Donald Trump’s presidential campaign says it isn’t responsible for a $209,000 bill from the city of St. Cloud for costs related to a summer rally in the central Minnesota city.

The Trump campaign told St. Cloud LIVE in a Thursday email that the U.S. Secret Service is responsible for local law enforcement and first responder costs.

However, Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring said there is no mechanism to reimburse state and local governments for their support during protective events.

“We will continue to work with the Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and Congress to advocate for the necessary grants and resources to support the city, county, and state law enforcement and public safety agencies that assist us every day,” Herring said in an email to St. Cloud LIVE.

The bill — for $208,935.17 — is related to costs associated with a July 27 political rally with Trump and running mate JD Vance at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center at St. Cloud State University.

The rally’s costs to the city include police and fire department support, public services, construction change order for University Drive, and IT department services, according to the city.

The city on Sept. 10 sent an invoice to a Virginia P.O. box associated with Donald J. Trump For President 2024 Inc. The invoice noted a due date of Oct. 10. City Administrator Matt Staehling told St. Cloud LIVE on Oct. 11 that the Trump campaign failed to meet that due date.

The city has since sent a second notice to the campaign.

SCSU athletics director Holly Schreiner previously told St. Cloud LIVE that the campaign on Aug. 1 paid the university’s $35,000 fee for rental of the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

NBC News recently reported that the Trump campaign owes more than $750,000 to five jurisdictions, with some bills dating back to 2016.

— Forum News Service

Unaccounted victim found after house fire

Firefighters who responded to a garage fire early Thursday in the Battle Creek neighborhood found three teenagers outside the home, and they said everyone was out, but someone had been left unaccounted for, according to the St. Paul Fire Department.

Fire crews arrived about 2:54 a.m. to a house covered in heavy smoke and flames on the 10 block of Nelson Street, according to a press release. After quickly extinguishing the fire and searching all levels, firefighters found an unconscious man in the basement.

He was taken from the home, transferred to St. Paul Fire EMS, then taken to a hospital.

The man was the father of the three teenagers, according to Deputy Chief Jamie Smith. The teens woke up their sleeping father to evacuate, but he apparently collapsed on his way out. They initially reported that everyone was out of the home when firefighters arrived.

The man was in critical condition at the time of transport; no update on his condition was available Thursday afternoon, according to the St. Paul Fire Department.

Initial investigation determined that the fire started in a tuck-under garage of the two-story residence.

No additional people were found inside the home and no firefighters were injured.

The case serves as a reminder of the benefit to having a household fire plan.

“We encourage everyone to have working and properly placed smoke detectors,” Smith said. “Have an exit plan in case of a fire and have a safe, pre-planned meeting location once outside to verify everyone has made it out.”

— Talia McWright

Lift bridge will extend schedule extra week

Boaters on the St. Croix River got some good news on Thursday.

Although the official Stillwater Lift Bridge summer lift schedule for marine traffic was scheduled to ended this week, lift-bridge operators plan to continue to staff the bridge for an additional week due to good weather.

Bridge tenders will be on duty from from 8 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22.

After Tuesday, the lift bridge will remain in the down position until next spring unless a lift is requested. Boaters must request a lift at least 24 hours in advance.

The Stillwater Lift Bridge lift schedule will resume in early April 2025.

For information, go to stillwaterliftbridge.

— Mary Divine

Chancellor of struggling UW campus resigns

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt announced Wednesday that he will step down next summer as the school continues to struggle financially.

Leavitt has served as chancellor since 2014. He said on his blog Wednesday that he always believed spending 10 years as chancellor would be enough and staying longer “deprives the university of fresh vision and inventiveness it deserves.”

He said that he plans to remain at UW-Oshkosh as a chemistry professor following his resignation as chancellor.

“I will cherish memories made and the people I have met in this role over the past ten years,” Leavitt wrote in the blog post. “It has been the honor of my life. I am proud to be a Titan and look forward to contributing in new and different ways.”

— Associated Press

Woman, 3 teens accused of poaching

A 36-year-old woman and three 16-year-old boys are suspected in the shooting or killing of more than 100 deer within a 200-square-mile area in eastern Wisconsin.

The poaching occurred between the spring of 2023 and last July across Fond du Lac, Dodge and Washington counties, the Fond du Lac County sheriffs’ office said in a release.

A spotlight was used after dark to find deer in fields. The deer then were shot. The heads of some bucks with large antlers were severed. The suspects also drove around with the intent of striking deer on roadways, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Selfies” were taken with one deer that was struck and placed in the vehicle, Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt said in the release.

“They drove around to various locations with the deer still alive and suffering in the trunk or back seat and continued to produce video clips documenting their travels with the wounded deer,” he said.

Charges were being referred to prosecutors. All three suspects are from Campbellsport.

— Associated Press