered, ‘who are these derby girls, and what draws them to this sport?’, and it isn’t who he expected. Doug set out to find a dominatrix derby girl, and instead discovered The Women of Roller Derby.

I Hulk said, "That was awesome and dare I say I got a bit teary. Which says a lot since I hate crying and being emotional!". Sarah Whalin' said, "I. M. Hulk, Olive Mayhem, Piece MakeHer, Vroom Vroom and the others give such an accurate portrayal of what it means to be a derby girl, it will give you goosebumps! Totally amazing. Go Maidens!!" and Butterscotch Bitch told us, "I was just sitting in my car the last 20 minutes listening. I wish I had my skates with to wear at work...".

Preflash Gordon, online manager of the North Star Roller Girls, said, "KAXE in Northern Minnesota does a documentary on derby women ... and by golly, it's like listening to This American Life! Absolutely fantastic! Give it a listen, or download the MP3 and podcast it later. Brilliant stuff. Congrats to Douglas MacRostie and everyone who made this wonderful show."

Read more about The Women of Roller Derby:
"Roller Derby Rockin' Northern MN" on 91.7 KAXE Notes
"Talk Derby to Me" on Doug MacRostie's Macedelic Studios

Photo donated by Jimmy Digital of the Sioux City Roller Dames.

WoRD was made possible with support from the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

105.3 KAXE Hopefuly Back On the Air on Monday

We hope to get 105.3 KAXE in Bemidji back on the air Monday - that's assuming the weather holds and all the parts have arrived. Thanks to everyone for your patience! If you are able to help us pay some of the expenses to find a new tower location and reinstall the translator you can pledge using the options below, or call us at 218-326-1234...

Use Visa/Mastercard to help save 105.3 FM:

Use PayPal to help save 105.3 FM:

The tower holding our Bemidji translator blew down in the wind storm the other week. The tower, which was on the Bemidji Federal Building, didn't belong to KAXE and our equipment hanging on the tower was saved. We are making every effort to get 105.3 in Bemijdi back on the air as soon as we can.

Help Save 105.3 KAXE

Use Visa/Mastercard to help save 105.3 FM:

Use PayPal to help save 105.3 FM:

KAXE's translator at 105.3 FM in Bemidji is off the air. The tower holding our Bemidji translator blew down in the wind storm the other week. The tower, which was on the Bemidji Federal Biulding, didn't belong to KAXE and our equipment hanging on the tower was saved. We are making every effort to get 105.3 in Bemijdi back on the air as soon as we can. If you are able to help us pay some of the expenses to find a new tower location and reinstall the translator you can pledge using the options above, or call us at 218-326-1234.

The picture below of twisted metal is what was left of the tower. High winds blew the tower down so we have to dismantle it to keep it from falling to the ground. One of the legs broke in the wind, then the others bent as it went down and hung off the edge of the Federal building. We'll replace the translator tower as soon as we can to bring the signal back to Bemidji. You can still try 91.7fm in that area, or stream online at KAXE.org.

VIDEO: There's Nothing to be Scared Of Montage

Kitura Main from the Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji came to the KAXE Studios to help us face our fears during the There's Nothing to be Scared of fundraiser. She brought along turtles, birds, and lizards, which didn't have quite the impact as the tarantula spider and corn snake (not to mention the boa).

During the "There's Nothing to be Scared of" fall fundraiser at KAXE we heard from 364 new/renewing members for $45,120, reaching our goal in the last hour of the pledge drive on Friday night. Going into the last day we had almost $12,000 to go. Northern Community Radio General Manager Maggie Montgomery said, "It was a squeaker for sure. I don't think we've ever had that big of a last day before, ever. People in the community came through again and I hope that means we're doing a good job for them."

Breaking the mold of a typical public radio fundraiser, KAXE uses themes and radio theater to give the pledge drive an edge of entertainment, and this year included DJs getting pulled out of windows by zombies and a horde hidden underneath the studio. As the final pledges came in, all was resolved when the zombies were hauled by truck over to Bemidji for the Lazarus film shoot and KBXE Zombie Crawl. After that the zombie horde was, "not our problem" :)

Listener's once again made our fundraiser successful - and people just like you have been our largest source of funding for almost 35 years of independent community radio in Northern MN. If you missed the pledge drive, you can still show your support by becoming a member now by calling 218-326-1234, 800-662-5799 or pledge online.

More info: http://www.kaxe.org
Headwaters Science Center: http://www.hscbemidji.org/

105.3 Is Gone with the Wind

This picture of twisted metal is what's left of KAXE's translator tower for105.3fm in Bemidji. High winds blew the tower down so we have to dismantle it to keep it from falling to the ground. One of the legs broke in the wind, then the others bent as it went down and hung off the edge of the Federal building.

We'll replace the translator tower as soon as we can to bring the signal back to Bemidji. You can still try 91.7fm in that area, or stream online at KAXE.org.

Behind the Music: Lance Benson and Mark Bauer

by Doug MacRostie

Lance Benson and Mark Bauer are two Bemidji musicians who have been musical all their lives. While they were friends and knew each other for a long time, it was within the last 3 years that they consistently started performing together.

Lance writes personal music inspired by experiences in his life in a friendly, acoustic style. From the subject of an email to failing Art class, Lance's music is a window with a crystal clear view of life, love, friends and emotion. His voice rings true with honest and soulful lyrics and his fingers slide effortlessly and lovingly on his guitar.

When Mark first started joining Lance for sets on stage, it was just as much as a fan than friend. They're musical relationship has grown and Mark is now definitely the foundation of Lance's music. Left to his own devices at a construction site, Mark is the kind of percussionist who will start banging on studs searching for notes to turn the entire structure into one huge drum. Cool.

Around our conversation, we'll hear a recording of Lance and Mark's opening set for the Danny Schmidt concert at the KAXE Amphitheater earlier this summer - a great performance as the sun set with Lance on vocals and guitar, and Mark on percussion.

We'll also hear another song from Kazyak's debut CD "A Beautiful Brontosaurus" - an 11 minute instrumental roller coaster ride, to be exact :D This trio, operating out of Minneapolis, will be my guests in-studio next week.

Centerstage MN is Thursday evenings at 6, streaming live online at www.KAXE.org; or 91.7 Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji and can be heard again Sunday mornings at 6. All interviews are archived at www.KAXE.org. Centerstage MN is also heard on KSRQ in Thief River Falls, and on KMSU in Mankato. Sometimes heard on KFAI in Minneapolis & St. Paul and WTIP in Grand Marais. Often featured on MNartists.org.

Video: Pelican Railroad at the Mississippi River Fest

Pelican Railroad performing at the 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival. From Bemidji, Pelican Railroad is an eclectic jammin' rock/blues band that plays both originals and unique interpretations. The video goes crazy for a little bit, our camera man Doug MacRostie had to prevent his son from running on stage and taking over :)

The 6th Annual 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival was on July 17th, 2010 featuring Pelican Railroad from Bemidji, Steve Kaul and the Brass Kings, Keri Noble, Eilen Jewell and Willie Murphy.

It was a great festival that also included local, handmade art/items from KAXE members.

Though it was looming from time to time, we only got some scattered sprinkles (all the worst weather drifted towards Brainerd).

More info:
www.kaxe.org
www.pelicanrailroad.com/
www.myspace.com/brasskings
www.kerinoble.com/
www.eilenjewell.com/
www.williemurphy.net/

Leave It To Beaver: Controversy in Bemidji

by Doug MacRostie

When I first heard that there would be a series of beaver statues painted by local artists displayed around Bemidji, I'll admit I giggled. And when some of the artists would do status updates on Facebook about "working on my beaver" I also would giggle. What I'm talking about is a new series for the Bemidji Sculpture Walk, funded by the George W. Neilson foundation (they bought the blank beavers). Area artists were selected by committee to paint the beavers. 9 were put up for display on June 20th. Get more info here. They will be displayed for a year, and then auctioned off to benefit the Sculpture Walk, with 30% going to the original artist.

Here is the series sitting together, before being displayed throughout downtown Bemidji:And now the controversy: Gaea, the third beaver from the left has been removed from the Sculpture Walk. Here's the description by Deborah A Davis of her Beaver Gaea, "That the fertile earth itself is female, nurturing mankind is a belief that crosses culture, time and borders. Gaea means Mother Earth. It also means 'God is Gracious,' and is one of the 52 feminine aspects of God in the Christian Bible. Gaea in mythology was a female Titan. If we could embrace the strength of womaness, celebrate it, we would become the people we are meant to be: nurturing, loving, whole." Or, is it obscene and pornographic?

Here's Gaea in her downtown Bemidji location:As you can see, there are forms of the female body, there's a tree growing up from the tail...and what's that on the front? A person rising from bubbles? A flower? A vagina? Mother Earth?

This is where the question comes in: is it pornographic? Bemidji City Manager John Chattin says yes. And he told the Bemidji Pioneer that he doesn't regret the decision.

Deborah disagrees, "I did not intend it to be sexual or titillating in any way," Davis told the Pioneer, "I would never do pornography. I am anti-pornography."

Gaea was taken down on Thursday, July 1st and as of right now there are almost 1000 people who say "Bring Back Gaea to the Bemidji Sculpture Walk" on Facebook. The Bemidji Pioneer has a poll running on their website that shows 77% favoring the returning Gaea to the Sculpture Walk, and the City of Bemidji seems to be at odds with an active arts community, with other pieces in the beaver series now showing signs of solidarity (aka: wrapped up Burqas). This topic is expected to draw a lot of people to the Bemidji City Council Meeting tonight at 7pm. I know I'll be there...

Why Is KBXE?

by Scott Hall & Maggie Montgomery
[originally posted on 90.5 KBXE Notes]

There's much excitement and energy for KBXE, the new station Northern Community Radio is building to better serve the Bemidji and Bagley areas. Many people have come forward in Beltrami and Clearwater counties to help us with the planning, building and fundraising. Some listeners from other parts of the KAXE listening area have asked, "Why are you building KBXE?"

The answer is to preserve community radio in that region. Many new radio stations have been built in north central MN since KAXE first went on the air in 1976. It is getting harder to get KAXE’s 91.7 signal to Bemidji due to HD Interference and summer fades, and the signal will get worse because the FCC just gave radio stations permission to increase the power of their HD transmissions. In the case of 105.3, it's possible we could lose that signal altogether because it's in the commercial spectrum - which means a commercial entity could take the signal and we would have no recourse.

Northern Community Radio intends to preserve a signal for community radio in our region and has the financial resources to expand its service. Failure to act will mean loss of audience, and that will erode our financial support. KBXE will add energy, creativity and substance to Northern Community Radio’s programming, on both KAXE and KBXE, and on our websites and social media networks.

This is an opportunity to expand our mission to over 40,000 new people and several communities to the west, including people who don’t currently have access to a public radio signal, giving more people the opportunity to directly participate—the opportunity to create radio programs and other media using Northern Community Radio’s facilities. KBXE will be a regional broadcaster and an asset in its communities of service.

KBXE will broadcast at 90.5 and is the best solution to guaranteeing a reliable signal for those many loyal KAXE listeners. It will also enable us to reach people who may have never heard KAXE. This is an exciting opportunity and we hope you'll be involved.

We have a very active Publicity Committee that is planning monthly (or more) events - whether you'd like to share ideas, answer questions at an info table, want to help with construction, or just have a lot of energy to focus - please let us know, email kbxe@kbxe.org, or call 800-662-5799.

You Have a Voice in Your Community

Sometimes in small communities it seems like the same people tend do almost everything. They are tapped for committees. They run for office. They speak for the community. They hold the power. It’s hard for anyone outside of “the usual suspects” to break in, even though everyone knows broader input and representation would help solve problems and make people feel part of things.

This isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault. Across the country, people are noting a decrease in public participation in civic events. Lives are busy. Time is scarce.

Luckily, as public participation decreases, there is a rising ability of the Internet to facilitate participation. As Steven Clift from e-Democracy says, it’s still a smoke-filled back room but everyone can be invited and it can be in your living room.

KAXE just co-hosted two meetings to help bring e-Democracy forums to northern Minnesota communities. E-Democracy has funding to start 3 local issues forums in rural Minnesota.

E-Democracy local issues forums are email discussions where people talk about their communities. Everyone is limited to two posts per day (so the discussion can’t be dominated by any one person). Participants must also use their real names and be responsible for what they say. The discussion stays local—these aren’t the place for speaking up about national-level politics, for example. The forums stick to community issues and don’t allow personal attacks. They give voice to people who aren’t necessarily included otherwise.

A handful of people in Bemidji and Cass Lake have volunteered to be on steering committees to start forums in those communities. They will help suggest topics and monitor the discussion to make sure it stays useful and civil. More steering committee members are needed and, before a community can start a forum, 100 people have to agree to participate.

KAXE is helping and encouraging this process. Northern Community Radio is supporting many ideas that will help people use the Internet to build community, as part of the Northern Community Internet project. If you would like more information about e-Democracy in northern Minnesota, and if you’d like to sign up for forums in Bemidji or Cass Lake, call Ross Williams, Scott Hall, Heidi Holtan or Maggie Montgomery 218/326-1234.