Join our conversation with MSU students Olivia Jakabosky and Stephanie Keene, the President and VP of the new Asian Student Interracial Association (A.S.I.A.) as we learn a bit of Filipino culture, their experiences in Bozeman, and the motivations behind launching the organization. A.S.I.A. strives to provide a comprehensive understanding of Asian nations, languages, cultures, and people among heritage and non-heritage students to enrich MSU and the local community. As MSU’s first pan-Asian association, A.S.I.A. also hopes to foster a community united in working towards a more inclusive future.

Olivia Jakabosky is a Conservation Biology & Ecology major with minors in Sociology and Global Studies and a passion for fostering communities which embrace diverse intersectional backgrounds. She is biracial Filipinx-White. Stephanie Keene is a PhD candidate studying the impact of lifestyle interventions on the gut microbiome and metabolic health. She is second-generation Filpinx and an advocate for BIPOC and graduate student voices on campus.

To learn more about A.S.I.A.’s activities, visit their website or visit them on Facebook or Instagram.

Fork and Spoon restaurant in Bozeman provides meals on a “pay what you can” basis, enabling everyone in the community to eat nutritious, delicious meals in a clean and welcoming environment. The restaurant also provides job training opportunities and employment references for people trying to reenter the workforce.

Fork and Spoon also is a place where community members can volunteer their time and resources to give back in an impactful way.  Learn about this unique enterprise through a talk with Leah Smutko, Head Chef and Front End manager, and Rick Hilles, Program Manager.

Meghan Lockner serves our community as the Events and Communications Manager for Haven. The Bozeman-based Haven is a non-profit organization providing confidential support, legal advocacy, counseling, and a safe place to stay for anyone impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking. Haven works to empower survivors, hold abusers accountable, and stop the cycle of abuse.

Meghan is a Montana State University graduate in history and moved here from Stillwater, MN in pursuit of the mountains. Along with her work for Haven, she is working toward a Masters in Strategic Communications.

Elizabeth Marum chairs the Gallatin County Democrats and serves as a Program Coordinator for TRIO Student Support Services at Montana State University. TRIO helps students of limited means, who experience a disability or who are the first generation in their family to attend and graduate college. The program makes connections throughout the university community to help assure their success and timely graduation.

Elizabeth previously worked as a community organizer with the Montana Organizing Project and others, and serves on the Planning Board for the City of Belgrade. Elizabeth shares her views and insights on Montana politics with an emphasis on lesser-known offices and how they impact us all.

Among MSU political science professor Sara Rushing’s focus areas are ethics, democratic theory and feminist theory. Her expertise informs our discussion of how we can best support movement toward racial justice, radicalism v. pragmatism, authoritarianism, inviting people to question assumptions and much more.

Just 28 years old, Kiersten Iwai joined the non-profit advocacy group Forward Montana as its Executive Director in late 2019. She also co-founded Earthtone Outside MT, an organization dedicated to elevating the visibility of Montana’s diverse outdoor enthusiasts.

The challenges and opportunities in advancing youth in politics is the launching point for a conversation exploring racial justice, climate change, national youth leadership development and more.

Kelly Wiseman, one of the Gallatin Valley’s most engaged citizens and longtime general manager of Bozeman’s Community Food Co-op, is our guest for a conversation about the profound impacts of COVID-19 virus on U.S. meat production, workers, co-ops and more.

Kelly brings a thorough understanding of both local and national food systems through his three decades of work with our local co-op and his work helping other co-ops around the country.

As much of the nation prepares to vote in the “Super Tuesday” primaries, Steve Kirchoff and Jeff Milchen discuss how corporate media shape public perceptions of candidates and elections. The show explores media biases, whether “socialist vs capitalist” is a useful framework, and many other current political questions.

We all have concerns we’d like to impact in our community or the broader world, but what does it take to be part of effectively instigating change? That’s the theme as we talk with Pamela Chiang to tap into her many years of consulting with non-profit organizations to help them build solid foundations and increase their impact.

Pamela’s experiences entering environmental activism as a young woman of color led her into environmental justice organizing with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network and, ultimately, to helping other organizations avoid some of the dynamics she initially experienced. One over-arching lesson Pamela shares: human relationships are the foundation for effective organizing!

For those looking to learn more, The Community Toolbox, a vast and well-organized library of resources for organizers and would-be organizers, is one great place to explore.

Our guest for this episode, Brady Wiseman served three terms in Montana’s House of Representatives serving District 65 (Bozeman). A software engineer who previously worked on Wall Street, Brady shares impressions on the function and dysfunction of Montana’s legislature, educates us on the strange politics of Montana’s electric system. and shares idea on how citizens can best apply their energy toward driving positive change.

Organizations referenced on the show include the Montana Environmental Information Center and Move to Amend. See more information on Northwestern Energy’s Procurement Plan here.

Gallatin County Commissioner Scott MacFarlane joins hosts Steve Kirchoff and Jeff Milchen to explore range of political issues confronting  us. Scott is the newest member of the three-person board which oversees all county services and departments while managing our rapid county growth. In refreshingly candid language, Scott describes his view of the major challenges confronting the County while explaining the role of the Commission and outlining ways citizens can provide meaningful input into county governance.

Learn more about Gallatin County or the County Growth Policy and opportunities for public input.

Join hosts Jeff Milchen and Steve Kirchhoff for a candid interview with Jeff Krauss, longtime city commissioner and three-time Mayor of Bozeman. After 16 years of service on the Bozeman City Commission, Krauss is stepping down at the end of December, 2019. Jeff reflects on his years of public service highlighting accomplishments, confronting frustrations, and dispensing advice to future leaders of Bozeman.

Learn from two local leaders working to strengthen agriculture and community food systems of southwest Montana as Jeff and Steve welcome Erin Jackson, Education Director at Gallatin Valley Farm to School, and Kate Wright, Board member of Open and Local.

We discuss the challenges to agriculture and food security in Montana and learn some success stories in strengthening our local food economy, bringing healthy fresh meals to students, conserving local agricultural land and more.

Steve Kirchhoff and Jeff Milchen welcome Chicago-based award-winning architect and historic preservationist Paul Janicki to a discussion about Bozeman’s rapid growth and the civic action necessary from citizens to encourage developers and architects to build the kind of city Bozeman residents want. Over the past twenty years, Paul has been a frequent visitor to the Bozeman area, and he shares his experiences working as an architect in the fast-growing “edge city” of Evanston, Illinois. Listen in as Paul provides valuable perspective on Bozeman’s growth.

What roles should local media serve? How well are existing media outlets in the Gallatin Valley doing? What does KGVM aim to add to the mix?

Listen in to explore these questions and more with guests Bob Wall, Operations Manager for KGVM community radio and Jodi Hausen, freelance writer and a former reporter for the Daily Chronicle and Maine Public Radio.

An interview with long-time Bozeman resident Jo Anne Troxel explores the topic of sense of place: What is it? How is it changing? Can we sustain a strong sense of place in the Gallatin Valley in the face of accelerating growth ad change and, if so, how?

Episode one explores bicycling as transportation in Bozeman: How are we doing as a city? What can be learned from other communities? How can we best make it easier and safer for people bike to work, school and more? Local transportation expert Linda DuPriest joins the show to probe these questions and offer ways to enable more people to commute, shop and travel by bike.