Twins lost. Ending a 13-game winning streak.
Wolves play OKC. Series start Tuesday.
Scottie Scheffler wins the PGA Championship.
The Minnesota Frost compete in the PWHL Finals starting tomorrow. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/43B9OaE
Wildfire update: Camp House Fire 31% contained, Jenkins Creek Fire 0% contained. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/4moo9yI
Moody’s has downgraded the U.S. government’s credit rating, citing rising debt. REUTERS: https://fluence-media.co/4krj3jw
Fmr. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the day-to-day workplace experience, about one-third of Gen Z adult workers living in America’s Heartland feel at least somewhat prepared to integrate artificial intelligence into their current jobs. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/3Fjmwl9
TPT’s Mary Lahammer was on Sunday Take to discuss the chaotic present and possible future of the legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/44KsG8q
Happy National Devil’s Food Cake Day.
Blois
TIPS: BloisOlson@gmail.com
GOP Senate Leader Mark Johnson and DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger were on Sunday Take to discuss the final days of the 2025 legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42RrXkj
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
THIS WEEK: The 2025 legislative session ends today, and a special session will be necessary to finish passing a budget. The timing of the special session has not been announced yet, but caucus leaders have indicated they want it to begin this week.
SPECIAL SESSION: Via WCCO-TV, Speaker Lisa Demuth and House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman both confirmed yesterday that a special session will need to happen and they are already planning for it. VERBATIM: “If no budget agreement is reached by [June 30], the state government will enter a government shutdown. That has not happened since 2011. With the slimmest of margins in both the Minnesota House and Senate, it remains to be seen if the existing budget framework [will] survive.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dnOicE
THC: via letter to Tax Chairs Sen. Ann Rest and Reps. Aisha Gomez and Greg Davids, VERBATIM: “On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to express our strong opposition to the proposed tax increase on THC-infused beverages…Minnesota has a rapidly growing market for low-dose, hemp-derived THC beverages…However, the proposal to increase the cannabis tax by 50 percent, from 10 percent to 15 percent, will be devastating to what has been a nationally leading THC-infused beverage market in Minnesota.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/3SbjmTl
(DISCLOSURE: Plift is a client of Fluence Advisory)
BUDGET: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Monday is adjournment day for the 2025 Minnesota legislative session, but lawmakers aren’t done with their work just yet and won’t be by midnight.
Leaders expect to roll straight into a special session — with the hopes of wrapping up a new budget before Memorial Day. State lawmakers chipped away at their to-do list over the weekend in a Capitol lacking the usual intensity to beat the clock…Murphy, the Senate leader, has her work cut out for her to get to the end. She faces a revolt in her caucus over a deal she signed her name to…Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth doesn’t have an easy task either…By nature of the House tie, bipartisan backing is needed for anything and everything to pass…So as lawmakers reached what they thought would be the end, now the question is whether they can clear the final obstacles and when. Only then can they break for home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SagMwU
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Legislature had passed only two out of more than a dozen budget bills as of early Sunday evening. … Legislators passed a veterans and military affairs budget bill on Saturday and a housing bill on Sunday. Most major budget bills, from education and taxes to health and human services, remain in limbo as lawmakers negotiate. … Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, was among the Democrats who protested ending MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented immigrant adults. But he said Saturday that he and his colleagues would not be willing to force a state government shutdown over it. … [Melissa] Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said it’ll be easier to pass the budget bills through the tied House than the DFL-controlled Senate.” HORTMAN: “Rep. [Lisa] Demuth and I can have unhappy members in our caucus. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy has to have every single one of her votes to get these bills through.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SdeAVs
HEALTHCARE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Rep. Cedrick Frazier told reporters Saturday that Democrats were working on a plan that would ensure undocumented [adults] continue to receive healthcare. FRAZIER: ‘We’re talking to folks behind the scenes and we’re going to work things out.’ … DFL House Floor Leader Jamie Long told FOX 9 he anticipates the issue will be removed from the larger budget bill and voted on separately.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4mn37Ak
PRIVATE SCHOOLS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “[Last week], House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, gave reporters the impression that private school aid would not be touched. … But cuts to private school aid are still in play, as far as a key DFL senator is concerned. Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, said that funding for private school aid wasn’t part of the global budget agreement, and protecting public education is a priority for Senate Democrats. … A source with the House Republican caucus told the Reformer that there’s ‘no scenario where we will agree to’ any cuts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dqO9Ft
WALZ: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Two years after he signed a liberal policy blitz into law, Gov. Tim Walz stood before reporters Thursday to announce a budget deal that cuts spending and scales back health coverage for undocumented immigrants. It was a notable shift back toward the center for Walz, done out of fiscal and political necessity. … [It] serves as a reminder of his new political reality and willingness to make decisions that are unpopular with some fellow Democrats. … DUCKWORTH: ‘Before they had total control of government for the last two years, [Walz] found himself in this position fairly regularly where the far left of the Democratic Party were being somewhat critical of him because he was having to compromise,’ said Sen. Zach Duckworth, R-Lakeville. … But Duckworth, who’s mulling a run for governor in 2026, said it’s hard to reconcile this Walz with the one who signed a suite of progressive policies into law two years ago: ‘If compromise isn’t necessary, he’s 110% OK with us going as far left as he has to.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3H35RCR
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)
EDUCATION: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The tied Minnesota House passed its education budget bill on Friday night after a debate over preserving unemployment benefits for hourly school workers derailed progress on the biggest chunk of state general fund spending earlier this month. … The House’s proposal still includes the rollback of unemployment insurance, but when they hammer out differences with the Senate’s education bill, they’ll remove that piece, House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman said. … The education budget makes up around one-third of the current $71 billion two-year state budget. Under the deal, education spending will remain level for the next two years other than the required inflation-tied increases.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dHCDWF
HOUSING: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “To its supporters, the housing omnibus budget bill passed by the House Sunday represents a step in the right direction. Many of those same legislators, however, say a giant leap in funding and policy changes is required to meet the state’s housing needs. On a 108-26 vote, the House passed the conference committee report to HF2445/SF2298*, sponsored Rep. Spencer Igo (R-Wabana Township) and Sen. Lindsey Port (DFL-Burnsville). The Senate did the same 36-31 Saturday. It is now headed to Gov. Tim Walz. … Igo says excessive regulation is an obstacle to meeting the state’s housing needs and that addressing that obstacle is the path forward.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3F9P2Wo
DWI: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “On Friday evening, the House passed a DWI bill that will create harsher penalties and promote the use of interlock systems in vehicles for those with multiple DWIs. It will also extend the look back period for previous DWIs from 10 to 20 years. The Senate passed it Saturday afternoon. … The bill now heads to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk, where it’s expected to be signed into law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45eC8AS
PUBLIC SAFETY: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Rep. Paul Novotny (R-Elk River) describes the omnibus judiciary and public safety bill as ‘a bare bones, keep-the-lights-on public safety budget’ that he wishes would do more to keep Minnesotans safe. … The House passed a conference committee report on the bill 131-3. … Also passed by the Senate Sunday night, the bill will go to the governor. In its final form, the omnibus budget bill would fund Minnesota courts and public safety agencies in the 2026-27 biennium to the tune of $3.5 billion, a $107.42 million increase over base per the global target agreement. … The bill includes a $1 million appropriation in fiscal year 2026 related to the planned closure of the Stillwater prison.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S7MFX1
PENSIONS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Hundreds of Education Minnesota teachers’ union members rallied inside the Capitol in St. Paul Saturday. … State lawmakers are now hashing out details on a deal that would provide $80 million for pension funding for firefighters, police and teachers over the next two years. About half of that would go to educators. … At least one bill being discussed would reduce the teacher retirement age to 60 for those with 30 years of service and allow unreduced benefits, with increased cost-of-living adjustments.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Ffo6oa
POT: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “The omnibus cannabis policy bill that makes law changes as Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market gets off the ground is on its way to Gov. Tim Walz. The House passed the conference committee report to HF1615/SF2370* Saturday on a 80-50 vote after the Senate did the same, 34-33 along party lines. Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids), the House sponsor, said they prevailed on including most of the House’s provisions in the reconciled bill with the Senate. … Rep. Nolan West (R-Blaine), who collaborated with Stephenson on the House bill, [said] the bill moves Minnesota closer to a legal and safe market.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43CZbnG
Governor Walz Wants to Double Tax Minnesota Consumers & Businesses: Governor Walz’s Minnesota Insurance Coverage Tax would double tax Minnesota families, seniors, businesses and consumers, raising the cost of non-medical insurance products including dental, vision, private paid family leave, long-term care, and wage replacement insurance. His plan not only forces Minnesotans buying one type of insurance to subsidize another, but it also gives the Department of Commerce unchecked power to set and raise the tax with no legislative oversight. Learn More: ProtectOurCoverage.com (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
ICYMI: Here are some of the top stories from the Minnesota Legislature seen in Saturday’s extra morning take.
● MURPHY: Following protests from some DFLers over budget targets that would remove undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare coverage, Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez indicated on social media that he may support a primary challenge against Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy in next year’s election. CHAVEZ: “I’m extremely disappointed that Erin Murphy did not hold the line and instead signed off on this despite the Senate being in DFL Control. We won’t forget that your re-election is next year.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/4mjV33x
● FRAZIER: Rep. Cedrick Frazier (D-New Hope) was interviewed on WCCO Radio Friday. Frazier, a co-chair of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, previously led a press conference on Thursday denouncing the state’s plan to remove undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare, where dozens of DFL lawmakers followed Frazier’s lead and said they would not vote for the measure despite a compromise from caucus leaders. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mmFF6e
● 2026: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Lawmakers did get to one more agreement Friday that should hold. They decided that the 2026 session won’t begin until Feb. 17.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SLSPfv
● PRISON: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “[On] Friday, members of the state’s public employee unions briefed reporters on why they oppose closing the Stillwater prison, which employs more than 500 people. … Two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday [also] voiced concerns about how quickly the proposal came together and called for more scrutiny. … LIMMER: ‘There were no committee hearings and no bill language on the issue, and I am very concerned that this proposal lacks the thorough vetting necessary for such a large change,’ Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said in a statement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YMWi0Z
● SPORTS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Lawmakers are unlikely to approve public funding requested by Minnesota professional sports teams before the session ends. The Minnesota Vikings and Twins have said they need ongoing tax revenue…to avoid a much larger sum for a facility overhaul in about 10 years. … Requests for big public subsidies for professional sports arenas spark debate between teams and communities, who say the stadiums generate huge economic impact, and skeptical economists, who say the effect is overstated.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4333KYv
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)
SENATE RACE: Former state Sen. Melisa López Franzen dropped out of the U.S. Senate race Friday evening. There are now just two DFL candidates running to replace Sen. Tina Smith next year — Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig. Via López Franzen’s announcement, QUOTE: “After thoughtful reflection and conversations with family, supporters, and community leaders, I’ve made the decision to end my campaign for the U.S. Senate. This is not about stepping back — it’s about stepping with intention into the space where I can have the greatest impact. The work continues — just through a different path.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dl4fjT
TRUMP: via AP News, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota assailed Donald Trump in a law school graduation speech Saturday, accusing the Republican president of creating a national emergency by repeatedly violating the rule of law. Walz, the vice presidential nominee in 2024, used his remarks at the University of Minnesota’s law school commencement ceremony to call on graduates to stand up to abuses of power. Lawyers, he said, are ‘our first and last line of defense.’” WALZ: “We need you to live up to the oath that you’re about to make because — I have to be honest with you — you are graduating into a genuine emergency.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3H37h09
MORE: The Democratic Governors Association shared a social media video highlighting Gov. Tim Walz’s many attacks on Pres. Donald Trump over the past few months. Featured clips include Walz’s TV interviews, his State of the State address and more. Walz was the chair of the association prior to his 2024 vice presidential run. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43kEBXT
CITIZENSHIP: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Supreme Court [last week] heard the first lawsuit Minnesota has filed against President Donald Trump, and appeared split on whether a court could issue a nationwide injunction to stop the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship. Minnesota was one of 22 Democratic states that sued to stop Trump from stripping U.S. citizenship from children born in the United States of undocumented mothers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SvWCxL
CHAUVIN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Rep. Ilhan Omar…[has] been feuding with GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on X as President Donald Trump may be thinking about pardoning former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s federal conviction in connection with the murder of George Floyd. The Georgia congresswoman took to X [last] week to celebrate Chauvin's possible pardon. In response, Omar called Greene's applause ‘absolutely vile.’ Things took a dark turn from there, with Greene then clapping back by bringing up questions about Omar's marriage history.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4333KYv
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)
HHS: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison issued the following statement after a federal district court in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. from illegally terminating $11 billion in critical public health funding for the states, including $275 million for Minnesota.” ELLISON: “The Trump Administration’s deep cuts to public health preparedness are outrageous, especially in the wake of a global pandemic that illustrated just how essential it is to be ready for whatever comes our way. I am pleased that we have won a temporary block.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dlNAwC
POLICE: via a Rep. Michelle Fischbach press release, VERBATIM: “Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach introduced the Law Enforcement Education Grant Program Act. Representatives Pete Stauber (MN-08), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Clay Higgins (LA-03) co-sponsored the legislation. … The Law Enforcement Education Grant Program Act would provide federal grants to students pursuing their first degree in law enforcement or a criminal justice-related field. … The grant would be for up to $4,000 per year, not exceeding $16,000 total.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4doiXqx
MORE: via a Rep. Tom Emmer press release, VERBATIM: “Congressman Tom Emmer sent a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) urging that language fully funding the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program be included in the Fiscal Year 2026 CJS government funding bill. … This nonpartisan program provides resources and grants for law enforcement agencies to develop internal mental health and peer monitoring programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44FQkCV
VETERANS: via a Rep. Kelly Morrison press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) questioned Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins on the Trump Administration’s plan to cut 15% of the VA workforce – over 80,000 jobs, putting veterans’ care and well-being at risk. A member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Representative Morrison is opposed to the proposed cuts to the VA and believes that an arbitrary 15% cut in VA staffing will jeopardize the care of veterans who put their lives on the line for their country.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/433JCVZ
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)
WILDFIRES: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith [visited] the North Shore Friday morning, taking in the damage caused by wildfires. … The group arrived at the Incident Command Center at the Lake County Fairground in Two Harbors and started shortly before 10 a.m. with a briefing from the federal team that is now coordinating the response to the Camp Home and Jenkins Creek Fires. The two wildfires – which ignited on Sunday and Monday respectively – have now swallowed more than 30,000 acres between them.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44KhHM3
TARIFFS: via Axios, VERBATIM: “As Ryan Mackenthun plants his soybeans and corn this spring across 2,300 acres of Minnesota farmland that cradles his family's 1887 homestead, he is both fearful of President Donald Trump's latest tariffs and still smarting from those enacted during his first term. The 48-year-old father of three said he and his brethren have yet to see any impact from Trump's ‘Liberation Day’ proclamations. But that doesn't mean it isn't top of mind throughout an already stressed and strained industry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kiofGi
UMN: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota is shutting down a multimillion-dollar research center that has been roiled by plagiarism allegations. Public health school dean Melinda Pettigrew announced [last week] that the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity will close on May 30. … The announcement came one day after the center’s founder, professor Rachel Hardeman, officially left her position at the school. Hardeman, who Time Magazine named one of its 100 most influential people last year, was publicly accused in April of using sections of a graduate student's dissertation proposal in a federal grant application without proper credit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SJ3Luq
TRAINS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Northstar rail line has locomotives and passenger cars that are not being used, and the Met Council [last week] signed off on a plan to lease them to Amtrak and a commuter rail service in Texas. In passing the measure, one locomotive, three coach cars and one cab car will be headed to Dallas and used on the Trinity Railway Express once a lease agreement is worked out.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k4kwMO
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)
TRIBES: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Court of Appeals will review whether the state may prosecute tribal members for cannabis crimes on most Native reservations in the state, wading into new legal territory after the state legalized recreational cannabis in 2023. … Minnesota has the power to prosecute tribal members on certain reservations [for] criminal acts, but not civil or regulatory violations of state law. [Defendants] argued that after cannabis was legalized in Minnesota, possessing and selling the drug became a regulatory matter, not a criminal one.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43c6KQQ
CHAMBERS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With money and membership stretched thin in the digital era for geographically-based chambers everywhere, discussions about a possible merger between the St. Paul Area Chamber and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber have resurfaced. … [But] John Regal, a former board chair with the St. Paul Area Chamber, said he’s adamantly opposed to a merger [because] a chamber merger would leave St. Paul and its priorities further in the west metro’s shadow. Small businesses in particular could be left behind.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ko1tN7
OHARA: via the New York Post, VERBATIM: “O’Hara said he was accustomed to a very Democratic city after working in Newark, but said nothing prepared him for the ultra-liberal orthodoxy he encountered in Minneapolis. QUOTE: “Here it’s very, very ideological and a lot of times it’s like reality and facts can’t get through the filter. It’s a very detached, bourgeois liberal mentality … It’s bizarre.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GYMQ4x
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: O’Hara’s comments irritated some Minneapolis City Council members. Council President Elliott Payne said progressives in Minneapolis are not a monolith.” PAYNE: “One should have a deeper understanding of the diverse perspectives of our community before engaging in conversations with New York tabloids.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3H2MIRK
RAMSEY CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “May is mental health awareness month, and Ramsey County officials are spending it connecting people with mental health resources through a new outreach vehicle. The vehicle, which was purchased using a one-time grant through the state, will be out in the community and at events to connect visitors with mental health resources and other county services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k9bzly
FREE AND LOW-COST FAMILY FUN: The beloved Flint Hills Family Festival is celebrating 25 years in downtown Saint Paul, May 30-31. This year’s festival, presented by the Ordway and Flint Hills Resources, welcomes outstanding headliners, including Grammy winners Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band and Ada Twist, Scientist, as well as the returning NOOMA, an Opera for Babies. Bring kids of all ages to enjoy free outdoor entertainment and activities, visit food trucks and take in an indoor show where tickets start at just $8. GET TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/FHFestival (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
STEARNS CTY: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “County election officials on Monday, May 19, will update Stearns County commissioners on plans for a special election to find a replacement for former commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier. Lenzmeier retired on April 23. … In a 3-1 vote, the commissioners [previously] decided that, if a primary is not needed, the special election to select Lenzmeier’s successor would be on Aug. 12. However, if more than two candidates file, the primary election will be held on Aug. 12, and the special election will be on Nov. 4.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j69W6z
NOWTHEN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In northern Anoka County, large yard signs advertise suburban growth: 270 homes under construction, not far from another 57-home subdivision on the way. But crossing into the city of Nowthen, markers of residential development fade away. … As many suburbs grow around it, Nowthen is fighting to stay the same. Residents like their properties large and their government small. It’s a view that led officials to incorporate the then-township into a city in 2008, as they feared encroaching density. But the cost of maintaining the rural community is quickly rising, pushing leaders to question how the city of 4,500 residents can sustain itself without growth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SFXNKP
LANDFALL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Mayor Stan Suedkamp moved to Landfall Village in 2002. He was elected mayor of the manufactured-home community near Interstate 94 and Century Avenue in 2016. The city, population 840, has been called the Twin Cities’ most affordable community. … Residents own their manufactured homes and pay an average of $300 monthly for their lot, water and sewer and trash pickup. … Later this month, residents will celebrate what city officials are calling the city’s ‘Celebration of Independence.’ … Last year, the Landfall HRA finally paid off the $7.2 million in bonds held by the HRA now known as the Washington County Community Development Agency. The May 29 celebration is meant to mark the signing of the deed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dlQ1PM
CANADA: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Canadian tourism into the U.S. and border states like Minnesota has steadily declined [this year]. ‘It's quite a significant decline,’ says Canadian Consul General in Minneapolis, Beth Richardson. The largest contingent of international visitors to Minnesota hails from Canada, and Richardson says the declining tourism numbers can't be ignored.” RICHARDSON: “Travel by road into the United States is down by about a third, year-on-year since February. Canadians coming to the U.S. by air is down about 20%. Canadians coming through the Pembina Crossing is down 40%.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3F862ML
SESSION: House and Senate will work through various bills today.
MAY 31: Gov. Tim Walz will speak at state Democratic Party conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, May 31.
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: attorney Steve Silton, DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek, Rep. Tom Dippel, photographer Richard Tsong-Taatarii, filmaker Norah Shapiro
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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