Wolves lose. Game 2 tomorrow.
Frost play Toronto tonight in the PWHL playoffs.
U.S. News ranked Minnesota the 4th best state overall in terms of livability. South Dakota is 8th on the same ranking. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4d0CPj6
The Federal Reserve is expected to keep its short-term interest rate unchanged today. AP: https://fluence-media.co/3YB6pGa
The Supreme Court is allowing Donald Trump to ban transgender people from the military, even if they’re currently serving. POLITICO: https://fluence-media.co/44qYe2N
Cardinals in the Vatican will begin the process of selecting a new Catholic Pope today. NPR: https://fluence-media.co/43j1axp
North Dakota is now the 11th state with a measles outbreak this year, logging its first cases since 2011. CBS: https://fluence-media.co/3EIfHtf
Blois
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Sunday Take discussed what schools need from the legislature with Kirk Schneidewind (Minnesota Association of School Boards) and Scott Croonquist (Association of Metropolitan School Districts). LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Yt4Gm9
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FRAUD: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “The new House fraud prevention committee has wrapped up its work for the year. … Only one bill originating in the Republican-led committee will [likely] make it into law this year, but quite a few [unrelated] bills attempt to address fraud, and the GOP says that’s because their work helped change the culture. … A [bill] to create a statewide Office of Inspector General under legislative control seems likely to happen, but possibly within the executive branch instead of the legislative branch because that’s the only way the office can have police powers. Republicans plan to keep the fraud committee until around next year, and they say they already have 530 fraud hotline reports to go through before the next session. … Direct grants from legislators to nonprofits [can] often get less oversight, and Republicans said they'll address the issue in 2026. ROBBINS: ‘We will have some sort of a policy bill where any legislative earmarks have to go through a process that includes risk assessment,’ [said] Rep. Kristin Robbins, (R-Maple Grove), who chaired the committee.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42LoSlJ
PAID LEAVE: Via WCCO-TV’s Caroline Cummings, six DFLers in the Minnesota Senate voted with all Republicans to pass a bill exempting certain small businesses from complying with the earned sick and safe time law passed in 2023. Specifically, farms with five employees or fewer, and other businesses with four employees or fewer, would be exempt. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4k0ffW2
TAXES: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Republican and DFL leads on the House taxes panel on Tuesday unveiled their bipartisan tax proposal that leaves some of the more controversial provisions on the cutting room floor. Not included in the sweeping bill is eliminating the lowest income tax bracket, creating a new fifth-tier income tax bracket [or] trimming the state sales tax rate while expanding what services are subject to it. … But establishing a $100 additional ‘baby bonus’ to the child tax credit, preserving local government aid and instructing the Department of Revenue to develop a free online tax filing service so Minnesotans don't have to use third-party services like TurboTax did make the House deal. There's also expanded property tax relief for veterans with a disability or their surviving spouses.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/435Muk8
SPECIAL SESSION: Speaking to MPR News, Gov. Tim Walz said “the writing [is] on the wall” when asked if a special session will be necessary to pass a budget and prevent the state government from shutting down on July 1. WALZ: “[It’s] too early to say that. But you can read the writing on the wall. We've had plenty of time to do this. It's just like always — there's months to do it, and then you wait to do this. … I think it becomes much more difficult.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iN9Xw3
SENRACE: Later this morning US Rep. Angie Craig will announce endorsements from State Sens. Jim Carlson, Grant Hauschild, Matt Klein and Judy Seeberger and State Reps. Kaela Berg, Ethan Cha, John Huot, Brad Tabke and Dan Wolgamott. Other endorsements from Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham, and fmr. Secretary State Joan Growe and others.
GOV RACE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Republican Kendall Qualls will run for Minnesota governor again in 2026. … Qualls, an Army veteran and former health care executive, is the first Republican to announce a run for governor next year. While Qualls has campaigned in the past, he has yet to be elected to public office. In 2022, he lost the GOP endorsement for governor to Dr. Scott Jensen. And in 2020, he unsuccessfully ran for [former] Rep. Dean Phillips’ seat in the 3rd Congressional District.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42J4TnM
NOTE: Fmr. State Sen. Dave Osmek is campaign manager for Qualls.
BUDGET: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Marathon [budget] negotiations with Republican and Democratic legislative leaders have been going on over the past week. So far, little to report in the way of tangible progress. … ‘Very slow progress,’ DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said on her way into a budget meeting Tuesday afternoon. ‘I think it is a really difficult budget to settle this year.’ … ‘We have a lot of work to do,’ DFL House [Leader] Melissa Hortman said, after [previously] saying this week a budget target agreement is likely needed by the end of the week in order to finish by the legislative deadline.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42ZMJNq
MORE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “DFL Gov. Tim Walz says while [budget] negotiations have been productive, hangups remain over revenue he's trying to raise and spending he'd like to curb. He says Republicans are firmly against some of his tax ideas and reluctant to cap growth in some social service programs. … Walz also says he will listen to Republicans who want to change laws over health insurance access for immigrants living in Minnesota without proper documentation, [but] ‘If there is a compromise that can be made, then you should bring that up.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iN9Xw3
CONFERENCE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “State lawmakers will begin the conference committee process this week on multiple spending bills, to merge House and Senate versions into final legislation for Gov. Tim Walz to sign. So far, eight total bills have passed both the House and Senate to reach conference committees: higher education, judiciary and public safety, transportation, agriculture, veterans, commerce, housing and state and local government. According to the legislative calendar, the Judiciary and Public Safety conference committee will meet [today]. … The Veterans and Military Omnibus bill is set for a conference committee hearing on Thursday.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44VunzK
NURSING HOMES: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Thousands of nursing home workers across Minnesota would see a significant pay increase on Jan. 1 under a bill that easily passed the state House 109-25 on Monday. The measure still needs Senate approval and the signature of Gov. Tim Walz. The House human services budget bill includes funding for nursing homes to pay for increased minimum wage rates set by the state’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board last year. … Twenty-four Republicans and one Democrat — Rep. Kim Hicks, DFL-Rochester — ultimately voted against the human services budget bill, which includes significant cuts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3F5aKKZ
US SENATE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Sen. Amy Klobuchar isn't saying yes or no about whether she will seek the No. 2 leadership post in the U.S. Senate. The race is more than a year away, but the question about her future got kick-started after Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois announced his retirement in 2026, meaning he will step down from his role as Democratic Whip. … Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz made an early stake in the race, and naturally, all eyes have turned to Klobuchar, who would technically be next in line to succeed Durbin.” KLOBUCHAR: “I’m No. 3 in the Senate, and my job is to focus on what policies are going to move our country forward. … I am focused on one thing right now, and that is taking on Donald Trump and gaining a better economy for the people of this country. And I truly believe that talking about something a year and a half from now, [when] we have no idea who’s going to win the Senate, who’s going to get this, is a mistake.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EVriVM
OVERSIGHT: via Politico, VERBATIM: “Tim Walz and two other Democratic governors will testify before House lawmakers next month about their states’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Walz, the governor of Minnesota, will join Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker [and] New York Gov. Kathy Hochul [in] Washington for a June 12 hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. … The June 12 hearing date follows [Rep. James] Comer’s calls last month for Walz, Pritzker and Hochul to testify before his committee and turn over a host of internal communications around the status of their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iNdyu3
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Comer told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Walz was the first of the three governors to respond to his request to testify: ‘I appreciate that,’ the Kentucky congressman said. … Though Walz plans to testify, his office pushed back on the committee’s characterization of Minnesota’s immigration laws. … ‘Since Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, one can’t help but wonder if this is, perhaps, politically motivated,’ Walz’s spokesperson [said].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YzaMkX
POLL: An average of 9 polls from USA Polling between March and May puts Gov. Tim Walz last of frequent names mentioned as the “Top Choice” for Democrats in the future. LINK: https://fluence-media.co/4jRdr2c
CIVIL RIGHTS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump has long pushed for the oversight of schools to fall on the states, but lawyers and advocates tell 5 INVESTIGATES that the move is impacting federal complaints that claim schools have discriminated against students because of their race or disability. Parents also worry that the mistreatment of young kids could fall through the cracks. … ‘It’s devastating,’ said Jessica Heiser, a lawyer [with] the Minnesota Disability Law Center. Traditionally, Heiser said they refer roughly seven cases every month to the Office for Civil Rights. That number is now down to zero.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44lr7xo
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)
REAL ID: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Passengers who don’t have Real ID compliant identification have been warned to expect delays at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport starting Wednesday, when federal requirements go into effect. The post-9/11 security upgrades almost 20 years in the making go active on May 7, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Tuesday that those who are not compliant will still be allowed to board domestic flights [with] ‘extra security checks.’ … MSP Airport issued an advisory for passengers on Tuesday, warning passengers [to] expect ‘delays,’ ‘additional screening,’ and ‘the possibility of not being allowed into the security checkpoint.’ In Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports that just 40.82% of residents had a REAL ID as of April 1, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k4XODL
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Minnesota DVS has seen a surge in REAL ID applications. … In an average month, they receive roughly 30,000 applications for all their cards. The agency said that number has been surging. In April, the volume of just REAL ID applications was nearly 100,000. The team said the 23 issuers can process just under 1,000 applications a day. They are now receiving three times that number of applications daily [at] 3,400.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/431qaIb
LIBRARIES: via news release from Atty. Gen. Keith Ellison, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Ellison today won a court order stopping the Trump administration from dismantling three federal agencies that provide services and funding supporting public libraries and museums, workers, and minority-owned businesses nationwide.”
DOCTORS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Burnout is pushing many Minnesota doctors into early retirement, right when an aging population is expected to need more from them. The problem is gaining attention, including from the Minnesota Legislature, which may spend $250,000 to connect stressed-out doctors to mental health support in an effort to preserve their careers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42ZFyET
DHS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota House passed a bill Monday with significant cuts to the Department of Human Services through 2027. DHS programs account for nearly one-third of state spending, and are expected to get more expensive in the coming years due to the aging population and increasing health care costs. … [House] leaders agreed to find $300 million in savings…[but] the state Senate has not yet passed its DHS budget bill. … The biggest piece of savings in the two year, $17.7 billion DHS budget bill (HF2434) comes from changes to ‘rate exceptions,’ or higher-than-usual payments to providers who care for people with extraordinary needs. … The bill also shifts part of the cost of rate exceptions to county governments, which could lead to higher taxes for property owners across the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44ZCBqy
MINNESOTA INSURANCE COVERAGE TAX WILL COST FAMILIES, SMALL BUSINESSES AND SENIORS MORE: Governor Walz and the Department of Commerce want to create a new tax that will, at a minimum, double the tax rate paid on supplemental non-medical insurance coverage including dental, vision, private paid family medical leave, long-term care, and wage replacement insurance products to fund reinsurance. This tax hike will make these critically important products more expensive for consumers, force more seniors onto Medicaid and public programs, make Minnesota-based insurers less competitive nationally, and make it more difficult for employers to provide competitive benefits. These products provide Minnesota families with peace of mind and everyday security, and we should not ask them to pay more to subsidize other insurance products. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4lNcE3n (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
SD6: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “Sen. Keri Heintzeman was sworn in to the Minnesota Senate on Tuesday, May 6, fresh off winning the April 29 special election for Senate District 6. Heintzeman, a Republican from Nisswa, will fill the seat of former state Sen. Justin Eichorn, bringing the Senate Republicans back to a 33-34 minority.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GE2pi5
HOA: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would cap homeowners’ association fees, require board members disclose conflicts of interest and establish new rules to settle contentious HOA disputes. The bill (SF1750) now heads to the House. … The legislation would require HOA boards or property managers to solicit at least three written bids for all repair jobs valued at more than $50,000. It would also block cities from requiring HOAs as a condition for approving a housing development. … Some senators — Republicans and Democrats — expressed concerns over the burden of the new regulations on HOA boards, which are usually staffed by volunteers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EINL8C
VIKINGS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Vikings want state lawmakers to put up to $20 million a year in tax revenue from electronic pull tab gambling toward the future upkeep of U.S. Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), which operates the state-owned stadium, estimates the nine-year-old facility will need nearly $300 million in maintenance over the coming decade. … The proposal has bipartisan support in both chambers, but faces uncertainty [passing before adjournment].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k8jyyJ
SIGNED: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today signed three bills into law. … House File 1014 allows the board of directors of the Minnesota Insurance Guarantee Association to request financial information from an insured person to establish net worth under certain circumstances. … Senate File 571 makes changes to the Minnesota Trust Code to clarify intent and streamline procedures. … House File 1163 clarifies the types of care that are eligible for reimbursement under the hometown heroes assistance program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m4Qbz4
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)
HEAD START: via a Rep. Angie Craig press release, VERBATIM: “Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig led 89 of her Congressional colleagues in blasting the [Trump] Administration’s decision to eliminate critical Head Start programs that promote early childhood development and ease the burden of child care. … In a letter to President Donald Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the lawmakers demanded answers from the Administration about how they intend to fill the gap left by the potential elimination of Head Start and support students, teachers and parents who benefit from these programs.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4d5r7DO
VOYAGEURS: via a Rep. Pete Stauber press release, VERBATIM: “After months of hearing from constituents concerned with the National Park Service’s (NPS) proposed plans to change the Frozen Lakes Use Plan to restrict access in Voyageurs National Park, Congressman Pete Stauber was successfully able to advocate against and effectively block these proposed changes from going into effect. Congressman Stauber made the following statement.” STAUBER: “[This] would have prevented Minnesotans from accessing and enjoying thousands of acres of surface area on frozen lakes within the park boundaries in winter months. Such a move would have been devastating to resort owners, outfitters, guides, and so many who benefit from our local recreation economy during the winter months. We could not allow this to stand.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44Vo4w4
TARIFFS: via a Sen. Amy Klobuchar press release, VERBATIM: “Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined small business owners from Minnesota and across the country to speak out against the rising costs of President [Donald] Trump’s trade war. Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year, Beth Benike, CEO and founder of Busy Baby based in Zumbrota, MN, spoke at the event about how tariffs are crushing her business. Klobuchar and Smith highlighted Benike’s story and emphasized the broader impact these tariffs are having on thousands of small business owners and farmers across Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d5OgpX
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)
OMAR: via Mediaite, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) using inflammatory rhetoric on Monday, sharing a 2018 clip and accusing the House Democrat of using ‘actually genocidal language.’ … VANCE: ‘This isn’t just sick; it’s actually genocidal language. What a disgrace this person is.’ … The 24-second clip Vance commented on is from a February 2018 Al Jazeera interview.” From the clip, OMAR: “Our country should be more fearful of white men [than jihadists] because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country. And so if fear was the driving force of policies to keep America safe…we should be profiling, monitoring and creating policies to fight the radicalization of white men.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44rVpPa
RESPONSE: Rep. Ilhan Omar responded to Vice Pres. JD Vance’s comment that she is a “disgrace” on social media. OMAR: “In this nearly 8-yr-old clip, I am referring to the rise of white nationalism in an annual report issued by the Anti-Defamation League that said white supremacists were responsible for 78 percent of ‘extremist-related murders.’ P.S. you should look up what ‘genocidal’ actually means when you’re actively supporting a genocide taking place in Gaza.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/42JHOkP
MINING: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “[After] Cleveland Cliffs announced it was laying off 600 workers on the Iron Range, [the] workers' unemployment insurance would run out around Christmas. Legislation at the Capitol would extend the benefits through June of 2026 and has a price tag that could reach as high as $15 million, [but] the clock is running down on the Minnesota Legislature’s 2025 session. … Republicans and Democrats in both chambers seem eager to get this unemployment insurance bill passed. … But nothing is certain with a closely divided Legislature struggling to reach a deal on a new state budget before lawmakers pack up and head home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lV5l9Y
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)
STPAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Not long after being elected to the St. Paul City Council, HwaJeong Kim was appointed as the capital city’s representative to the League of Minnesota Cities, the state’s largest municipal membership association. … Kim [was] sworn in as a voting member of the league’s board of directors in February 2024, but missed the next month’s meeting. She has also missed almost every meeting since. … Kim has attended 2 of the 10 league meetings held from February of last year through February of this year, and none since April 2024. … St. Paul City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, who became council president in February, said Kim had frequent scheduling conflicts and another council member will soon step into the role.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k1Vtdr
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mayor Jacob Frey portrayed Minneapolis as a beacon of light in a chaotic country during his State of the City speech on Tuesday. Frey, who is running for re-election this year, pushed back against President Donald Trump’s frequent portrayal of large, Democratic-run cities as cesspools of poverty and disfunction. He urged Minneapolis not to ‘mirror the madness.’ … Frey often has been at odds with the more progressive majority that controls the City Council…but on Tuesday, Frey extended an olive branch, complimenting two of his most vocal council critics: Council Member Robin Wonsley [and] Council Member Jason Chavez. … Frey touted a decline in violent crime, carjackings, gun violence and homicides, while celebrating an increase in police staffing…[and] the city’s nation-leading work in housing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d5w7bB
MORE: Former U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Luger spoke to WCCO Radio about gun violence in Minneapolis, saying that while progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. LUGER: “In a number of respects, we're much, much better than we were when I started. … [But] we still don't have enough law enforcement on the streets.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/434xfaS
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Concerned by a dramatic slowdown in housing construction, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has called on the city council to adjust the city’s rent control ordinance to fully exempt residential buildings constructed after 2004. Council President Rebecca Noecker and Council Members Anika Bowie and Saura Jost have signed on as sponsors of an amendment that will do that. Another vote from at least one more council member looms likely, giving the seven-member council the majority it needs to make fundamental changes Wednesday. … [But] that hasn’t stopped two council members who favor rent caps from proposing last-minute amendments of their own, with the goal of salvaging what they can. … In addition to changes to rent control, the city council is expected Wednesday to approve sweeping new protections for residential tenants.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m5zYtw
TAKE: Told you so.
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)
MSU: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A U.S. district judge has ordered the release of a Minnesota State University, Mankato student from Bangladesh who was detained in late March by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, determining that he was targeted for his social media posts. Mohammed Hoque, 20, had been held in the Freeborn County jail in Albert Lea since his arrest March 28, [and] the Department of Homeland Security also terminated his visa. … In a lawsuit fighting his detention, Hoque contended he was jailed unlawfully and believes the reason for his arrest was his support on social media for Palestinians. … The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota confirmed Hoque had been released.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44lYBM5
MACALESTER: via a MAPE press release, VERBATIM: “After months of organizing, Macalester College staff filed for a union election on Friday with the National Labor Relations Board, declaring their intent to join the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE). The move comes after Macalester’s administration declined a request for voluntary recognition. … The new bargaining unit includes non-faculty, non-supervisory staff. … MAPE already represents professional employees across the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/435xyCz
TEXTBOOKS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Anoka-Hennepin schools will have new social studies textbooks this fall, with some caveats, including delaying the implementation of new state standards that mandate ethnic studies. The action by the school board…came after the district’s teachers union had accused the elected officials of micromanaging what and how to teach. But the hours-long meeting did not settle all the curriculum questions before the politically divided six-member board, which has at times deadlocked over how to proceed with regular school district business related to diversity and fiscal issues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jIb5ST
TEACHERS: via an OHE press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) administers three grant programs and a loan repayment program that support both aspiring teachers and current educators in the state. During the 2023-24 school year, OHE awarded 591 grants to aspiring teachers, with an additional 474 current Minnesota teachers receiving loan repayment support. … [Current] teachers received an average of $998 in loan repayment assistance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jKIJaQ
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
WASH CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “A horse barn in Washington County has been placed under a precautionary quarantine because of a case of equine herpesvirus Type 1. Minnesota Board of Animal Health officials say the horse, a 16-year-old mare, tested positive last month for the highly infectious virus, which can develop into a debilitating neurological disease known as equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). … The Board of Animal Health has issued a quarantine for the remaining 60 horses on the property to control the spread of the virus. … The last case of EHM diagnosed in Minnesota was in June 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/430CCIe
RAMSEY CTY: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office's public information officer is in the ICU with serious head injuries and a broken hip following a moped crash over the weekend. Steve Linders, who was previously the public information officer for the St. Paul Police Department and is well-known among Twin Cities media outlets, was riding a moped with his wife, [who] wasn't seriously injured in the crash.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/435gtIS
BROOKLYN CTR: via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The Brooklyn Center City Council voted Monday night to approve a community-led public safety commission, a reform that has been in the works since Daunte Wright was killed by a police officer four years ago. The Community Safety and Violence Prevention Commission was a goal of a public safety act that was passed by the City Council. … The commission will be an advisory body that will allow residents to give input to the City Council on community safety matters in the city. [But] some community members, including Wright’s mother Katie Wright, say the version the council passed Monday is weaker than was originally proposed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EGQi39
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)
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
IMMIGRATION: via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Federal prosecutors in Minnesota are charging more people with immigration crimes this year compared to previous years, following President Donald Trump’s directives to prioritize immigration enforcement across the country. Prosecutors at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office are zeroing in on illegal reentry charges, a felony that targets immigrants who cross the border illegally after a prior deportation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43hG8PM
VACCINES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Fewer Minnesota kindergartners are fully vaccinated against measles, new Minnesota Department of Health data shows, falling well short of the 95% ‘herd immunity’ target set by state officials and public health professionals to prevent community transmission. About 87% of Minnesota’s kindergartners had both doses of the mandated MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, this school year, continuing a downward trend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GX9dXS
LIBRARIES: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “An executive order in March from President Donald Trump called for eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the main federal funder of museums and libraries. The move threatened more than $3 million in federal funding of library services to Minnesota. … A federal judge’s temporary restraining order last week to consider the case has stopped the process for now, but local librarians say it would be a significant financial hit if it came to pass.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m084Po
SESSION: No House floor session. No Senate floor session. CONFERENCE: A conference committee hears the omnibus bills for judiciary and public safety. HOUSE: Health hears its omnibus finance bill. Rules & Legislative Admin. hears a bill to replace a statue of Henry Mower Rice and Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council recommendations. Ways & Means will hear finance omnibus bills for children and families plus health. SENATE: Finance hears the OIG bill and a bill on claims. Taxes will meet with an agenda “to be announced.” CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/4d94Zso
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will visit a food shelf in Bloomington to discuss the impacts proposed cuts to SNAP would have on Minnesotans and meet with legislative leaders.
TODAY: At 1:30Pm today a “Rally at State Capitol to Oppose Cuts to Non-Public School Funding” organized by the Minnesota Catholic Conference and Minndependent.
TOMORROW: via an EdAllies advisory, VERBATIM: “The use of school seclusion rooms for K-3 students with disabilities is once again up for debate at the Minnesota Legislature. Following the recent passage of SF1740, attorneys, school personnel, parents, and advocates will gather to urge lawmakers to reject the return of this harmful practice.” Rep. Kim Hicks (D-Rochester) will attend. The event is at 1:30 p.m.
TOMORROW: via Save the Boundary Waters, VERBATIM: “Conservation groups will gather at the Minnesota State Capitol to rally in defense of America’s public lands — especially Minnesota’s crown jewel, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Advocates, outdoor enthusiasts, and public lands supporters will unite to send a clear message: public lands deserve lasting protection.” The event is at 3:00 p.m.
MONDAY: via an ISAIAH advisory, VERBATIM: “Childcare providers, parents, teachers, community members, and legislators will participate in a rally and press conference at the Capitol [addressing] cuts to federal funding for state programs, notably the threat of the elimination of Head Start. … This event is being held in conjunction with National Day Without Child Care events across the country on Monday, May 12.” The event is at 2:00 p.m.
MONDAY: The MN GOP announced its annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner will be held on Monday, May 12 with former Rep. Doug Collins as the keynote speaker.
MONDAY: via news advisory from Kids Code, VERBATIM: “a virtual press briefing Monday, May 12 at 1:30PM CT to highlight building momentum in state legislatures and growing public support for social media warning labels as a tool to address the youth mental health crisis, and in recognition of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month.” WHO: Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Rep. Zach Stephenson, SAVE CEO Erich Mische
BDAYS: attorney Kelly Keegan, Eagan City Councilor Cyndee Fields, writer Lynda McDonnell
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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