Lexus sales increased more than any other car brand in Minnesota last year. NUMBERS: https://fluence-media.co/40HhIgh
The Weeknd will play US Bank Stadium in June. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4aI8AfD
On last weekend’s Sunday Take House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins about the current state of the chamber. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4jLC4xF
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
XEC: Via The Athletic, VERBATIM: “NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended last week’s Utah Hockey Club–Minnesota Wild game and sat center-ice in the owner’s suite with Craig Leipold and Wild CEO Matt Majka. That suite provides incredible sightlines from inside an arena that has stood the test of time since opening in September 2000. It’s still a magnificent place to watch a hockey game. But in 25 years, it has not undergone a significant facelift. The building requires functional updates including the HVAC system, cabling and wiring, kitchens and bathrooms, as well as a second escalator to improve the vertical flow. The home locker room area is virtually the same as it was in 2000. There’s no video room that can fit more than four or five players, so full team video work is done in the locker room. Plus, the Wild would like to improve the fan experience by offering a wider variety of concessions and clubs on all building levels. Xcel Energy Center is also the heartbeat of St. Paul nightlife, so an arena renovation could trigger redevelopment around the arena and revitalize downtown with the possible addition of a hotel, residential areas, retail and restaurants. Bettman weighed in Thursday, making it clear that he thinks the Wild deserve public money because of what they and the arena do for downtown St. Paul, the surrounding community and the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aIa1uw
DNC: From Torey Van Oot via Axios, VERBATIM: “The longtime Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chair could be promoted this weekend to leader of the Democratic National Committee. Why it matters: The winner takes the reins of a party that's still reeling from 2024 losses and divided about how to rebuild under a second Trump presidency. The big picture: Saturday's eight-way race to succeed outgoing DNC chair Jaime Harrison is shaping up to be a Midwestern border battle between Minnesota DFL chair Ken Martin and Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jwo6iO
SNOW BUSINESS: From Sarah Alain via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “For some, snow means money. And the lack of the white stuff can impact a business’ bottom line. ‘It’s been a little slow. The lack of snow really hasn’t helped,’ said Jordan Deutcher with Heinen Motorsports in Osseo. Deutcher says snowmobile sales are down 20 percent from a typical year.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3CFUezR
JUSTICE: From Sheletta Brundidge via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Experts estimate between 6% and 15% of people are wrongfully convicted. According to the Journal of Medicine, Science and the Law, about 2.3 million people are incarcerated which equates to between 138,000 and 354,200 of those individuals serving time for a crime they did not commit . . . Marvina Haynes and other families of loved ones wrongfully incarcerated, gathered at the Capitol in St. Paul on Jan. 24 to tell their stories. Marvina Haynes organized the event and her brother Marvin Haynes was one of the speakers. He was accused of a murder in 2004 when a man attempted to rob a family-run flower shop in north Minneapolis and shot and killed one of the family members who walked in on the scene.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hugtHY
WILD ABOUT READING: More than 500 Minnesota classrooms and 15,000 students are participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs, and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy – and the team dog, Rookie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: Wild About Reading SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources
TARGET: From Steve Karnowski via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Civil rights activists gathered outside the headquarters of Target Corp. on Thursday to call for a national boycott of the retailing giant over its decision to phase out its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Target announced last Friday that it would join competitor Walmart and a number of other prominent American brands in scaling back their DEI initiatives, which have come under attack from conservatives and the new White House of President Donald Trump. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a veteran civil rights lawyer in Minneapolis and founder of the Racial Justice Network, joined other local activists and their supporters at a news conference to urge people to begin the boycott on Saturday, the first day of Black History Month.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jBq0Pj
CRASH: From Mark Zdechlik and Anika Besst via MPR, VERBATIM: “The figure skating community in Minnesota and across the country was reeling Thursday, in the wake of Wednesday night’s plane crash in Washington, D.C. U.S. Figure Skating said several of its team members were aboard the American Airlines plane that collided with an Army helicopter — skaters, coaches and families returning from a training camp in Wichita, Kansas. That camp had followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. St. Paul Figure Skating Club coach and skating director Ben Miller Reisman told MPR News that as of Thursday morning, he had not heard of any Minnesotans among the victims of the crash.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hmXKi0
MORE: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “One of the 67 people killed in Wednesday's deadly air collision in Washington, DC is originally from Minnesota, according to online posts by family members. A verified GoFundMe page says Wendy Jo Shaffer was on board American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter on approach to Reagan National Airport.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WJ3ZEl
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
SNOW EMERGENCIES: From Kyle Stokes via Axios, VERBATIM: “St. Paul is launching a limited experiment with one-sided street parking this weekend. Why it matters: If the experiment works, it could lead to big changes in the Capital City's approach to clearing streets during snow emergencies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40GLqSw
TELEMARKETING: From Matt Sepic via MPR, VERBATIM: “A long-running telemarketing scam in which dozens of people fleeced 150,000 mostly elderly victims across the country out of $300 million would still be operating if not for the extensive help of a key perpetrator, a federal prosecutor in Minneapolis revealed this week. Before sentencing Wayne R. Dahl Jr. to two years of supervised release, U.S. District Judge John Tunheim praised the defendant for his ‘extraordinary cooperation’ in a decade-long investigation that led to five dozen convictions.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40HSaPU
LOWERTOWN: From Dark Horse Bar & Eatery via Instagram, VERBATIM: “With the heaviest heart, we would like to inform you all that we are closing our doors the 14th of February. It was not an easy decision and we are all completely heart broken. This business is not for the weak hearted and we gave it our absolute best, like Paddy would say— ‘a good ole college try.’” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3Cj17Hu
BRINGING SAFETY TO “THE NEXT LEVEL” - As part of Enbridge’s work on the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota, Enbridge has brought in family-owned and Indigenous-owned Northern Lights Family Outfitters to fully outfit project workers right on the job site with personal protective equipment (PPE) from its 48-foot mobile trailer. “Enbridge really brings safety to the next level,” says Patti, a project liaison for Enbridge and the Fond du Lac Band. “It’s really helpful to have a mobile unit, especially for this kind of work. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OQYmjn (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
ESSENTIA: From T Kaldahl via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Nurses at Essentia Health Sandstone could go on strike soon. Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) leaders voted to authorize a possible strike Wednesday night, saying their ongoing contract talks with hospital leaders continue to stall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hzKqGw
SUN COUNTRY: From Katrina Bailey via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Sun County Airlines and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) announced Thursday that they have reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement covering the airlines about 800 flight attendants, according to a press release from the airline.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WBaVDh
VINYL: From Sam Stroozas and Ben Hovland via MPR, VERBATIM: “At the Outta Wax pressing plant there are five key characters. The first four are Sara Pette and her brother John, Pette’s best friend Alex Stillman and a dog named Tulip found outside the warehouse who is now the CEO. The fifth character is the south side of Minneapolis. In a former mascot and costume building in the Phillips neighborhood, Outta Wax Record Pressing & Lathe Cutting greets guests with a big red door reading ‘It spins!’ Inside, Pette and Stillman have spent the last six months making and packaging thousands of records in their own little universe.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/3PZCrGW
TOMORROW: The Red Bull Heavy Metal snowboarding contest in St. Paul. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4gkVKFx
SUNDAY: Via Bike Jerks, VERBATIM: “The Largest Bike Swap in Minnesota! Come check out the finest bicycles, parts, and gear from your favorite Minnesota bike pickers, mechanics, shops, brands, hoarders, collectors, riders and lovers. Tables and tables of the good stuff. Rare, hard to find, vintage, and modern.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4aCG1jZ
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
GENDER: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Members of Minnesota's transgender community are reeling after President Donald Trump's executive order that would end gender-affirming medical treatments for children and teenagers under the age of 19. It's the latest move targeting members of the trans community. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender troops from serving. He also signed an order recognizing two sexes, male and female. ‘You know, the experience of this has been very hard on all of us, including myself, but we're not going anywhere and we're gonna fight every step of the way to protect our rights,’ says Minnesota DFL State Representative Leigh Finke (St. Paul), who is transgender.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40FO76E
IMMIGRATION: From Jeremy Olson via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Hospitals in Minnesota are advising their employees on what to do if immigration agents show up — a possibility that had been remote until last week, when the federal government lifted its own restriction on enforcement actions around health care facilities. Hospital workers at Children’s Minnesota and Hennepin Healthcare received written guidance over the past week reminding them to preserve patients’ federal privacy rights by not sharing information if government agents show up and to call security for help.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WBmv1y
NEXTGEN: From Ellen Galles via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most school-age kids had never heard the term ‘epidemiologist.’ But a new Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) program is working to change that. The goal of the ‘Inspire’ program is to teach kids about the importance of public health and possible careers in the field.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/40SnpJu
Subscribe to other Fluence newsletters
BACON: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “Check out this spot BBDO MW cooked up for HORMEL BLACK LABEL OVEN READY Thick Cut Bacon. It’s a new product that takes care of the prep work and the cleanup for makin’ bacon. It’s innovation so groundbreakin’, you’ll be bakin’ bacon as soon as you awaken.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3EktLsk
PIPER: Via Investing, VERBATIM: “[Minneapolis-based] Piper Sandler (NYSE: PIPR) reported fourth quarter EPS of $4.80, $0.87 better than the analyst estimate of $3.93. Revenue for the quarter came in at $499M versus the consensus estimate of $454.61M.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jIqMKv
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
VALENTINE’S DAY: Via MplsStPaul, recommended restaurants for February 14th. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/40ypxEO
EMMYS: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “Attention, video media students and teachers. Entries are now open for the 2025 Upper Midwest Emmy Foundation Student Production Awards.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Q07q5Y
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 © 2025 Lunch Take, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Golden Valley, MN 55427