87% of Americans say it’s at least somewhat likely the country will be attacked by a foreign government using AI. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/3Wpj1ym
The water tower in Pequot Lakes is, as of this writing, in third place in a national “tank of the year” competition. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3ISk5b4
A tornado that hit North Dakota in June has been upgraded to an EF-5, the first U.S. twister to get that rating in 12 years. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3KEMW39
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4o6GYq2
What are the headwinds and tailwinds facing the regional economy? - Sunday Take featured UMN’s Myles Shaver discussing the current state of the headquarters economy in Minnesota. LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3IPKVR8
Blois
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Fluence Advisory hosted a cannabis forum on the “State of Cannabis in Minnesota including an interview with Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management Eric Taubel.
AG: Via news release from the Schutz campaign, VERBATIM: “Ron Schutz, one of Minnesota’s most respected lawyers and a nationally recognized leader in the legal field, announced his candidacy for Attorney General on Tuesday. Schutz, a veteran and longtime community leader, said he is entering the race because Minnesotans deserve an Attorney General who will ‘protect citizens, defend their rights, and restore integrity to the state’s top law office.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pYUSw9
PHILLIPS: In a wide-ranging interview with Twin Cities Business, former CD3 Rep. Dean Phillips talks about his three terms in congress and his realization that his esteem for the country’s leadership had been too high. QUOTE: “I loved [Joe Biden]. I want to give this backstory because it’s important. I have a couple of photos of him in my house in Minneapolis with my daughters, Daniela and Pia. He spent 30 minutes with them on the couch, answering every question on note cards from their class at Blake. But that man who was at my house 10 years ago compared to the man who I flew in Air Force One with and saw in front of our caucus … it was an astounding decline. Not senile and not Alzheimer’s and not unable to prosecute his job, but in rapid decline. And we all were talking about it in Congress. That’s what really flipped things, when I saw the people at the leadership table say, ‘We know, but we have to keep quiet.’ I was just astounded by a party that had so impugned our friends across the aisle for their support of Trump doing the exact same thing on our side, lying to Americans, but most importantly, facilitating the return of [Trump].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48jgJrT
MORE: Phillips described the current government shutdown as “among the most shameful, shameful failures of our congress, of our president, and of our institutions imaginable” in an interview with Chad Hartman on WCCO-Radio. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3IYnfdm
COLLIER: Via USA Today, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier is opening up about her decision to publicly criticize WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert‘s ‘tone-deaf and dismissive’ leadership. ‘I just got to the point where I was fed up,’ Collier said on Monday, nearly one week after delivering a scathing statement following the Lynx’s playoff elimination by the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals. ‘No matter the consequences, I felt like it was something that needed to be done.’ Collier spoke to former Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday during ‘A Day of Unreasonable Conversation,’ a one-day summit held annually in Los Angeles for changemakers, storytellers and activists.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VQoe2f
TILE SHOP: Via Investing, VERBATIM: “[Plymouth-based] Tile Shop Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTSH), a specialty retailer with a market capitalization of $263 million and annual revenue of $340 million, announced Monday that its board has approved a plan to delist from the Nasdaq Capital Market and terminate its SEC reporting obligations following a proposed reverse stock split expected to be completed in December 2025. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company currently trades above its Fair Value.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nE0QB4
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)
TODAY: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case that could reverse or solidify state laws across the country that ban a controversial counseling practice for LGBTQ+ youth. The case challenges a 2019 Colorado law that bans ‘conversion therapy’ for children and teens. Conversion therapy is a catchall term for efforts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ+ people. Sometimes called ‘reparative therapy,’ it can range from talk therapy and religious counseling to electrical shocks, pain-inducing aversion therapy and physical isolation. The therapy has been widely discredited by medical groups. More than half of states — including some led by Republicans — have banned or restricted the practice for children and teens since California became the first to do so in 2012, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a left-leaning nonprofit research organization that tracks LGBTQ+-related laws and policies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KEu0S7
MORE: Governor Tim Walz signed Minnesota’s ban in 2023. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4gZZ230
UOFM: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota is slated to sell its historic Eastcliff mansion, which has served as the U’s presidential residence and event space for six decades, to the University of Minnesota Foundation for $2.2 million. If the sale is approved by the Board of Regents on Thursday, the U will retain ownership of the property’s 1.62 acres and will lease the house and other structures along the Mississippi River in St. Paul from the foundation for a 40-year term. The U will pay no rent but will be responsible for ongoing maintenance and operating expenses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48kwqiy
UMD: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “University of Minnesota Duluth workers kicked off a campaign Monday to join a union. The group of workers and some local lawmakers gathered outside the Kirby Student Center on Monday morning. SEIU Local 284 hosted the event. That union group already represents 10,000 school employees across Minnesota, including higher education workers.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3IWb4hb
RICHFIELD: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “In Richfield, immigrant businesses aren’t just surviving — they’re shaping the city’s economy and community. Roughly 17 percent of the city’s population were born outside the United States . . . Businesses near the intersections of 66th Street and Penn Avenue and 66th Street and Nicollet Avenue represent the growing diversity of the suburb just south of Minneapolis. This includes the new Loma Bonita Market opening just across the street from El Tejaban. Simon Joel Trautmann Cordova served on the Richfield City Council for nearly eight years and now leads a law group that works closely with immigrant business owners. He says Richfield has become a hub for first- and second-generation entrepreneurs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47cZTKf
GOLDEN VALLEY: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “After spending months on administrative leave, Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green resigned on Friday, Oct. 3. Green had been accused of interfering with an internal investigation and leaking video footage from an active investigation to local news outlets. Speaking to CCX News on Monday, Golden Valley Mayor Roslyn Harmon said the situation is ‘very hard — a lot of emotions.’” HARMON: “All of this has just been really difficult, and you know, there’s two sides right? There’s two sides,” she said. “I was there when we brought Chief Green in, and so, just all of it is just — it’s hard.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3ITWGG4
HERMANTOWN: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “A mystery Fortune 50 company is looking to build a major data center in Hermantown — a project that could reshape the city’s economy while raising questions about its environmental impact. The proposed 1.8 million–square-foot facility would rise near the intersection of Midway Road and Morris Thomas Road, a largely undeveloped area eyed for industrial growth. On Monday night, the Hermantown City Council adopted the final Industrial Alternative Urban Area-wide Review (AUAR), an eight-month environmental study examining how the site could be developed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KBn4VP
40 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited (DU) are celebrating 40 years of partnership, a longevity landmark that makes Flint Hills one of DU’s longest-standing corporate partners. Working together over the past four decades, Flint Hills and DU have contributed to conserving more than 250,000 acres of wildlife habitat and natural areas in Minnesota and over 900,000 acres across North America. LEARN MORE: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited Celebrate 40 Years of Partnership (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
PROPERTY TAX: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “On the heels of a 16% property tax increase, the city of Crystal could lock in another nearly 16% hike for next year. City leaders say the more than 30% increase is needed and will set the city up for a more stable future with much smaller levies. Still, Mayor Julie Deshler says she is working to chip down the 15.87% maximum levy — which she said would cost a family an average of $20 more per month — that she and the council set for 2026 as they continue to work through the budget.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gZGH5T
REPLACEMENTS: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis punk band The Replacements, who pioneered the alternative rock genre and inspired some of the biggest names in ’90s music, like Nirvana and The Goo Goo Dolls, are about to be the subject of a long-awaited biopic. In a report released by Variety, the trade magazine announced that Stranger Things and It actor Finn Wolfhard is adapting Bob Mehr’s New York Times bestselling biography Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements for the big screen.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mSKsvy
PET TREATS: Via news release from General Mills-owned Blue Buffalo, VERBATIM: “Today, Blue Buffalo, beloved natural pet food and treats brand, announced it is partnering with model, actress, host, and entrepreneur Olivia Culpo to kick off football season in style. Culpo and her pup Oliver Sprinkles are helping launch Blue Buffalo’s new Treats-focused creative campaign via a new ad spot and social content highlighting Nudges Steak Grillers, Homestyle Meatballs, and Chicken Jerky Cuts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mUsF70
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)
RETAIL: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Outdoor gear and appeal brand L.L.Bean will open a new store in the Twin Cities next year. The Maine-based retailer, which has a 29,000-square-foot anchor store at Mall of America, is currently building out a brand new location at The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46D6Sfm
MORE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Boot Barn, a store dedicated to Western wear, has opened in Maple Grove in the Arbor Lakes Retail Center. City officials joined business leaders with a ribbon cutting to celebrate the new store on Friday, Oct. 3.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3J0x1vs
LEAVES: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s state parks are swapping quiet trails for bumper-to-bumper leaf-seeker lines as the fall color craze begins. So far at least, it is far busier than you may be ready for. The Department of Natural [Resources’] Lauren Peck says that while staff are ready, the sheer number of weekend visitors means popular park parking lots, like those at Jay Cooke and Gooseberry Falls, are quickly reaching full capacity.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mQRcde
NIRON: Via Minneapolis-based Niron, VERBATIM: “Niron Magnetics, the company pioneering the world’s first high-performance, rare-earth-free permanent magnets made from Iron Nitride, announced the appointment of Shyamli Mohamed as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Shyamli will lead Niron’s financial strategy, fundraising, and capital planning in support of the company’s rapid growth as it scales its breakthrough magnet technology.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mW7Dot
OCT 22: Via news release from Graco, VERBATIM: “Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG) announced today that it will release its Third Quarter 2025 earnings after the New York Stock Exchange closes on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48S90kO
OCT 29: Via news release from C.H. Robinson, VERBATIM: “C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRW), announced today that it will issue its third quarter 2025 results after the market closes on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. The company will hold a conference call at 5:30 pm Eastern Time on the same day to discuss the quarterly results and answer live questions from the investment community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mS3lyq
OCT 30: Via news release from Xcel, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) will host a conference call to review third quarter 2025 financial results. The earnings report will be released prior to the market open on the same date.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o6hrgP
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NORTH LOOP: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Dave’s Hot Chicken will open in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood Friday. The fried chicken chain’s newest location will blend historic preservation with modern design, occupying a roughly 4,000-square-foot space in the Duffey Lofts building along Washington Avenue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nIl8JU
BDAYS: reporter Ellen Galles Charcut, fmr. Rep. John Kriesel, PR pro Pam McCurdy, city councilor Emily Koski, marketer Patrick Klinger
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