Wedge LIVE!

After 60 episodes the Wedge LIVE podcast is taking it to the next level, and we're extending an opportunity to bring your product or service along for the ride. Whether you're a realtor, a local bar/restaurant, or a cat owner looking to have your cat's birthday announced on the air -- we're here to meet your advertising needs. Contact [email protected].

John is joined by Jason Garcia (@jasoncomix) and Josh Martin (@JoshMartinMpls) for a conversation about the recent history of the Minneapolis Charter Commission, why this volunteer body is important, and our opportunity to fill 11 of the 15 seats with new appointments in 2022 -- APPLY TODAY!

Apply for an open seat on the Minneapolis Charter Commission: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/current-openings/

If you still have questions, attend an info session this evening, March 21: https://bit.ly/charter-info-mpls

Star Tribune article quotes Hennepin County chief judge criticizing the blind nature of the appointment process: https://www.startribune.com/judge-removes-commission-chair/98150214/

Josh's Google Docs Directory: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ujl3dviCW3xaLyrYy9oGU4r-_a52FmggadmjzihXEEk/

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John and co-host PeggySue Imihy have a conversation with Alex Burns and José Antonio Zayas Cabán -- both from Our Streets Minneapolis -- about their new endeavor to replace a 7-mile stretch of I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul with a Twin Cities Boulevard. We go over the environmental and economic harms of an interstate, and the opportunity to heal them. We talk about strategies to overcome the political challenges facing such an ambitious plan. We also devote nearly eight minutes to an electric car bashing segment John is calling the "EV Truther Roundtable." Learn more about the project at https://www.twincitiesboulevard.org

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

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John's guests are Melissa Whitler and Sara Spafford Freeman (and Sara's large dog). We talk about the Minneapolis Public Schools, racism and segregation, unfunded mandates for special education and English learners, white parents who don't send their kids to the neighborhood school, why you should "defund your PTA," and how to fill an oncoming budget hole once the federal covid relief money dries up.

Call your state legislators: The most important bill currently before the legislature is from Rep. Wolgamott of St. Cloud. It would require the state to pay districts for the full cost of the special education services that they provide to students. For MPS, this would be approximately $50 million additional funding in the next fiscal year.

Melissa Whitler currently covers Minneapolis Public Schools for Southwest Voices. She is an MPS parent, a public education enthusiast, and has lived in Minneapolis for over two decades. In her free time, she makes pottery. Read her article about the district's "budget emergency" https://www.southwestvoices.news/posts/mps-is-quietly-facing-a-budget-emergency

Sara Spafford Freeman is a strategy consultant in the med tech industry, long time volunteer at two Minneapolis Public Schools, cofounder of the MPS Academics Advocacy Group, and Board member for the Advancing Equity Coalition. Watch Sara's presentation: "How Parent Fundraising Perpetuates Racial Disparities in Minneapolis Public Schools." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDQc4XaWGSU

FURTHER READING

Four years of the Minneapolis school district's financial projections:

Links to the audited financial statements of the district, and the meetings at which they were presented:

Report on MN K-12 education finance: https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/mnschfin.pdf

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

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With Minneapolis teachers and support staff set to strike if an agreement isn't reached with the school district by March 8, John has a conversation with Shaun Laden, the president of the Educational Support Professionals chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. We talk about the state of Minneapolis schools, what the union is asking for, and what Shaun sees as an existential threat to the school district: "If we don't change how we operate in the schools, how we make decisions, how we fund based on the resources we have - we're afraid we're not going to have a district."

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

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John has a conversation with Paul Ostrow, candidate for Hennepin County Attorney. Paul is a former Minneapolis City Council member and currently works as an Assistant Anoka County Attorney.

Paul Ostrow's campaign website: https://ostrowforhennepin.com

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

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John and Jason start by reviewing Mayor Jacob Frey's job performance in the wake of Minneapolis police killing Amir Locke in a no-knock raid. Then they move on to a conversation about the state of MPD, the latest on the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction, John's appearance in the faith-based animal magazine All Creatures, and more.

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

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Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

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John is joined by co-host Jason Garcia for a conversation about Amir Locke and police accountability with Minneapolis City Council member Aisha Chughtai.

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

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Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

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John has a conversation with Adam Wysopal, a man with zoning concerns about a Burger King drive thru in his backyard (NBKIMBY).

If you'd like to join Adam's zoning fight against Burger King, he's written an explainer document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W5u2vnvxVrsXOeGL4eoIbON-umwsDOlyxfLdjSU02nw

Thumbnail photo credit: Andrew Hazzard. You can read his 2020 coverage of the drive-thru saga here: https://www.southwestjournal.com/news/biz-buzz/2020/02/return-of-the-burger-king/

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

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John has a conversation with Ryan Winkler, MN House Majority Leader and a candidate for Hennepin County Attorney.

Ryan Winkler's campaign website: ryanwinkler.com

Registration for the February 1 caucus is happening right now. For information on how to participate -- and to access contactless/non-attendee forms -- Hennepin County residents should visit caucus.dfl.org and Minneapolis residents should visit minneapolisdfl.org/2022.

Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee