City Cast Twin Cities

For years, Minneapolis and St. Paul residents have read Naomi Kritzer’s election guides to parse through hyper-local races. Ahead of the midterms, she joins the show to talk about how she endorses candidates. Plus, Minneapolis Public Schools’ superintendent is taking school closures off the table. But there’s still more work ahead. Finally, the Theater of Public Policy hosted a debate between Rep. Cedrick Frazier and former Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk. We rewind on a critical moment. 

Become a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor — and score an Em Cassel-approved dad hat — at ⁠membership.citycast.fm⁠.

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

⁠Naomi Kritzer’s election guides ⁠

⁠Minnesota Poll: Klobuchar has a commanding lead over Demuth in governor’s race⁠ (Star Tribune)

⁠Minnesota Poll: Attorney General Keith Ellison leads challenger Ron Schutz⁠ (Star Tribune)

⁠Minnesota Poll: Flanagan holds narrow lead over Tafoya in U.S. Senate race⁠ (Star Tribune)

⁠Theater of Public Policy — Danger Boat Productions⁠

⁠Minneapolis school leaders reverse course and decide not to close schools⁠ (Star Tribune)

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 15th episode:

⁠Explore Minnesota⁠

⁠Minneapolis Regional Chamber⁠

⁠The Cedar Cultural Center⁠

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, or ⁠YouTube⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to ⁠sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter.

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at⁠ citycast.fm/advertise⁠.

Federal agents raided Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., home over the weekend, and President Trump urged non-Somali Minnesotans to "fight back" against Somali Minnesotans just a few days earlier. Mosques and some Somali-owned businesses are ⁠beefing up security measures⁠ and some neighbors are ⁠rebooting patrols⁠ that started during Operation Metro Surge. Also, gas prices are up – so we interviewed Lonnie McQuirter of ⁠36 Lyn Refuel Station⁠ on what that's like for a local gas station operator. And we released a new Neighborhood Session today! Tune in to see Society of Chemists play some ripping jazz fusion at Indeed Brewing's distribution warehouse in Northeast Minneapolis.

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

⁠Society of Chemists Live at Indeed Brewing | Full Neighborhood Session⁠ (City Cast Twin Cities)⁠Your City Could Be Better⁠ (City Cast)

⁠Lonnie McQuirter of 36 Lyn Refuel Station is the new 2026-2027 NACS Chairman⁠ (CSP Daily News)

⁠Gas prices in Minnesota spike overnight as oil prices climb⁠ (Star Tribune)

⁠Federal raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home raises plenty of questions⁠ (MinnPost)

⁠Trump urges Minnesotans to ‘fight back’ against Somali immigrants⁠ (NBC News)

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 14th episode:

⁠Explore Minnesota⁠

⁠Minneapolis Regional Chamber⁠

⁠The Cedar Cultural Center⁠

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, or ⁠YouTube⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to ⁠sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter.

Consider joining our membership program and ⁠becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor⁠!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at⁠ citycast.fm/advertise⁠.

Catch live horror at Twin Cities Horror Fest beginning this Friday through Halloween. Directors Duck Washington and Nissa Nordland highlight shows you can’t miss, whether you’re thirsty for gore or looking for something family-friendly. Plus, author Sasha Maria Suarez’s new book “An Ojibwe Home in the City” details how generations of Ojibwe women created a home for their community and tribal members in the Twin Cities. In the birthplace of the American Indian Movement, she writes how Ojiwe women quietly but powerfully refused to let their culture and knowledge disappear. 

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

Twin Cities Horror Festival 

An Ojibwe Home in the City: White Earth Women and Community Organizing in Minneapolis

If you enjoyed today's interview with the Executive Director at Explore Minnesota, Lauren Bennett McGinty, learn more here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 13th episode:

Explore Minnesota

Minneapolis Regional Chamber

The Cedar Cultural Center

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter.

Consider joining our membership program and becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Now that Minnesota has mandated that all schools have policies on cell phones, which ones stand out? A strong example is St. Paul Central High School, which is going into the second year of a strict no-phone policy and has lots of positive feedback to show for it. Sean McPherson joins David to talk about how the school is succeeding at enforcing a phone-free school environment, the surprising ways that some students approach it, and how these kinds of bans can even affect adults like Sean.

Listeners, it’s that time again: Send us the dilemmas you’re facing living in a city, and we might debate them on our upcoming call-in show! Send us an email or submit using this Google Form.

Mentioned on the show:

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! 

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

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It's Friday, so we're celebrating some Twin Cities Wins! We're rounding up some good things that happened around town this week. Later, we talk with DJ Stage One about Twin Cities Hip Hop Day, which is happening on Sunday at the Minnesota Historical Society. Chef Imani Jackson of Chopped and Served also joins the conversation to share how she has built a business around her Blewish (Black and Jewish) traditional cuisine.

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:The ‘Gay Bowl’ flag football championship is coming to Minnesota for the first time (MPR News)

Who was the marathon canoe guy and ... why? (Star Tribune)

Amtrak Borealis adds fourth train car to daily departures (Pioneer Press)

What Is Blewish Cooking? (Folklife)

Twin Cities Hip-Hop Day 2026 (MN Historical Society)

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 9th episode:

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minnesota Opera

Explore Minnesota

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter.

Consider joining our membership program and becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Three hospital mergers have been announced just this year, leading to labor unrest and what’s believed to be the state’s first doctor’s strike. Contributor Clint Combs explains why union hospital workers walked off the job in September. Plus, we ask our contributors: what’s your most surprising political takes? Try this with your friends – but we’re not responsible for your relationship afterwards. 

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

Allina Hospice Nurses Strike Overtime Pay (Minnesota Spokesman Recorder) 

Healthcare mergers in Minnesota and what it means for patients (MPR News)

Savory Breakfasts on Keep It Local 

If you enjoyed today's interview with Jenny Kedward, a Food Waste Prevention Specialist with Hennepin County, learn more here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 8th episode:

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minnesota Opera

Explore Minnesota

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter.

Consider joining our membership program and becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Today we're revisiting a few conversations about hyper-local Halloween costume ideas, Bon Iver's super catchy jingle for a Stillwater bar's "Meatloaf Dippers," and food critic Kirstie Kimball's top 5 matchas in the Twin Cities.

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

Bon Iver Made a Jingle for a Local Bar’s Meatloaf Dippers (Pitchfork)

Best Matcha in the Twin Cities (City Cast Twin Cities)

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 7th episode:

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minnesota Opera

Explore Minnesota

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter.

Consider joining our membership program and becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Today, we get into Minnesota's Attorney General race with contributor Tane Danger, break down the judicial candidates nobody's talking about, and ask whether gas prices could actually swing the election. Contributor and musician PaviElle French and host Sean share their top five weekly live music events in the Twin Cities — the kind of low-key, high-reward spots where you become a regular. Then, Natalie Jablonski and Madeleine Baran of the acclaimed podcast In the Dark join to talk about "The Journey," the new season hosted by New Yorker staff writer Ava Kofman.

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

At AG debate, Republican Ron Schutz commits to putting stocks in blind trust (MN Reformer)

Nekima Levy Armstrong's Post (Facebook)
If you enjoyed today's interview with the VP of Destination Branding & Development at Experience Champaign-Urbana, Terri Reifsteck, learn more here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 6th episode:

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minnesota Opera

Explore Minnesota

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter.

Consider joining our membership program and becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Today we dig into an investigation of how the Minneapolis Police Department spent nearly $2 million in overtime in just four days following the ICE killing of Renée Good with veteran journalist Molly Priesmeyer revealing surveillance overreach, ignored 911 calls, and a department breaking its own rules. Then, Luke Hanson, co-chair of Sustain St. Paul, explains why 50-year-old zoning laws are the reason you can't build a corner bookstore next to a duplex and what the city's T-district study could change. Plus, the mailbag overflows with Peanuts sculpture tips, and we’re grateful for them!

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

⁠How MPD Built a Police Surveillance Operation Around Renee Good’s Memorial — and What It Cost the Community⁠ (By Design)

⁠Allow Corner Stores and Coffee Shops in St. Paul’s Residential Zones⁠ (Streets.mn)

⁠How St. Paul's Commercial Zoning Rules Hamper the City⁠ (Streets.mn)

⁠How St. Paul Can Re-Legalize Small Commercial Development⁠ (Streets.mn)

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 5th episode:

⁠Minneapolis Institute of Art⁠

⁠Minnesota Opera⁠

⁠Explore Minnesota⁠

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on ⁠Instagram⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

Consider ⁠becoming a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor⁠!

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to ⁠sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter, City Cast Twin Cities.

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at⁠ citycast.fm/advertise⁠.

The report on St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s conduct just dropped. Findings by an external law firm cleared the mayor of sexual harassment allegations, but found multiple instances where she behaved inappropriately. BTW, taxpayers will foot the bill for the mayor’s legal defense. Plus, Renée Good’s family is suing the federal government, and we take a bike ride through St. Paul with City Council President Rebecca Noecker.

Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:

Learn more about the sponsors of this October 2nd episode:

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Enjoy Illinois

Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.

For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, City Cast Twin Cities.

Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.