Wild lose. Twins lose.
Leapfrog Group’s new hospital safety report gives four Minnesota hospitals an “A” grade. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3vZ3QQ6
Pres. Donald Trump is expected to release his 2026 federal budget today. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4jZucaY
Majorities of U.S. Catholics express views that differ from church teachings on issues such as birth control, marriage and the priesthood. PEW: https://fluence-media.co/3YtKpgl
Sunday Take will discuss the school funding challenges and the end of session budget negotiations. Tune-in Sunday at 9AM on WCCO Radio.
Great weekend weather, patio opener and garage cleaning in between the Derby and some golf.
Tomorrow’s Fluence Brief…the State of MN Media. Subscribe to receive.
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KSTP’s Tom Hauser was on Sunday Take to discuss how Minnesota politics and media have changed since morning take began 15 years ago. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4jvVJRy
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MNLEG: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “An explosive fight over Minnesota education funding is threatening the chances of getting a final budget out of the legislature on time. … There were signs of a thaw Thursday as Democrats tentatively agreed to put the education bill to a floor vote Monday after a weekend of discussions. But there are still no guarantees that it passes or even comes to the floor at all. … The sticking point provision [would end] unemployment for part-time school workers in 2028, but keep funding for this coming summer.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jY8tQH
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “While a budget agreement is likely still weeks away, anti-fraud bills are moving forward now. … [One] bill would create an ‘Office of Inspector General,’ a new agency designed to oversee how state tax dollars are spent, [and] Governor Tim Walz says he’s eager to sign it into law. … Walz said [budget] negotiations are likely to continue during next week’s Governor’s Fishing Opener. ‘We will have the four leaders, myself, on the same boat at Cross Lake,’ Walz said.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YtptpD
TUTORING: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz’s administration wants to eliminate a program that allows low-income parents to take out loans from nonprofit organizations for tutoring services, using their tax refunds as collateral. … The loan program was intended to help more low-income families take advantage of the K-12 Education Tax Credit…but it also made low-income households vulnerable to losing money if they didn’t submit the correct paperwork or the tutoring services they received were later deemed ineligible by the Department of Revenue. … That tax credit won’t go away under the governor’s proposal, but nonprofits and financial institutions will no longer be able to loan families money for tutoring, computers and books.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d4pk2c
WFH: Via MPR News, Gov. Tim Walz said he was planning to meet yesterday with officials from the state’s public employee unions. Details from the meeting are not yet available, but Walz was expected to discuss his proposal to add new restrictions to work-from-home rules for state employees. As seen in Wednesday’s morning take, Walz’s proposal was updated this week to be less strict than when it was originally announced — Walz told MPR that this was based on general feedback from state employees, but they had not formally negotiated yet. READ: https://fluence-media.co/42SPEHG
TOMORROW: Rep. Angie Craig is holding an official kick-off event for her Senate campaign in the Twin Cities tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4lSKSml
OMAR: via Mediaite, VERBATIM: “A woman-on-the-street interview took a profane turn as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) twice told a reporter to ‘f*** off’ as he asked her a question about detained migrant Kilmar Albrego Garcia. The exchange between Omar and Daily Caller [contributor] Myles Morell, posted Thursday, came when the latter asked if she believes more Democrats should be heading to El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia. ‘I think you should f*** off,’ she replied.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jBbmah
MORE: Rep. Ilhan Omar doubled down on her feud with the Daily Caller on social media, saying “I said what I said. You and all your miserable trolls can f*** off.” Omar’s X post had over 83,000 likes as of Thursday evening. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4jSqK1Q
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
DZIEDZIC: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Senate on Thursday unanimously agreed to rename a Minneapolis bridge for the late Sen. Kari Dziedzic, the former DFL leader who died late last year after a battle with cancer. The amendment was tacked onto a transportation funding package and would name the 10th Avenue bridge in Minneapolis.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3EQvdmG
CD2: via news release from Little for Congress, VERBATIM: “Matt Little for US Congress announced raising over $103,000 in less than 24 hours after launching their campaign for Minnesota’s Second District, just a day after Representative Angie Craig announced that she was leaving her seat to run for the US Senate.”
STATE GOVT: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Going after fraudulent behavior through withholding payments, adding whistleblower protection and honoring the giant beaver are all aspects of the omnibus state government policy bill. The proposal would also, in part, establish a retained savings program to encourage state agencies to innovate and identify efficiencies and cost savings, modify the state’s small business procurement program, and repeal inactive legislative commissions. Passed 131-1 Thursday by the House, HF1837 next heads to the Senate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kkvvBF
BALLOTS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “A proposal advancing in the Minnesota Legislature includes changes to clarify the absentee ballot process after officials in Shakopee last fall accidentally threw ballots in a close race in the trash, prompting a court case challenging the results. DFL Rep. Brad Tabke won his district by 14 votes, but there were 20 missing absentee ballots from one precinct. … The proposal, brought forward initially by Tabke and included in a larger bill, adds clarifying steps to the absentee ballot process and requires elections officials to document any discrepancy while counting the ballots in the incident logs they already are putting together as part of their job. … The Minnesota House on Thursday approved the provisions in a bipartisan state government and elections package.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4m2yAb6
DWI: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota House passed a DWI reform bill on Thursday to increase the length of time that repeat offenders must use ignition interlock devices to start their cars, a proposal made in response to the deadly Park Tavern crash last September. … The bill ultimately passed near-unanimously, with only five dissenting votes. … The Senate is expected to take up this bill next week. Given that it has strong bipartisan support in that chamber as well, it's likely this legislation will land on the governor's desk for a signature ahead of the May 19 deadline.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44gnfxH
THE X: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Wild and City of St. Paul have scaled back their plans to renovate the Xcel Energy Center complex and slashed their state funding request to the Legislature. They were initially pursuing a $770 million renovation project, which included the Saint Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium in addition to Xcel. … But on Thursday, a joint announcement said the city and team have ‘narrowed the immediate scope’ of the project to focus only on the Xcel Energy Center. … They are seeking $50 million from the state, a drastic reduction from the initial $394 million request.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jZcqEE
SIGNED: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today signed the Brady Aune and Joseph Anderson Safety Act bill into law, establishing safety requirements for aquatic plant management companies whose employees use scuba gear. The bill was proposed following the deaths of Aune and Anderson who drowned while performing lake weed removal using scuba equipment without proper training. … House File 1355 [also] requires that any diver be scuba certified, mandates specific equipment for all dives, requires an employer to provide certain equipment upon the request of an employee, necessitates the presence of a standby diver, and requires first aid and CPR training.” BILL: https://fluence-media.co/3YWk0ru
MINNESOTA INSURANCE COVERAGE TAX WILL COST FAMILIES, SMALL BUSINESSES AND SENIORS MORE: Governor Walz and the Department of Commerce want to create a new tax that will, at a minimum, double the tax rate paid on supplemental non-medical insurance coverage including dental, vision, private paid family medical leave, long-term care, and wage replacement insurance products to fund reinsurance. This tax hike will make these critically important products more expensive for consumers, force more seniors onto Medicaid and public programs, make Minnesota-based insurers less competitive nationally, and make it more difficult for employers to provide competitive benefits. These products provide Minnesota families with peace of mind and everyday security, and we should not ask them to pay more to subsidize other insurance products. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4lNcE3n (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
UMN: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Allegations of research misconduct and ‘fabricated results’ involving an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering has prompted the federal government to cancel a grant worth more than $2 million. … According to a letter obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to the U of M, federal investigators found the principal investigator, Dr. Sayan Biswas, an assistant professor at the U of M, made an ‘admission that he fabricated research results and data’ related to the project, which aimed to reduce pollution from ‘pipe flares’ typically found at fracking operations. An attorney for Biswas calls the government’s conclusions a ‘gross exaggeration,’ but records reviewed by 5 INVESTIGATES show university administrators knew about allegations of misconduct for more than a year.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RK1RJK
MNDOT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration is moving to strike considerations of climate change and racial and gender equity in major transportation projects, an increasingly tough spot for the Minnesota Department of Transportation as it pursues federally backed construction in communities that have demanded those policies. … Federal funding is projected to account for about 26% of MnDOT spending in fiscal year 2025, according to Minnesota Management and Budget. … MnDOT said it still is studying how the agency will be affected by the executive order, and what that means for current and future environmental impact studies the agency carries out ahead of large projects such as Hwy. 252 and ‘Rethinking I-94,’ the plan to redo the freeway between Minneapolis and St. Paul.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Z1eS5t
MORE: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “State Sen. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, offered an amendment to a transportation funding bill Thursday that would mandate the Minnesota Department of Transportation use digital road signs that ‘convey a clear and simple message without witticisms, colloquialisms, neologisms, portmanteaus, [etc.]’ … Drazkowski explained during a floor speech that MnDOT’s use of wit in its safety messages [is] distracting and dangerous. … The federal government has issued recommendations that states phase out signs that have ‘obscure’ meanings or use pop-culture references that could require drivers ‘greater time to process,’ [but] the amendment failed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44SoraB
TAKE: Fun signs aren’t as bad as the snowplow naming.
ENERGY: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Minnesotans are already seeing higher prices on electronics, groceries and a host of other product categories due to the Trump administration’s sweeping import tariffs. Industry experts say electricity prices could follow. … The average final tariff on electrical equipment is now 38%, [and] suppliers face similar rates on other key power inputs, like the glass used in solar panels and steel used in piping. … Tariffs could also raise prices — and the risk of shortages — by worsening preexisting supply constraints for transformers, gas turbines and other critical electrical equipment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Yn3AZ9
FUNDING: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN02) are pressing the Trump Administration about the continued confusion surrounding key clean energy projects that help Minnesota farmers and small businesses lower their costs.” EXCERPT: “Farmers have invested thousands of their own dollars into these projects because they are counting on the Federal government to uphold its [reimbursement] commitments. At a time when the cost of operations is high and farmers’ access to markets is uncertain, supporting American farmers is critical.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4jJlEW8
BETTING POLL: Support is surging among Minnesotans who want legal wagering on sporting events. New polling by the Sports Betting Alliance of Minnesota indicates 60% of voters in the state support the legalization of sports betting. The survey of 1,000 Minnesota voters also revealed overwhelming support for legal wagering among 18–29-year-olds, with 75% of females and 73% of males in favor of allowing sports betting in Minnesota — something that is available in 39 states. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/49uj4OF (SPONSORED: Sports Betting Alliance)
MDH: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham [said] the federal government’s actions to cancel more than $220 million in grant funds have her department scrambling amidst layoffs and uncertainty. … The department has had to lay off 170 workers and take a hard look at what critical work can be saved. … Cunningham says the grants issued by the federal government addressed a breadth of concerns and programming in Minnesota. The uncertainty of how to pay for programs has her worried that [healthcare] progress in Minnesota will not only stop, but we could go backwards.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4lXxoWc
HOSPITAL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “State environmental regulators have fined St. Paul’s Regions Hospital for improperly disposing of infectious medical waste at an east metro trash facility in 2024. On several occasions last year, the hospital put blood-contaminated syringes, plastic bags, suction cannisters and laboratory collection tubes in the standard municipal waste system, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. … The state fined Regions Hospital $100,000 for improperly disposing of the medical waste and ordered a series of corrective actions, which officials and HealthPartners said the hospital completed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cUUrgm
IT’S POSSIBLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY UPHOLD ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY AND GROW OUR ECONOMY: Minnesota’s lengthy and uncertain permitting process has frustrated businesses for decades. A recent report found that air permitting in Minnesota can take up to six times longer than comparable states. A coalition of business and labor groups are advocating for reform that will shorten timelines and increase certainty while maintaining our strong environmental standards. Contact your legislators and tell them to support streamlining the permitting process. CONTACT: https://fluence-media.co/3Ea5Tbe (SPONSORED: Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council voted 13-0 Thursday to expand civil rights protections, barring discrimination against people on the basis of their height, weight, housing status or because they were formerly incarcerated. If the ordinance is signed by Mayor Jacob Frey, who supports it, it would go into effect Aug. 1. Minneapolis would become the eighth U.S. city to outlaw weight- and height-based discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations — joining cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. … Minneapolis would also become the third city in the nation to prohibit discrimination against people based on their criminal background. Atlanta and Kansas City have similar protections.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EPZGBt
ST PAUL: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Packaging giant Smurfit WestRock is closing its recycling plant in St. Paul, laying off almost 200 workers. In a notice sent to state authorities, the sustainable packaging company confirmed the impending closure of its coated recycled board mill at 2250 Wabasha Avenue, with layoffs starting on June 30. In total, 189 workers are set to lose their jobs, with positions impacted including electricians, supervisors, managers, refinery operators and paper testers. It comes amid wider ‘capacity reductions’ announced by the company.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GN1DPw
RESPONSE: via a Rep. Betty McCollum post, McCOLLUM: “My grandmother was able to earn family-supporting wages and benefits as a union member working at this plant. The loss of this long-time employer is incredibly sad, and another casualty of the growing economic chaos being stoked by [Donald] Trump.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4m1JX36
COURT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “On Thursday morning, the seven justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court…[traveled] to the front of the auditorium at Highland Park Senior High School in St. Paul for a lengthy Q&A about what makes their profession fascinating and what makes the courts, even at the highest level, humane. … Twice a year, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in front of high school students, alternating between schools in the metro area and greater Minnesota. As they introduced themselves after the case, each justice said this event represented a highlight of their year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jUNuhv
SUPPORT SF 2929 AND HF 2677: Third-party lawsuit funding (TPLF) — or “lawsuit lending” — is a growing and extremely concerning trend in courts across the state and throughout the country that encourages frivolous lawsuits and threatens to drive up the costs of products, services, and insurance for Minnesota consumers. Fortunately, lawmakers are considering legislation — the Consumers in Crisis Protection Act (SF 2929 & HF 2677) — to increase transparency around this highly secretive practice and reasonably regulate third-party lawsuit funders to protect consumers and help keep premiums low. MORE INFO: https://fluence-media.co/4jivOfT (SPONSORED: ASPCIA)
ICE: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “Two members of a roofing crew were arrested [by ICE] while on the job in Duluth Heights on Thursday. … Enos Estudillo, chief operating officer of Strong Tower Construction Inc., [said] one of the workers informed agents that he was a U.S. citizen and had no need to carry immigration papers, yet he was cuffed and taken into custody. One other roofer also was detained for his inability to produce written documentation on the spot. … Later, agents realized that one of the detainees was indeed a U.S. citizen as he had insisted, and that individual was released, according to Estudillo. The other worker remained in custody Thursday afternoon.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lWqbWD
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “An immigration judge has dismissed the removal case against an international graduate student at the University of Minnesota who has been in ICE custody for more than a month. However, it appears he will remain in custody during an appeal [by] the Department of Homeland Security.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3She0WE
RETIRING: via a NAMI MN press release, VERBATIM: “After nearly a quarter century of visionary leadership, Sue Abderholden announced today that she will retire as Executive Director of NAMI Minnesota (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) effective October 15, 2025. … In the coming months, the NAMI Minnesota Board of Directors will launch a leadership transition process. The Board has formed a Succession Committee [and] has retained the executive search firm Ballinger | Leafblad.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4374FXH
PUSH BACK AGAINST TAX BREAKS FOR BIG TECH DATA CENTERS: Our tax money should be going to essential services for Minnesotans, like education, health care, and infrastructure — not subsidies for billionaire owned data centers. The current tax credit has already cost our state an estimated $5 million a year since 2011. In 2025 it will be over $100 million. It’s time to stop these skyrocketing numbers. Tell your legislators, ‘No big tax breaks for Big Tech.’ LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3ErmQh8 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy)
MUSEUMS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Most of the artifacts at the Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown St. Paul never make it in front of visitors. Employees have relied on federal grants to digitize these objects so people around the world can see them online. In April, that funding disappeared. The museum staff learned they had lost four Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants totaling more than $625,000, stalling ongoing projects and putting future work in limbo. Thousands of American museums, libraries and other organizations rely on funding from the IMLS, which granted more than $4.7 million to Minnesota institutions last year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dhMGl3
FISHING: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says more than 221,000 fishing licenses have been sold already ahead of next week's fishing opener, with that number growing by one more Thursday thanks to Governor Tim Walz. With a swipe of a card, Governor Walz officially purchased his fishing license ahead of the Governor's Fishing Opener in Cross Lake [May 9-10]. … The Cross Lake area is hosting the fishing opener for the first time ever. The region includes several lakes in north-central Minnesota, about a half hour north of Brainerd.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4lO0FCK
FORESTS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Nearly 8,200 acres of timberland privately owned for decades by the Potlatch lumber company is being conveyed to nine counties scattered across northern Minnesota for public recreation. It’s part of 72,000 acres purchased by the Conservation Fund from PotlatchDeltic Corp. for $48 million in 2020, making up the Minnesota Heritage Forest. Over the years, the fund has worked with tribal and local governments to own and maintain the forests.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42DN7SR
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)
S DAKOTA: via Dakota News Now, VERBATIM: “The South Dakota Democratic Party announced on Thursday that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will speak at the annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12 in Sioux Falls. … Tickets for the dinner will go on sale in June.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/431u8kc
STILLWATER: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Warm spring weather and numerous requests from boaters have prompted Minnesota Department of Transportation officials to start the 2025 schedule of the Stillwater Lift Bridge this week. The Lift Bridge is now staffed from 8 a.m. to midnight each day, and the bridge will lift every half hour if boat traffic is present. The lift schedule is expected to stay in effect through late October.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jLhooT
DULUTH: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The city of Duluth is at the forefront of a nationwide trend in efforts to stem the country’s growing homelessness crisis. It’s one of a growing number of cities — but one of only a few in the Midwest — that has designated a secure area for people living in their cars to sleep. … But there won’t be room for those cars or those people this summer, while the Damiano Center [next door] is undergoing construction to build a temporary shelter. … Vineyard Church [has] offered its rear parking lot [as a substitute] on 13 quiet acres bordering a residential area. … But the proposal has riled some nearby residents, who say there has been little public discussion about the plan.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lSEpb3
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Times, VERBATIM: “Recently, the [St. Cloud] region is seeing an uptick in overdoses. From Jan. 1 through March 31, the St. Cloud Police Department documented eight overdose fatalities, St. Cloud Police Chief Jeffrey Oxton said, of which two are pending final autopsy results. Overdoses have been relatively high in St. Cloud since 2020, when Oxton said fentanyl made its way into the area. There was a 950% increase in overdose deaths in the Granite City, rising from two in 2019 to 21 in 2023. … In 2024, there was a drop in overdose deaths with 14 fatalities, [but] authorities are sounding the alarm in 2025 as the number of overdoses is already at eight.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iFvfvt
PRODUCING THE FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers 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)
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
TARIFFS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Atlas Games tried to make its board games in the U.S. in the 1990s, but it was not economically feasible. The Duluth company and many of its peers in the industry turned to China and built a sustainable economic model, one that is now threatened by President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. ‘Our whole industry is reeling because we don’t know, everything might change on a dime,’ said Atlas Games owner John Nephew said. ‘It’s been a whirlwind of chaos and awfulness.’ Under the current tariff plan, the companies could lose money. If they switch back to U.S. manufacturers, they know they will.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cU2sCc
TRAFFIC: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “It may sound like a broken record, but it seems many of still aren't getting the message. ‘We have a problem with speed on our roads, and we need to get that under control.’ That's Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson who says the state is providing extra overtime funding through Labor Day to help troopers, cops and deputies from more than 300 agencies crack down on speeders.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3EAuGW6
TOPLESS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of a woman who exposed her breasts in a Rochester parking lot in 2021. Olmsted County prosecutors charged Eloisa R. Plancarte with a misdemeanor after Rochester police responded to a complaint about a woman walking around topless near a gas station. … But the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the term ‘lewdly’ as used in the state’s indecent exposure statute ‘refers to conduct of a sexual nature,’ and that Plancarte had not acted in a sexual manner.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44PkpzP
SESSION: No House floor session. No Senate floor session. HOUSE: Ways & Means will hear finance omnibus bills for workforce, labor and economic development plus energy. SENATE: No Senate committee meetings. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/4cXDP7H
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will meet with legislative leaders.
TOMORROW: via an MN DFL advisory, VERBATIM: “Senator Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley), Representative John Huot (DFL-Rosemount) and Representative Robert Bierman (DFL-Apple Valley) invite residents of Senate District 56 to join their legislators at a town hall on Sunday, May 3 to hear updates from the Capitol and ask questions about Minnesota’s legislative session.” The event is at 11:30 a.m.
WEEKEND: Saturday and Sunday are the final days to visit the Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors before it temporarily closes for renovations. Per a release, the renovations “will focus on upgrading the pathways, preserving the site's historical layout, and making the location more accessible for all visitors.”
TUESDAY: via City of Minneapolis, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday, May 6, Mayor Jacob Frey will give his 2025 State of the City address at 11:30 a.m. in Minneapolis. … The address will be hosted in person and will be live streamed on the City’s YouTube page.”
MAY 12: The MN GOP announced its annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner will be held on Monday, May 12 with former Rep. Doug Collins as the keynote speaker. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4cTG9Nc
JUNE 13: The MN DFL announced its annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner will be held on Friday, June 13 with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as the keynote speaker. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4iiEa5R
JULY 12: Gov. Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12 in Sioux Falls, SD.
BDAYS: State Auditor Julie Blaha. SAT: lobbyist Rochelle Westlund, Citizens League leader Jake Loesch, DFL operative Charlene Briner. SUN: Minneapolis advocate David Brauer
TIPS: How do we get the best news and most buzzed about stories? Send us your tips at BloisOlson@gmail.com
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