As Grandma’s Marathon heads into its 50th year, a look back at where it all started. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4viZ5wV
They’re serving up more than 7,000 pounds of spaghetti today and tonight so runners can bulk up on carbs. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Shj6pe
Northern News Now looks at the importance of volunteers at Grandma’s. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xDyiNr
One of the runners was in a medically-induced coma just a year ago. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aXeeMe
In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday, General Mills’ Betty Crocker is offering up a million free cakes. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4gv785j
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Have a great weekend.
Blois
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)
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FRIDAY GOODNESS
MONDAY: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Local youth soccer players are in for a treat as Minnesota’s professional soccer team will host a free skills clinic on Monday, June 22, in Brooklyn Park. The Minnesota United FC is teaming up with the Liberia national soccer team and Brooklyn Park-based nonprofit SARX to offer the clinic.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xzeaMF
DEGREES: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Maureen Onyelobi and Jeffery Young, both incarcerated at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee, became the first incarcerated people in the United States to earn juris doctor degrees from an ABA-accredited law school while incarcerated. The graduation marked the culmination of a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, the Prison to Law Pipeline, All Square and The Legal Revolution, and leaders within the American Bar Association.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QxQ4RI
THINKER: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “A Colorado Springs man has been named America’s Greater Thinker for 2026. Allen Taylor was chosen as the winner at the 33rd annual Great American Think-Off in New York Mills last weekend after successfully arguing that the pursuit of happiness has not made Americans unhappy.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Qvbv5K
AQUATENNIAL: Via Minnesota Monthly, VERBATIM: “Now entering its 87th year, Minneapolis’ signature summer celebration returns July 18-26 under new leadership from the Aquatennial Ambassador Organization (AAO). While the festival continues to evolve with new attractions and programming, its roots stretch back to 1940—and even further, to some of the city’s earliest civic celebrations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ehT7GN
FOOD: Via Park Rapids Enterprise, VERBATIM: “A generous community has secured home-delivered meals and congregate dining for seniors. Hubbard County Senior Nutrition Council (SNC) delivered a whopping $25,000 donation to Nutrition Services, Inc. (NSI) on Tuesday, June 16. A nonprofit organization, NSI dishes up nutritious meals at the Senior Connections facility in Park Rapids.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xKDIGL
FOOD SCRAPS: Via KQDS-TV, VERBATIM: “Resource Renew, formerly known as WLSSD, hosted a launch party for their newest food scrap drop site. The event offered free starter kits for people to collect their own food scraps at home and dispose of them at a drop site. The scraps are then turned into compost. The goal is to keep scraps out of landfills because, when they break down, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vYdX3J
TOMORROW: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Lucy Schneider, a Brooklyn Park gymnast, is among the athletes who qualified for the Special Olympics USA Games this year. Her coach says she’s ready. ‘I really like trying to figure out how to get them to be able to do what they want to do,’ said Megan Johnski, who has coached Special Olympic athletes for many years. The Special Olympics USA Games take place on the University of Minnesota campus this year beginning June 20. Johnski was chosen to be a coach for Team Minnesota athletes, her second time doing it.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eQvh4Z
RUNNER: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “Hailey Robinson loves to run. The 19-year-old from Hibbing does track and cross country. Now she’s getting ready for the Special Olympics USA Games in the cities. ‘I’m excited, and a little nervous,’ she told us. When she was very young, she had challenges learning to walk. Now, she’s competing in distance races.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xEEIvI
BASKETBALL: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “This spring, as I sat in the bleachers at Bethel College, watching some of Minnesota’s best Unified basketball teams scrimmage each other in preparation for this month’s Special Olympics USA Games, I felt like I was watching the ideal version of Dr. James Naismith’s game. Back in 1891, Naismith designed basketball to be played vertically instead of horizontally, to reward grace and skill more than violent force, and to encourage teammates to work together for the elevation of the entire group.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4grRkjJ
TORCH RUN: Via Mesabi Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg kicked off Wednesday morning at Hibbing’s Bennett Park, bringing together law enforcement officers, Special Olympics athletes and community members in a celebration of inclusion and unity.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4erViq4
JOY ZONE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “When the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games arrive in Minnesota this June, the venues will buzz with the energy of 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 cheering fans . . . To ensure every athlete, family member, and fan can fully enjoy the experience, the event will feature a groundbreaking addition to elements of the event happening at the National Sports Center in Blaine: the Joy Zone.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4ewPyvk
MPLS: Via Time, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis public schools have long faced challenges in narrowing racial and economic gaps in student achievement. Three decades ago, when Sondra Samuels moved to North Minneapolis—a community of 13 neighborhoods that is home to the city’s largest Black population and has the highest percentage of families with children—she witnessed this disparity firsthand . . . Samuels’ drive for change led her to co-found the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) in 2010. The nonprofit collaborative brings together more than 40 local partner organizations and schools to support children, teens, and families through education, health, and wellness programs, as well as social and family services. It also provides scholarships.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eRytNR
REC CENTER: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “How many of us spent our childhood summers at the rec center? It was the place where we glued popsicle sticks into boats shipshape enough for the gutter regatta, the location of the kickball fields where we agonized over getting picked last, the spot where we showed up with cash stuffed in our socks to catch the bus for the field trip to the roller rink. This summer, Minneapolis gallerist David Petersen and Brooklyn-based painter Jesse Willenbring will transform the David Petersen Gallery on 41st and Cedar into their own version of the city rec center, the DPG Rec.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4exLVoW
BEMIDJI: Via The Bemidji Pioneer, VERBATIM: “Visitors to Bemidji’s downtown may have recently noticed some shiny new artwork gracing over a dozen street corners. A total of 19 new pieces were installed by dedicated board members and volunteers in early June as part of this year’s Bemidji Sculpture Walk, marking its 27th year of beautifying downtown.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4vVAzC1
CAMP ARBOR: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Summer vacation is officially underway and one local shopping center is doing its part to keep children entertained. The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove has kicked off its popular Camp Arbor series, providing a space for families to engage in fun activities at no cost thanks to Magnifi Financial Credit Union, which sponsors the event.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ei2KFo
RESCUE EQUIPMENT: Via Mesabi Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Eveleth Fire Department has a new piece of rescue equipment, thanks to the Eveleth Fire Department Auxiliary.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vn4HXh
MEDIA: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists named Reformer reporter Madison McVan the state’s ‘Young Journalist of the Year’ Tuesday for her work during 2025 . . . The judges said ‘she consistently delivered reporting that was revelatory, insightful, and grounded in the experiences of everyday people with … a rare combination of curiosity, analytical rigor, and compassion.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QQEYY4
NEXT WEEK: Via Associated Bank, VERBATIM: “Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) will hold its fourth annual Day of Service June 23–25, mobilizing nearly 2,600 employees to volunteer with more than 200 nonprofit organizations across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and parts of Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uP9jnQ
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