Wild win in a shootout. Wolves lose to Boston. Gopher MBB hung with Purdue for the first half. Talk of the Barn is how Gopher coach Ben Johnson can’t survive the season.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl tonight. Vikings in Detroit on Sunday.
Who will be the next Gopher MBB coach? Could we return glory to Williams Arena?
The Governor’s Fishing Opener will take place in Crosslake on May 9 and 10 this year. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3BUj0vS
The Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is postponed to March this year after being canceled last year. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/41ZU2pE
The Gunflint Mail Run sled dog race was also postponed, likely until February. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/41YQWlv
A Minnesota native who lobbied to create the Vietnam Women’s Memorial received the Presidential Citizens Medal last night. WCCO: https://fluence-media.co/4a39NxW
Sunday Take will feature a conversation with new MN GOP Chair Alex Plechash. Tune-in Sunday on WCCO Radio at 9AM.
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
From Sunday Take, a review and preview of the legislature and Governor with MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gAJ3aE
MN GOP: via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “State Representative Lisa Demuth…is on track to serve as Speaker of the House at the beginning of this session. … Sahan Journal spoke with Demuth about her caucus’ priorities going into the session, and what to expect in the coming months.” DEMUTH: “The top line is no new taxes, no tax increases. We can’t do that going forward anymore. … Second [is] the unending level of fraud that is seen within our state — the waste and fraudulent use of state taxpayer dollars that has gone unaccounted for. … I don’t think we need to grow government to reduce fraud.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/402Acan
MORE: On social media, Michael Brodkorb shared allegations of in-fighting inside the Minnesota Republican Party over leadership shakeups. BRODKORB: “According to frustrated sources, the new MN GOP leadership picked former MN GOP Chair Jennifer Carnahan, reps with Action 4 Liberty (A4L) Erik Mortensen, and ‘MAGA’ Jesse Smith to be on the ‘VIP’ list for the upcoming [Donald] Trump inauguration. … One source shared today that A4L referred to incoming House speaker Rep. Lisa Demuth as ‘Kamala’ Demuth, an ‘empty suit front woman,’ and ‘an incompetent strategist.’ … Another source told me that the MN GOP working with A4L is a ‘horrendous decision.’” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4gDLmcZ
2026: Fmr. Senator and 2022 GOP candidate for Governor Scott Jensen is making calls testing the waters for a run in 2026.
DC: via the Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Congress will certify the results of the 2024 election on Jan. 6, and two weeks later, will swear in President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance…Before these two major events, and four years after rioters caused destruction at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill is more equipped to handle threats, Sen. Amy Klobuchar said while presenting the changes at a Senate Committee on Rules hearing. KLOBUCHAR: https://fluence-media.co/3W6RdPB
MORE via Politico, VERBATIM: “Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday his caucus' committee assignments for the incoming Congress, a part of Democrats' game plan on how to counter the nominations and legislative priorities of incoming President Donald Trump. The list formalizes a number of new Democratic leaders atop panels, [including] Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) for Agriculture.” Notably, Sen. Tina Smith has been newly assigned to the influential Finance Committee. The article contains a full list of Democratic committee assignments. READ/LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3W5YWxr
MORE: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “In light of her new assignment, Sen. [Tina] Smith will leave the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and will maintain her positions on the Agriculture, Banking and Housing, and Indian Affairs committees.” SMITH: “I’m excited to get to work on behalf of Minnesota as a member of the Senate Finance Committee. … This new post will help me continue to stand up for Minnesotans on the issues they care about most, like protecting Social Security and Medicare for our seniors and making our tax code fairer for all Americans.”
MNLEG: via KSTP, VERBAITM: “The Minnesota Legislature gavels into session on Jan. 14, but uncertainty about leadership remains with open seats [and special elections]. ‘We’re at a unique point in Minnesota political history,’ said Steven Schier, Carlton College political analyst. ‘We really have no idea who will be in charge of either chamber of the state legislature, but the session is starting in a few weeks.’ … Schier said well-known candidates have a leg-up in the [special election] campaigns that will last just weeks. ‘Name recognition is determinative,’ Schier said. ‘The people who are well-known and well-liked, office holders in that jurisdiction, in another office, have an advantage.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gQwlo0
CANDIDATES: The Office of the Secretary of State has posted final candidate rosters for the special elections in House District 40B and Senate District 60. The deadline to rescind candidacy was 5:00 p.m. yesterday. Four DFL candidates in HD 40B withdrew: Mark Pitman, John Doan, Jasmine Carey and Kaying Thao. Two DFL candidates in SD 60 withdrew: Clay Morgan and Harold Melcher. One GOP candidate in SD 60 withdrew: Jonathan Kraemer. There will not be any contested primaries in HD 40B due to the withdrawals. HD40B: https://fluence-media.co/40igzMX SD60: https://fluence-media.co/3Poi5Hf
HD40B: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “One Democrat already secured the party's endorsement [in House District 40B] Wednesday night: David Gottfried. … Republican Paul Wikstrom, who was the party's nominee in November, will run again after filing a lawsuit that put [the special election] in motion. … Gottfried, who grew up in the district and plans to start door knocking this week, [said] he's fighting for worker's rights and environmental protections.” GOTTFRIED: “Transparency and integrity are crucial going forward. I want to look for opportunities to work in a bipartisan manner to improve the lives of Minnesotans while we hold true to our progressive values as a DFL party.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4a6Wpsz
SD60: As of Thursday evening, at least three of the eight DFL candidates in the Senate District 60 special election have received endorsements from elected DFL officials:
● Monica Meyer has been endorsed by Rep. Ilhan Omar (CD5), Sen. Scott Dibble (SD61) and Sen. Erin Maye Quade (SD56). WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/41VGRWv
● Doron Clark has been endorsed by Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne (Ward 1) and Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez (Ward 9). WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/41XXkte
● Peter Wagenius has been endorsed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3ZTjPwM
MORE: via a Monica Meyer press release, VERBATIM: “Longtime community organizer Monica Meyer (DFL) has announced her candidacy for the special election in Minnesota Senate District 60. Meyer currently serves as the Political Director at Gender Justice, a statewide reproductive freedom advocacy organization. Before that, she served as the Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota.” MEYER: “I look forward to having face-to-face conversations with residents across the district about the urgent need to support working families, create safer communities, and protect our democracy.” WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/4a5hdks
MITCHELL: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The prosecutor in the Nicole Mitchell burglary case is asking a judge to block lawyers from mentioning that she’s a state senator, according to a court filing this week. Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald asked Judge Michael Fritz to restrict how Mitchell’s attorney talks about her role as a state senator — and how a conviction could impact her work as a lawmaker. In his request to the court, McDonald said the political title is irrelevant to the case and could lead jurors to feel improper sympathy for her. … McDonald also asked the judge to block Mitchell's attorneys from requesting a lesser charge of trespassing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PkMplX
MPLS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The homicide rate has plummeted nationwide [by] about 16% relative to 2023, falling at the fastest rate on record. … Minneapolis remains a notable exception, however. There were 76 homicides in the city in 2024, up from 72 the prior year, according to provisional data. That number remains well above the 48 homicides recorded in 2019. … Last year’s citywide homicide rate was more than triple the national level, reflecting the city’s ongoing public safety challenges.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DDIUVn
ST PAUL: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Former residents of St. Paul’s Lowry Building apartments have been suddenly displaced twice in the last month after the troubled downtown building was condemned. Residents were evicted from the Lowry in mid-December [and] moved into hotels. At the time, city officials said the receiver of the building, Halverson and Blaiser Group, was paying hotel costs for tenants for a month…[but] residents were told they had to vacate their hotels on Monday. … A spokesperson for St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the city and the county are working together to find options for tenants.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49ZiSYF
METRO TRANSIT: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Metro Transit's new pricing model is now in effect. The lower fares for public transit around the Twin Cities kicked in on Jan. 1, introducing one flat fare that stays the same all day, every day of the year, with a couple of exceptions. The new standard adult fare is now $2. Senior, youth, and Medicare pricing is now $1 every day.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/403SqZa
RATES: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Xcel Energy customers can expect their monthly power bill to go up [this] year. In December, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a $192 million interim rate which went into effect on Wednesday. Xcel Energy says the interim increase of 5.2% will add about $5.39 to an average residential customer's monthly bill. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is in the process of reviewing Xcel Energy's petition to increase rates for its customers. … A final decision on the rate increase will be made on or before July 31, 2026.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3PmUK8W
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “CenterPoint Energy asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to approve a rate increase of 3.75% for 2025. The additional rate would cost consumers, on average, an additional $2.58 per month. The commission [has already] approved a 2.4% interim rate increase, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2025.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4042C3M
BRINGING SAFETY TO ‘THE NEXT LEVEL’: As part of Enbridge’s work on the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota, Enbridge has brought in family-owned and Indigenous-owned Northern Lights Family Outfitters to fully outfit project workers right on the job site with personal protective equipment (PPE) from its 48-foot mobile trailer. “Enbridge really brings safety to the next level,” says Patti, a project liaison for Enbridge and the Fond du Lac Band. “It’s really helpful to have a mobile unit, especially for this kind of work.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OQYmjn (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
MAYO: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic has filed a $740,000 civil lawsuit against Sanford Health Plan, South Dakota-based Sanford Health’s insurance arm, alleging that the Health Plan breached its contract with Mayo Clinic when it did not cover expenses for a patient who was hospitalized in Rochester. … Mayo Clinic is suing for $739,956.20 — the cost of the patient's unpaid care — alleging breach of contract, promissory estoppel and negligent misrepresentation. … Sanford has filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fMq8Z0
SANFORD: via a DLI press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) recently entered into a consent order with Sanford to require that it comply with Minnesota laws that provide pregnant employees with reasonable workplace accommodations and pregnancy and parental leave. Additionally, the order requires Sanford to pay back-wages, compensatory damages and liquidated damages to an employee after DLI found Sanford cut her hours during pregnancy and fired her after she asserted her workplace rights.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/404pRea
MEDICATION: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “A brand new law will bring financial relief to hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans dealing with diabetes and asthma. The law caps co-pays at $25 for medications and $50 for supplies like EpiPens, insulin pumps and inhalers — necessary tools for patients dealing with these conditions. DFL Rep. Mike Howard (Richfield) says it only makes sense.” HOWARD: “For these medications that are life critical, life necessary — to force families to really break the bank to survive, essentially, just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. … This will ensure that many more families are able to afford the medications they need.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/402klbT
LGBTQ: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “There’s a new Minnesota law requiring health plans that cover physical or mental health services to also cover ‘medically necessary gender-affirming care.’ Advocates explained this law is all about equity in health care, [making] it so those seeking gender-affirming care will not be denied coverage. … Rep. Leigh Finke said [she] drafted this bill from personal experience.” FINKE: “I spent years battling with insurance companies to get coverage for various pieces of my own gender-affirming care in my own transition. … Every major medical association in the United States considers gender-affirming care as treatment for gender dysphoria to be medically necessary.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gHsw4O
PERMITTING REFORM FOR RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRIES: Jobs for Minnesotans is committed to advancing responsible industrial projects through a predictable, timely and transparent permitting process. Broad permitting reform for all responsible industries is essential to strengthening Minnesota’s communities and advancing our state’s clean energy future. (SPONSORED: Jobs for Minnesotans)
DEER: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A startling increase in the prevalence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in southeastern Minnesota’s deer population has triggered a new management response from the Department of Natural Resources that might surprise hunters. Starting immediately, the agency will end its deployment of sharpshooters in all Driftless Area disease management zones. … CWD prevalence in the southeast part of the state has doubled in one year, to 5% or more, [so] the benefit of offseason culling is considered too meager to justify the expense. The DNR is expected to formally announce the policy [soon].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41U2XZF
LOTTERY: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Lottery officials say no one stepped forward to claim a million-dollar prize before it expired on New Year’s Eve. It was for a winning ticket in last year’s Minnesota Millionaire Raffle. … The person holding one of the two million-dollar tickets — sold at a Coborn’s grocery store in Delano — had a one-year window to claim the prize, but did not. That prize is now forfeited and goes into the state of Minnesota’s general fund.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gWXBkp
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
HERMANTOWN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The city of Hermantown has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to build streets and public utilities within a new 35-acre industrial park on a former Superfund site. The Hawkline Business Park is expected to cost just less than $5 million, with the rest of the funding coming from private investments and a match from the city. It could bring in more than $80 million in private investments and create nearly 300 jobs, according to the city.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41XJVS0
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “New members will hold a majority on the Rochester City Council in 2025 for the second time in a decade. The newly elected council president and three ward representatives will be sworn in on Jan. 6, replacing four council members who served single four-year terms that began in 2020. The new council members are four of six newly elected Rochester residents set to help make local government decisions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DRXAQs
WILD ABOUT READING: More than 500 Minnesota classrooms and 15,000 students are participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy, and the team dog, Rookie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player-signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3O2nzH0 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
MATH: via Hechinger Report, VERBATIM: “Under a 2006 Minnesota law designed to boost the number of students going into math and science careers, all eighth graders were required to take Algebra I. At the time, legislators argued that getting more kids through algebra before starting high school would ensure they were on a path to graduate having taken calculus. … But a Hechinger Report analysis of federal data shows Minnesota’s law hasn’t worked out as planned. Between 2009 and 2017, the share of the state’s students taking calculus did rise modestly, from 1.25 to 1.76 percent. But other states saw far larger gains, and Minnesota dropped from 6th to 10th place among states for calculus enrollment as a share of total enrollment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4h0t7xY
NUCLEAR: via an Xcel Energy press release, VERBATIM: “Xcel Energy will extend the operation of its carbon-free Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant well into the future to support its clean energy vision, following the recent renewal of the plant’s operating license by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The federal approval allows the plant to operate an additional 20 years, through 2050, provided the plant’s extended operation is also approved by state regulators.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3W2unsA
POLL: via APM Research, VERBATIM: “A new poll finds that about half of Minnesotans feel lonely, at least some of the time. More specifically, 13% say they ‘often’ lack companionship and another 35% lack companionship ‘some of the time.’ Results were similar when Minnesotans were asked how often they feel left out and isolated from others.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DD1hJU
THEDAILYAGENDA: Every day, we’re sharing significant political, business and other news in your inbox and on our new website, The Daily Agenda. If you love morning take, sign up for the other Fluence tip sheets and share our web content with your friends. SIGNUP: https://fluence-media.co/4eZwLa7
MONDAY: via City of Minneapolis, VERBATIM: “The Mayor has called a special meeting of the Minneapolis City Council for Monday, Jan. 6, at 8:30 am. The City Attorney will request that the Council go into a closed session to receive a briefing on the U.S. Department of Justice’s potential litigation and resolution possibilities concerning the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department. After the closed session, the Council will resume the public meeting.”
MONDAY: via a Senate DFL advisory, VERBATIM: “Senator Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud) will hold a public town hall on Monday, January 6 at 6 p.m. at the St. Cloud Great River Regional Library. This town hall is an opportunity for constituents to ask questions, share ideas, and learn about Senator Putnam’s priorities for the 2025 session.”
JAN 14: The Minnesota Legislature will begin its 2025 session on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
JAN 14: A primary will be held for the special election in Senate District 60.
JAN 28: Two special elections will be held to fill legislative vacancies for Senate District 60 and House District 40B.
BDAYS: Twins President Dave St. Peter, baseball writer Aaron Gleeman, Rep. Jeff Backer, lobbyist Adam Axvig, public affairs pro Sara Barrow, energy guy Jeremy Kalin
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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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