Looking for holiday lights? Axios has recommendations for finding the area’s Clark Griswolds. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4frG0QH
One of Kathi Hemken’s last acts as mayor of New Hope: baking 1,258 cookies. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gAjhmZ
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3P2n4wV
On Sunday Take, Rep. Angie Craig on the state of the Democratic party, her political future and possibility of a Farm Bill. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3BxVV20
Blois
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HEGSETH: From Sydney Kashiwagi via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Leading the entourage, Norm Coleman — Minnesota’s last Republican senator — guides Donald Trump’s secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth through the halls of the Senate.
Coleman has been a fixture at the Forest Lake native’s side as Hegseth has met with senators day after day amid a barrage of unflattering headlines about his past that have made his path to confirmation an uphill climb. ‘Nobody better than Senator Norm Coleman. It’s been an absolute honor to work with him. I’ve known him for years,’ Hegseth said without taking further questions as he, Coleman and his entourage head into the office of Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., for their fifth meeting of the day. At the start of the month, it looked like Hegseth might not get confirmed as questions about his drinking, sexual assault allegations and reports that Trump was weighing his replacement surfaced. But by the end of the first week of December, Hegseth had won Trump’s public support and began ramping up meetings with senators, all with Coleman at his side.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BCJVMC
GEN MILLS: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “General Mills slashed its annual profit forecast on Wednesday as the Cheerios maker ramped up investments in promotions to attract cost-conscious consumers, sending shares down about 4% in premarket trading. The company revived volumes by lowering prices across its product range, from snacks to pet food. However, it warned that higher-than-planned promotional spending would weigh on its annual profit. General Mills now expects annual adjusted profit to fall in the range of 1% to 3%, compared with the prior range of down 1% to up 1%. The company said it was significantly increasing media investment in the third quarter for its Pillsbury brand to attract customers in the key baking season, leading to higher selling, general, and administrative expenses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gkTsXA
MORE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “General Mills shares dropped after the breakfast-cereal maker scaled back profit expectations, even though its most-recent quarter beat analysts' forecasts. The maker of Lucky Charms and Bisquick pancake mix said Wednesday that sales rose in the most recent quarter, as lower prices helped boost volumes. Sales in the foodservice division increased 8% while pet-food sales rose 5%. Sales in its North America retail unit were flat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gHN3pe
UNITEDHEALTH: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “The Dow Jones Industrial Average is hitting the skids, weighed down in large part by UnitedHealth Group since one of its top executives was killed. The Dow fell 267 points Tuesday, closing 0.6% lower after nine straight days of declines — its longest losing streak since 1978. The downturn has coincided with a steep drop in the shares of UnitedHealthcare’s parent company since CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York City on Dec. 4. UnitedHealth Group’s stock has tumbled nearly 20% since then, while the index itself has slipped 3.4% over the period.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iKsElw
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)
DAM: From Hannah Yang via MPR, VERBATIM: “Metal barricades close access to the County Road 9 Bridge on Glacier Road near rural Rapidan. This used to be one of the busiest commuter roads in the area. Flood waters badly damaged the bridge in late June. Drivers will be redirected for the next several years as Blue Earth County demolishes and replaces the bridge. County engineer Ryan Thilges said contractors are preparing to take down the old structure.” THILGES: “They’re in that kind of evaluation and analysis stage of providing the county with a final plan for demolition that will then be reviewed by our structural engineers,” he said. “And once that’s approved, then they would begin removal operations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VF4YET
UTILITIES: Via Energy News Network, VERBATIM: “Amid a surge in utility shutoffs, and in the face of a groundbreaking study finding racial disparities in those outcomes, Minnesota’s largest utility is taking a closer look at the issue. In a November agreement with consumer groups and the state’s Public Utilities Commission, Xcel Energy has outlined a series of steps to provide more information to customers and make it easier for them to restore service. Xcel also agreed to hire an outside consultant to conduct a one-year study of disparity issues related to disconnections and outages and, separately, do its own analysis of outages. The move came in response to a University of Minnesota study released earlier this year that found that people of color were more likely than White households to have their service disconnected for falling behind on bills, even when controlling for income and home ownership status.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iF0VCx
STARTUPS: From Cam Bonelli via Minne Inno, VERBATIM: “Twelve years after Sara and David Russick founded angel investor network Gopher Angels, the duo is starting another organization, specifically for startups tied to the University of Minnesota. Although separate from the university, Discovery MN Angels is an angel investment network focused on investing and supporting startups that are either spun out of the university; started by alumni, faculty or students; or a company commercializing technology coming out of the university.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/409X5u9
TORO: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Toro Co. (TTC) on Wednesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $89.9 million. The Bloomington, Minnesota-based company said it had profit of 87 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 95 cents per share. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations . . . The landscaping, maintenance and irrigation equipment maker posted revenue of $1.08 billion in the period, which also fell short of Street forecasts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3P2T980
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 in January. Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
MOSQUE: From Andrew Hazzard via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “A threat forced a south Minneapolis mosque to cancel most programming this past weekend, and has leaders working to enhance security measures. Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center was threatened on social media on the evening of Friday, December 13, according to Mohamed Ali, the mosque’s executive director. The Minneapolis Police Department arrived at the mosque that night and alerted them to a threatening post on TikTok, Mohamed said. The mosque remained open for prayers, but cancelled all other instructional classes and community events for the weekend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZZ8cpz
ST THOMAS: From Frederick Melo via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “For the second time in two years, the city of St. Paul has given the greenlight to a new Division I sports stadium at the University of St. Thomas. Under legal pressure from neighborhood residents to double-check its math, the city recently published findings that the 4,000- to 5,500-seat Lee and Penny Anderson Arena — a Division I basketball and hockey arena already under construction — will not require deeper environmental review through an intensive process known as an Environmental Impact Statement. The arena is to be located at Grand and Cretin avenues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gHqWzq
WRESTLER: From Nicole Ki via MPR, VERBATIM: “When Devon Monroe enters a wrestling ring, he’s loud, energetic and oozes sex appeal . . . Since 2018, Monroe — whose real name is Rahgeme Snider — has been dazzling wrestling rings in the Twin Cities with bold outfits and a signature move exclusively using his ‘booty’ . . . Local wrestling fans know him through his larger-than-life personality. Everything about him is flashy and authentic to Monroe — his outfits, his wrestling moves and his storyline.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4fqjlnC
“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)
HWY 36: From Amirah Razman via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The speed limit on a section of Minnesota 36 in Roseville, Little Canada and North St. Paul has increased, and transportation officials say that should make it a safer stretch to drive on. The segment between I-35W in Roseville and Hilton Trail in Pine Springs previously was a 55 mph zone. It was increased to 60 mph last month after a routine engineering and traffic review conducted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gkQ6DY
ST LOUIS CTY: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “The St. Louis County Board unanimously approved its 2025 budget during a meeting Tuesday, December 17. The budget totals out at $504,403,199. This is the first time the county’s budget has been greater than $500 million. St. Louis County Communications Manager Dana Kazel said the budget supports investments in a range of county services including public safety, roads and bridges, public health and human services and general government while also factoring in significant inflationary impacts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41F2Uk3
TOMORROW: Via DEED, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, December 19, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Deputy Commissioner Kevin McKinnon and Labor Market Information Director Angelina Nguyen will be available to answer questions from the press regarding the latest employment data.”
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
CAMP: From Andy Steiner via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Adolescents with serious depression can feel stuck in their symptoms and ways of thinking, making it harder for them to recover from their mental illness. A series of two-week-long summer ‘Creativity Camps’ developed by two University of Minnesota professors has provided a new treatment approach for adolescents with depression, helping them to get unstuck by encouraging participants’ creativity. The results are impressive, the camp’s creators said, with many participants showing significant, lasting reduction in their depression symptoms.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/401JHIs
STRIKE: From Izzy Canizares via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “New Hope nursing home workers went on strike Friday morning, joining the picket lines amid ongoing union negotiations. Workers at Woodlake Nursing Home walked out on Friday at 6 a.m., joining their fellow SEIU union members in a five-day paid strike against conditions the nursing home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VGfdJ4
OPIOIODS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “In 2017, the drug industry middleman Express Scripts announced that it was taking decisive steps to curb abuse of the prescription painkillers that had fueled America’s overdose crisis. The company said it was ‘putting the brakes on the opioid epidemic’ by making it harder to get potentially dangerous amounts of the drugs. The announcement, which came after pressure from federal health regulators, was followed by similar declarations from the other two companies that control access to prescription drugs for most Americans. The self-congratulatory statements, however, didn’t address an important question: Why hadn’t the middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, acted sooner to address a crisis that had been building for decades? One reason, a New York Times investigation found: Drugmakers had been paying them not to.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZX0zjf
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ACQUISITION: From Vomela via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “The Vomela Companies, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, today announced it has acquired the business of Color Reflections of Las Vegas, Nevada. The acquisition will operate as a division of Vomela's Fusion Imaging Group, a leader in brand activations and exhibits.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gGQSLr
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
WINE: From Stephanie March via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “We are more than a little smitten with the wine bars that have been popping up in the metro. Grab a glass and get some grape at one of these lovely spots.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/49G6bBV
EXHIBITION: From Sheila Regan via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “I got chills as I walked into Law Warschaw Gallery at Macalester College last week to see ‘Mickey Smith: Morphologies.’ It felt to me as if I were entering a tomb, where knowledge itself was being laid to rest. The exhibition was originally going to end Dec. 15, but it’s been extended through Friday, Dec. 20. Artist Mickey Smith, born and raised in Minnesota and now based in New Zealand, has been exploring the dramatic shifts happening in the world of libraries and academics for 20 years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gxgQRK
BDAYS: Deputy Mayor of St. Paul Jaime Tincher, TPT’s Mary Lahammer
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