In this Tuesday edition of Bonnie & Friends, Bonnie Amistadi and Jace Denman prepare listeners for a brutal stretch of Arctic weather, with high temperatures struggling to reach 10 below zero and wind chills plummeting to 50 below. The duo breaks down Indiana University’s historic first-ever football national championship win over Miami and celebrates the Minnesota Wild’s high-scoring victory in Toronto. Between weather alerts, the team explores a series of bizarre headlines—from a grandmother hit with an $800 tariff on a $22 Barbie doll to a serial hitchhiking rabbit in Colorado. Later, experts from the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center join the studio to discuss the realities of human trafficking and stalking in the local community.
Key Moments
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The Arctic Plunge: Bonnie and Jace warn of "dangerous, life-threatening cold" settling into the Red River Valley, offering tips on preventing frostbite and "finger splits," while Chief Meteorologist Dean Wysocki admits he’s been betting on city high temperatures with co-host Ronnie Lee.
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Hoosiers Make History: Jace recaps Indiana's 27-21 thriller over Miami to clinch the FBS National Championship, noting the team’s incredible 16-0 season—a feat shared by only four programs in college football history, including the 2019 NDSU Bison.
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The $800 Barbie: Bonnie shares a cautionary tale of a Boston woman who tried to gift her granddaughter a Canadian "pro hockey" Barbie, only to receive a massive FedEx bill after a decimal point error valued the doll at $2,200.
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Girl Scout Cookie Shake-up: The team laments the discontinuation of "S’mores" and "Toast-Yay!" cookies while anticipating the new "Explore Mores"—a chocolate marshmallow toasted almond cream sandwich cookie.
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Local Safety Spotlight: Sarah Stompro and Jodi Hudson from the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center provide a sobering look at how traffickers use "mental and emotional leverage" rather than "white vans" to exploit victims locally, particularly among indigenous populations.
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Farming with Bridgette Readel: Ag Director Bridgette Readel explains the difference between "strip tillage" and "strip freshening" and introduces the "Farm Dog of the Year," a cattle herder recently honored by the American Farm Bureau.
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Northern Lights & Solar Flares: Listeners share photos of vivid aurora borealis displays captured through cell phone lenses on the Minnesota side of the river following a massive solar flare.