Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is set to deliver his annual State of the State address on Wednesday night in St. Paul.

The address will be made to state representatives and senators at 7 p.m. in the House chamber of the state Capitol. Walz said at an unrelated news conference last week that his address will touch on the effects of the Trump administration’s decisions on Minnesota, including potentially large Medicaid cuts, as well as “things to be optimistic about” and ways to “work together.”

“This will be a piece of that,” the Democratic governor said about Trump policy impacts on Minnesota. “We decided to pick trade wars with our allies. We isolated and turned allies against us. We’ve forced many folks into the Chinese sphere of influence on a broader scale, and states are under threat from programs just like this. So I think to try and articulate we’ve got some real decisions to make ... I’m also going to focus back that there’s many, many things to be optimistic about.”

The speech will live-stream on the Minnesota House Information YouTube channel at tinyurl.com/uvv48xm5.

— Forum News Service

Newspaper’s offices moving to Stillwater

The Forest Lake Times is moving to Stillwater.

The weekly newspaper, published by Adams Publishing Group, has decided to consolidate the Forest Lake office with the office of the Stillwater Gazette, also published by Adams.

“This move is an effort to save costs by merging two offices located so closely together in Washington County,” according to an article published in the Gazette.

There has been a newsroom in Forest Lake since 1903, when the city’s first newspaper, The Enterprise, began publication, said Cliff Buchan, former editor of The Times. It was changed in 1907 to The Forest Lake Advertiser and became The Forest Lake Times in 1916, he said.

Forest Lake Mayor Blake Roberts called the decision to close the Forest Lake office “extremely disappointing.”

“The Times has been an institution in Forest Lake for well over 100 years,” he said. “I realize that small local newspapers are really struggling, so I understand why this decision was made. My hope is that this move will allow the parent company of the Times to report on Forest Lake news and events well into the future.”

The Forest Lake office will relocate on Thursday, said Keith Anderson, director of news for APG — East Central Minnesota.

“While this move does take our office a few miles south in Washington County, it does not change our coverage or commitment to providing our subscribers and advertisers with the information and service you deserve,” Anderson said in a statement. “The move allows us to reduce duplicated expenses with two offices that are currently located in such close proximity. Our phone numbers remain the same. Our emails remain the same. The only change is our physical address.”

— Mary Divine

River advocates deem Mississippi endangered

A conservation organization has named the Mississippi River as the most endangered river in the country.

Every year, the advocacy group American Rivers publishes a list of the 10 U.S. rivers it considers most at risk.

Topping this year’s list is the Mississippi, which provides drinking water for 20 million people. It supports agriculture and industry, and is home to more than 800 species of fish and wildlife. It also has major historical and cultural significance, provides a transportation route for shipping and recreational opportunities for tourists, boaters and anglers.

The group says the Mississippi faces many threats, including increased flooding and inadequate disaster prevention and response. It cites recent cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and earlier calls from President Donald Trump to abolish the agency.

“We cannot turn our back on Mississippi River communities or the health of the river millions depend on at this critical time when they need unified direction instead of uncertainty at the national level,” Mike Sertle, central region director for American Rivers, said in a news release.

Flooding hasn’t been a problem along the Minnesota stretch of the Mississippi this year. But the river faces other challenges, including pollution from agriculture, said Whitney Clark, executive director of Friends of the Mississippi River.

“All that water flowing off of our agricultural landscapes is carrying pollutants,” he said. “It’s carrying sediment. It’s carrying nutrients.”

Clark said farm drainage systems have exacerbated flooding and pollution.

“We have millions and millions of cropland acres that are plumbed to move water off the fields as quickly as possible to keep the plants growing,” he said.

Planting cover crops helps prevent erosion and nutrient runoff that ends up in the Mississippi, Clark said. The University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative is working to develop winter oilseed crops that keep the soil covered year-round and can also be turned into sus

tainable fuel.

Other potential threats include aging dams and a proposed underground nickel-copper mine in Aitkin County, which Clark said poses risks to the Mississippi and St. Croix River watersheds.

— MPR News

First ‘saltie’ arrives in Duluth-Superior port

The first “saltie,” or oceangoing ship, of the 2025 Great Lakes shipping season arrived in the Duluth-Superior harbor early Monday morning carrying sugarbeet manufacturing equipment bound for North Dakota.

Built in 2018, the Federal Nagara travels under the flag of the Marshall Islands. It is 200 meters long, 24 meters wide and among 120 carriers in Canadian company Fednav’s fleet. Jayson Hron, spokesperson for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said the ship delivered several large pieces of machinery; some pieces are nearly 20 feet wide and weigh 60,000 pounds.

Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Port Authority, said the ship’s cargo was manufactured in Germany. It will be transported to North Dakota’s Red River Valley, where a mill will use it in the sugarbeet refining process. DeLuca noted that a byproduct of that process, beet pulp pellets, are then sent back to the port and exported. The pellets are used to feed livestock.

It was likely the last First Ship ceremony for DeLuca, the eighth executive director of the Port Authority and first woman to serve in the position. She is set to retire in May.

The winner of the Port Authority and Visit Duluth’s 42nd annual First Ship Contest, Kristi Osheim, made a possible record-setting guess to earn the honor: 6:06 a.m. Monday, just 38 seconds after the Federal Nagara’s arrival at 6:05:22 a.m. She was awarded a Canal Park Lodge stay and gift cards to local restaurants and attractions valued at around $1,000.

Another saltie, the Federal Yoshino, arrived in the port earlier than the Federal

Nagara, on April 8. However, the Federal Yoshino, which also travels under the flag of the Marshall Islands, did not start its journey from the ocean, so it doesn’t qualify for the First Ship Contest.

— Forum News Service

Trollhaugen closing its Adventure Park

Trollhaugen ski area’s Adventure Park was a place where visitors could sail through the tree canopy on zip lines or climb among platforms and swaying bridges 30 feet in the air.

Not anymore.

After 12 years in operation, the owners of Trollhaugen announced Tuesday that they would permanently close the park effective immediately.

“Many factors and possible solutions were considered, but ultimately, rising operating costs like insurance and equipment replacement will not allow us to continue without significantly raising ticket prices, and that is not something we believe in doing,” the owners wrote in a post on social media.

The closing of the Adventure Park will not affect the ski season.

“This is an emotional decision for our team, and we want to give a big thank you to all of our amazing staff and visitors that joined us at the Adventure Park since its creation in 2012,” the post stated. “We will continue to celebrate the wonderful memories that we made with each and every one of you Troll-loving humans. We hope you enjoy new adventures this summer, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall for our 76th winter season on snow together.”

Trollhaugen is located in Dresser, Wis.

— Mary Divine