Barb Johnson, The longest-serving council president in city history sits down to share her unfiltered thoughts on today’s City Council, the ups and downs of keeping Target Center competitive, and the behind-the-scenes work that helped bring US Bank Stadium (and its economic impact) to Minneapolis. From navigating a changing council to the deals that shaped downtown’s sports and entertainment landscape, Johnson brings decades of institutional knowledge, North Side perspective, and the kind of no-nonsense insight that only comes from 20 years on the dais.  

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The Sheriff Bob Fletcher breaks down the use of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras across Ramsey County, how they’ve contributed to sharp drops in auto theft and violent crime, the auditing and data practices in place, and why he sees them as a key public-safety tool amid ongoing debates in St. Paul and beyond. Then the conversation turns to the upcoming Minnesota State Fair: the extra security measures, increased staffing (especially after dark on the Midway), warning letters sent to hundreds of young people with possible gang ties, and the overall plans to keep the Great Minnesota Get-Together safe for the expected crowds.

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This week on News from the Crabby Coffee Shop, Kenny and Jay sit down with Jen Merrill. A Minneapolis Police officer, military helicopter pilot, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, and longtime Third Precinct officer. Jen takes us inside life on the force before, during, and after the George Floyd riots. She shares what it was like working out of the Third Precinct, the same station that became a national flashpoint and was ultimately overrun and burned. Standing on the opposite side of the crowds, the chaos, and the flames consuming parts of the city, she gives access into the behind the curtain workings of the department. From the realities of day-to-day policing in Minneapolis to the intense, personal experience of defending order when large parts of the city were on fire, Jen offers a firsthand account rarely heard in the mainstream. 

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Bob pulls his Mobile Command Center into the parking lot to share what it’s really like living the full-time nomad life on the road. From the freedom of ditching the fixed address and becoming one of the early podcast pioneers, to the day-to-day realities of life in a converted rig, endless back roads, truck stops, and the people you meet along the way. Bob dishes on the joys, the challenges, and the lessons of the nomad lifestyle. The crew swaps old radio stories, digs into the ups and downs of life without a permanent home base, and gets Bob’s unfiltered take on what keeps him rolling year after year.  

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Breaking exclusive news out of St. Paul on the Mayor Kaohly Her / SPPD “Weiner Wednesday” saga. In this extra, we do a deep dive on the why behind the what bringing first hand evidence with first hand facts. If you are looking for a full cup on the political theater of Saint Paul, heres your shop.

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In this episode of News from the Crabby Coffee Shop, we talk with Kevin Urban, a Minnesotan approved for paid family leave who isn’t receiving the amount indicated or the benefits he’s been approved for. We also cover Weiner Wednesday with Mayor Kaohly Her and the latest from the Saint Paul Police Department squabble. Then Rep. Dave Baker joins the conversation to discuss Minnesota’s paid family leave program and what’s happening in the state legislature.  

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Sheriff Bob Fletcher joins the Crabby Coffee crew for a no-BS conversation you won’t hear anywhere else in Minnesota media. The longtime Ramsey County lawman sits down and lays it out straight: the growing problem of Somali youth gangs fueling violence in the Twin Cities, the hard numbers on the roughly 300 kids driving the chaos, and why pretending it doesn’t exist helps no one, especially the Somali community itself.

Fletcher talks candidly about what it’s like to wear the badge in today’s political climate, where telling the truth gets you labeled and common-sense policing takes a backseat to optics.

But at the heart of it all? A guy who’s spent decades building youth programs, gang intervention, and safe schools because he genuinely wants to do right by the kids and keep families safe. No political agenda, no grandstanding, just a cop who still believes in results over rhetoric. If you’re tired of tip-toeing around real problems, this episode is for you and remember: anything that needs figuring out can still be figured out… even when the politicians don’t want to hear it

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Grab your cup and settle in for a strong pour of straight talk on public safety leadership and big-city fire department politics. In this episode of News from the Crabby Coffee Shop, Kenny and Jay are joined by former Minneapolis City Council President Paul Ostrow, a seasoned voice on local government, budgets, and accountability. They dive deep into the nomination and tenure of Reginald Freeman as Hartford Fire Chief, along with the federal lawsuit tied to his time in the role. Ostrow brings his no-nonsense perspective on what it takes to lead a fire department through scandals, staffing crises, line-of-duty tragedies, and the legal fallout that follows. From hiring decisions and department culture to the real-world pressures facing urban fire services, this conversation cuts through the smoke.

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Minnesota State Representative Kristin Robbins, Chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, joins for a no-BS deep dive into the state’s exploding welfare fraud crisis. She breaks down how the same networks kept reappearing, why the system failed to stop it, and what her committee has uncovered through whistleblowers and public records. The conversation also covers Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s role in sponsoring the federal MEALS Act, which relaxed key oversight rules for meal providers and helped create the conditions for the Feeding Our Future scheme to explode. Robbins details the committee’s repeated attempts to get Omar to testify or turn over records of communications with individuals later tied to the fraud (many of which appeared in federal trial exhibits), and why those requests have gone unanswered. Plus: the latest on daycare fraud with over 400 open investigations into publicly funded providers and the long-overdue rollout of electronic attendance tracking. For years, only a tiny fraction (around 10% in the initial phase) of providers were using real-time online records, making it ridiculously easy to bill for kids who were never there.

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In this raw and deeply personal episode of the Crabby Coffee Podcast, Jay opens up about his unexpected battle with Lyme disease. From the first confusing symptoms to the relentless pain that’s upended his daily life, Jay shares the real, unfiltered story of his journey so far — the frustration, the uncertainty, the sleepless nights, and the small victories along the way.

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