A distillery in Virginia has issued a statement regarding the passed-out raccoon found face-down in a liquor store. STATEMENT: https://fluence-media.co/3MlYjOo
The distillery’s now also selling raccoon-themed merch. Can’t imagine what would happen if that raccoon joined forces with the MPR Racoon. REMEMBER: https://fluence-media.co/3XGWjCF
On Friday, Netflix announced plans to buy Warner Bros. This morning, Paramount launched its own plan for a hostile takeover of Warner. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4amaGnF
Four rounds of snow this week? FORECAST: https://fluence-media.co/48HptXk
Our next Fluence Forum, The State of Health Care is scheduled for December 16th. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/StateofHealthCare
Reporters in Mogadishu talked with Somalis there about President Trump’s comments about Minnesota’s Somali community. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4poLAc7
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48YyFb2
This week’s Sunday Take covered civility, immigration, and Republican Ron Schutz’s campaign for attorney general. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4iEm5B2
Blois
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Fluence Advisory hosted a cannabis forum on the “State of Cannabis in Minnesota including an interview with Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management Eric Taubel.
FIRST: A clever embroiderer added one line to a Mall of America sweatshirt, put a $150 price on it, and watched as it “blew up” online. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/48Y9KV6
ICE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A week into an immigration operation buttressed by President Donald Trump’s disparagement of Somali immigrants in Minnesota, community members remain scared. They’re seeing increased ICE presence in their neighborhoods and in community hubs where once felt safe. Visitors coming into Karmel Mall on Minneapolis’ Lake Street are immediately greeted by a sign that says ‘NO ICE ENTER WITHOUT COURT ORDER.’ The mall is a vibrant cultural center housing hundreds of Somali vendors, usually bustling on the weekends. But on Sunday morning, the few people there couldn’t help but call it a ‘ghost city.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MKbh8y
WILLMAR: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “So many have settled here that a lively stretch downtown is called Little Mogadishu because Somalis run more than a dozen storefront businesses. In winter it isn’t uncommon to see Somalis in traditional dress bundled up in big American-style parkas and stocking caps worn over hijabs. Somalis represent about a quarter of production workers at the Jennie-O turkey plant, the economic engine of this community of nearly 22,000 some 95 miles west of Minneapolis. But in recent days, downtown’s strip of restaurants, groceries and clothing stores has been attracting only a few customers, shopkeepers say.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YkVaRn
MOSQUE FIRE: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “A mosque in the south metro was heavily damaged by fire early Monday morning. Masjid Hamza AI-Mahmood Foundation and Baitul Hikmah Academy is located at 5995 Timber Trail, northeast of downtown Prior Lake and across highway 13 from the east shore of Lower Prior Lake.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KOnybw
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)
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
GUN VIOLENCE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “In the wake of assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman and the Annunciation school shooting, Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope) felt it was time to host a town hall on gun violence prevention. ‘We’ve had some recent tragedies here in our state,’ Frazier said. ‘People want action.’ That town hall was in the Crystal City Council Chambers on Dec. 3, and drew a significant crowd.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4prlsxu
KUPCHELLA: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “If you live in Minneapolis, you might have an out-of-town uncle who’s asked, “Have you seen A Precarious State?” If he hasn’t called yet, A Precarious State is a one-hour documentary on the post-pandemic issues facing Minneapolis and, more generally, Minnesota, executive produced by Rick Kupchella, a former KARE 11 news anchor who spent the last 15 years as a sort of new media/content marketing guru before this return to television. He spent the last two years making this doc, and then in early October, in the middle of a mayoral election, he bought an hour of prime time on five ABC television stations throughout the state to debut it. For a certain segment, it clearly struck a nerve.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44fPonF
UOFM: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Thomas Fraser, a retired Hennepin County District Court judge, is taking on the tough assignment of mediating talks aimed at reaching a new operating agreement among the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and M Physicians. Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the mediator appointment late Friday, which was the first major development in the long-running talks since Nov. 13. That’s when University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham and the U of M Board of Regents criticized Fairview and the physicians’ group for reaching a 10-year operating pact without the administration’s involvement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aChq0y
MORE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Dr. William McGuire, the visionary former CEO at UnitedHealth Group who stepped down amid financial scandal nearly 20 years ago, has been called on to help broker a deal in the public feud between Fairview Health Services and the University of Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iSAB8E
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)
THE CITIES
BATHROOMS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Downtown Minneapolis has a ‘leaking’ problem: There aren’t enough good spots to take one. Why it matters: The city’s shortage of public restrooms isn’t only a problem for unsheltered people or touring rock stars. For years, downtown boosters have acknowledged a lack of loos makes the area less welcoming for a wide range of people — from people with disabilities to parents with young children. Driving the news: Minneapolis City Council Member Katie Cashman has proposed $700,000 in annual funding for restrooms in the Nicollet Avenue transit corridor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4poKCfZ
SPPS: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “A group of Hmong parents in St. Paul Public Schools is urging families to keep their children home Dec. 15, in anticipation of a school board vote the following day on next steps for the district’s Hmong language and culture school. Sai Thao, one of the parents organizing the action, said so far parents representing about 500 kids have pledged to keep their children home. Ultimately, she expects more than 2,000 children to stay home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KDPv5K
UP NORTH
SUPERIOR: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “On the morning of December 7, Superior Police pulled over a vehicle they believed to be related to an earlier domestic dispute report. During the traffic stop, the driver opened fire on the officer with a semi-automatic rifle, striking and wounding the officer multiple times. That officer, along with a second, shot back, wounding the suspect, who then fled, and crashed a white cargo van into the nearby Superior Middle School. There, Superior Police Chief Paul Winterscheidt explained, the suspect was holed up for four hours.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4rHzzjx
DULUTH: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The former Lester Park golf course sprawls along the far eastern edge of Duluth. What used to be more than 250 acres of lush fairways is now an unofficial off-leash dog park . . . The city of Duluth closed the golf course in 2020, as golfer numbers declined and the city decided to instead invest in improving its Enger Park golf course in another part of town. The prime real estate sits mostly vacant now, with the parking lot pavement crumbling and pocked with potholes, while the clubhouse sits boarded up. But now this beloved piece of land is at the center of a fierce debate in a community proud of its abundance of wild green spaces, over whether the course should be sold and developed into badly needed housing, protected as public parkland, or some combination of the two.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48YvFeP
HOLIDAY LIGHTS: Via MplsStPaul, the story behind the epic holiday light display dubbed Bentleyville. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4pV548g
CLOQUET: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Cloquet community members braved the cold to celebrate the holidays with their Christmas parade. Iconic characters, including Smokey Bear, the Grinch and even Santa and Mrs. Claus made their way down Cloquet Avenue alongside local businesses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48szJE0
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE: Flint Hills Resources was just awarded the 2025 Large Business of the Year award from the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce at their annual Business Excellence Awards celebration. The award celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses that exemplify the thriving and growing spirit of Dakota County. The businesses honored make an impact and contribute to the continued success of our community. LEARN MORE: About the Pine Bend refinery. (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
BUSINESS NEWS
TARGET: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Target is testing new fulfillment models for overnight delivery of online orders as one of the country’s largest retailers works to turn around a yearslong sales slump. In Chicago, the retailer stopped fulfilling ship-to-home online orders from some of its busiest stores. In Cleveland, it opened a new facility aimed at overnight deliveries. And in San Diego and other cities, gig workers are handling delivery of certain packages.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pne2ep
BEER: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The hits keep on coming for Minnesota breweries as Fair State Brewing Cooperative announced Friday that their Minneapolis taproom will close Monday, Dec. 8. The closure comes on the heels of two others in the past two weeks, Schram Haus Brewery in Chaska and Invictus Brewing in Blaine, as breweries nationwide grapple with steadily declining sales and consumption of beer and alcohol.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oKdvSF
TRUCKING: Via Freight Waves, VERBATIM: “Over the weekend, two Minnesota-based carriers under the True North Equity Partners umbrella ceased operations overnight, putting approximately 200 drivers out of work. MinStar Transport and Transport Design Inc., each operating fleets of around 100 trucks, announced their immediate closures in communications to employees and partners, according to multiple reports circulating in trucking communities on social media. The sudden shutdowns are the latest in a string of carrier failures amid the ongoing Great Freight Recession, now approaching its fourth year since starting in March 2022.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44ARtLh
ACQUISITION: Via news release from Minnetonka-based NOG, VERBATIM: “Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NYSE: NOG) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 49% stake in Ohio Utica Shale Assets in partnership with Infinity for a purchase price, net to NOG, of $588.0 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oH2VMq
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
ALL THINGS FROZEN
ITALIAN ICE: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Wild operations director Manager Bill Guerin is among those concerned about the state of the hockey rink in Milan with the 2026 Winter Olympics games just months away. The problem is the rink is being built slightly smaller than NHL standard, and that has coaches and managers worried about player safety and fairness, especially since the agreement was to use NHL-spec dimensions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48qmrrD
ST PAUL: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Chilly and snowy conditions provided the backdrop Saturday for an annual rite in St. Paul: the unveiling of a set of buttons for the city’s Winter Carnival. Four button designs mark the 140th anniversary of the carnival.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/44WZdqP
WHAT’S NEXT?
TODAY: Via American Swedish Institute, VERBATIM: “Tis the season to embrace the fantastical. Traverse the castle into a magical realm led by Tomte and all his friends. It’s time to hear his side of the story. The American Swedish Institute’s annual Holiday Experience takes visitors on a journey that explores the Legends of Winter.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pXsz0t
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
BARS: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Christmas pop-up bar inflation is at an all-time high, so good news for us, there are sooooo many to choose from this year, from long-timers to newcomers, for the jolly Whos and even grumpy Grinches and gremlins among us.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4psXOke
BDAYS: belated to Ben Petok a guy who loves Minnesota bagels, TODAY: comms pro Colin Cox
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