72% of Republicans have favorable opinions of Elon Musk – a year ago it was 52%. MORNING CONSULT: https://fluence-media.co/4g3hSoj
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SURVEY: From Nick Halter via Axios, VERBATIM: “Twin Cities shoppers are planning to splurge this holiday season and increase their spending 15% compared to last year. That's according to an annual Deloitte survey of 440 consumers in the metro area, taken Aug. 30 to Sept. 17. The big picture: Local shoppers have ‘greater economic optimism for the year ahead alongside continuing concerns about higher prices,’ Matt Marsh, Deloitte's managing partner in Minneapolis, said in a news release.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fopbGX
SENTIMENT: Via Morning Consult, VERBATIM: “Consumer sentiment improved markedly following the elections in the United States.”
“Looking back to January 2018, last week’s increase was not the highest. In fact, there were sustained periods of significant consumer sentiment increases, especially during the first quarter of 2021. However, the recent data's timeliness and its demographic breakdowns suggest that last week’s increase in the index figures could be partially attributed to the views on the election results.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48KQZ61
UNITEDHEALTH: From Christopher Snowbeck via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Justice Department and four states sued Tuesday to block UnitedHealth Group’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys, a Louisiana-based home health company that would further United’s push into the home care and hospice markets. The complaint marks the second time in less than three years that the DOJ has tried to stop Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth from completing deals to bolster its fast-growing Optum division for health care services, which complement the company’s legacy health insurance business. The government unsuccessfully sued to block Optum’s acquisition of Change Healthcare in 2022.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hKaT5c
IRON RANGE: From Hayley Raatsi via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “The Iron Range is getting an infrastructure facelift thanks to $39 million in state funding. On Tuesday, the IRRR Advisory Board held its final meeting of the year to hear presentations on 14 projects that will undergo repairs, upgrades, or other renovations in the coming months. The projects will receive approximately $39,230,000 in funding from legislation chief authored by Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown) in the State Senate and Rep. Dave Lislegard (DFL-Aurora) in the House.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4fKBxc6
WILD ABOUT READING: More than 500 Minnesota classrooms and 15,000 students are participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs, and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy – and the team dog, Rookie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: Wild About Reading SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources
CLIMATE: From Kirsti Marohn via MPR, VERBATIM: “Last week’s election could have major impacts on U.S. efforts to shift to cleaner energy and curb climate change. President-elect Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax, and pledged support for fossil fuels. He’s also promised to roll back many of the climate initiatives launched under the Biden-Harris administration. MPR News spoke with the Rolf Nordstrom, president and CEO of the nonpartisan nonprofit Great Plains Institute, and Gregg Mast, executive director of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, an industry-led nonprofit, about what it will mean for the energy transition already underway.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Z05C1X
LRT: From Kevin Miller via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “A recent decision from the Bottineau Blue Line Extension light rail project office is keeping plans for redevelopment at a Robbinsdale church alive. Elim Lutheran Church, which has been at the corner of Bottineau Boulevard and 40th Avenue for more than 100 years, wants to downsize and redevelop its land. ‘[We own] valuable property,’ said Pastor Dan Doereer. ‘The size of our [church] building can be much smaller and needs to renovated or remodeled.’ The church was expanded in the 1960s, but has become larger than necessary for the existing congregation.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3AFmDFi
MOSQUE: From Ari Bergeron and Lindsey Peterson via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Around 12:00 p.m. this past Sunday, surveillance video from a mosque in Mankato shows a man approaching a fence in front of the house of worship, and using a firecracker to try and start a fire . . . ‘Community is already on edge. When these things happen, people become even much more concerned,’ Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations says. ‘Minnesota is leading the nation in arson attacks and violent attacks against mosques. We've now had three mosques that have been completely destroyed by fire and arson.’ However, Mankato Police have said there is no threat to the mosque and they're not investigating the case.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3ANaRZu
TODAY: Via AARP, VERBATIM: “People are 20 times more likely to save for retirement if contributions are automatically deducted from their paychecks. Minnesota’s Secure Choice Retirement Program is a new state-sponsored plan designed to help small businesses offer employees an easy way to save for their future. Set to launch after January 2025, Secure Choice is:
Easy to administer
Zero employer fees
No fiduciary responsibility
Voluntary for employees
Join AARP Minnesota and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber for an insightful conversation on Secure Choice.” REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/3O3aVas (SPONSORED: AARP Minnesota)
INTEREST RATES: Via Bloomberg, VERBATIM: “Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said he’ll be looking at incoming inflation data to determine whether another interest-rate cut is appropriate at the US central bank’s December meeting. Asked what could cause policymakers to pause next month, he said:” QUOTE: “There’d have to be a surprise on the inflation front to change the outlook so dramatically . . . If we saw inflation surprises to the upside between now and then, that might give us pause,” Kashkari said Tuesday at the Yahoo Finance Invest conference. “It’d be hard to imagine the labor market really heats up between now and December. There’s just not that much time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40HL8MD
ROBBINSDALE: From Corey Bork via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The credit rating for Robbinsdale Area Schools saw a decline of two steps, according to a report from S&P Global Ratings. The report cited the district’s ‘rapid financial deterioration’ as a reason for the rating downgrade. The district’s credit rating dropped from an ‘A-‘ to a ‘BBB.’ The drop means the district’s interest rate to borrow money will go up. Robbinsdale Area Schools plans to sell bonds to finance long-term facility maintenance.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3CrBRyg
GEOTHERMAL: From Izabella Zadra via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “After just a few months, Virginia’s landfill has finished installing the state’s first-ever geothermal cell. Below the sand on the eight-mile cell is a labyrinth of pipes and layers of clay. Over time, garbage will be pushed on top of the sand, and as it decomposes, it will produce heat. Dave Fink is the director of St. Louis County Environmental Services and says if there are ways to reduce cost and use all resources, why shouldn’t Virginia’s landfill be one of the first to try it?” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4fKlkUn
“MY WHOLE LIFE CHANGED:” EMPOWERMENT TRAINING OPENS PATHWAY INTO THE TRADES - Since 2019, a partnership between Five Skies Empowerment Training and Enbridge has broadened as unions, contractors and other groups look to connect Native American job seekers to meaningful careers. “They’re gonna open the door for you,” says Joel, a program graduate. “Before the 5 Skies program I wasn’t aware there were so many opportunities,” explains Ashley. “My whole life changed,” says Melissa. Click here to submit an application, and find out more on upcoming training. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3XoPg0D (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
ELECTROMED: Via Investing, VERBATIM: “[New Prague-based] Electromed (NYSE: ELMD) reported first quarter EPS of $0.16, $0.06 better than the analyst estimate of $0.10. Revenue for the quarter came in at $14.67M versus the consensus estimate of $12.60M. Electromed's stock price closed at $26.44. It is up 74.52% in the last 3 months and up 150.85% in the last 12 months.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3AQR9fr
STRATASYS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS) on Wednesday reported a loss of $26.6 million in its third quarter. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based company said it had a loss of 37 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and restructuring costs, were 1 cent per share. The maker of 3D printers posted revenue of $140 million in the period.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O9Ohxr
ST PAUL: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “A well-known St. Paul bakery location will be closing down after decades of service. Wuollet Bakery tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that it has closed its location on Grand Avenue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UQe69t
NOTE: Every day, we’re sharing significant political, business and other news in other newsletters. If you love lunch take, sign up for the other tip sheets HERE: fluence-newsletters.com
TOMORROW: Via DEED, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, November 14, in lieu of a formal press conference, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Deputy Commissioner Kevin McKinnon and Labor Market Information Director Angelina Nguyen will be available to answer questions from the press regarding the latest employment data. Moving forward, this will be the format for the monthly jobs data release.”
SUNDAY: From Macy Harder via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “The Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) will host the MNmicro Film Festival: Indigenous (the latest installment in its MNmicro series) on Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Marcus West End Cinema. The event will showcase six feature presentations (including feature-length and short films) by local filmmakers, and all screenings are free and open to the public.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O2Vm2O
NEXT WEEK: Via Minnesota Chamber, VERBATIM: “Minnesota's economic and business landscape is changing. Join us at the Minnesota Chamber’s 2024 Economic Summit to hear from newly-appointed University of Minnesota President Dr. Rebecca Cunningham about her initial time in office and the U’s contributions to Minnesota’s economy. The program will also feature discussions from industry experts and political leaders on how the recent election outcomes could impact economic growth and innovation, and why there is a pressing need for pro-business policies in the upcoming legislative session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hNnHI4
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
CANNABIS: From Andy Steiner via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “With legal cannabis dispensaries set to open in Minnesota in early 2025, many state residents — especially those involved in the addiction treatment world — want to know more about the impact that the substance’s wide availability could have on their communities. Last month, with that question in mind, Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School hosted its first-ever Cannabis Summit, a gathering designed to help academics, mental health professionals and others build a greater understanding of the risks and effects of cannabis use, and to learn more about research and public policy as well as the potential impact that cannabis can have on the developing brains of adolescents and young adults.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48InLVn
MINNEAPOLIS: Via City of Minneapolis, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis Health Department opened its ninth School Based Clinic (SBC) at Wellstone International High School. The new SBC will serve more than 240 international and multilingual students aged 17 to 23 in grades 9 through 12. For more than a decade, SBCs have supported the health and well-being of Wellstone students, with services previously located at Roosevelt High School and, more recently, at FAIR High School.”
NEXT MONTH: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis nonprofit WIRED has already made a huge impact on the community in its two years of operation and shows no signs of slowing down now. On Dec. 12, the organization will hold its biggest event of the year, WIRED to Give, a fundraising opportunity to connect with and support woman-run and -led businesses in the Twin Cities.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48Jvliw
DOCUSERIES: Via Saint Paul Public Schools, VERBATIM: “As part of the SPPS Reads initiative, Saint Paul Public Schools is releasing a new four-part docuseries that chronicles the district’s work to change literacy instruction and positively impact student outcomes in reading. Many schools, educators, district leaders and SPPS families participated in filming the series over the course of the 2023-24 school year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ckhd2W
MORE: Via SPPS, the trailer for the docuseries as well as information about a screening scheduled for next week. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3UNguh0
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MOTORCYCLES: From Polaris-owned Indian via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “Indian Motorcycle, America's First Motorcycle Company, today announced its 2025 model year lineup, introducing four new models, in addition to updates across its lineup. Taking center stage is the all-new, three-model Indian Scout Sixty lineup, and the ultra-exclusive Roadmaster Elite. The 2025 Scout Sixty family offers rider accessibility starting at $9,999, while the 2025 Roadmaster Elite delivers custom-inspired styling and premium, American craftsmanship.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3Z5aoLR
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
ORCHESTRA: From Nick Longworth via KMSP-TV, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Orchestra has announced that all of its growing online collection of full-length concerts, plus interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, will now be available to stream for free.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CrXMFw
If you like podcasts, listen to Beers with Blois... https://fluence-media.co/3vkqhMN
BDAYS: sports guy Judd Zulgad, public affairs pro Steve Ververka, communication veteran John Schadl, fmr Rep. Keith Franke
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