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In fair Winona, where we lay our scene ... The state’s premier Shakespeare festival is back for its 16th season this week, with a full slate of performances for both Bard-lovers and those looking for something a bit different. Doug Scholz-Carlson, artistic director of the Great River Shakespeare Festival, was our guest on Inside Winona to share with our audience his favorite moments with the company, what not to miss from this year’s season and how Shakespeare manages to translate so well today.

Steamboat Days is just a few days away, and 2019 Harbormaster Dean Beckman is ready to get the festivities rolling full steam ahead. This week on Inside Winona, we sat down with Beckman to talk about what to expect from this year's Steamboat Day's celebration.

Making sure the Winona Public Library is a destination for children of all ages is an important job, and one Tricia Wehrenberg takes very seriously. This week on Inside Winona, reporter Maddy Heim sat down with Wehrenberg, the youth services librarian for the Winona Public Library, to discuss some of the programs coming to the library this summer and why it’s so important to start reading to your kids right away.

A Canadian Pacific Railroad train carrying a load of grain derailed near the Franklin Street crossing early Wednesday morning. Here’s everything you need to know. Read the full story and see our gallery of the damage online at https://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/train-derails-near-franklin-street-crossing-in-winona/article_8fef27d4-d53f-5a10-931d-12eac9517061.html#1

The school year may be winding down, but just blink and it’ll be September again — which for some students means new clothes, new shoes, new notebooks and folders and freshly sharpened pencils. But for families who can’t always afford it, that time of year can be tough. This week on Inside Winona we sat down with Mandi Olson, director of Ready Set School, a local nonprofit that funds new school supplies for lower-income students in Winona County.

At the dawn of the Civil War two escaped slaves made their way to Winona, one found success, the other destitution. In her latest play, “Mister James and Mister Jeff,” retired Third District Court judge and playwright Margaret Johnson explored the men’s lives and the impact Winona had on their fates. This week on Inside Winona we sat down to talk with Johnson to talk about her latest production which premier at the Masonic Temple Theater May, 16-19.

Despite a rough start to the year, punctuated by bitter cold and record setting snowfall, Winona’s housing market remains as competitive as ever. This week on Inside Winona, we sat down with Winona County Recorder Bob Bambenek to talk about, among many things, what the recorder’s office does and the unique perspective it gives him on Winona’s often challenging housing market.

Starting tomorrow night, Winona’s streets are set to come alive with the sound of music with the official kick off of the 10th annual Mid West Music Fest. In this episode of Inside Winona, Daily News editor John Casper Jr. breaks down this year’s must see acts, a few oddities including an Elvis Presley impersonating clown and a few tips for first time fest goers. Learn more about this year’s Mid West Music Fest at https://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/mid-west-music-fest-returns-to-winona-this-weekend-here/article_248cb590-11e9-5c72-9cef-3eccf3ce2ab4.html

Dial just three numbers and help is only seconds away. In this week’s episode of Inside Winona, reporters Maddy Heim and Tobias Mann explore the lives of Winona’s own guardian angels, the dispatchers working behind the scene to keep the Island City safe and sound. Learn more about Winona's dispatchers and their day to day struggles online at https://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/what-s-your-emergency-winona-s-guardian-angels-the-unsung/article_cf8e13e0-e83c-5e3f-b4a4-da78849ec553.html

Cynthya Porter knows how to sell Winona. She can rattle off the festivals, the historic downtown sweet spots and the natural landmarks that residents love and visitors are awed by — like how on a clear day at the Garvin Heights outlook, you can see all the way to Alma. Winona was recently named one of the best five small-town destinations in the state by the Star Tribune, and best day trip by Twin Cities-based City Pages. But do those accolades play any role in getting people to move here? We asked Porter, the marketing specialist at Visit Winona, that question and more on this week's episode of Inside Winona. Take a listen to learn a lot, including why she finds our city "surprisingly weird, but incredibly entertaining."