lunch take | St. Paul Tax Increase to Hit Poor Hardest, GOP Leader on Possible Special Session
9.8.25
54% of Americans view capitalism favorably, down from 60% in 2021. The nation’s impression of socialism has been relatively steady. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/4nol6Gw
Was Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve in Massachusetts or California Saturday night? It depends on who you ask. READ: https://fluence-media.co/46t5fRe
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42kqAd0
A teacher, and a police officer. A DFLer and a Republican on Sunday Take A discussion with GOP Rep. Jeff Witte and DFL Sen. Steve Cwodzinski on how the state should move forward after the Annunciation Church mass shooting. LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3V1bEg9
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.
ST PAUL: Via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “St. Paul homeowners can expect one of the largest property tax increases in recent memory next year, and the city’s poorest neighborhoods will be hit especially hard. The market values of residential properties in Ramsey County are up nearly 5% over last year, while apartments and commercial buildings are down about 2-3% and agricultural land is down nearly 17%. Those changing values mean homeowners must cover a greater share of the property tax burden at a time when the city, county and school district are planning big increases to their tax levies. Meanwhile, about $1 out of every $7 of market value in the city is a property that doesn’t pay taxes, such as a college, government building, church or other nonprofit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m7PWlM
SD26: From Fluence Media’s Blois Olson via X, VERBATIM: “Developing - @jeremyrmiller will NOT seek re-election to the Minnesota Senate. #mnleg” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4gedRP5
MORE: From Sen. Miller via X, VERBATIM: “Other than marrying my amazing wife and the birth of our three wonderful boys, serving in the Minnesota Senate has been one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/46fPkEB
VACCINES: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “State leaders are considering ways to preserve access to COVID-19 vaccines in Minnesota if federal health authorities decide later this month to discourage or limit their use. Minnesota already empowers pharmacists to prescribe COVID-19 vaccines without prescriptions, regardless of any guidance from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which under President Donald Trump is largely composed of vaccine skeptics. Pharmacists in the state need only comply with requirements from the Food and Drug Administration, which last month approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines for the elderly and adults and some children with underlying health conditions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ndQOpQ
CANVASSING: Via news release from the Robin Wonsley campaign, VERBATIM: “This morning, Ward 2 City Council Member Robin Wonsley and Minneapolis Park Board At-Large Candidate Michael Wilson filed a legal complaint against John Wall, who manages, operates, and owns two apartment buildings: The Flats at Malcolm Yards and The Station at Malcolm Yards . . . Since April, Wall has been involved in a number of attempts to disenfranchise voters in Ward 2, including serving on a Ward 2 DFL credentials committee, composed of paid ‘We Love Mpls’ staff and Frey donors like himself, which organized to eject nearly 85 DFLers who did not support their preferred candidate. Starting in July, Wall has employed tactics to prevent the Wonsley and Wilson campaigns from doorknocking in two apartment buildings, with a total of 353 units and a larger number of residents. Following an attempt to schedule a doorknock, Wall indicated hostility to Wonsley and Wilson’s policy positions on rent control.” COMPLAINT: https://fluence-media.co/45T1rsj
TODAY: Via SEIU Local 26, VERBATIM: “Janitors who are members of SEIU Local 26 who are subcontracted to clean the Hennepin County Government Plaza will speak out demanding their jobs back after they were let go last week despite a combined over 180 years of service between the seven workers. The workers, mostly immigrants, have initiated an EEOC investigation around discrimination. The workers and their union, SEIU Local 26, have been pressing the employer and the county for answers to why these dedicated workers were let go, despite the fact that none of the workers have documented disciplines.”
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GUNS: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz, in announcing his intention to call a special session, said the public is with Democrats on gun control and Republicans risked public backlash by voting against it. ‘If you ask the public about an assault weapon ban, it polls at about 80%. So if you want to go to the next election against the public here when we had an opportunity to do something about this, then I leave that to you,’ Walz said. Banning assault weapons only polls that high with Democrats, but past polls show it does have support from a majority of Minnesotans.” POLLS: https://fluence-media.co/4mRV7an
MORE: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “State Rep. and GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska told WCCO-TV that Walz knows he needs support from other Republicans in order to get anything done. Walz and Niska have discussed it but there's resistance to the things the governor is proposing.” NISKA: "Republicans that I've been talking to, that I've heard from, are focused on things that are politically feasible and things that are going to work," Niska says. "And what we've seen from in terms of, you know, a ban on so-called assault weapons, is it was tried on a federal level. It didn't work. It didn't move the needle in terms of reducing gun violence at all." LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3V6Ctzr
MORE: Via MMA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) and four other physician advocacy organizations sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz on September 5 urging him to call a special legislative session to ‘pass legislation to address the devastating death and injuries from firearms and gun violence.’”
CAMAROON: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Two Minnesota residents orchestrated kidnappings, bombings and killings in their native country of Cameroon, according to a recent indictment. Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, were indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday. Both defendants are naturalized U.S. citizens and were living in Minnesota at the time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3V9wY30
MORE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Mr. Kuah, who uses the title chairman of the war council of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, is the movement’s top military leader. Mr. Wongbi, a member of the war council, uses the title head of defense, logistics and human resources, according to prosecutors.” QUOTE: “Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence,” Joseph H. Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said in a statement. “Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46fw229
ENCAMPMENT: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A real estate developer has allowed dozens of people to stay on an empty lot that he owns in the Longfellow neighborhood, racking up at least $15,000 in fines for public health citations. But unless he’s presented with a court order, Hamoudi Sabri said there’s nothing the city can do to make him close off his property from people who need a place to sleep. Mayor Jacob Frey is expected to brief city council members on possible legal action Monday morning in a special closed-door meeting, which could be followed by a public vote on how best to proceed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gadg0E
TWIN PORTS: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “With school back in session, local businesses around the colleges in the Twin Ports have seen an uptick in activity at their establishments. We spoke with the Perk Place Coffeehouse and Crooked Pint Ale House, both mere blocks away from the University of Minnesota Duluth and the College of St. Scholastica. According to the businesses, the timing of the busy season has changed each year since the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, it was two weeks before Labor Day weekend, while last year it was during Labor Day.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4pv4Buf
REPORT: Via news release from the Attorney General’s office, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today released his Office’s second ‘Working for Workers’ report, an annual report issued around the Labor Day holiday. The report details the work done by Wage Theft Division in the Attorney General’s Office, which Attorney General Ellison established in 2019 . . . The report describes how the Wage Theft Division has been working to enforcing Minnesota law on behalf of workers, including by winning restitution for victims of wage theft at Evergreen Acres and winning restitution for victims of employer misclassification fraud at gig work company Arise Virtual Solutions. The report also highlights recent changes in Minnesota law that support workers, including requirements that certain businesses post salary ranges in job descriptions and a new test to determine whether construction workers are employees or independent contractors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gbnmON REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/469VUfF
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SOCIAL MEDIA: Via news release from Rep. Angie Craig, VERBATIM: “Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig introduced legislation to require social media companies to block access to their platforms on K-12 campuses during school hours. Her No Social Media at School Act would put the onus on social media companies to keep kids off their platforms while at school. Under Rep. Craig’s bill, states’ attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would have the power to enforce the law in the case that the companies fail to comply. The No Social Media at School Act also provides exemptions for public safety, nonprofits and educational purposes, allowing teachers to use educational platforms in their curricula.”
MORE: Via MSNBC, Rep. Craig talked about the bill this morning on Morning Joe. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3V41eMP
E-BIKES: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Over 14,000 Minnesotans applied for the state's scaled-back e-bike rebate pilot program in its second year, the Department of Revenue tells Axios. The big picture: That's on par with the application numbers from 2024, when both the rebate amount and the pool of eligible residents were larger.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mSv5Ux
FIRE TRAINING: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Multiple emergency service providers were present at Bemidji Regional Airport on Friday to train for a situation that hopefully will never occur. To prepare for a worst-case scenario, the airport held a live-action plane crash simulation with numerous first responders and agencies on hand.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gi7Y3k
MADE IN MN: Via Minnesota Chamber, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO today announced the top 32 products in the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota’ contest. Each of these Minnesota-made products earned their spot by winning a head-to-head matchup in the opening round of the top 64 bracket. The public is invited to begin voting for this round today at 12:00 p.m.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4mLrasJ
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Chamber is a Fluence sponsor)
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)
FLIGHTS: Frontier Airlines will add two flights a week from MSP to Chicago beginning in November. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3VARn14
ROAD WORK: Via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Resurfacing is set to begin on Highway 52 northbound, north of Zumbrota, beginning on Monday, Sep. 8, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Construction crews will be resurfacing lanes on Highway 52, as well as Highway 60 to north of Goodhue County Road 7. MnDOT said this resurfacing will provide a smoother ride for motorists.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ngu4oZ
POT: Via news release from Pop Mamas, VERBATIM: “Pot Mamas Dispensary & Boutique, a pioneering women-led cannabis retail concept, today announced its upcoming launch across multiple Minnesota locations, positioning itself as one of the state's first retail cannabis establishments. Sisters Shayna Hoechst, incoming CEO, and Erin Pash, President, are set to open locations in Woodbury, Mendota Heights, and Edina, with two additional locations in undisclosed markets currently in development.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pkpsjN
PODCAST: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “From Oct. 13 to the 50th anniversary of the loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Nov. 10, the Duluth News Tribune will be releasing weekly podcast episodes on the famed shipwreck.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mOz84d
WEDNESDAY: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Leech Lake Emergency Management announced today that, in cooperation with the USDA Food Sovereignty program, they have one last storm impact distribution planned.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4peHJim
THIS FALL: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “LIVE from Minneapolis and St. Paul, it’s... Monday night! Or Wednesday night! Or yes, of course, Saturday night! This fall, you can find something going down on any of our myriad stages on any night of the week.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4p7AYyF
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
NORTH SHORE: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “As the days shorten, the waters of Minnesota’s greatest lake draw folks to soak up their last outdoor moments before the cold sets in. In Duluth, agate hunters parsed the sands at Park Point Beach, a group of young men foot-raced along the Duluth Harbor North Breakwater Lighthouse pier and cyclists enjoyed the lake walk. Bare feet navigated the chilly rocks at Artist’s Point in Grand Marais while campers took in the expansive views at Temperance River State Park. The peaceful sough of waves on rocks sings a beautiful farewell to Northern summer.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/3KbYN8r
MAPLE GROVE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “A new restaurant is coming to Maple Grove that aims to provide authentic Japanese and Tibetan cuisine. Apa Sushi will occupy space in The Grove shopping center off Interstate 94 and Maple Grove Parkway.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47zpHRE
BDAYS: fmr. Strib columnist Neal St. Athony, St. Paul leader Kathy Lantry, mom of Molly – Connie Coleman
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