What do you do when you’re driving and it starts to hail? PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/4gAuOFn
We could be in for more stormy weather tomorrow. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/4b1ncrS
37 leagues. 6,000+ players. As MplsStPaul puts it, Minnesota is “lousy” with small-town baseball. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4vYcrPe
A new book explores the people of the Twin Cities – it’s called “The Cruelty of Nice folks.” NPR: https://fluence-media.co/4aMMCtf
RIP Alan Greenspan. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gzNTYg
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Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4oEtZgK
Sunday Take covered the status of third parties in Minnesota with Chip Tangen, Libertarian candidate for secretary of state, and Jay Reeves, Forward Independence candidate for state auditor. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4uICwRf
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MONDAY MORNING FEED
SURVEY: Via Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank, VERBATIM: “U.S. Bank released its fourth annual Small Business Perspective survey report today, highlighting how small business owners are navigating a more constrained environment, and how a new generation is building businesses differently.”
“The nationwide survey of 1,000 small business owners, including an oversample of 200 Gen Z owners, shows that while many small businesses are still expanding, fewer are growing than a year ago amid ongoing economic pressures and rising costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aK99H8
OFFER REJECTED: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “EasyJet’s board rejected [Minneapolis-based] Castlelake’s third 4.74 billion-pound ($6.27 billion) takeover bid, but the U.S. investment firm urged the carrier’s shareholders to support its plan to take the U.K. budget airline private after the Middle East conflict hit its shares . . . Castlelake said it wants easyJet shareholders to consider the proposal ahead of the Friday regulatory deadline to announce a firm intention to make an offer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SeolWP
REPORT: Via St. Paul-based Majority in the Middle, VERBATIM: “Today Majority in the Middle released the 2026 The State of Bipartisanship Report, offering one of the most comprehensive looks at how Minnesota lawmakers actually work together across party lines. The report shows that cross‑party co‑sponsorship of bills continue, while committee hearings are more likely to reflect majority/minority power structures. While high‑profile issues often break along partisan lines, the majority of governing work — the work that affects Minnesotans’ daily lives — is still shaped by negotiation, compromise, and problem‑solving across the aisle.”
PULLTABS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Getting into the game is daunting, especially for new groups and small operators. The regulatory system governing where pulltabs can be sold is built on a labyrinth of state and city rules and handshakes with bar and restaurant owners who agree to host sellers. Getting in, it seems, requires a whole lot of luck. As a result, the most successful operators are gobbling up more of the profits. Even as the number of gambling sites grows every year, the number of nonprofits receiving the benefits has stagnated.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xNiIPC
RURAL HEALTH: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration offered $50 billion in federal funding to states over the course of five years to ‘transform’ the rural health care delivery ecosystem, referred to as the Rural Health Transformation Program. But, six months after those grants were supposed to roll out, rural health facilities in Minnesota are still waiting on the promised money. Multiple rural hospitals told MPR News they’re frustrated with delays and the restrictions of the application. Some worried about applying at all because of the payment model and the burdensome application.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4xIGbBs
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)
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
THIS WEEK: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Thousands of people descended on Minneapolis from across the country Saturday evening for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games opening ceremony. The event kicked off a week of competition running through Friday, June 26.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SdbYKF
ECON IMPACT: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “The weeklong event is expected to draw 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers, and 75,000 fans and spectators. Organizers say the games could have an economic impact of $70 million in the metro.” QUOTE: “It just makes people come together,” says Savannah Carr, a Special Olympics participant, posting events on social media. “When people come together, they spend a lot of money.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aXA81V
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)
GROWING ISSUES
MEDIA: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Star Tribune is expected Monday to carry out layoffs and announce buyouts that will shrink its newsroom staff by 15%. Why it matters: The cut raises questions about the coverage readers can expect after the newspaper that drives the entire Twin Cities media market — as a competitor, talent magnet and incubator of prize-winning journalism — scales back.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uNRs0E
PFAS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “For years, communities in the east Twin Cities metro have treated their drinking water to remove PFAS, sometimes called ‘forever chemicals.’ The water coming from the tap is safe to drink. But the PFAS contamination remains underground, and continues to show up in lakes, streams and groundwater. A new study from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommends the state take action to contain the underground contamination plume and keep it from spreading to new areas. It’s still unclear who would pay for the plan, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars in addition to what’s already being spent to treat drinking water.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uUqzbb
AI + MUSIC: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “When Mark McKenzie first saw a synthesizer that could replicate the sound of an orchestra with one piece of equipment, the budding composer had a moment of gratitude. ‘I remember going, ‘holy smokes, I’m sure glad I’m not a musician,’’ McKenzie said. ‘‘I’m a composer, nobody’s going to replace me’’ . . . McKenzie, a Lake City, Minnesota native, serves on the board of directors for the Society of Composers and Lyricists. He traveled to Washington, D.C., on behalf of the board and other composers to testify before Congress as lawmakers consider legislation at the crossroads of creativity and artificial intelligence. The testimony covered ethics, legal issues, copyrights and even a bit of philosophy when it comes to machines and creativity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uTlIHA
AI + FAITH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The rise of artificial intelligence has Minnesota faith leaders wrestling with questions that feel both ancient and newly urgent: How should they respond to a force rapidly reshaping daily life? And where is the line between using technology to, say, streamline church work and allowing it into relationships and spiritual practices long defined by what is human and what is divine?” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eSQcEF
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
ROCHESTER: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “North Rock Real Estate and a group of investors recently paid $8.98 million for the Rochester Crossings commercial center in northwest Rochester. Under the corporate name of Rochester Crossings LLC, the group purchased the 23-year-old center at 3780 Marketplace Drive NW, on June 11. Olmsted County estimated the total market value of the property at $7.12 million for 2026-2027.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v0EgWs
GRANT: Via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “A $1 million state investment has helped dozens of people launch careers in healthcare and other fields, the Somali American Social Service Association announced Sunday. SASSA received the grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The grant funded training programs that helped participants earn diplomas and certificates in healthcare and computer programs.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3SmaHkw
MOVE: Via Baird, VERBATIM: “Today, Baird announced that The Kashian Karels Group has joined the firm’s wealth management office in Edina, Minnesota . . . The team joins from RBC, where they managed over $508 million in client assets and focused on retirement services for private clients and businesses, asset allocation strategies and lending solutions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SAS9Nh
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives—in the U.S. and abroad. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
WHAT’S NEXT?
WEDNESDAY: Via St. Paul-based H.B. Fuller, VERBATIM: “H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) announced plans to report its financial results for the three-month fiscal period ended May 30, 2026, in a press release issued after the market close on June 24, 2026. The Company will hold an investor conference call on June 25, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. CT (10:30 a.m. ET) to discuss its financial results.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vcdcV6
FRIDAY: Via Minneapolis-based Apogee, VERBATIM: “Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOG) a leading provider of architectural building products and services, as well as high-performance coated materials used in a variety of applications, today announced the company will report its fiscal 2027 first quarter results on Friday, June 26, 2026, before the market opens.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ugwuHi
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
THE FOURTH: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “From riverfront fireworks displays to suburban parades to live music, we have your Independence Day celebrations covered. Just pack some bug spray, chairs, and a blanket, and remember to play it safe when it comes to pyrotechnics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vUYIIQ
BDAYS: journalist Jane McClure, nonprofit leader Tuleah Palmer, writer Jess Fleming, Cargill’s Matt Swenson, musician Ali Gray, lobbyist Cristine Almeida
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