Minnesota’s Student Chef of the Year is sharpening her skills at Hennepin Tech. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48p0Vmv
Looking for a place to land your plane? There’s an airport for sale up north. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3QlkCp8
It took four hours for a Coast Guard cutter to free a ship caught in the ice Duluth – you can watch it in one minute. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3PRJAfW
It’s BACK…the TwinWest Legislative Breakfast on April 17, featuring Sen. Min. Ldr. Mark Johnson, DFL House leader. Jamie Long, Sen Asst. Maj. Ldr.. Nick Frentz and House GOP Ldr. Harry Niska in a mid-session discussion moderated by Blois Olson and presented by Fluence Advisory. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/4lWWmFM
Want to manage your subscription to TheDailyAgenda.com? HERE: https://fluence-media.co/managesubscription
WAYMO IS READY FOR MINNESOTA: With 13x fewer injury-causing collisions compared to humans, Waymo is already making roads safer in major U.S. cities where we operate — from multi-lane expressways to dense city streets, including the demands of winter weather. We are ready to bring these safety benefits to Minnesota, and look forward to working with the state legislature to pass a law that allows us to provide rides in the state. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/waymo (SPONSORED: Waymo)
Follow the 2026 Minnesota election’s up close with the Fluence ElectionTracker. FluenceElectionTracker.com
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cxghHd
On Sunday Take, GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska and DFL Rep. Matt Norris discussed what the Legislature did on break and what they expect to get done this session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3O830wr
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
MONDAY FEED
TONIGHT: Candidates for governor have been invited to a Zoom town hall for GOP delegates in CDs 1, 4 and 5.
ICE + DATA: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “Back in December, a court allowed ICE to pull some basic information from Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program that primarily covers people with low incomes, to help the agency find people who are in the country illegally . . . But the court also placed restrictions on ICE, saying it could only pull basic data such as addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and citizenship or immigration status . . . Now, in a new filing, the states say the Trump administration appears to have ignored the court’s order limiting what information ICE is allowed to have.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mdLtzy
BROOKLYN PARK: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Months after Operation Metro Surge, businesses in Brooklyn Park are still feeling its effects. A Brooklyn Park assistance program will soon be in place to help relieve some of that financial strain. The city’s Economic Development Authority authorized $300,000 in rent assistance and another $270,000 in business assistance. Community Development Director Tim Gladhill said based on city surveys, about 50 businesses in town will likely need some form of help.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sSKszc
MINNEAPOLIS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “On a cold Saturday, just before midnight, Minneapolis’ Batman passed three guys in shorts and dodged a puddle of vomit near the Dinkytown McDonald’s. The crime-fighting superhero known as NoMark was patrolling his usual rounds. And he was wearing his usual all-black uniform, including a black mask with a menacing skeleton’s grin. It was a scary look even before thousands of masked ICE agents put the city on edge.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41V7Wrz
POT: Via Detroit Lakes Tribune, VERBATIM: “It’s been less than a year since the state of Minnesota issued its first cannabis retail licenses, but the industry is already bringing in tens of millions of dollars in sales. Recreational cannabis sales in Minnesota have reached more than $50 million since September, when the market first opened. ‘We’re in the early stages, still only six months in with recreational sales, but that kind of month-over-month number grows every month, as we add more supply, add more stores,’ said Eric Taubel, executive director, Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47NRE7w
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)
THE SESSION
MEAT RAFFLES: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “State lawmakers are working now on a bill that would raise the ceiling on meat raffle prize amounts from $70 to $200. In the closely divided Legislature, supporters say it is one of the few things legislators seem to agree on, a rare moment of bipartisanship. Backers point out that the law governing prize amounts has not changed in nearly 40 years and is in dire need of an update. They say that without changes to the law, charitable gambling organizations like the Spring Lake Park Lions Club will struggle to keep revenue flowing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NPBEuZ
MEANWHILE…: Via MinnPost, VERBATM: “As Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, reminded reporters before the recess, the Legislature convened in mid-February following ‘a combination of political assassination, children being killed in a church, and Minnesotans being killed on the streets.’ But instead of meeting the historical moment, lawmakers are Krazy Glued to partisan positions that better serve their election campaigns than lawmaking. Weirdly, the session has been a formulaic respite from the chaos of the past year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tpTkfG
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: Via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability—providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
AROUND MINNESOTA
TODAY: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “A massive project on I-94 over the St. Croix River between Hudson, Wisconsin and Lakeland, Minnesota gets back underway Monday. Dave Koepp, the project development manager explains what exactly will be taking place.” KOEPP: “We’re replacing the modular and expansion joints on the bridges and then putting a polymer overlay on both bridge decks,” says Koepp. “We’re also completing some concrete surface repairs and cleaning up the bridge bearings, doing new pavement markings, and then some spot work on the back walls of the abutments, and some spot painting on some bridge bridge pin hanger systems.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4man0em
GOLF: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Five years ago, Mark Haugejorde stumbled upon some land in western Minnesota. He had grown up in the area, where his father founded Little Crow Golf Resort in Spicer. Mark played competitive golf at the University of Houston and built a career in the industry, returning to Minnesota in 2017. ‘I was warned by an engineer: It’s not easy to build a golf course in Minnesota,’ says Haugejorde. ‘And he was right.’ Today, Haugejorde is president of Tepetonka, a private club set to open this summer in New London, 90 minutes west of the cities. It’s the state’s first fractional ownership club, limited to 100 memberships, by invitation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4salR7T
NORTHFIELD: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A river runs through picturesque downtown Northfield, and for more than a century has spilled over the Ames Mill Dam. The historic dam spans the width of the Cannon River near the former flour mill it once powered, and it — and its roaring sound — remain hallmarks of the city’s downtown for many locals. That could change, as Northfield explores removing the dam and replacing it with a more gradual slope divided by rock terraces, a move advocates say could make the river healthier and safer and better connect it to downtown and recreational opportunities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NNrKKp
YOUR NEIGHBORS RIDE ATVs: From the Twin Cities to the Iron Range, thousands of Minnesotans own and ride ATVs. They are families, veterans, teachers and small business owners who rely on Minnesota’s trail system for recreation, tourism, and economic activity. ATV riders aren’t just “up north” — they live in the Twin Cities metro area. And they care deeply about maintaining safe, well-managed trails. As the legislature considers trail policy, funding, and land-use decisions this session, ask them to support Minnesota’s ATV community and the outdoor opportunities they value. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4td9sRR (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
LOGISTICS
DL: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Move over, 16-year-olds eager to drive: The number of behind-the-wheel exams taken by adults has increased since Minnesota implemented its ‘Driver’s Licenses for All’ law in 2023, state data obtained by Axios shows. Why it matters: The law opens the door for an estimated 95,000 undocumented people living in Minnesota to obtain driver’s licenses. Before the law, some of these newly credentialed drivers were likely at the wheel without a license.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4c9N4l8
BACK TO SCHOOL: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Students in the Minneapolis and Columbia Heights districts are returning to in-person classes this week after many chose to stay home as U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents flooded the region at the start of the year. The toll of the surge on children, families, schools and teachers is something some school leaders say they are still struggling to understand.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41UVxnv
WAYZATA: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Wayzata Public Schools will have a new leader when this school year wraps up. Robb Virgin is stepping into the superintendent role this summer. He’ll take over from Chace Anderson, who has spent 18 years as the district’s top administrator.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4tvRASf
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: Environmental Stewardship (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
COMMERCE
ACQUISITION: Via Litchfield-based Anderson-Crane, VERBATIM: “Family-owned Minnesota conveyor system manufacturer Anderson-Crane, established in 1950, has acquired Conveyance Systems by Continental, a St. Joseph, Missouri-based company with over 100 years in the materials handling sector.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vt7Bdw
MINING: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Mesabi Metallics has secured millions of dollars in additional funding for its iron ore plant located in Nashwauk. On Monday, the company announced they received $150 million from Macquarie Group. This adds on to the recently announced $520 million credit facility with Breakwall Capitol and support from the U.S. Export-Import Bank.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NXL47H
WHAT’S NEXT?
THIS MONTH: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and a local group is turning Duluth into a monthlong, live-music hangout. JAM Duluth is hosting its annual celebration featuring nearly 30 bands with a concert series, open jam sessions, and a Jazz Crawl —all free to attend.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4simV9V
NEXT MONTH: Via Golden Valley-based Inspire, VERBATIM: “Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: INSP) (Inspire) will release financial results for the first quarter 2026 after the close of trading on Monday, May 4.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mfH92I
JUL 22: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Twin Cities Business will host the annual Minnesota Business Hall of Fame induction event. This year marks 28 years of celebrating and recognizing Minnesota’s most accomplished business leaders.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4ccjD24
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
ROAD TRIP: From Jason DeRusha via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Ralph Waldo Emerson was right. Life is about the journey, not the destination. With that in mind, consider this your invitation to take a delicious detour this spring. When I head north, I plan for an early lunch and a late one, maybe squeeze in a mid-afternoon snack, and still leave room for a supper club stop when I’m cruising through the Mississippi River Valley near Red Wing. The miles matter—but the meals matter more. Take your time. Enjoy the journey.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4m8x9bm
BDAYS: Rep. Erin Koegel, SEIU’s Jamie Gulley, event pro Jeannette Cleland, retired lobbyist Jan Alswager
Fluence Media curates, produces and distributes specialized media products to thought leadership audiences across the Midwest and about the region. Our publications cover, politics, public policy, health care, agriculture, business, real estate, sports and more. Visit www.fluence-media.com to learn more.
about morning take- Founded in 2010, morning take has grown to become the leading Minnesota morning newsletter on politics and news of the day. Published by Fluence Media since 2012 the mission is to "make you smarter" before breakfast.
Copyright © 2026 Lunch Take, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Golden Valley, MN 55427