Best City Of Duluth MN Podcasts (2025)

1
2025 MN Vikings Preview for Dummies Feat. Arif Hasan 1:07:55

Play Pause

4d ago1:07:55

1:07:55

In the grand tradition of this still-kinda-new podcast, we're bringing you conversations with smart and cool local sportswriters to preview upcoming seasons. The "for dummies" framing? The guests have nothing to do with that, and perhaps one day we'll stop the condescending approach. But today is not that day, dummies. This week we've got Arif Hasa…

1
Emergency MN State Fair New Food Roundtable! 1:16:00

26d ago1:16:00

1:16:00

No time for extensive show notes—this is an emergency! Listen to all four Racket owner/editors gab for an hour-plus about all the Minnesota State Fair official new foods we gobbled Thursday. Gov. Tim Walz even makes an exclusive cameo. Subscribe to RacketCast wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc. • Wanna adverti…

1
A conversation with Chris Owen 47:24

25d ago47:24

47:24

This month, I sit down with Chris Owen. Chris is a renowned tattoo artist and owner of Living Art Duluth. We cover a variety of topics from studying art in Utah to ancient medicinal practices and the emerging cannabis industry in Minnesota.By City of Duluth, MN

1
The Wheels on the Bus Feat. Metro Transit 53:25

1M ago53:25

53:25

How does public transit work in the Twin Cities? To find out, we invited Metro Transit GM Lesley Kandaras and bus driver Al Chang to our St. Louis Park studio. (Kandaras, a true company woman who has ridden all 60 MT routes, even took the bus there.) Transit enthusiasts should enjoy this convo about the successes, challenges, new developments, and …

1
Bonus: How’d Lutsen Lodge Really Burn Down? Feat. Journalist Joe Friedrichs 28:27

2M ago28:27

28:27

For many Minnesotans, it wasn’t just another building on the North Shore—it was the beating heart of the North Shore. Over its 144-year history, Lutsen Resort had hosted countless weddings, family reunions, and friendly ski trips along the the intersection of Lake Superior and the Poplar River. So when the historic lodge burned down in early 2024, …

1
Can Epstein's Ghost Sink Trump? Feat. Sen. Tina Smith 31:54

2M ago31:54

31:54

The ghost of Jeffery Epstein, sex-trafficking buddy to the elites, continues to haunt Trump World. Just this week the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department warned Trump in May that his name is included in the Epstein files. (The White House called this "fake news.") Meanwhile, the drip, drip, drip of previously unknown Trump-Epst…

1
A conversation with Russ Salgy 40:35

2M ago40:35

40:35

This month, I sit down with Russ Salgy, Agency Director of Valley Youth Center. We talk about growing up in Upper Denfeld- folks that is a core Duluthian geography reference! We also chat the legendary Ivin Club Table Tennis Team, and their recent merger with Northwoods Children’s Services, and the resulting expansion in youth assets and programmin…

1
Having Cancer Feat. Wedge LIVE!'s Taylor Dahlin and Racket's Keith Harris 1:34:56

2M ago1:34:56

1:34:56

After Racket's Keith Harris was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022, he noticed how much the actual experience of having cancer differed from how we typically talk about it. He's joined on the pod today by independent journalist Taylor Dahlin (Wedge LIVE!, Twitter), who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Now that both are cancer-free, the …

1
Bonus: No War With Iran Feat. Rep. Ilhan Omar 19:40

3M ago19:40

19:40

War: There's nothing worse. Yet the U.S. can't seem to stop waging it, with our latest target, Iran, being subjected to around dozen 30,000-pound GBU-57 "bunker buster" bombs on June 21. The illegal preemptive attack may have set Iran's nuclear program back by only a few months, according to one preliminary classified report. One day later, Preside…

1
Politickin’ and Puntin’ Feat. Ex-MN Viking Chris Kluwe 46:27

3M ago46:27

46:27

Punter. Activist. Rocker. Writer. Gamer. And, now, politician. Ex-Viking Chris Kluwe endeared himself to (most) Minnesotans for eight seasons as he booted the ball while fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. From July 3-6, Kluwe will make his triumphant return to this state as a guest at sci-fi convention CONVergence in downtown Minneapolis. Before that, we …

1
Our Big Forever Chemical Problem Feat. Reporters Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin 43:06

3M ago43:06

43:06

Two veteran reporters from The Hill—Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin—drop by the pod to discuss their new book, Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America, which dropped this past April via Island Press. You'll learn about the accidental origins of PFAS chemicals, their consumer-facing ubiquity, and the massive health risk they p…

1
How to Launch a Writer-Owned News/Arts/Culture Publication 1:05:55

4M ago1:05:55

1:05:55

It's a Very Special Episode of RacketCast! No guests this week. Instead, three of Racket's four co-owner/editors—Jay Boller, Em Cassel, and Keith Harris—will share the origin story of our local news, arts, and culture publication, which'll turn four this summer. All it takes? Four laid-off schmucks with a combined $4,000, plenty of Covid-era unempl…

1
Terrorized In Your Own Home Feat. Davis Moturi 1:20:42

4M ago1:20:42

1:20:42

The horror Davis Moturi and his wife, Caroline, experienced after moving into a cute white house on Grand Avenue in south Minneapolis has been well-documented. Moturi, a 34-year-old Black man, quickly realized his neighbor, 54-year-old white man John Sawchak, was determined to make his life hell. Beginning in 2023, Sawchak's seemingly endless assau…

1
A conversation with Shane Bauer 44:37

4M ago44:37

44:37

During the final prep weeks for the 49th Annual Grandma’s Marathon weekend, I sat down with Executive Director Shane Bauer to talk about this signature Duluth event, its economic impact on the region, and his outstanding volunteer network. We also talk about his path to this job and what motivated him to become a Duluthian.…

1
Bonus: Wait, IS MN Beer In Trouble? Feat. David Berg of Schell's 20:36

4M ago20:36

20:36

Last fall Racket surveyed 44 Minnesota brewing pros and found that 63.6% believe the industry is in a positive place—not bad! Last month Racket highlighted Axios reporting that showed a 10.8% boost in Minnesota craft brewery production last year—nice! But David Berg, the longtime brewmaster at August Schell Brewing Co., isn't convinced by those typ…

1
Timberwolves Playoffs Explainer for Dummies Feat. Podcaster Dane Moore 1:10:16

5M ago1:10:16

1:10:16

A fresh RacketCast ep, out one day early due to Wolves Fever gripping the state. Is it unwise to keep calling our listeners "dummies"? Perhaps, but that's what we did with our Twins preview pod, and we're doing it again for this Timberwolves explainer featuring the great podcaster Dane Moore. Dane joined us Wednesday afternoon from L.A., where hour…

1
Bonus: Should MN Ban Billboards? Feat. Sen. John Marty 23:01

5M ago23:01

23:01

We're still figuring out what types of conversations y'all wanna hear on RacketCast, and our first experiment with a newsier, shorter installment was a certified hit. So here's another bonus ep along those lines: our chat with veteran state Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville) about whether Minnesota should ban billboards. Marty's eye-catching new bill …

1
A conversation with Matt Staehling 43:27

5M ago43:27

43:27

In this first episode I had a great chat with our new City Administrator, Matt Staehling. You get a chance to learn more about Matt, and what drew him to this role after nearly 30 years in St. Cloud. We talk about his first weeks on the job and his first takes as a new Duluthian. We also dive into that all-important topic: the difference between th…

1
Building the Perfect Cheeseburger feat. Angry Line Cook and Burger Daddies 1:57:34

5M ago1:57:34

1:57:34

Twin Cities burger freaks: This is the episode for you. The proprietors of two elite food trucks—Angry Line Cook (Jesse Hedman and Mona Negasi) and Burger Daddies (Nikki and Brian Podgorski)—dropped by our studio for a long conversation about cheeseburgers, building your business from scratch, and life in the trenches of the food industry. (FYI: Wh…

1
HOW Many Things to Do In Duluth Before You Die? feat. Reporter Jay Gabler 1:02:35

6M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

What's going on up there in Duluth? Plenty of stuff worth trying out ahead of your demise, that's for sure. Duluth News Tribune reporter Jay Gabler chronicled the exact number in his new book, 100 Things to Do In Duluth Before You Die. Jay, who you might remember from his time at 89.3 the Current, hopped on the pod to discuss the Zenith City's must…

1
Bonus: Unions Shout WTF Over Guv’s WFH Reversal feat. MAPE 23:47

6M ago23:47

23:47

Late Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz surprised around 40,000 state workers by announcing a mandatory 50% return-to-office policy for employees who live within 75 miles of their main work location. “This policy change supports the economic vitality of office districts like downtown St. Paul, bringing foot traffic back to businesses and public spaces,” the go…

1
2025 MN Twins Preview for Dummies feat. Aaron Gleeman 1:46:46

6M ago1:46:46

1:46:46

In the early '00s Aaron Gleeman's U of M journalism professors suspected he was chronically hungover. In reality, the young blogger was chronically exhausted from writing about baseball literally all night long. That set Gleeman on a path that includes Aaron's Baseball Blog (cute!), NBC Sports, Baseball Prospectus, and, since 2019, the Athletic, wh…

1
Prosecutor Progress Report feat. Mary Moriarty 1:12:09

6M ago1:12:09

1:12:09

Voters elected Mary Moriarty as Hennepin County's top prosecutor in 2022, which, given the sweeping sociopolitical changes since, feels like 1,000 years ago. Just over two full years into the job, how has Moriarty's progressive vision of restorative justice unfolded while Minneapolis remains under a national microscope? We asked the first openly LG…

1
A Lifetime in the Morning Zoo feat. KDWB's Dave Ryan 59:21

7M ago59:21

59:21

A terrestrial radio DJ... on a podcast?! Believe it: We've got Dave Ryan, the 101.3 KDWB morning show host since 1993, on the pod to talk pranks, legacy, the evolving nature of Top 40 radio, and the ill-fated Booty Cruises. (Our conversation cold-opens with him dealing with a Colorado exterminator—how can you cut tape that good?) Be sure read Rache…

1
Poised to Pop Jukebox + Exploring Narrative Podcasting 1:25:08

7M ago1:25:08

1:25:08

We've got a double-header for ya, folks. In the leadoff spot: Keith and Jay discuss Poised to Pop, Racket's annual predictions for the year's most exciting new local music acts. (It is very different from Picked to Click, thank you very much!) Hear Keith's scouting reports, then dive into some of the best rock, jazz, techno, rap, etc. sounds curren…

1
Bonus: Inside New Strib Podcast Series 'Ghost of a Chance' feat. Eric Roper 37:57

8M ago37:57

37:57

Did you know the Star Tribune recently launched its very first episodic, narratively driven podcast series, Ghost of a Chance? Over six episodes, reporter Eric Roper and producer Melissa Townsend explore the lives Harry and Clementine Robinson, a Black Minneapolis family who owned Roper's south Minneapolis home in the early 20th century. "The Robin…

1
Mitch Hedberg Roundtable... Assemble! 1:19:37

8M ago1:19:37

1:19:37

Mitch Hedberg conceived his jokes with a deliberate eye toward timelessness. The Minnesota-launched comedy great’s widow, Lynn Shawcroft, confirmed as much during a 2013 episode of WTF with Marc Maron. And for about 15 years, the timeless comedy of Hedberg—surreal one-liners, musings, and wordplay delivered in his unmistakable stoner drawl—attracte…

1
Food 'n' Drink Reporter Roundtable 56:16

8M ago56:16

56:16

It's the first RacketCast episode of 2025! Before '24 ended, we reviewed the year in music, bozos, politics, and movies, though we didn't have time to bite off a biggie: food 'n' drink. So, for this ep, we recruited two great dining writer/reporters—James Norton (Heavy Table) and Justine Jones (formerly of Eater Twin Cities)—to hashbrown out the ye…

1
Year-End Movie Hot Takes feat. Taco Mike 1:15:17

9M ago1:15:17

1:15:17

Did you that co-owner/editor Keith Harris is the only regularly published movie critic in all of Minnesota? Sounds wild, but we believe it to be true! As such, movies are a big part of the equation over here, though we've never addressed them via the podcast medium. To remedy that, we enlisted a silver-screen freak you know and love: Racket super-c…

1
Bonus: Reviewing 2024 feat. 'Daily Show' Co-Creator Lizz Winstead 37:06

9M ago37:06

37:06

A special bonus episode of our biweekly RacketCast? Believe it. Happy Lizz Winstead Day! Minnesota comedy great Lizz Winstead is a legend of lefty media, having co-created Comedy Central's Daily Show as well as Air America Radio. Every holiday season, Winstead returns home for a show that recaps the year that was. And folks? Good god... what a year…

1
Reviewing the Year in Minneapolis Politics feat. Wedge Live! 1:00:46

10M ago1:00:46

1:00:46

What were the biggest, strangest, buzziest, most important, least important, and/or riffiest Minneapolis politics stories of 2024? Glad you asked! Because that's more or less what we posed to John Edwards, Taylor Dahlin, and Jason Garcia of Wedge Live!, a collection of folks who pay as close attention to such matters as anyone in town. They teed up…

1
The Biggest MN Turkeys of 2024 46:52

10M ago46:52

46:52

A sincere and gratitude-stuffed "gobble, gobble" to all our RacketCast listeners ahead of this, the final episode before Thanksgiving. As such, we're talkin' turkey—local folks deserving of our unenviable "Biggest MN Turkeys of 2024" designation, that is. (How did we possibly come up with this idea?) Em, Keith, and Jay go around the horn, picking t…

1
Bonus: Inside the 'Broadcast Wars' feat. Cathy Wurzer 23:26

10M ago23:26

23:26

A special bonus episode of our biweekly RacketCast? Believe it! When Minnesota Public Radio's Cathy Wurzer reached out about the new TPT documentary she's co-executive producing, Broadcast Wars, we figured: hey, nice opportunity to run a Q&A about the doc, which explores the pioneering and often cutthroat world of Twin Cities TV news from the 1950s…

1
Meet MN's Best New Music Act 48:18

10M ago48:18

48:18

In this edition of RacketCast, get to know Racket’s first-ever Picked to Click winner: Papa Mbye! A terrific new album, Parcelles 16, helped vault the Senegal-born, Minneapolis-based musician to the top of the poll, and deservedly so. The music he makes—drawing from rap, electronic music, and indie rock—would have been unthinkable when the original…

1
Ghost Hunting feat. the Twin Cities Paranormal Society 44:54

11M ago44:54

44:54

There's no disputing it: This is the spookiest episode in RacketCast history. First up, we've got Dan Suitor, winner of last year's skyway-themed flash-fiction horror contest, doing a bone-chilling reading of his spooktacular winning story, Skyway Hungers. Then Em and Jay chitchat about their gun bingo and bigfoot conference stories (what a website…

1
Meet St. Paul's TikTok-Famous Teacher feat. Mandi Jung (@sabocat) 55:58

11M ago55:58

55:58

Depending on who ask, St. Paul educator/social media star Mandi Jung is either "the fun teacher" who cares deeply for her middle school students (that's according to HBO's John Oliver). Or she's the "anti-capitalist teacher [who] promotes anarchy" (that's according to Fox News). We absolutely loved chatting with Jung, who regularly shares her funny…

1
A MN Hip-Hop Classic Turns 20 feat. Heiruspecs 52:54

12M ago52:54

52:54

Exactly 20 years ago, Twin Cities hip-hop greats Heiruspecs got their shot at the big time with A Tiger Dancer. On this episode of RacketCast, MC Chris "Felix" Wilbourn and bassist Sean "Twinkie Jiggles" McPherson reflect with us about the highs (giant shows, Harold & Kumar soundtrack) and lows (label expectations, snubbed Euro tour) that coincided…

1
Should Failing Twin Cities Restaurants Seek Crowdfunding? 29:09

1y ago29:09

29:09

It's the first-ever episode of RacketCast, the new podcast experiment from Twin Cities news/arts/culture website Racket. In this installment, we recap the week that was at our reader-funded publication, debate whether failing restaurants should seek crowdfunding life support, tease what we're working on next, and ask you, the gracious reader-turned…