After a long hiatus, we're back! And we've never had a more interesting guest.

Simon Isaac was born in raised in Caracas, Venezuela. I met him over a year ago. He's a student at MSU and writes for the student newspaper, where I happen to be an advisor. On this episode, Simon talks about what it's like to grow up in a dictatorship, what it's like to watch friends get killed in a governmental crackdown, how it felt to be kidnapped — twice — because of his outspoken views on oppression and government corruption. Despite all that, Simon remains hopeful his country can get beyond the turmoil and become stable again. And one day, if that happens, he hopes to be Venezuela's president.

Hey guys, we're pretty stoked about this episode. James Wolner, the mind behind a podcast enterprise called Dakota Spotlight, joins us to discuss at length the latest season of his true crime podcast empire: "Meanwhile in Mankato." In six episodes Wolner takes a deep dive on the 1965 murder of Ray Dahms at the hands of Brian Hendrickson. But it's not just a story of a murder. It's also the story of a system that failed dramatically when it let Hendrickson go free after just a few years in prison, leaving him free to commit more crimes.

In this episode, Free Press Managing Editor Robb Murray sits down with Sports Editor Mitch "The Big Dog" Vosburg to talk about the latest sports action, as well as Mitch's excellent recent column about the Mankato East girls soccer team.