Lessons in the Alewives

Welcome, summer! Yesterday we honored military members who have died in service to our country with deepest respect. When next you meet a veteran, or as you love one, know that we depend on your support. To my brother and sister veterans, I salute you. And I thank you.
 
This week I also have been thinking about alewives…. You heard me. Kathleen Lohmar Exel told me all about them. For the first time since 1783, alewives return to China Lake. The last time alewives made the 70-mile journey from the ocean to China Lake in central Maine, the American Revolution had just come to an end in 1783. Since then, the sea run fish, also known as river herring, have been blocked from their historic spawning grounds by a series of dams. But this past week, something remarkable happened: the fish returned. It is especially interesting in that it was a small group of people who made the impossible, possible AND it involves fish ladders. You’ll have to read about that…
 
Real change and real transformation always starts small. People united by an idea and driven by passion. Small groups of people, changing the world. 
 
We, too, can manifest the remarkable.
 
See you in the trenches.
B

• COVID supply rationing: The White House is planning for "dire" contingencies that could include rationing supplies of vaccines and treatments this fall if Congress doesn't approve more money for fighting COVID-19. Biden administration officials have been warning for weeks that the country has spent nearly all the money in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that was dedicated directly to COVID-19 response.  
• More COVID-19 ‘test-to-treat’ sites coming to Minnesota. Patients will be able to get the antiviral drug Paxlovid at the federally supported sites.
• More than 1 in 5 adult COVID survivors in U.S. may develop long COVID, CDC study suggests. Among patients 65 and older, the number is even higher: 1 in 4.

• 4 reasons you need to think like an economist: As recession anxiety rises in an economy that’s not been seen before, it’s more important than ever to understand what is impacting the market now and in the future. Understanding key economic indicators is how you win in turbulent markets.
• The Congressional Budget Office said in a report that inflation is projected to linger through the rest of 2022, though the pace is expected to slow to 4.7%, with the targeted 2% level likely out of reach until 2024 when more typical economic conditions return. The CBO also noted that it expects the federal deficit to decrease to $1 trillion in 2021 and average $1.6 trillion annually from 2023 to 2032. (The Washington Post)
• Meet Bob Clark, co-chair of Minnesota’s bid to win a World’s Fair in 2027.  Minnesota and the U.S. are bidding to hold the 2027 World's Fair in Bloomington, pitching the theme of “Healthy People, Healthy Planet.” It's one of five finalists worldwide competing to host the months-long, international event. Should we be successful, it would be a very big deal. Expo 2027 would generate $2 billion in economic impact and bring an estimated 7 million visitors and foreign leaders from across the globe to the Twin Cities, according to the organization responsible for the bid. Before the Expo’s economic effects can be realized, nonprofit Minnesota USA Expo 2027 needs to make a convincing case to the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) and its member countries that Bloomington is the best location for Expo 2027, and that the nation has the infrastructure, as well as political support and capital to do so. Its first major deadline is coming up fast — June 7.
• EDA: The deadline to apply for EDA’s FY22 “Build to Scale” program is June 13.
• US DOT: The deadline for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program is September 15.

Federal

• Democrats' policy limbo: Democrats are floating past their soft Memorial Day deadline for a deal on a scaled-back reconciliation package to advance pieces of President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" domestic policy agenda. According to The Hill, the new deadline for draft legislation is the August recess.  Why it's worth watching: A successful vote as late as September, as that timeline suggests, on such a high partisan priority seems highly unlikely in an election year, but Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) continues to insist that his party should be able to line up behind a measure to reduce prescription drug costs, cut the deficit and fight climate change. Biden and his party need something: Last week's Morning Consult/Politico survey found that just 36% of Democrats "strongly" approve of the president's job performance and the party's voters are less likely than Republicans to express enthusiasm about showing up at the polls this November.
• IIJA aka BIL:
  • The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $2.9 billion of funding for major infrastructure projects now available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The funding represents three major discretionary grant programs that will be combined into one Multimodal Projects Discretionary Grant opportunity, aka MEGA. 
  • In addition to investments in transportation, energy, water, and broadband infrastructure, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included substantial funding to increase the resilience of communities to climate change and natural disasters, as well as cyber threats.  
• The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has granted a temporary waiver for complying with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's new Buy America requirement for construction materials. 

 
State:

• Minnesota Legislature adjourns 2022 regular session without passing tax cut, spending bills. With more money to spend than any previous even-numbered year Legislature, there were resources to do some of what both Republicans and DFLers wanted: tax cuts, new spending and even additional savings. Having $9.25 billion in surplus and more than $1 billion in federal cash from the American Rescue Plan meant both parties could get some of what they wanted.  
• On Sunday, Minnesota Legislature approves $18.4 million to address drought relief and includes $110 million to help build more high-speed internet infrastructure in Minnesota. The broadband funds are funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.  
• Frontline Worker Pay application system is expected to open on June 8, sign up for email updates.
• Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is back in the black by repaying all advances from the U.S. Treasury! Employers should receive a letter from DEED with information about the tax changes and credits to ensure everyone has the information they need to move forward. Learn more.​

 
Regional

• Purple Line route modifications under consideration. Plans for the proposed METRO Purple Line, a new Bus Rapid Transit line in Ramsey County, are getting another look. Project staff is looking at ending the now 15-mile line somewhere along County Road E, between Highway 61 and Interstate 35E in Vadnais Heights or at the Maplewood Mall Transit Center.

 
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• Minneapolis will name First Avenue block for Prince.
• Please join us on Tuesday, June 7, 2-3pm for Fair Opportunities: Data and Strategies for Employers. This virtual event will feature data and strategy tools, a dive into the Twin Cities R!se Minnesota Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Guide and impact stories from other employers who have realized the value of hiring individuals previously involved with the criminal justice system.  The event format is Zoom Webinar.  Advanced Registration is required HERE.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.  This Fair Opportunities Series event is sponsored by the Workforce Innovation Board, Ramsey County and Twin Cities R!se. 
• Spend summer in St. Paul!
• Sixteen Minnesota-based companies made the Fortune 500 cut this year. The highest earning Minnesota company is UnitedHealth Group.

• Here’s how many people are quitting their jobs in Minnesota. In what has been dubbed the Great Resignation, Americans have been quitting their jobs in record numbers in recent months - a trend that shows no signs of slowing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 4.5 million Americans quit their job in March 2022, the most ever recorded in a single month, and up from 4.4 million quits in February.  And the explanations for the quit rates vary.
• Partners support equitable trades career prep. The Met Council’s commitment to help build a more equitable region showed up in a very tangible way this month as 35 people — mostly women and people of color — graduated from the fourth (and largest to date) cohort of the Building Strong Communities program.

• Minnesota’s new crop of angel investors want to fuel social change. Forge North, an initiative of Greater MSP focused on boosting Minnesota's startups, and Groove Capital, a pre-seed investment firm and angel-investing association, are teaming up for an event that aims to broaden the number and backgrounds of angel investors in the Minnesota.  On June 2, the two organizations will host Angel Fest, an event focused on shifting the culture of who angel investors are — and subsequently who gets funded by angel investors.

• Minnesota is 6th best state for Millennnials. With a population of around 80 million, millennials will continue to have a huge influence on American culture and consumption. Today, these mid-20-to-early-40-somethings are responsible for 21% of all consumer discretionary spending in the U.S.

• Two industrial projects OK’d as Woodbury backs growth. Greystar’s Royal Gateway, 435K SF spec office/warehouse/light industrial project. And NAI Legacy’s 475K SF I-94 East Logistics Center.
• Single-family permits down, multifamily up in May. Cities in the 13-county metro area have issued permits for 559 new single-family houses in May, down 18% from a year ago, according to the Keystone Report. For the year to date, single-family permits are now 7% behind 2021. Multifamily builders stayed busy during the month. Cities have issued permits for 1529 new multifamily units in May, up 235%, and 6,413 units for the year to date, up 130%, according to Keystone data.
• Did the Twin Cities population grow or shrink during the pandemic? Two new datasets showing city-level population estimates give quite different results.
• Historic Fort Snelling reopens Saturday after $34.5M revitalization. Visitors can see stunning new views of the Mississippi River as well as a more expansive telling of the site's 10,000-year-old history that evokes both "pride and tragedy."