St. Croix Stories

Lindsey Moreland is an author, an artist, and a motivation speaker — all of which have helped her show that people with autism are capable of doing lots of amazing things. When Lindsey was diagnosed with autism at 28 months old, it changed her family's world. But her parents and sister have been her biggest support over the years, and the Morelands have teamed up to become autism advocates together.

That has included writing a ...

Like many kids, Chris Mick had dreams of being an astronaut. He started taking steps toward that goal, including making the drive from California to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. But some hurdles wound up ending his dream of going into space, including the fact that he grew to be too tall to be an astronaut. Despite that, Chris' love of space never wavered.

Fast forward to today, and Chris has been educating the Hudson ...

Is The Garage Bikes and Brews a bike shop first, or a brewery first? If you ask co-owner Stephanie Johnson, the answer is: both. Stephanie is a River Falls native who married a fellow River Falls native, Matt. The duo co-own The Garage, which opened in 2020 and is set to celebrate its fifth anniversary. The space offers a unique vibe where visitors can enjoy a beer — brewed by Stephanie and Matt's son Ellis — while also watchi...

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly popular topic, and there's been growing support for sustainability efforts in the St. Croix Valley in particular — and in River Falls specifically, where Earth Fest will be held for the fourth year in a row on April 26th.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we're joined by Mark Klapatch-Mathias, the sustainability coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-River Fall...

The St. Croix Valley Food Bank has an ambitious goal for 2025: to provide over five million pounds of food to the four-county region in Western Wisconsin that it serves. That number might seem like a lot, but it's what is needed to help address the growing issue of food insecurity in the region.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Lee Kroll and Jim Dahl of the St. Croix Valley Food Bank join to share more about th...

When his mother suffered a stroke in 2018, Matthew Stepaniak wanted to find a way to keep her active both physically and mentally. As an avid cyclist himself, Matthew had the idea to bring cycling to those who couldn't otherwise enjoy it themselves. So he teamed up with Darren Dobier and the two co-founded Limitless Cycling, which helps individuals of all abilities enjoy the outdoors through the power of a bike ride.

On this we...

After growing up on a farm in Lancaster, Wisconsin, Dave Knoke ventured to River Falls for college — and ended up never leaving the area. He eventually opened Knoke's Chocolates and Nuts in Hudson in 2000 and the store has been a staple of the community ever since.

Knoke's has outgrown two different spaces over the years but has remained a fixture on Locust Street, just around the corner from the main street of downtown Hu...

Guy Whitehead grew up in a small town in North Dakota — his graduating class had 14 kids — and has an affinity for small-town living. He and his wife eventually settled with their kids in Stillwater, but he ultimately chose Hudson when he decided to open up Lucky Guys Distillery in 2022.

Guy credits his grandfather as the genesis for his passion of cocktails. Family runs deep for Guy in the business as well, as his wife Michelle is ...

We sometimes don't realize when others in our community — our neighbors — might need a little extra help, whether it's financially, finding housing, or other challenges. Shelly Smith and her team at Our Neighbors' Place in River Falls see these examples every day, and the small-but-mighty staff works hard to provide community members with the help they need to get back on their feet.

On this week's epis...

For many in the Hudson community, the YMCA is a place to work out, go swimming, or play pickleball. But the Y offers so much more than that — from youth programs to camps to a sense of community for those who gather there. And Chris Kost is a big reason for the impact the YMCA has had on the local community over the past decade.

Chris became the executive director of the Hudson YMCA in 2015, and has also been active in the...

If you asked James Wildman as a kid what he wanted to be when he grew up, a police officer probably wouldn't have been his first answer. He grew up with a bit of a distrust for law enforcement, but later realized that he could help change the way people view police officers by becoming one himself.

After a four-year stint in the marine corps with his twin brother — where he met his wife, also a twin — James' care...

When Richelle and Gary Jader first moved to Third Street in Hudson, they were warned about living on "Halloween Street." But it's been another holiday that has made the Jaders' home stand out.

For the past six years, Richelle and Gary have been the stewards of the Santa Mailbox, a red mailbox that sits in front of their house and receives hundreds of letters to Santa each year. Some of the letters are ...

In an ideal world, we’d all go about life as our true authentic selves, living how we want and not necessarily caring about how society might define us. But for many people, embracing their authentic self isn’t that simple. That journey of self-discovery can take a long time for some people, including today’s guest, Christina Rose.

Christina joins St. Croix Stories to share more about how she came to embrace her true auth...

Sheri Marnell has a passion for helping other companies thrive, and she gets to do that every day in her role as the director of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center. The SCVBIC is an incubator for local companies that are looking to either get their business off the ground or grow their company before eventually graduating to their own space. One of the best parts about the center: almost all of the companies that gradu...

At just 90 square feet, there isn’t a lot of room to operate inside of Joe to Go. But while the footprint of what owners Jess and Suzi Higgles affectionately call “the hut” is small, it’s filled with big ideas and big flavors.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, hear from Jess and Suzi to learn all about Hudson’s smallest coffee shop — and the big hearts of the married couple that run it. With coffees in hand...

"Treat others as you want to be treated" is one of the basic interpretations of the Golden Rule, which has other variations throughout different cultures and religions. No matter the translation, the basic principle is the same: be kind to others.

Hudson mayor Rich O'Connor fondly remembered learning about the Golden Rule as an elementary school student. Fast forward to 2019, and Mayor O'Connor opted to...

The mission of the St. Croix Valley Foundation is simple: to enhance the quality of life in the St. Croix Valley. The foundation does that by offering numerous grants and scholarships to residents in six counties and two states in the St. Croix Valley — and it's based right here in Hudson at the new Alliance Center, a hub for local nonprofits (including former podcast guests Operation HELP and the Hudson Area Backpack and Food...

Nestled into the woods in a quiet part of Hudson is the beautiful new building of the Carpenter Nature Center, which also has a location in Hastings, Minn. The center's two campuses are home to animals, hiking trails, and education materials for kids and adults alike. Each of the two locations boasts hundreds of acres of land that provide a great escape right in our own backyard.

On this week's episode of St. Cro...

The Hudson School District has faced challenges in recent years. From the debate over a new high school to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced schools to go remote, tough decisions had to be made in order to do what was best for the Hudson students. Making those tough decisions isn't always easy, but it's something Jamie Johnson has learned to do as the president of the Hudson School Board.

On this week's epis...