Lynx legends Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4jaeXM8
It’s Severe Weather Awareness Week. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3Yjm5xm
Consumer sentiment in much of the world declined in the first quarter of 2025. MORNING CONSULT: https://fluence-media.co/3RHKt88
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4i5a4me
Yesterday, US Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was a guest on Sunday Take. What has she learned as Lt. Governor, and what is she hearing in her listening tour. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3E6acEn
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)
SATURDAY: Via news release from the Minnesota House DFL, VERBATIM: “Today, the House DFL, Senate DFL, and Congresswoman Betty McCollum announced a town hall meeting to fight back against federal government actions that are hurting Minnesotans. The event will take place in St. Paul on Saturday, April 12 at 1pm and feature DFL state legislators and Congresswoman McCollum. Members of the press are invited to attend.”
CD6: Via news release from the Emmer campaign, VERBATIM: “Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06) today announced he raised a record-breaking $10M in Q1 of 2025. The massive fundraising total is the most ever raised by a Whip in a single quarter, four times the amount Emmer raised in Q1 of 2023, and equals the total amount he raised in all of 2023.”
CHAMPION: Via Minnesota Senate, VERBATIM: “Senator Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis), today released the following statement.” QUOTE: "I understand that questions have been raised about a potential conflict of interest regarding my work as a Senator and a private practice attorney. Out of an abundance of caution, I have asked the Senate Ethics Subcommittee for an advisory opinion. Under Senate rules, a member of the Senate may request advice from the Senate Ethics Subcommittee on a potential conflict of interest. To allow this process to move forward, I've also asked to temporarily step aside from my role as chairman of the Senate Ethics Subcommittee until this situation is resolved.”
ICYMI… morning take had comprehensive coverage of the ethics complaint against Sen. Champion and what led up to it. READ: https://fluence-media.co/42m9R8q
EGGS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Thousands of pounds of liquid egg substitutes sold under two popular brand names have been recalled because of the potential risk of contamination with a cleaning solution, federal safety regulators said. Cargill Kitchen Solutions in Lake Odessa, Mich., recalled about 212,268 pounds of products under its Egg Beaters and Bob Evans labels because they may contain a cleaning solution with sodium hypochlorite, also known as bleach.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iZhx7Z
BOOKS: Via Marshall Independent, VERBATIM: “Readers in southwest Minnesota check out thousands of books a year through statewide interlibrary loan services, said Plum Creek Library System Director Elizabeth Hoffman. But Hoffman said she and other Minnesota regional library directors are wondering how long that will last, after federal cuts at an agency that supports museums and libraries . . . In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for several agencies, including the [Institute of Museum and Library Services], to be reduced ‘to the minimum presence and function required by law.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j4cQJW
REAL ID: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “With one month to go until new rules for domestic flights are scheduled to take effect, barely 40% of Minnesotans have a Real ID-compliant license. Why it matters: Residents without an ID that meets the updated airport security standards could be grounded for summer air travel . . . Minnesota's Driver and Vehicle Services says demand for Real IDs has picked up as the deadline nears, lengthening the turnaround time for new applications to 45 days.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i24O2P
EARLY LEARNING: Via Insight News, VERBATIM: “Early learning scholarships provide funding for children to attend a high-quality early learning program. In an effort to keep that program alive and well, HF470 would appropriate $96.5 million annually in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to the Early Learning Scholarship program and makes the appropriation ongoing. Rep. Nolan West (R-Blaine), the bill sponsor, admitted Tuesday that appropriation will be much less at the end of the session but thinks that the program is too valuable to not fund at all.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i4s68c
ENERGY: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “A multibillion-dollar Environmental Protection Agency program designed to spur investment in energy-efficiency improvements nationwide is tied up in a legal battle that threatens to upend planned projects across the United States focused on affordable housing, the adoption of electric vehicles and more. The EPA last month said it was terminating grants tied to the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a program Congress created as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, ‘based on substantial concerns regarding… program integrity, the award process, programmatic fraud, waste, and abuse, and misalignment with agency’s priorities.’ President Joe Biden signed the act into law. Funds had already been dispersed into awardees’ bank accounts at Citibank as part of the program. But the Trump administration, according to a document shared related to the lawsuit, directed Citi to freeze activity on those accounts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cmJDar
SOLAR: Via Minnesota Rural Electric Association, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Rural Electric Association, along with Minnesota’s electric cooperatives, celebrates the inclusion of solar reform legislation in the Senate energy budget bill, sponsored by Senator Nick Frentz (DFL-North Mankato). The proposed bill seeks to update outdated legislation designed to help launch the solar industry in the 1980s. The legislation has bipartisan support and has been heard in both chambers. The bill aims to modernize what is known as ‘net metering’ to ensure co-op and municipal consumers are not overpaying for solar electricity.” BILL: https://fluence-media.co/42khlc1
EDUCATION: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “There is a glum feeling around the frenetic crafting of the budget, largely because the state is forecast to move from a surplus in the next two years to a $6 billion deficit for the two-year budget cycle that begins in July 2027, according to the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) department . . . Perhaps nowhere is that pessimism felt more than in funding kindergarten through 12th grade education. Under Gov. Tim Walz and DFL control of the House and Senate, education spending from the state’s general fund shot up nearly 25% from about $9.9 billion in the 2022 fiscal year to an expected $12.3 billion this fiscal year, according to MMB. The DFL pushed through a major increase in per-pupil spending. They funded breakfast and lunch each school day for all of the state’s 850,000 students. Now DFL leadership is resigned to finding places to cut.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EiyFWU
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)
TODAY: Via Minnesota Ambulance Association, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Ambulance Association, state lawmakers, rural ambulance leaders, and Greater Minnesota leaders will host a press conference at the State Capitol on Tuesday to highlight the critical need for immediate and long-term state investment in Minnesota’s emergency medical services (EMS) system.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43JIebY
TONIGHT: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “The Robbinsdale School Board will be discussing a $21 million budget shortfall on Monday evening at its first meeting since announcing last week that 200 staff members would be laid off. This includes 140 teachers, 42 certified staffers like school counselors and three assistant principals, among other positions. In a letter to the community, Superintendent Teri Staloch said the layoffs would save the Education Service Center $2 million and staffing reductions in schools will amount to $13-15 million.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4i27fSX
EXPLAINER: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Legislature has fallen into a more-normal pace after a series of tumultuous twists and turns that colored the early part of the session. Lawmakers saw a bunch of activity in committees last week and will continue that cadence this week ahead of another deadline on Friday. For those trying to keep up with the action from afar, it can be difficult because not all bills are being put to up-or-down votes at this stage. In an effort to translate the process, here are some basics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jff7Si
DAYTON’S: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Five years after COVID-19 crushed its opening plans, the Dayton’s Project still houses several vacant and unfinished floors, driving the downtown Minneapolis office building’s ongoing financial struggles. The $375 million redevelopment of the landmark department store was heralded as a boon to the central business district, promising a burst of vitality particularly for Nicollet Mall. But after the pandemic crippled its launch, expectations for the Dayton’s Project became delayed and dimmed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3R6L43e
MINING: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “After pumping out more than 4.7 billion gallons of water from the Canisteo Mine Pit in Itasca County to manage the pit’s water levels, the Minnesota DNR, in partnership with the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, is building a permanent water outlet structure. The Canisteo is a mine pit that has naturally filled with water over the years since mining has stopped, and no company is responsible for dewatering the pit. Over time, the water levels in the Canisteo rose due to groundwater and precipitation.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42AQFoQ
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)
RETAIL: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Over the course of 32 years, local gift store chain Patina has survived copycats, fires, riots, a pandemic, and Amazon. And now, founders Rick Haase and Christine Ward have ensured their popular Twin Cities shops will endure beyond their retirement. The husband and wife business partners have sold their eight-store boutique chain to Teamshares, an employee ownership platform that buys small businesses from retiring owners and progressively grants ownership to employees with the goal of 80% within 20 years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j7cJNW
TARGET: Via Retail Brew, VERBATIM: “Ulta Beauty will ‘pause’ expansions of its Target shop-in-shops this year, CEO Kecia Steelman said Thursday . . . Target currently operates 610 Ulta Beauty shop-in-shops, which sell prestige cosmetics in a dedicated 1,000-square-foot Ulta Beauty-branded section within Target . . . Last month, after several underwhelming quarters for Ulta Beauty, Steelman unveiled a turnaround plan called Ulta Beauty Unleashed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EdfcHg
HIGHER ED: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Lake Superior College will be the first higher education institution in Minnesota to provide expanded college offerings for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities thanks to a new state grant. The Inclusive Higher Education Grant supports Minnesota public colleges and universities seeking to match federal standards and best practices in creating or developing opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was funded in 2023 and the first grant application cycle was in 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/423sPBW
VITAL PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT FUELS THE FUTURE OF THIS WISCONSIN TRIBE - In 2017, one of the “glaring needs” for the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, in northwest Wisconsin, was an expanded wastewater treatment facility. “It was at capacity. We were not able to expand any of our businesses or facilities,” says Jason, the LCO Band’s Emergency Management Coordinator. With the support of Enbridge and several other partners, the LCO Band quadrupled its wastewater treatment capacity—allowing for creation of a new preschool, fire hall, 40-unit apartment complex, police headquarters and, still to come, health clinic and new residential community. “I’m very grateful for the partnership we’ve developed with Enbridge,” says Jason. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/49v4mHc (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
LAKEVILLE: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The Attorney General’s Office is asking a judge to rule in its favor in a lawsuit against Nolosha Development, which is accused of collecting deposits from mostly Somali homebuyers and failing to follow through with construction plans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j1Nix8
BROOKLYN CENTER: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The Brooklyn Center police chief is using Facebook videos to get more connected with the community. He used the platform this week to announce it acquired a new K9. Chief Garett Flesland said he is using the platform to dive deep into community questions about policing. It’s through an initiative he’s called the Chief’s Gouge. Flesland served in the Navy early in his career, where he learned the term ‘gouge’ meant short, essential insider information.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43JAsyO
EDINA: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The Nashville hot chicken chain Hangry Joe's is opening in Edina on April 5, per MSP Magazine. It's the chain's second Minnesota location after it opened in Inver Grove Heights last summer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iZhBED
TOMORROW: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will give his State of the City address at 11:30.
TOMORROW: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “With nine candidates having filed for the Minnesota Senate District 6 special election later this month, a candidate forum for those running as Republicans is scheduled.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4llvkHo
FRIDAY: From Winona-based Fastenal via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “Fastenal Company (Nasdaq:FAST) announced the date and time for its conference call to review 2025 first quarter results, as well as current operations. The conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. central time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QSzcBO
APRIL10: Citizens League will honor Peter Bell, former Metropolitan Council Chair and Sharon McMahon, at the 2025 Civic Celebration. The annual Civic Celebration is an inspiring evening, gathering hundreds of Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds, parties and ideologies to celebrate our state’s enduring civic culture, leadership, and commitment to public service. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/41txP1p (SPONSORED: Citizens League)
APRIL30: From Eden Prairie-based C.H. Robinson via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRW), announced today that it will issue its first quarter 2025 results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XOS3Sd
From Friday’s Fluence newsletters:
SPRING: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Activity is picking up on many farms across the Midwest. Stu Swanson grows corn, soybeans, and finishes feeder pigs in north-central Iowa.” SWANSON: “We’re putting our toe at the starting line, of course. It’s been a nice, open winter so we’ve had a lot of early prep. This week started work on a drainage project that we got started on last fall and didn’t quite get completed.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ldC3mN
INCOME: Via Ag Update, VERBATIM: “Minnesota farmers faced another challenging year in 2024, with net farm income continuing to decline. Falling crop prices coupled with below-trendline crop yields resulted in low incomes, especially for crop producers. As a result, many crop producers are bracing for an economic storm as they plan for the 2025 crop year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ygw46G
STRAIN: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Farmers Union's People's Town Halls have heard bipartisan outrage about federal government actions in recent weeks. Although the majority of members in the organization are Democrats, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said members from both major political parties have been showing up to the town halls, of which the group is hosting 10.” QUOTE: "At the meeting last week, we had a number of people when they spoke up concerned about the cuts on various programs started out by saying 'I'm a Republican, and I don't like what's happening,'" Wertish said. "Whether it's Social Security and Medicaid, that type of funding, really all across the board. In farming right now, and in agriculture, it's really very uncertain times." READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Yg1Gt2
VANILLA: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Andy and Sara Kubiak knew they wanted something different. In their early 50s, the couple wanted to pursue a passion project that would leave a lasting impact. With Andy’s background in food science and Sara’s in communications, they knew they wanted to incorporate sustainability in whatever they decided to pursue. The niche they picked? Vanilla . . . The Kubiaks founded the Lakeland-based Vanilla Bean Project in 2018 and will soon begin sending their products across the Atlantic Ocean from France to New York on a wind cargo sailboat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ji7uui
COMPETITION: Via Minne Inno, VERBATIM: “Hatch Bloomington, a retail pitch competition, has opened applications for a second-year round, offering a $100,000 prize for small-business owners to start a brick-and-mortar business in the city. The competition aims to support and grow the small-business community in Bloomington while also strengthening partnerships with economic drivers throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jlTTlO
Subscribe to other Fluence newsletters: https://fluence-media.co/TheDailyAgenda
HOCKEY: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “The 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship is coming to Minnesota in December and no one is more excited than COOL STORY. As part of their partnership, they’ll be tackling social and promotional content for the games. They recently kicked off their campaign with the help of Minnesota sports stalwart Mark Rosen.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4jlLEG7
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CEMETERY: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “In the Twin Cities, we’re lucky to have an abundance of iconic music venues offering entertainment every night of the week. But it’s not everyday that you get to see a concert against the backdrop of an early-1900s chapel. Recently, Minneapolis’ Lakewood Cemetery announced the return of its popular ‘Music in the Chapel’ series for 2025. Kicking off April 6 and running through December, the monthly series will host local artists and music fans for intimate shows in the Lakewood Memorial Chapel.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iYmnCa
BDAYS: yesterday was Gov. Tim Walz’s birthday, TODAY: civic leader Rick Beeson, DFL operative Joe Radinovich, public affairs pro Kelsey Johnson
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