The Ugly Truth About Encampment Sweeps, West 7th Hipsterification, and Claddagh Coffee at 15
A St. Paul coffee shop turns 15, and we sit down with Mary Hogan-Bard, the original owner of Claddagh Coffee, to talk about what it takes to anchor a neighborhood for a decade and a half. Then, Kat Turner from Rising Waters Mutual Aid breaks down what the city's plan to clear encampments starting at Pig's Eye Park actually means for the people living there, followed by Julia McColley, Executive Director of the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation, on how to grow a community without losing its soul. Then we close things out with a St. Paul-themed round of Hot Dish Hush.
Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode:
Become a City Cast Twin Cities Neighbor
Learn more about the sponsors of this July 27th episode:
Minnesota Orchestra - Use code CITYCAST26 for up to four $25 tickets
Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, or email us at twincities@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637.
For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, City Cast Twin Cities.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Stay connected to City Cast Twin Cities and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Where Did Pig’s Eye Residents Go? Plus, The Fair Documentary
It’s been about a month since the City of St. Paul closed the Pig’s Eye encampment on Fish Hatchery Road. A new encampment formed on Shep...

Cowboy-Hat Feds at the State Fair. Plus, Southside Back in the Day and Cheese Ooze
With the State Fair in full swing, concerns about gang violence have brought a record number of officers to the fairgrounds, and some une...

The Adult Store on the Front Lines
Today we’re revisiting an episode wherein a South Minneapolis sex store used their virality and social media reach to fundraise hundreds...

Best/Worst Foods at the Fair, ‘Revenge’ in Anoka, Oktoberfests
The City Cast team tried foods new and old at the State Fair this week. We defend some eye-brow raisers and muse that you can indeed brin...

Reclaiming Sexist Songs at the Parkway. Plus, Hear Our Version of Tiny Desk
DoRe #MeToo started six years ago, featuring femme performers reclaiming sexist rock songs to fundraise for abortion access. The show ret...

Meta's $214 Million Minnesota Settlement, St. Paul's Phone-Free Schools, and Indigenous Peoples' Day at the Fair
A massive Meta settlement is sending $214 million to Minnesota. What does that mean for how kids actually experience social media? St. Pa...

Where to Poop at the Fair. Plus, 50 Years of Storytelling
Church bells toll at 8:26 a.m. today in remembrance of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church one year ago. Sean talks about t...

Two Target Dramas, One Big Mining Ban, and Minneapolis' Lead Pipe Scramble
A racist Halloween costume lands Target in hot water AGAIN and this time teachers are calling for a full boycott. Today we dig into what...

State Fair Must-Eats, Union Bingo on Dan Patch, and a 4-H Musical That'll Wreck You
It's State Fair week at City Cast Twin Cities, and we’re going all in. But before the fair talk, we dig in to a stack of listener mailbag...

What Happens When a Restaurant Has No Prices? Plus, the Local Dinner Series Run by Grandmas
A Twin Cities dinner series is turning immigrant home cooking into radical acts of storytelling. Mecca Bos, founder of BIPOC Foodways All...
