WET WEEKEND
Two weeks from today!….It’s BACK! The TwinWest Legislative Breakfast is on April 17, featuring Senate Min. Ldr. Mark Johnson, House DFL Flr. Ldr. Jamie Long, Senate Asst. Maj. Ldr. Nick Frentz and House GOP Flr. Ldr. Harry Niska in a mid-session discussion moderated by Blois Olson and presented by Fluence Advisory. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/4lWWmFM
Twins Home Opener today. They won 5-1 today.
Wolves lose. Wild win and clinch playoff spot.
Phil Mickelson won’t be at the Master’s next week either.
Expect more wintry mix this weekend. MAPS: https://fluence-media.co/4dX7mRp
A $50 million Lake Minnetonka mansion is the most expensive home ever listed in MN. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4bLA7za
Artemis II’s toilet broke during takeoff, but NASA astronauts fixed it mid-flight. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4bPGB02
213 days until the General Election.
Sunday Take at 9AM on WCCO Radio – Tune-In.
Happy National Chocolate Mousse Day!
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured texts from listeners in a discussion about the “Mood of Minnesota” and how it could influence the 2026 elections. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4s5LFlE
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The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ: https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
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SIGNS OF THE ECONOMY
GAS PRICES: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Gasoline prices were only a little more than $3.50 a gallon in Minnesota this week, a considerable discount from the national average [of $4.00+]. Two main factors contribute to Minnesota’s prices being among the lowest in the nation. … [First], most of the oil that’s converted to gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum-based products in the state is imported from Canada, with a lesser amount coming from North Dakota. … [Second], the state’s gas tax, about 28 cents a gallon, is comparatively moderate when compared to many other states. California’s state gasoline tax, for instance, is nearly 60 cents a gallon, Pennsylvania’s is nearly 58 cents a gallon and Maryland and Illinois have 47-cent-a gallon gasoline taxes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41I0kZt
MORE: According to New York Times data, Minnesota gas prices are lower than Wisconsin’s, higher than Iowa’s and roughly equal with North and South Dakota’s. The Great Plains region overall has the lowest gas prices in the nation right now. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4bQSvXm
UNEMPLOYMENT: Via Star Tribune, more details on Minnesota’s latest job numbers, as seen in yesterday’s lunch take. VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s unemployment rate in January reached its highest point since early 2021, surpassing the U.S. as a whole for the first time in nearly 20 years. The state rate reached 4.4% unemployment at the start of 2026, while the U.S. rate ticked down to 4.3%. … The last time Minnesota had a higher share of people looking for work [than the U.S.] was in May 2007. … In January 2025, Minnesota’s unemployment rate was 3% and the U.S. rate was 4%. DEED officials said federal actions are taking a toll on Minnesota’s economy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sL1LlL
MORE: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Statewide, job growth was flat in January. The private sector lost 900 jobs while the public sector added 1,000…The biggest gains were in educational and health services (5,000 jobs) and construction (3,700)…Leisure and hospitality lost 4,000 jobs, the most of any supersector, followed by trade, transportation and utilities, as well as financial activities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vdcBmo
DETAILS: Via DEED’s January employment report, the Twin Cities metro lost 1,974 jobs and Greater Minnesota gained 711 jobs. The best performing Metropolitan Statistical Area in the state was Rochester, gaining 1,025 jobs. By industry, the biggest increase was in educational and health services at 5,000 jobs gained, and the biggest decrease was in leisure and hospitality at 4,000 jobs lost. The private sector overall lost 900 jobs, while the public sector added 1,000. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4sOWPwe
GRADRATES: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s Class of 2025 posted the highest four-year graduation rate in state history, data from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) shows. It’s the second year in a row that schools statewide have reached record graduation marks…In 2025, 84.9% of Minnesota seniors graduated, up from 84.2% in 2024…The data also shows improving graduation rates in basically every demographic group, and a slight narrowing of achievement gaps by race, although significant disparities remain…Roughly 90% of Asian and white students (90.1% and 89.9%, respectively) graduated in four years last year. Students identifying as two or more races (80.6%), Black (76.4%) and Hispanic or Latino (72.4%) students still lag behind, but the latter two groups saw notable gains (+2.4% and 0.7%, respectively) from 2024. American Indian students saw the biggest jump, up 4.8% year-over-year and 9% since 2021.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47DfYsB
A new level of insight and information….
MEDICARE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A Medicare payment processing snafu that has effectively withheld millions of dollars from Minnesota rural hospitals for months and pushed some to the brink of closure appears to be easing. Problems tied to an updated software system led the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reject legitimate claims for Medicare reimbursement. … Medicare administrators [reportedly] fixed the problem and are now processing the backup claims. … Claims should be paid within the next two weeks, said Brock Slabach, chief operations officer at the National Rural Health Association.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bNMkmZ
MEDICAID: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “As a provider enrolled in Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program, LOGO Community Support Services served people on the brink of homelessness. … But in October 2024, [Adrianne] Gould wrote a letter to state lawmakers to sound the alarm. ‘At one point, the state was behind almost 84 days in approving people for services,’ Gould said. … She attributed part of the problem to an explosion in the number of companies that had suddenly signed up to participate in [the] new Medicaid-funded program. … Data now reveals that a spike in claims had the state paying out more than $100 million in 2024, compared to $21 million three years earlier. … [Gould] says she did not hear any additional follow-up from lawmakers or DHS.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4v6lcae
HCMC: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The person who was recently appointed as an interim leader of Hennepin Healthcare resigned Wednesday, according to an internal email. … The Hennepin Healthcare Board appointed Dr. Kevin Croston as co-interim administrator in January after Hennepin Healthcare’s previous interim CEO, Dr. Thomas Klemond, stepped down. Croston worked as a co-interim administrator along with David Hough, who is remaining in the role of administrator. … Health care workers were at the Capitol Wednesday to call on elected officials to prioritize legislative solutions to protect HCMC from closing, [but] so far, no significant action has been taken this legislative session to address HCMC’s financial concerns.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PMZNmq
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Whether the Legislature authorizes extending a Hennepin County sales tax hike (currently used toward paying off Target Field) to Hennepin County Medical Center is poised to emerge as one of the biggest Capitol issues over the next six weeks. … It bears watching if this proposal also dies in a tied House, or if DFLers do Republicans a few favors on the bonding bill, or elsewhere, so as to help the hospital.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mdIvv2
TAKE: The reality about HCMC is that the County Board, activists and to some degree unions have created an unsustainable and overly political health center. The legislature is likely to approve some version of a bail out which is important. However, if there isn’t a structural shift in the financial approach there will likely be more asks for funding in the future. Any legislative fix should be accompanied by new governance, as well as a more sustainable financial model. The loss of Kevin Crosson at this point should be seen as a bad sign. Health care experts not politicians should be running the leading teaching hospital and safety net hospital for our state.
ICYMI: Yesterday’s health take featured more coverage of HCMC and why its advocates say its closure should be avoided. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4m5hgT8
FOR RURAL HOSPITALS, 340B ISN’T A WINDFALL — IT’S A LIFELINE: 30% of Minnesota hospitals are operating in the red. Savings from the 340B Drug Pricing Program help keep the doors open for safety-net hospitals that serve the most rural and underserved populations. Legislators can support access to local, high-quality care in their districts by strengthening the 340B program this session. READ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uPSZV1 (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
BILLS
HOF: via Fox 9, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame is coming to Inver Grove Heights in 2028, and a bill at the Minnesota Legislature is seeking $20 million in state funding for it… Bill HF-4238, introduced on March 12, proposes $20 million in state funding during fiscal year 2027 for a grant to the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame. It would go to construct, finish and equip the facility in Inver Grove Heights. The appropriation is one time, and is available until the project is completed or abandoned…The bill also proposes $5 million from the City of Inver Grove Heights for public infrastructure, including mass grading and excavation, clean water systems, sanitary sewer systems, stormwater systems, roads, trails and sidewalks.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v8Pl90
SNAP: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The [One Big Beautiful Bill Act] reduces the federal cost share for administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, transferring that burden onto states. Minnesota Management and Budget estimates the state will spend almost $200 million more in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 to run [SNAP]. … The Legislature is obligated to pass a measure to comply with the Trump policy bill by Dec. 31 or Minnesota, again, risks losing federal money. Legislative committees have held informational sessions on the federal law’s impacts. But no bills have advanced despite the legislation’s must-pass nature.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mdIvv2
SOFTWARE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “There’s legislation gaining bipartisan support to modernize old computer systems used by social services agencies across the state. … Senate File 4719 would establish a Human Services Steering Committee to provide recommendations for improvements to human services technology. … ‘I think we will get bipartisan support on it,’ Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, said. ‘[But] I don’t know how much money there is to put towards it.’ … When lawmakers return [on] Tuesday, they will have less than two weeks before the April 17 deadline to finalize spending bills.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3QivVhO
PREDICTIONS: Via NPR News, a look at what could happen if Minnesota passes its proposed legislation to regulate prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration on Thursday filed lawsuits against three states, arguing that the controversial prediction market industry should be solely regulated by the federal government, not by state gambling commissions. The trio of legal actions against Illinois, Connecticut and Arizona is the furthest Trump officials have gone to try to override state laws and set the rules for a fast-growing industry that has run headlong into thorny questions about insider trading and profiting off war and suffering.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4torujZ
POT: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s recreational cannabis market is still a budding industry, [but] its top regulator says that the state could see a more fully operational, steady market by the end of the year. Since September — the month when the Office of Cannabis Management issued the first licenses for retailers — sales have exceeded $50 million in total for recreational cannabis. … In 2025, sales topped $210 million for both adult-use marijuana and hemp-derived THC products, which have been around much longer. That means $27 million in new state tax revenue. … More is likely to come as the legal market continues to ramp up.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Qg9jyu
(DISCLOSURE: Plift is a Fluence client)
YOUR NEIGHBORS RIDE ATVs: From the Twin Cities to the Iron Range, thousands of Minnesotans own and ride ATVs. They are families, veterans, teachers and small business owners who rely on Minnesota’s trail system for recreation, tourism, and economic activity. ATV riders aren’t just “up north” — they live in the Twin Cities metro area, and they care deeply about maintaining safe, well-managed trails. As the legislature considers trail policy, funding, and land-use decisions this session, ask them to support Minnesota’s ATV community and the outdoor opportunities they value. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4u4dGw9 (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
DC + MN
FORESTS: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “U.S. Forest Service research and development facilities in Grand Rapids and Ely are slated for closure. The [announcement] offered few details on what these facilities were, aside from their location. There are several experimental forests in the Chippewa National Forest near Grand Rapids and one in the Superior National Forest near Ely, as well as remote monitoring equipment. … The USDA Forest Service said the facility closures would not affect staffing in either of Minnesota’s national forests.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Og1EzK
AIR TRAFFIC: via Rep. Tom Emmer advisory, VERBATIM: “Today, Congressman Tom Emmer toured the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) Control Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility. … Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has made a commitment to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system. … These critical updates include replacing outdated radar systems, telecommunication devices, and traffic tower controls.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bQSTFi
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability — providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
LEGAL
MPD: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The number of misconduct complaints filed against Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has doubled since September, bringing to 30 the total number filed during his three-year tenure. That’s more than the total filed against the previous four chiefs combined. … So far, eight of the complaints — which can come from within the department or from members of the public — have been closed without discipline by the Office of Community Safety, while 22 remain open. None of the details of the complaints have been made public. … [O’Hara’s] three-year term as chief ended in December, and Mayor Jacob Frey has not yet formally nominated him for another term, even though he has put forward three of his cabinet members.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Qhgoih
SPPD: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The St. Paul Police Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission will take up all complaints investigated by internal affairs against officers that stemmed from police actions during a federal immigration operation in Payne-Phalen in November. … It doesn’t always happen that way, [but] the police chief can refer any type of complaint to the commission, which is what Chief Axel Henry decided to do in the Rose Avenue case. … Mayor Kaohly Her [said] she would not contract with an independent investigator ‘given the legal advice and inherent risks.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QisLus
US ATTY: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “A former federal prosecutor who volunteered to handle immigration detention cases in Minneapolis says she was assigned 88 cases in January — more than the entire U.S. Attorney’s office handled the previous year — before being removed from her post after telling a judge ‘this job sucks’ during a hearing. Julie Le, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, says she stepped in to help as the office’s attorney count dropped from 64 in January 2025 to 36 a year later. … Le [is now] running for Congress against Rep. Ilhan Omar.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dViFtq
REJECT 340B EXPANSION: A new Minnesota Department of Health report shows hospitals made at least $1 billion dollars from a federal drug discount program known as 340B. The program should help patients, but experts say there is little accountability for where the money goes. The report was delayed and only recently released, showing the program isn’t working as intended. But Minnesota politicians are fast tracking a bill to expand the 340B program anyway. Lawmakers: reject House File 3609 / Senate File 3769. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uUobCQ (SPONSORED: Community Action for Responsible Hospitals)
LITIGATION
HOUSING: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison and a multistate coalition sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last November after HUD abruptly changed its Continuum of Care program [and] dramatically reduced the amount of grant funds that can be spent on permanent housing. … Yesterday, the appeals court rejected HUD’s request to temporarily allow the restrictions to go into effect. The appeals court said that plaintiffs had provided ample evidence that if HUD moved ahead with its planned restrictions to the funding, the results would be ‘immediately destabilizing and disastrous.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bLtRYc
WARRANTS: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “ACLU of Minnesota [has] filed a lawsuit accusing ICE agents of violating the Fourth Amendment rights of citizens and immigrants when they forced their way into homes with an administrative form instead of a judicial warrant. The lawsuit also accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of deliberately hiding the policy…until the internal memo was leaked. The newly-appointed DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, [has] said he would require ICE agents to use judicial warrants to enter homes going forward.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3O3lzSq
ENERGY: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “[Last year], Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of states sued DOE over a new policy capping reimbursement for key administrative and staffing costs at ten percent of a project’s total budget, threatening millions of dollars in funding for state energy programs. … After initially appealing that decision, DOE has now rescinded the policy and agreed to dismiss its appeal, ensuring that states will continue to receive full federal funding for these [energy] programs and bringing the litigation to a successful conclusion.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cndt07
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Congress should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3OLZOGG(SPONSORED: PhRMA)
METRO
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Roughly 100 days into her administration, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is looking for a new No. 2 following the departure of one of her four assistant mayors. Jodi Pfarr resigned from City Hall late last month to return to her previous employer, the Ramsey County Attorney’s office. … The mayor’s office is actively looking for Pfarr’s replacement. … Pfarr officially started the job on Jan. 5 and her last day was March 23. … The reason for her departure [was] unavailable on Thursday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NUuNQX
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: https://fluence-media.co/3VASKg4 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
STATE NEWS
OWATONNA: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Owatonna residents filed a petition on Thursday for a public vote on a more than $60 million plan for new police and fire buildings. On deadline day, residents brought more than 300 pages with thousands of signatures to City Hall on a petition for a vote. … City Administrator Jenna Tuma said the total appears to be well above the threshold, but the city still has to count and verify the signatures. … If the petition is sufficient, and the City Council still decides to move forward with the plan as proposed, it could go to a vote of the public through a ballot referendum as soon as August.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sdMLfh
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “The St. Cloud Area School Board approved a $24.2 million compensatory revenue plan for the 2026–27 school year, setting aside 20% in reserve as district leaders brace for potential cuts to state education funding. Decisions made during Minnesota’s current legislative session could reduce the funding District 742 receives, particularly in special education and hold harmless provisions, according to Amy Skaalerud, executive director of finance and business services. The board unanimously approved the plan.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dmHleb
PRODUCTIVE FARMS, STEWARDSHIP GO HAND IN HAND: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Corn farmers are demonstrating that productive agriculture and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Through widespread adoption of practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops, crop rotations, and targeted nutrient management, farmers have improved soil health, reduced erosion, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and protected water quality across millions of acres in Minnesota. That’s all while implementing advances in seed genetics, fertility management, and precision technology that have improved on-farm productivity.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4stHjG5 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
AHEAD
SESSION: The Minnesota Legislature is on break for Easter and Passover until the morning of Tuesday, April 7.
TODAY: via MDE advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will release Minnesota’s graduation rates for the Class of 2025 and the 2023-24 course-taking data on Friday, April 3, 2026. The data will be released in the Minnesota Report Card and in MDE’s Data Center Friday morning.”
WEDNESDAY: via Essentia advisory, VERBATIM: “On Wednesday, April 8, Essentia Health-Fosston will break ground on a new emergency department. Essentia Health leaders and staff will be joined by project leaders from Kraus-Anderson to celebrate the start of construction.” The event is at 1:30 p.m.
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia is a Fluence sponsor)
APRIL 14: The Center of the American Experiment is hosting a “School Choice Rally” to support private school voucher legislation at the MN Capitol on Tuesday, April 14 at 12:00 noon. The event is advertised as a response to the No Kings rallies, saying in a release: “They had ‘No Kings.’ Now it’s our turn.”
APRIL 28: Gov. Tim Walz will deliver his final State of the State address before a joint session of the Minnesota Legislature on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: publishing and comms leader Tom Mason, realtor John Schuster. SAT: Commissioner Heather Edelson SUN: real estate guy Tim Peterson, fmr. Speaker Dee Long, public affairs pro Mike Zipko, entrepreneur Casey Putschoegl
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.