World Cup visitors have discovered our greatest treasure and are attempting to smuggle it back home. From the TSA via Instagram: “days since the last airport ranch incident: 0” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4uNBNhD
40% of adults from 120 countries say where they live is a good place for gay and lesbian people to live – higher than in two previous polls, but down from the peak in 2020. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/4oBe2bm
The new Drought Monitor out this morning (reflecting data as of Tuesday) shows the percentage of the state in need of rain ticked up a bit. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
Sports Take is feeling sad for Byron Buxton, glad for Olivia Miles and intrigued by a Minnesota teen who should be a first-round pick in next week’s NHL draft. That and much more coming this afternoon.
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Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SvMJDe
Sunday Take featured DFL Reps. Kelly Moller and Mike Howard remembering the life and legacy of Melissa Hortman one year after her passing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gfrsri
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THURSDAY HEADLINES
POLL: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “More than 70% of nearly 1,000 Axios Twin Cities readers who took our survey picked northeast Minnesota — including the North Shore, Iron Range and Boundary Waters — as their ideal in-state summer vacation destination. Our poll was inspired by X user @TonyLiebert, who drew this map and then asked the region where you would vacation.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4eqRbKN
JOBS: Via DEED, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s unemployment rate inched down one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.4% in May, reflecting the state’s progress toward closing a gap with the national unemployment rate (flat over the month at 4.3%) according to data released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a7iOY2
REPORT: Via UofM, VERBATIM: “A decade after Minnesota Carlson Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship Professor Myles Shaver first identified the Twin Cities region as a premier ‘Headquarters Economy,’ new research released in a white paper confirms the region’s superpower — talent retention — remains unshaken despite changes to the area and the world of work . . . While the region struggles to attract non-Minnesotans, it excels at keeping those who arrive. When presented with hypothetical job scenarios, respondents — including Minnesota transplants — reported a preference for switching industries rather than relocating from the Twin Cities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vev0yJ
MORE: From the report:
QUOTE: “We consider the increase in dual career households a tailwind with respect to talent retention in the region. This is because respondents in dual career households report being even less willing to look for opportunities outside of the region relative to those in one career households. Having two jobs encourages talent retention. Importantly, the Twin Cities region is a leader in providing career opportunities for both spouses.” REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4oJfGry
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Business Partnership, which partnered on the research, is a Fluence Advisory Client)
PLYMOUTH: Via Plymouth-based Daikin, VERBATIM: “Daikin Applied, a global leader in commercial and industrial HVAC solutions, has broken ground on a $30 million Solutions & Technical Institute in Plymouth, Minnesota . . . Designed as a centralized hub for technical, engineering, sales, leadership and customer training, the facility will help employees, partners and customers develop the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly advancing HVAC industry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QpWmmq
CD1: From Unrig Our Economy via YouTube, a new ad featuring a teacher from Alden calling out Rep. Brad Finstad for his tariff vote. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4er7QOl
LOBBYING: New data out this week shows who lobbied lawmakers at the state capitol this past session, but while lobbyists are required to disclose the subject matter involved, there’s no requirement to get super specific. Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “According to Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, executive director at Minnesota Common Cause, 18 states including neighboring Wisconsin require lobbyists to say what legislation they lobbied about and if they were for or against the bill in question. But in Minnesota, Belladonna-Carrera said, ‘there is limited accountability that obscures the real impact of lobbying.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4egjLQl
ST CLOUD: Via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “The District 742 School Board at its meeting on Wednesday night, June 17, approved a $194 million 2026-27 budget, driven by higher-than-expected enrollment and rising costs. The spending plan projects about $194 million in revenues and expenditures, an increase of roughly 8% over the current year, Executive Director of Finance and Business Services Amy Skaalerud told the board. Student enrollment is about 200 students higher than expected, increasing both revenue and the need for additional staff and classroom support.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xCi6w2
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)
DRINKS
BEER: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Most days at Modist Brewing Co., Bri Smith is focused on the same responsibilities as any head brewer: managing production, supporting her team, and solving whatever problems come up along the way.
At the same time, she’s navigating an industry where she doesn’t often see people who look like her. She is the first head brewer in Minnesota known to be a Black woman. Premiering on Juneteenth at Wooden Ship Brewing Co., Smith tells her story in a 10-minute film.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vitJ9M
WINE: Via Hoodline, VERBATIM: “Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants is lining up Minnetonka and Woodbury for its first crack at the Minnesota market, a move that would drop the chain’s wine-club-and-tasting-room setup into two busy Twin Cities suburbs. If it comes together, the combo of full-service dining, in-house wines and a retail market would add another sit-down option to both communities’ shopping corridors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eBynZD
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)
HOUSING
BROOKLYN PARK: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “A Brooklyn Park multifamily housing project is taking a step forward . . . Welcome West would be a 4-story building with 100 units that include a mix of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments. According to city documents, the apartments would be considered affordable, with every unit serving residents who make 60 percent of area median income (AMI).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oAuOHz
BAXTER: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Baxter City Council members approved a new high-density, single-family residential zoning district during a meeting last month.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4a4bo86
MINNEAPOLIS: The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports Hennepin County has dedicated $480k toward the redevelopment of a grain silo and elevator along Hiawatha Avenue into apartments. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Qaqv9j
NUMBERS: New data from Zillow shows 89% of rental housing in the Twin Cities is considered affordable to median-income households – nationwide it’s 74%. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4vlyeAD
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
MINNEAPOLIS: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Vintage shoppers have a new option downtown Minneapolis this summer. Gabby Paulouse is setting up during the first week of the new downtown Vintage Emporium in the IDS center . . . It’s part of the Downtown Council‘s effort to revitalize the area, and draw in shoppers downtown. Paulouse says it helps that vintage is all the rage these days.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4a88wqI
ROCHESTER: Via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Hanny’s Menswear is in the process of closing after serving the Rochester community for more than 80 years. The classic men’s retailer has been in business in the downtown subway since 1939, serving as a place to buy suits and ties for special occasions.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4oAGWrS
ST PAUL: Via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Once home to Cub Foods, a Walmart, an At Home Furniture store, a Herberger’s department store and a number of smaller shops, the Midway Marketplace on University Avenue in St. Paul has limped through the past few years pock-marked by major retail vacancies. A property sale this month has renewed hope in some corners that new anchor tenants could be on the way. Kraus-Anderson Inc. sold the Cub and Walmart parcels of the sizable strip mall property at 1450 University Ave. W. to a limited liability corporation, Gsc Re Saint Paul LLC, based in Paramus, NJ.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43Fg6Wf
RETAIL: Minneapolis is one of the markets listed for a new retail concept: Bed Bath & Beyond + The Container Store. Via Bed Bath & Beyond, READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SjHBlA
ACQUISITION: Via Minneapolis-based Deluxe, VERBATIM: “Deluxe (NYSE: DLX), a trusted payments and data company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Celero Commerce, a financial technology company focused on optimized payment solutions for small to mid-sized businesses and strategic partners, for $625 million, plus payment of certain seller transaction expenses and other adjustments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vmBOKO
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?
TOMORROW: Via UofM, Juneteenth events around the Twin Cities. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4egQPHV
NEXT MONTH: Via St. Paul-based Ecolab, VERBATIM: “Ecolab will host a live webcast to discuss its second quarter 2026 results. A news release containing second quarter results is expected to be issued before market open on July 28, 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eqKoCl
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
TRAVEL: From Minnesota Monthly, recommendations for summer getaways that don’t require a passport. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4viXOWZ
PEACE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Irene Koski, a former Maple Grove City Council member who served during a time of rapid growth in the city, has died.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QnDCUD
BDAYS: retired lobbyist Tom Lehman, activist Cara Letofsky, County Manager Ling Becker
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