Wedge LIVE!

A conversation with Abdihakim Ibrahim, former school board member in St. Louis Park, now running for the district 3 seat on the Hennepin County Board.

You can scroll back in the feed for our July 14 episode with incumbent Commissioner Marion Greene.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We are walking across the Mississippi River for groceries with Scott from Prospect Park. Along the way we learn what it's like to shop for loose carrots and loose powders at the Seward Co-op.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Steve Simon is spending a lot of time preparing for federal threats to this year's election while running for a fourth term as Minnesota Secretary of State. We talk about potential federal interference; how he balances being both a politician and the state's top election official; and what it would mean for a Republican in era of Trump-style election denialism to replace him as Secretary of State. We also talk about why the world would be a better place if there were more dads falling asleep on the couch to the sound of WWII documentaries.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Ayana Smith-Kooiman is this week's contestant on "grocery shopping with strangers without a car." Will we beat the countdown to catch the 2 bus?

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Eric Harris Bernstein of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate & Taxation is building a patio on his neighbor's property. He says he has permission. While he works, we talk about his first big vote as a member of the BET: in favor of a maximum property tax levy of nearly 12% for 2027. We talk about his attempts to force action to rein in MPD overspending, the city's future budget outlook, his thoughts on working with Mayor Frey and council members, and why the city needs the state government to get out of the way and allow some creative new revenue solutions for cities and counties. We also talk about his hopes and dreams for his new patio.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Elliot Newhouse started riding the bus for groceries in high school and has agreed to share more than a decade's worth of grocery shopping wisdom with us as part of our special series where John goes grocery shopping with strangers without a car.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Parker Seaman shows me how to shop at Costco without a car, offering tips on how to bring a 36 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper home to Minneapolis from St. Louis Park on your bicycle's front rack. We discuss whether Parker has a "Dr. Pepper problem" and why he shops this way. Plus we enjoy a couple of Costco hot dogs under harsh warehouse lighting.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Blue Delliquanti takes me grocery shopping at a Cub Foods in Edina. Afterwards we walk home to neighboring Richfield, and I become horrified that there are no sidewalks. This is the pilot episode of our new podcast miniseries where people take me shopping for groceries without a car.

In addition to walking for groceries, Blue Delliquanti is a comic artist and writer. You can learn more about their work here: https://www.bluedelliquanti.com/

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

On this special hydration episode, we're towing a bike trailer stacked with cases of water through the tri-neighborhood area, making deliveries with Al from the "Whittier Water Coolers" (aka the Hydration Honeys). This group of neighbors regularly stock water bottles across their network of nine coolers (and counting) to make sure nobody goes thirsty. We talk about why the group was formed, what Al learned seeing a similar efforts in Arizona, and how they fill gaps in a system that fails to meet our most basic human needs.

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Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're talking about Mayor Frey's proposed property tax levy for 2027 with Commissioner Jason Garcia, of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, and Eric Harris Bernstein, of the Board of Estimate & Taxation. The Park Board is feeling shortchanged by the mayor's suggested 2.5% increase in their levy, at the same time he has proposed a 14.4% increase for the city's portion of the levy. We discuss the mayor's ideas to create savings by consolidating some of the Park Board's internal functions, like human resources, payroll, and IT, into the city - and why the Park Board is skeptical. What would the mayor's proposed cuts mean for the Park Board? Is it likely to pass? Why is the disparity between the city and park board so wide - are the police and fire departments eating all our money? Is this budget battle the best recent example of how an independent, elected Park Board is important to the success of Minneapolis parks? Plus we get a healthy dose of "tax positivity" from Eric.

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Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee