The Aquatennial Torchlight Parade is scheduled to begin at 7:30 – the weather may have other plans. FORECAST: https://fluence-media.co/3J0L8As
A Business Journals calculation found 35 Minnesota organizations have had NEA grants rescinded. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m1ccP3
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3IInQiP
Sunday Take featured Scott Jensen discussing his campaign for governor and an analysis of what Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s conviction means for Minnesota politics. PODCAST: http://fluence-media.co/46l8J8P
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
CANNABIS: Fluence Advisory is hosting a virtual forum featuring an interview with Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management Director Eric Taubel and other industry experts on Monday, July 28th. The event is in partnership with Stinson and Sota Cann.
Other panels included:
· Municipal and Tribal Governments featuring Aarik Robertson of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures and Kevin Morelli of the City of Anoka Moderated by Will Blauvelt of Stinson
· Cannabis Industry Update featuring Josh Wilken-Simon of Legacy Cannabis, Shaun Tetreault of Kind Bud, and Mark Matejcek of Kria Botanicals Moderated by Carol Moss of Hellmuth & Johnson
· THC Beverages Rapid Growth featuring Elizabeth Anderson Schmidt of Flying Cloud THC and Fat Pants Brewing, and Glenn McElfresh of Plift Beverages Moderated by Bruce Nustad of the Minnesota Retailers
REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/CannabisForum
FLIGHTS: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Thrifty Traveler, VERBATIM: “Thrifty Traveler searched and analyzed 2,000 domestic flights, comparing prices for 1,000 one-way flights against 1,000 with a return added. That analysis found that the nation's five largest airlines were charging higher fares on more than 50% of one-way domestic flights - not half the cost of a roundtrip, which had been the norm for years. The higher fares on one-way bookings ranged from just a few dollars more each way to charging two to three times more for a one-way ticket than the total cost of a roundtrip.”
READ/INFOGRAPHIC: https://fluence-media.co/4o4nRhi
CANNABIS: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “Top alcohol makers have been sitting on the sidelines of a cannabis beverage boom, watching brands in the fast-growing category like Cann and Wynk make deals with beer and booze distributors, and gain valuable space on liquor store shelves. Now some alcohol companies, seeing their sales falter, are laying the groundwork to potentially enter the lucrative but risky market, a dozen founders of cannabis brands, ingredients suppliers and drinks manufacturers told Reuters . . . Liquor stores are embracing the buzzy beverages to boost their margins as the drinks, typically more expensive than a six-pack of beer, start to outsell other types of alcohol. Jon Halper, CEO of Minnesota liquor store chain Top Ten Liquors, told Reuters in June that THC beverages now make up 15% of his business after the company introduced them two years ago. By next year, they could grow to rival wine, currently in the mid twenty percent of his sales, he said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/453eHJm
BEER: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “Before the city was incorporated, before a single train arrived, before the Aerial Lift Bridge rose, Duluth's brewing industry began. The Luce-Busch Brewery, which gave Brewery Creek its name and led to the founding of Fitger's, launched in 1859. Fitger's stopped brewing in 1972, but the industry rebounded, and by 2013, then-Mayor Don Ness named Duluth ‘the Craft Beer Capital of Minnesota’ . . . While consumers may share that love of Lake Superior, they don't love beer the way they did just a few years ago. 2024 marked the third consecutive year of negative growth for America's craft beer market, which experienced the steepest one-year drop in the industry's history aside from the 2020 pandemic crash.” QUOTE: "Beer trends are decreasing, but alcohol trends across the board are as well," said Bob Galligan, director of government and industry relations at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. "We're not hurting as bad as wine or spirits are right now." READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GXSXq9
MINNEAPOLIS: The New York Times looks at this past weekend’s vote to endorse Sen. Omar Fateh for mayor of Minneapolis, noting comparisons with the New York City primary win of Zohran Mamdani. VERBATIM: “At every level of government, Democratic primaries are testing the ideological and stylistic mood of a party left adrift by its disastrous defeats last fall, with strategists and activists parsing Mr. Mamdani’s stunning victory for early clues about voter sentiment ahead of next year’s midterm elections. But while the Minneapolis mayor’s race will offer another measure of Democratic attitudes around policing and affordability, as well as of the electorate’s appetite for change, the parallels with New York City, beyond surface level, are limited so far.” QUOTE: “There clearly are shifting political tectonics, generationally, ideologically and more,” said R.T. Rybak, a former Democratic mayor of Minneapolis and the chief executive of the Minneapolis Foundation, who is neutral in the race. But, he added, “these are two very different situations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IJhn7u
WALZ: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he won't run for president in 2028 if he seeks a third term as governor next year. The big picture: While Walz has dismissed the idea of a White House bid in recent sit-downs, a series of high-profile speaking engagements in early-voting states and a March interview with the New Yorker have fueled speculation that the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee might run for national office again. What he's saying: When asked by Axios in an interview Tuesday whether he'll fully rule it out if he runs for governor again, Walz answered ‘yes.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mcc3aZ
ST PAUL: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Saint Paul Brewing's owner wants the City Council to halt a plan that he says would jeopardize his businesses by building apartments on a neighboring parking lot that brewery patrons use. Why it matters: The council's vote Wednesday could advance a long-awaited redevelopment that promises to revive a site that Hamm's Brewery abandoned in 1997 with almost 200 housing units, a market and outdoor plazas. Those plans have alarmed the brewery, whose eclectic patio and cavernous event spaces there have made the sprawling East Side industrial complex an entertainment destination.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lLE2yu
BROOKLYN PARK: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston had planned a vacation with his wife to Lagos, Nigeria. Then came the idea of the mayor potentially adding on to his vacation to include visits to two Brooklyn Park sister cities. One of them is Udu in Nigeria. The other is Kakata in Liberia. Both are along the West African coast. According to city leaders, the proposal generated plenty of discussion in the community. Brooklyn Park City Council Member Nichole Klonowski said during Monday’s city council meeting that the conversation, particularly online, turned ‘nasty.’” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3IXhD2u
SCOUTS: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Troop 84’s trailer, with thousands of dollars of camping gear was reported missing, likely stolen, just days before the Troop’s biggest camping trip of the year. The discovery was made Monday, leaving the troop scrambling to figure out logistics for their trip on Sunday.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/419fAi5
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)
DATA CENTERS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “As artificial intelligence fuels a global surge in computing power, the sprawling data centers behind it are scaling up faster, running hotter and packing in more machines than ever. The explosive growth, in Minnesota and around the world, is providing big opportunities for companies including 3M, nVent and Xcel Energy. Ecolab is reorganizing its business units as it makes a huge bet on the industry’s growth. In Minnesota alone, at least 11 large-scale projects are in various stages of planning or development, including Meta’s $800 million facility in Rosemount, set to be completed next year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46YseUR
ACQUISITION: Via Minneapolis-based Datasite, VERBATIM: “Datasite, the global SaaS provider of Al-powered workflow collaboration and automation solutions for M&A, investment and strategic projects, today announced that it has acquired Blueflame Al, a leading provider of agentic Al solutions for investment and financial services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lJ9Kwr
STUDY: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Allianz, VERBATIM: “The majority of married Americans say a divorce would derail their retirement strategy, according to the 2025 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement, part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life). Even as the national rate of divorce declines slightly, the divorce rate among adults aged 65 and older, often called ‘gray divorce,’ is increasing. Divorcing near or after retirement presents unique challenges, especially if a couple created a retirement strategy together.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o1gpmT
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)
ST PAUL: Via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Finger pointing around the demise of the longstanding Cub Foods supermarket at St. Paul’s Midway Marketplace began weeks before the store announced Monday it would close on Aug. 2. The disappearance of dozens of shopping carts, the closure of self-checkout lanes, and a visible rise in shoplifting, panhandling, loitering and petty crime left customers, managers and officials at City Hall all trading blame . . . Some have called the city lax for failing to stop shoplifters, cart scofflaws and other signs of crime and deterioration around the full-service Midway grocer, but the St. Paul Police Department reported this week that officers made more than 500 visits to the 1440 University Ave. W. site last year — more than one visit per day — including police calls, proactive visits and contracted overtime on Fridays and Saturdays.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44NKdfy
MORE: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The community is rallying around Cub Foods workers whose jobs are being eliminated with the closure of the store in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood, while lamenting the loss of another grocery option in the city. Almost 100 employees could be laid off when the store at 1440 University Ave. W. closes on Aug. 2, according to a layoff notice filed Monday by Supervalu with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/455MUrz
RETAIL: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Just in time for back-to-school shopping, Mall of America (MOA) announced a handful of retail revamps last week—including over a dozen new brands that have opened recently or are coming soon, plus multiple existing stores that have undergone renovations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kTUuLW
EXHIBIT: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “When U.S. troops evacuated Afghanistan in August 2021, many in the region found their lives upended. With the Taliban’s return to power, families fled. Between September 2021 and September 2022, Minnesota welcomed 1,363 evacuees. Now, the Mill City Museum is helping tell the stories of some of the young people in that number through an exhibit called My City Was a Sparkling Jewel: Voices of Newcomer Youth from Afghanistan.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/451M6Uq
EXHIBIT: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “An exhibit that opened last month in the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) breaks new ground for the center and for its Two Rivers Art Gallery. ‘We Are Still Queer’ features 11 queer Indigenous artists with a mix of paintings, sculpture, textiles and prints. The show opened on June 24, the same night as New Native Theatre’s fourth annual two-spirit powwow at MAIC.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TQosFz
NEXT WEEK: Via news release from Sun Country, VERBATIM: “Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ: SNCY) will hold its second quarter 2025 earnings call on Friday, August 1 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45i3ztd
HORMEL: Via news release from Austin-based Hormel, VERBATIM: “Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, today announced two leadership appointments in its Retail business segment. Paul Peil, a 35-year veteran with the company, has been promoted to the role of vice president of marketing for Fresh and Ready Meats. Christie Crouch, a seasoned marketing executive with a strong track record in the food industry, joins the company as vice president of marketing for Snacking and Entertaining.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o4sbx4
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SEAFOOD: Via Eater, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis and St. Paul may be over a thousand miles from the ocean, but even these landlocked cities have much to offer in the way of seafood. For exceptional shore-lunch style lobster rolls, pristine cuts of sushi, Cajun boils, crispy fish and chips, resplendent seafood platters, and Dungeness crab fettuccini, here are 13 standout seafood restaurants around Minneapolis and St. Paul.” LIST/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/4cxaMGd
BDAYS: communications guy Kevin Gutknecht, fmr. candidate Dan Feehan, photographer David Strom, fmr. State Rep. Karen Clark
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