Gophers play Nebraska tonight. Wild play Washington.
Loons vs. Austin tomorrow. Vikings host the Eagles Sunday.
Did you read Sports Take yesterday - good stuff. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/4nXXKrX
WWE’s “NXT Deadline” event is coming to the Twin Cities for a second straight year. BMTN: http://fluence-media.co/4nRVsuf
NOAA predicts Minnesota will see below average temperatures and above average snow this winter. SEE: http://fluence-media.co/42Fsq8Q
The stage musical adaptation of Prince’s “Purple Rain” is now showing previews in Minneapolis. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4hgZ0UD
Pres. Donald Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton has been indicted. AXIOS: http://fluence-media.co/4qgAozk
The federal shutdown will extend into next week after a 10th failed attempt to end it. FOX: http://fluence-media.co/46TrwrK
At 9AM Sunday on WCCO Radio - Sunday Take will dive into a key issue in our region. Tune-in.
Happy National Pasta Day.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
From Sunday Take, State Demographer Susan Brower warns of slow growth and increased pressure on public budgets. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42Bprhz
Fluence Advisory is getting ready to host its next Fluence Forum – The State of Health Care. Email bolson@fluence-advisory.com for more information and sponsorship information.
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PAID LEAVE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The state’s health insurance exchange [and] the state licensing and registration system for vehicles [both] cost more than $100 million and took years to get working correctly. Now, the stakes are even higher as the state budgeted nearly $800 million to build and launch the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. ‘No one’s more aware of that than me,’ Gov. Tim Walz said of the rocky rollouts of MNSURE and MNLARS that happened under a previous administration. … Walz told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he knows there’s risk in rolling out such a major program in an election year.” WALZ: “If this thing does not roll out correctly, folks are going to speak up about that next year. … [But] this is really important to people. This is life-changing type stuff. … As far as this rollout is going to go, I am confident.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4hffXib
RESPONSE: via Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s Lauryn Schothorst speaking to KSTP, SCHOTHORST: “Workers need to know that the payroll tax will be coming out of their paychecks to finance this. … [We’re concerned about] not just the direct cost of the payroll tax, but all of the indirect costs for complying with, preparing for and then managing through these new mandates. Then, of course, what that does to the cost of your goods and then how that might impact your future growth.”
SMALL BIZ: via an NFIB press release, VERBATIM: “The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index declined 2.0 points in September to 98.8. This was the first decline in three months, though it remains above the survey’s 52-year average of 98. The Uncertainty Index rose 7 points from August to 100, the fourth-highest reading in over 51 years. … Supply chain and inflation issues stood out as a key problem in the report. … ‘Labor quality and taxes are tied as the number one problem for Minnesota’s small businesses,’ said NFIB Minnesota State Director Jon Boesche. ‘Lawmakers must heed this warning and cut unnecessary taxes and burdensome regulations if they want Minnesota’s economy to improve.’” REPORT: http://fluence-media.co/4nWLkR6
From yesterday’s lunch take:
ECONOMY: The Federal Reserve released its latest “Beige Book” this week, a snapshot of recent economic conditions across the nation. From the Minneapolis Fed section, EXCERPT: “Ninth District economic activity was slightly down since the previous report. Employment was flat to slightly down, and wage growth was moderate. Prices increased modestly. Manufacturing and commercial real estate were flat; consumer spending, tourism, construction, residential real estate, and energy activity decreased; and agricultural conditions weakened. Activity among minority- and women-owned business enterprises continued to decline.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ok5UKK
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TOMORROW: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Protests against the administration of President Donald Trump are planned in cities across Minnesota this Saturday as part of thousands of events scheduled around the U.S. … The Minneapolis No Kings event is one of dozens scheduled across Minnesota, [and] scheduled speakers at the event include Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. … Besides Minneapolis and St. Paul, activists have events planned Saturday in numerous Twin Cities suburbs, Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud, Fargo-Moorhead, International Falls, and other communities across the state.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3WEFMi2
GOV RACE: GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins announced that her campaign for governor has support from 20 current and former elected officials in Minnesota. Her supporters include former U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz, former U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, state Senators Karin Housley and Jason Rarick, 11 state Representatives and the mayors of Maple Grove and Corcoran. Via her announcement, ROBBINS: “I’m excited about the growing support for my campaign, from current and former elected officials, as well as from voters I meet every day.” READ/LIST: http://fluence-media.co/4q5QknQ
MORE: Cook Political Report has rated the Minnesota governor’s race as a “likely Democrat” victory, arguing that “no Republican has won statewide in Minnesota since 2006, and [Tim] Walz isn’t unpopular enough to truly jeopardize the streak.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3LggbJG
CRIME DATA: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Murders decreased in Minnesota for the third year in a row in 2024, according to an annual crime snapshot released Thursday by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Overall, violent crime was steady throughout the state, with a 1% rise reported in the seven-county Twin Cities metro and a 3% dip in the rest of the state, the report shows. The 170 homicides reported in 2024 represented a year-over-year decrease of 6%. … There were dramatic rises in some key areas, though. Minnesota saw 225 bias-motivated crimes in 2024, a 25% increase from the year before (180). Rises in reported crimes against Black (+35%), Hispanic (+64%) and LGBTQ (+44%) victims contributed to the spike.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/494oRwH
MORE: The BCA’s full report on annual crime statistics can be read online. REPORT: http://fluence-media.co/4ndwKnd
MAYOR RACE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The three main challengers to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have agreed to help push for a stronger immigrant sanctuary policy in the city. Frey didn’t attend the immigration group’s event Thursday and declined to sign on to the group’s demands. … The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) asked mayoral candidates to sign on to a list of four main demands, which includes a ban on Minneapolis police sharing information with federal immigration agencies or providing crowd control for agencies like ICE. The candidates also agreed to push for a ban on face coverings for federal agents and punitive measures for local law enforcement agencies that violate the city’s separation ordinance.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47dftUW
MORE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Inside the Capri Theater Wednesday night, all five Minneapolis mayoral candidates took the stage, but they didn’t debate with one another. The forum was organized by several cultural groups to give voters a chance to ask questions. The candidates were asked about a variety of topics ranging from housing to economic recovery. They were also asked about public safety.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/48vfUMP
SENATE RACE: Via Minnesota Reformer, an analysis of Rep. Angie Craig’s and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s campaign finance reports. VERBATIM: “Ten months out from the primary…Craig has nearly $3 million in cash on hand to Flanagan’s $836,000. To date, Craig has been her own biggest donor, transferring more than $650,000 from her House campaign to her Senate campaign. She’s also received more than $100,000 from Majority Fund, a political action committee affiliated with Majority Democrats, a group of centrists aiming to remake the party’s image. … No other individual donor or PAC has contributed more than $14,000 to Craig’s Senate primary. … Many of [Flanagan’s] largest donations have come from Native American tribes around the country — if elected, Flanagan would be the first Native woman in the Senate.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3KMNC6L
BROADBAND: Comcast is rewriting the broadband playbook in the Twin Cities. From neighborhood networks to next-gen tech, we’re delivering community-first internet connectivity with no contracts, no surprises. The new Xfinity package means unlimited data, blazing-fast, reliable speeds and a 5-year price guarantee, plus free mobile for a year. It’s not the old Comcast — it’s a bold new era of connection. Let’s power the future, together. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/Comcast2025-1 (SPONSORED: Comcast)
POT: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Mark Eide is struggling to keep the lights on at his downtown Minneapolis dispensary…For the past three years, he’s been selling low-potency hemp products at his store, In-Dispensary. Now, with a cannabis retail license in hand, he’s transitioning into selling recreational cannabis…The only problem is there’s no product to sell.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47bCO9H
CHILDCARE: via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “As the government shutdown drags on, Duluth lawmakers and providers are calling for an end to the gridlock on Capitol Hill. Democratic Senator Jen McEwen and Representative Pete Johnson joined local childcare professionals to highlight how the shutdown is directly impacting the Duluth area’s services. Jessi Anttila owns an early childhood learning center on Duluth’s hillside.” QUOTE: “All of us in childcare are incredibly worried about the loss of the enhanced premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which will raise health insurance premiums for all of us. Some of my teachers have children on Medical Assistance and are very scared for what will happen to their kids’ healthcare.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4hcVSc5
MEDICARE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Premium increases, vanishing choices and bigger spending requirements when seniors use health care next year are roiling the Medicare Advantage market in Minnesota. The shifts in insurance coverage are being driven in part by higher prices for services as well as increased use of health care — forces that are pushing up expenses across all types of insurance. … The changes are driving a surge of calls to Minnesota Aging Pathways, a statewide call center where trained staff help with Medicare and other topics are handling more than 2,000 calls per day — record volume that’s about three times the average.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47kDF8e
SNAP: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced he secured a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s unprecedented demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. … Ellison and the coalition sued to block the demand and keep the funds flowing to low-income and hungry Minnesotans.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3Wao9GE
TRADE: via a Rep. Angie Craig press release, VERBATIM: “Today, U.S. Representative and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture Angie Craig called on President [Donald] Trump to roll back his unconstitutional, country-specific ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs and provide relief to soybean farmers in Minnesota and across the country. … She also called out the Trump Administration’s recent announcement of an estimated $40 billion – largely taxpayer-funded – bailout to Argentina, one of the United States’ leading soybean export competitors.” LETTER: http://fluence-media.co/4o1q3Wy
OCT 30: via AgriGrowth, VERBATIM: “Economic data from the first quarter of 2025 showed that Minnesota’s GDP decreased by 2.42% from the previous year, driven by mounting challenges in the agriculture industry. Minnesota’s agriculture and food sector has been a cornerstone of the state’s economic growth, often mitigating or cushioning recessions. To strengthen our agriculture and food economy, change is required. Minnesota AgriGrowth’s fall summit will continue the hard questions being asked at kitchen tables and board rooms: ‘How do we build a robust agriculture and food economy in Minnesota by 2040?’” AGENDA: https://fluence-media.co/3L2utxu (SPONSORED: AgriGrowth)
HOMELESS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “While Native Americans make up just 2% of Minnesota’s population, they account for 30% of homeless adults, according to two recent reports from Wilder Research, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that has been surveying homeless residents since 1991. Homelessness among Native Americans looks different in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, the reports point out. Instead of sprawling encampments, homelessness is hidden in greater Minnesota, with people often shuffling among homes of relatives.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4okAHHp
ENERGY: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The effort by Minnesota’s Indigenous communities to achieve energy sovereignty is gathering pace. … The tribes seeking energy sovereignty face a stiff challenge, however, in the Trump Administration’s campaign to roll back clean energy. … Bob Blake, a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa and owner of a Minneapolis energy development company, helped secure a pre-Trump federal grant to set up a ‘tribal virtual utility’ on the Red Lake Reservation in far northern Minnesota. … [But] as litigation drags on, Blake said up to $80 million in funding that could have gone to Red Lake is in limbo.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3LfV7TF
JURIES: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A new Minnesota Supreme Court decision casts doubt on whether the state’s juries are racially discriminatory. The case involves Atravius Joseph Weeks, a Black man who allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend in front of a daycare. But when he showed up to court, only one person out of 60 prospective jurors was Black. Weeks argued his jury was not adequately representative. … The Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts, saying that issue had not been adequately considered.” READ/LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3KSWebU
POWER OUTAGES: Xcel Energy has a new Electric Outage Map, now available in both English and Spanish. QUOTE: “Our customers tell us how much they appreciate and rely on this feature. We’ve made user-friendly updates designed to help them stay informed and prepared, as part of our commitment to making energy work better.” MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3WBTvWR (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
NATL PARKS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, Minnesota’s six National Park Service (NPS) units are open, but visiting them isn’t the experience the public might expect. Visitor centers and other buildings are closed, and only essential staff like law enforcement are working. The NPS also has canceled public events, programs and suspended wildlife research projects, according to some of the units’ official nonprofit partners.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/43g9HRi
WEATHER: via an MDA press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is expanding its Minnesota Ag Weather Network (MAWN) with the launch of three new weather stations spanning Southern Minnesota. … By closing coverage gaps, the network empowers producers with more accurate, site-specific information to guide decisions about irrigation, crop health, soil management, and water conservation. Two of the new stations are in Southwest Minnesota, near Leota and Luverne in Rock County, the third is to the east, between Elkton and Adams in Mower County.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3WHU4yl
KUDOS: Minneapolis Jewish Federation announced that Judy Cook, senior partner at Cook Strong Sellwood, has received their 2025 Women of Intention World-Saver award. The organization described her in their announcement as a “lifelong volunteer in the Jewish community” who “takes every opportunity to mentor younger women.” Cook will be honored at an event on Thursday, Oct. 23.
MOVE: Civic leader and non-profit veteran Jake Blumberg announced that he is launching JB Strategies, a Twin Cities-based consulting firm focused on “interim executive leadership, fundraising campaign strategies, and strategic planning,” Blumberg was previously the managing director of the Itasca Project at GREATER MSP and prior to that Executive Director of GiveMN
ST PAUL: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Two days after a bloc of city leaders pleaded at the Minnesota State Capitol for action on gun violence prevention, St. Paul published language for a potential ordinance that would address gun safety issues. … There would be exceptions for active-duty law enforcement and military personnel, as well as licensed federal firearms curators and those transporting guns through the city. The main hurdle, however, is Minnesota’s preemption law, which blocks cities from creating their own gun ordinances. St. Paul’s ordinance — if passed — would not go into effect unless the preemption law was lifted.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4otXiS9
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Data from the beginning of the fall 2025 semester shows St. Cloud State University is continuing an enrollment decline that goes back 15 years. After the first 30 days of the fall semester, 9,646 students were currently attending SCSU, according to data from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. That represents a 5.1% decrease from fall 2024, or a total of 518 students. From 2021-2024, enrollment plateaued at approximately 10,000 students. Prior to that, it was on a steady decline since SCSU’s peak of 18,650 students in 2010.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4qktzwM
IRON RANGE: via KAXE, VERBATIM: “Local governments on the Iron Range must return hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources after the agency miscalculated multiple years of mining revenue distributions. The DNR gave $2.7 million to Range counties, municipalities and school districts that should have gone to a statewide education fund, with most of the overpayments occurring from 2022 to 2024. While the error affected each of the six northeastern Minnesota counties that receive mineral funds, only a handful of communities in Itasca and St. Louis counties still owe money. … Itasca County; the city of Nashwauk; the Nashwauk-Keewatin, Greenway and Rock Ridge school districts; and Biwabik Township must pay back over $100,000 in mistakenly distributed funds.” READ/LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3Wae1Ok
40 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited (DU) are celebrating 40 years of partnership, a longevity landmark that makes Flint Hills one of DU’s longest-standing corporate partners. Working together over the past four decades, Flint Hills and DU have contributed to conserving more than 250,000 acres of wildlife habitat and natural areas in Minnesota and over 900,000 acres across North America. LEARN MORE: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited Celebrate 40 Years of Partnership (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
DULUTH: via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “The rising number of Duluth homes being used as Vrbos and Airbnbs has city leaders looking to take action. The mayor, pitching a pause on new vacation rental licenses to prevent harm to the housing market. … This is just the latest iteration of the discussion surrounding short-term rentals and their impact on the availability and affordability of housing in Duluth. The moratorium being proposed would pause people’s ability to get a license to rent short-term vacation units for a year. The mayor says it’s to try to put a dent in Duluth’s housing shortage.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/3J0ItYb
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Meetings of the Rochester City Council will return to the city-county Government Center next week. The meetings were temporarily held in Rochester Public Utilities community room while the shared meeting chambers underwent audiovisual and accessibility upgrades. … The City Council is returning for its 6 p.m. meeting Oct. 20.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4nRZNO3
BELTRAMI CTY: via Bemidji Pioneer, VERBATIM: “An $8,000 cut to Paul Bunyan Transit funding was included in Beltrami County’s proposed 2026 budget, as part of an overall 42% cut to community services. The Beltrami County Commissioners will finalize this budget in December. [But] Paul Bunyan Transit Executive Director Lezlie Grubich and Beltrami County Administrator Tom Barry both confirmed that Paul Bunyan Transit has not received Beltrami County funding since 2020, despite being included in the county’s budget each year. Grubich chalks this up to miscommunication.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3KMO0lJ
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
EMMER/WALZ: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Before [Tim] Walz became governor, he was a Democratic congressman from a rural district. Before [Tom] Emmer went to Congress, he lost a nailbiter of a governor’s race in 2010. The two have never run against each other, but they fight like they have a head-to-head history. The public jabs are becoming more frequent between Minnesota’s top Democrat and top Republican. University of Minnesota political science professor Kathryn Pearson said the spat could have real ramifications for the people that Walz and Emmer serve.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KQTETS
MEDICAID: via a DHS press release, VERBATIM: “Medicaid providers who have not billed for services in more than a year will be disenrolled from Minnesota’s Medicaid program, as the Minnesota Department of Human Services tightens oversight. The first round of disenrollment began Oct. 15, when roughly 800 providers were disenrolled. Impacted providers were certified prior to April 1, 2024, and have not billed since that date. This round of disenrollments does not include 621 inactive housing stabilization services providers because the program is slated to end on Oct. 31.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nfmydL
MAYO: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic will go out-of-network next year for most Medicare Advantage plans from two of the nation’s largest health insurers. The changes, which UnitedHealthcare and Humana confirmed over the past week to the Minnesota Star Tribune, mean tens of thousands of beneficiaries in the state will need different insurance coverage if they want to retain access to the marquee medical center in Rochester. Neither Mayo nor the insurance companies offered explanations for the change.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4omBXd7
TODAY: via a Rep. Angie Craig advisory, VERBATIM: “U.S. Representative Angie Craig will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Farmington Police Department’s new security fence. Rep. Craig will deliver remarks at the event alongside Farmington Mayor Josh Hoyt and Chief of Police Nate Siem.” The event is at 4:00 p.m.
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will meet with the Professional Golfers’ Association executive leadership.
TOMORROW: via Indivisible Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “On Saturday, October 18th at 1 PM, Twin Citians will join together at The Commons for a nonviolent rally and march at the second No Kings Twin Cities day of action. … Thousands of events, across Minnesota — from International Falls and Bemidji to Saint Cloud and Winona — and nationwide from Bangor, Maine to San Diego are already scheduled, with more events added daily.”
TUESDAY: The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 2025 Workplace Compliance Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Coon Rapids. The conference will primarily focus on how to “help employers, business leaders, and compliance professionals understand the full scope of [paid leave] requirements,” per a release. The event is at 9:30 a.m.
BDAYS: lobbyist Will Damman, journalist Angela Greiling Keane. SAT: lobbyist and horsewoman Erin Buie, Rep. Athena Hollins, WCCO Radio’s Steve Simpson. SUN: Judge Sara Grewing, philanthropist Andrew Dayton, photographer Meghan Doll, WCCO-TV’s Ellen Mohs
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