austin

Austin

chicago

Chicago

denver

Denver

lasvegas

Las Vegas

madison

Madison

nashville

Nashville

philly

Philly

pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

portland

Portland

saltlake

Salt Lake

seattle

Seattle

twincities

Twin Cities

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

City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

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

 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

On Wednesday, March 11, City Cast Twin Cities had our very first Neighbors-only event, and it was a big success! We partnered with our friends at 

 for a food packing session. In a matter of hours, our group packed 14,611 pounds and also built a personal connection with the awesome City Cast neighbors that joined us.

Second Harvest Heartland is the second-largest food bank in the country, and they do not play around when it comes to volunteering. Once you make your way into their headquarters, you promptly ditch your jewelry, wash your hands, and get a quick rundown on food safety and food standards. I made quick friends with our neighbor Beth, who approached her work with great care and efficiency. I also got to hang with neighbors Timna, Amy, Jocelyn, Gustave, and more. I butchered the names of the Iowa sports teams, mentioned that I went to preschool in the Washington D.C. area, and otherwise babbled before we got down to business. Small talk is easy!

Once we got going, our Executive Producer Anna Weggel snapped into action as the package taper who made sure that our apple boxes were between 38 and 39 pounds. Is that amount of apples in a bushel? NO, silly! A bushel is a measurement of volume that generally works out to about 48 pounds of apples.

Our creative producer, Adam, was freakishly speedy and focused throughout the apple packing process, but would occasionally mumble a couple of syllables of small talk as he robotically apple-packed his butt off. When I say that we packed 14,611 pounds of food, I’m quite confident that Adam packed at least 11,000 of those pounds.

The packing session ended with that sense of satisfaction that comes from hours of working with your hands and doing something for the greater good. I jumped into the cleanup session with enthusiasm, but was soon replaced by a seasoned volunteer who was a bit quicker with the scrubber. As we filed out of the headquarters, I felt the warmth of being in community with my City Cast Twin Cities family and knowing that we played a part in getting some food on the table for our neighbors. The impact is immediate – our Second Harvest Heartland chaperone told us that the food we packed is likely to be on a family’s table in a matter of two days.

I heartily recommend taking some time out of your schedule to volunteer at Second Harvest Heartland. There is always a need for financial donations to this organization and others, but there is a different level of satisfaction in giving time and effort to help those in need. And I also heartily recommend you 

become a Neighbor with City Cast Twin Cities

. Listening to a podcast or reading a newsletter is wonderful, but there is a deeper level of satisfaction in being shoulder to shoulder with members of your community, having fun and doing good together. I hope you’ll join us as a City Cast Neighbor so we can do good and have fun together.

On Wednesday, March 11, City Cast Twin Cities had our very first Neighbors-only event, and it was a big success! We partnered with our friends at Second Harvest Heartland for a food packing session. In a matter of hours, our group packed 14,611 pounds and also built a personal connection with the awesome City Cast neighbors that joined us. 

City Cast Twin Cities packs food and meets neighbors

Packing Food and Meeting Neighbors

Tiffany Bui

The Twin Cities nurtures its artists, and those artists are really living up to the moment. Operation Metro Surge has taken our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, but it has also literally brought people out of their homes to protest in subzero weather.

This isn’t “movement merch.” It’s a channel for anger, love, and care for the community. There's just something cathartic about seeing a laser loon melt ice with its eyes. Plus, a federal invasion of Minnesota during the winter as an agency called “ICE” inevitably leads to some irresistible puns.

I’m highlighting a few of my favorite pieces from local artists. Maybe some will find a place on your wall or in your hands when you take to the streets.

Faryn Hughes is an illustrator in children’s publishing and has always called Minnesota home. While her usual portfolio is full of vibrant and whimsical works, the particular piece (above) invokes a feeling of Biblical dread that is truly fitting. The loon is watching. The loon is hunting.

“I made this design to showcase that we aren't just on the defensive in MN. Minnesotans are actively pushing back, making it as difficult as possible for these invaders to work. We are stalking their activity, recording every event, guarding neighbors, creating networks, and vocalizing our wrath. Mother Nature is giving the cold shoulder. The loon is our spirit, and the eyes represent our community, watching and numerous. They do not know peace here.”

 Profits will be split between the Minnesota Immigrants Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and Community Aid Network MN. 

Jearica Fountain is a Native American visual artist “rooted in activism, education, and empowerment.” Her usage of bold colors and pop art is a clever gateway to getting people to engage with complex issues in an accessible way. Start with what people know, and work your way in.

“Minnesota takes its name from the Dakota phrase Mni Sota Makoce, which means ‘land where the waters reflect the clouds’. Using the Native name is a way to show respect and gratitude for whose land we are on, and it helps bring visibility to the Native peoples who are still here today.

The girl in the image is wearing a traditional ribbon skirt, which is worn by many Native peoples and holds deep significance within Indigenous communities. Ribbon skirts represent strength, resilience, and community healing. They are often worn during times of resistance, during periods of grief, and at large gatherings. Traditional Native teachings emphasize that the land provides for everyone, we protect our community, and all are welcome on the land, which stands in direct contrast to the actions of ICE. This imagery highlights Indigenous values of care, protection, and shared responsibility.”

 of the print for free. You can donate to her directly to support her projects (Venmo: @Jearica-Fountain, Cashapp: $Jearicafountain, PayPal: Jearica Fountain) or send the money to a community organization you support. 

Based in Northeast Minneapolis, Back of Beyond Press excels at vibrant, splashy risograph prints. I’m personally a fan of their 

. This print captures defiance and rage in stark relief – the snarl of the wolf, the clattering of ice between its jaws.

 All proceeds will be donated to the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee. 

Julissa Andrade, who also goes by Pax Paints, is a Mexican-American painter born and raised in the Twin Cities. Andrade’s masterful command of ethereal colors and textures sets this piece apart. The starkness of the red on blue caught my eye instantly, conveying alarm and urgency.

From the artist: “I've always loved loons, and they are an easily recognizable symbol we can rally around. I wanted to depict a rally call to show that together we can defeat this attack on our community.”

. Proceeds will be donated to families impacted by ICE. 

This is one of the first anti-ICE prints I saw, and then it was everywhere – in neighbors’ windows, at protests, at coffee shops. I believe when people look back on this period in Twin Cities history, this piece will be an icon of the time. The usage of the snow emergency signage is clever and easily understandable for any Minnesotan.

Mike Davis and Wes Winship are providing a free downloadable file of the print on their studio’s website, 

. Depending on availability, you may also find a poster at Moon Palace Books, Bench Pressed, and Pilllar Forum. 

“ICE's operation here in our area has made us sick to our stomachs. Seeing families ripped apart, innocent community members harassed, brutalized, and murdered is beyond reprehensible. We're so proud of the people in the city for showing what true leadership and community look like in the face of true evil. We're happy to offer this poster to give a voice to anyone looking for one in this fight we never wanted to see ourselves in.”

The Twin Cities nurtures its artists, and those artists are really living up to the moment. Operation Metro Surge has taken our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, but it has also literally brought people out of their homes to protest in subzero weather. 

This isn’t “movement merch.” It’s a channel for anger, love, and care for the community. There's just something cathartic about seeing a laser loon melt ice with its eyes. Plus, a federal invasion of Minnesota during the winter as an agency called “ICE” inevitably leads to some irresistible puns. 

I’m highlighting a few of my favorite pieces from local artists. Maybe some will find a place on your wall or in your hands when you take to the streets.

Faryn Hughes is an illustrator in children’s publishing and has always called Minnesota home. While her usual portfolio is full of vibrant and whimsical works, the particular piece (above) invokes a feeling of Biblical dread that is truly fitting. The loon is watching. The loon is hunting. 


City Cast's guide to artwork in the twin cities

Artwork for the Moment

City Cast Staff

Nobody understands a city’s pulse quite like a City Cast host — their knack for spotting what matters proved them to be a reliable voice for 2025’s biggest local stories. Now, we’re turning to them to forecast what’s in store for 2026. From political shifts to data centers, their perspectives offer a candid preview of the issues and surprises that could shape our hometowns.

Curious what’s around the corner? Catch their unique insights 

, where all 13 hosts predicted this year’s biggest stories. Here’s a preview of that conversation:

Zohran Mamdani’s election in New York has energized Democratic Socialists across the U.S. 

 with the election of Katie Wilson, but it’s yet to be seen if she has the same star power or sway inside City Hall.

City Cast Seattle host Jane C. Hu says the linchpin of Wilson’s election is likely to come with this summer’s FIFA World Cup, as advocates for the city’s unhoused population watch whether Wilson will sweep encampments as previous mayors have.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what she decides there, because there's going to be tension between what people elected her for and what action she’s actually able to take,” Hu says.

Many City Cast cities are seeing a surge in data center development. “It’s going to be a doozy” of a conversation in 2026, as our CEO David Plotz pointed out.

In Madison, the mayor and much of the City Council last year proposed a 

one-year moratorium on zoning certificates

 for new data centers while they try to better understand how data centers could impact the electric grid and energy bills. City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin says Madisonians are “up in arms.”

“Folks are concerned that this might be a bubble, that this could be another dot-com bubble where Silicon Valley folks rush in, move to scale, and then they’re like, let’s abandon ship,” Martin says.

But aren’t data centers great for the economy? Plotz 

, suggesting that data centers contributed to the tech economy in Washington, D.C. Well, that got the group fired up.

“We’re also talking about doing it in really beautiful green spaces that we don’t want to be cluttered with this kind of nonsense,” says City Cast Pittsburgh host, Megan Harris.

And the conversation didn’t end there. From an affordability crisis to massive infrastructure changes, here’s what each of our hosts predicted for this year’s biggest news.

 gives Democrats a safe congressional seat — and candidates are chomping at the bit to announce their bids. But now that they don’t have to court Republican voters, Salt Lake is wondering: Could Democrats explore Mamdani-level progressivism?

. There’s a housing crisis, a stagnant population, and a nearly 50-year-old reputation for economic gloom they can’t seem to outrun. Tax increases may help, but Pittsburgh’s got to figure out how to attract more people if the city ever wants to really evolve.

? With rising homelessness, controversial city spending, and Austin voters overwhelmingly rejecting Prop Q, which would have raised property taxes, Austinites will be focused on what the city is spending on and why it’s not being spent more equitably.

. With real estate investment lagging, downtown Portland will likely see an increase in unique, temporary, and creative storefronts as property managers and the city will shift toward a “punk rock mall” model.

, which could open the door to a competitive primary and potentially transform a new generation of Democratic leadership.

The Twin Cities, a longtime hub for legal immigration, is facing rising tension as 

ICE continues to target the Somali community

. One Republican state representative has already spoken out against Trump’s rhetoric, but there are also voices supporting the president’s language. Which way will things shift in 2026?

Elon Musk’s The Boring Company is building twin 9.5-mile 

 between downtown Nashville and the airport, with future extensions proposed. Is this the right move for Nashvillians? In 2026, locals will continue to question safety, oversight, and a lack of geological testing, especially considering the city’s limestone terrain is vulnerable to sinkholes.

Denver wants to help build new stadiums for the Broncos

 and its first National Women's Soccer League team, sparking debates over public funding, community benefits, and transparency. Pushback includes concerns about backroom deals and threats from NWSL owners to leave if demands aren’t met. The teams are promising huge economic impacts for the whole city. We expect Denver to look very different in the years to come.

 is uncertain amid mass firings, agencies possibly relocating, and a Supreme Court case threatening civil service rules. The city’s economy, housing market, and politics all hinge on whether the federal workforce remains.

 in our lifetime. Driven by increased marketing efforts and major events, including an NCAA tournament, MLB All-Star Game, FIFA World Cup, and the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, Philly is determined to expose the world to the city.

Nevada’s new crime bill, which goes into effect this year, will allow judges to “order out” anyone with a criminal charge from the 

. What are the implications for the city’s tourist corridor when individual rights are sacrificed for the goal of encouraging tourism? And how could similar bills affect tourism nationwide?

Nobody understands a city’s pulse quite like a City Cast host. So we’re turning to all 13 of our hosts, including Twin Cities' Sean McPherson, who are sharing the biggest stories shaping their hometowns in 2026.

2026 Predictions for the Twin Cities and Across the City Cast Network

The Biggest Stories We Predict for the Twin Cities in 2026

I love what Twin Cities artists have done to expand the holiday songbook. Whether it’s dusting off a classic and giving it new life or penning a new song to add to the canon, the Twin Cities have done their part to keep the holiday spirit alive. We crafted a top five Twin Cities holiday performances with the help of world-class vocalist, DJ, and City Cast contributor, PaviElle French. We also brought music nut Keith Harris, one of the owner-editors of Racket, into the mix. On our 

, PaviElle discussed the importance of holiday music evoking nostalgia and warmth, and she hit the nail on the mistletoe with that one. All these songs will transport you back to Christmas past while also giving you that warm sweater feeling we’re all looking for during the holiday season.

For each song, I asked PaviElle and Keith to rank the song on two scales. The first is the Hallmark Movie Montage Viability Scale, aka the HMMV. Effectively, how usable would this song be in a Hallmark movie montage? The second scale is the Jammin’ scale. On a scale of 1 to Jammin’, just how jammin’ is this song? We hope this list helps you work a little bit of local flavor into your holiday playlists. Enjoy!

When we were putting together our preliminary lists to cull from, Keith Harris pointed out that we had to get some Andrews Sisters in the mix. The Andrews Sisters hail from the North Side of Minneapolis and their run starting in the 1920s is the stuff of legend. The Sisters best-known holiday work is with Mr. Egg Nog himself, Bing Crosby, but we took the Sisters going solo on a spirited rendition of “Winter Wonderland.”

HMMV: 7/20Jammin’: 7/20Overall Holiday Score: 

The legendary R&B chameleons, Mint Condition, provided so many different flavors of music in their decades-long career. Their album “Healing Season” has Mint doing the holidays right with top-notch musicians and inspired arrangements. We pulled out their New Orleans send-up of “Little Drummer Boy,” which features some choice work from their vocalist and sometimes-drummer Stokley behind the kit playing a second-line figure. His work on the snare drum almost broke our jammin’ meter, but we were able to get it up and running.

HMMV: 11/20Jammin’: 20/20Overall Holiday Score: 

First off, we know. Low is from Duluth. But Low was a thriving and central part of the Twin Cities music scene throughout their legendary run as a band, and it only feels right to fit them into this list. And Low’s original tune “Just Like Christmas” is an incredible contribution to the holiday canon. The song is sung by Mimi Parker, whose angelic voice gives just the right spirit to the tune. The music world is still grieving the death of Parker, who passed away in November 2022. We are lucky we have songs like this to remember her with.

HMMV: 19/20Jammin’: 14/20Overall Holiday Score: 

voice of Twin Cities music. The man can shake the walls with his thunder while also going whisper-quiet to conjure an intimacy rarely heard in concert halls. We also learned that our own PaviElle was a student and mentee of Robinson in his City Songs Youth Choir. It’s not really the holiday season until Robert Robinson is pumping out of your speakers and his multi-tempo take on “We Three Kings” is one of his top-tier performances.

HMMV: 18/20Jammin’: 18/20Overall Holiday Score: 

You can learn a lot about an artist’s dedication to their craft based on how they approached the COVID shutdowns of 2020. For Minnesota’s own Thomasina Petrus, her response was to keep singing in any safe format she could find. That brought Petrus out to parking garages to catch the right acoustics and deliver a stunning rendition of the modern Christmas carol “Mary Did You Know.” From the moment Thomasina Petrus opens her mouth, it’s clear that she knows how to exude nostalgia and warmth on a concert stage, a parking garage, or a recording studio. The goosebumps really come in when Petrus adds the snaps and turns the parking ramp into a full-on jam session. PaviElle requested that the jammin’ scale go all the way up to 12 for Ms. Petrus, and we were happy to oblige.

HMMV: 18/20Jammin’: 21/20Overall Holiday Score: 

Thank you to Keith and PaviElle for joining me for this holiday music Top 5. If you are looking for a longer selection of Twin Cities holiday music, I put together a 

I love what Twin Cities artists have done to expand the holiday songbook. Whether it’s dusting off a classic and giving it new life or penning a new song to add to the canon, the Twin Cities have done their part to keep the holiday spirit alive. We crafted a top five Twin Cities holiday performances with the help of world-class vocalist, DJ, and City Cast contributor, PaviElle French. We also brought music nut Keith Harris, one of the owner-editors of Racket, into the mix. On our podcast episode, PaviElle discussed the importance of holiday music evoking nostalgia and warmth, and she hit the nail on the mistletoe with that one. All these songs will transport you back to Christmas past while also giving you that warm sweater feeling we’re all looking for during the holiday season.

Best Twin Cities Holiday Performances

Top 5 Twin Cities Holiday Performances

“Why not make something small a little bit bigger?” 

That’s the question Emmy Woods asked herself a couple of winters back. When she appeared on the 

, Woods said she had been feeling “a little lost and a little hopeless with the state of the world.” She decided to take a gig she had coming up at the 

 in Northeast Minneapolis and amplify a pre-existing warm winter clothing drive for Southside Harm Reduction Services. She figures if everyone does a little in their world, the world will get that much better. 

 she’s right. Since then, it has become an annual event, and this year, City Cast Twin Cities is getting in on the positive energy!

The Winter Clothing Drive takes place at the 331 Club on Sunday at 7 pm. I will be on hand for the event to take in the show and accept your donations.

Southside Harm Reduction has seen a huge increase in the need for cold-weather gear (jackets, boots, socks, hats, gloves/mittens, hand and foot warmers, etc.). They especially need boots that are sizes 10 and larger, as well as jackets that are sizes large and above. Distributing winter gear is essential to keeping folks safe in our community during the coldest months of the year. If you want to make a donation but cannot make it to the show, they do accept donations at their 

Southside Harm Reduction Services’ mission is to promote the human rights to health, safety, and autonomy of people who use drugs. Their goal is to support the community to claim their rights to dignity, autonomy, and health through person-centered direct services. This year, SHR opened a drop-in center in South Minneapolis where community members can access naloxone, harm reduction supplies, hot meals, medical care, rapid HIV/HCV testing, housing resources, drug checking, and other linkage to care services. Alongside the drop-in center, SHR’s outreach and delivery programs continue to reach people across Minneapolis, ensuring everyone who relies on Southside has access to naloxone, safer use supplies, and other essentials to stay safe.

(she/they) was born and raised on an old dirt road in rural North Dakota and currently resides in Saint Paul, MN. With hints of country, folk, and blues, Emmy’s songs showcase her knack for storytelling, her strengths in musical artistry, and her ethereal voice. Drawing on a range of influences, including Billie Holiday, Emmylou Harris, and Against Me, Emmy has shared stages with such talents as Melissa Carper, Sarah Morris, Ryan Young of Trampled by Turtles, and Cam Whitcomb, to name a few. Emmy began writing at 13; however, her music remained unreleased and rarely performed until 2023, when she burst out of her living room and onto the Minnesota music scene with the release of 3 recorded collections. Undeniably prolific, she has since released several singles and an EP. Performing anywhere that’ll have her, from dive bars and markets to ballrooms and festivals, Woods continues to gain momentum with her witty and captivating repertoire, her disarmingly down-to-earth charm, and her genre-bending sound.

Emmy Woods and Southside Harm Reduction Coat Drive This Sunday at 331 Club

Adam Sage

 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras in the Twin Cities metro area. Most of these are made by a company called 

, and every time a car passes one, it logs the license plate, location, and other identifying features of the car, like color or scratches and dents, and puts the information into a database searchable by law enforcement.

With a network of cameras taking these photos all around us, this data can have the same effect as a police officer 

. And police departments aren't the only entities able to use Flock cameras – HOAs and private businesses are getting in on the fun, too. In its 

 of the new "Business Network" in June, Flock bragged about the ability for businesses to subscribe to "Hotlists," which alert subscribers to the location of select cars that pass any Flock license plate reader, regardless of who is operating the camera.

While proponents of ALPR technology say it helps law enforcement do their jobs more efficiently, it turns out a database that tracks the location of entire communities is ripe for abuse. Officers have been documented using Flock cameras to 

 for a Texas woman who got an abortion, and 

 stating that police officers do not need a warrant to search their database. With their network of cameras growing and showing no signs of slowing down, 

, an attorney with ACLU Minnesota, to learn more about the current state of ALPR surveillance in the Twin Cities.

You can read the transcript of City Cast's interview with Alicia Granse below. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

 Alicia Granse, thank you so much for joining City Cast today.

 Thanks Sean, for having me. It's a real pleasure.

 I bet you we will talk about some things that are not a real pleasure because there's some tough things about this conversation. But I do want to foreshadow, there's a light at the end of the tunnel in my opinion because the ACLU actually has put out some good principles that I find reasonable and relatively accommodating.

And I'm looking forward to running through those a little bit later in this conversation. But first, we have to get a bird's eye view about these cameras. For folks who are all hearing about this for the very first time right now, Alicia, what should they know about these cameras and how they're being used?

 So these Flock cameras are capturing information that really isn't permitted under Minnesota state law. So Minnesota statute allows photographs of cars that capture license plate and car make and model. But what's happening with Flock cameras is that they're taking pictures of larger areas.

They're taking pictures of the whole car, maybe the area around the car, and they can really get a lot of data from those camera photos or from those stills. Flock cameras are capable of detecting race, gender, and how many people are in the car. So it's a matter of making sure that our law enforcement agencies aren't actually asking for that data or keeping that data, and ensuring that Flock itself isn't capturing or keeping the data either.

The hard part about this is Flock is a private company, and it's much easier for us as the public to get information from government agencies because we have the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.

Private company data is a lot harder to get to. We can ask for audit trails from the government; that's something that's also required under Minnesota statute, but we just don't have the same ability to get data from Flock as we do from government agencies.

 One picture of one license plate could be comparatively innocuous. It's something that's relatively visible as you're traveling around this world. But there's an idea that when there's networks of cameras that can talk to one another, those individual photos become a lot more powerful in stitching together a story of where you went on a particular day, perhaps even who you went with and what you might have been up to.

So why is the plurality of these cameras collectively taking these pictures of license plates and more details about the cars much more nefarious than just a single photo of one license plate?

 Sean, you really hit the nail on the head there. The cameras can track your location for hours, days, months. The Minnesota statute allows for data collection to be stored for up to 60 days. So presumably, a law enforcement agent could be tracking your movements for up to 60 days.

This was not possible before all of these cameras, before all of the surveillance. Usually, in order to get that level of surveillance, you would need a warrant. And you'd presumably be engaging in this surveillance for investigating serious crimes. But here, all of that data is just at the fingertips of government agencies without there needing to be a requirement that it be a serious crime.

 The state patrol from Minnesota says they get rid of the data that they gather within 48 hours, which seems to be one of the only state patrols that has a policy and one of the quickest deletion rates. For you, is there any comfort in the fact that Minnesota State Patrol deletes their data after 48 hours?

 It's better than our current state law, and it's better than Flock's own policy. Is it a good policy? No. I think when you're asking what a good policy would do, we should think about "What is law enforcement doing with this information? What do they need it for?" Essentially, what they're trying to do is determine whether a car is stolen or has some other hit like an Amber Alert or a wanted person in relation to that.

So, how long do they need data to be stored when that information can be obtained in seconds? New Hampshire has a law that restricts data retention to three minutes. So I think that's probably a good law. A best law might be 30 seconds.

General questions that I ask when law enforcement wants to use a technology is, how much does it cost in resources and to our privacy? Is it the least restrictive and most reasonable way to accomplish their goals? And I think generally speaking, Flock camera use by law enforcement isn't hitting any of those criteria in the right way. They're keeping the data for too long. They're using it for other purposes. They're sharing it with people that they shouldn't be sharing it with.

 Another metric I'd highlight is how fruitful it is compared to how many times it goes unused. And we're talking about 0.005% of this data that's captured actually being useful. In the ACLU paper about this, they're talking about this huge dragnet that is not actually capturing much useful information for the pursuit.

And it used to be more expensive to capture data, but now that it's so comparatively cheap, and it can be outsourced to citizens or to people who are putting up these cameras, it's so much more plausible to live in a police state. I want to bring that up because the ACLU points out that although this might start with the idea of "let's find people whose cars got stolen," there's always a creep when you get this data.

Whatever the premise is to start using Flock's technology, it can go worse. How can it go worse, and what can be done about it when these cameras are abused?

 I'll start with your last question: how do we rein in law enforcement? How do we stop this police state from coming? I mean, one could argue we're already there.

People need to be engaged because when you're living in a democracy, you can go tell the local police department, you can go tell your city council member, you can go tell your state representative what you want. You can write an email. You can go to city council meetings because at the end of the day, we can go and make change. We can change the Minnesota statute that governs ALPRs. We can say, "Nope, you can't use those here. Those are unlawful. Just full stop." People are worried about whether this technology will be used for their neighbor, who is undocumented. Is the data going to ICE? Is the data going to a sheriff in Texas about a woman who got an abortion?

Local News

Have you been keeping track of the news?

Minneapolis Parents React to Proposed School Closures

Packing Food and Meeting Neighbors

Latest articles

Artwork for the Moment

The Biggest Stories We Predict for the Twin Cities in 2026

Top 5 Twin Cities Holiday Performances

Emmy Woods and Southside Harm Reduction Coat Drive This Sunday at 331 Club

Sorry Twin Cities, You're Being Tracked Everywhere You Go

City Cast’s review of “Purple Rain” the musical

What to Know About The MN Supreme Court’s Ruling on Trans Athletes