After a stormy night, many Minnesotans are waking up to find toppled trees. MPR has details and a few pictures. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/43tmq2V
More storms this afternoon and evening. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/49Nkg1F
New federal data out this morning shows prices in May were up 4.2% year-over-year with higher energy costs driving inflation. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vDyE51
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Here are the two MNSiders with insight from the state party conventions:
SAT: https://fluence-media.co/49se3rS
SUN: https://fluence-media.co/4u5nHIc
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Follow the 2026 Minnesota election’s up close with the Fluence ElectionTracker. FluenceElectionTracker.com
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3QzH9z4
Sunday Take featured a recap of post-convention dynamics and CD1 DFL candidate Jake Johnson discussing his campaign priorities. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4easFO8
Blois
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Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
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MIDWEEK CHECK-IN
FANCY HOUSES: Via Realtor.com, from an analysis of luxury housing, VERBATIM: “Among the markets tracked, only Minneapolis-St. Paul and Boise City have fully surpassed their pandemic-era highs as of February 2026. Minneapolis posted a relatively modest 17.6% run-up that peaked in July 2023 and has continued climbing since, now sitting 5.0% above that post-pandemic peak. Boise, where luxury prices surged 87.2% during the pandemic, peaked in November 2023 and sits 4.2% above that level.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gbQIi7
RULING: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A state administrative law judge ruled Monday that a rural electric cooperative cannot cut power to a tribal casino in western Minnesota over the tribe’s decision to build a large solar array. The finding could reshape how electric cooperatives across Minnesota treat customers who want to generate their own electricity. Administrative Law Judge Joseph Meyer found that Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association‘s own board policy does not prohibit behind-the-meter solar systems, or systems designed to keep all generated power on-site, with exporting to the grid.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v0hmip
DHS: Via KQDS-TV, VERBATIM: “Healthcare providers in Minnesota are scrambling after the state Department of Human Services (DHS) terminated their access to healthcare programs like Medicaid. Republican Representative Natalie Zeleznikar joined nearly a dozen providers in Duluth June 9, to call on Governor Walz to set up an ‘incident command center’ to fix what she says is a ‘DHS debacle’. The sudden Medicaid cutoff comes after the federal government withheld $2 billion over fraud concerns, forcing the state to evaluate about 5,500 providers in high-risk programs in just five months.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49PPIfE
MINING: Via Northern News Now, more information about the 200 jobs Mesabi Metallics plans to add that we first shared last week in lunch take. VERBATIM: “During a tour of their new facility, company leaders told Northern News Now that these are long-term, family-sustaining jobs tied to Minnesota’s first new mine and pellet plant in decades. After years of financial uncertainty, Mesabi Metallics says the project in Nashwauk is moving ahead—this time with a full-scale buildout already underway.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RYvL08
TB: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “A recent case of tuberculosis (TB) at North View Middle School in Brooklyn Park has Hennepin County Public Health officials working to reassure people that the situation is being managed through routine procedures. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects the lungs. Hennepin County Public Health officials say they investigate around 40 cases of active pulmonary tuberculosis a year. However, unlike COVID-19 or influenza, it’s harder to transmit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4unU70D
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)
POLITICALLY CONNECTED
DFL: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Democrats are trying to turn tens of thousands of ‘ICE watch’ volunteers into a ‘GOTV army’ of door-knockers and ‘poll protectors’ ahead of the midterm elections. Why it matters: Boots on the ground can make a big difference in close campaigns. By the numbers: The Minnesota DFL Party trained 10,000 residents to be constitutional observers during the Trump administration’s 10-week immigration crackdown, chair Richard Carlbom told Axios in a recent interview. Another 60,000 went through similar trainings held by other groups.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49N4Dav
PROPERTY TAXES: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Many Minnesota property owners are in line for bigger-than-expected refunds tied to their property taxes because of a beefed-up pot of money. A bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature provides a one-time boost to the Homestead Credit Refund, a response to steeper property tax increases imposed by various levels of government. The refund will be 14.88 percent more for qualifying homeowners.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43v1gBt
VIRGINIA: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “During an hours long meeting at city hall, Virginia city councilors had plenty of discussion over unaccounted for tax dollar spending. Around 5 years ago, the city created a 1% sales tax increase meant to finance the Iron Trail Motors Event Center. Recently however, it was discovered that money from that fund was used to pay for general city expenses . . . To discover the extent of the error – councilors debated the merit of a forensic audit, to be performed by an outside accounting agency.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4e1Ld4h
POT: Via The Bemidji Pioneer, VERBATIM: “The world of legal cannabis can be one of confusion, but it’s a world that the state’s Office of Cannabis Management hopes to clarify, as evidenced by a stop in Bemidji last week as part of its Connecting with Community Listening Tour. Congregating in Bemidji State’s Hobson Memorial Union, cannabis business owners and interested community members took in a presentation aimed at providing an overview of OCM’s work and explaining how the office regulates the cannabis industry in Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QiGyBE
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)
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
SURVEY: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis recently surveyed construction firms in the six states it covers, which include Minnesota and North Dakota. More than half the survey respondents were from the Twin Cities, and overall, the construction firms expressed growing pessimism.” QUOTE: “Uncertainty has lingered,” said Erick Garcia Luna, the regional outreach director at the Minneapolis Fed. “There’s been a net decline in activity. Residential and commercial construction were hurt the most, according to our respondents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uWh0cI
HAR MAR: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Roseville’s Har Mar Mall could be demolished to make way for a major redevelopment, according to marketing materials obtained by Axios. Why it matters: Vacancies have been piling up at the 63-year-old mall under owner Fidelis Realty Partners, fueling speculation that the Houston firm is planning an overhaul.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4okiefv
WHAT’S LEFT: Via March story in The Roseville Reader reporting that anchor Burlington had quietly left. VERBATIM: “While the mall is mostly vacant, Barnes & Noble, Cub Foods, Michaels, and K&G Fashion Superstore—the largest remaining retailers—are still bustling with activity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S2RDra
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: Environmental Stewardship (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
COMMERCE
FIREFIGHTING: Via KMSP-TV, VERBATIM: “A St. Paul-based company is taking wildfire fighting to new heights with a water scooping system designed for Minnesota’s lakes . . . Momentum Aeronautics has developed an apparatus called Heatwave Floats, which lets pilots scoop up 800 gallons of water from nearby lakes in about 15 seconds before dropping it on wildfires.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4edcfo9
SAUNA WATER: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Sauna changed Jeff Vondenkamp’s life in more ways than one. After leaving his tech job, Vondenkamp traveled to South Korea where he experienced the ritual for the first time. The combination of heat, cold, and intentional pause allowed him to unplug from the chaos of the world and reconnect with nature. Today, sauna remains part of his regular routine, and the inspiration behind his beverage brand, Sauna Water.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fCgz2G
ROOFTOP: Via KQDS-TV, VERBATIM: “The team behind Club One Under, a golf simulator and bar in the basement of Fitger’s will soon enough take things to the next level. The fun will be expanding upstairs, to their new Rooftop Tiki Bar.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vd1rNO
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives—in the U.S. and abroad. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
WHAT’S NEXT?
OCT 14: Robert Plant will play the State Theatre. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uYaNNp
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SATURDAY: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “A Biblical icon is getting her close-up. Mary, a new exhibition of prints and drawings opening at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on June 13 and on view until Dec. 6, shows how artists have immortalized the legend of Our Lady throughout 2,000 years of veneration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uvMQff
BDAYS: health care lobbyist Kelly Wolfe, St. Paul leader Tom Whaley, business guy Greg Daniel, activist Dan McGrath, communicator Melissa Champine
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