Brandon Lewis
December 11, 2025
Thursday 11th December 2025
Pack the Backpack, presented by Central Office Supply, a division of Minuteman and Kix 101.1! Each month during the school year, we will be awarding $101 to a Kix Country classroom to help out with supplies. We will award the prize on the last Wednesday of the month. You can listen to each new winner at 8:30a on the Morning Kix Start.
Our March winner is Behavioral Disorder Special Education Teacher at Woodbury Elementary in Marshalltown, Mrs. Karla Saxton. She was nominated by her co-workers and here is what they wrote to Kix 101.1.:
We would like to recognize and nominate an amazing teacher who pours herself into teaching not only her students, but all students that need her support. She is always thinking of ways to help our kids be successful in the classroom but more importantly, how to be successful long term out in the “real world”. She spends her energy and her own hard-earned money on supplies to help keep her lessons fun and interactive. Who is this amazing teacher you may be asking? The one and only Karla Saxton! She is a BD Special education teacher at Woodbury Elementary School in Marshalltown. We have had the pleasure of working alongside Karla and seeing the dedication she has to helping kids grow as individuals. This year has been trying for all teachers and to be honest, they probably all deserve the $101 for school supplies. We are nominating Karla Saxton because out of so many educators, she has shined so bright during this year’s struggles and could not only use the money but also just knowing the fact that her work and dedication has not gone unnoticed.Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Two additional tired teachers, Marlene Current & Holly Carter
Take a listen to our surprise interview with Mrs. Karla Saxton below!
Nominate your Kix Country class by submitting a letter to us at backpack@kixweb.com.
Welcome to The List,
I did not know this, but Tom Cruise was almost cast as Jack Dawson in Titanic. Yes… imagine Jack sprinting across the bow yelling, “I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD!” Tom was 35 at the time, Jack was supposed to be 20, and apparently the salary demands, scheduling conflicts, and the lack of running scenes threw everything off. River Phoenix, Matthew McConaughey, and Jared Leto were also considered. But producers said Leo was the perfect fit. Cruise could have brought star power… but DiCaprio brought teenage hysteria and record-breaking box office. The more you know.
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File this under “early-2000s fever dream”: Paris Hilton hosted a private birthday dinner for Britney Spears in Mexico. Candles, balloons, colorful banners the whole Y2K nostalgia starter pack. Britney’s gifts came in hot pink boxes, obviously. But RadarOnline says Brit injured herself on the trip after “doing a flip off a boat.” Now a family member is worried, saying her behavior is “disturbing,” but there’s only so much anyone can do since she’s, quote, “a grown woman.” The 90s are back… and they’re still chaotic.
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Zac Brown apparently scared the cowboy boots off fans at his Las Vegas Sphere show. Some concert-goers were floored by the visuals giant skeletons, fiery imagery, the whole metal-album-cover experience. Responses ranged from “incredible!” to “Sir… WRONG audience.” One fan said, “Do you even know who your audience is?” Not sure Zac was trying to summon demons…
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Kenny Chesney found out he’s the seventh most popular touring act of the entire millennium over 18 million tickets sold since 2001. His reaction? “I was shocked.” Shocked? Kenny, you sell more stadium seats than the NFL. The kid from East Tennessee is basically the mayor of summer now. Sunburns everywhere are celebrating.
You can catch The List, weekday afternoon at 4:20 with Jonathan Knight. Only on Iowa’s BEST Country KIX 101.1
