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City Cast Twin Cities

🏢 The rise and fall of a Midwest landlord

November 17, 2025

It’s a new week, Twin Cities! Tiffany here. I’m told today is National Homemade Bread Day. If you’re like me and couldn’t find your way around a rolling pin, why not check out these Twin Cities bakeries? The focaccia from Alma’s forever has my heart. [Eater]

What the Cities Are Talking About

The Minneapolis skyline seen from a suburban, green area surrounded by bushes.
The Minneapolis skyline. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities)

We Watched These Minneapolis Documentaries So You Don’t Have To

Everyone has something to say about Minneapolis after the 2020 uprisings. We watched “The Fall of Minneapolis,” “A Precarious State,” and “Paradox: Echoes of Reform & the Minneapolis Police.” The first two tell a very different story from the third about the city’s livability, systemic racism, and who’s to blame for current-day problems. Host Sean McPherson, contributor Winter Keefer, and I ended up having a watch party nobody wanted. [🎧City Cast Twin Cities]

  • Revisionist history: Huge shoutout to Star Tribune reporters Andy Mannix and Liz Sawyer, who looked at how right-wing media like Alpha News is trying to convince you that George Floyd was not murdered by Derek Chauvin. [Star Tribune]
  • Real history: “Paradox,” a new TPT documentary, discusses how labor upheavals shaped policing and politics in Minneapolis. We’ve been here before, folks. [MPR]
  • MPD today: A Minneapolis auditor says police are not cooperating with his investigation into two cases from 2024. The auditor is looking into how police handled the unsolved death of Allison Lussier, whose family believes she was killed by an ex. Resident David Moturi also complains that police were not responsive to concerns about his neighbor, who later allegedly shot Moturi. [Star Tribune]

Also Worth Your Time

Rent help: St. Paul is offering $2,500 to tenants at risk of eviction. Ward 7 City Council Member Cheniqua Johnson helped create the program and wrote: “My ward has one of the highest eviction rates in Ramsey County, and that is simply not OK.” [Pioneer Press]

Shutdown drama continues: MinnPost’s Ana Radelat reports that the Trump administration could make good on its threat to financially punish Minnesota and other states for sending full SNAP benefits to people before the government reopened. Minnesota said it did not have the mechanism to take back the money. [MinnPost / Minnesota Reformer]

A birria burrito cut in half on a plate with green salsa.
Birria Supreme burrito from Lito’s Burritos at 901 W Lake St. in Minneapolis. (Tiffany Bui / City Cast Twin Cities)

I like big burritos and I cannot lie: From a Richfield pop-up to Lake Street, Lito’s Burritos is bringing giant Chicano burritos to Minneapolis. The Birria Supreme is delicious and comes with consomé for dipping. [City Cast Twin Cities]

House-hunting in Burnsville: Out in the ‘burbs, Burnsville is offering up to $41,000 to help homebuyers with a down payment. You don’t have to be a first-time homebuyer, but you do have to stay there for 30 years, and earn less than 80% of the area’s median income. Brady Greenbush did the math; that’s $100,000 for a family of four. [South Metro Scoop]

The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Landlord: Jim Crockarell and Rosemary Kortgard used to be the largest landlords in Ramsey County. COVID-19 wrecked their portfolio, dragging St. Paul’s business district down with it. Check out this fascinating look at a couple credited with investing in downtown, but also accused of neglecting buildings and owing money. [Star Tribune]

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I’m craving burritos and bread now! 😋 See you tomorrow.

— Tiffany

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