Saturday was a good day for St. Paul’s Conny’s Creamy Cone to open for the season:
More via MPR: https://fluence-media.co/4uLaVQP
TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue will play the State Fair Grandstand. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/480vM8M
Fluence Advisory is seeking candidates for a new position. JOB: https://fluence-media.co/4duXaiK
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/40RWWef
Sunday Take featured GOP Rep. Jon Koznick and DFL Sen. Scott Dibble discussing transportation in Minnesota. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4t1X5aP
Blois
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A NEW WEEK
NEW BUSINESS: With new business formations at -1.7% in 2025, Minnesota bucks a trend found by Wolters Kluwer, VERBATIM: “Business formations across 47 states reversed a year-over-year dip and are approaching near-record levels, according to an annual analysis of Secretary of State data by CT Corporation, a Wolters Kluwer business. The data reflects a resilient entrepreneurial economy that paused in 2024 and accelerated again in 2025, continuing a five-year period of net growth that has seen total business formations rise 26.5% since 2020.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bsaymD
TODAY: Via Minnesota House DFL Caucus, five bills on the calendar when the House convenes at 3:30:
HF 3741 (Hill): Modifying educational assistance for veterans’ children and spouses
HF 3731 (Greenman): Eliminating the Class A installer license from the electrical code
HF 3802 (Hollins): Amending the exemptions to the certificate of need requirement
HF 3241 (Stier) Modifying certain limitations on the display of dynamic electronic content while operating a motor vehicle
SF 3623 (Allen) Requiring vehicles approaching school buses to stop for flashing red lights
IG: Via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers appear to be split over how to implement a statewide Office of the Inspector General, despite a mutual appetite to establish the independent watchdog agency. The bill passed on a bipartisan vote in the Senate in 2025, but did not get across the finish line in the House of Representatives. On the final night of the 2025 Legislative Session, House Republicans attempted to force a floor vote on the Senate’s bill, but DFLers blocked the motion. The DFL claims the bill had not received enough time in House committees to warrant passage. Now, as both legislative caucuses dig in on efforts to prevent fraud, the bill remains unpassed in the House.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PTukPm
SOLAR: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “If a bill introduced in the Legislature passes this session, a small solar array would be a mere plug in away for Minnesotans. The legislation would establish regulations for installation and operation of plug-in solar devices. Also known as balcony solar, homeowners or renters could place units outside near an outlet as a way to harness solar energy and cut down on surging electricity bills.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40SXh0e
DATA CENTERS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A proposal to build a new data center in Inver Grove Heights, between South St. Paul’s airport and nearby residential areas, has neighbors nervous . . . At 5 megawatts of power usage, the Inver Grove Heights data center would be much smaller than the large facilities under scrutiny for secrecy, noise, light pollution and resource usage, including a massive data center for Facebook parent company Meta under construction in Rosemount, and another large-scale facility pitched in Farmington. Large data centers can require between 100 and 1,000 megawatts of power. But growing public awareness of gargantuan data centers like Meta’s — expected to be the size of a dozen football fields — has brought more public scrutiny to all data centers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4t3dUSY
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)
MEDIA
CBS RADIO: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “In a shocking memo on Friday, CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss and CBS News president/executive editor Tom Cibrowski announced a number of layoffs and that includes the entire CBS Radio News division. That service will end on May 22, 2026 after nearly 100 years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bqD1t0
MORE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “News of the closure broke Friday morning as WCCO’s weekday news talk program ‘Adam and Jordana’ was airing, shocking its hosts, Adam Carter and Jordana Green. ‘I am upset,’ Green said. WCCO Director of News Operations Lindsey Peterson joined the on-air discussion and said there had not yet been any internal discussions about where it will source its national news programming once CBS News Radio goes dark.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d5O0ta
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)
GREATER MINNESOTA
REPORT: Via Center for Rural Policy and Development, from its annual State of Rural report out this morning, VERBATIM: “Population trends in rural Minnesota continue to be shaped by two competing forces: declining natural change and increasing in-migration, especially internationally. While deaths are rising and births remain low across the state, migration patterns since the late-2010s have helped offset these declines in many rural counties . . . Rural Minnesota’s economy remains diverse and broadly similar to the rest of the state, although several structural differences continue to shape economic conditions.
While a majority of the state’s most rural counties experienced a steady population decline during the 2010s, a shift seems to have occurred in the late-2010s and continued through 2024 (the latest available data).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47molZw
(DISCLOSURE: Center for Rural Policy and Development is a client of Fluence)
CEMETERY: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “One of this city’s oldest cemeteries sits on the brink of Lake Superior. The field of headstones offers a prime shoreline view for visitors, but also contends with waves tugging at the earth to reveal what lies beneath.
In summer 2024, a family visiting the neighboring Glensheen mansion roamed to the beach at Scandia Cemetery when they made a grim discovery: a human bone. A survey of the site revealed other bones had been protruding through the dirt, too, thanks to years of erosion. Now the St. Louis County Board is asking the state for $1.7 million to protect 300 feet of Scandia Cemetery’s waterfront from the unending waves and extreme weather that have worn the shoreline.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lJAwpf
ROCK RIDGE: Via Mesabi Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Rock Ridge School District is looking at up to $2.78 million in budget cuts due to several factors, including staff wage increases, more students going to online schooling and lower than needed state funding. Switching to a four-day school week would save about $256,000 and is just one cost-saving measure being looked at by the School Board. Discussion and possible action on the 2026-2027 budget is on Monday’s School Board agenda.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lVQ60X
YOUR NEIGHBORS RIDE ATVs: From the Twin Cities to the Iron Range, thousands of Minnesotans own and ride ATVs. They are families, veterans, teachers and small business owners who rely on Minnesota’s trail system for recreation, tourism, and economic activity. ATV riders aren’t just “up north” — they live in the Twin Cities metro area. And they care deeply about maintaining safe, well-managed trails. As the legislature considers trail policy, funding, and land-use decisions this session, ask them to support Minnesota’s ATV community and the outdoor opportunities they value. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4td9sRR (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
THE CITIES
UPTOWN: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “On Thursday evening, concerned Uptown residents packed a soon-to-be Mexican restaurant in the northeast corner of the Seven Points mall, on Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue, to describe streets still marked by drug use, empty storefronts, and—a recent development—businesses hurt by Operation Metro Surge and its dampening effect on traffic . . . Business owners and neighborhood leaders led the meeting, which introduced an initiative aimed at reinvigorating foot traffic, with a focus on the intersection of Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue. That’s where Seven Points stands, and it’s considered the heart of Uptown.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bRquil
RAMADAN: Via My North News, “Less than a month earlier, [Raqiya Mohamed] wondered whether it would be safe to gather with fellow Muslims in local mosques to pray, celebrate and break the fast. Fear gripped the Twin Cities on the eve of Islam’s most sacred holiday. More than 3,000 federal agents were ordered to Minnesota to carry out an aggressive immigration crackdown. Agents were emboldened by a president’s hateful rhetoric, especially toward the Minnesota Somali community. They made arrests regardless of status and rushed deportations . . . ‘As soon as they started to take ICE out of the city, I think that was God’s way of making us feel like we could practice our faith loudly and publicly without being afraid,’ Mohamed said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NGZucb
WILD ABOUT READING: Join more than 800 Minnesota classrooms and 30,000 students 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, Paulie; 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 Pine Bend refinery)
COMMERCE
ROBBINSDALE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “A section of Robbinsdale known primarily for restaurants and breweries may soon be home to a cannabis dispensary. During a public hearing this week, the Robbinsdale City Council unanimously approved a conditional retail cannabis business registration for Hold My Beer MN, LLC, which plans to transform the storefront at 4154 West Broadway Avenue into a high-end retail experience.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rNQdge
SEARS: Via Finance & Commerce, VERBATIM: “The Rondo Community Land Trust announced Friday that it has acquired the long-vacant former Sears property near the Capitol in St. Paul with plans to bring a mix of fresh uses to property. Rondo, an affordable housing and commercial land trust operating in St. Paul and suburban Ramsey County, purchased the property from Asian Access Media for $10.8 million, said Mikeya Griffin, president and CEO of Rondo Community Land Trust.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lPGFjF
BALLOONS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Eden Prairie-based Anagram International pulled nearly $3 million of business from work programs at Minnesota prisons, leaving hundreds of inmates without a source of income or the opportunity for more time outside of their cells. The company employed more than 700 people to package balloons through Minncor Industries, a Department of Corrections (DOC) enterprise that contracts with private businesses for subminimum wage incarcerated labor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lOfzcz
EARNINGS: Via Stock Titan, VERBATIM: “[White Bear Lake-based] Envoy Medical (NASDAQ: COCH) reported full‑year 2025 results and subsequent events on March 23, 2026. Key developments include FDA approval to expand its Acclaim pivotal clinical trial to the final stage, completion of enrollment of a 56‑patient U.S. pivotal trial, and extinguishing over $32 million of debt.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lOdQ75
WHAT’S NEXT?
TODAY: Via POCI Caucus, VERBATIM: “Today, at 12:15 p.m., members of the House POCI Caucus will be joined by fellow DFLers and House Leader Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) for a press conference with local Latine community leaders to amplify the significance of repealing César Chávez Day in Minnesota.”
WEDNESDAY: Via St. Paul-based H.B. Fuller, VERBATIM: “H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) announced plans to report its financial results for the three-month fiscal period ended February 28, 2026, in a press release issued after the market close on March 25, 2026. The Company will hold an investor conference call on March 26, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. CT (10:30 a.m. ET) to discuss its financial results.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sHaTaS
NEXT WEEK: Via Minnetonka-based DiaMedica, VERBATIM: “DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: DMAC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction and acute ischemic stroke (AIS), today announced that its full-year 2025 financial results will be released after the markets close on Monday, March 30th. DiaMedica will host a live conference call on Tuesday, March 31st at 7:00 AM Central Time to provide a business update and discuss financial results.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lU3MK0
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
NEXT MONTH: Via MplsStPaul, a list of restaurants serving Easter meals. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4uMnew4
MORE: Minnesota Monthly also has a list. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4lIIizr
BDAYS: PUC Chair Katie Sieben, fmr. Rep. Phyllis Kahn, KARE 11’s Morgan Wolfe, belated to Chris Tiedeman and lobbyist Jess Hyland
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