DRYING OUT
US Open starts today. Twins in Texas. Knicks Parade in NYC.
PWHL Draft last night the picks are here: https://fluence-media.co/4oxV850
Sports Take is feeling sad for Byron Buxton, glad for Olivia Miles and intrigued by a Minnesota teen who should be a first-round pick in next week’s NHL draft. That and much more coming this afternoon.
Big Truck parade tonight in DT Minneapolis.
People for Bikes ranked Minneapolis the nation’s 2nd best major city for biking, with St. Paul in 7th. Meanwhile, Richfield is ranked 1st in Minnesota. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3SiGCCa
The U.S.-Iran deal was unveiled and signed early, imposing a 60-day ceasefire, economic benefits for Iran and more. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4oK9jUL
The Strait of Hormuz will be opened for 60 days, but Iran may consider charging tolls after that. CNBC: https://fluence-media.co/4uJ2nbM
The MNDOT and local government lack of coordination on East-West construction in the West Metro deserves more investigation.
Dog park drama will be found in other news sources today…
Today is National HOA Appreciation Day..which seems counterintuitive.
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LISTEN: Sunday Take featured DFL Reps. Kelly Moller and Mike Howard remembering the life and legacy of Melissa Hortman one year after her passing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gfrsri
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SMARTER: Long Term Care – Is Minnesota Ready? Care Providers Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota hosted providers, Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL), Representative Natalie Zeleznikar (03B, GOP), and Representative Nathan Nelson (11B, GOP) for a conversation about the future of careing for our seniors. This coming week the conversation moves to St. Cloud. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ue3YXA
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So much content this week with polls and fundraising, once we can compare approvals between the Star Tribune / KARE 11 poll and the KSTP/Survey USA polls we’ll starte to have a strong lens into the opportunities and challenges.
Looking back to 2014, the last time there was a competitive GOP primary the June 2014 KSTP/Survey USA poll had a tie between the GOP endorsed candidate Jeff Johnson and Kurt Zellers.
The difference here is that the GOP endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls has a rough week, he trails in the polls and in fundraising. The lead of Mike Lindell is a sign that Republicans may have a disaster in the General Election, but Speaker Lisa Demuth has as good a chance as any to break the endorsement streak for Republicans if her own campaign and outside groups continue to be raise some money and keep her campaign steady. The GOP Senate primary may play a part in lifting Demuth, as well as her fundraising and outside support. If Tafoya has resources that drive out more moderate Republicans, women tend to vote for women and there is pent up energy among conservative women since COVID.
More KSTP poll numbers tonight, and a full pull of fundraising from legislative candidates still coming this week, before a MNSider Brief about the State of the races.
MN POLL: KSTP published results from a statewide poll asking voters about the races for governor, U.S. Senate and attorney general. Notably, the party-endorsed candidate is not in the lead for all three primary contests polled. Results are summarized below. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4vcKgvT
GOP GOV: Mike Lindell at 27%, Speaker Lisa Demuth at 22%, Kendall Qualls at 17%, “another Republican” at 10%, undecided at 24%.
GOP SEN: Michele Tafoya at 36%, “another Republican” at 27%, Royce White at 15%, Adam Schwarze at 7%, Tom Weiler at 7%, undecided at 8%.
DFL SEN: Rep. Angie Craig at 41%, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan at 36%, undecided at 18%, “another DFLer” at 6%.
ATTY GEN: A.G. Keith Ellison at 44%, Ron Schutz at 37%, undecided at 19%.
DEMOGRAPHICS: The KSTP poll notes that voters in both parties have significant splits depending on age and gender. For example, in the DFL Senate primary, Rep. Angie Craig is significantly more popular with older voters and men, while Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s strongest support comes from voters under 50. Craig’s lead is notable following tight margins in internal polls released from both campaigns. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vcKgvT
FLAG: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s new flag has dismal support. … Just a third of likely Minnesota voters approve of the new blue-and-white design adopted in 2024, while half are opposed. Another 20% are not sure. … Opposition was not limited to deep-red parts of Greater Minnesota. In the Twin Cities suburbs and exurbs, 53% opposed the redesigned flag. The flag did not have majority support even inside Hennepin and Ramsey counties.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gxzxaO
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
TAXES + TALKERS
PROPERTYTAXES: via Fox 9, VERBATIM: “Property owners in Minnesota are facing higher property taxes, with a total increase of $873 million compared to last year. These increases are tied to both rising tax rates and higher home values…Minneapolis and Hennepin County have sent out quintile notices to let people know when their properties will be reassessed this year. The state requires cities and counties to reassess every home at least once every five years.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eON6kV
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis leaders say the city may have to cut services and jobs or raise property taxes to balance its 2027 budget…City leaders said Minneapolis would have to spend about $30 million more than it is bringing in next year to keep programs and staffing at current levels. On Wednesday night, City Council Member Michael Rainville invited residents to hear from the city’s deputy chief financial officer, ask questions and suggest where cuts could be made… Property taxes have gone up every year since at least 2018 by 7.7% a year on average, according to a presentation from Minneapolis Deputy Chief Financial Officer Jayne Discenza, meaning 2027 would mark at least the ninth year in a row Minneapolis property taxes climbed overall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oDhrGv
CANNABIS: via MPR News, VERBATIM:” One of Minnesota’s longstanding cannabis testing labs has ended its cannabis and hemp testing program following regulatory troubles…Legend Technical Services announced this week it has shut down its cannabis testing program. This comes weeks after the state’s cannabis agency froze Legend’s cannabis testing license after the lab failed to complete compliance requirements. QUOTE: “We no longer see the Minnesota Cannabis Program fitting with our long-term corporate plans for the laboratory and consulting services at LEGEND,” Legend said in a written statement. “Under the current regulatory framework, we do not see foresee an ability to continue to meet our client expectations in an economically viable manner.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QKYo0u
THREATS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Videos that surfaced online showed St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Melissa Hortman with bullet holes in their foreheads, according to charges announced Wednesday. They were posted on the same day that Hortman [was] assassinated. … [Now], prosecutors charged a 49-year-old St. Paul man with threats of violence and harassment against Her. … The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is handling the matter since Her is an elected official.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44fwMUe
SEXSPOTS: via Fox 9, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis is taking early steps toward possibly legalizing sex at bathhouses, decades after a ban was put in place during the AIDS crisis in 1988… The proposal passed committee Wednesday with a 4-3 vote, and passed Thursday’s Health and Safety Committee 6-1…The only no vote Thursday came from Council member Michael Rainville of Ward 3, who said, “I still have a lot of questions on this and I look forward to the conversations before I make my mind up.”..The next step is a full city council vote next week, but this is just one of many steps before any changes would take effect.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xzUA2H
DOCKET
FEED FRAUD: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The ringleader of the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scheme is appealing her federal conviction and decades-long prison sentence. Last month, Aimee Bock was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison. … Her appeal is based on both the application of sentencing guidelines and constitutionality of guidelines, but no further information is detailed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uGZ8S6
FED AGENT: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Prosecutors for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed a motion on Wednesday opposing an ICE agent’s request to move his case from the county to federal court. Gregory Morgan is charged with two counts of second-degree assault. … ‘The defense’s filing asking to move this case to federal court last week was expected, and today we’ve filed our response,’ Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4w1Dmdb
CHARGES: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Federal officers arrested two more anti-ICE protesters Wednesday in the Twin Cities, with both going before a judge in St. Paul federal court hours later. Wednesday’s arrests were part of the 15 charged Tuesday with impeding the work of immigration agents. … A judge rejected prosecutors’ request that the defendants post a cash bail before being released.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43IDIZX
DETENTION: Via Washington Post, the Dept. of Homeland Security announced new federal immigration detention standards this week after taking input from at least one ICE contractor that “privately asked for changes that could benefit its business.” VERBATIM: “The revised rules no longer say detainees must be paid at least $1 per day, and no longer include several references to contractors having to comply with state or local laws. … At least one new detention center in Appleton, Minnesota, already has agreed to follow the 2026 rules, federal procurement records show.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a8qppr
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)
TENSIONS
DATA CENTERS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A Minneapolis City Council committee voted to support a six-month pause on building new data centers in the city, with some exemptions for downtown projects. … It puts a pause on the establishment, re-establishment or expansion of data centers, except for projects that are located downtown and are less than 350,000 square feet. Council Member Aurin Chowdhury is the lead author on the moratorium and said it’s needed while the city drafts and implements permanent regulations on data centers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vQM4up
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Months of public fighting over a proposed data center for Google spurred the Pine Island City Council to adopt new rules [for] how residents can speak during official meetings. … The city’s new public comment policy at meetings forbids name-calling and limits the types of information residents will be allowed to speak about, among other rules. … The rule changes [had] followed the resignation of Mayor David Friese earlier in the day.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aCCLGm
POLLUTION: via Rep. Kelly Morrison advisory, VERBATIM: “Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) led more than 30 members of Congress in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging the EPA to protect American waterways and not weaken protections that keep toxic metals and other dangerous pollutants from leaching into rivers and our drinking water supply.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4aaF4QW
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
METRO
MPD: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis Police Department’s interim chief on Wednesday made shifts in high-ranking leadership positions following the resignation of former Police Chief Brian O’Hara. The changes were announced in a Tuesday email from Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson to the department’s sworn and civilian staff. … New appointments [include] Mark Klukow as assistant chief of operations; Charles ‘Charlie’ Adams as deputy chief of investigations; Thomas Campbell as deputy chief of patrol, and Troy Schoenberger as deputy chief of internal affairs. The four appointments assumed their roles on Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QOoL5F
WOODBURY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Former Minnesota DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who left office after being convicted of burglarizing her stepmother’s home, appears to be exploring a run for Woodbury City Council. While Mitchell has not made a formal announcement about running for office, her website, nicolemitchell.org, includes a page accepting donations for a Woodbury City Council campaign.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QvmZq2
ROBBINSDALE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Voters in a west metro school district now have a much better idea of how much their property tax bills will go up if they decide to support the district’s climb out of a massive hole of debt. … While a couple more steps remain, the Robbinsdale Area Schools (RAS) board approved what residents will likely see in a building bond referendum vote in November. The cost could be as high as $413 million and cost families an average of $25/month for the next 20 years.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44mapMV
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)
ACROSS MN
RPS: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Rochester Public Schools has approved its budget for the coming year, finalizing a lengthy process that has highlighted the financial challenges facing the district as it seeks to grapple with the prospect of declining enrollment and increasing costs. … The district’s total budget for 2026-27 is more than $483 million, the bulk of which is in the district’s general fund, which comprises $322.6 million. It also reflects more than $8 million in cuts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eO5Alz
DPS: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The [Duluth] school district took its first steps toward a potential referendum [before] the board voted to approve the district budget. … The budget, which the board approved unanimously, cuts $4.2 million from the district’s general fund. While those reductions closed the district’s $4 million funding gap from this year, the 2027 budget projects operating costs to be nearly $203 million — roughly $3 million over the $199 million in revenue the district should receive next year. In short, come next budget season, the district will likely be facing another deficit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SbHkBi
OLMSTED CTY: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Olmsted County commissioners are questioning whether Dodge County is paying its fair share for housing detainees in the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center. … Dodge County pays $75 a day for each detainee housed at the Olmsted County facility, a rate set by the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association. It’s below the nearly $325 per detainee it costs to operate the detention center.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Q7SzKr
PROUD TO CHAMPION ATHLETES EVERYWHERE: Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers may come from different fields than the athletes participating in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, which are set for June 20-26 in Minnesota. But they share the same values, including dedication, hard work, and perseverance. This summer, Minnesota Corn salutes the talented athletes participating in the games. We’ll be cheering them on from our fields as they shine in yours. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
DAYBOOK
TODAY: DEED Deputy Commissioner Kevin McKinnon and Labor Market Info Director Angelina Nguyen will answer questions from the press regarding May employment data at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: Human Rights Watch will host a press conference in Minneapolis discussing its new report on Operation Metro Surge with local leaders from Unidos-MN, National Lawyers Guild MN and more. The event is at 10:00 a.m.
TOMORROW: The Minnesota state government will celebrate Juneteenth on Friday, June 19.
SATURDAY: Minnesota will host the 2026 USA Special Olympics starting on Saturday, June 20. The event is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors next week.
JUNE 23: Sen. Andrew Mathews and Rep. Shane Mekeland, both GOP, will host a town hall with representatives from Options, Inc. to discuss Medicaid provider revalidation and “the impacts state processing delays may have on services provided to vulnerable Minnesotans,” per a release. The event is in Big Lake at 6:00 p.m.
JUNE 24: Independent evaluators at ELEFA will host a public meeting to answer questions about the Minneapolis Police Department’s settlement agreement. The event is at 6:00 p.m.
JULY 13: Attorney General Keith Ellison will host a community listening session on Monday, July 13 to discuss the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by Sutter Health. The event is in St. Paul at 6:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: retired lobbyist Tom Lehman, activist Cara Letofsky, County Manager Ling Becker
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.