The results are in: the new 3-lane Lyndale Avenue is a big improvement over the 4-lane version. Data collected by Hennepin County regarding their pilot project are impressive. But if you've spent any time walking, biking, driving, just living near Lyndale from Franklin to Lake, you didn't need numbers to convince you. Crashes are down by more than half, pedestrian crossings have nearly doubled at the most problematic intersections, drivers are actually stopping for pedestrians. As a result of this redesign, car traffic has done the unimaginable -- it's moving at the speed limit. John is joined by Melody Hoffmann (https://southwestvoices.news) to talk about these results and what comes next, with the planning for a full reconstruction of Lyndale coming up soon. We also talk about the sudden and unexpected end to the city council's deliberation over rent stabilization policy; the loss of our freedom to exist in public spaces due to our society's inability to cope with larger societal and environmental issues; and Melody's award-eligible Farmer's Market Report.

John's conversation with Council Member Andrew Johnson, who is calling it quits after 10 years of representing Ward 12 in Minneapolis. We talk about the wildly successful nationally-heralded Wedge LIVE cat tour, wisdom gleaned from a decade of service, public safety, rent stabilization, and whether it's appropriate to talk through an excel spread. We also commiserate about back pain. Be sure to watch on youtube.com/wedgelive to see Andrew Johnson drink from the largest container anyone's ever drunk from on a podcast.

Note that this was recorded one day before the City Council voted to effectively kill this year's legislative process on rent stabilization, a topic that Andrew Johnson and I talked about extensively. My very strong/wrong expectation as of the day of this conversation was that the city was about to have two months of debate among council members and the public about the policy.

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John's conversation with Council Member Robin Wonsley, who's running for re-election to the Minneapolis City Council in Ward 2.

There's a saying that sometimes one man's trash is still another man's trash. That other man is Henry LaBounta of the East Isles neighborhood. On land or in the lakes, Henry is picking up trash. Whether he's walking his dog on Hennepin Ave, out in his kayak on Lake of the Isles, or donning waders at the shoreline, he's filling up buckets and buckets of garbage. Discarded fast food containers, hypodermic needles, dead animals -- he's keeping meticulous statistics about what and how much he's collected. In this episode, we talk about how Henry's weird obsession has grown into something more. He's applying for grant money and collaborating with neighborhood organizations. We talk about the importance of intervening in the trash cycle early, before it ends up in the street and gets washed into our lakes and waterways; infrastructure and street maintenance fixes; how keeping a place clean can discourage more litter; and how local government and people like you can help.

You can contact Henry at [email protected] and find more information by searching for "Friends of Lake of the Isles" on Facebook.

Luna Zeidner was campaign manager for Sheila Nezhad's 2021 run for Minneapolis mayor. But where did she go? What did she learn? And where is she now? John and Luna rehash painful memories from 2021 and its fallout; talk about why she felt the need to take a step back; and explore how she's reengaging in politics, finding hope in the present, and trying to fall in love with Minneapolis all over again. This episode also features: plenty of hot takes on the 2023 election.

Three people who attended last Saturday's Minneapolis DFL Ward 10 convention give their firsthand experience of what it was like when Nasri Warsame's campaign stormed the stage and forced Council Member Aisha Chughtai's delegation of supporters out the back door. John Edwards (delegate in precinct 10-1) is joined by Josh Martin (citizen journalist who was seated in the visitors section) and Devin Hogan (former Minneapolis DFL chair who assisted with operation of the convention).

Forest Eidbo was elected to the city council in Crystal, Minnesota in 2022. He was inspired to run for the part-time, $600/month position after his council member voted against a resolution supporting Pride Month. We talk about all the familiar local issues from a suburban perspective -- streets, stop signs, trash, property taxes, trees, public safety, and the surprising volume of constituent phone calls.

John and Josh Martin have teamed up for the 2023 city election year to cover Minneapolis DFL conventions in all 13 wards. In this episode we recap what's happened so far (aside from Ward 5, whose convention endorsed incumbent Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw after we recorded). What did we learn in wards 3 and 12? Why was the Ward 5 convention cancelled? Josh takes his pundit hat off in Ward 8 (his home ward). John remixes Mayor Frey's "state of the city" address to a classic song. We ponder crime stats and what Mayor Frey is calling the "downtown rebound." Will Josh take the mayor's advice and return to work in the office downtown on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays? We talk about the what's next for the Charter Commission on government structure (more appointment power for the mayor?). John celebrates the unanimous Planning Commission decision to legalize corner stores. The city's rent stabilization work group produced an unwanted result for rent stabilization opponents, but it did serve as a successful delay tactic. At John's urging, Josh reveals a piece of himself and forms a bond with the audience.

Follow Josh Martin on Twitter: @JoshMartinMpls

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John's conversation with Marcus Mills, who's running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 3. Marcus is also the winner of a recent contest and the prize was coming on the Wedge LIVE podcast. Congratulations, Marcus.

For this very important episode about transit funding, John has a conversation with Peter Wagenius, legislative director at the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. You may have heard about the Minnesota House version of a transportation bill that passed with a .75% metro area sales tax. Peter explains why a sales tax targeted at the metro area is the smart way to fund transit and how legislative inaction going back to 2013 has left us playing catch up. That ongoing source of revenue for transit is essential to fully funding reliable, frequent bus rapid transit service in the Twin Cities region. As the Minnesota Senate takes up their version of a transportation bill with just a .5% sales tax, you and your suburban friends and family need to be calling your state senators. Transportation is Minnesota's number 1 source of climate pollution. We know electrification won't save us. Vehicle miles traveled are rising faster than our population. Car dominance is creating equity and livability concerns. With the DFL controlling the House, Senate, and the Governor's office, Peter says now's the time: "Climate, equity, public health, it's all served by making this happen."