Wild win in OT. Gopher WBB win.
The Timberwolves and Lynx will hold a “locker room liquidation” merchandise sale today until 4:00 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4ghMJgL
The portion of the Kellogg-3rd Street Bridge over I-94 will be demolished this weekend. KARE: https://fluence-media.co/41nloFX
Minnesotan Pete Hegseth’s nomination is in trouble. WSJ: https://fluence-media.co/4fXtmtw
Cargill’s layoffs will affect about 475 employees in Minnesota this winter. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/3Zge2kR
Cable news rankings are crashing since the election. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4f3VTfI
A second Donald Trump cabinet pick has withdrawn from consideration — Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff nominated to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, received conservative backlash for enforcing COVID restrictions in 2020. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4f0YKGt
It’s National Cab Franc Day.
On Sunday Take, KARE 11’s John Croman on covering politics for over 30 years as he retires. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Zxsbvj
Have a great Wednesday!
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
FORECAST: via MPR News, VERBATIM: A key state budget forecast is set for release at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday as Republicans work the courts in an attempt to further diminish DFL power in the Legislature…Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders in St. Paul will receive their blueprint for crafting the upcoming two-year budget Wednesday morning. The projection of either a surplus or a deficit will provide the road map for how the Walz administration and the new Legislature proceed in January…After two years of all-Democratic power, lawmakers will face a new divided Legislature when they return to St. Paul next month… The current two-year budget added up to nearly $72 billion but some of that was one-time spending that automatically comes off the books for the new budget. It’s possible 2025 could be a rare time when the next budget is fairly flat or even smaller than the last…Tom Hanson, a former finance commissioner under Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, points out that this report is the first of a two-part forecast rollout with another estimate due in February. HANSON: “The beauty of having two forecasts is they can get some numbers and get the budget process started this week, but then they will have better data by the end of February,” Hanson said. “We may know by then whether the president will implement tariffs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41gDkSo
TAKE: Today’s budget forecast will be a solid preview on paper, but in comments Minnesotans deserve early acknowledgement that the budget is going to have some major issues in the “out years”. The combination of one-time money in the current budgt, likely federal cuts of revenue to the state, and slower growth is likely to mean less revenue growth than projected spending. In addition, DFLers have largely glossed over the impact of the major spending increase as an ongoing challenge for some in their base. Core Minnesota values like education and health care will have legitimate requests, while grants and one-time spending from two years ago will have advocates asking for funding again. Hope isn’t a strategy, the divided legislature, DFL spending, and GOP memories are going to lead to as contentious of a budget process as we’ve seen in at least 15 years.
LEGAL FEES: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Democrats on the Minnesota House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee approved more than $10,000 in taxpayer funds to pay for the legal fees of a member who was entangled in a dispute with her private employer. All Republicans on the committee voted against the payment. … Rep. Bianca Virnig [claims] her new position as a state lawmaker created a conflict with her employer. … Rep. Jamie Long, DFL Majority Leader, said at a House rules committee meeting [that] ‘since this was related to her work as a Minnesota representative, we are proposing we pay for those legal costs.’ … Republicans were concerned they were being asked to approve taxpayer funds for a private labor dispute without being shown the terms of Virnig’s [settlement]. … Virnig did not testify at the hearing [and] she was unavailable for comment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Vn5xmC
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The decision covers about $10,400 in attorney fees for Rep. Bianca Virnig. The first-term Eagan legislator alleged that her former employer, a nonprofit school cooperative known as BrightWorks, reduced her pay and hours following her first session of service in the Legislature. A state law is meant to bar such an action by granting protection to legislators who return to their regular jobs when the session calendar wraps up for the year. Details of the settlement [between Virnig and BrightWorks] were not disclosed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g90TAS
RESPONSES: Several Republican representatives shared their concerns with covering DFL state Rep. Bianca Virnig’s attorney fees, both during and after the Tuesday meeting of the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee.
● Via House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring), DEMUTH: “Employers need to follow the law…[but] Minnesota taxpayers should not be on the hook for when that does not happen.”
● Via a Rep. Pete Stauber (R-8th) tweet, STAUBER: “Tim Walz and the lame-duck DFL Legislature already blew through an $18 billion surplus and raised taxes $10 billion. … They are now using your taxpayer money to fund personal and private legal fees for their own legislators. Shameful.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3ViQY3J
40B: On social media, Axios’ Torey Van Oot shared info from a hearing regarding the residency dispute filed against DFL Representative-elect Curtis Johnson by his Republican opponent Paul Wikstrom. At the hearing, Johnson’s attorneys argued for the case to be dismissed because he lives where he says he does and Wikstrom waited until after the election to raise concerns. Meanwhile, Wikstrom’s attorneys argued that he waited to file the dispute because he wanted to make sure there was enough evidence to build a case. Their next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/3BcMNiY
UMN: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis City Council is backing pro-Palestinian student protesters who are facing suspension, fines and evictions for occupying a campus building at the University of Minnesota in October. … The city council committee of the whole passed a resolution 7 to 5 urging the university to rescind all ‘academic charges, suspensions and evictions’ of student protesters…[and] work with student activists on their demand for the U to divest from Israel and weapons manufacturers. [It also] encourages the City Attorney and Hennepin County Attorney to drop the case against the one protester facing an assault charge. It will go up for a final vote on Thursday before heading to Mayor Jacob Frey’s desk.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D1Tfdq
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mayor Jacob Frey released a statement Tuesday night saying he’ll veto the resolution because, while he supports First Amendment rights, that doesn’t extend to actions that endanger the safety of others.” FREY: “The council’s resolution risks setting a disturbing precedent that must apply to all groups evenly regardless of the cause they are protesting. It is concerning to me that any council member could view this as acceptable and I will be vetoing the resolution without hesitation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Vis8B6
GREATER MN: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Operating costs are creating challenges for apartment owners and developers in Greater Minnesota, where housing needs are especially acute, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Insurance costs, interest rates and staffing shortages were identified as three roadblocks for rental housing owners and operators in the region. … Developers also said in the interviews that construction has taken longer recently than in past years for a variety of reasons, including difficulty getting lenders interested in projects.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VkP7eC
MPLS: Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne announced he is running for reelection in Ward 1. He will host a kickoff party tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. PAYNE: “I’m running for re-election because the stakes have never been higher. We need leaders who will take bold action to protect reproductive freedom, our immigrant and refugee neighbors, our Trans and LGBTQIA+ community, and all Black, Brown, Indigenous, and unhoused residents in our city.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/49sxHmb
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With property owners [in] mind, the St. Paul City Council will delay a long-scheduled vote by a week and adopt the final 2025 city budget and tax levy on Dec. 11, giving the seven council members time to advocate for up to $6 million in proposed budget cuts that have been hotly opposed by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. … [A] hearing Monday evening drew a near-capacity crowd, with two large lines of homeowners testifying over the course of more than two hours against the mayor’s proposed property tax levy increase of 7.9%. Several longtime residents said they feared being priced out of their homes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BbXjqK
MORE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The proposed tax increase in St. Paul is similar to the one under discussion in Minneapolis, and it comes at a time when municipal governments across the state are facing pressure from inflation and other economic factors. However, speakers at Monday night's hearing said they were ‘flabbergasted’ by the increase, with one lifelong resident saying ‘you guys are trying to run me out.’ … At the end of Monday's public hearing, Council President Mitra Jalali promised that she and her colleagues are listening to residents' concerns.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OGbGXw
HENN CTY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Hennepin County Board reluctantly agreed Tuesday to spend $5.4 million over the next six months to house inmates in seven other counties to meet a state order to reduce the population at its Minneapolis jail. The board’s 6-0 vote in a special meeting comes just two days before the Dec. 5 deadline the Minnesota Department of Corrections gave Sheriff Dawanna Witt to get the jail population to 600 or fewer inmates. Failing to meet the Thursday deadline, which has already been extended, could jeopardize the Hennepin County jail’s license.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZiVPTI
RAMSEY CTY: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Ramsey County leaders laid out plans to open multiple small treatment homes to serve the county’s most at-risk youth in a secure setting — an attempt to get a handle on juvenile repeat offenders. The county received money from the state legislature in 2023 to open small, homelike settings where youth can have mental, behavioral or chemical health needs met. Officials asked for proposals to run the facilities in November 2024 hoping to have one or more up and running by May 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eZGr4r
MET COUNCIL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With the goal of redeveloping the vacant land around the Green Line’s downtown Central Station, St. Paul is teaming up with the Metropolitan Council to review a proposal from Indianapolis developer Flaherty and Collins Properties. The city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority joined the Met Council this year in issuing a joint request for proposals for the site. … The Met Council and St. Paul HRA own separate parcels of land around the station and are offering them together, along with air rights above the Green Line track, as one development opportunity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OCqJ4j
VITAL PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT FUELS THE FUTURE OF THIS WISCONSIN TRIBE: In 2017, one of the “glaring needs” for the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in northwest Wisconsin was an expanded wastewater treatment facility. “It was at capacity. We were not able to expand any of our businesses or facilities,” says Jason, the LCO Band’s Emergency Management Coordinator. With the support of Enbridge and several other partners, the LCO Band quadrupled its wastewater treatment capacity — allowing for creation of a new preschool, fire hall, 40-unit apartment complex, police headquarters and, still to come, health clinic and new residential community. “I’m very grateful for the partnership we’ve developed with Enbridge,” says Jason. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/49v4mHc (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
POT: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “While a lot of the disappointed social equity cannabis license hopefuls are small and local, one of those suing state regulators and delaying the license lottery is a large national outfit with ties to Washington, Oregon and Iowa. … OCM received a tip from someone who was involved in the scheme [saying] ‘an out-of-state cannabis operator had recruited hundreds of persons to apply on its behalf.’ … Because the tipster said the business was based in Iowa, OCM looked at applications with Iowa connections and found a pattern. … OCM then found that each of the applicants had signed option agreements with Kapple to sell their companies for $100,000 should they win the lottery.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OFDuvg
PESTICIDE: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “A common pesticide coating on corn and soybean seeds has leached into Minnesota waterways, threatening pollinators and aquatic ecosystems, according to a report released this week. … Neonicotinoid pesticides, or ‘neonics,’ are a group of insecticides that kill pests like aphids — but can also devastate bee colonies and aquatic insects. … [The report] found that most Minnesota waterways have some amount of neonic pollution. … Over a 12-year period, 95% of flowing-water sites had at least one neonic chemical, and 87% of the sites showed a mixture of two or more neonic chemicals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OBIn8D
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LGBTQ: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A transgender athlete should be allowed to compete in the women's division at powerlifting events because she's protected against discrimination by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, her attorneys urged the state Supreme Court on Tuesday. … In an indication of the intense interest in the Minnesota case, numerous athletes and organizations on both sides filed friend-of-the-court briefs, including former tennis champion Martina Navratilova, who was part of a group of 83 female athletes backing USA Powerlifting’s position. One of the organizations backing [JayCee] Cooper is the locally based LGBTQ+ rights group Gender Justice. … The justices took the case under advisement and did not say when they would rule.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gkrEm6
SETTLEMENT: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that he has reached a settlement with Minneapolis nonprofit Youth Leadership Academy d/b/a Gar Gaar Family Services (“Gar Gaar”), that requires the organization to dissolve in the wake of its violations of state laws concerning self-dealing and governance. … The Attorney General alleges that Gar Gaar paid more than $100,000 to a for-profit company owned by two of Gar Gaar’s officers and that an audit found several significant deficiencies in Gar Gaar’s internal controls, among other issues. Gar Gaar [has] agreed to dissolve.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OF3rLu
OSHA: via a DLI press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's (DLI's) Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) Compliance has issued a $730,369 penalty to Your Lake Aquatic Plant Management, LLC, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, for commercial diving standard violations after a worker drowned in May 2024 performing aquatic weed removal while using scuba diving equipment. … The employer, Your Lake Aquatic Plant Management, has filed a Notice of Contest. This is the second Minnesota worker drowning since June 2022 that involved employees using scuba diving equipment while performing aquatic weed removal in a lake.”
PERMITTING REFORM FOR RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRIES: Jobs for Minnesotans is committed to advancing responsible industrial projects through a predictable, timely and transparent permitting process. Broad permitting reform for all responsible industries is essential to strengthening Minnesota’s communities and advancing our state’s clean energy future. (SPONSORED: Jobs for Minnesotans)
KOREA: via AP News, VERBATIM: “The president of South Korea early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed on the country hours earlier, bending to political pressure after a tense night in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who appears likely to be impeached over his actions, imposed martial law late Tuesday out of frustration with the opposition. … The president’s surprising move [was] immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own conservative party.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BfouRv
RESPONSE: via a Rep. Ilhan Omar statement, OMAR: “South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is plunging his country into chaos to cling onto power at the expense of South Koreans. … We must condemn [his] actions unequivocally and stand firmly on the side of protesters fighting for their constitutionally guaranteed rights. … To secure a brighter future for the people of South Korea, we must ensure democratic norms and essential human rights are respected.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f3IGUr
ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT: From Grand Rapids, a conversation about opportunities and challenges to economic growth in Greater Minnesota with Tuleah Palmer, CEO of the Blandin Foundation, Roy Smith of the IRRRB and Steve Loney from Kiesler Wellness Center. From workforce to energy costs, a thoughtful conversation on how leaders are working together to push the region’s economy forward. Mainstreet Minnesota is presented by Compeer Financial. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/MainstreetMN2
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “History was made [this week] after the St. Cloud City Council voted unanimously to appoint Hudda Ibrahim to the vacant Ward 3 seat. Ibrahim is the first Somali American to be appointed to the council. … Ibrahim will now serve as the Ward 3 representative for the next two years. KLEIS: ‘This has been something due for a long time, and Hudda, to be able to unite this entire council on the first ballot is very significant — it shows a lot about your candidacy,’ outgoing Mayor Dave Kleis told Ibrahim before swearing her in. … She fills a vacancy left by former council member Jake Anderson, who was elected mayor on Nov. 5.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4im5jGk
AUSTIN: via Austin Daily Herald, VERBATIM: “Just two weeks after it moved its cannabis ordinance out of a work session, the Austin City Council on Monday night opted to hold off on passing the ordinance to further consider buffer restrictions on potential cannabis businesses. The move also comes in lieu of a decision by a Ramsey County judge, who in late November halted a planned lottery by the state to dispense the state’s first licenses in the state of Minnesota. Realizing they now had time because of the ruling, council members opted to take a closer look at buffer zones in the city that would restrict how close to schools and daycares a cannabis business can be.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OFZcis
FARMINGTON: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Members of the Farmington City Council have voted to approve a contract for a new data center to be built in the area. The vote was held Monday night and passed 4-1. The planned data center, which is expected to house computing equipment storing digital data, would be used by Tract, a Denver-based development company. … Neighbors have voiced concerns about the noise and current views they have where the site would be located.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41nlgGt
WILD ABOUT READING: More than 500 Minnesota classrooms and 15,000 students are participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy, and the team dog, Rookie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player-signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3O2nzH0 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
CONVERSIONS: via Stateline, VERBATIM: “Nearly a fifth of office space across the country sits empty, a record high vacancy rate that’s expected to keep growing. Seeking both to boost their economies and ease their housing shortages, cities are taking steps to encourage the conversion of unused office space into much-needed housing. … Regulatory hurdles — such as outdated building codes, minimum unit sizes and natural light requirements — push up costs. Cities are trying a variety of ways to overcome these obstacles. In September, Minneapolis peeled away several regulations in an effort to encourage conversions, including removing public hearing requirements, requiring less intensive traffic studies, and exempting converted buildings from the typical requirement that 20% to 30% of units be rented at below-market rates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eYSm2k
OUTDOORS: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “A growing number of Minnesotans' livelihoods depend on how much fun you have outdoors — and new data suggests you're having a lot of fun. Outdoor recreation pumped $13.5 billion into Minnesota's economy in 2023, a federal report shows. Minnesota's outdoor economy grew faster (+10.5% vs. 2022) and made up a bigger share of the state's GDP (2.8%) than national averages.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41gbZQh
ENERGY: via Energy News Network, VERBATIM: “A top executive with Minnesota’s largest utility says data center growth will not prevent it from meeting the state’s 100% clean electricity law, but it may extend the life of natural gas power plants into the next decade. ‘As we take all of that coal off the system — even if you didn’t add data centers into the mix — I think we may have been looking to extend some gas [contracts] on our system to get us through a portion of the 2030s,’ said Ryan Long, president of Xcel Energy’s division serving Minnesota and the Dakotas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZxPVPV
TODAY: At 12:30, Governor Tim Walz will discuss the state’s November economic forecast.
EXPECT: Legislators of each party to respond immediately after the forecast.
TODAY: Minneapolis City Council Member Emily Koski announced she will host a “campaign address” Wednesday — she is expected to announce her campaign for mayor. The event is at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: The Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education will select the finalists for superintendent at a special meeting of the Board this Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
TODAY: via an MMB advisory, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) Commissioner Erin Campbell, State Economist Dr. Anthony Becker, and State Budget Director Ahna Minge will present the State of Minnesota’s November 2024 Budget and Economic Forecast on Wednesday, Dec. 4.” The event is at 11:45 a.m.
BDAYS: community leader John Stanoch, photo guy Jerry Holt, reporter Nicole Norfleet, golf guy Jerry Zgoda, ranger Joe Sertich
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