Downtown St. Paul Gets an Aldi, Feds Target MN Medicaid, and Snowplow Names episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 27, 2026 · 29 MIN

Downtown St. Paul Gets an Aldi, Feds Target MN Medicaid, and Snowplow Names

from City Cast Twin Cities · host City Cast

It's been almost a year since the St. Paul downtown Lunds & Byerlys closed, and Aldi just filed plans to open a store in the same space. Host Sean McPherson is joined by contributor and acclaimed vocalist PaviElle French and Adam Sage to celebrate the end of the downtown food desert and fight over whether or not Aldi is a good grocery store. The team also breaks down a recent announcement from Vice President JD Vance and Dr. Oz that the federal government will be withholding $259 million of Medicaid funding from Minnesota. Later, Racket owner-editor Jay Boller joins the conversation to chat about the results of the 2026 MnDOT Snowplow Naming Contest, and why the Twin Cities were once again deprived of a plow named "Abolish ICE". Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode: U of M to license new fruit varieties, including a sequel to the Honeycrisp apple (MPR) Nearly a year after Lunds & Byerlys closed, Aldi to open in downtown St. Paul (Star Tribune) White House to pause $259M in Minnesota Medicaid dollars in fraud crackdown (Star Tribune)  Trump administration halts some Medicaid funding to Minnesota (Minnesota Reformer) Report: Groundwork for fraud in Minnesota human services goes back 50 years (Minnesota Reformer) Based on Nominations, Minnesota Should Have an ‘ABOLISH ICE’ Snowplow. Here’s Why We Don’t. (Racket) Learn more about the sponsors of this February 27th episode: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637. For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, City Cast Twin Cities. Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

It's been almost a year since the St. Paul downtown Lunds & Byerlys closed, and Aldi just filed plans to open a store in the same space. Host Sean McPherson is joined by contributor and acclaimed vocalist PaviElle French and Adam Sage to celebrate the end of the downtown food desert and fight over whether or not Aldi is a good grocery store. The team also breaks down a recent announcement from Vice President JD Vance and Dr. Oz that the federal government will be withholding $259 million of Medicaid funding from Minnesota. Later, Racket owner-editor Jay Boller joins the conversation to chat about the results of the 2026 MnDOT Snowplow Naming Contest, and why the Twin Cities were once again deprived of a plow named "Abolish ICE". Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode: U of M to license new fruit varieties, including a sequel to the Honeycrisp apple (MPR) Nearly a year after Lunds & Byerlys closed, Aldi to open in downtown St. Paul (Star Tribune) White House to pause $259M in Minnesota Medicaid dollars in fraud crackdown (Star Tribune)  Trump administration halts some Medicaid funding to Minnesota (Minnesota Reformer) Report: Groundwork for fraud in Minnesota human services goes back 50 years (Minnesota Reformer) Based on Nominations, Minnesota Should Have an ‘ABOLISH ICE’ Snowplow. Here’s Why We Don’t. (Racket) Learn more about the sponsors of this February 27th episode: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastTwinCities on Instagram, or email us at [email protected]. You can also call or text us at 612-217-0637. For more Twin Cities news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, City Cast Twin Cities. Looking to advertise on City Cast Twin Cities? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

NOW PLAYING

Downtown St. Paul Gets an Aldi, Feds Target MN Medicaid, and Snowplow Names

0:00 29:05

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of City Cast Twin Cities?

This episode is 29 minutes long.

When was this City Cast Twin Cities episode published?

This episode was published on February 27, 2026.

What is this episode about?

It's been almost a year since the St. Paul downtown Lunds & Byerlys closed, and Aldi just filed plans to open a store in the same space. Host Sean McPherson is joined by contributor and acclaimed vocalist PaviElle French and Adam Sage to celebrate...

Can I download this City Cast Twin Cities episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!