Listen to the very first episode of "Housing Values" a new podcast from The Theater of Public Policy all about the affordable housing conversation! Our first guest is Ryan Allen, Associate Professor of Community and Economic Development in the

The Millennial Farmer

Dec 5th, 2019 46m 2s

Zach Johnson is a fifth generation Minnesota farmer. The industry obviously looks much different than it did when his great, great grandfather was working the land. Yet there are very modern challenges as well, like a precarious trade situation

Is this the Era for the ERA?

Dec 3rd, 2019 44m 6s

Should gender equity be written into Minnesota law? For decades, advocates have been pushing for just that, and earlier this year they got a major win when the Minnesota House voted to put an Equal Rights Amendment in front of voters in 2020. I

The Commissioner of Public Safety

Nov 28th, 2019 19m 52s

Who oversees police and public safety across the state of Minnesota? It’s former Metro Transit and St. Paul police chief John Harrington! Needless to say, Harrington has goals to diversify police departments across the state and improve police

An Improvised De-escalation Training

Nov 26th, 2019 47m 38s

It’s a show with tools you can use in your next family dinner table debate! “De-escalation” is a way of approaching a potential conflict in a way that tries to lower the temperature instead of heightening it. Russ Turner, one of the state’s lea

Awww Yeah, It's the Auditor!

Nov 21st, 2019 42m 6s

Our quest to have all of Minnesota’s statewide elected officials on the show takes a big step forward as we welcome Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha. Her office looks for corruption and waste in city and regional governments across the state

Creating an Economy that Works for Everyone

Nov 4th, 2019 45m 57s

The Twin Cities has a strong business sector, yet has huge disparities between the number of white and people-of-color owned businesses. Tawanna Black is working to change that, to make Minnesota’s economy inclusive for everyone. We asked her w

UMN President Joan Gabel

Oct 15th, 2019 43m 16s

The University of Minnesota has a new president. It’s a 24/7 job, overseeing five campuses serving 10,000s of students, and touching every part of the state. As Joan Gabel settles into the new job, she faced her greatest challenge yet, being a

Brexit, Pursued by Bad Hair

Aug 28th, 2019 51m 35s

The Guardian UK's Parliamentary Sketch Writer, John Crace joined us for a night of Brexit talk and improv comedy! The United Kingdom is slated to leave the European Union on Oct. 31st, but the process is already on it's third Prime Minister. Wi

A History of the Mississippi River

Aug 19th, 2019 51m 27s

Learn about the history of the Mississippi river with John Anfinson, Superintendent at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. There are few people alive that know this stretch of the river better than John. Time machines don’t exist, b

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter

Aug 2nd, 2019 45m 34s

One year ago, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter joined us on The Theater of Public Policy in the early days of his term. Now more than a year and a half in, he joined us once again to discuss how the issues he campaigned on are working out in office

The (DNR) Commissioner is In

Jul 29th, 2019 41m 39s

In Minnesota, the DNR Commissioner oversees everything form lakes and trails, to hunting and fishing, and even has a say in mining projects in the state. New DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen is a former mayor and assistant DNR commissioner with

Don't Stop the (Pioneer) Presses!

Jul 18th, 2019 39m 50s

The Pioneer Press is one of Minnesota’s oldest newspapers. Just a few years ago, it was purchased by a hedge fund that has made major cuts to their newsroom staff. Yet the paper is profitable and turning out a solid product day after day. What’

Sports! Women Coaching Women

Jul 12th, 2019 44m 24s

Since the passage of Title IX, more women and girls have taken up sports of all kinds. But paradoxically, there are actually FEWER female coaches at the at the college level than before Title IX. Dr. Nicole LaVoi from the University of Minnes

Walking on the Wild Side of Plants

Jul 9th, 2019 37m 18s

It’s summer, a time for planting and growing. But these days, many of the plants on farm fields and even in backyard gardens come from nearly identical genetic strains. The lack of genetic diversity in our crops should be a concern to anyone wh

Minnesota Education Commisioner

May 29th, 2019

Before school lets out for summer, meet Minnesota’s new Education Commissioner. A longtime teacher herself, Ricker has some big challenges in front of her, from closing one of the worst achievement gaps in the country to dealing with approximat

The Show Goes to the (Therapy) Dogs

May 24th, 2019 40m 9s

Anyone who has ever loved a pet doesn’t need an improv comedy show to tell them that animals can make us better versions of ourselves. Yet a growing body of research is expanding our understanding of the science behind the human-animal connecti

Labor!

May 22nd, 2019 51m 41s

The Labor Movement helped build the middle class in the United States. Yet union membership has been declining for decades. Recent court decisions have raised new challenges and questions about labor’s future. Yet it still is an important bulwa

Metropolitan Council Chair

May 7th, 2019 48m 9s

Imagine being the head coordinator for a region comprising seven counties and 188 different communities. Now imagine trying to those places to work together on everything from housing and land stewardship to transportation and energy. That’s ne

Provider Tax Sunset

Apr 30th, 2019 47m 23s

MinnesotaCare is a health insurance program for those earning too much to qualify for Medicade but too little to afford insurance on the private market. For the past 27 years, it has been funded by a 2% assessment on licensed health care profes

There's a New Sheriff in Town

Apr 23rd, 2019 43m 24s

Last year, former Metro Transit sergeant Dave Hutch unseated longtime Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, becoming the first openly gay sheriff in the Midwest. Sheriff Hutch has promised reform across the police department, from how inmates ar

Hennepin County Commissioners

Apr 16th, 2019 45m 48s

From transportation to housing, parks to waste water, the Hennepin County Board has a say in a myriad of issues that affect citizens’ daily lives. The Chair of the Hennepin County Board, Marion Greene, along with one of its newest members, Ange

Attorney General Keith Ellison

Apr 9th, 2019 42m 1s

After six terms in U.S. House, Keith Ellison ran to be Minnesota’s Attorney General, and won. In his first few months in this new position, his office has joined a multi-state lawsuit against President Trump’s emergency border wall declaration,

Minnesota and Recreational Marijuana

Apr 2nd, 2019 47m 32s

Talk of legalizing recreational marijuana burned brightly at the Minnesota Legislature early this session, then went out in a puff of smoke. But the debate’s not over. Activists and legislators argue marijuana legalization is about overturning

MN Quiz Show - Week of February 17

Feb 22nd, 2019 31m 19s

A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of February 22nd, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Kelly Kohlbacher, Fred Cheng and Brandon Boat.Music by Keegan Fraley.