December 30, 2010 - "Year-in-Review; a look back at 2010"
This week we present our annual Year End Review show. Host Glen Moberg takes a look back at this year's travels on Route 51, revisiting the top news stories of 2010 for North Central Wisconsin, and reliving some of the most compelling moments of the past year of live Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasts from our studios in Wausau. The show will feature the artists, writers, politicians and community leaders who shaped the year’s events.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:57

December 23, 2010 - "The Big River Radio Wave Holiday Special"
Note: Regional talk show Route 51 will not air this week due to this special. The Big River Radio Wave, a unique music and variety show from Alma, Wisconsin, will air a Holiday Special on Thursday, December 23 at 5. Joining the show will be Mary Mack, storyteller Kenny Salwey, the music of the RiverBenders, special guest, international spoken word artist Imani Woomera and Santa Claus stepping in for announcer Al Ross. Mack is a Minneapolis-based comedian whose typical shows include jokes, mandolin playing, and sing-along polka songs; the RiverBenders will play seasonal favorites during the show; and Salwey will recite A Winter’s Tale.

December 16, 2010 - "Curling in Central Wisconsin"
This week, Route 51 welcomes guest host, Bill Martens as he "sweeps" in to tackle an hour on the sport of curling. Bill's guest will be Mike Maher, Head Curling coach at Wausau East High School, talking about the history of curling, the rules, regulations and terminology of curling, about the sportsmanship curling instills in young players, and of its growing popularity in Central Wisconsin.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:05

December 9, 2010 - "Rep. Scott Suder"
This week, Route 51 welcomes Wisconsin’s new Assembly Majority Leader Representative Scott Suder R-Abbotsford) to talk about his priorities for state government. With Republicans now in control of the Governor’s mansion and both houses of the legislature, host Glen Moberg will ask Representative Suder about possible cuts to the state budget in order to address a projected shortfall of almost three billion dollars. Listeners will be able to call in with their questions and comments for Representative Suder live on the air.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:10

December 2, 2010 - "The Importance of Philanthropy"
We'll look at the importance of philanthropy in meeting the needs of our local communities and helping them grow to meet future challenges. In a time of draconian budget cuts at the federal, state and local levels, private gift giving to regional community foundations and charities has become a vital means of accomplishing what political and government leaders are no longer willing to do. Guests will include: Jean Tehan, executive director of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin in Wausau; Terry Rothmann, executive director of the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin in Stevens Point; and Kelly Lucas, executive director of the Community Foundation of South Wood County in Wisconsin Rapids.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:01

November 25, 2010 - "Happy Thanksgiving!"
Route 51 will not air today due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. Rather than “talking turkey” today, host Glen Moberg and staff will be “eating turkey!” Please enjoy the broadcast of our Thanksgiving Day Special, the Third Coast Audio Festival on WPR’s Ideas Network stations from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday to you and yours from the Wausau bureau of Wisconsin Public Radio.

November 18, 2010 - "Author Gary Edinger"
This Thursday we share a story of survival and Thanksgiving with Gary Edinger, a Price County logger, backwoodsman, author and philosopher. Edinger will tell the story of how he survived when a logging accident severed his leg off while he was alone in the deep woods in subzero weather. His book Will to Live: A Saga of Survival details his love and reverence for the wilderness, and the history of his family, who lived a pioneer existence as one of the first settlers in Price County.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:22

November 11, 2010 - "Salute to Veterans Day"
This Thursday Veterans Day, Route 51 features a salute to our local veterans. Guests will include World War II Veteran Ken Mason of Wausau, who flew bombing missions over Berlin and Munich; Vietnam War veteran Jim Maas of Rothschild, who served in the 11th Flight Infantry Brigade, Americal Division in Duc Tho; and Greg Foye, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Highground Veterans Memorial in Neillsville. Foye served in the Strategic Air Command in Thailand during the Vietnam War.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:44

November 4, 2010 - "Analysis of Midterm Election Results"
Analysis of Tuesday’s election results, and the Republican sweep in Wisconsin and across the country. Host Glen Moberg will moderate a discussion with Republican Party analyst Kevin Hermening, Democratic Party analyst Christine Bremer, and Robert Mentzer, Opinion Page Editor of the Wausau Daily Herald. Moberg and Mentzer worked together planning and moderating two high profile debates in October: the U.S. Senate Debate between Russ Feingold and Ron Johnson, and the Seventh District Congressional debate between Sean Duffy and Julie Lassa, both at the UW Marathon County Theater in Wausau.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:03

October 28, 2010 - "Duffy/Lassa Debate Highlights"
This week, Route 51 presents highlights from the Wisconsin Public Radio Combined Media Seventh District Congressional Debate between Republican Sean Duffy and Democrat Julie Lassa. The debate will be moderated by Route 51 host Glen Moberg, and will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday October 26th in the old UW Marathon County Theater. It will be broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Ideas Network, and on WHRM 90.9 FM Wausau. The event is cosponsored by the Wausau Daily Herald, WAOW ABC TV-9, WSAW CBS TV-7, the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, and KidsVoting USA Wisconsin. Thursday’s Route 51 program will give those who couldn’t listen to the debate live a second chance to hear it. Due to the special nature of the program, we will not be taking live calls from our listeners.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	1:00:00

October 21, 2010 - "35th Assembly District Candidates"
This week features an election forum with the two candidates for the 35th State Assembly District: Democrat Jay Schmelling and Republican Tom Tiffany, both of whom will appear live in our Wisconsin Public Radio studio in Wausau. Discussion will focus on the top issues facing state government, and the regional issues important to North Central Wisconsin. The 35th Assembly District covers portions of Lincoln, Langlade and Oneida Counties. Because of the retirement of Republican Don Friske, there is no incumbent candidate on the ballot. Listeners will have an opportunity to call the program, and question both candidates live on the air.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:40

October 14, 2010 - "U.S Senate Debate Re-broadcast"
Russ Feingold(D) and Ron Johnson(R), candidates for the US Senate participated in a public debate at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County last Monday, October 11. It was broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio statewide. Today's show will be a re-broadcast of that debate, which was sponsored by the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS), Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wausau Daily Herald, WAOW-TV Wausau and WSAW-TV Wausau.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	59:03

October 7, 2010 - "Senator Russ Decker"
This Thursday, we continue our election year forums with Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Wausau). Host Glen Moberg will ask Senator Decker about the top issues facing the 29th State Senate District and the State Senate less than a month before the November 2nd elections. Senator Decker will also be asked about the issues and criticism voiced by his Republican opponent, Dr. Pam Galloway, on a previous edition of Route 51. Listeners will be able to call in live on the air with questions and comments for Senator Decker.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	47:17

September 30, 2010 - "WI 85th Assembly District Candidates"
This week features an election forum with the three candidates for the Wausau based 85th State Assembly District: Incumbent Democrat Donna Seidel, Republican Chuck Eno and Libertarian Jim Maas.
Route 51 host, Glen Moberg will moderate an hour long discussion focusing on the top issues facing state government and the regional issues important to North Central Wisconsin. Listeners will have an opportunity to call the program, and question all three candidates live on the air.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:39

September 23, 2010 - "Political Point/Counterpoint with Kevin Hermening and John Smart"
We will take a look at the just completed Wisconsin primary elections… and look forward to the upcoming general elections in November. Guests will be Marathon County Republican Kevin Hermening and Price County Democrat John Smart. The freewheeling discussion will focus on the contests between Russ Feingold and Ron Johnson for the U.S. Senate, Tom Barrett and Scott Walker for Wisconsin Governor, Sean Duffy and Julie Lassa for Congress, and Russ Decker and Pam Galloway for the State Senate.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:39

September 16, 2010 - "History of Merrill and the Railroads of North Central Wisconsin"
This Thursday, Route 51 welcomes Pat and Tom Burg to talk about the history of Merrill and the railroads that served North Central Wisconsin. Pat Burg is treasurer of the Merrill Historical Society, which is working to build a new museum to be known as the Merrill History and Culture Center. Pat’s husband, Tom Burg, is the author of a new book titled Route of the North Woods Hiawatha: the Milwaukee Road’s Wisconsin Valley Line. Discussion will focus on how the railroads linked Merrill and other Wisconsin River Valley cities, serving a vital role for economic growth, and the expansion of population and cultural diversity.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:14

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:09

September 2, 2010 - "Suzy Favor-Hamilton"
This week, Route 51 features former Olympian and Stevens Point star athlete, Suzy Favor Hamilton, who will discuss her battle with depression and her work on suicide prevention. Host Glen Moberg will talk to Hamilton about the stress caused by the suicide of her brother, the all encompassing nature of Olympic training, the incident in which she fell during the 1500 meter competition in Sydney, and how focusing on family life pulled her back from the abyss.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:10

August 26, 2010 - "29th Republican Candidates: Pam Galloway and Jimmy Boy Edming"
This week we'll hold a forum with the Republican candidates in the 29th State Senate District. Jimmy Boy Edming, a Rusk County businessman, and Pam Galloway, a Wausau physician who specializes in breast cancer treatment, will both appear live in our studio in Wausau. Moberg will ask Edming and Galloway about their perspective on the top issues facing state government, and the political climate as we head into the fall campaign season. Edming and Galloway face each other in the September 14th Republican primary. The winner faces State Senate majority leader Russ Decker, a Democrat from Wausau, in the November election.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:10

August 19, 2010 - "Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure"
A preview of the inaugural central Wisconsin Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, scheduled Sunday, August 22nd in downtown Wausau. Guests include: Susan Ford-Hoffert, Susan G. Komen central Wisconsin affiliate President, Ellyn Fuchsteiner, original Board Member, and Denise Hunt, breast cancer survivor. Discussion will revolve around ongoing efforts to find a cure for breast cancer, the challenges facing cancer survivors, and innovative efforts by Aspirus Hospital and the Marshfield Clinic to expand cancer screenings and treatment to underserved and underinsured women. The Central Wisconsin Race website can be found here.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:10

August 12, 2010 - "Golf in North Central Wisconsin"
With Route 51 host Glen Moberg on vacation this week, we welcome our friend, Bill Martens to fill in as guest host. Martens will lead a discussion on golf in our region with his guests: Jeff Mayers, author of Golf Wisconsin: The Official Guide to the State’s Top 25 Public Courses; and regional expert, Mark Zelich, founder of the News Channel 7 Golf Classic. They’ll talk about the golf courses of the region and share stories of the golfers and the game. Click here for Jeff Mayer's website.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:45

August 5, 2010 - "Tom Barrett"
This week features Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Wisconsin. Host Glen Moberg will question Mr. Barrett about the big policy debates in the statewide campaign, the political climate heading into the November election, and the top issues and concerns for voters in North Central Wisconsin. In the general election, Barrett will face either Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker or former Congressman Mark Neumann, the two Republicans on the September primary ballot. Listeners to the program will have an opportunity to call in and question Mr. Barrett live on the air.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	44:39

July 29, 2010 - "South Beach Chamber Ensemble"
It’s become an annual tradition- direct from Miami Beach, Florida, Wausau native Michael Andrews brings the South Beach Chamber Ensemble to our Wisconsin Public Radio studios for an hour of live chamber music and lively conversation.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	44:39

July 22, 2010 - "Betty Boop Festival, Wisconsin Rapids"
This week we'll preview the first annual Betty Boop Wisconsin Festival, scheduled for August 5th - August 8th in Wisconsin Rapids. The festival honors the work of Grim Natwick, a groundbreaking cartoonist and animator who was born in Wisconsin Rapids, and who brought the iconic flapper to life at Hollywood’s Max Fleischer studios in the late 20’s and early 30’s. Guests include: festival director Cathy Meil and local artist Jeanne Weywouth to discuss the upcoming festival weekend, and the impact of Grim Natwick and Betty Boop on American culture. The show will also feature music clips from some of the original Betty Boop cartoons.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	44:06

July 15, 2010 - "Sid Kyler River Valley Jazz Festival"
This week we preview the first annual Sid Kyler River Valley Jazz Festival, scheduled for this Saturday, July 17th at Bull Falls Brewery, 901 E. Thomas Street on Wausau’s east side. The festival will bring together nine Wisconsin based jazz bands for a full day of music on two stages, from 11 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Route 51 host and concert emcee Glen Moberg will talk about American jazz music with band leader Sid Kyler, River Valley Jazz Society spokesman Louis Pradt, and concert promoter Don Zamzow. Sid Kyler’s Dixieland Band will perform live music in our Wisconsin Public Radio Wausau studio for this special Route 51 program.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	43:20

July 8, 2010 - "Senator Julie Lassa"
We feature some one-on one time with seventh district congressional candidate State Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point), who is hoping to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Dave Obey. Discussion will revolve around her positions on the struggling economy and high unemployment, Wall Street financial reform, the oil spill in the Gulf and its impact on energy legislation, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, immigration reform, and political forecasts that predict Republican gains and Democratic losses in Congress. Lassa faces a Democratic primary challenge from author and internet consultant Joe Reasbeck. She will face either former Ashland District Attorney Sean Duffy or Portage County organic farmer Dan Mielke as her Republican opponent in the general election.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:40

July 1, 2010 - "Drought in Northern Wisconsin"
This week we examine the effects of drought on our north woods lakes, reservoirs, rivers and ecosystems. Eight years of reduced rainfall have left some of northern Wisconsin’s best known fishing lakes and reservoirs several feet below normal, adversely affecting the tourist economy, the health of surrounding forests, and in some cases well water.
Guests will be Jim Bishop, public affairs manager with the Department of Natural Resources and Sam Morgan, vice-president of operations for Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company. Bishop is responsible for much of the state’s lakeland region north of Marathon County. Morgan’s company regulates the water level of the flowages connected to the Wisconsin River system, and has to deal every day with homeowners and recreational users alarmed at the effects of the ongoing drought.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:29

June 24, 2010 - "Route 51 Detour!"
Route 51 will not air today as host, Glen Moberg is on vacation.
Please follow the detour and enjoy the second hour of At Issue with Ben Merens this Thursday from 5:00-6:00 p.m.

June 17, 2010 - "Energy Fair Preview and Amanda Little"
Preview of the 21st annual Midwest Renewable Energy Association Energy Fair, scheduled for this weekend in Custer, Wisconsin, just east of Stevens Point. Our guests will be one of the keynote speakers at the fair, Amanda Little, author of Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells – Our Ride to the Renewable Future, joined by Doug Stingle, Programs Director for the MREA. Little has been a guest on many radio and cable television news programs, with her focus on how American ingenuity can break our economic dependence on oil and lead us into a green energy future. Her critically acclaimed book begins with an in-depth look at deep water oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico similar to the one that created the British Petroleum environmental disaster.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:29

Monday, June 7, 2010 - "Special Route 51 Broadcast"
"7th District Congressman Dave Obey"
On Monday, June 7th from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., Wisconsin Public Radio presents a special live edition of Route 51 regional talk radio featuring Seventh District Democratic Congressman Dave Obey. Host Glen Moberg will interview Mr. Obey for the full hour in our studio at UW Marathon County, discussing his priorities for the final months of his 41 year career in Congress, and his views on the economy, national security, the Gulf oil spill, and the upcoming November elections. We will be taking live phone calls, questions and comments from our listeners for the full hour.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:48

June 3, 2010 - "Joe Bucher and 2010 Musky Season"
This week our guest is Joe Bucher, world famous fishing guide, lure designer, television producer and bluesman. Host Glen Moberg will talk to Bucher about the opening weekend of the northern musky season, the secrets of his lure designs, and the challenges facing our northern lakes because of continuing drought conditions and invasive species.
Joe Bucher will also take live questions on fishing strategy and techniques from Route 51 listeners for the full hour. Hope you can "catch" the show!

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:33

May 27, 2010 - "Annual Gardening Show"
This week features our annual gardening show with the always informative and entertaining David Ryle of the Jung Seed Company of Stevens Point. We'll open the phone lines to listeners, so they can ask Ryle about the specific challenges and frustrations facing gardeners and landscapers in the northern half of our state. It’s a Garden Talk show just for our inclement northern climate… where it snows in May, and then breaks all time heat records just a few days later.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:27

May 20, 2010 - "LZ Lambeau-WI Welcomes Home Vietnam Veterans"
We have a special live broadcast from UW-Green Bay as we preview this weekend’s LZ Lambeau Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans reunion at historic Lambeau Field. Host Glen Moberg will moderate a discussion with a panel of local Vietnam veterans and event organizers, as we look back at their service to our country during the turbulent events of the Vietnam era. The LZ (or Landing Zone) Lambeau event will feature a motorcycle honor ride, The Moving Wall Vietnam memorial, and a tribute Saturday evening with military flyovers, music, excerpts from the new public television documentary Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories, a tribute to the 1,244 KIA and MIA Wisconsin soldiers and a formal "Thank you and welcome home" from Gov. Jim Doyle. Vietnam veterans, their families and friends are encouraged to call this special Route 51 program live so we can broadcast their personal tributes and remembrances.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	59:06

May 13, 2010 - "Live Broadcast at 2010 Listener Dinner"
This Thursday, May 13th, Route 51 regional talk radio takes our show on the road with a broadcast before a live audience from our annual listener appreciation dinner at Lake Arrowhead in Nekoosa. Host Glen Moberg devotes the first half of the program to the economy and environment of central Wisconsin, with George Mead, executive director of the Mead Witter Foundation and former CEO of Consolidated Papers; and Sam Fairchild, CEO of Energy Composites, a Wisconsin Rapids firm with a vision to become one of the nation’s leaders in renewable energy. The second half of the program will be devoted to the legislative agenda for central Wisconsin, with Republican State Senator Luther Olsen of Ripon and Democratic Assemblyman Marlin Schneider of Wisconsin Rapids. The special Route 51 program will take questions from our live audience in Nekoosa.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:33

May 6, 2010 - "Never Forgotten Honor Flight- the afterglow"
This week we devote a second program to the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, a project that flew more than 100 World War II veterans free of charge to Washington DC this past week. The vets had a chance to see the World War II memorial and Arlington Cemetery, and to receive some long overdue recognition for their service. A crowd of 500 people welcomed them back home to Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee at the end of the one day excursion. Discussion will include the experiences of this day to remember with three people who made the trip: Honor Flight organizer Jim Campbell; Pete Wasson, Assistant Managing Editor for the Wausau Daily Herald; and Joe Karlen, one of the men in the 8th Infantry Division who went ashore at Normandy on D-Day. Listeners will also hear the stories of other local World War II veterans who made the flight.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	44:55

April 29, 2010 - "The History of Fur Farming in Central Wisconsin"
This week we devote an hour to the history of fur farming in North Central Wisconsin. Host Glen Moberg welcomes Gary and Jon Mason, co-owners of The Fox Tale and Silver Fox Retreat in rural Hamburg, southwest of Merrill. The retreat and conference center is on the site of the old Fromm Brothers Farm, at one time the center of the world fur farming industry. The silver fox pelts that were bred at the site were purchased for an unheard of $1.3 million dollars by the New York Auction Company in 1929, were later featured at the Chicago World’s Fair, and worn by Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Jackie Kennedy and the Vanderbilts. The auctions on the farm attracted celebrities that included New York’s Mayor Fiorello Laguardia, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Albert Einstein. The Fromm Brothers also pioneered the science of ginseng farming in central Wisconsin, and helped create a canine distemper vaccine that is still in use today. The operation was one of the pillars of central Wisconsin’s economy in the first half of the twentieth century.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:50

April 22, 2010 - "The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day"
This week we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the environmental holiday started by Wisconsin’s own Senator Gaylord Nelson. To mark the occasion, we welcome Marge Gibson of the Raptor Education Group back to our WPR Studios to discuss the progress made since the first Earth Day in 1970 in protecting our environment, and bringing back from the brink of extinction the American bald eagle and other previously endangered species. Gibson is one of the world’s premier wildlife rehabilitators, and has nursed back to health hundreds of injured eagles, hawks, owls and waterfowl at her organization’s headquarters in rural Antigo. She first received international acclaim in 1989 when she supervised the wildlife rescue operation following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:33

April 15, 2010 - "The Patriotic American Taxpayer"
This Thursday, April 15th, as anti-tax and anti-government rhetoric fills the air, Route 51 does something different: we dedicate an hour to the patriotic American taxpayer, who pays his or her taxes on time, and doesn’t complain about it. The program will focus on the good things our taxes accomplish, including supporting our troops, paying our police and firefighters, educating our children, protecting our environment, encouraging entrepreneurs and small businesses, helping the unemployed, and providing vital social services to those in need. Guests will be Dr. Jack Norman, Research Director at the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, an organization dedicated to adequate funding for state and local governments; and Stan Gruszynski, former central Wisconsin state legislator, and currently the Wisconsin State Director of the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Programs. Norman is the author of Wisconsin’s Revenue Gap, an Analysis of Corporate Tax Avoidance, and Exposing the Wisconsin ‘Tax Hell’ Hoax. Gruszynski is a former dairy farmer who has written extensively about farm policy.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:41

April 8, 2010 - "Future of Downtown Stevens Point"
This week we'll look at the efforts to revitalize and redevelop downtown Stevens Point. With its mall facing foreclosure, and the loss of longtime anchor J.C. Penney, city leaders are working to attract new tenants, to tie a strong base of locally owned retail stores to the nearby UW Stevens Point campus, and to better market the area’s historic architecture, public spaces and riverfront location. Guests will be: Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson; Director of Community Development Mike Morrissey; and developer Mark Craig, General Manager of Compass Properties. The discussion will include comparisons to the recent successful redevelopment of downtown Wausau, in which Morrissey and Craig both played important roles.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:30

April 1, 2010 - "Capital Steps Special"
Route 51 will not air this week. Listen on April Fool's Day, Thursday, April 1 at 5:29pm for the Capitol Steps Special on WPR's Ideas Network Stations. This special replaces the last half of Ben Merens' 5pm hour.

March 25, 2010 - "Faith Healing and the Law"
This week we take a look at faith healing and the law, as the state senate and general assembly considers new legislation to address the conflict between religious freedom and the obligation of parents to provide for the welfare and safety of their children. The push for the legislation came in response to the so-called prayer death trials of Dale and Leilani Neumann in Marathon County last year, whose guilty verdicts are being appealed to the state supreme court. The Neumanns were both convicted of second degree reckless homicide because they prayed for their critically ill daughter Madeline Kara instead of seeking medical treatment. Guests will be: Shawn Peters, Wisconsin based author of When Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children, and the Law; attorney Jay Kronenwetter, who represented Dale Neumann in his criminal trial; and Marathon County Assistant District Attorney LaMont Jacobson, who successfully prosecuted the cases.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:02

March 18, 2010 - "Never Forgotten Honor Flight"
Focus this week is on our surviving World War II Veterans and a local project called Never Forgotten Honor Flight, which will take a planeload of vets free of charge to Washington D.C. to view the World War II Veterans Memorial. Guests will be: Honor Flight co-founders Jim Campbell and Mike Thompson and World War II veteran Ralph Buechler. With many veterans of the Great War now in their eighties and nineties, Campbell and Thompson see an urgent need to bring them together to see the long overdue public memorial that recognizes their service. More information about the project can be found on the website Never Forgotten Honor Flight.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	44:50

March 11, 2010 - "Big Game in Wisconsin"
We'll talk about the status of big game in Wisconsin, as we look at changing population numbers for deer, wolves and bears, and the confirmed sightings of cougars in the state. Hunters are voicing complaints about an apparent decline in deer numbers at Conservation Congress meetings being held this week. New data also indicates a rapid increase in the numbers of wolves and bears, with a corresponding expansion of their range into southern Wisconsin. Guests are: deer and bear expert Tim Van Deelen, professor of wildlife ecology at UW Madison; wolf expert Adrian Wydeven, conservation biologist with the DNR in Park Falls; and cougar expert Eric Anderson, professor of wildlife ecology at UW Stevens Point.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:01

March 4, 2010 - "Suicide Rate Increase"
We examine the alarming increase in the suicide rate in central Wisconsin and across the entire state. In 2008, 737 Wisconsin residents took their own lives, the highest number in at least two decades. That same year, a record 24 suicides took place in Marathon County alone. Suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death in Wisconsin, ahead of even motor vehicle crashes and breast and prostate cancer. Guests include Debi Traeder, Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Mental Health America-Wisconsin; Henry Kanamoto, suicide survivor, retired physician and facilitator for the Survivors of Suicide Support Group; and Dr. Edward Krall, psychiatrist with the Marshfield Clinic Behavioral Health Department. Dr. Krall is scheduled to appear in Wausau on Friday, March 5th for the Making Parity Real symposium, with the goal of getting better insurance coverage for mental health treatment.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	48:48

February 25, 2010 - "Challenges & Opportunities facing Central Wisconsin"
Today's show will focus on the soon to open Dairyland State Academy, the renewed effort to attract young professionals and high paying jobs, the process of “rebranding” the region, and problems that include the impact of the great recession, a culture of alcohol abuse, and overcrowding of the Marathon County jail. Guests will be Brad Karger, Marathon County Administrator and Keith Langenhahn, Chariman of the Marathon County Board of Supervisors.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:40

February 18, 2010 - "Politics & President Obama's First Year"
This week we'll look at the state of politics in America one year into the Obama presidency. Guests will be Republican analyst Walter John Chilsen of Weston and Democratic analyst John Smart of Park Falls to discuss a broad range of topics, including the ongoing debate over the impact of the federal stimulus bill, the impasse over health care reform, the lack of bipartisanship and the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate, the tea party movement, the effort to reform financial markets, the recent Supreme Court ruling on corporations and campaigns, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and trials for terrorism suspects.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:14

February 11, 2010 - "Valentine's Day Music with John Greiner"
This week we present our annual Valentine’s Day show, as host Glen Moberg welcomes John Greiner, the leader of the Swing Shift Big Band. We will feature some of the greatest love songs of all time, as recorded by the legendary crooners of the big band era. Greiner will bring his saxophone to perform some of those great romantic pop standards live in our Wisconsin Public Radio studio in Wausau.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:41

February 4, 2010 - "Photographer Gerard Fuehrer"
Route 51 welcomes naturalist and photographer Gerard Fuehrer, president of Wild Journey Films of Auburndale. Fuehrer has travelled all over North America, capturing beautiful still photos of birds and animals in the wild, and has released a series of videos documenting Wisconsin wildlife habitats. Fuehrer will talk about his techniques for capturing rare images, including a hibernating mother bear nursing her infant cubs, marsh hawks feeding each other in mid-flight, and whitetail bucks locking antlers in combat. Fuehrer and Route 51 host, Glen Moberg recently collaborated on a video documentary that profiles the Mead Wildlife Area near Milladore.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	47:04

January 28, 2010 - "2010 Badger State Games"
We take a look at the Badger State Winter Games, and the possible end of Wausau as the host community for the event. Guests will be Darien Schaefer of the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau, which decided to stop funding and sponsoring Wausau as the host community, and Perron Nicholas of the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, the non-profit organization that manages and provides direction for the games. We'll discuss the importance of the annual Olympic style competition to the athletes and volunteers, the history of the games, their regional economic impact, and the options available for their future. The games take place over three weekends, beginning this Friday.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	46:54

January 21, 2010 - "Earthquake in Haiti"
This Thursday we look at the local impact of the earthquake in Haiti, from the efforts of volunteers in North Central Wisconsin involved in the recovery effort, to the concerns of Haitian born residents worried about their homeland. Guests will include Elise Lacossiere, a 25 year old Haitian student pursuing a degree in electromechanical engineering at North Central Technical College; Pastor Harvey Matson of Wausau’s Living Well Faith Community Church, who is working to rebuild an orphanage that was destroyed by the quake; and Carole Mahler, a volunteer with Wausau’s Highland Community Church, who was part of a team that treated earthquake victims in the hours following the disaster.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	47:55

January 14, 2010 - "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day"
We will discuss Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Day and preview a central Wisconsin celebration of Dr. King and his life. Guests will include William “Bill” Fulton, the keynote speaker for a community celebration scheduled for Monday, January 18th at the Stevens Point Senior High School Auditorium. Fulton is an Ohio based attorney who knew Dr. King as a teenager, and worked with him in the civil rights movement. He will be joined on the program by UWSP Professor Emeritus of History Paul Mertz, whose work focuses on the civil rights era. The community celebration in Stevens Point is hosted by Justiceworks Ltd., a nonprofit justice advocacy organization based in Portage County.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	47:08

January 7, 2010 - "Wausau Area Public Access Channels"
At the end of this month, the Wausau area’s free public access and local government cable TV channels will go dark and stop broadcasting unless funding can be raised. The blackout will keep area residents from seeing a daily stream of regional government meetings, religious services, public forums and community events. The city of Wausau has cut funding for the channels in the midst of a dispute with Charter Cable TV over who is responsible for the payments, as a new state law raises questions about whether any public access channels in Wisconsin will survive. This Thursday, January 7th, Route 51 looks into the broader issues behind the local dispute with John Jordan, Wausau Area Public Access Coordinator, and Mary Cardona, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association of Public Education Government Channels.

	Play MP3 File		Download MP3 File	45:16