The Woven Record

The Woven Record
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The Woven Record is grassroots local news from Mankato and Southern Minnesota. As local papers close and media companies consolidate, whole communities are left without anyone telling their stories. We're filling that gap. Hosts Becki True and Mike Lagerquist sit down with the people who make up our community: candidates for city council and the state legislature, farmers, small business owners, nonprofit leaders, artists and neighbors. Our Get Election Ready series helps you understand who's on your ballot and how to vote. Other episodes cover what's happening on our streets, from immigration enforcement to food insecurity, and the people working to make things better. Long-form conversations, in people's own words. Local news, made by locals. Share your story: stories@wovenrecord.com

  1. Nov 1

    Dutch Elm Disease Informs Emerald Ash Borer

    In this episode of The Woven Record, host Mike Lagerquist sits down with longtime friend Fred Taylor, former superintendent of the Mankato Golf Club with over 40 years of turf and tree management experience, and current owner of Woodland Enterprises. Drawing from decades of hands-on experience, Fred shares how the loss of mature elms to Dutch elm disease in the 1970s led the golf course to replant hundreds of ash trees—only to face a new threat decades later with the arrival of the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB). In this discussion: History Repeating Itself: How Dutch elm disease devastated local canopies in the 1970s and the replanting decisions that followed. Understanding Emerald Ash Borer (EAB): How EAB larvae disrupt a tree’s nutrient and water flow, key warning signs (including woodpecker activity and bark flecking), and the typical timeline of decline. Saving vs. Removing Ash Trees: The "30% damage" rule of thumb for treatment viability, trunk injection costs, and what homeowners need to know about firewood quarantines. Urban Forestry Lessons: Why species diversity (such as planting Kentucky coffeetrees and honeylocusts) is essential to protecting canopies from monoculture blights. Emerging Threats: What to watch out for with oak wilt, how fungal spores spread via beetles and root grafts, and critical pruning precautions. Guest Contact: Fred Taylor – Woodland Enterprises (Ash tree treatment and consultation) at https://www.woodlandenterprisesllc.com The Woven Record: Website: https://thewovenrecord.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wovenrecordmedia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/108436331 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewovenrecord.com This newsroom is built by a tiny team. Here's how we produce a week of local coverage using our own tool, Weftly (weftly.ai) Contact us at journalist@wovenrecordmedia.com if you're interested in telling stories like this in your community. Send us your story ideas to stories@wovenrecordmedia.com

  2. Oct 19

    I Voted Early in Minnesota. Here's What to Know

    Mike Lagerquist and Becki True talk about the first day of in-person early voting in Minnesota, how to get ready to vote before the November 3 election, and what is new at The Woven Record: Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Substack, a Sunday multimedia newspaper, and how to send us your story ideas. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:12 Voting early in person at the Blue Earth County Courthouse 1:37 Why vote early: fix registration problems before Election Day 2:28 Early voters stop getting campaign calls 3:12 Step-by-step voting guide and the waitress story 4:07 Make a plan to vote with family and friends 5:03 Get your sample ballot 5:53 League of Women Voters candidate forums and the school board 6:42 Resources and who is running 7:43 What's new at The Woven Record: Spotify, Apple, Substack 8:52 Mike on the Sunday multimedia newspaper 11:25 Send us your story ideas 11:51 Tell Me a Story and The Moth 12:58 Volunteering and localizing national news 14:23 Looking ahead to 2027 15:38 Wrap-up: get out and vote GET READY TO VOTE Your plan to vote, six steps with short videos and an add-to-calendar button: https://thewovenrecord.com/posts/your-plan-to-vote-in-southern-minnesota/ How to vote early in Minnesota: https://thewovenrecord.com/posts/how-to-vote-early-in-minnesota/ The Woven Record: Website: https://thewovenrecord.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wovenrecordmedia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/108436331 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewovenrecord.com This newsroom is built by a tiny team. Here's how we produce a week of local coverage using our own tool, Weftly (weftly.ai) Contact us at journalist@wovenrecordmedia.com if you're interested in telling stories like this in your community. Send us your story ideas to stories@wovenrecordmedia.com

  3. Oct 12

    Mary Nesgoda for Minnesota House 22B

    Mike Lagerquist and Becki True continue their conversation with Mary Nesgoda, the DFL candidate for Minnesota House District 22B. This is the second half. Start with the first half. A drafted candidate. Mary stepped up because no one from her party had filed in 22B, and says she would have yielded to a stronger candidate. Finding common ground. She focuses on goals people share, like safe neighborhoods and stable homes, and describes connecting across party lines while door-knocking. Media and polarization. She contrasts the objective journalism of the Walter Cronkite era with outlets driven by corporate or political agendas, and says face-to-face conversation breaks down the hostility that social media builds. Civic responsibility. She calls voting both a right and an obligation, urges younger voters to register, and talks about baking for local food shelves under her cottage kitchen license. Keep up with what's going on in the Mankato area by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

  4. Oct 12

    Mary Nesgoda, DFL candidate for Minnesota House 22B

    Mike Lagerquist and Becki True talk with Mary Nesgoda, the DFL candidate for Minnesota House District 22B. This is the first half of the conversation. The district. District 22B covers most of Le Sueur County and parts of Scott, Blue Earth and Rice counties. Why she is running. After her husband died of cancer, Mary looked for a meaningful purpose. When she saw that no candidate had filed in 22B, she stepped up. Health care and child care. Her own health insurance premium went from $490 to more than $1,300 a month. Drawing on 18 years as a single parent, she talks about the need for affordable child care so parents can work without daycare taking their whole paycheck. ALICE families. She describes households that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed: above the poverty line, not eligible for public assistance, and one emergency away from crisis. Continue with the second half of the conversation. Keep up with what's going on in the Mankato area by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

  5. Oct 9

    Don Friend, Mankato Ward 3 Candidate

    In this Get Election Ready interview, Mike Lagerquist talks with Don Friend, candidate for Mankato City Council in Ward 3. Why he is running. Don has lived in Mankato for nearly 30 years and ran for the same seat four years ago. He wants to give back and represent everyone in the ward. A non-partisan race in a polarized time. How national politics spills into local races, and why he puts practical solutions for the whole community first. Housing and cost of living. Rising rents and property values, and home insurance costs driven by climate events. He discusses public-private partnerships, enforcing property standards and housing affordability. Infrastructure and climate. A university professor who works on climate change, Don argues for heat-resilient roads, more storm sewer capacity, solar power on city buildings and gradually electrifying the city fleet. Getting around. Paths for scooters, bikes and wheelchairs, and keeping them clear of snow all year. Keep up with what's going on in the Mankato area by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

  6. Oct 5

    Make Your Plan to Vote Early in Minnesota: Dates, Mail Ballots, and Early Voting Hours

    Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and voting has already started in Minnesota. Mike Lagerquist and Becki True walk through the early voting dates, the difference between absentee voting and the new Early Voting, how mailed ballots work, and why going early gives you time to fix problems. Key dates Fri, Oct 16: new Early Voting begins. You sign a certificate and put your ballot in the counter yourself. Tue, Oct 20: last recommended day to apply for a mailed ballot. Sat, Oct 24: early voting locations open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tue, Oct 27: open until 7 p.m. Sat, Oct 31: open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tue, Nov 3: Election Day. A mailed ballot must be received by today, not postmarked. Read our guide, How to Vote Early in Minnesota, and check your registration with the Minnesota Secretary of State. Keep up with what's going on in the Mankato area by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

  7. Sep 5

    A 153-Year-Old Bridge Comes Home, and Farmers Carry $624 Billion in Debt

    Behind Mike Lagerquist and Becki True, a crane is holding a 153-year-old iron truss bridge over the Blue Earth River in Mankato. It is the Kern Bridge, known for most of its life as the Yaeger Bridge. Six years ago it was taken apart five miles south of Mankato, where it crossed the Le Sueur River, and put in storage while a committee decided where it should go. It now links Land of Memories Park and Sibley Park, two parks a hundred yards apart that until now you could only reach by highway. Becki grew up near the bridge south of Mankato. It couldn't take the weight of a school bus, so hers turned around in the driveway. Her father and his friends, in high school in the late 1950s, used to drive at the approach ramp as fast as they could to see how far onto the wooden deck they could land. Then they turn to this fall. In our Get Election Ready series, they make the case for making a plan now and voting early in person, because the rules on mail-in ballots are still unsettled 65 days before the midterms. Check your registration through the Minnesota Secretary of State, your county, or vote.org. Last, they look at what tariffs and other pressure are doing to farmers: $624 billion in farm debt nationally, according to a USDA report Operating debt over 13 percent, so 13 cents of every dollar goes to interest before seed, fertilizer or fuel Imported beef undercutting the same producers that the Argentina soybean deal undercut last year About 30 percent of farm income now coming from the federal government Farmer suicide at an all-time high They ask you to call your representative. In this area that is Brad Finstad, at his Washington or New Ulm office. As Luke Frederick told them, the fastest way to reach a desk is a personal story, so bring the facts but lead with someone you know who has been affected. Contact your representative: find your member of Congress or Rep. Brad Finstad's office. Check your registration with the Minnesota Secretary of State or Vote.org. Read the USDA report. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free and confidential, 24 hours a day. Call or text 988. The Farm Aid hotline is 1-800-327-6243. Two shorter clips from this video are also on our channel: 65 Days to the Midterms, and Mail-In Ballots Are Still an Open Question and Washington Now Pays 30% of Farm Income, and Farmers Are Still Behind. Keep up with what's going on in the Mankato area by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

  8. Aug 6

    Julia Hamann and Jacob Bases on Running Together in Mankato

    Julia Hamann is running for mayor of Mankato in a three-way primary. Jacob Bases is running for the Third Ward city council seat and goes straight to the general election. They are campaigning together. As Hamann puts it, the mayor or one council person doesn't have any more power to change anything than anybody else. Hosts Mike Lagerquist and Becki True talk with both candidates about what "progressive" means at the local level, how policy gets made in Mankato, housing costs, and how community input gets onto a council agenda. This is part of our Get Election Ready series on how local elections work. Topics include why Hamann, who works in social work and nonprofits, is running for mayor, Bases's time as an Army medic in Afghanistan and why he put down roots in the area, and what it is like to knock on doors in a college town in summer as the youngest candidates on the ballot. We also posted short clips from the conversation: Why a 1982 homeowner thinks students are paying too much in Mankato The house he bought while deployed, and what it taught him about tenants rights Look at who is on the Mankato City Council, and what these two candidates would change A plastic bag debate, and what the city council actually spent its time on Two Mankato candidates define "progressive" without the coded language Learn more about the candidates: Julia Hamann for mayor and Jacob Bases for Mankato City Council Ward 3. Keep up with what's going on in the Mankato area by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

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The Woven Record is grassroots local news from Mankato and Southern Minnesota. As local papers close and media companies consolidate, whole communities are left without anyone telling their stories. We're filling that gap. Hosts Becki True and Mike Lagerquist sit down with the people who make up our community: candidates for city council and the state legislature, farmers, small business owners, nonprofit leaders, artists and neighbors. Our Get Election Ready series helps you understand who's on your ballot and how to vote. Other episodes cover what's happening on our streets, from immigration enforcement to food insecurity, and the people working to make things better. Long-form conversations, in people's own words. Local news, made by locals. Share your story: stories@wovenrecord.com

Information

  • Creator
    The Woven Record
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Woven Record