An astronaut from Minneapolis is headed to the International Space Station. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ib96cc
Axios tracked the numbers of fireworks complaints in the Twin Cities in recent years. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/44Jf6l4
A siding project at a Minneapolis house uncovered an old sign advertising Gold Medal Flour. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/44RvVt9
CBS News’ parent company will pay $16 million toward President Trump’s future presidential library to settle a lawsuit over the editing of a VP Kamala Harris interview. CNN: https://fluence-media.co/4ll0tdq
The jury found Sean “Diddy” Combs guilty of a prostitution-related offense but acquitted him on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. AP: https://fluence-media.co/40v0CCO
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ltsDmk
On Sunday Take, the significance of the Pride celebration with Sen. Scott Dibble. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3I53D6s
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:
TODAY: Via labor coalition We Make Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Union members, grassroots leaders and elected officials will gather in Minnehaha Regional Park at 1 p.m. TODAY, Wednesday, July 2nd, to stand against the Congressional bill that's set to strip life-saving care from millions of Americans while cutting taxes for the wealthiest among us. As Trump's agenda is up for a final vote in the House, We Make Minnesota is joining with Fair Share America to talk to the public and the press. This is Fair Share America's 21st stop in their ‘STOP THE BILLIONAIRE GIVEAWAY’ national tour.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/44tQoE6
SURVEY: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis residents are generally happy with their quality of life—70% said they feel the city provides a great experience, and families with children are among the most optimistic, according to a new survey from global architecture and design firm Gensler. Gensler’s 2025 City Pulse survey polled residents of 65 cities around the world for insights on what brings new residents in and what may push them to leave. Only Raleigh, North Carolina, San Antonio, Texas and San Diego ranked slightly higher than Minneapolis in terms of overall satisfaction.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZZlVMI
MORE: Via Gensler, the survey results. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3GqG87p
NEW PRAGUE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The city of New Prague, Minn., recently hired a contractor to build a nearly $10.8 million police station, banking on a tax hike to cover the cost. But city officials skipped a crucial step: the required public hearing. And by the time they corrected the error and invited residents to weigh in, the city had already spent at least $575,000 on the development, which a group of residents is attempting to halt. Now the new station’s construction is at a standstill, and the situation is roiling the small city, where the mayor abruptly resigned in May with about a year and a half left in his term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46q4icO
RETAIL: Via Modern Retail, VERBATIM: “In 2025, influencer marketing is nothing new. Nevertheless, some major big-box retailers just launched creator programs in response to the evolution of how people interact with social content and creators. Best Buy in April launched the Best Buy Creator program, which gives creators the ability to create a storefront to highlight their content and earn a commission on sales of products in their tailored collections with no commission cap . . . CMOs at Best Buy and Lowe’s told Modern Retail they launched these new programs in response to the growing importance of influencers in recommending products to shoppers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZZxCmA
SPEED CAMS: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A traffic safety camera pilot will focus on five locations around Minneapolis to start in September. The initial locations of these speed enforcement cameras will be announced by July 15. As many as 42 of 51 proposed camera locations could become active throughout the program's four-year duration.” READ/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/44uq8cw
394: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “As if it could get any worse. More road construction projects are set to start in the Twin Cities. The biggest one, an upcoming project on 394, is going to be a nuisance for drivers who are used to the E-Z Pass lanes. ‘We're gonna be repairing 34 bridges and the ramps around there including a lot of bridge deck repair and trying to just make the bridges last longer,’ says Metro Construction Director for MnDOT, Tim Nelson. It will take a year and a half to complete and cost $70 million.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4nteUxG
STATUE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota legislators have set aside $325,000 to send a statue of one of its most-famous native sons, Hubert Humphrey, to National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The provision is part of a larger bonding bill lawmakers passed earlier this month. It also directs Gov. Tim Walz to ask the federal government to replace the existing statue of Henry Mower Rice, a fur trader and politician from Minnesota’s early days, with a Humphrey statue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IbhRTt
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)
HAITIANS: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The Department of Homeland Security is terminating immigration protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the United States in a move that clears the way for possible deportations. About 4,000 Haitians live in Minnesota; the number under the immigration protection is unclear. President Donald Trump’s administration is ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for about 500,000 Haitians, DHS announced June 27. Many Haitians have had TPS, which allows people to stay and work in the United States if their country is considered unsafe, since a massive earthquake struck the island nation in 2010. The 18-month designation has been renewed several times due to lack of political and economic stability in Haiti.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eGpddN
IRAN: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “More than two weeks after Israeli missile strikes on Iran triggered a deadly war, a ceasefire between the two countries seems to hold. For some Iranians in Minnesota, the news brings cautious relief — but also deep concern for loved ones back home and uncertainty about what comes next. For Amjadi and Shakhsari, these days joy feels like a quiet act of defiance. Amjadi, who is a visual artist, recalls what it was like leaving her home in Iran to move to the U.S. at 19-years-old.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ltGkle
FREEBORN CTY: Via Albert Lea Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday declared a local state of emergency tied to flooding in western Freeborn County in mid-June. Emergency Management Director Adam Hamberg said western Freeborn County received 6 to 7 1/2 inches of rain June 16, leading to a flood warning for that area and multiple roads that were barricaded, including Minnesota Highway 109 and other county and township roads.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44ocXKg
WEATHER: From Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “I’ve often told people I think it would be fascinating to analyze how our perceptions of ‘normal’ shift as the climate changes. This June can be added to that pile. We’ve had several winters in recent years that people thought were cold, but they ended up being near modern averages—or even slightly above. (Still above normal compared to historical records.) Our winters are warming so fast that we’ve forgotten what a ‘normal’ winter actually feels like—especially if you’re under the age of, say, 35.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44uRkYG
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)
THIS WEEKEND: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Already, Minneapolis Police are working to make sure what happened during the last couple of 4th of July holidays doesn't happen again, with teenagers launching fireworks at officers near Dinkytown and in downtown Minneapolis, or violence in places like Boom Island Park. ‘So, we'll be staffed up all through the weekend, but the biggest thing I am concerned about is what has happened here since 2020 with really late at night on the 4th, overnight into the 5th with kind of these mobs popping up,’ says Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. He says they are taking proactive measures to maintain order and several streets and parking lots will be closed.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/44pAUAQ
MORE: Via Star Tribune, a look at what fireworks are legal in Minnesota. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ToiLyi
LAKE ST: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “What happens when you blend strategy with humanity? You get some good ole-fashioned, wholesome content! COOL STORY has partnered with Visit Lake Street to launch a #content campaign celebrating one of Minneapolis’ most diverse, artistic, and misunderstood corridors. The campaign, titled ‘What a Wonderful Street,’ nods to Louis Armstrong’s classic tune while capturing the soulful, resilient beauty of Lake Street — where cultures mix, art flourishes, and everyday life tells its own kind of love song.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Ib3Ipb
RIVER: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The concrete walls and barriers that line much of the Mississippi River along cities in the upper Midwest aren’t suited for managing floods. Certain hot spots, including portions in St. Paul, brace for flooding each spring when the river frequently rises and enters city streets. Annual flood damage in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, from Minnesota south through Missouri, is massive. Each year, flooding from the river and its tributaries is expected to cause $340 million in damage, according to a new academic project led by University of Minnesota researchers. That damage is only expected to rise with climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, according to Philip Adalikwu and Nfamara Dampha, two scientists at the U working on the project.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nw0gWt
TIME CAPSULE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Members from the Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota gathered at the Veterans Service Building in St. Paul to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the organization . . . The DAV collected artifacts from its chapter leaders to be placed inside a wooden box. Memorabilia included pins, letters, pictures and other documents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lxXZIv
THIS WEEK: Via Axios, where to watch fireworks. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3TQZOEB
THIS MONTH: Via news release from Xcel, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, July 31, 2025, Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) will host a conference call to review second quarter 2025 financial results. The earnings report will be released prior to the market open on the same date.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kgBqXJ
GATHERINGS: Via Eater, VERBATIM: “Walking into Gatherings Café, you immediately feel a sense of community. Newspapers in Ojibwe and Dakota are near the entrance, and a large gathering place reminiscent of traditional Ojibwe architecture welcomes you into the space, where you can eat, talk, and learn about Indigenous food and culture. Though Owamni and its parent organization’s founder chef Sean Sherman frequently get the attention on a national stage for groundbreaking work in the Indigenous food movement, the Twin Cities are home to multiple Native-owned restaurants and cafes that contribute to the unique fabric of the city and help tell the story of decolonized foodways.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GsHnD1
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SAUNA: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “John Drescher understands that opening a sauna company in Minneapolis at the start of summer sounds like a risk. After all, it’s not like our Minnesota summers are short on heat and humidity. But Drescher, co-founder of thermaculture company Portal, swears there’s always room for a mind-and-body-benefitting temperature shock.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kdc7pr
BDAYS: retired journalist Bill Wareham, Rep. Duane Quam COMINGUP: attorney Doug Wardlow, reporter Matthew Stolle, beverage advocate Jim McGreevy, radio guy Doug Westerman, Rep. Jon Koznick, U of MN’s Sarah Youngerman, developer Pete Deanovic, fmr. Sen. Dan Sparks, fmr. Rep. Jeanne Poppe, generational expert Sarah Sladek, business leader Brooke Lee
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