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City Cast Twin Cities

🤔 Aldi or Aldi’s?

April 1, 2026

Good morning, Twin Cities! Tiffany here. I’d bet money that this Aldi post about rebranding to “Aldi’s” (a nod to its Iowa roots) is an April Fool’s prank, but my little Midwest heart wants it so bad. Do you say Aldi or Aldi’s? Reply to this email and let us know.

Today’s Must-Know

Three women standing behind glass at a podium, there are signs on there that say "no thrones, no crowns, no kings"
Mayor Kaohly Her speaks at the No Kings Rally in front of the state Capitol on March 28, 2025. (Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for No Kings)

The mayor/City Council split on pre-eviction notices

Like her colleague across the river, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her won’t sign the pre-eviction extension ordinance the City Council passed last week. But as Pioneer Press reporter Fred Melo points out, the ordinance takes effect even without her signature since it passed as a veto-proof majority (7-0). The ordinance lengthens the pre-eviction notice from 30 days to 60 days for the rest of the year. [Pioneer Press]

  • “Wrong lever”: In a letter to the council, Her echoed concerns from landlords and Mayor Jacob Frey that the extension would lead to more people failing to pay rent on time. She instead wants the Legislature to pass emergency rental assistance. “I fear that often times at the city we are pulling the wrong lever at the wrong level of government,” Her wrote. [Pioneer Press]
  • Across the river: Minneapolis City Council passed the eviction extension ordinance 7-5 (with one abstention). They failed to get the nine votes needed to override Frey’s veto. This seems to be another example of how the progressive-moderate split in the Council is impacting policy, as journalist Taylor Dahlin reminded us on a recent episode. [Star Tribune / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]
  • At the Capitol: A bill which would grant $40 million in emergency rental assistance is working its way through the Legislature, but seems unlikely to pass the deadlocked House, according to Minnesota Reformer reporter Michelle Griffith. [Minnesota Reformer]

What the Cities Are Talking About

“Too important to fail”: East Side Neighborhood Services, which has served Northeast Minneapolis for over a century, is at risk of closing forever. The Star Tribune’s Susan Du reports the nonprofit is in a financial crisis, and they’re down from 14 programs to just four. Neighborhood Services provides food and other social services. [Star Tribune]

Blessed: Rev. Paul Baker is a St. Paul priest and now, a “Jeopardy!” runner-up winner. Baker told the Pioneer Press it was his long-time dream and his fifth time auditioning. [Pioneer Press]

For five bucks: Uhh, so Bob Dylan has a Patreon now? The account promises “Lectures from the Grave,” which means, I guess, fictional short stories and historical lectures possibly voiced by AI. Producer Adam Sage subscribed for $5 and dives into the page on today’s episode. [Star Tribune / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]

A mural on the side of a building showing different eras of Bob Dylan's
The Bob Dylan mural in downtown Minneapolis. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities)

Whipple report: Cleo Krecji at MinnPost has a harrowing account of conditions at the Whipple Federal Building. New evidence and court testimony reveal that detainees were kept in cells with an overflowing toilet and conditions so cramped that they had to sleep standing up. Also staggering: though ICE maintains detainees are always allowed to make calls, there were zero outgoing calls for most of January. [MinnPost]

“Propaganda operation”: Quentin Williams, a staffer at Roosevelt High School, told Sahan Journal that Border Patrol agents tackled and choked him the same day Renee Good was killed. Williams put himself between the agents and the people at the school when he saw them approach. The U.S. Attorney’s Office ultimately dropped its assault charges against him, with Williams’ lawyer describing the charges as a “propaganda operation.” [Sahan Journal]

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