The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Float from Hormel’s Jennie-O will feature a performance from T-Pain. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4g1xvfZ
Today’s 6:20 morning take on WCCO Radio with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Cy3Vjo
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TWINS: Via CBS Sports, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Twins have restructured their front office in the wake of former general manager Thad Levine's departure, the team announced Tuesday. Perhaps the biggest news comes above that level, though. Dave St. Peter, who has been the Twins' team president and CEO for 22 years, is stepping down and moving to a more hands-off role of ‘strategic advisor.’ As a result of this move, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey will now become the president of baseball operations and business operations. It appears that, at least for now, Falvey will continue to be the top decision-maker in terms of baseball moves while also taking over the business side.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3AGBIXb
MORE: From Fluence Media’s Blois Olson via X regarding Dave St. Peter, VERBATIM: “Note that @TwinsPrez hasn't only been the leader of the team, he has been a community leader, civic-minded and an asset of thoughtfulness to the entire state.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4fH2cqv
SURVEY: From Madison Roth via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis residents are ready to spend more this holiday season, according to a recent survey by London-based consulting firm Deloitte. In a survey of 440 consumers in and around Minneapolis in August and September, respondents said they expected to increase their holiday spending by about 15% this year compared to last. The firm’s surveys from 2022 and 2023 showed Minnesotans spending about $1,493 in the holiday season, but the 2024 iteration has Minnesotans spending $1,718 for the season.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hYmRsb
WORKPLACE SAFETY: Via Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, VERBATIM: “Minnesota's estimated workplace injury and illness rate decreased from 2022 to 2023. According to the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, the state had an estimated 2.9 OSHA-recordable, nonfatal, workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers in 2023; the estimated rate for 2022 was 3.8 cases per 100 FTE workers. The survey estimated Minnesota had 65,100 workers with OSHA-recordable, nonfatal, workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, compared to 85,400 estimated cases for 2022. There were 5,200 illnesses in 2023 and, of these, 3,000 were respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 cases. In 2022, there were 19,100 illnesses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UMKb23
MINNEAPOLIS: On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council is set to vote on creating a labor standards board to make labor-related recommendations to the council. Its 15 members would be divided – “five seats each for employers, employees, and community stakeholders” according to an MPR story. Mpls Downtown Council’s Adam Duininck and Mpls Regional Chamber’s Mike Logan, on WCCO-Radio’s The Morning News, talked about why some oppose the plan with Logan describing it as a “solution in search of a problem.” LOGAN: “Existing law is there for work protection. Existing channels of communication exist for employees. We really look at this as an overreach.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48NbAqj
AUDIT: Via Office of the Legislative, a performance audit released this morning on the Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and the Blind. VERBATIM: “The Minnesota State Academies generally did not comply with the significant finance-related legal requirements we tested and generally did not have adequate internal controls. We identified a number of instances of noncompliance and internal control weaknesses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4evzoA6 REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/3YM1j93
PRODUCING FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers s 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)
TRUMP: From Jessie Van Berkel via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Voters feeling the financial crunch of high prices helped return President-elect Donald Trump to office. But for some of the lowest income and most vulnerable Minnesotans who rely on federal safety net programs, last week’s election rekindled familiar concerns. In his last term, Trump proposed cuts to a slew of programs that help poor families and people with disabilities afford health care, food and housing. It remains to be seen whether he will resurface those efforts, many of which failed to make it through Congress or were later blocked. But as Republicans seek to extend tax breaks set to expire in 2025, policy experts predict the president-elect will be looking at entitlement programs — namely Medicaid — to help offset costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eu8ybw
ST PAUL: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced Tuesday that $40 million worth of medical debt has been wiped away for 32,000 people. Carter says the goal is to help 43,000 St. Paul residents who are struggling to pay for expenses to become medical debt-free within the year. These people are either considered to be low-income or have very high bills.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eqHeuQ
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CRYSTAL: From Emily Haugen via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Candidates for Crystal’s Ward 3 council race are currently separated by one vote. It’s something that hasn’t happened in Crystal in recent history. John Budziszewski, the incumbent candidate, currently has 1,129 votes. Wade Girard trails him by just one vote, at 1,128 votes. Girard asked the city for a recount, which it will pay for.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YNvk8N
WEDNESDAY: Via AARP, VERBATIM: “People are 20 times more likely to save for retirement if contributions are automatically deducted from their paychecks. Minnesota’s Secure Choice Retirement Program is a new state-sponsored plan designed to help small businesses offer employees an easy way to save for their future. Set to launch after January 2025, Secure Choice is:
Easy to administer
Zero employer fees
No fiduciary responsibility
Voluntary for employees
Join AARP Minnesota and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber for an insightful conversation on Secure Choice.” REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/3O3aVas (SPONSORED: AARP Minnesota)
TARGET: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Target stores across the country will open earlier and close later as the holiday shopping season approaches. According to a news release from the company, extended hours will begin on Black Friday, Nov. 29, with doors opening at 6 a.m. As in years past, stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Following Black Friday – from Nov. 30 until Dec. 23 – Target will offer extended store hours. It will open at 7 a.m. and customers will be able to make purchases until midnight.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4esVovJ
ROCHESTER: From Mike Bunge via KIMT-TV, VERBATIM: “A nonprofit group says Med City entrepreneurs are looking for help with three main barriers to their success. Collider Foundation says it held a series of engagement stations in October as part of its ‘Grassroots Growth: Exploring Rochester’s Entrepreneurial Landscape’ event. The foundation says more than 60 community leaders, funders, civic leaders, and entrepreneurs participated in these stations and three insights emerged from those discussions.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YGQBRr
“IT’S OUR PEOPLE’S LIVES THEY SAVE” - The Cass Lake Fire Department, located on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota, serves an area of 400 square miles, three counties, the city of Cass Lake and the Reservation. A foundational Enbridge donation has helped the department begin plans for building a new fire hall to replace its current home base, which the fire department has outgrown. “Our top needs are health and safety—having a decontamination hot zone, and another is training capacity,” says Robert, the chief of Cass Lake FD. Adds Diane, an Enbridge Tribal liaison and a Leech Lake Band member: “We want to see what the needs are out in the communities, and the fire department here is so important to everyone’s safety and well-being . . . it’s our people’s lives they save.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RfodC9 (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
ROADKILL: From Ava Kian via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “In 2023, according to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), about 1,200 animals were killed in car crashes, likely an undercount since all crashes aren’t necessarily reported, said DPS spokesman Eric Lightner in an email. The same year, the DNR issued 1,695 possession permits to people who wanted to take home roadkill, according to agency spokesman Joe Albert. That permit estimate is likely an undercount, as well, because local agencies also give out their own tags.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UOeeWS
BAKERY: From Dan Niepow via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “A deal five years in the making has finally come to fruition. Minneapolis-based restaurant operator Jester Concepts on Tuesday announced that it has acquired Rustica Bakery & Cafe. The deal includes the bakery’s two brick-and-mortar stores in Minneapolis and Edina, along with its wholesale operation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3AGgCIt
NE MPLS: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Straightline Dance Fitness in Northeast Minneapolis will close down this year after a decade in business. The group fitness studio's last day of classes will be Sunday, Dec. 22, owner and founder Gretchen Bierbaum-Albrecht announced Monday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YZiXaS
PEACE: From Kim Hyatt via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Jonathan Frieden loved being a county attorney and dreamed of being a judge. The Hubbard County Attorney applied for the bench, but he had to decline a job interview because he was dying, his wife, Sarah Frieden, told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Monday evening. Frieden, diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in the early summer of 2023, died Saturday. He was 43.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fidHoq
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FRIDAY: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A new restaurant is set to debut this week on St. Paul's Grand Avenue. Russell's, which opens Friday in the former Tavern on Grand space, promises ‘a comfortable, classic neighborhood spot’ offering American classics with a local twist.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40I5jKA
SATURDAY: From Addie McCabe via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “The Rochester Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is hosting a significant election event, this month, that will fill a number of open positions. The election is scheduled for November 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UOoFtP
THIS WEEKEND: From Audrey Kennedy via Axios, VERBATIM: “More than 300 of the world's top kendama players will be flipping, spiking and swinging with thousands of dollars on the line when North America's largest kendama tournament comes to Plymouth this weekend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40Kpp72
NEXT WEEK: From Anya Capistrant-Kinney via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Holiday light fanatics rejoice: the Glow Holiday Festival is back for another year at CHS field in St. Paul. The field, the usual home to the St. Paul Saints, is set to be taken over by the fest from Nov. 21, 2024 through Jan. 5, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O51MhK
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
MEATPACKERS: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “With 1.3 million chickens starving in barns across northern Iowa, state agriculture officials needed to decide what to do. The chickens’ owner, a company named Pure Prairie Poultry, had declared bankruptcy in late September, and said it could no longer afford to feed the birds. Eventually, state officials decided to euthanize them. Minnesota-based Pure Prairie launched in 2019 with aspirations to market premium air-chilled chicken to Midwestern supermarkets. The Biden administration and U.S. Agriculture Department had loftier ambitions: Pure Prairie could be part of a wide-ranging effort to inject new competition into the more than $200 billion meatpacking industry, dominated by a handful of huge companies. Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef control roughly 85% of U.S. beef processing. Three years later, some recipients of government grants or loan guarantees under the initiative have yet to break ground on new facilities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4esVGCL
EXPORTS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A global grain merchandiser is encouraged by an uptick in U.S. corn and soybean exports. CHS CEO Jay Debertin says foreign demand has slowly trended higher.” DEBERTIN: “North American grain results were more challenged largely due to export volumes earlier this year being particularly light, and we felt that being an export company. Volumes are picking up right now, and that’s great to see.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3UH2hCf
MARKETS: From Al Kluis via Successful Farming, VERBATIM: “The grain markets have turned lower with wheat futures getting hit hard. Last week the corn and soybean markets posted impressive gains after the bullish USDA reports. Wheat futures closed mixed to lower. The main factor today is the major rainfall event that moved through the dry areas of the southern Plains this weekend. This pressured wheat prices first during the overnight trade, and then weighed on corn and soybean prices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40IGCh1
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SAVILLEX: From Eden Prairie-based Savillex via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “Savillex is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Giesing as Chief Executive Officer. An accomplished leader with broad expertise in life sciences, Giesing has previously held leadership positions during pivotal growth periods for numerous life sciences companies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UNg3DG
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
ST PAUL: From Emma Salomon via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “For the 12th year, the Union Depot is once again serving as a premier Twin Cities holiday destination. Its Hub for the Holidays events series will bring holiday cheer to downtown St. Paul through a magical tree lighting, train rides, and plenty of treats, while running from Nov. 29 through Dec. 22.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40D3Oxb
BREAKFAST: From Justine Jones and Joy Summers via Eater Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “The glory of a great breakfast sandwich lies in its egg (crispy on the edges, with just enough yolk to soak deep into the bread); its bread (biscuits that hold; arepas that fry golden); and an all-important swipe of something lush and tangy, maybe an aioli or an herby chimichurri. After that, it's dealer's choice.” LIST/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3TA24AG
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