Shows / Main Street
Main Street
Listen for interviews with authors, artists, and newsmakers that tell the story of our region. Email us: mainstreet@prairiepublic.org
Episodes
- Main Street
Farmers Union at 100, Devils Lake Cemetery, Bismarck Italian Food
Matt Perdue previews NDFU’s 100th convention; Prairie Beat visits a homestead cemetery cut off by Devils Lake; Prairie Plates explores Anima Cucina and…
- Main Street
Adoption, Identity and Rural Obstetric Care in North Dakota
Sarah Dixon Hackey discusses adoption, identity and mental health; UND’s Dr. Andrew Williams explores challenges and responses in rural obstetric care.
- Main Street
Diesel Relief, a New Guitar, Election Tech (Old and New) and Unfrozen Freezers
Jeff Beach explains diesel relief for farmers; musician Ben Ranson demos a new guitar; George Peck explores election security and hacked supermarket freezers.
- Main Street
Midterms, Prairie Plates and Fargo Food and Prairie Beat
Dr. Michael Patrick Cullinane analyzes the midterms and 2028 outlook; Prairie Plates visits expanded Spaghetti Western in Fargo; Prairie Beat talks with Rob…
Main StreetMinnesota Stories, Medora Magic and the Wienermobile
The North 103.3’s Luke Moravec explores Minnesota stories, followed by a remembrance of Medora magician Bill Sorensen and a visit with Oscar Mayer’s Hotdoggers.
- Main Street
Democracy Beyond Majority Rule
Jack Weinstein asks what democracy owes those who lose. Our Living Lands marks 100 episodes, with news on methane rules. Antarctic waters and power-generating…
- Main Street
A Clearer View of North Dakota’s Legacy Fund
Explore North Dakota’s $15 billion Legacy Fund, hear Tom Isern reflect on the Great Plains’ past, and learn how smart appliances and battery-backed cooktops…
- Main Street
North Dakota Stories, Election Voting and Icelandic-Inspired Eats
Playwright Abigail C.K. Lill adapts North Dakota stories into plays; Michael Howe explains voting and election security; Solo’s Skyr serves Icelandic-inspired…
- Main Street
Data Centers, Power and North Dakota’s Electric Co-ops
ND electric co-ops weigh data center growth; Harvest Public Media examines wolves and livestock; and on MN Reads, author Andrew Wittkop revisits two overlooked…
- Main Street
Deer Season, Data Centers, Tesla’s Flying Roadster and Halloween mischief
Hunters face deer season changes amid EHD; lawmakers weigh data center rules; George Peck examines Tesla’s flying Roadster; Tom Isern recalls prairie Halloween…
- Main Street
Fargo Coffee, North Dakota Ballot Measures and The Birth of Loud
Prairie Plates visits a new Fargo coffee shop; Prairie Beat looks at two ballot measures; and One Book, One Community hosts The Birth of Loud author Ian S…
- Main Street
Food Banks, Halloween Pranks and Stories From Across the Plains
Food banks face rising hunger; Halloween pranks reveal history; school meals face cost pressures; guests discuss Prohibition fiction and Indigenous hunting…
- Main Street
Ray Leadership, Women’s Flag Football and the Power Grid
Ray auditor Ronda Rustad on public service and her award; VCSU’s Dennis McCulloch on women’s flag football; and Gateway to Science’s interactive power-grid…
- Main Street
Oil Tax Breaks, Frankenstein, Data Centers and Debate
A permanent oil tax break faces scrutiny; Theater B’s Frankenstein explores humanity and creation; and Tech With Peck examines data centers’ promises and costs.
Main StreetWood-Fired Flavor, a Relay for Remembrance and Harvest Outlook
Prairie Plates visits Blackbird and The Bird; Prairie Beat follows a 480-mile relay supporting grieving families; farmers assess drought, markets and rising…
- Main Street
Presidential Biography and the Stories of Prairie Decline
In Part 2 from TeddyCon, Craig Blumenshine moderates historians on presidential biography and public memory; Tom Isern explores why prairie communities are…
- Main Street
Writing the Presidents: Biography, History and Public Memory
At TeddyCon, Craig Blumenshine talks with historians Kathleen Dalton, Lindsay Chervinsky and Stacy Cordery about presidential biography and how it shapes our…
- Main Street
Roughrider Coin and the Rise of AI Agents
North Dakota tests Roughrider Coin for faster bank transactions, and George Peck explains how AI agents could transform daily life and work.
Main StreetNorth Dakota and U.S. Energy, Nepali Flavors and Hope in Gen Z
Deputy Secretary Kyle Haustveit on U.S. and ND energy; Prairie Plates visits Mount Everest Kitchen; Prairie Beat examines rising aid costs; and Tom Isern finds…
- Main Street
Moral Responsibility and North Dakota’s 2026 Voter Guide
Jack Russell Weinstein examines moral responsibility in the Clancy trial, while Amy Dalrymple previews North Dakota races, ballot measures and voting…
- Main Street
Veterans’ Care and Leadership on Greenland’s Ice
Fargo VA Director Brent Pharis discusses veterans’ care and access, while Dr. Jon Solberg shares lessons in endurance and leadership from Greenland’s ice.
- Main Street
Useful Websites, Candidate Lawsuit, Data Centers and Voting
George Peck shares bookmark-worthy websites. Plus, the Monitor examines a candidate lawsuit, a major Cass County data center and its 2026 voter guide.
Main StreetOktoberfest at Drekker, Campus Title IX Info & 2027 Medicare Updates
Drekker's Oktoberfest, UND's Title IX sexual violence support and investigation procedures, and key 2027 Medicare plan updates to review.
- Main Street
Carnegie Libraries, Prairie Identity and Sorghum’s Promise
Explore North Dakota’s Carnegie library legacy, the roots of Great Plains identity and why drought-tolerant sorghum could be a crop for a hotter future.
- Main Street
The 2026 Midterms and One Man’s Journey to Becoming Whole
AARP’s John Hishta examines older voters’ concerns ahead of the midterms, while Shane Mendez shares his journey through trauma, addiction, recovery and…
- Main Street
Bad Audits & Supreme Court Politics, Smart TV Privacy and Chokecherries
North Dakota court politics and a development fund audit, smart TV privacy, and Tom Isern on chokecherry-picking traditions across the northern Plains.
Main StreetFall Colors, Community Gardens and a Super El Niño
Explore fall color at Icelandic and Pembina Gorge, visit Fargo’s Growing Together gardens, and hear how a super El Niño could shape North Dakota’s winter.
- Main Street
THC Beverages, Prairie Berries and the Future of Ag Research
THC beverage rules reshape plans for N.D. brewers, plus prairie berry traditions, uncertainty over a USDA research lab and ways to enjoy fall outdoors.
- Main Street
GLP-1 Costs, Better Care and Service Dogs for Veterans
An Indiana University researcher explores GLP-1 costs and health policy, while Patriot Assistance Dogs shows how rescued dogs are trained to support veterans…
- Main Street
Tribal Policing, Diesel Costs and the Risks of AI
A Closer Look with the Monitor examines tribal police training, rising diesel costs for farmers, plus hands-on fall science, AI doomsday warnings and regional…
- Main Street
Heartview’s Mission, Organic Farming and Seasonal Health
Heartview’s Monster Mile supports recovery, Prairie Plates visits an organic Red River Valley farm, and Prairie Beat looks at respiratory virus season.
- Main Street
Hemingway and Gellhorn, America 250 and SNAP Changes
Hemingway and Gellhorn come to life onstage, Dr. Tom Isern reflects on America 250, and Harvest Public Media examines how SNAP changes are affecting rural…
- Main Street
New book highlights the family story behind the Bobcat skid-steer loader
Authors Howard Dahl and Patrick McCloskey visit with Prairie Public about their new book, The Never Quitters: The E.G. Melroe Legacy. Plus, we talk with David…
- Main Street
Cody Two Bears previews the upcoming People of the Sun Festival in Standing Rock
Listen to a conversation with Cody Two Bears about the upcoming People of the Sun Festival, a story from The Tell Fargo, and a conversation about Bismarck's…
Main StreetA tour of WOZU, a regenerative nonprofit in Standing Rock
Former Standing Rock Tribal Chairman David Archambault II gives Prairie Public a tour of WOZU, a nonprofit focused on regenerative agriculture, food…
- Main Street
Bird Calls, Buried History and a Fall of Discovery
Hear North Dakota’s fall migrants, uncover Bismarck’s buried past, preview September at Gateway to Science and review the news with Dave Thompson.
- Main Street
North Dakota Bird Migration, Guitar Fire, Kratom and a Taste of Paris
North Dakota is a super-highway for migrating birds, meet genre-bending guitarist Gladius, examine kratom’s risks and visit Bismarck’s French-inspired Brick…
- Main Street
Bowman’s Future, North Dakota’s Identity and Conservation Cuts
Bowman leader Lyn James shares how her community is building for the future. Also, Tom Isern defends North Dakota’s distinctive history, and federal staffing…
- Main Street
Beyond the Diploma: What Does It Mean to Be Educated?
Philosophical Currents examines a deceptively simple question: What does it mean to be educated? Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein considers the difference between…
- Main Street
The Great American Folk Show Bows Out; New SNAP Rules Ahead
Tom Brosseau reflects on six years of The Great American Folk Show. Plus, new SNAP restrictions and a preview of ND’s special session in A Closer Look With the…
- Main Street
Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome Celebrates 20 Years of Funk
Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome celebrates 20 years, plus teen-driver risks in North Dakota and 15 years of Rhombus Guys in downtown Fargo.
- Main Street
Tariffs, Tensions and the Scholar Who Changed North Dakota Wheat
Dickinson State's Michael Patrick Cullinane examines U.S.–Canada tariffs and relations, while Tom Isern profiles pioneering agricultural scientist Lawrence R…
Main StreetCelebrating Friendship, a Shared History and Creativity
DAR members honor the U.S.-Canada bond at the Peace Garden, and the North Dakota Book and Arts Festival in Jamestown Sept. 26 celebrates regional creativity.
- Main Street
Tools, Not Toys: Rethinking Screens and AI for Kids
North Dakota weighs limits on school technology as experts examine teen AI safeguards, addictive design and the science behind seemingly magical experiments.
- Main Street
The 10.15 Project: Running Across North Dakota for Babies Gone Too Soon
Explore North Dakota adventures, plans to protect farmers affected by the F-M diversion and a 480-mile relay honoring babies gone too soon.
- Main Street
Why Rural Newspapers Still Matter in North Dakota
Publisher Jill Friesz explains why rural newspapers matter and what it takes to keep them alive, plus aging farm equipment and Colorado River rights.
- Main Street
Medical Records, ChatGPT and Helping Young Learners Thrive
Dr. David Kunstman examines sharing medical records with ChatGPT, while Frannie Tunseth offers tips to help young learners start school strong.
- Main Street
Fair Housing at Risk, Smart Glasses and Nature Up Close
A federal delay threatens fair housing services, Greenland warns an oil company, nature goes live on camera, and smart glasses raise privacy concerns.
- Main Street
E-Ride Safety, Fargo Cider and a Degree 50 Years in the Making
North Dakota e-bike rules, Wild Terra’s cider culture, Lawrence Waldron’s homesteading wisdom and Bart Schott’s college degree—earned at 75.
Main StreetHelping North Dakota Learners Start School Strong
ND Teacher of the Year Frannie Tunseth shares practical ways parents can build curiosity, confidence and strong learning habits as young children head back to…
- Main Street
Hope After Loss and North Dakota’s Emergency Kratom Ban
A widows retreat offers understanding and healing after loss. Dr. Cole Pueringer explains kratom, its health risks and North Dakota’s emergency ban.
- Main Street
Hunger, Homesteaders and Radio’s Future
Rising hunger and falling lake levels, forgotten advice for homesteaders, and radio’s future amid streaming and ChatGPT health concerns.
- Main Street
Fireworks, Landmark Restaurants and the Everlys’ Enduring Sound
Horace voters weigh a shorter fireworks season, two landmark restaurants get new life, and the Zmed Brothers carry the Everly Brothers’ harmonies forward.
Main StreetCelebrating 200 Episodes of WHY? With Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein
Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein marks 200 episodes of WHY? We celebrate the milestone with reflections from his family, colleagues and Prairie Public collaborators.
- Main Street
Supporting Families With Down Syndrome & The Stories That Stay With Us
Designer Genes supports people with Down syndrome across North Dakota, and Denise Johnson shares tender memories of her grandparents’ enduring love.
Main StreetFrom Mammoth Bones to Vibe Coding and Coding Clubs
A rare mammoth emerges beneath a garage, George Peck examines vibe coding, and free coding clubs help North Dakota students build valuable skills.
Main StreetGardening Under Cover: A High-Tunnel Paradise in North Dakota
A high-tunnel garden flourishes near Regent, plus Indigenous food traditions with April Smith and the decades-long flooding crisis in the Devils Lake Basin.
- Main Street
Thomas Dolby, the Missouri River and Farmers’ Health Costs
Thomas Dolby talks music, technology and AI; Tom Isern considers how we see the Missouri River; and rising health insurance costs squeeze farmers.
- Main Street
Philosophical Currents: When Life Isn't Ours to Control
Wildfire smoke raises a broader question: What do we owe ourselves when life is beyond our control? Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein explores resilience and meaning.
- Main Street
The Odyssey Wows Critics; North Dakota Weighs AI Rules
Film critic Matt Olien explains why The Odyssey is a masterpiece and Oscar favorite. Then, Jacob Orledge examines North Dakota's cautious approach to AI…