A Yale University survey of CEOs from major companies found that 74% of them think President Donald Trump’s tariffs are illegal, 71% say tariffs have hurt their business, and 62% are not investing more in domestic manufacturing. AXIOS: http://fluence-media.co/46iKTdx
29% of Americans say they’re satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. – the lowest level since President Trump took office. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/4nP3Fzc
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3VyMwgX
After 40+ years in the legislature, Sen. Ann Rest is retiring at the end of her current term. On Sunday Take, an exit interview reflecting on her time in office and the shifts she’s seen over the years. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gvKcki
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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.
LIST: The Red Tape Index ranks Lakeville as the best U.S. city for permit approval speed and efficiency – Maple Grove ranks sixth and Duluth eleventh. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4gB3llb
MITCHELL: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Former Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell has avoided a lengthy prison sentence for burglarizing her stepmother’s home, at least for now. A Becker County judge sentenced Mitchell on Tuesday morning to 180 days on work release in Ramsey County. That means she’ll be confined for roughly six months but will be allowed to leave for work each day, then report back to the jail after her shift.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46AXI1A
FINE: Via news release from Mpls for the Many, VERBATIM: “On September 10, 2025, the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board issued a fine of $4,000 to the conservative PAC ‘We Love Mpls’ for failing to disclose necessary information regarding a Minneapolis Downtown Council contribution of $35,000 and a contribution of $72,585 from the Minnesota Multi Housing Association. In an election where transparency and accountability - particularly when it comes to spending in our elections - are top of mind concerns for voters, this is troubling news about a PAC that was helmed by former Frey campaign manager Joe Radinovich.”
WARD 12: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Becka Thompson, a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board member, is planning to resign her seat in a northern district of the city so she can run for a City Council seat in south Minneapolis. Thompson faces a dilemma. Elected officials must live in the places they represent, according to the Minnesota Constitution. In order to be eligible to run for City Council in Ward 12 — the southeast Minneapolis ward currently represented by Council Member Aurin Chowdhury — Thompson needs to give up her northside Park Board seat and move to Ward 12 at least 30 days before the general election.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46k3FBk
ELECTRIC: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “As Washington Republicans’ attacks on renewable energy and voracious data center electricity demand threaten to push electricity prices higher, utility commissions in five red states are fighting a widely-supported effort to keep power bills in check. They’ve filed a complaint asking federal energy regulators to halt development of a $22 billion slate of proposed high-voltage electric transmission lines that would expand an existing network stretching from Kentucky to Minnesota and the Dakotas. They argue the Upper Midwest’s main power grid operator dramatically overstated the lines’ financial and environmental merits while improperly allocating their construction costs to states that say they don’t need them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gCjnez
ROSH HASHANAH: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Security is top of mind as the Jewish New Year begins in across the world, and also in Minnesota. For Jewish congregations, the upcoming High Holy Days — always a compelling mix of celebration and repentance — will be more charged than usual. Rabbi Marsha Zimmerman of Temple Israel in Minneapolis says that security remains a top priority with the start to Rosh Hashanah.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/429A6zT
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)
LATINO BIZ: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “St. Paul’s popular El Burrito Mercado grocery and restaurant is a family business now run by the second and third generations. The owners worry their fourth generation may not succeed them. The 46-year-old business is financially squeezed by soaring inflation and anxiety among its Latino customers about immigration crackdowns . . . Several other Latino business owners across the Twin Cities tell the same story: Sales are down and they need more customers to survive. They are among the Latino-owned businesses in Minnesota that pay more than $300 million in annual payroll taxes, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the nonprofit Empowering Strategies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46y4uoZ
TARGET: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Target is hoping to recapture its inner ‘Tarjay’ — and it's starting with a splashy store redesign in the heart of New York City, the retailer shared exclusively with Axios. Why it matters: Reimagining the SoHo store is one of the first steps in incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke's strategy to reassert Target's style authority — after years of declining sales and criticism that the brand had lost its cultural cool. Zoom in: Target's SoHo store — located at the corner of Houston and Broadway — will undergo a rolling transformation beginning in fall, the company said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pDcaPh
BOOKS: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Twila Dang’s longtime dream of starting her own bookstore came one step closer to becoming a reality when her pitch for BookMother was announced as the winner of the 2025 Hatch Bloomington contest on Sept. 10. Dang plans to put the $100,000 reward toward establishing a brick-and-mortar in Bloomington. The reward is a major contribution toward her 2,500-square-foot shop, which she estimates will require around $75,000. That leaves the remaining $25,000 for unanticipated costs, like the city’s water usage fee (about $5,000).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nD3lTY
HOUSING: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “It’s been almost three months since a microburst storm cell tore through Beltrami County, producing straight-line winds equal to a Category 3 hurricane. It toppled an estimated 9 million trees, tore roofs off buildings and knocked out power for tens of thousands. Complicating matters further, Beltrami County is one of the poorest counties in Minnesota. Housing is hard to find. And the storm made that challenge even greater. Many displaced by the big blowdown are still having trouble finding places to live. Economics in the region play a part but it also represents an issue in rural Minnesota, housing is hard to find.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mocHBP
WORKFORCE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Hiring managers in key Minnesota job sectors, from health care to industrial research, say the state’s already tight labor pool could be further constrained by the new $100,000 fee on new visa applications for highly skilled workers. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order meant to reduce companies’ reliance on the H-1B visa program — the nation’s mechanism for hiring foreign workers for specialty jobs, like computer science engineers and doctors — by increasing a company’s sponsorship fee from a few thousand dollars to $100,000. So far this year, the government approved more than 3,600 H-1B visa applications for high-skilled jobs critical to Minnesota businesses from the Mayo Clinic to UnitedHealth Group, the University of Minnesota and 3M.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3W29mxx
BROADBAND: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “For more than a decade, the state of Minnesota has been actively pursuing expansion of high-speed broadband access throughout greater Minnesota as well as in the Twin Cities metro. And there have been some significant success stories. But as Sjostrom’s experience demonstrates, there are still plenty of areas where internet speeds are still sluggish. On Aug. 28, the state’s Office of Broadband Development announced that it would be making plans to disburse an estimated $392 million to parts of the state needing faster internet connections. That funding will certainly help bring greater Minnesota up to speed. With their general lack of urban density, rural areas still face the challenge of making broadband investments financially viable.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4myDiwa
(DISCLOSURE: Comcast is a Fluence sponsor)
CELEBRATING 70 YEARS: The Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount is a landmark like no other – the tall columns and bright lights can be seen from miles away. Generations of workers have helped operate, maintain and transform the refinery, making it one of the nation’s most innovative and efficient energy facilities of its kind. This year, Flint Hills Resources celebrates 70 years of dedicated employees at the Pine Bend refinery who have produced the fuels that help move us forward. LEARN MORE: About the Pine Bend refinery (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
TAXES: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “City councilors didn’t deliver the fiscally conservative property tax proposal Monday night that Mayor Roger Reinert initially sought, but they pledged to work with his administration toward a budget that holds the municipal levy in check. Reinert had proposed a 4.13% increase in next year’s levy, with 1.43% of that margin offset by the growing value of Duluth’s property tax base, largely due to new construction. The net effect, if the mayor had his way, would necessitate a net rate increase of about 2.7%. At large Councilor Azrin Awal offered an amendment to boost that maximum levy by another 2% Monday, explaining that she would appreciate more time to finesse the city budget, as additional details become available.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gWxKdX
GROCERIES: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “In a 2020 survey of rural grocers conducted through the University of Minnesota Extension, 49% of respondents reported concerns that their stores would go out of business within five years. It’s unclear exactly how many stores ended up going under, but Zachary Paige knows it’s happening. Paige, a program coordinator at the university’s extension office in Moorhead, helps connect grocery store owners around the state to resources, from available state funds for new equipment to educational courses. Grocery stores are often the ‘heart of a small town,’ Paige said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gyD6vo
MINNEAPOLIS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “A recent shooting at a South Minneapolis encampment that killed one woman and wounded six other people has put a spotlight on November's mayoral election and Mayor Jacob Frey's approach to homelessness. The big picture: In January, the Frey administration issued new orders to Minneapolis police officers: Proactively break up small encampments before they turn into tent cities.
The orders were meant to break a vicious cycle of police clearing encampments only for new ones to form blocks away, with most residents no closer to permanent shelter.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mtdOAk
ANNUNCIATION: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “The family of Sophia Forchas is sharing some great news. Forchas was hit by gunfire in the mass shooting at Annunciation Church late August. She had been in acute intensive care for weeks at HCMC, but the family on Monday said she is moving to an inpatient rehabilitation program.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4pTIe1N
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)
CO2: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Energy-related CO2 emissions per capita fell in every U.S. state from 2005 to 2023, per federal data. That was largely because we burned less coal and more natural gas (which emits less CO2 comparatively), but wind and solar also played their part. Why it matters: The numbers indicate some success in reducing emissions to curb climate change, but the Trump administration's pro-coal, anti-wind-and-solar attitude could jeopardize that progress as it gets harder to start new clean energy projects.” READ/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3VvZzQg
RULING: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The most recent data in Minnesota shows that more than 700,000 children are transported on school buses each year. One of the most visible elements of that transportation is the extended stop sign arm with flashing red lights that indicate a bus has stopped to open its doors and let a student on or off. State law requires that once those safety measures are initiated, all traffic on the road must come to a halt. On Monday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals clarified when drivers have to stop their vehicles for that safety measure. In doing so, the three-member panel overturned a jury’s guilty verdict against a Baxter, Minn., woman for not stopping for a school bus.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/426IBM4
CANNABIS: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A recreational cannabis dispensary is setting up shop in a downtown Minneapolis building that's currently occupied by a Pizza Hut. The 4,300-square-foot building at 1101 Hennepin Ave. sold for just over $1.5 million in early September, according to a Minnesota Department of Revenue filing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/425oyO1
MAPLE GROVE: Via news release from Duluth Trading, VERBATIM: “Duluth Holdings Inc. (dba, Duluth Trading Company) (NASDAQ: DLTH) today announced the September 25 opening of its newest retail store in Maple Grove, Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47XYXdM
GOLF: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Redesigning the historic Hiawatha Golf Course in South Minneapolis is still on track, as is the schism that was created when the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) first introduced the plans nearly a decade ago. The course’s history is deeply engaged with the history of racism and integration in Minneapolis, greatly complicating efforts to engineer flood control solutions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KzVB6M
FRIDAY: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Paisley Park marks 30 years of The Gold Experience with a one night After Dark celebration on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KiKfE8
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
WINMARK: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Winmark, VERBATIM: “Winmark Corporation (Nasdaq: WINA) announced today that Lisa Hake will be joining the company as its Chief Marketing Officer, effective October 1st.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IeT2GJ
MOVE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Golf Specifics, a fitness training facility specifically for golf, plans to relocate from Maple Grove to Plymouth. According to city planning documents, the move allows for more space. The new location would be at 12700 Industrial Park Boulevard, located off Highway 55.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nGHDyf
BDAYS: MN Grocers’ Pat Garofalo, Rep. Mike Freiberg, Rep. Jim Nash, KTTC’s Robin Wolfram, Team Emmer’s Jen Niska, fmr. KARE 11 GM John Remes
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