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City Cast Twin Cities

👀 How to watch over your block

January 13, 2026

Good morning, Twin Cities. Tiffany here. Who else is over this freezing rain? Expect light snowfall later in the week, according to the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities.

Today’s Must-Know

How to be a good neighbor during an ICE surge

If you’re wondering how to help as the federal immigration crackdown intensifies, it starts by being a good neighbor. Alsa Bruno is a member of Brass Solidarity, a band founded after the murder of George Floyd, focused on social justice and creating community through music. He talks about getting yourself out the door and how to get to know your neighbors – even if you’re super introverted. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]

  • Block by block: Thanks to well-formed organizing networks, there are tons of neighborhood-specific Signal group chats. There, you can keep watch over schools, make food deliveries for impacted neighbors, get connected with constitutional observers, and more. You can find your local network via Defend 612.
  • Driving our neighbors: As many neighbors feel unsafe leaving their homes, Neighbors Helping Neighbors is organizing transportation for people to get where they need to be. You can support their work here.
  • Feeding our neighbors: The USDA has frozen SNAP funding to Minnesota again. Now is a good time to help your local food shelf stock up. Friend of the show and food critic Kirstie Kimball is organizing metro-wide food drives. [Beyond Beurre Blanc / New York Times]

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What the Cities Are Talking About

Restraining order against ICE: Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have filed a lawsuit against the federal government to stop the current immigration enforcement surge. The lawsuit alleges that Operation Metro Surge is arbitrary and targets Minnesota for political reasons, violating the First Amendment. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement operation entirely or limit its scope. [Associated Press]

ICE traumatizing kids: At a press conference on Sunday, child care providers recounted seeing workers being detained on their way to work and described how they are preparing protocols if ICE agents arrive. As a result, days of learning and care are being disrupted. “We are all used to in Minnesota snow days, but we are now having ICE days,” state Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura said. [Pioneer Press]

Poet to poet: St. Paul writer Danez Smith penned an elegy for fellow poet Renee Macklin Good, published two days after she was killed. “Neighbor, you died a poet’s death, witness and justice your final actions.” Smith also posted the lines their editor cut out or changed. [Harper’s Bazaar]

“I’m a physician!”: Witness footage showed a bystander offering medical help after Good was shot by agent Jonathan Ross. But federal agents denied assistance. A retired University of Minnesota physician told the Star Tribune the entire EMS response to the shooting should be reviewed. [Star Tribune]

A commercial plane flying with the moon in the background
A Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737 airplane descends as a waxing gibbous moon rises. (Kevin Carter / Getty Images)

Now boarding: Sun Country is being acquired by Las Vegas-based Allegiant for $1.5 billion. Sun Country’s CEO said the acquisition will mean more airplanes and more routes for customers. However, travel reporters Kyle Potter and Gunnar Olson say if the merger goes through, “it'll be the end of Sun Country in name.” [Star Tribune / Thrifty Traveler ]

“Racial profiling”: Native American leaders say their people are being harassed by immigration enforcement based on their appearance. Activists are keeping watch for ICE and helping tribal members find their enrollment papers. [Star Tribune]

Finding Ratboy: You may have seen Ratboy’s name all across the state, but the graffiti artist’s identity continues to elude the public. Fans admire his ability to tag in wildly hard-to-reach places. The Star Tribune reports his name could originate from an episode of “The Simpsons” or Rat Boy Summer. [Star Tribune]

What to Do

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