Thanks for reading during our third full year of existence! If you're happy to see these types of stories in the Twin Cities, please help support our worker-owned, reader-funded, award-winning independent media org.
Jay Boller's Favorites
‘Oh Yeah, He’s Real’: My Wild Day at the MN Bigfoot Conference
This past Saturday, the fifth-annual gathering attracted around 500 cryptozoology enthusiasts to a hotel conference center in Grand Rapids. Our reporter was there to capture the far-out anecdotes, the occasionally persuasive science, and the sense of interconnectedness that comes with being among fellow true believers.
With Duluth’s Park Point, Kathy Cargill Crossed the Billionaire PR Precipice
The antisocial behavior of elites usually feels abstract—until it gets personal.
My Strange Morning at MN’s Buggy ‘AI-Driven Networking’ Experiment
United We Transform bills itself as "an unconventional gathering of Minnesotans shaping and accelerating a new economy," and promises attendees will make "10 meaningful connections." Here's our reporter's journey into the glitchy future of corporate schmoozing.
The Brand-New RacketCast Podcast
It's true: We launched a podcast this past fall. Catch up on hyper-local interviews with ghost hunters, musicians new and old, internet-famous school teachers, radio stars, and more.
Click here to listen + subscribe
Em Cassel's Favorites
‘It’s the New Meat Raffle’: Inside the Growing World of MN Gun Bingo
Across the state, more and more nonprofits are fundraising with firearms.
Where’s All the Good Garage Art in South Minneapolis? These Guys Know.
Let's explore Minneapolis's art-filled alleys.
30 Savory Baked Goods to Eat in the Twin Cities Before You Die
The scones, turnovers, tarts, and more to track down if you're not a sweets freak.
Beyond the Gay Bar: In the Twin Cities, LGBTQ+ Nightlife Is Evolving
In barbecue joints, soccer bars, and bookstore parking lots, queer pop-ups and dance parties keep the culture alive and the joy flowing.
Jessica Armbruster's Favorites
‘America’s Electronic Soapbox’: Minneapolis Public Access Television at 40
Looking back at local icons, current offerings, and its future as SPEAK MPLS.
The Disabled Babes of Burlesque
How Twin Cities performers are finding inclusive joy in a subversive artform.
Inside the MN Episodes of ‘ElimiDATE,’ One of the Least Sexy Dating Shows of the ’00s
Second dates were rare but second viewings on YouTube are amazing Twin Cities time capsules.
The 13 Best Neighborhood Intersections in Minneapolis
Forget Hennepin & Lake, let's talk about 38th & Grand, Xerxes & 50th, and 42nd & 28th.
Keith Harris's Favorites
Meet Anita Velveeta, the ‘Big Sister’ of the Twin Cities Trans Music Scene
Whether crafting video game music or thrashing her way through acerbic punk, she's at the center of a changing local music landscape.
‘Our Community Is as Big as Where African Americans Live’: The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder at 90
As other legacy media outlets disappear, the oldest Black newspaper in the state stays alive.
Review: ‘Reagan’ Is the Movie Ronald Reagan Would Have Made About His Life
That’s not a compliment.
Review: This Is the Last Sleater-Kinney Show I’ll Ever Review
If the fan in me wants to enjoy their music, the critic in me needs to hush up from now on.
Our 12 Favorite Freelance Stories
Epoch Times Billboards in MN: The Truth Behind the ‘#1 Trusted News’ Org
By Sean Ericson
They've popped up all over the Twin Cities, and they don't reveal very much. Here's the story behind the "giant [right-wing] influence machine" they're promoting.
The Long, Floppy Life of ‘Dildo on the News,’ KSTP’s Pioneering Viral Video
By Stephen Silver
Did the '90s TV news clip recently inspire a Coen brother? We asked!
I’m (Nearly) Broke and I’m Hungry. Can I Be a Vegetarian?
By H. Jiahong Pan
For those with dietary restrictions, finding free or pay-what-you-can meals is often a challenge. But some local groups are working to change that.
The 6 Best Bakery Pop-Ups in the Twin Cities
By Olivia McKenzie
From apple cinnamon rolls to zucchini goat cheese puff pastries, these are the pop-ups to hunt down.
Should We Ban Cars from Minneapolis’s Treacherous, Crumbling Parkway Roads?
By Brian Martucci
"The idea of motorized parkways is well past its expiration date," says one transportation advocate.
Democrats Ran Away From Walz’s Vision and Accomplishments. It Cost Them.
By Anders J. Lee
The Democratic machine snuffed out the greatest strengths of its VP selection.
We Surveyed 44 Brewing Pros on the State of MN’s Beer Industry
By James Figy
MN Beer Day is here... will your favorite brewery still be around for the next one?
Newfoundland Glory: My Search for Drooly, Floofy Meaning at Duluth’s Nationals for Newfies
By Ian Power-Luetscher
Our reporter, his pooch, and his expert human buddy take a road trip into the heart of dog show culture.
A Guide to the International Grocers of the Twin Cities
By Ali Elabbady
The Twin Cities is home to over 40 international grocers, and they deserve your dollars, too.
9 Hot Dogs, 9 Beers, 9 Innings: One Reporter’s Humbling 9-9-9 Challenge
By Spencer White
Can this gut-busting viral stunt save baseball? Our collegiate journalist visited CHS Field and Target Field, determined to find out for himself—or blast burps trying.
Ingebretsen’s Gift Shop at 50: ‘People Would Miss Us if We Were Gone’
By Stacy Brooks
There were about 20 similar Scandinavian gift shops in the Twin Cities in 1974. Today, Ingebretsen’s is the only one that remains.
The Roller Skating Family Cruising Through MN’s Last Rinks
By Patrick Strait
"We didn’t have a choice when we were kids. We had to go skating."
Our 18 Favorite Racket Headlines
- Back the Glue: Council Puts MPD Horses out to Pasture
- Trump Taps Bloodthirsty, Unqualified Fox News Scumbag From MN to Lead DoD
- Star Tribune Publisher: Trump’s Call to Shoot Journalists is ‘Distasteful,’ But Totally Understandable
- There Is Power in Awooo-nion: T-Wolves, Lynx Crew Files to Unionize
- Wait—So Minnesota Gives Out Unsolicited PEE License Plates?
- U of M Conducts ‘Groundbreaking’ MOA Haunted House Study. Also Handcuffs Journalist.
- Thin Blue Lyin’? Cop-Loving Alpha News Sued by Cop for Defamation.
- Bad Intersection Getting Slightly Less Bad… or Possibly Bad in Exciting New Ways!
- Don Samuels Down 0-2 in Best-of-5 Series Against Ilhan Omar
- Consider the Lobster Zone: MN’s Last Functioning Seafood Claw Game for Sale
- What It’s Like Trying to Work From Your Bathroom After a Snake Pops Out of Your Drain
- Big Corn: We Are NOT Brainwashing Minneapolis Schoolchildren
- Got (Bao Bao) Buns, Hun?
- ‘I Don’t Get Off On It’: Meet Will Stancil, the MN Man Caught In a Perpetual Twitter Fight
- More Like Air Pain: MSP Fares Up 48% Since 2021
- Presidential Ope-Ful: Harris Betchas on MN Nice VP
- It’s Menards, Not Womenards: Fridley Store Fined for Breaking Lactation Law
