Wedge LIVE!

Can a community garden an ADA-compliant access ramp to the Midtown Greenway coexist? This week's guest is Jordan Leick, who has looked into Hennepin County's plans to replace a mulch trail with a paved trail that makes accessing the city's world renowned bike trail easy for everyone. The problem? While the chosen location is public land, it's been occupied for decades by a communit...

John is joined by Julie Johnson and Katie Jones to talk about the "Livable Lyndale" campaign to fix a terrible, no good, super fast, dangerous, hostile to humans, neighborhood street. Right now in 2024 is our once in a lifetime chance to fix a street that hasn't had a full reconstruction since the 1930s. Hennepin County, who controls this street, is scheduled to publish design option...

I'm joined by Chris Meyer, legislative assistant for Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh, to talk about a slew of ambitious zoning reforms to be considered during the 2024 legislative session. You're really going to want to contact your state senators and representatives about these. Eliminating parking minimums, allowing fourplexes by right, requiring cities to allow apartments near high freq...

A conversation with José Antonio Zayas Cabán about Our Streets Minneapolis' new 2024 event series "Imagine," block parties that ask residents to envision better neighborhood streets. More information: https://ourstreetsmpls.org/imagine_series Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge...

The restructuring of of power at Minneapolis City Hall in 2021 turned out to be a bigger deal than people realized at the time. Now the unelected (judicially appointed) Minneapolis Charter Commission seems ready to give voters another ballot question that would concentrate power in the mayor's office: reducing the number of city department heads subject to a confirmation vote. Potentially affe...

Sinkholes, parking lot puddles, and urban cougars may have dominated headlines of traditional Minneapolis outlets this year, but edgy alternative newspersons Melody Hoffmann and John Edwards have ranked even bigger stories among their collective top 10 of 2023. Hard to believe that 40% of Melody's list are stories about structure fires. John ranked one dumpster fire (the tenure of Cedric Alexa...

John and co-host Jason Garcia speak with Nicole Mason and Christin Crabtree, who are helping to organize a homeless encampment on city owned land, made up mostly of indigenous people, called Camp Nenookaasi. The City of Minneapolis has notified the camp that they will be evicted on December 14, which Nicole and Christin say will make it harder to deliver services and housing to camp residents. We...

This week we're talking about the earth-shaking results of St. Paul's 2023 election with "longtime political insider" Matt Privratsky. It's a progressive sweep: the first all woman city council in the nation; 6 of 7 members are people of color; and a newly approved 1% sales tax could do more than just fill potholes -- it could completely transform the city's streetscape,...

In an episode recorded the week before Thanksgiving, we look deeper on a topic that will never get old: Katie Cashman's amazing, unbelievable, nobody-saw-it-coming progressive victory in the Minneapolis Ward 7 City Council race. Chaz Mayo worked back to back (2021 and 2023) on the campaigns of two different progressive candidates in Ward 7. We talk about the landscape and recent political hist...

It's Thanksgiving week on the Wedge LIVE podcast and that can mean only one thing: a cooking segment featuring Minneapolis Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman's sweet noodle kugel. My guest and co-chef for this episode is Deborah Copperud of the DFL Senate District 61 fundraising committee, who has helped to put together a cookbook full of delicious recipes, including one from your host Joh...

Legalizing red light/speed camera enforcement, light rail turnstiles and safety, moderately spicy sambusas, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction, transpo policy bros, energy policy bros, the viability of a train to Duluth, connecting the Midtown Greenway to St. Paul, and incendiary remarks over how easy it is to drive and park in Minneapolis. All these topics and more in my conversation with Rep...

It's "morning in Minneapolis" and we're celebrating the results of election 2023. A progressive majority is empowered, but it's not veto-proof. The city's only two open seats without an incumbent (in Wards 7 and 12) were filled by smart young, inspiring women (Katie Cashman and Aurin Chowdhury) running against older white men. We talk about what went right; why the big mo...

We're biking Ward 13 with Linea Palmisano, Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council. We talk Bryant Ave politics, what the critics are saying, her relationship with Mayor Frey, her position on housing and the 2040 Plan, and much more. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme...

My conversation with Katie Cashman, candidate for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 7. We talk transportation, public safety, downtown tax base, office conversions, Jane Fonda and much more. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

My conversation with Ward 13 candidate Kate Mortenson. We begin by talking about Bryant Avenue. Mortenson has criticized the reconstruction process and the city's larger street engineering philosophy by using the phrase "social engineering." She explains what she meant by that and what she likes about the street. We move on to other campaign issues like public safety and her case aga...

My conversation with Julia Curran, who rented in a triplex owned and managed by Scott Graham for four years, ending in 2011. Scott Graham is now a candidate for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 7. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Wise man of Minneapolis (aka Local Politics Daddy) David Brauer is here to tell us how he's feeling just two weeks before election day. Stay tuned to the end for David's City Council endorsements. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Council Member Elliott Payne recorded while on his bike commute home after a day representing Ward 1 at Minneapolis City Hall. With early voting already underway to elect council members in all 13 wards -- and election day just weeks away -- we talk biking, streets, public safety, and more. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgeliv...

This episode was recorded on location with Henry LaBounta, collecting trash and clearing storm drains in the Wedge and East Isles neighborhoods. Henry is passionate about trash and keeping it out of Lake of the Isles. We talk about why this matters, how you can get involved, and some innovative projects happening in Minneapolis that could keep our lakes cleaner. If you're in the Wedge or East...

A conversation with Zak Yudhishthu about the surprisingly boring end to single-family zoning in St. Paul, Minnesota. Five years after a bitter struggle to pass the 2040 Plan that ended single-family zoning in Minneapolis -- which is still tied up in court by pretend environmentalists -- a similar effort across the river looks sure to pass without much of a fight. The St. Paul City Council is expec...

A spontaneous unscheduled episode recorded with John's dear old friend Anton Schieffer at Open Streets on Lyndale Avenue. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation about Minneapolis bike infrastructure and transportation politics with Elissa Schufman. Recorded on a bike ride from City Hall, through downtown, and along the Mississippi River. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A special episode of the Wedge LIVE podcast recorded on bikes in Northeast Minneapolis, with guest Amity Foster. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John is joined by Melody Hoffman to ponder the Minneapolis City Council race in Ward 13 (all 13 council seats in the city are up for election). Incumbent Linea Palmisano is presenting herself as the steady hand with a familiar track record. Challenger Kate Mortenson calls this a battle of the moderates, and characterizes herself as the solutions-oriented leader with Palmisano as a "manager&qu...

A conversation with José A. Zayas Cabán, the executive director of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization Our Streets Minneapolis, about the future of Open Streets. The City of Minneapolis confirmed on Monday they're ending the partnership with Our Streets that makes the popular annual series of street festivals possible. We talk about the 12 year history of the event, the work that goes...