lunch take | Halloween Retailer's Slow Start + Why Anoka Wants to Save Northstar
10.27.25
What happens when you ask AI where Halloween villains would live in Minnesota? SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4hyofSm
WalletHub used several metrics to find the best cities for Halloween. Two of ‘em are in Minnesota. Somehow, neither one is Anoka. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3LcyhMM
This is the last week to get your Mold-A-Rama animal figures at Como Zoo. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4obRI7a
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hAfbfW
MIRAC member Montana Hirsch shared thoughts on immigration, activism and more for Sunday Take. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3L9llHx
Blois
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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.
EMERGENCY FUNDING: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced $4 million in one-time emergency state funding for Minnesota food shelves on Monday. This comes four days before benefits from federal food assistance programs runs out in 36 states, a casualty of the continuing government shutdown. Minnesota is among those 36 states . . . Sophia Lenarz-Coy of the Food Group Minnesota tells WCCO-TV that it would be disastrous for many people in the state.” LENARZ-COY: “The scale of SNAP benefits compared to the emergency food system just can’t be overstated,” says Lenarz-Coy. “For every one meal that’s distributed by food shelves and food banks in the state of Minnesota, SNAP provides nine.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/49nBT8J
AIRPORT WORKERS: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “A food shelf is open at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in support of federal employees who are working without pay during the government shutdown. Some people dropped off donations at specified sites on Sunday. A flyer, shared with WCCO, reads ‘the MAC is partnering with the Armed Forces Service Center to open a food shelf to help ease the burden.’” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4hueGE3
RETAIL: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Retail pros predict Halloween sales will hit record levels this year — again — despite the specter tariffs and inflation are putting on the season. Up until last week, Tom Fallenstein, CEO of the Mankato-based behemoth HalloweenCostumes.com, was worried. The company normally imports and sells 2 million costumes a year to consumers around the country — but not this year. Business was down 15% to 20% in September and early October. Last week, the online retailer finally started getting 85,000 to 100,000 orders a day for costumes that average $65 a pop. ‘That’s much later than usual,’ Fallenstein said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3L7Ymwy
RECALL: Via news release from Hormel, VERBATIM: “Hormel Foods Sales, LLC is voluntarily recalling 215,258 cases, or 4,874,815 total pounds, of HORMEL FIRE BRAISEDTM items that have an establishment number of P-223 sent to foodservice operators throughout the United States as they may contain extraneous metal material. No other HORMEL products are affected, and no illnesses or injuries have been reported in association with this recall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48K96en
ROCHESTER: Via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “Rochester International Airport announced it just secured its biggest federal grant ever in the airport’s history. According to a Facebook post, RST is receiving over $70 million in federal grant funding. The airport says the funding will go toward major infrastructure upgrades that expand capacity and improve safety and the experience for all of their travelers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JsgVeh
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)
TWO MONTHS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Monday marks two months since a gunman opened fire, killing two children and injuring 28 others. And in that time, parents have been gathering together to grieve, heal and ‘move their feet.’ Ivan Ayala has three kids who attend Annunciation. His pre-kindergartener and kindergartener were not in the church at the time of the shooting. But Ayala’s 7-year-old son was. He was injured by debris. Ayala sat down for a conversation with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about how his family has been healing and how he and other parents are mobilizing to call for change.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nnRGHW
WEAPONS BAN: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Ten states and the District of Columbia have banned assault weapons, guns that can fire many bullets in a short amount of time and are disproportionately used in mass shootings. Supporters of the policies point to the drop in mass shootings between 1994 and 2004, when the federal government banned assault weapons. When the ban was lifted, mass shooting fatalities escalated even as overall gun deaths continued to decline from a peak in the early 1990s.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3La8HIn
BUCKET TRUCK: Via Xcel, VERBATIM: “On a crisp autumn morning in Waconia, Minnesota, Laketown Elementary buzzed with excitement as fifth-grader Grant Scotting kept his eyes trained on the parking lot. A birthday surprise for Scotting was in the works — and soon it rolled up: a shiny Xcel Energy bucket truck. Scotting, who has special needs and is nonverbal, is known for his love of Xcel Energy. His enthusiasm for the local energy company ranges from reporting outages on his family’s iPad to eagerly opening each monthly bill.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4oq7uei (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
43A: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Lyna Nyamwaya, a longtime resident of New Hope, has announced her candidacy for the Minnesota State House of Representatives, District 43A, which serves the communities of New Hope and Crystal. A registered nurse, adjunct professor at St. Catherine University, and entrepreneur, Nyamwaya says she is running on the belief that ‘when leaders listen and work for the people, communities thrive.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47cPKxn
FILM: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Robbinsdale Armstrong alum Eric Howell is being celebrated with a showing of his work at the 2025 Twin Cities Film Fest. ‘The Seventh Turn,’ a short film produced and directed by Howell, explores the dangers of gaslighting and manipulation in romantic relationships.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4owPcrU
TAX CREDITS: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “An analysis by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University and the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that municipal programs could move the needle with relatively small amounts of money: offering $1,000 or less per year to low- and middle-income families could cut child poverty rates by 25% in several cities. Researchers say this sort of new assistance would not only boost household finances, but also likely create more demand for local businesses, stabilize housing markets and increase local tax revenue . . . In Minneapolis, for example, researchers said a new program that cost less than $30 million per year would cut the city’s poverty levels by half when accounting for existing state and federal credits.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48PKxgc
NORTHSTAR: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Anoka Station along the Northstar commuter rail line was a sign of progress to come, a place where people could hop aboard the train or visit a bustling, redeveloped area of the northern suburb. But the fast approaching demise of the Northstar line has derailed that plan. When the last train barrels down the tracks in January, Anoka officials worry the station infrastructure will be ripped out — leaving the city with an unusable parking ramp and the risk of having to pay back federal money. The Anoka mayor and council members have been outspoken critics since the Metropolitan Council in August voted to suspend the ill-fated rail service between downtown Minneapolis and Big Lake due to low ridership and high costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o9SPUT
PLYMOUTH: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “An outdoor project in Plymouth that’s been two decades in the making is finally complete. City leaders cut the ribbon on the final segment of the Northwest Greenway trail, signifying the end of the long-term project. The Northwest Greenway has 7.7 miles of total trail that extends across wetlands and nature from Lake Camelot on the east to the Northwest Greenway Pavilion on the west.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/432cDRv
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO CELEBRATE: Flint Hills Resources and its employees are proud of the company they keep, including many community partners that help make Minnesota a better place to live and learn. Not only is the Pine Bend refinery celebrating 70 years, many of the company’s long-time partnerships have milestones in 2025: 25 years of the Flint Hills Family Festival in partnership with the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 25 years with Frends of the Mississippi River to restore critical habitat, 30 years with the Minnesota Zoo, and 40 years with Ducks Unlimited. WATCH: Celebrating our Community Partners (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
RED WING: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Red Wing police say an investigation into false shooting reports has resulted in an overseas arrest connected to an extremist group. According to the Red Wing Police Department, officers and fire crews responded to two separate calls reporting multiple shooting victims at a home on the 1300 block of East Avenue on Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. Both calls were quickly determined to be ‘swatting’ incidents, which are ‘false reports intended to trigger a large-scale armed response,’ according to the department.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oHkgoR
BEMIDJI: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “There is some controversy brewing about the YMCA project in Bemidji, which will begin construction soon and involve the demolition of three abandoned buildings in the Rail Corridor district. Those buildings are sometimes used as an unregistered shelter for the homeless when all others are full, and project leaders plan for those buildings to be taken down before the year’s end. While some view the buildings as a safety hazard, others often use those buildings, with one sometimes referred to as ‘The Mansion,’ as places of residence for the homeless population in the area.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4qojFtP
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)
SUNDAY: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Ever since the Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard dropped his six-volume memoir My Struggle—Book 1 was translated into English in 2012—there hasn’t been a bigger global literary rock star. So when Liquid Music announced Historia, Knausgaard’s collab with Wilco’s drummer Glenn Kotche, Nov. 2 at Northrop, it (almost) made sense.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o6jH85
TIMBERWOLVES: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “For the second season in a row, KARE 11 is partnering with the Minnesota Timberwolves and FanDuel Sports Network to broadcast games on free over-the air television this fall. This year’s television schedule includes three Friday night games in November, and one more game next spring near the end of the regular season.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4nsIyls
EDEN PRAIRIE: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s dining scene got a bold new addition this fall with the opening of Tuk Tuk Thai & Ebi Sushi Box, the state’s first Thai–Japanese fusion restaurant. Located inside Asia Mall in Eden Prairie, the dual-concept eatery brings Thai spice and Japanese precision together under one roof—an ambitious project more than three years in the making.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47skr0c
WOODBURY: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Woodbury is getting an infusion of indoor slides. It’ll be home to Minnesota’s second Slick City Action Park. The indoor park chain opened its first Minnesota hub earlier this year, with a 43,000-square-foot slide park in Maple Grove.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nqFk1V
TOMORROW: Via news release from St. Paul-based Ecolab, VERBATIM: “Ecolab will host a live webcast to discuss its 2025 third quarter results. A news release containing third quarter results is expected to be issued before market open on October 28, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46joHA5
WEDNESDAY: Via news release from C.H. Robinson, VERBATIM: “C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRW), announced today that it will issue its third quarter 2025 results after the market closes on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. The company will hold a conference call at 5:30 pm Eastern Time on the same day to discuss the quarterly results and answer live questions from the investment community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mS3lyq
THURSDAY: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Ameriprise, VERBATIM: “Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) plans to release its third quarter 2025 results at approximately 7:30 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, October 30, 2025. The company will host an investor conference call to review the results at approximately 9:00 a.m. (ET) on the same day.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KT3FzV
THURSDAY: Via news release from Xcel, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) will host a conference call to review third quarter 2025 financial results. The earnings report will be released prior to the market open on the same date.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o6hrgP
THURSDAY: Via news release from New Brighton-based APi, VERBATIM: “APi Group Corporation (NYSE: APG) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, before the market opens on Thursday, October 30, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ncm7B5
THURSDAY: Via news release from Sun Country, VERBATIM: “Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ: SNCY) will hold its third quarter 2025 earnings call on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Wirvre
FRIDAY: Via Maple Plain-based Protolabs, VERBATIM: “Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) announced today that it will issue its financial results for the third quarter of 2025 before the opening of the market on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. Protolabs will host a conference call to discuss the results at 8:30 a.m. EDT on the same day.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47iSf0X
FRIDAY: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Piper, VERBATIM: “Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR), a leading investment bank, will release its third quarter 2025 financial results prior to the opening of the market on Friday, October 31, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Jr91St
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DOLLS: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “This Halloween season, the collection of dolls hidden away at the History Center of Olmsted County are ready to come out again for the seventh year in a row—only this time, on their own terms. In Creepy Dolls: Loose in the Vaults, the museum’s creepy dolls are becoming ‘amateur curators’ during the month of October to select and present their findings from the depths of the History Center’s archives in a spine-chilling, multisensory exhibition where horror meets history.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hylv7w
CHOCOLATE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “When your business is based on chocolate, Halloween may not be the most lucrative season. ‘I think Christmas is more like the Super Bowl for chocolatiers,’ said Denny Rain, owner or Robbinsdale’s Cocoa Flake. ‘But Halloween is up there.’ Still, if you ask Rain, she’ll tell you that Halloween is definitely the most fun time of the year in the chocolate business.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47squBW
BDAYS: DFL insider Heidi Kraus Kaplan, PPL’s Lauren Henry, Fed Reserve’s Hue Nguyen
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