WNBA is the fastest growing brand of 2024. MORNING CONSULT: https://fluence-media.co/41iHHfK
The new Drought Monitor released this morning and reflecting data as of Tuesday shows little change over last week. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3zN8TDo
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41jQspT
On Sunday Take, KARE 11’s John Croman on covering politics for over 30 years as he retires. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Zxsbvj
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
MINNEAPOLIS: From the Star Tribune’s Deena Winter via X, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council just failed to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of the Labor Standards Board, garnering 8 votes to override instead of the 9 needed . . . Council members Andrea Jenkins and Jamal Osman supported the measure last month, although at that time, Osman unsuccessfully tried to get it amended to raise the voting threshold for recommended policies to pass the board to 2/3 rather than a simple majority, as Frey wanted.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/41jlcXY
MORE: From Mayor Jacob Frey via X, QUOTE: “I’m grateful to the Council Members who joined me in recognizing we need a balanced Labor Standards Bord that has participation from both business and labor – the proposal I vetoed didn’t.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iAZdST
MORE: From Axios’ Kyle Stokes via X, VERBATIM: “JUST NOW: By an 8-5 vote, the Minneapolis City Council has voted to throw the brakes on a plan to rebuild the streets through George Floyd Square. They've directed city staff to instead explore building a pedestrian mall at the site of Floyd's murder.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4fkmfKV
TARIFFS: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “More than a decade ago, the [Medina-based] off-road vehicle maker Polaris surrendered its status as a 100% made-in-America company, gambling that it could add a Mexican factory without alienating customers. The move paid off handsomely. Buyers didn’t flinch as the plant, located in Monterrey, churned out more than 22,000 vehicles in its first year, helping to expand the company’s sales 33% while saving millions of dollars in costs. The factory has since become Polaris’s largest, producing such models as the RZR, a dune buggy-like vehicle that starts at $16,000 and can reach over $40,000. Now the plant could become a liability. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to levy a 25% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico as retribution for what he described as the country’s lax efforts in stopping drug smuggling and illegal immigration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZE15T9
MORE: From Ryan Hayes via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Twin Port officials are sharing some concerns about President-elect Trump’s proposed tariffs on exported goods saying it could impact economic activity in the region . . . Director of Communication and marketing Jayson Hron with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority said tariffs can have positive and negative impacts on the region, depending on the industry. ‘It’s a delicate balance for the Great Lakes and the Port of Duluth, Superior, tariffs are a double edged sword,’ said Hron. The Twin Ports accounted for $1.6 billion in economic activity in 2023 according to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41m08QS
UNITEDHEALTH: From KSTP-TV’s Chris Egert via Instagram, VERBATIM: “NYPD detectives say they discovered writing on the shell casings at the scene of UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson's murder, saying ‘deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose.’ Law enforcement is still working to determine if the words were meant as a message from the shooter or a hint at his motive.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3ZnHLbv
MORE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Health insurance was Thompson’s path from rural Iowa to executive success. Yet some speculated that the much-reviled industry might have provided a motive for the killer—although the police released no information on the matter. UnitedHealthcare and other insurers are routinely inundated with lawsuits and complaints from enraged customers who complain that they have been unfairly denied medical coverage . . . The police departments in Maple Grove, where Thompson lived, and in Minnetonka, where UnitedHealth is based, both said they had received no complaints about threats to Thompson. Minnetonka police did provide information about a protest at a UnitedHealth building in July. About 100 demonstrators participated and 11 were arrested for blocking a roadway, according to a police report. The People’s Action Institute, a social-justice organization, led the protest, claiming that UnitedHealth had a systemic practice of refusing to authorize or pay for care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fZPhQO
MORE: We shared extensive coverage of Wednesday’s shooting first in lunch take and more in morning take. You can find both HERE: https://fluence-media.co/TheDailyAgenda
PRODUCING FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers s 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)
SOLVENTUM: From Brooks Johnson and Victor Stefanescu via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s newest public company, Solventum, launched a round of layoffs Wednesday as CEO Bryan Hanson told employees the company is ‘creating an organization that is more nimble, more decentralized with less hierarchy.’ Hanson sent a video message to all 22,000 of the health care company’s employees early Wednesday morning to talk about ‘the elimination of certain jobs’ and shifting ‘resources away from certain areas to focus on others,’ the CEO said in the video, according to a transcript reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Bg2So8
JAIL: Via KMSP-TV, VERBATIM: “The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has moved hundreds of inmates to other jails in order to meet the demands of the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC). This temporary solution will ultimately cost taxpayers millions of dollars. The Hennepin County Jail has too many inmates and not enough guards. After eight deaths over the last two years, Minnesota Department of Corrections ordered the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office to cut the number of inmates to 600.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3CXIatR
ANOKA CTY: From Krystal Frasier via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Anoka County homeowners will be seeing an increase in their property taxes next year. According to the county, the Board of Commissioners approved an increase of 16.86% on Tuesday as part of a goal to have an annual levy increase around 5.25% by the end of the decade.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49l1BZD
MAPLE GROVE: From Corey Bork via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The Maple Grove City Council approved a preliminary budget this week with a proposed levy increase of 6.96 percent. That is actually lower than the average levy increase of 8.56 percent based on preliminary data from other peer cities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D0Od0G
“MY WHOLE LIFE CHANGED:” EMPOWERMENT TRAINING OPENS PATHWAY INTO THE TRADES - Since 2019, a partnership between Five Skies Empowerment Training and Enbridge has broadened as unions, contractors and other groups look to connect Native American job seekers to meaningful careers. “They’re gonna open the door for you,” says Joel, a program graduate. “Before the 5 Skies program I wasn’t aware there were so many opportunities,” explains Ashley. “My whole life changed,” says Melissa. Click here to submit an application, and find out more on upcoming training. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3XoPg0D (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
SCHOOLS: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A new 2024 directory from U.S. News & World Report ranks the nation's best schools in efforts to help families compare schools in their state and local community. The Best High Schools ranking includes data on over 105,000 schools, including public, private and charter schools here in Minnesota.” LISTS: https://fluence-media.co/4f5M94S
RUBY SLIPPERS: From Alex V. Cipolle via MPR, VERBATIM: “Curator John Kelsch walked from an empty pedestal to an emergency exit at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids . . . Kelsch, who is also the museum’s founding director, is giving the new Ruby Slipper Theft Guided Tour — not to be confused with the original Judy Garland Guided Tour. The museum started the tours earlier in 2024 because, Kelsch said, ‘Everyone is asking at the front desk. That’s the most asked question: What happened?’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZldGJC
VODKA: Former state lawmaker and wounded military veteran John Kriesel is joining up with St. Louis Park-based Northland Vodka. Via Instagram, WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3B44CAZ
NASCAR: Via NASCAR, VERBATIM: “NASCAR today announced an expanded long-term technical partnership with [Eden Prairie-based] Stratasys making the company the official 3D printing partner of NASCAR. NASCAR will now exclusively use Stratasys 3D printing technology for the design and production of parts and tools across NASCAR, replacing previous technologies used alongside Stratasys solutions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g22jNS
TOMORROW: Via Insight News, VERBATIM: “Beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, both directions of Interstate 94 will close between Highway 52/Lafayette Freeway/East 7th Street and Highway 61/Mounds Blvd. in St. Paul through 5 a.m. Mon, Dec. 9, according to the city of St. Paul and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OFydnd
NEXT MONTH: From Anya Capistrant-Kinney via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Cold lovers, rejoice! The Minnesota Ice Festival recently announced plans for this winter’s third annual festivities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BgfyLE
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
2025: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A west-central Minnesota farmer anticipates another difficult year in 2025. Anne Schwagerl and her husband own and operate a diversified grain and livestock farm in Big Stone County. ‘It’s going to be another tough year. This year was tough because we had relatively low prices, but then we got hammered on the weather. That flash drought in August and September really hurt the bean production.’ She tells Brownfield a good snowpack this winter would help replenish soil moisture.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41jfzcl
FORECAST: From Cami Koons via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Farm income is forecasted to have decreased in 2024 by 4% from 2023, largely because of a decrease in cash receipts, or the gross income, from the sale of commodity crops, according to the December update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm income forecast. Carrie Litkowski, the farm income team leader with USDA Economic Research Service, presented the latest update in a webinar Tuesday, and said the forecast was very similar to its previous September iteration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZiCHoJ
MID-SIZE FARMS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The land area used for farming in Minnesota hasn’t changed much in the last few years, according to data released in February. But there are fewer farms on that land and the average farm has grown larger. This fits into a nationwide pattern of farm consolidation that has been happening for generations. For Brian Reisinger, it took searching through generations of family history to understand why. Reisinger is the author of the book ‘Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family’s Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer.’ His family farm is in the driftless region of Wisconsin and he has farming roots in Minnesota.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Bhou3t
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PATTERSON: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Patterson Cos. (PDCO) on Thursday reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $26.8 million. The St Paul, Minnesota-based company said it had net income of 30 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 47 cents per share. The results missed Wall Street expectations . . . The medical supplies maker posted revenue of $1.67 billion in the period, which topped Street forecasts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zq9M26
CAMPAIGN: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “Plural recently partnered with Decker to produce the Connecticut Lottery ‘Keno’ TV campaign. Leading eh Plural team was director, Michael Fagan, who brought his unique comedy perspective to the project.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3VNjqer
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
DUMPLINGS: From Audrey Kennedy via Axios, VERBATIM: “After years as a thriving weekend-only pop-up shop, Saturday Dumpling Co. opened its brick and mortar restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis on (you guessed it) Saturday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D1WpO6
BREAD: From Stephanie March via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “‘I grew up thinking bread was a health food.’ Alex Baldinger said this as we were standing in the almost-ready Razava Bread Co. in St. Paul, which is just over a mile from the spot where his family first launched Baldinger's Bakery in 1888. ‘Carroll and Western, that's were my dad was born, and his dad was born. They're both still around, which is kind of remarkable, so I have grown up in a family that has always been about bread.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ijyXMu
BDAYS: Rep. Josh Heintzeman, writer Maura Lerner
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