ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s campaign still owes St. Cloud nearly $209,000 for services related to a July rally, officials from the central Minnesota city say.
The bill is for services beyond what the city normally provides, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Monday.
A request for comment emailed by The Associated Press to Trump’s campaign was not immediately returned Monday.
Trump and running mate JD Vance spoke to a hockey arena on St. Cloud State University’s campus July 27. An overflow crowd watched Trump speak for more than an hour and a half on a big screen outside the arena.
Expenses include $63,000 for extra police work during the rally, $62,000 to change a construction project near where the rally was held, and close to $2,000 for IT-related services.
St. Cloud City Administrator Matt Staehling on Monday told the newspaper that the city bills the White House for campaign stops and other events that require city services, such as half-marathon races. The White House is not billed for official events.
Trump’s campaign in August paid a $35,000 bill from St. Cloud State University related to the July rally, Athletic Director Holly Schreiner said.
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) — To cheers and applause from kids wearing spacesuits and star-studded T-shirts, a tree was planted in California that is out of this world.
The so-called “Moon Tree” — grown with seeds that were flown around the moon — was wheeled out in a wagon accompanied by several students carrying shovels to help dig its new home at Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School in Lake Forest.
The school, which has roughly 500 students in grades K-12, was among those selected to receive a seedling for a giant sequoia that was grown with seeds flown on NASA’s Artemis I Mission in 2022.
“It's kind of crazy,” said Emily Aguesse, a sixth grader who participated in Monday's ceremony welcoming the tree. “I've always wanted to go to space but this motivates it even more.”
It's the second time that NASA has flown seeds into space and brought them back for planting. An astronaut for the Apollo 14 mission in 1971 who was a former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper carried seeds that later were grown into the first generation of Moon Trees, which were planted in states spanning from Alabama to Washington.
While many of those seedlings were distributed to national monuments, this latest batch has been given to schools and museums to promote science and conservation education and help bring space down to Earth, said Paul Propster, chief story architect for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"It’s just kind of cool and fun to connect the next generation of explorers," Propster said.
It isn't known whether space travel has an effect on how plants grow and scientists continue to study the topic, he said.
In 2022, NASA and the Forest Service flew nearly 2,000 seeds from five species of trees aboard the unmanned Orion spacecraft, which went into lunar orbit and spent about four weeks traveling in space.
Once back on Earth, the seeds were grown into young sycamores, sweetgums, Douglas firs, loblolly pines and giant sequoias that could be shared with the public through an application process.
Nearly 150 seedlings were distributed earlier in the year, and another batch is expected this fall, NASA officials said.
Santiago — a science and technology-focused magnet school — planted its tree in a space-themed outdoor garden decorated with colorful stones painted by students. The school's parent and teacher association will have community volunteers care for the Moon Tree, which is expected to grow in girth and stature for decades amid a grove of eucalyptus that shades the campus in Southern California.
Colorful ropes were laid in circles on the ground to show students how big the tree could grow 50 years from now — and 500.
“This tree will grow with the kids," said Liz Gibson, who has three children at the school and chaired the NASA Moon Tree ceremony.
Students from Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School students perform at a ceremony to plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School students arrived dressed with space themed clothing at a ceremony to plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Santiago parent volunteer Stacie Aguesse, left, delivers a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, as NASA scientists, JPL engineers, US Forest Service representatives, and teachers join Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School students at a ceremony to plant it after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Student Emily Aguesse, 11, helps to clear a hole to plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice is delivered at the Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School grounds, after it was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Santiago parent volunteer Stacie Aguesse, right, helps students plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, as NASA scientists, JPL engineers, US Forest Service representatives, and teachers join Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School students at a ceremony to plant it after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Students at Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School participate at a ceremony to plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School students wearing space themed clothing attend a ceremony to plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Students at Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School participate at a ceremony to plant a small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice, after the school was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A small Giant Sequoia tree from NASA's Artemis I Mission's tree seeds that traveled around the moon twice is delivered at the Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School grounds, after it was honored in the spring of 2024 to become NASA Moon Tree Stewards in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
