The Lynx clinched a return trip to The Commissioner’s Cup Championship – they’ll host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever July 1. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kJEEE9
Former UMD player and Olympian Maddie Roney signed a three year deal with the Frost. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/445uOWh
“Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon will host an unscripted reality show about a fake ad agency. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TiKhgN
You can now play golf at the Hilton in Minneapolis. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e9eJ6h
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down in Minnesota Monday. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3TwdFjq
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Tom Hauser in for Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3I13sZL
Sunday Take was dedicated to the legacy of House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman following her tragic death. Rep. Jeff Witte and former Rep. John Lesch discussed her life, her career, and how her killing could change Minnesota politics forever. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4kL12x4
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All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
STARTUPS: Via Minne Inno, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis has climbed into the top five cities in North America emerging as startup ecosystems, according to a new study from Startup Genome. The City of Lakes rose at least eight spots to No. 13 in the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, which analyzed data from more than 5 million companies across more than 350 markets in 65 countries to determine the top 100 emerging ecosystems. In 2024, Minneapolis was included in the No. 21 to No. 30 category range, which was not individually ranked.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3G5cYKV
STRIB: On The Grill Room Podcast, Star Tribune publisher Steve Grove states that 40 percent of website traffic comes through the front page of the website. Grove says they will launch a deeper dive into high school sports called Strib Varsity, which will launch in August. He also talked about the challenges facing local media. At the Star Tribune, Grove says print subscriptions are declining, while digital subscriptions are growing. GROVE: “But I don’t think our models would play out that the digital sub growth is gonna take care of all the print sub decline given the model. So, I guess the biggest challenge we’re trying to figure out is how do you optimize for getting as many digital subscribers as you can using all the best in class tools, smart editorial strategy, and all the right data, but then, at the same time, generate some new streams of revenue that have to be more than just a five or ten percent cut of your pie. We wanna get to 25 percent in the next few years – you combine philanthropy, which we’re doing for the first time, events, cause marketing, some of these stand-alone bets on high school sports and other areas where we think we can charge a stand-alone price.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3G5scj5
STEEL: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Nippon Steel has finalized its acquisition of U.S. Steel, days after securing a national-security agreement with the Trump administration that cleared the way for the deal to move forward. The agreement calls for Nippon Steel to invest roughly $11 billion across U.S. Steel’s domestic operations over the next three years, a move the companies say will protect and create more than 100,000 jobs. The planned investments span U.S. Steel’s facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Arkansas, Minnesota and Alabama, the companies said Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e6ImVU
CANNABIS: Via OCM, VERBATIM: “Today, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced that it has issued the first cannabis business license in the state of Minnesota. The first licensee, Herb Quest, LLC, is a microbusiness located in Brook Park in Pine County, Minnesota, whose initial primary business activity will be outdoor cultivation of cannabis plants.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kT4o1c
MORE: Via Department of Revenue, VERBATIM: “Effective July 1, 2025, the Cannabis Tax rate will increase to 15%. These products are also subject to both: 6.875% state general rate sales tax; Any applicable local sales taxes based on where the transaction takes place” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/44ocXLi
ISIS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A Twin Cities man who joined the Islamic State group a decade ago left prison Tuesday after providing extensive help to the government in prosecuting other terrorism cases. In a rare move, a federal judge in Minneapolis cut Abdelhamid Al-Madioum’s 10-year sentence to time served with 15 years of supervised release.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4kJA9JL
VISAS: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Over the phone, across an ocean, Angok Gai tries to help his wife raise their two daughters. Gai, a U.S. citizen, lives and works in the Twin Cities. His wife and daughters are in Uganda, where they moved from South Sudan so the girls could attend school. ‘South Sudan is not secure, that’s why I moved them to Uganda. They are living in Uganda now because I need my kids to go to school,’ Gai said. He applied for visas for his wife and daughters in 2024 and had been waiting for months for their applications to move forward. But in April, the State Department announced that all new visa issuances from South Sudan would stop and visas held by South Sudanese passport holders would be revoked.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/462U69Y
CUTS: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Congressional Republicans are working to extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts by cutting spending on safety net programs, including Medicaid and SNAP, which helps low-income families buy food. These cuts would also carry major ramifications for state budgets around the country. If Congress follows through with its spending cuts, Minnesota could lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars annually, forcing cuts to programs that serve elderly, low-income and disabled Minnesotans.” READ/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3G0YZps
GEN MILLS: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “General Mills said on Tuesday it would remove artificial colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027. The Cheerios maker also said it would remove synthetic dyes from all its U.S. cereals and foods served in K-12 schools by summer 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3G18dC6
PARKING: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “The City of Minneapolis is addressing a recent shift in the status quo for people who regularly park in downtown. As more employees return to the office - including Target workers and some state employees - parking dynamics are noticeably changing. Many people who have worked downtown since the start of the pandemic may have noticed they were ‘getting away’ without paying at meters. That time could be at an end. The city's parking system [manager] Tim Drew says while it may seems like meter checks have increased, it may just be a sign that less spots are open around the city.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4087EgA
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)
PROCESSION: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Hortman family gathered at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday afternoon for a formal procession to honor Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark who were fatally shot over the weekend in their Brooklyn Park home . . . A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday in honor of Melissa and Mark Hortman on the steps of the state Capitol at 8 p.m. The Capitol building will be closed to the public during this event.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ldONJk
SECURITY: Via CCX Media, from a story about Monday’s Maple Grove City Council meeting. VERBATIM: “Sen. Warren Limmer and Rep. Kristin Robbins, both of Maple Grove, attended the meeting. They came to provide legislative updates, but shifted focus to thank police after the targeted attacks on lawmakers. ‘We sometimes don’t realize things like that could happen to us,’ said Limmer. ‘Sadly, we’re becoming … I hope we as a society are not becoming callous to these type of things. And unfortunately they seem to be on the rise.’ Limmer and Robbins stated that Maple Grove police provided round-the-clock security at their homes shortly after the lawmaker attacks started early Saturday. ‘Not only was it a comfort to me and my family, but to all of our neighbors who were really worried about what’s going on,’ said Robbins.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3G9FzP8
CREDIT UNION: Via news release from ABEP, VERBATIM: “The Association for Black Economic Power (ABEP) proudly announces Arise Community Credit Union (Arise) will open on Juneteenth, 2025. This momentous occasion will be commemorated at the State Capitol Juneteenth event, inviting community members to unite in celebrating this significant day of freedom and economic empowerment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3STJ0wp
POWER: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis-based Syncris is on a mission to improve the performance and reliability of microgrids—small electric grids that can operate with or without a larger network. CEO Scott Tracy says the company does that through a unique type of power inverter developed by University of St. Thomas electrical engineering professor Greg Mowry and associate Zach Edmond. The main selling point of Syncris’ product, Tracy says, is that it can help customers withstand power outages on larger grids.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/460p2ri
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)
UPTOWN: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The Cub Foods in Uptown Minneapolis has temporarily closed. The grocery store at 1104 Lagoon Ave. closed its doors on Saturday, June 14, a representative for parent company United Natural Foods (UNFI) tells Bring Me The News.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jZvhPH
SOUTH MPLS: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Italian Eatery is back as ie by Travail, blending beloved classics with creative new dishes in South Minneapolis. Discover the updated space, fresh pasta, and warm hospitality that make this revival a must-visit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43ZEClX
RETAIL: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Galleria local Sweet Ivy, a women's fashion and lifestyle boutique, will expand and take over the old Parachute space inside the Edina shopping center.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eiMAdd
TOMORROW: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Thursday is Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Here are three ways to participate.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3HO5wo3
JUL 29: Via news release from St. Paul-based Ecolab, VERBATIM: “Ecolab will host a live webcast to discuss its 2025 second quarter results. A news release containing second quarter results is expected to be issued before market open on July 29, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44nPjyE
AUG 12: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “The votes are in; the finalists for TCB’s second annual StartMN Think Tank are confirmed. Four Minnesota startups will get the chance to pitch their big idea at the Aug. 12 event and gain advice from a panel of experts on a current business challenge.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SZXRp0
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
THURS/FRI: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “More than 200 Minnesota students have a chance this week to prove again why the state is a hotbed for high school speech and debate. The big picture: They're among the 6,300 competitors at this week's National Speech & Debate Tournament in Des Moines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4419FfO
BDAYS: nonprofit leader Cara Letofsky
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