Twins and Lynx win.
Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise and Lee Stecklein were protected by the Minnesota Frost for the upcoming PWHL draft.
RIP Jim Marshall
The hydroponic grower of year-round tomatoes in the northern clime of Owatonna, Minn., Bushel Boy Farms, has sold its assets and greenhouse to a new owner and operator. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/3ZQYXXR
The pencil sculpture annual hype has begun, and it’s getting old.
Yesterday’s air quality was among the worst ever recorded in Minnesota. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/4jxOwQ6
Minneapolis officials will hosta media availability today at 10AM about Operation Safe Summer IV.
Today, more than 500 sheep will be released on Wednesday afternoon to fan out across large swaths of Flint Hills Rosemount solar complex to do what sheep do best – voraciously eat up weedy and invasive vegetation and promote healthy growth of native and pollinator-friendly plants.
61% of LGBTQ adults say there’s at least a fair amount of acceptance for people who are gay or lesbian. PEW: https://fluence-media.co/4kth7ay
Today is National Cheese Day.
Blois
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Today’s morning take on WCCO Radio with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4knrTPn
Sunday Take featured Republican Kendall Qualls discussing his campaign for governor and SotaCann’s Fatima Moore analyzing the state’s approach to cannabis businesses. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/45AA9Hj
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
LAKE ST: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A large federal law enforcement presence drew protests in south Minneapolis on Tuesday. Officials from the FBI, ATF and Department of Homeland Security gathered with tactical vehicles outside [a] restaurant at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue. Agents carried out a simultaneous search at the restaurant’s location on 78th Street in Bloomington. … The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement posted online, said the operation was for the execution of a search warrant [and] ‘was not related to any immigration enforcement.’ … Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey posted a statement that the operation ‘was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,’ and he said that no one was arrested.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mFJ7Jr
MORE: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “News of the arrival of federal agents quickly spread online, resulting in a growing crowd of protesters outside the premises, chanting at agents to go home. Among those present at the scene were Minneapolis City Council members Jason Chavez and Aisha Chughtai, as well as mayoral candidates Jazz Hampton, Omar Fateh and DeWayne Davis. … Racket MN reports that some [protesters] in the crowd have been pepper sprayed by law enforcement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45CS8wK
BUDGET: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “If the end of budget negotiations was in sight on Monday, it became blurry Tuesday. Legislative leaders hoped for a special session as soon as Wednesday, but that won't happen after a meeting between leaders and the governor got postponed. … A few legislators now say they don’t expect a special session this week. … An unpopular taxes bill may be part of the reason. Leaders trimmed the taxes omnibus bill to just a few elements, including a cannabis tax increase from 10% to 15%. It would also eliminate an electricity tax exemption for data centers, which upsets a lot of Republicans. … The governor’s communications staffers say we should expect to hear more from him on Wednesday.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kQkDvw
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “This year, the Legislature was forced to debate spending cuts after the state budget office issued a pessimistic forecast. Lawmakers adjourned from their regularly scheduled legislative session without a budget deal. This scenario could describe Minnesota, but it is also what happened in Iowa. In fact, it could generally describe the burdensome budget-writing process of states across the country. … Of the 46 states whose fiscal year starts on July 1, just 16 have a budget signed by the governor in place for the fiscal new year. … ‘This is the most difficult budget year that states have faced since the onset of the pandemic in 2020,’ said Josh Goodman, a senior officer at Pew Charitable Trusts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43rWxRN
INSIGHT: Legislative sources believe the soonest a special session could be is this weekend, but it is crystal clear that the leadership is struggling with a “whack-a-mole” dynamic that is creating more frustrations between the House and the Senate, as well as between DFLers and Republicans. Just as leaders believe they have a bill ready, opposition is emerging within caucuses.
Senate Republicans have been re-engaged after multiple days of not being invited to negotiations, they reportedly received an offer yesterday related to a bonding proposal that would require GOP votes. Senate Leader Mark Johnson is expected to meet with Gov. Tim Walz today or receive a proposal. The proposal isn’t likely isolated to bonding, as it is assumed that DFLers in the Senate will need some Republican votes to pass individual budget bills.
One Senator said, “How many cry deadlines can you call wolf?” – and suggests that legislators are numb to deadlines. A House source says there is no indication that any tax bill compromise from the Senate is acceptable to the House DFL. Senate DFLers caucused last night and reportedly have agreement on a new tax bill, but language and details were still pending. The other thing pending? Agreement from the House.
WFH: via MPR, VERBATIM: “The first weekday shifts have passed under the Minnesota state government’s return-to-office policy change. There were complaints lodged over lack of proper technology, lack of adequate space, members of teams being separated from their supervisors or coworkers and hookups in flex spaces being finicky. Expect more reports of problems because public employee union leaders have set up a portal for workers to highlight flaws. Other visibility actions and informational pickets are planned for this week on the return-to-office changes and difficulties in contract talks.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43twoSO
FIXMN: We call on our state leaders to get back to work and pass a construction jobs bill immediately. See the Fix MN Failure Counter: www.fixmn.org (SPONSORED by LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota)
WALZ: via Star Tribune…Gov. Tim Walz backs transgender kids as Democrats grapple with debate over sports bans….QUOTE: “I’m just going to say it, shame on any of us who throws a trans child under the bus for thinking they’re going to get elected,” the 2024 vice presidential nominee said Saturday. “That child deserves our support. Don’t worry about the pollsters calling it distractions, because we need to be the party of human dignity.”…Walz is doubling down on trans rights — and criticizing members of his party who are retreating — at a time when the issue has become a political lightning rod nationally and back home in Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fpn4Gl
MITCHELL: via MPR, VERBATIM: “The prosecutor in the Sen. Nicole Mitchell burglary case said a court should reject the lawmaker’s attempt to have one of two felony charges tossed. Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald filed a response Monday to the Mitchell team’s claim that he filed a second charge out of ‘prosecutorial vindictiveness.’ … In his filing, McDonald said the accusation he filed the newer charge out of spite lacked merit. He said the added charge was in response to a prior ruling by the judge that all crimes alleged be properly laid out. … Mitchell’s trial [is] due to begin on Monday, June 16.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43twoSO
EDUCATION: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “An agreement would fund Minnesota schools with $25.73 billion in the 2026-27 biennium, an increase of about $4.2 million. However, it also calls for a $420 million general education funding cut in the 2028-29 biennium when the state is expected to face a budgetary shortfall. … KRESHA: ‘This gets us through a two-year period, but I would call this the canary in the coal mine. Let’s look ahead and let’s try to ward off what could be coming,’ [said] Rep. Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls). A House Education Finance Committee co-chair, [Kresha] cited less funding, declining enrollment and special education cost increases when warning of future education cuts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kOlIDS
MAGNETS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A bipartisan push [is] on for Minnesota magnets. Reps. Betty McCollum and Brad Finstad teamed up to pen a letter urging Congress and [Donald] Trump to get behind rare-earth-free magnet manufacturing amid a trade war with China. … As an alternative, they urged lawmakers to support rare-earth-free companies like Minnesota-based Niron Magnetics, which produces magnets from iron nitride. ‘These are two domestically available and limitless resources,’ McCollum and Finstad said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mLCXaO
HEAD START: via a Rep. Angie Craig press release, VERBATIM: “Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig announced that she has secured $1,836,883 in federal grant funding for Scott, Carver and Dakota County’s Community Action Partnership (CAP) Agency to support Head Start programming. … Last year, in Minnesota alone, over 12,000 students attended 33 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jyZVPE
POLICE: via a Rep. Ilhan Omar press release, VERBATIM: “Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) reintroduced a package of bills to address continued police brutality and misuse of force. The package includes crucial legislation that creates a federal agency to investigate misuse of force by police and a bill to protect protesters by making police violence against protesters a federal crime. It also includes a resolution condemning police brutality globally.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/452ORGU
Thank You Lawmakers For Listening to Minnesotans and Funding Reinsurance without Raising Taxes on Essential Safety-Net Coverage: Now that lawmakers have come together on a bipartisan framework to fund state government that includes funding for the state’s individual healthcare market, it’s critical that lawmakers stand firm in their agreement to not create a new Minnesota Insurance Coverage Tax. Non-medical safety-net insurance products aren't a luxury. It’s coverage that provides critical protection for families during some of life’s most difficult and unpredictable moments. In the upcoming special session, please continue to stand with Minnesota families, small businesses, and seniors to ensure coverage remains accessible to those that need it most. Learn More: ProtectOurCoverage.com (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
MPD: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis’ proposed [federal] consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice has been dismissed, but city leaders are still pushing for those police reforms to take legal force. … The city still has a court-enforceable [state] settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. … On Tuesday, Council Members Robin Wonsley and Aurin Chowdhury and City Council President Elliott Payne joined community leaders to call on Minneapolis City Attorney Kristyn Anderson to begin the process of getting the DOJ provisions bundled into the MDHR settlement. … They argue it’s necessary because there are some parts of the DOJ consent decree that were stronger than the one currently in effect with the MDHR.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43J3PPR
MORE: Via MinnPost, a comparison of the recently shuttered federal consent decree and the still-active state consent decree impacting the Minneapolis Police Department. VERBATIM: “There’s significant overlap between the two decrees…[but] there are some differences between the two agreements. … For example, the DOJ agreement had a specific category that limited the off-duty employment of officers, which is not in the state agreement. Also, the federal consent decree would have given more power to the civilian oversight board, added stronger First Amendment protections for protestors and journalists and strengthened oversight of police department supervisors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Hq3WZu
WIRE THEFT: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “A new Minnesota law meant to crack down on copper wire theft has been in effect for six months — but it's too soon to tell whether the law is the solution cities have been seeking. Thieves stripping and selling copper wires from street lamps have damaged thousands of lights, sending repair costs in Minneapolis and St. Paul spiraling into the millions. … Reports of copper theft in St. Paul were down 60% through April 30 versus last year. … In Minneapolis, streetlight outage [reports] so far this year were down by 12% compared to the same period in 2024. … Minneapolis officials are hopeful the new state law will have an effect, but until word spreads among thieves, ‘people may still be under the idea that they can still make money doing this,’ city operations officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher told reporters.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FDscXi
MORE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Dozens of light poles were stripped of their copper wiring in St. Paul’s St. Anthony Park neighborhood, though there have been fewer reports of such thefts in the city this year. The darkening of city and park streetlights and traffic signals due to theft has been an ongoing problem, with St. Paul spending about $3 million last year in repairs and staff time. The costs were around $1.2 million in 2023. By comparison, the total cost in 2019 was about $250,000, according to the city. Reports of such thefts to St. Paul Public Works…numbered 511 through June 1 vs. 976 in the same period last year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kw5MGS
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)
IMMIGRANTS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “By proclamation, Gov. Tim Walz has declared June as Immigrant Heritage Month in Minnesota. … The wording of the Immigrant Heritage Month proclamation is notable given the national debate over the presence of immigrants. … The Walz order doesn’t distinguish between classification of immigrants, but does say this: ‘Immigrant communities have shaped the unique character of our state through their contributions to our economy, culture, and history; and immigrants have experienced hate and mistreatment across the United States for generations, and we must work to eliminate discrimination.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43twoSO
ELECTIONS: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon awarded the first three recipients of the statewide Excellence in Elections Award. The award honors election workers for their outstanding service to the State of Minnesota. … Simon presented the Excellence in Election Award to Helen Burgstaler, who has served as an election judge in Crow Wing County for 75 years; Debby Erickson, Crow Wing County Administrator; and Kathy Toensing, Crow Wing County Operations Support Supervisor and Elections Supervisor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mQqmTS
FED FUNDS: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration's decision to pull funding from the Jobs Corps program will lead to the closure of the center in St. Paul that provides job training and housing for more than 160 young students. … The closure has been slammed by DFL lawmakers in the Twin Cities, with a joint statement from Senate Jobs and Economic Development Chair Bobby Joe Champion and Senate Housing Chair Senator Lindsey Port saying the decision ‘takes us in the wrong direction.’ They also criticized pulling the funding for low-income Americans while seeking to push through the extension of major tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jApTlI
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)
CLIMATE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “While efforts to address climate have faced a setback in Congress — where a massive budget bill would cut tax credits for green energy projects in Minnesota — state agencies, communities and citizens continue to plan and initiate projects that implement the state’s Climate Action Framework, an initiative created to help prepare the state for climate change. … In addition to addressing the causes of climate change, much of the work focuses on mitigating its impacts. For wildfire smoke, people can stay indoors or wear a mask outdoors. To deal with increasing rains, cities can improve stormwater and wastewater systems.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43w1dq0
PICKET: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Newly unionized doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants walked picket lines for the first time in Minnesota outside four Allina clinics on Tuesday. … The clinicians voted by a wide margin to unionize with Doctors Council SEIU in October 2023, forming the nation’s largest private-sector doctors union with more than 600 members across 60 Allina clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin. But since then, union leaders say they’ve made little progress toward finalizing a first labor contract. … The union [picketed] outside Allina clinics in [Coon Rapids], Maplewood, West St. Paul and Bloomington.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dLVnEn
VETERANS: via an MDVA press release, VERBATIM: “Recreational programming at the Minnesota Veterans Homes – Fergus Falls is getting a big boost this year, thanks to a $26,000 donation from the non-profit Veterans Home Rest & Relaxation. … The donation this year is from proceeds raised during summer 2024 events and activities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mZwYiS
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)
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A group of domestic violence researchers issued a grave warning to Minneapolis City Council members Tuesday, saying systemic lapses in how the police department responds to intimate-partner assaults is enabling repeat abusers. ‘Council members, this is a red alert,’ said Cheryl Thomas, executive director of nonprofit Global Rights for Women. … Two years ago, Thomas co-authored an exhaustive study identifying problems in how MPD handles domestic violence reports and offering a list of recommendations. Since then, she said, the city has yet to take any significant action to improve its response.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43GRMTk
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A Minneapolis City Council committee voted to advance three contracts for violence interrupter groups to address crime in the community. The three contracts are for one year, in the amount of $708,400 each for Metro Youth Diversion, TOUCH Outreach and A Mother’s Love Initiative. The communities that will be covered include parts of north Minneapolis, Phillips and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3FDt7ae
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With a ceremonial toss of a shovelful of dirt, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter joined developers with the Ryan Cos. along Ford Parkway this week to break ground on a long-stalled, $68 million phase of construction within Highland Bridge, which will include the first retail additions since Lunds and Byerlys relocated a nearby store there in September 2022. ‘It took a lot of work for us to get here together,’ said St. Paul City Council Member Saura Jost, who collaborated closely with the master developer, the Ryan Cos., to restart work on market-rate multi-family housing at the development.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jtIcch
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)
RAMSEY CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Ramsey County commissioners heard public feedback Tuesday on an initial list of projects that could be funded by money previously designated for the Riverview Corridor project. The county had allocated around $730 million for the project, but canceled the project in September. … A Transit and Transportation Investment Plan was presented to the county board last week and provides direction for how those funds may be reallocated. A vote on the projects is expected June 10. … Some community members at Tuesday’s public hearing expressed concern that the Transit and Transportation Investment Plan does not include West Seventh Street, where the Riverview Corridor was to run.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45d6rYZ
CELEBRATING 70 YEARS: The Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount is a landmark like no other – the tall columns, bright lights and steam during cold winter days can be seen from miles away. Generations of workers have helped operate, maintain and transform the refinery, making it one of the nation’s most innovative and efficient energy facilities of its kind. This year, Flint Hills Resources celebrates 70 years of dedicated employees at the Pine Bend refinery who have produced the fuels that help move us forward. LEARN MORE: About the Pine Bend refinery (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
DULUTH: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The New York-based developer set to construct a $500 million real estate project overlooking Lake Superior is in breach of his [Duluth] city contract. Luzy Ostreicher in December presided over a public groundbreaking for one of the city’s largest private investments, a collection of buildings that would house 1,180 apartments, 120 condominiums and retail space. … But city officials say the city is missing key financial information, construction contracts are in default and little work has been done. Ostreicher’s agreement with the city will be severed if problems aren’t addressed in 45 days, potentially killing the project.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T8vrZS
BECKER: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “At Xcel Energy’s Sherco Solar project near Becker, thousands of solar panels stretch across a field of native plants and flowers. If those plants grow too tall, they could block the sun and keep the panels from producing full power. So the vegetation needs regular trimming. Xcel is getting help from an unusual labor source: hundreds and soon thousands of sheep, which graze beneath the solar panels and keep the vegetation tidy. … Xcel is building this massive solar project to replace some of the electricity generated by the nearby Sherco coal-fired power plant, which it’s retiring by 2030.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zf5Kup
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will recognize Global Running Day and meet with legislative leaders.
TODAY: Rep. Tom Emmer (R-6th) announced that he will host his second telephone town hall of the year today at 5:30 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4kQh48C
TODAY: The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) union will hold an all-member picket in St. Paul on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The event is intended to raise awareness about recent changes to work-from-home rules for state government employees.
TOMORROW: The Dakota County Regional Chamber will host an advocacy forum on the 2025 legislative session moderated by Fluence’s Blois Olson and Axios’ Torey Van Oot. The event is at 8:00 a.m. in Eagan. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/3SxjmgP
TOMORROW: Former national security advisor and Minneapolis native Jake Sullivan will speak before the UMN Humphrey School of Public Affairs to “reflect on the Biden Administration’s policies and the future of America on the world stage,” per a release. The event is at 12:00 noon. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/45uhKMe
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
JUNE 14: Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be the keynote speaker at a New Hampshire Democratic Party dinner on June 14. She is reportedly traveling to support Chris Pappas’ Senate campaign. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/3HiY83C
JULY 14: via Indivisible Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “On June 14th, a local coalition including Indivisible Twin Cities, MN50501, Women’s March Minnesota, and MN AFL-CIO are organizing No Kings — Twin Cities, the largest rally in Minnesota to support this all-in moment for the pro-democracy, pro-worker movement. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization.” The event is at 11:00 a.m. in St. Paul.
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: writer Brian Lambert, creative Chuck Olsen, lobbyist Kris Amundson, fmr. Sen. Kathy Saltzman, sports historian Dave Mona
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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