A third of U.S. adults have taken a solo leisure trip in the past five years. MORNING CONSULT: https://fluence-media.co/4iRNHRH
A new average of national polls has Democrats gaining two seats in the House in 2026. RCP: https://fluence-media.co/4iYw9TY
The Lynx will play the 2025 season without forward Dorka Juhasz. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZelM7s
In the market for a clock tower? There’s one for sale in the Twin Cities. LISTING: https://fluence-media.co/3F40ToO
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42RTsu4
GOP Senate Leader Mark Johnson and DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger were on Sunday Take to discuss the final days of the 2025 legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42RrXkj
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
RESPONSIBLEGAMING: Legal sports betting platforms offer responsible game tools that offshore and illegal sports betting don’t offer. In fact, age verification is not required with most offshore providers. Learn more about why legalized sports betting is more responsible. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kgJoS4 (SPONSORED: Sports Betting Alliance)
WX RECORDS: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Numerous record highs were set Sunday—some of them dating back 125 years, including in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud.” READ/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/4ddsO2l
TODAY: Via Minnesota Catholic Conference, VERBATIM: “On Monday, May 12, at 3:00 PM, Bishop Kevin Kenney of the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) will speak in the Minnesota State Capitol to urge lawmakers to protect access to healthcare for all people, regardless of immigration status.”
CRASH: Via Fox News, VERBATIM: “The Trump White House is taking aim at Minnesota leaders for not honoring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, as an illegal immigrant charged in a criminal vehicular homicide case is not yet in custody. Ecuadorian national German Adriano Llangari Inga is facing numerous felony and misdemeanor charges for drunk driving last August, which resulted in a crash killing Victoria Eileen Harwell, and hurting her teenage daughter and sister, according to local media outlets.” QUOTE: "An illegal immigrant drove drunk, killed an innocent mother, and is now on the run because Democrats didn't do their most important job: protect their constituents," Alex Pfeiffer, White House Principal Deputy Communications Director, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. "This is precisely why the Trump Administration is taking action to hold these so-called 'sanctuary' jurisdictions accountable." READ: https://fluence-media.co/3F5DWBJ
RETAIL: Via The Street, VERBATIM: “Shopping at Target isn’t just about grabbing what’s on your list — it’s also about how quickly you can get out of the store. And for years, one of the biggest pain points has been the checkout experience. Long lines, technical glitches, and limited staffing have turned what should be a quick errand into a frustrating ordeal. But the retail giant has quietly made a bold change to fix that. It involved placing limits on a self-service feature many shoppers had come to rely on. That change, as it turns out, may have been exactly what customers needed — and now Target is calling it a success.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43p2DlL
PARTNERSHIP: From Jason DeRusha via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “
The collaboration between Cooks of Crocus Hill and Bellecour Bakery (which became Cooks | Bellecour) is over after June 1. What does this mean for you? If you love shopping for kitchen supplies, you’ll only be able to do that at the flagship location on Grand Avenue in St. Paul . . . Selling retail kitchenware and tools is a tough business—you’re competing with high-end equipment people can buy directly on the internet and all the direct-to-consumer brands that launch with big splashes on Instagram.” QUOTE: “First it was the online assault, then it was retail apocalypse because stores are closing, then it was COVID, then it was the National Guard lining up in front of our store, what’s next? Alien invasions? We’ve survived all of these things,” Cooks co-owner Karl Benson told me. “We’ll find a way to survive this.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RX4oQT
MORE: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Cooks and Bellecour first joined forces in 2020: After early pandemic pressures forced Kaysen to shutter his Wayzata restaurant Bellecour, he pivoted, and opened Bellecour as a bakery pop-up inside the North Loop Cooks space. A year later, Bellecour expanded to Cooks’s Grand Avenue flagship in St. Paul, and in 2023, the duo announced they were merging into a single entity, Cooks | Bellecour, as they built out a third location on Market Street in Edina.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dgrATR
DRINKING: The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports the Minnesota Senate has approved a bill to allow cities to license social districts – commercial areas where outdoor drinking is allowed. There’s already one approved in Anoka and they’re under consideration in Stillwater and Shakopee. The Business Journal reports the House version of the bill faces some pushback. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GKSKpZ
THC: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “In June 2023, Jon Halper started selling THC beverages at Top Ten Liquors, his chain of Minnesota stores. The drinks, which contain the main intoxicating chemical compound found in cannabis, were a massive hit. ‘Immediately, the sales took off,’ said Halper. ‘We’ve never seen anything explosive like this.’ After just two years, THC beverages make up about 15% of overall sales, he said. ‘It’s hard to believe this growth isn’t going to be astronomical.’ The time is right for a THC beverage boom. Many Americans are embracing a California sober lifestyle — drinking less alcohol, which they see as harmful to health, and trying out marijuana instead.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zh2MoX
DQ: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Last year, Dairy Queen restaurants around the world brought in $6.4 billion in sales. By 2030, the Bloomington-based company wants franchisees to hit $10 billion. That’s more than 4,500 Blizzards sold per minute around the clock.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43p7OCd
RENT: Via news release from Redfin, VERBATIM: “The median U.S. asking rent fell 1% year over year to $1,625 in April, marking the biggest decline since February 2024, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That’s $80 below the August 2022 record high of $1,705 . . . In Austin, TX, the median asking rent dropped 9.6% year over year to $1,399 in April—$400 below the record high. That’s the largest decline in percentage terms among the 44 major core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) Redfin analyzed. Next came Minneapolis (-7.3%), Portland, OR (-5.3%), San Diego (-5.2%), and Raleigh, NC (-5.2%).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kinEEE
ONE WEEK: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “With the sun setting soon on the Minnesota legislative session, there’s plenty of work to do. The regular session will end in a week, on May 19. Rumblings of the need for a potential special session have started to pick up. That’s because as of this Monday morning Gov. Tim Walz and the Legislature still haven’t completed the budget framework that will guide completion of the two-year spending plan. Without those numbers in hand, conference committees can’t fully negotiate to bring their bills into alignment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jJmJwW
TOMORROW: Via Unlock Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Representatives from a broad coalition of Minnesota industries—include housing, labor, construction, manufacturing, retail, outdoor recreation, and the security industry—will hold a press conference urging immediate legislative action to fix the 2023 Minnesota law making it illegal to sell, replace, and distribute keys Minnesotans rely on every day. The law passed without sufficient stakeholder input, has created a crisis by effectively banning most keys in everyday use—residential, commercial, automotive, and recreational—due to trace amounts of lead necessary for durability and function. Industry experts report that no viable alternative materials currently exist.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YGgXUx
BROOKLYN PARK: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Officials in Brooklyn Park are pushing for funding to expand the Community Activity Center. The city has been considering an expansion of the CAC in recent years. Bills in the Minnesota House and Senate would give $9.5 million to Brooklyn Park to expand the facility. Much of those funds would be used to construct three indoor multi-sport courts. It would also be updated to meet American Disability Act requirements.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3S3cSWF
CASINO: Via Detroit Lakes Tribune, VERBATIM: “A major but fragile source of Moorhead's water lies hidden beneath the ground east of the city: the Buffalo Aquifer. A source of Moorhead’s drinking water, the aquifer has come up as a sticking point in the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe's proposed resort-casino complex on land east of Moorhead, near the intersection of Interstate 94 and Highway 336. The 280-acre parcel sits atop the Buffalo Aquifer. The tribe’s proposal includes a casino with an attached hotel and convention center, restaurants and parking. It also includes a possible truck stop and convenience store.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j0IAia
DULUTH: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Another Duluthian is joining the race for a seat on the city council. Brandon Parker announced his candidacy for the Duluth City Council’s District 4 seat. Parker has a background in political science and history from UMD. The current District 4 councilor is Tara Swenson.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dnvcUk
PRODUCING THE FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers of transportation fuels is hiring! With openings in IT, accounting, engineering, operations, procurement and asset management, Flint Hills Resources’ goal is to match talented individuals with their passions and interests to truly shine. APPLY TODAY: Flint Hills jobs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
5 YEARS ON: Via Insight News, VERBATIM: “In the immediate aftermath of [George] Floyd’s death at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder and manslaughter and sentenced to over 20 years in prison, public attention surged. Millions joined protests across the country. Support for the Black Lives Matter movement peaked, with 67% of Americans backing the cause, and 52% believed at the time that the national reckoning would result in meaningful change for Black Americans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kcK8qn
ICYMI… in morning take last week, new Pew Research Center polling data on views of race, policing, and Black Lives Matter. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4ke1L9r
REPATRIATION: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “During an annual update to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, senior advisor to the president on Native American affairs Karen Diver said the repatriation of the Mimbres collection could begin in October. ‘We anticipate working with the Hopi as the lead tribe to repatriate their ancestors and funerary objects in the fall,’ said Diver. Anthropologists at the university excavated more than 150 ancestral remains and thousands of Mimbres cultural items from the ancestral gravesites of Indigenous people in the southwest during digs that took place between 1928 and 1931.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44ulrkI
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)
SINKHOLE: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “Traffic has resumed on West 7th Street — one lane in each direction — after a massive sinkhole opened up Thursday evening in downtown St. Paul. Officials were forced to shut the street down between Kellogg Boulevard and Grand Avenue on Friday while they started repairs.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4j2BTwj
STADIUM: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “U.S. Bank Stadium is more than just a jaw-dropping place to watch a game — it's one of the most influential buildings in professional sports. Why it matters: If you've been inside, you know the feeling: bright, open and oddly warm, even during a Minnesota winter. Yes, but: What you might not know is that its signature translucent roof has sparked a design revolution — inspiring stadiums in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Nashville, and influencing proposed projects in Cleveland, Chicago and Washington, D.C.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42W3Z7D
OSSEO: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Osseo Area Schools has something to celebrate. For the first time in five years, its high school graduation rate surpassed the state rate. That’s even more impressive, considering the state’s high school graduation rate reached a record high at 84.2 percent in 2024. The graduation rate for Osseo Area Schools was 84.6 percent in 2024, nearly five percentage points higher than what it was in 2021.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jNTo4r
ROCHESTER: Via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “Gaming gurus took center stage at the Historic Chateau Theatre as they rolled dice, solved puzzles and entered entirely new worlds through their games at Castle Con.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4iRYyep
TOMORROW: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Regis, VERBATIM: “Regis Corporation (NasdaqGM:RGS), a leader in the haircare industry, will issue financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2025, before the market opens on May 13, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GIyyol
TOMORROW: Via news release from New Prague-based Electromed, VERBATIM: “Electromed, Inc. (NYSE American: ELMD), a leader in innovative airway clearance technologies, today announced that it will issue its financial results press release for the fiscal 2025 third quarter ended March 31, 2025, on May 13, 2025 after the close of the stock market.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YofiTf
TOMORROW: Via news release from Minnetonka-based DiaMedica, VERBATIM: “DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: DMAC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for preeclampsia and acute ischemic stroke, announced today that its first quarter 2025 financial results will be released after the markets close on Tuesday, May 13th.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RQfaIH
WEDNESDAY: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Celcuity, VERBATIM: “Celcuity Inc. (Nasdaq: CELC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pursuing development of targeted therapies for oncology, today announced that it will release its financial results for the first quarter 2025 after the market closes on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Management will host a webcast/teleconference the same day at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results and provide a corporate update.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jICqo2
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
DESSERT: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “We're back with one more sweet treat recommendation that wasn't nominated for Kyle's recent deep dive into the metro's best doughnuts. Where we went: Kyle and Torey separately stumbled across Lowertown's SoYen Desserts, a small-batch bakery with indoor service and a takeout window just steps from the St. Paul Farmers' Market, on a recent weekend!” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jPN1h0
BDAYS: US Bank’s Jeff Shleman, MN Soy’s Joe Smentek, NAOIP’s Roz Peterson, Star Tribune’s Kyndell Harness
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