It’s raining today. That’s good. We need more. The new Drought Monitor out this morning, which reflects data as of Tuesday, shows conditions worsening, with an area in southwest Minnesota now in extreme drought. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
Northern News Now collected photos from this week’s storms and aftermath. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4eg2buB
From KSTP-TV, power outages and a train derailment in western Minnesota. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xmpThr
There’s more road construction headed for I-394 and Highway 12. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SiXHMe
Eastbound I-94 will close this weekend between I-35E and Highway 61. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QwNhIq
COMING LATER: Sports Take’s World Cup preview. Good reads and a good guide to the soccer spectacle. Also, some WNBA fans need to grow up and a big save for men’s college hockey. Arriving in your inbox this afternoon.
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Here are the two MNSiders with insight from the state party conventions:
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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/4ej14Ks
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
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RAINY THURSDAY
BOELTER: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “Vance Boelter, the man charged with killing Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, appeared in federal court Thursday to change his plea to guilty. KARE 11’s Lou Raguse was in the courtroom, where State Sen. John Hoffman, who, along with his wife, Yvette, was also shot by Boelter, watched as the terms of Boelter’s plea agreement were announced. Boelter pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking, two counts of murder and two counts of discharging a firearm relating to a crime of violence. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of two consecutive life terms, plus 40 years, effectively taking the death penalty off the table.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4epW0UW
MORE: Via DOJ, QUOTE: “Political violence is a scourge in our nation,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “We now expect Vance Boelter will spend the rest of his natural life in prison without parole. To all of those who would commit political violence: this Justice Department will seek and obtain the longest prison terms for your offense.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xmPV49
REACTION: Via statement from the Hoffman family, QUOTE: “There is no justice for Mark and Mellissa Hortman, and there is not justice when our family and our state will never truly heal. While the legal process may provide accountability, true healing requires something more from all of us. The choice we’ve made is to go forward with public service and being present for our community. The opportunity to justice is for Minnesotans and Americans to serve is to treat people with respect, to stop de-humanizing each other, and to stop dividing our country with hate and rhetoric.”
(DISCLOSURE: Fluence has provided media support for the Hoffman family)
WHAT’S NEXT: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Separate from his federal case, a Minnesota state grand jury returned an indictment containing eight counts against Boelter. The state prosecution was put on hold while the federal charges were resolved.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dZJ0Gs
WORLD CUP: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “‘The idea that Americans don’t care about soccer is just insane,’ said Wes Burdine, who owns the Black Hart of Saint Paul, which is equal parts soccer bar and LGBTQ+ haven. Burdine is one of dozens of local restaurateurs hoping to cash in as passionate supporters and casual viewers seek somewhere to watch the games . . . More Americans are tuning into soccer, and hopes are rising that this summer will spark the same kind of breakthrough the World Cup did the last time it was played on American soil in 1994, reports Axios’ Ashley Mahoney.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43urMLe
MN VOTERS: Via Minneapolis Times, from editor and Hamline political science professor David Schultz, VERBATIM: “When Minnesota’s two major parties gathered at their endorsing conventions the last week of May, the activists in the room were not a cross section of the state. They were the most committed, the most ideological, and the most willing to give up a spring weekend to argue about platform planks. That is exactly why the positions they crafted drift away from where the average Minnesotan actually stands. I recently built an index of the median Minnesota voter, scoring twelve contested issues on a zero to one hundred scale from recent polling, where zero is the most conservative position and one hundred the most progressive. The median voter lands at about 60: modestly left of center, but nowhere near either party’s base.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aJee2m
WILLMAR: Via West Central Tribune, VERBATIM: “Local lawmakers put a spotlight on legislative efforts to combat fraud in the state when they spoke at a recent town hall in Willmar to discuss the 2026 legislative session. ‘The amount of fraud and money that is being squandered and stolen by criminals. We have to get our arms around this. We have agencies that are out of control,’ Rep. Dave Baker, R-Willmar, said. He spoke alongside Sen. Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, and Rep. Scott Van Binsbergen, R-Montevideo, during a town hall hosted by the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce on June 2.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xoRoXu
BRAINERD: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “In a meeting on Monday, the Brainerd Public Schools board approved adding an operating referendum to this fall’s ballot to try to help with the school district’s struggling finances. The Brainerd Public Schools approved the operating referendum, which gives taxpayers the option to vote on whether they will raise their taxes to fund the district with more operating dollars.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4oj4NfG
PLYMOUTH: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “A Plymouth City Council Member hopes to become the city’s next mayor. Clark Gregor, who has served on the council since 2022, has announced he plans to run for the mayor’s seat. He declared his candidacy ahead of the July 14 opening of the candidate filing period.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vJu2KJ
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)
IMPACTING PEOPLE
TODAY: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council is set to take up two debates surrounding George Floyd Square at its Thursday meeting. One is whether to waive a financial burden on current businesses and residents, and the other is whether to support a concept for the future of the square . . . Residents who testified at a public hearing last week said they shouldn’t have to pay for something they weren’t responsible for. And business owners said the assessment hits harder following slow sales during the federal immigration surge, and with construction now disrupting traffic. That’s on top of ongoing economic challenges and stress following Floyd’s murder.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SiU3Sy
IMMIGRATION: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Since 2010, Russian asylum cases have seen a 77% approval rate at Fort Snelling immigration court, compared to 11% across all countries. However, during President Trump’s second term, approvals of Russian asylum cases at the court have dropped by 24 percentage points from previous averages, mirroring the broader drop-off in asylum approvals here and nationwide since Trump returned to office. Russians annually make up around 1% of asylum applicants seen at the Fort Snelling court, a relatively small share compared to applicants from Mexico and Central America. Still, they account for the largest total number of approvals here since Trump returned to office and have the highest rate of success in the court over the last decade and a half.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fFdRtc
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)
BIG BUSINESS
OFFICE SPACE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Empty cubicles aren’t the only thing haunting office building owners in the Twin Cities these days. Billions of dollars in office loans have come due, leaving owners scrambling to secure new loans as declining property values and high vacancy rates spook prospective lenders. It’s a situation that’s left owners of buildings, including the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis, with limited options. Some are giving up, fueling a rash of buildings selling at steep discounts. Office building foreclosures, which already are hovering near record highs, are at risk of rising even further. The resulting decline in values are forcing homeowners to shoulder an even greater share of local governments’ growing property tax needs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PYyYfE
CARGILL: Via Global Data, VERBATIM: “The local union representing workers at Cargill’s Fort Morgan beef processing plant in Colorado has filed ‘unfair labour practise charges’ against the meat giant. Teamsters Local 455 has accused Minnesota-headquartered Cargill of not paying staff in a dispute that saw the business pause production at the beef site in May after locking out more than 1,700 workers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4olIRAL
JOBS: Via DEED, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today announced the roll-out of CareerForce.MN.gov as the state’s official online labor exchange, replacing MinnesotaWorks.net. The new site is mobile-friendly, has more job search resources and is easier to access.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49PGb8y
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
FRITTER BREAD: Via WJON-Radio, VERBATIM: “It seems the Clearwater Travel Plaza in Clearwater is preparing to share the love. You know that love -- that special something that’s unique. That thing that makes people think of them...and smile. And for the Clearwater Travel Plaza, ONE of those things is their fritter bread. A loaf of sweet pan bread perfectly glazed with sugary frosting . . . The Clearwater Travel Plaza says they’ll soon reveal the details on how to have their ‘World Famous Fritter Bread’ shipped across the upper midwest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4os3dbG
AIRPORT: The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports 23 restaurants, food vendors, and retailers are vying for 47 MSP Airport concession locations open as part of an overhaul of the airport’s terminals. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xi4F49
RETAIL: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “After six years at 44th & France, Foxwell Studio and Shoppe is packing up and heading to Galleria Edina. The interior design studio and lifestyle retailer, founded by husband-and-wife team Heather and Brad Fox, announced plans to relocate to the Edina shopping center this September.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QCm3jA
ROCHESTER: Via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Every week, Peace Plaza and 1st Avenue Southwest will fill up with live music, local makers, food vendors, and family fun for Thursday’s Downtown. This is the 22nd year of Thursday downtown. Shawn Fagan, Rochester Downtown Alliance executive director, says the event can bring in more than 9,000 people each week. Fagan said the purpose of the event was always to support local businesses, artists and musicians.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aG7uCk
MEDIA: Via Twin Cities PBS, VERBATIM: “Twin Cities PBS today announced the premier of Summer of ‘76, a new documentary exploring how Minnesotans experienced the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976 — a moment that was joyful, complicated, patriotic, commercialized, and deeply reflective of the cultural tensions of the era.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vcdLhG TRAILER: https://fluence-media.co/4e3RWdT
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?
TOMORROW: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Morris Day is returning to Minneapolis to play the Prince: Celebration of Life 10th Anniversary Concert. It’s fitting, because if there’s one human being that served as a constant in Prince’s life—a life where Prince constantly pushed away anything that could possibly resemble a constant—it was Morris Day.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4olqc81
SATURDAY: Entrance to all Minnesota state parks is free. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4eAA4r7
NEXT WEEK: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “ART BQ is back, and 825 Arts is bringing the community together for an evening of conversation, food, and fun on Tuesday, June 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in St. Paul.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uyUXYK
JUNE 24: 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 May 30, 2026, in a press release issued after the market close on June 24, 2026. The Company will hold an investor conference call on June 25, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. CT (10:30 a.m. ET) to discuss its financial results.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vcdcV6
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
NEXT WEEKEND: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Skip the predictable tie and give Dad something he’ll actually use. We’ve rounded up a collection of editor-approved finds—from practical gadgets and local favorites to unique gifts with personality—guaranteed to make Father’s Day a little more memorable.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/441Tm2F
BDAYS: GOP National Committeeman AK Kamara, DFL operative and insider Alana Petersen, realtor Mark Hronski, Republican consultant Billy Grant
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