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Twin Cities

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

We’ve been putting a spotlight on the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul this month so we’ve crafted some fun questions that rely on your knowledge of our capital city. Good luck to you!

Roseanne Pereira

Mushroom Marvels! Can You Solve This Twin Cities Crossword?

✏️ Find past crossword puzzles below: 

September 24, 2026 - How About Them Apples

Try out this crossword puzzle based on past Keep It Local newsletters.

Can You Solve This Twin Cities Crossword?

Keep It Local

Sign up for Keep It Local from City Cast Twin Cities

Interested in spending more time in nature? Want a deeper understanding of local plants and fungi? Check out the local foraging resources below. Many offer workshops even in the winter months (hard-fleshed mushrooms can be foraged in winter, who knew!).

 leads approximately 100 classes each year. His winter school (like summer school, he says) begins in January. Subjects include edible conifer tea, an introduction to wild mushrooms, and beginning foraging. He’s also the consulting mycologist for the Minnesota Regional Poison Center (1-800-222-1222), which people can call if they think they've ingested a toxic plant or mushroom. You can catch Clemens around town giving talks at libraries, garden clubs, and universities. He was recently a 

 for Alexis Nikole Nelson’s cookbook, “

I recently attended an urban foraging class hosted by Maria Wesserle of 

. Outside, we checked whether a particular leaf was serrated or double-serrated (like the local hazelnut leaf) and for other special markers. I tasted 

 and the succulent purslane, and saw the difference between edible wild grapes (whose leaves can be used for dolmas!) and their toxic lookalike, the Virginia creeper. Four Season Foraging offers both public workshops and 

, Jaime Rockney, wants her students to gain confidence identifying mushrooms and other wild edibles in a casual, fun atmosphere. On Dec. 12, Chick of the Woods will host its free 

 (author of several well-regarded foraging books) and the James Beard Award-winning 

 is a nonprofit dedicated to appreciating and studying mushrooms and other fungi. MMS offers 

 for those who want to sell mushrooms from land they control or own. MMS also offers a Mushrooms 101 class for 

 that includes basic mushroom identification such as “poisonous mushrooms that every mushroom forager should know” and “Safe Six” edible mushrooms: chicken of the woods, giant puffballs, morels, lobster mushrooms, black trumpets, and hen of the woods.

Another way to learn foraging is by finding a teacher to pass down their knowledge. Simone Rendon, an Ojibwe and Lakota forager, shares stories and traditional medicines through this 

. During the Nov. 14 workshop, participants will mix harvested herbs with essential oils. Students will go home with an understanding of how specific local plants can help improve skin and body health.

Interested in spending more time in nature? Want a deeper understanding of local plants and fungi? Check out these local foraging resources.

Where to Forage in the Twin Cities

Local Foraging Fun

Let’s look at an indoor activity to keep you moving year-round. On deck today, pickleball! The sport has multigenerational appeal and combines elements of ping pong, badminton, and tennis. Check out 

 near you, or one of these locales below.

“There's always something new happening,” writes Xander Cavanagh, 

’s community engagement manager. “You come into Minneapolis Cider Co. for one thing and you leave with five reasons to return.” I’ve definitely found this to be true. I came for 

 and was astounded by the spaciousness of the place. I plan to return for the Halloween cider that launches on Oct. 16: A deep purple Witches Brew flavored with aronia berries.

Cavanagh says Minneapolis Cider Co. caters to “the social player.” In addition to 

 and leagues ranging from beginner to advanced (

), they offer open play sessions for singles, Minnesota transplants, men, and women. These social evenings include a draft cider and seasonal snacks made in their kitchen.

This indoor club in Northeast Minneapolis features 

 — think artwork, tropical murals, even chandeliers. Lucky Shots offers year-round pickleball ladder leagues for all skill levels, two-day clinics, and 101 classes to help players improve their skills.

 in Mendota Heights was created by lovers of racquet sports. In addition to pickleball, members can play squash or a 

. October is National Padel Month, and The Heights is offering free padel play Fridays throughout October. The club also has heated and air-conditioned courts and 12-foot-high net dividers to cut down on players having to chase balls.

 in Maple Grove, you can pour your own draft beers and ciders and order American food made in their scratch kitchen, with dishes including power bowls, sandwiches, sweet potato fries, wings, and pretzels. You can play pickleball competitively or as a social activity by booking through an online reservation system. 

, and you can sign up for classes and clinics accordingly.

 says that MPC’s facilities are so amazing that you need to see it to believe it. Sonos speakers are placed throughout the club to let players “set their own vibe.” The courts include acoustic attenuation drop tile (ceiling tiles that reduce noise and echo), dark walls for high contrast with pickleballs, and professionally cushioned hard-court surfaces, to name just a few features.

“We’re the only club offering members heated indoor parking, which is a unique amenity given our central downtown location,” he adds.

Larsen says that if you, reader, mention City Cast Twin Cities, 

you’ll receive “a special surprise” on your first visit to MPC.

Let’s look at an indoor activity to keep you moving year-round. On deck today, pickleball!

Where To Play Pickleball in the Twin Cities

There’s a lot happening in Minnesota news and you should brag about how much you know!

There’s a lot happening in Minnesota news and you should brag about how much you know! Take this week's quiz to test your knowledge.

Have you been keeping track of Minnesota news?

Have you been keeping track of the news?

Local News

As the weather cools, it may be time for new breakfast options. Check out this roundup of savory breakfast options from local restaurants.

In much of the world, breakfast is some kind of savory porridge. In East, Southeast, and South Asia, you’ll find people eating congee, which is made by cooking rice in water or broth to achieve a creamy texture. 

 in St. Paul’s Lowertown offers pork or chicken congee with toppings like green onion, soft-boiled eggs, and fried shallots, plus chili oil to mix in. The combination of creamy, crunchy, chewy, and fresh/raw textures makes for a satisfying bite.

If you are looking for a gateway breakfast item before diving into congee head-on, might I suggest the congee hash browns with ginger scallion dipping sauce at 

Saturday Dumpling Co. (available only at the South Minneapolis location

). They also sell Szechuan cinnamon French toast sticks.

Fried potato-and-cheese patties known as llapingachos (pronounced “yah-peen-GAH-chos”) get their bright orange color from achiote (annatto in English). You’ve seen this color before — think Goldfish crackers, Velveeta, and Mimolette cheese.

, they’re served with a peanut sauce and can be purchased individually or as part of other large plates, such as the Llapingachos Breakfast that comes with toast and eggs and a choice of roast pork, chorizo, or bacon, or the Saltado Breakfast with avocado and a beef tenderloin stir-fry. Other dishes on their weekend morning menu include humitas, corn husks filled with Ecuadorian corn mixed with cheese and onion, and beef empanadas served with the spicy condiment, aji criollo.

. Both restaurants serve another traditional Ecuadorian dish, mote pillo, made with hominy corn scrambled together with eggs and onion.

 cooking up tacos and selling packages of their “handmade from scratch” tortillas. In addition to flour tortillas, they also sell rotating heirloom corn tortillas in a variety of colors — blue, red, yellow, white, purple hibiscus, and red chile, each with “its unique properties, from vibrant blues packed with antioxidants to earthy yellows bursting with flavor.” I was most struck by their green tortillas made with nopales, which is Spanish for cactus.

The breakfast tacos feature ingredients sourced from Minnesota farms, such as 

 for the chorizo and egg taco and pork from 

. The tortilleria goodies are also available year-round at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market indoor store, Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Spicy can also be a part of breakfast. Try fuul (or ful), a stewed fava bean and Ethiopian breakfast staple made with tomato, onion, and spices, at the Franklin Avenue location of 

 also includes porridges like kinche (made of cracked wheat), bula (made of enset flour), or genfo (made of wheat flour) and served with vegan butter and berbere dressing. Firfir and 

 (kita firfir) are also available and are made with torn-up injera and spices.

Where To Find Savory Breakfasts in the Twin Cities

Savory Breakfasts Around Town

 For a number of months, I was wondering when Minneapolis Public Schools would drop an announcement that would truly transform the school district. MPS's financial woes, and its mishandling of said financial woes, have been big news in the Twin Cities for almost half a decade. Though there's been some really severe belt-tightening from the district, there hadn't been the kind of belt-tightening I thought would be needed to move the needle on these financial problems.

Then September 15 comes around, and the MPS school board announces an 

 to shut down a double-digit number of schools. I should say that the “Transformation” web post from Minneapolis Public Schools states that these cuts are going to create a school system where everybody thrives “academically, socially, and emotionally through a holistic, culturally sustaining education that engages and prepares contributing citizens”.

But this caused a lot of distress. Part of that is the school closures themselves, and part of it is that this isn't really belt-tightening, because these closures would not save a significant amount of money. The community response has been largely negative, and anti-transformation groups have been mounting protests, including one that happened on September 29 at the Davis Center.

 The announcement of 16 schools potentially closing is jarring enough, but it's still numerical. It isn't personal. So we connected with parents of students at Kenny and Cityview. Both schools are proposed to be closed and merged in some of the scenarios presented by MPS.

 We want to welcome on Shakiya Carter, who has children at Cityview. Thank you for being here, Shakiya.

 And we'd also like to welcome on Alyssa Olson, who has children at Kenny. Alyssa, thank you for being here.

 Have the two of you talked to your children about the potential for their schools to close? And how do you explain that?

 I had a conversation with my children. I actually have two who attend Cityview. One of them is kind of a veteran kid at this point, because she's been there since kindergarten, and then I have a new incoming kindergartner this year. When I had the conversation, my son, the kindergartner, didn't really understand. But my fourth grader was like, "Well, Mom, what does that mean for me and my friends? I won't be able to see my friends next year, and I won't be able to see my teachers next year. Where's everybody gonna go?"

 Yeah, I spoke to mine too. I actually have two Kenny kids: a fifth grader and a third grader. I think the initial reaction was, "Well, why?" She sees all the amazing things that are happening at her school, and she feels such a deep connection to her teachers and her principal and her friends. So the immediate reaction was just, "But why? It's so great. I love it here. Why would they want to close it?" Those were tough conversations, and I probably didn't have answers, because the district hasn't really provided any answers. So, yeah, tough conversations for sure.

 These tough conversations involve communicating really adult issues to children, which is a struggle in and of itself. There are also the decisions you'll have to make as parents. There's transportation. Are we switching school districts? Are we looking for a different school? There's a lot to manage, especially because there are multiple scenarios.

Shakiya, I want to start with a question about Cityview. There are a couple of different scenarios for what might happen there. In one, Cityview students would join Lucy Laney. In another, students from Hmong International Academy would come to Cityview. Independent of the conversations you're having with your kids, have you thought about what you're going to do if Cityview closes? Are you going to move districts, or move to a different school, or are you still trying to figure out the decision?

 I'm at a place where I'm still trying to figure out the decision. I'm so deeply vested in my community that I feel like if the schools are going to close, it's going to be a disinvestment, right? We're going to see people disinvest. We're going to see people leave.

Personally, I still haven't made a decision, but here's what I can tell you. It sounds nice that if they close the school, we can realistically move children to other schools. However, that's not what families want. What the district fails to realize is that Cityview is a gateway for families who want to come into the district and build a home here. It's also a school where families who are already in the district choose to stay. And Cityview isn't the only school I'd consider an entry school or a gateway into the district. There are many other schools on that list that could be considered the same or similar. If we lose these schools, we are inherently going to lose families in the community.

 Alyssa, did you have a sense that Kenny was on the verge of closing, or was this a total shock?

 They've been trying to close Kenny for years. This has been a rumor in our community for years and years, and they've tried in the past, and the community was able to step in and stop it. So was I surprised? Not entirely. But I'm surprised they would think this is a positive step for the district as a whole. I'm surprised they haven't thought about the ripple effect. This isn't just about Kenny or Kenny kids. From Kenny to Cityview, the ripple effect through this district will be catastrophic. So am I surprised? I'm not surprised, but I am surprised at the lack of transparency and the lack of thoughtfulness that went into this plan.

 I'll ask you the same question we asked Shakiya. Does your family have a plan? Do you know what you'll do if these closures go through?

 I'm kind of in the same boat as Shakiya. Do I want to leave MPS? No, I do not want to leave MPS. We are a proud Minneapolis family. We're proud to be raising our girls in Minneapolis, and we were so proud to send them to Kenny. So the thought of Kenny closing is devastating. I don't know what we'll do, and I know we're not alone in that. A lot of people are contemplating what they would do, and I'm not sure the district has put any thought into that.

You're asking us, "Would you leave?" But that's not a question the district has ever asked. That's the most interesting part to me. It would be the first question I'd ask as a district official and a district leader. So it feels like a huge misstep.

 I just want to agree with everything Alyssa said about being vested in our schools and our communities. It's not just about one school in particular. It's about all of the schools.

 I really appreciate you using the word "vested," and I know you mean it in a community sense, too. But if y'all walk and take your children with you, that's truly a loss of money for Minneapolis Public Schools. Suppose what happens from these closures is a bunch of people going, "I can't deal with MPS anymore," or "This is not what I signed up for," or "My student who has been learning one language won't be able to continue on that path." Then the district might lose a bunch of its student body, which ultimately impacts the bottom line.

I think I could have more understanding of this very drastic school closure plan, though not full understanding, if they said, "This is going to put us on really strong financial footing for years to come. We're just trying to right-size based on our enrollment and the amount of square footage we currently have per student." That square footage, I should add, is way above most public school systems. MPS has 315 square feet per pupil, and you'll find many districts with approximately 150 to 200 square feet. There might be reasons to close schools, but not if it isn't for cost savings.

What I want to ask y'all is this. As difficult as it is to face the idea of your own school closing, a school you're so connected to, do you see something in this proposal that might enable more academic, social, and emotional thriving? Is there something in these statements where you go, "I'm not happy, but I get where the district is coming from"?

 I think that's what's missing. This is a conversation we've been having a lot in our community. It would have been one thing for the district to come out and say, "We have to close Kenny Community School, and because we're closing Kenny, the district as a whole is going to be in a much better spot." I think that would be an easier pill to swallow.

But they've come with so little evidence, such a lack of data, and such a lack of thoughtfulness. That's the part where I'm like, "So you're going to come in and do this really hard thing and destroy communities without any facts to back up how it will actually benefit children across this district?" I don't think anyone disagrees that change and transformation are necessary, but we need change and transformation done in the right way. The lack of evidence is astounding to me. Their plans leave us with a lot more questions than answers.

 To add on to what Alyssa said, here's my personal perspective. There are three options for building closures, and none of them is a good option. When the board addressed the team that put these proposals together, they asked, "What is this based on, if it's not based on financial savings?" And the team said it's based on the MPS guaranteed student experience.

Well, here's the thing. If you don't know what experience students and families are already having, how can you guarantee them a different experience? You can't. Families are asking, and even board members are asking, "Well, what is it?" We understand they have a chart showing that social-emotional learning and academics will be at the core of this experience. It sounds good, but realistically, that's not an experience you can guarantee. Children come from different homes and different cultural backgrounds, and they speak different languages. So it's good to have this as a goal, but you cannot confidently say it's something you're going to achieve.

Just to give a little history: during the 

, I was a new family in the district. My oldest had just started pre-K when COVID happened and we had e-learning. Then came the CDD and the boundary changes, and my child was also part of the back-to-school pilot. She switched schools three times between pre-K and first grade until we finally landed at Cityview, where she found her school home. That's a lot of transition for a new family to go through, constantly having to switch their child's school every year. And not because they want to, but because they have to.

 Shakiya, I'm going to interrupt you real quick. CDD is the redistricting that happened around 2020 and 2021. Is that about the era?

 Yes, it was the Comprehensive District Design. I call it the district redesign. What we do know from that data is that 18% of families who were in the district during that time did leave. That's a large percentage of our district.

I also want to mention that the district has to understand that engagement looks different for different groups of people. Something I've been hearing lately is that our families who are homeless and highly mobile haven't been involved in the conversation. Nobody's asking them how it's going to affect them, or stepping in to say, "Hey, here are the plans. How can we help you prepare?"

We have Somali families, Hmong families, and Hispanic families where a lot of the time the adults don't speak English. They're not being properly communicated with, and that's a barrier the district has yet to dissolve. So there are a lot of people being left out of this conversation, and still a lot of Black families who don't know.

 I won't give them an A-plus for communication. When there are really hard things to break down, the least they could do is make sure it's well presented and soundly researched. Personally, I share your frustration and your feeling that it's been neither.

I will say that y'all seem very well researched and very capable communicators, and you've shown real courage during a time of crisis for your own families. I can't imagine all the stuff you're managing right now, so taking time out to chat with us means a lot. Hopefully your stories and the things you've shared today will reach more ears, and people will get a sense of what's happening with this transformation at Minneapolis Public Schools.

That was Shakiya Carter and Alyssa Olson, parents of children at Cityview and Kenny. I sincerely thank you for your time today, and I'm sending my love out to you as a fellow parent for what you're facing in the coming months.

MPS's financial woes, and its mishandling of said financial woes, have been big news in the Twin Cities for almost half a decade.

Minneapolis Parents React to Proposed School Closures

Pumpkin spice lattes are all about combining nostalgia with the warming spices of fall — but don’t just stop there! Below is a sampling of the flavors local coffee shops are offering this time of year.

Nearly every Saturday last fall, I treated myself to a hot oat milk chai (or sometimes a chai and chapati!) from 

 at the Mill City Farmers Market. Red Wolf, named for the 

 from the Bale Highlands of Oromia, Ethiopia, brews its chai for hours and uses Kenyan black tea as its base. At the farmers market, there’s no extra charge for oat milk (yesss!). The four friends who run the business describe themselves as “

 who have set their sights on building community one cup at a time.

, a Nepali and Indian restaurant in Uptown. (If you look at the restaurant menu, you can see how seriously they take their chai, with a variety of 

.) I typically order this chai at the cafe inside 

, where I can sip and read a good book (or write these newsletters!).

We’re lucky to have some Scandinavian spots that use warming cardamom to great effect. These include 

 at the American Swedish Institute, where you can order a Hot Swede — their house-brewed coffee with cardamom syrup and cardamom whipped cream. In St. Paul’s Como neighborhood, 

 sells a pulla latte, inspired by the pulla rolls they sell, with almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom mixed with espresso and steamed milk. And 

, with multiple metro locations, offers a Nordic latte with cardamom, vanilla, and cinnamon syrup.

The fall menu at New Zealand-inspired cafe 

 includes a Cookie Butter Latte (made with Biscoff cookies), a Cinnamon Roll Latte, and a Carrot Cake Latte with cream cheese cold foam. The Northeast Minneapolis cafe also offers seasonal drink flights, so patrons can try four mini-drinks in one sitting. (P.S. Silver Fern is also 

, which are served with seasonal spreads such as maple butter and housemade apple butter.)

 and witnessed the same fall drink ordered by multiple patrons one after the other, 

, a drink made with miso-maple-brown sugar syrup and topped with a brown butter whipped cream and toasted brown sugar. The friend I was meeting ordered it as well, and while we didn’t taste the miso, we both loved the brown-sugar creaminess.

Fruits and Vegetables (That Aren’t Pumpkin!)

When I first tasted the sweet potato chai (also available as a latte) at 

 last year, it was so smooth and balanced that it made me question my previous pumpkin spice commitment. Sweet potato lattes are also available at 

, made with sweet potato syrup, nutmeg, espresso, milk, and topped with mini marshmallows.

, which started as a beloved coffee trailer at farmers’ markets, now has two brick-and-mortars in Linden Hills and downtown Minneapolis. (For more on their journey, 

!) My go-to is their egg coffee, but if that pale purple color is calling you, check out their popular 

. Ube, a vibrant purple yam, has a mellow, nutty, and mildly sweet profile. The latte combines a housemade ube syrup with equal parts robusta espresso and Vietnamese-grown arabica. This month, they’ll start serving their draculatte, a raspberry white mocha topped with espresso or matcha.

 over the last few years after it made multiple 

. Red beans are a highlight at this Hmong-influenced restaurant, appearing in dishes such as the 

warm sesame balls with red bean caramel sauce

, as well as some of the cafe drinks. My go-to is the red bean steamer for its comforting and earthy flavor. Try it! And for coffee drinkers, there’s also a red bean latte. The restaurant’s recent renovations include an expansion and a new grab-and-go cafe. Uptown’s 

 also serves a red bean latte and a red bean milk tea.

Fatuma Ali, a former finalist for Minnesota Teacher of the Year, opened

 this March along with her brothers, Ahmed and Abdulqadir. The cafe, located across from U.S. Bank Stadium, offers a Somali-inspired menu, with fall features including a 

 made with a house-crafted fig syrup, almond milk or oat milk, and served as a matcha, latte, or chai. When I visited, I was asked which sweetness level I wanted: One for lightly sweetened, two for their standard, and three for sweetest. Grab chai sugar cookies and slices of cardamom spice loaf to complement your drink.

Looking for seasonal warm beverages beyond the pumpkin spice latte? Here’s a roundup of our favorite fall drinks at local coffee shops.

The Best Fall Drinks in the Twin Cities

A Cornucopia of Fall Drinks in the Twin Cities

; now we talk apples. SweeTango, First Kiss, and Honeycrisp are popular customer apple picks. Below are more AppleHouse goods.

judging of the University of Minnesota’s 175th anniversary ice cream flavor

 from their College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS). The winning flavor is 

, a creamy vanilla ice cream with oat crumble, swirls of Minnesota-grown aronia berries, and yes, apples. It’s available at the AppleHouse the week of Oct. 5.

Other currently available CFANS flavors include Cinnamon (perfect with apple pie!), Huckleberry, Honey Lavender, Black Raspberry, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Vanilla, and Minnesota Sundae (honey ice cream with salted sunflower seeds). They’re available while supplies last! Students, staff, and faculty produce the ice cream in a state-certified dairy plant.

 is the retail store in the basement of the University of Minnesota’s “Meat Lab” (officially known as the 

. At the AppleHouse, you’ll find freezers full of meat in classic and innovative flavors. Think: beef patties, meatballs, summer sausage, bacon (smoked and apple cinnamon flavors!), snack sticks (like Hot Hawaiian Maple!), brats (jalapeño & cheddar; apple; wild rice; pickle-jack, and more), as well as ground meats like elk and pork.

If you can’t make it to the AppleHouse, Goldy’s Smokehouse 

 operates an on-site truck in front of the AppleHouse Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Oct. 30. Their apple cider mini-donuts are served hot and cost $9 for a dozen, $17 for two dozen, or $24 for three dozen. Hot cider, hot coffee, crafted cold brew, maple lemonade, and apple cider slushies are also available. I can attest to the comforting effect of North Star’s warm, cinnamon sugar-dusted donuts on a cool, crisp morning.

AppleHouse staff recommends the fresh-pressed apple cider and 

, which started with a father and son tapping maple trees on their family farm. Root beer fans can also try their maple root beer, also available at the AppleHouse. Faxon Farms hosts a 

 in Henderson through Oct. 25 that includes chickens, goats, cornhole, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, and a scarecrow contest.

 in nearby Chaska takes pride in its small-batch, slow-cooking methods. Their jams (such as strawberry, blueberry, and fig), glazes, and fudge sauces are other AppleHouse staff recommendations. If you want to try a thickly caramel-coated apple — some might say the AppleHouse’s are the clearest representation of a caramel apple — try one of theirs. Kettle Creek Kitchen makes them with caramel from 

, a fourth-generation family chocolate and candy business located in Apple Valley. The AppleHouse also sells tubs of Abdallah caramel dip, great for dipping fruit or topping ice cream.

It's apple season, and we know where to get the best varieties, ripe for picking. Check out this guide to AppleHouse.

Take a Fall Field Trip to the AppleHouse in Minnesota

Take a Fall Field Trip to the AppleHouse

We’ve been spotlighting on the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul this month so we’ve crafted some questions that rely on your knowledge of our capital city.

Do You Know Saint Paul?

Twin City Guides

Sam Choo

Marion Greene for Hennepin County Commissioner District 3

 We’ve been interviewing as many candidates for Hennepin County commissioner as possible to spotlight this impactful, often under-discussed position. Today we’re talking to Marion Greene, the incumbent Hennepin County commissioner for District 3, who is seeking reelection in November. We spoke to her challenger, Abdi Ibrahim, on our Sept. 18 episode. Greene began her tenure on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in 2014. Before serving on the county board, Greene served in the Legislature, where she was chief author of legislation to fully fund all-day kindergarten and co-author of legislation to establish the health insurance exchange that is now MNsure. Before running for public office, Greene was active in the community and worked in the private sector in policy and marketing. I know you have a busy schedule. Commissioner Greene, thank you so much for joining us today.

 Commissioner Greene, I get to ask you this question in both the past and future tense. How has your work as an elected official most tangibly impacted the community you live in? And going forward, how do you want your work to impact that community in the coming years?

 That’s such a great way of putting it. A lot of the county’s work requires that longer-term point of view. The principal thing that has impacted the community is the pandemic, and being chair of the board during that time. Together with my colleagues, I helped make sure all of the federal and state dollars coming through counties were intelligently allocated and really responded to the moment.

One of the themes we tried to take up at that time was: Are there ways to do this work that also create long-term impact? For example, something I really championed, as one of the first in the nation, was buying hotels to serve as emergency shelter and then transitioning them after the pandemic into deeply affordable housing. That’s work I’m really proud of that, knock on wood, is a little bit in the rearview mirror.

Work I did in the past that I’ve been so glad of lately is on immigration and how Hennepin County interacts with and supports more recent immigrants in our community. About 10 years ago, I established an immigrant legal defense fund to help people ensnared in deportation proceedings by our local version of Trump: the sheriff at the time. Thank goodness he’s not the sheriff any longer. That work expanded into more in-house work. We had contracted it out, but we saw how much trust we were able to build in the community, so we brought more immigration support in-house. We provide that for residents seeking services who may have an immigration-related barrier, like documentation, that just needs to get over the finish line so they can access services. We were so glad to have that in-house expertise during the ICE occupation and Operation Metro Surge, because we could call on it immediately.

Looking ahead, housing affordability in our region is of course an ongoing issue. Other work I’m proud of that’s ongoing is being a champion for transit. We’re poised to finish the Green Line extension and are now looking at the Blue Line extension. In the meantime, we’ve secured Minnesota’s first consistent transit funding, in the form of a three-quarter-cent sales tax that goes to the Met Council. I’m really excited about where that’s going to take our region. And I spearheaded the development of our first-ever climate action plan, and we’re now executing on it. So that’s exciting, continued work.

 In your opinion, what can elected officials do to help build stronger, more resilient communities?

 Oh gosh, that’s a really massive question, Sam. I think we need to focus on basics like housing affordability, in terms of policymaking and funding. But we also need to be out there as forces for connection in the community. I’ve been working to attend every annual meeting of the neighborhoods in my district, or show up at a potluck that might be a community event. Being out there and being known, and not just known as a person.

Sean mentioned at the top that Hennepin County is such a low-profile layer of government. I often tell people that if you don’t know about Hennepin County, that means things are going well in your life, because you don’t need our safety net services. But nonetheless, I want people to think of us when they’re looking for resources. For example, I have somebody in my district who’s building a film club and trying to connect with arts funding. I can facilitate that. So I guess I’d describe both tangible and intangible elements.

 I want to ask about what’s at the top of your priority list if you continue to serve. But I also want to challenge you on something. There’s the idea that if you don’t hear about Hennepin County, it’s because things are going well. But we also hear the counterpoint that folks don’t hear enough from people at the county level. They play a significant role in our lives, but people don’t know how to reach them, how to be heard by them, or how they can respond. So I’m hoping you can talk about your priorities, but also address that idea: If we don’t know about Hennepin County officials, maybe it’s because they aren’t doing the right outreach. They should be finding their constituents and making a deeper connection.

 That’s certainly a point of view that I think reflects some reality. There’s been a shift in politics, in America and on the county board. I would say a generational change. When I was first elected, my platform was all about bringing eyeballs to Hennepin County. I’m not saying the county was doing bad things, but we spend a fair amount of property tax dollars on residents’ behalf, and I want to make sure I’m responsive and connected and that people feel like they’re getting something for their money.

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