Wild lose in OT. Wolves win. Loons start the playoffs tonight. Wolves host Denver tonight.
Edwards tweaked a hamstring.
The Twin Cities had their 4th longest growing season ever this year at 199 days. MPR: http://fluence-media.co/4ovWhJg
WalletHub finds that the Twin Cities have the 5th worst inflation of any U.S. metro area. LIST: http://fluence-media.co/42XIdQv
Donald Trump will raise tariffs on Canadian goods by 10% in response to Ontario’s anti-tariff ad campaign. AP: http://fluence-media.co/4oCpNNh
Hope on a China trade deal for US Soybean farmers. FORTUNE: https://fluence-media.co/47Hf2Ul
MIRAC member Montana Hirsch shared thoughts on immigration, activism and more for Sunday Take. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3L9llHx
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TODAY: via news advisory from Gov. Tim Walz, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz will volunteer at a food shelf in Eagan and announce $4 million in emergency one-time funding for Minnesota food shelves.”
TODAY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and three leading challengers will spar in a livestreamed debate Monday hosted by the Minnesota Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio. Candidates state Sen. Omar Fateh, the Rev. DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton will take the stage with Frey at 3:30 p.m. Monday. … Star Tribune columnist Eric Roper and MPR editor Brandt Williams will moderate the debate.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3L9pxaj
MORE: TPT Almanac aired a Minneapolis mayoral debate Friday between Mayor Jacob Frey, Sen. Omar Fateh, Rev. DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton. The four candidates discussed sports arenas, downtown, homeless encampments, and more. The debate begins at the 20-minute mark. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3X2vuIB
ENERGYASST: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Thousands of homeowners in Minnesota could be seeing delays in energy bill assistance as the government shutdown continues…At least 100,000 Minnesota households receive state energy assistance benefits annually, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce… The state Energy Assistance Program, which helps residents pay their energy bills, said on its website that it’s still waiting on federal funds due to the shutdown and that payments could be delayed…The program is free and provides an average benefit of about $550, plus additional support for emergency response…The Salvation Army’s HeatShare program is still running on donations. According to its website, they help 7,800 households, averaging $400 per year, keep warm.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47pQuxJ
SNAP: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “State officials painted a grim picture of the impact of the federal government shutdown’s imminent threat to the food stamp program, which helps about 440,000 Minnesotans put food on the table. … Irene Fernando, chair of the Hennepin County Board, [spoke] at a Friday press conference. She called the likely cutoff of aid ‘a devastating disruption.’ Commissioner Tikki Brown of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which is responsible for the food stamp program in the state, [said] food stamp recipients receive an average of $6 a day and the state does not have the resources to ‘backfill’ the nearly $73 million the state receives each month to fund the food stamp program. … SNAP [benefits] will end on Nov. 1 unless Congress acts.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4oELqNg
MORE: via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture [won’t use] SNAP contingency funding, which Congress has already allocated for emergency scenarios, if the government shutdown stretches into November. … The USDA [said] the contingency fund was designed to respond to unforeseen events, like natural disasters, and the current shutdown doesn’t qualify. … The memo contradicts the shutdown plan prepared by USDA earlier in the year, which said the department is legally obligated to pay SNAP benefits in the event of a shutdown, [but] that plan has since been deleted.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4qufHQu
FOOD BANKS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Every Friday, a team of volunteers at VEAP, the largest food pantry in the Twin Cities, helps navigate a steady stream of cars that have scheduled grocery pick-up appointments. This Friday, the traffic and anxiety were a little higher as VEAP began to see more demand from some of the 18,000 federal workers in Minnesota who went without a full paycheck for the first time since the government shutdown began. … [VEAP] and other food agencies, such as Second Harvest Heartland, [have] a plan to deploy mobile food pantries in the coming days to deliver boxes of food. … But the effort comes at a time when VEAP and others are stretched thinner than ever.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4hu5xvb
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The loss of SNAP benefits would cause a ‘hunger catastrophe,’ said Sarah Moberg, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. Second Harvest is the largest support resource team in the state, with a team of full-time SNAP outreach and assistance specialists.” MOBERG: “There is simply not enough food in the system, especially following state and federal cuts, to meet the current need, let alone the increased demand that we are expecting if SNAP benefits are truly disrupted in November.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4qssy5L
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TOWN HALL: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota DFL held the first of what will be a series of town halls on gun violence Saturday in Waconia. Gov. Tim Walz was joined by former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords [plus] a Minnesota teacher and two physicians. … Walz urged the crowd of around 850 people at Waconia High School to keep pressure on legislators.” WALZ: “We simply, as Minnesotans, have to make the case that you are not going to do what you did every other place, and hope we forget and drag this out and stall. … We’ll put it on the ballot. You can vote for a constitutional amendment on this, then let the people vote for it, so it gets done.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3Laz1lC
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Republican Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth criticized the town hall. … DEMUTH: ‘Since the governor couldn’t even get his own members on board with a special session on banning guns, it appears he’s moved on to holding campaign rallies hosted by the DFL that aren’t truly open to the public. This is exactly why the legislative process is important. We need to hear from all perspectives, not just the Walz-approved ones.’ … The DFL insists that their town halls are open to all residents, with the next event scheduled in Rochester on Thursday, Nov. 6.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/3JdKRed
ICE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “On a Friday visit to the Twin Cities touting recent activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took aim at state and local Democratic leaders for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities. … Since January of this year, ICE has removed more than 4,300 people in the U.S. illegally in the state of Minnesota, according to ICE. Of that number, 3,316 had criminal histories. … Noem said Minnesota could expect additional ICE agents to join existing efforts in the state [and] accused Gov. Tim Walz and Twin Cities leaders of shielding people present in the U.S. illegally.” NOEM: “I don’t know how [Walz] sleeps at night. … If members of Congress, senators, governors don’t like the law, then they should go through the work of changing them.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4oDSM3x
MORE: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “As Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference in Minneapolis, hundreds gathered outside protesting her presence. … An increasingly large group of Minnesotans gathered outside the building in protest, with the first groups arriving at noon and the crowd swelling to hundreds by 4 p.m. … Faith leaders led a prayer vigil at 4:15 p.m., featuring songs led by the clergy, scripture readings, and more.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4o9QYPK
BUCKET TRUCK: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “On a crisp autumn morning in Waconia, Minnesota, Laketown Elementary buzzed with excitement as fifth grader Grant Scotting kept his eyes trained on the parking lot. A birthday surprise for Scotting was in the works — and soon it rolled up: a shiny Xcel Energy bucket truck. Scotting, who has special needs and is nonverbal, is known for his love of Xcel Energy. His enthusiasm for the local energy company ranges from reporting outages on his family’s iPad to eagerly opening each monthly bill.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4oq7uei (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
THISWEEK: 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)
MAYORSRACE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “With just over a week to go, the Minneapolis mayoral race is getting real. Mayor Jacob Frey is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about winning a third term, but the coalition opposed to him, anchored by challenger Sen. Omar Fateh, says not so fast. Both sides have polls to support their case, but a lot of caveats are in order [as] polling has been limited. … [Frey’s] campaign finance report that will be released Monday will show he’s raised over $900,000 since January, with over $200,000 in cash on hand. The Fateh campaign said it will report $510,00 raised since January, with $115,000 in cash on hand.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47mvPuv
GOV RACE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Republicans are rethinking whether to abide by their party’s endorsement in next year’s race for governor. … Scott Jensen [said] he plans to compete in the August primary election regardless of whether he gets the party’s endorsement again, [and] he’s encouraging his fellow Republican candidates for governor to follow suit. GOP state Rep. Kristin Robbins of Maple Grove previously said she also will go to the primary if she doesn’t win the endorsement. … Some Republicans feel the [endorsement] process has become too beholden to a small group of far-right activists. … But a primary fight could also divide GOP voters and drain candidate resources heading into the general election.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4nn5i6s
AG RACE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The 2026 Minnesota attorney general’s race will give Republicans another chance to win an office the party last won in 1966 — a remarkable 60-year gap. ‘I’ve never shied away from challenges in my entire life,’ says Republican candidate Ron Schutz. … It is the first political campaign for Schutz, and he will face a seasoned campaigner in Attorney General Keith Ellison. … Schutz says he will work to stop fraud before it happens [and] use the attorney general’s 200 lawyers to be watchdogs.” SCHUTZ: “I think the environment has changed. I mean, Keith Ellison barely won the last time, and I think this time…Minnesotans are scratching their heads about the massive fraud that permeates our state government. … Ellison can talk all he wants about stopping fraud. Nobody’s going to believe that.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4oDPU6L
SENATE RACE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is casting herself as the voice of change in the DFL race for U.S. Senate. Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig are the main competitors for the party’s endorsement contest. Flanagan told MPR [that] she views herself as a candidate prepared to break from the Washington mold. … Both Craig and Flanagan have said they plan to move to a primary if they don’t get the DFL Party’s endorsement.” FLANAGAN: “This is really about the choice between progressive values and corporate Democrats. And I think in this moment, especially going into the midterms, people have a choice to make. Are you with billionaires? [Or] are you with the people?” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3Jn38pt
MEDICARE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s primary Medicare helpline is reporting unusually high call volumes this month as a surge in health insurance questions has pushed average wait times to around 95 minutes. Minnesota Aging Pathways has been fielding about 1,800 calls daily — roughly triple the volume seen last year — since Medicare open enrollment started Oct. 15. … The numbers reflect challenges that seniors are facing due to shrinking options and higher costs in Minnesota’s market for Medicare Advantage insurance.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47rDSGu
ALLINA: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Primary care nurse practitioners, doctors and physician assistants at 61 Allina Health clinics could strike next month if an agreement is not reached at two upcoming bargaining sessions. … The Doctors Council SEIU announced plans for a one-day strike on Nov. 5. Picketing will take place at Allina’s clinics located in Coon Rapids, Richfield, and West St. Paul. Union members said this could potentially be the largest strike of its kind in U.S. history, and the first for doctors in Minnesota. Negotiation sessions are scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 3, ahead of the planned strike.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4oBLsFr
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)
SECURITY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Over 230 clergy and ministry leaders registered to attend the ‘Securing Sacred Spaces: House of Worship Security Summit’ on Saturday morning. The event was a free one-day seminar hosted by Kingswood Security Consulting which aimed to provide awareness on how to stay safe in places of worship. Simon Osamoh, the founder of Kingswood Security Consulting, said there has been an increased urgency for safety in the wake of the Annunciation Church shooting in Minneapolis. … Also speaking Saturday was Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, who encouraged safety by creating a stronger bond between law enforcement and residents.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/3WpGorJ
POT: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Pioneer Press checked in with a sampling of east metro cities, some where dispensaries are already in operation and others with shops awaiting licenses, to see how they are navigating the new legal-marijuana reality. … The Forest Lake City Council on Monday night will be considering an amendment to cannabis registration ordinances that would cap retail registrations at three: the statutory minimum plus one. … St. Paul has three cannabis retailers [and] does not currently have any pending registration requests, according to city officials. However, the state Office of Cannabis Management is working on licenses for businesses that would be located in St. Paul if approved.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4qs5J27
MPLS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Three progressive Minneapolis City Council members are quietly working to strengthen the city’s 22-year-old separation ordinance that limits coordination between the city’s police department and federal immigration authorities, hoping to set a national standard for pushback against what they say is illegal overreach. … ‘We want to make sure that we are not doing the work of a federal government that seeks to kidnap our neighbors without due process,’ City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said in an interview. … Chowdhury is working on the measure with Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai and fellow member Jason Chavez, in consultation with the Minneapolis City Attorney’s office.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3L9sw2v
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Developer Ari Parritz has asked the city of St. Paul for $3.5 million in financial assistance to establish a six-story, mixed-use building at the northeast corner of Grand Avenue and Victoria Street, the current site of the Victoria Crossing East Mall and the former Billy’s on Grand restaurant and bar. Parritz on Friday said the requested assistance would be structured as a ‘redevelopment TIF district.’ … The [site] would include 12,800 square feet of commercial and restaurant space on the ground level facing Grand Avenue, 90 market-rate apartments and one level of underground parking.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47rV66H
MOUNDS VIEW: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The ex-president of Minneapolis’ Regional Chamber of Commerce indicted this week for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 from the organization has also resigned from his seat on the Mounds View school board. The School Board for Mounds View Public Schools announced Jonathan Weinhagen’s resignation Friday, adding that his departure is ‘effective immediately.’ … The board will discuss plans to fill Weinhagen’s seat for the remainder of his term, which ends on January 3, 2028.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3WkWzXr
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)
STILLWATER: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Corrections has reduced the Stillwater prison population by 60% as it prepares to close the facility. In January, more than 1,200 inmates were at the 111-year-old prison. Since then, the department has moved nearly 750 people, mostly to the Rush City and Lino Lakes prisons. The transfers mark the start of a sweeping, yearslong realignment of Minnesota’s prison system. … The state plans to close Stillwater by June 30, 2029.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4oBjM3o
BUFFALO: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “An old government hub in downtown Buffalo could soon make way for a new lakefront development. … Buchholz Properties has agreed to purchase the old Wright County Government Center in the city’s downtown. It has stood vacant since the county moved its operations to a new center just north of Buffalo in 2022. The developer plans to tear down the old center and build two five-story apartment buildings with about 200 units, plus 16 patio homes, commercial space and possibly a marina. … Those plans got a boost recently when the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development awarded Wright County $867,500 for the demolition.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47paQYd
PINE CTY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A northeast Minnesota town board is being accused of going ‘rogue’ with its lakefront governance decisions in one of two lawsuits. Eight property owners on lakes including Sturgeon and Sand in Pine County, about 50 miles southwest of Duluth, are suing Windemere Township and its board and planning commission. The board in March approved an increase to shorefront subdivision lot sizes, a move made to protect lake water quality. … The changes have riled residents in this township of about 1,600 people, who worry about township overreach and lost property value and development opportunities. A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses the board of spot zoning.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3L9kpmv
From Friday’s Fluence newsletters:
CHILDCARE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Child care deserts throughout Greater Minnesota are at a crisis level. According to the Center for Rural Policy and Development, as the state’s population continues to grow, the problem is only getting worse. Although pockets of rural Minnesota are the hardest hit, the Twin Cities area also struggles. Marnie Werner, the vice president of research at the rural policy center, [said] when she began researching child care about 10 years ago, the child care capacity in the Twin Cities was broken down between about 75 percent centers and 25 percent family-run operations. But in rural Minnesota, it was the opposite, with about 70 percent family-run care and 30 percent center-based care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JmEcyb
(DISCLOSURE: Center for Rural Policy and Development is a client of Fluence)
SHUTDOWN: Minnesotan Annette Meeks was deputy chief of staff to Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich during the government shutdowns of 1995. She talked about that experience last week on NPR. MEEKS: “It had never happened [before], and we never thought it would. And then once it was upon you, there’s no game plan on how you handle a situation like this, that is so high stakes and is comprehensive in terms of capturing the average American’s attention of, what do you mean? The government shut down? People just expect their government to work, and it wasn’t.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Jou7Rv
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz will volunteer at a food shelf in Eagan and announce $4 million in emergency one-time funding for Minnesota food shelves and Tribal nations at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: via OHE advisory, VERBATIM: “To highlight one of Minnesota’s many homegrown manufacturing companies, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach and Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) Commissioner Dennis Olson will tour The Aagard Group in Alexandria. … Blissenbach and Olson will sit down for a discussion with Aagard leadership, employees who have benefited from DTG, and representatives from Alexandria Technical and Community College.” The event is at 10:00 a.m. DETAILS: http://fluence-media.co/479svnP
TODAY: The Advisory Committee on Capitol Security will meet at 12:30 p.m.
TODAY-TMRW: Sen. Doron Clark (D-Minneapolis) will host two town hall events in Senate District 60. On Monday, Clark will join Rep. Mohamud Noor and Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley in Minneapolis at 5:00 p.m. On Tuesday, Clark will be on the University of Minnesota campus at 5:30 p.m.
BDAYS: DFL insider Heidi Kraus Kaplan, PPL’s Lauren Henry, Fed Reserve’s Hue Nguyen
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