Thursday 18th December 2025
The Holiday Edition of Pack the Backpack is presented by Central Office Supply, a division of Minuteman, generous employees at Lennox Industries in Marshalltown and Kix 101.1! Each Wednesday during December, we will be awarding $101 to a Kix Country classroom to help out with supplies.
Our latest winner for Holiday Edition of Pack the Backpack is Traci Nalevanko – 6th Grade ELA & Global Studies Teacher @ Callahan Middle School. She was nominated by Emily Nalevanko who wrote to Kix 101.1:
She has been teaching in the Des Moines Public School District for 33+ years and all of her students love her! She is amazing with all of her students and all of her staff members. All of her former students speak very, very highly of her. She isn’t my mom but she is a mother figure to many of her students and former students! She is all around an amazing teacher!
Take a listen to our surprise interview with Traci Nalevanko!
What fruit is traditionally placed in Christmas stockings symbolizing gold coins from St. Nicholas' ?
Welcome to The List,
Sad news from the soap world. General Hospital icon Anthony Geary has passed away at age 78 due to complications from surgery in Amsterdam. Fans knew him forever as Luke Spencer, one of the most legendary characters daytime TV has ever seen. His longtime on-screen partner Genie Francis said, “No star burned brighter than Tony Geary,” adding that working with him was always unpredictable and exciting. A true original, and a massive loss for television history.
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Radar Online says Mariah Carey is allegedly stressed that her Christmas anthem All I Want For Christmas Is You might not dominate the charts this year. Apparently Gen Z is flirting with other holiday jams. An insider says this song is basically Mariah’s financial Super Bowl. If it underperforms, the brand wobbles. Somewhere, Mariah is warming up her whistle register and threatening December itself.
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Riley Green had a moment onstage when a fan tossed leopard-print granny panties at him mid-show. He kept singing like a pro while the internet absolutely did not. His tour crew has now started collecting bras, panties, and even hair extensions thrown on stage. Riley said they were going to donate the bras once he learned how expensive they are. Country concerts really are built different.
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Blake Shelton told People magazine that Gwen Stefani is the head chef at home, especially when it comes to Italian food. Blake says her lasagna takes all day to make, but he’d eat it for the rest of his life. Somewhere, an Oklahoma grill is quietly weeping, but love is love. And apparently love tastes like lasagna.
You can catch The List, weekday afternoon at 4:20 with Jonathan Knight. Only on Iowa’s BEST Country KIX 101.1
