FULLY CAFFEINATED
Lynx guard Kayla McBride has a new side gig – she’s opening up a coffee shop in North Carolina with her sister. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4gdNxVv
She should open another one here in the Twin Cities with her appropriately-named teammate, Hopkins alum Nia Coffey.
WalletHub says Minnesota’s the ninth most fun state. Our neighbors didn’t fare as well. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3X5rh6v
ABC this morning sued the FCC saying its efforts to regulate the network infringe on First Amendment rights. NYTIMES: https://fluence-media.co/4bUQfy3
The number of refugees admitted to the U.S. is on track to be the lowest in history this year. PEW: https://fluence-media.co/4xOzgWB
38% of Americans say their community has experienced damage from extreme weather in the past year. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/3U5EuP9
Blois
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Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/45yJ6jq
Sunday Take featured a recap of the Minnesota primary, a look at Wisconsin’s primary with political analyst Bill McCoshen and a talk with MN Chamber CEO Doug Loon about Minnesota’s economy. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SER8Ei
A BUSY TUESDAY
LIST: Plymouth, Maple Grove, and Eden Prairie all rank in the top 100 on the list of best places to live by U.S. News & World Report. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/41F4uil
SURVEY: From a study by Minneapolis-based Allianz, VERBATIM: “Americans without children are least likely to feel confident in their ability to meet their retirement savings goal (54%), compared to Americans with kids (72%). Among parents, those with one to two children (74%) are more likely to feel confident versus those with three or more children (66%).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g4bVdx
DEI: The Guardian cites the example of Target facing backlash for bowing to anti-DEI pressure in citing a new study that shows some brands fared better by taking a different path. VERBATIM: “New research published on Friday and shared exclusively with the Guardian found that companies that resisted the pressure and kept their DEI practices, including Costco, Apple and Delta Air Lines, performed just as well as their competitors who pulled back. For the research, Jacob Grumbach, an associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, analyzed how S&P 500 companies fared after Trump’s January executive order. He used what economists define as ‘abnormal returns’ – the difference between how a stock was expected to perform versus how it actually performed – to isolate the impact of a company’s DEI decision.” READ: GUARDIAN STORY | UC BERKELEY RESEARCH
BWCAW: Mining Minnesota this morning sent a response after Governor Tim Walz announced he’d signed an executive order to ban all nonferrous mineral mining in the Boundary Waters. QUOTE: “Governor Walz’s executive order is a political decision dressed up as an environmental one, and Minnesotans deserve to know the difference. The Governor’s own Department of Natural Resources concluded a six-year legal review that considered more than 4,000 public comments and the most current science available, and ruled definitively that Minnesota’s nonferrous mining regulations are strong enough to protect the Boundary Waters and its watershed. With this action today, the Governor is bowing to the demands of special interests, ignoring the findings of his own government and causing even greater delays for workers who need jobs, to the detriment of the Minnesotans he serves. Even though the order itself lacks legal standing and precedence, the negative impact on Minnesotans remains the same.”
MORE: Via DNR, the legal review mentioned in the statement. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4wKHBK8
BACKGROUND: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “This comes after a 20-year mining ban across more than 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest was lifted in April at the direction of the Trump administration. The move cleared the way for various copper and nickel mining projects, including for Twin Metals, a company owned by Chilean mining giant Antofagasta, to build a proposed complex just outside Ely on Birch Lake, though the company still needed necessary state permits and approvals to break ground.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46edijP
MORE: A 2016 USDA news release announcing the denial of “an application for renewal of two hard rock mineral leases in the area, as well as initiated steps to withdraw key portions of the watershed from new mineral permits and leases.” It came several months after Governor Mark Dayton sent a letter to Twin Metals Minnesota saying he’d oppose any new mining on state lands near the BWCAW. READ: USDA RELEASE | WCCO ON DAYTON LETTER
FOR COMPARISON: Here’s today’s Executive Order from Governor Walz. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4xHkuAQ
FRAUD: Via KMSP-TV, VERBATIM: “Republican gubernatorial candidate and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth unveiled a plan to combat taxpayer fraud if elected governor, including actions she would take during her first 90 days.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gGY8c3
NO CANDIDATES: Via KAXE-Radio, VERBATIM: “No one is running for Red Lake County attorney. It’s not the only Northland county without someone on the ballot. No one is running in Mahnomen or Lake of the Woods, either. However, the situation in Red Lake is unique. No one is running because no one is eligible . . . Licensed attorneys must register through the Minnesota Supreme Court. As part of the registration process, they have to provide a postal code. Two lawyers come up when searching for Red Lake County’s ZIP codes. The issue is this: one is dead, and the other — Michael LaCoursiere — hasn’t renewed his license since he retired from the county attorney position in 2023.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4znxeOH
MORE CANDIDATES: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “One of several Minnesota cities eyed as landing spots for hyperscale AI data centers, Faribault highlights how the issue is beginning to shape elections. It is spurring newcomers to run for office on ‘transparency’ platforms in some of the same places where local officials signed non-disclosure agreements to keep data center details out of the public eye. MinnPost monitored city council filings in six cities prominently linked to data center developments over the last couple of years: Faribault, Farmington, Hermantown, Monticello, North Mankato and Pine Island. In all six, there was an uptick in candidate filings this year compared with 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hGAO06
HERMANTOWN: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “An audio recording of a June 16 Hermantown department head meeting is drawing criticism from community members and state lawmakers after city leaders were captured speaking disparagingly of data center opponents. The recording, shared anonymously with the Duluth Monitor, which first reported the story, captures city leaders, including Hermantown Police Chief Jim Crace, using an expletive and other derogatory language while talking about data center opponents, including a Native woman and a woman running for city council. City staff mocked the woman running for city council for crying while making public comment.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3U3kfla
MORE: From Duluth Monitor via YouTube, the recording. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ilhlCa
BROADBAND: Comcast is rewriting the broadband playbook in the Twin Cities. From neighborhood networks to next-gen tech, we’re delivering community-first internet connectivity with no contracts, no surprises. The new Xfinity package means unlimited data, blazing-fast, reliable speeds and a 5-year price guarantee, plus free mobile for a year. It’s not the old Comcast — it’s a bold new era of connection. Let’s power the future, together. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/Comcast2025-1 (SPONSORED: Comcast)
AROUND MINNESOTA
MAGNETS: Via Minneapolis-based Niron, VERBATIM: “Niron Magnetics, the company commercializing the world’s first rare-earth-free Iron Nitride permanent magnets, announced a $150 million loan from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) to advance the construction of its Sartell, Minnesota, magnet manufacturing plant. Today’s announced funding will support construction, equipment and operational readiness activities at Niron’s Sartell plant, advancing domestic production of rare-earth-free permanent magnets.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wxxRmg
NATIVE BIZ: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Hoping to boost his tribe’s economy beyond gambling some 15 years ago, former Tribal Council member Earl Pendleton went searching for a project that could bring jobs and investment to benefit the entire Lower Sioux Indian Community . . . Pendleton’s vision took root in 2017 when the tribe signed on to a state pilot project to test-grow hemp, an opportunity made possible only after Congress legalized industrial hemp for research purposes in 2014. In 2024, the tribe opened its hempcrete plant. The operation is now part of a quiet, national surge in Native-owned startups, although steep challenges remain to keep the business growing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qlaydQ
SMOKE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mike Theismann sat inside his Grand Marais, Minn., home on a bluebird-sky day in early August, enjoying his time away from his work laptop during the mandatory two-week summer practice break for Cook County High School. The interruption to the school’s summer training period was planned. What Theismann hadn’t planned for was canceling a handful of practices in July as wildfires raged in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior National Forest, painting the region a hazy gray. Wildfire season — bringing choking smoke, extreme heat and strict orders to stay inside — has become a headache for Minnesota high school activities directors and coaches as more fires sweep the state and outdoor practice time shrinks.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TYt3c5
TREES: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Pests, disease and poor planning have decimated the urban forest in the Twin Cities, which has lost 11% of its tree cover over the last decade, according to an Axios analysis of state data. Why it matters: The numbers largely reflect the invasive emerald ash borer’s devastation of Twin Cities tree populations and represent a huge setback to Minnesota’s goals to put more communities in the shade. Trees cool neighborhoods, improve air quality, manage stormwater runoff, raise property values and even boost our mental health.” READ/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/4bWyT3T
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: Via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability—providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
PUBLIC SAFETY
MANGIONE: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Luigi Mangione‘s New York state trial is on hold following his guilty plea on federal charges in the 2024 slaying of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The big picture: Mangione, who admitted in federal court last week that he shot and killed Thompson outside an investor conference in New York City, was supposed to go to trial on separate state charges on Sept. 8.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46dLr3f
HOPKINS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “More than 200 people gathered Monday night in Hopkins to remember three members of a family killed last week in an apparent murder-suicide. The vigil at Downtown Park honored Kristen Brown, her 7-year-old daughter, Evie, and Brown’s mother-in-law, Alice Brown. Kristen Brown operated Brown Bear Daycare out of her Hopkins home. In a statement released Monday, families from the daycare described it as ‘a second home for our children’ and said Kristen was an exceptional caregiver and educator.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Uo4W6B
FROM ONE GARAGE TO 1,000 FREE REPAIRS: Flint Hills Resources marked a milestone with its partners at Environmental Initiative this summer as Project CAR (Clean Air Repair) performed its 1,000th vehicle emissions system repair improving air quality across Minnesota. After starting with just one Twin Cities auto repair shop in 2017, Project CAR has grown into a 14-garage network that’s contributed to eliminating more than 55 tons of ozone-forming emissions and improved the environmental performance of 1,000 of the highest polluting cars on the road. LEARN MORE: Project Clean Air Repair (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
COMMERCE
TOMORROW: Target will release its second quarter earnings. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4hGHhbq
MOVIE: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Written and directed by Andrew Jack Zuckerman, a Minnesota native, ‘Good Sport’ is a heartfelt and hilarious feature, capturing the absurdity, chaos, and community of youth sports. The film follows a hungover father navigating his ex-wife’s remarriage while coaching a chaotic youth basketball game. ‘Good Sport’ will have a special theatrical run at the Edina Theatre, featuring daily screenings through August 20 and live post-screening Q&As with the cast and crew.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Sm4iG2
AWARD: Via NAM, VERBATIM: “The National Association of Manufacturers announced that the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce was recognized by the Conference of State Manufacturers Associations with the first-ever COSMA Impact Award at the conference’s annual meeting this week . . . The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce earned distinction for timely leadership by uniting Minnesota’s business community and offering solutions and resources to manufacturers to respond to pressing cost and regulatory issues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4crnRUi
EDINA: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “For vintage and antique art dealer Molly Oberstar, a painting doesn’t need to have a famous artist’s name attached to be exceptional. In fact, some of her favorite landscapes and still lifes aren’t by notable painters or illustrators at all.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45DoTJ8
NEW PRESIDENT: Via Minneapolis-based Deluxe, VERBATIM: “Deluxe (NYSE: DLX), a trusted payments and data company, today announced the appointment of Kevin Jones as President of its Merchant Services division.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Sbr4k7
WHAT’S NEXT?
TOMORROW: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “After just seven votes separated a winning and losing candidate in last week’s primary election for Brooklyn Center mayor, the city is planning a recount for Wednesday, Aug. 19.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qnZ09z
THURSDAY: Via Walker, VERBATIM: “Join us on the hillside for the Walker’s annual summer send-off, pairing films with newly commissioned live music.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wEk39E
SATURDAY: The Vikings take on the Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium.
NEXT MONTH: Via Bloomington-based Toro, VERBATIM: “The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC), a leading global provider of solutions for the outdoor environment, today announced that it will release its fiscal 2026 third quarter results on Thursday, September 3, at approximately 7:30 a.m. CT.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4zpvJzE
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
STATE FAIR: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Crafts of all kinds abound at the Minnesota State Fair, but the jaw-dropping art of drag has long been left off the list—until this year. Power: Drag Revue will close out the first two days of the Arts A’Fair program, celebrating their distinction as the first drag production company selected to perform at the fair.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gkAyl9
BDAYS: journalist Pat Lopez, radio guy Dan Seeman, bus guy Charlie Zelle
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