By COLLEEN SLEVIN

DENVER (AP) — Colorado doesn’t plan to transfer from state prison to federal custody a former county clerk who has become a hero to election conspiracy theorists following a request from the Trump administration, state officials said Wednesday.

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The Colorado Department of Corrections said it is not seeking a transfer of Tina Peters, who was convicted last year of orchestrating a scheme in Mesa County to breach voting machine data driven by false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

“Transferring an individual is an action initiated by the Colorado Department of Corrections, not an outside entity,” department spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez-Garcia said in an email.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.

Peters, 70, is serving a nine-year sentence at a state prison in Pueblo.

The Bureau of Prisons requested on Nov. 12 that the state corrections department transfer her to federal custody to serve her sentence. The reason isn’t known.

A copy of the request released by the state corrections department was heavily redacted. The department said releasing that information was “contrary to the public interest.”

Peters’ release has become a cause celebre in the election conspiracy movement. On Sunday, President Donald Trump renewed his call for her to be set free. One of Peters’ lawyers, Peter Ticktin, suggested on Trump ally Steve Bannon’s podcast this week that the military be used to free Peters from prison.

County clerks in Colorado of various political affiliations blame Peters for making their jobs more dangerous by fueling distrust in the voting system. They have been urging Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, to definitively reject the federal transfer request.

In a statement Tuesday, a Polis spokesperson praised the integrity of the state’s election system and said the governor welcomes a chance to meet with the clerks about the federal transfer request but did not directly address it.

“Governor Polis takes his responsibilities seriously and has been clear that he will take threats from the federal government head-on – especially when they undermine our democracy – which is why we have vigorously defended Colorado’s values during this turbulent time,” Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman said.

Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said the state corrections department is ultimately under Polis’ control and will do what he directs it to.

“The open-ended statement from the Department of Corrections does not alleviate our concerns,” he said.

Veteran Minnesota United midfielder Hassani Dotson will leave the club this offseason.

The Loons’ end-of-season roster decisions Wednesday shared how Dotson and his 2019 MLS draft peer Dayne St. Clair are officially out of contract with the club after the 1-0 loss to San Diego in the Western Conference semifinal on Monday. MNUFC added it was entering contract negotiations with St. Clair but not Dotson.

“It’s been a pleasure,” Dotson wrote on Instagram.

Dotson played in 149 regular-season games, behind only Michael Boxall and Robin Lod in club history. Dotson, who earned $682,500 in 2025, demanded a trade in preseason, but MNUFC retained him and offered him a new deal, but his side declined.

United said it was turning down contract options for Lod, Loic Mesanvi, Sam Shashoua and Kipp Keller. MNUFC also shared it wants to negotiate deals new contracts with Lod and Mesanvi.

MNUFC exercised contract options for 2026 with five players: defenders Morris Duggan, Devin Padelford and D.J. Taylor, as well as goalkeepers Alec Smir and Wessel Speel.

The following players have guaranteed contracts for next season:

— Defenders: Michael Boxall, Anthony Markanich, Nicolás Romero, Carlos Harvey, Joseph Rosales, Jefferson Diaz, Julian Gressel, Kieran Chandler.

— Midfielders: Joaquín Pereyra, Nectarios Triantis, Wil Trapp, Dominik Fitz, Owen Gene, Hoyeon Jung, Mattus Kmet, Kenyel Michel and Alexis Fariña.

— Forwards: Kelvin Yeboah, Mamadou Dieng, Darius Randell and Jordan Adebayo-Smith.

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By MATTHEW BROWN and MATTHEW DALY

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A $100-per-person charge for foreigners entering Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and other popular national parks is stoking apprehension among some tourist-oriented businesses that it could discourage travelers, but supporters say the change will generate money for cash-strapped parks.

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The new fee was announced Tuesday by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and takes effects Jan. 1. Foreign tourists also will see a sharp price increase for an annual parks pass, to $250 per vehicle. U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80 for an annual pass.

The change in policy puts the U.S. in line with other countries that charge foreigners more to see popular attractions.

At the Whistling Swan Motel just outside Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana, owner Mark Howser estimates that about 15% of his customers are foreigners. They come from Canada, China, India, Spain, France, Germany and elsewhere, said Howser, who also runs a bakery and general store.

Those visitors already pay up to $35 per vehicle to enter the park. Adding the $100-per-person charge for foreigners, Howser said, “is a sure-fire way of discouraging people from visiting Glacier.”

File – People hike at Glacier National Park in Montana. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz, File)

“It’s going to hurt local businesses that cater to foreign travelers, like myself,” he said. “You’re discouraging them from seeing something in the country by attaching a fee to that experience.”

A Yellowstone tour operator, Bryan Batchelder with Let’s Go Adventure Tours and Transportation, said the charge represents “a pretty big hike” for the roughly 30% of his clientele that are foreigners. That percentage has been going up in recent years after Batchelder switched to a new booking service.

Next summer, he said, will reveal how the new charge plays out among foreign visitors. “They’ll probably still come to the country, but will they visit national parks?” Batchelder asked.

The charge also will apply at Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Zion national parks.

Interior officials described the new fee structure as “America-first pricing” that will ensure international visitors contribute to maintaining parks.

FILE – Tourists flock to Mather Point at Grand Canyon National Park, Oct. 1, 2025, in Grand Canyon, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

For Yellowstone park alone, the $100 charge could generate $55 million annually to help fix deteriorating trails and aging bridges, said Brian Yablonski with the Property and Environment Research Center, a free market research group based in Bozeman, Montana. A recent analysis by the group said visitor numbers would drop only about 1% in response to the higher price.

If the charges for foreigners were extended to park sites nationwide, Yablonski said it could generate more than $1 billion from an estimated 14 million international visitors annually.

“Americans are already paying more than international visitors because they are paying taxes,” Yablonski said. “For international visitors, this is kind of a no-brainer, common sense approach.”

Many other countries charge international visitors an extra fee to visit public sites, said Melissa Weddell, director of the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. Foreign visitors to Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, for example, pay $200 per adult, while Ecuadorian nationals pay only $30, according to tourist websites for the islands.

FILE – Visitors watch a sunset on rock ledge near Taft Point in Yosemite National Park, Calif., Oct. 30, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

A coalition of current and former employees park service denounced the new charge.

“In a year where national park staff have already been cut by nearly 25%, we worry this will be yet another burden for already overworked employees,″ said Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.

“National parks should be available and accessible to all, or America’s best idea will become America’s greatest shakedown,″ she said.

Gerry Seavo James, deputy campaign director for Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign, said Trump and his administration have worked for nearly a year to undermine the park service, slashing its budget and firing thousands of staff.

“Gouging foreign tourists at the entrance gate won’t provide the financial support these crown jewels of our public lands need,” he said. “Without that support, we run the risk of our true common grounds becoming nothing more than playgrounds for the super-rich.”

Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said the agency previously did not collect data on international visitors but will start doing so in January.

Republican lawmakers in July introduced a bill in Congress that would codify the surcharge for foreign visitors to national parks. It’s sponsored by West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore and Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who served as interior secretary during Trump’s firs term.

“President Trump and Secretary Burgum are putting Americans first by asking foreign visitors to pay their fair share while holding entrance fees steady for the American people,” Zinke and Moore said in a statement Wednesday.

Daly reported from Washington, D.C.

Minnesota erased a 10-point halftime deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead but went cold at crunch time in a 63-58 loss to Alabama on Wednesday in the championship of Baha Mar Hoops Classic in Nassau, Bahamas.

Grace Grocholski led the Gophers with 18 points that included a 3-pointer to give Minnesota a 53-52 lead with 6 minutes, 1 second left. But the Gophers whiffed on two chances to increase that lead.

After inside misses by Sophie Hart and Mara Braun, Alabama’s Jessica Timmons hit a 3-pointer to give the Crimson Tide a 54-53 lead. Alabama never trailed again. The Gophers were 2 for 9 from the field the rest of the way, with many misses on uncontested layups.

“We missed too many shots when we were close to the rim and never got caught back up,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit told KFAN radio after the game. “I counted at least five point-blank opportunities at the rim, (and) we just didn’t make them.”

Timmons and Essence Cody each scored 18 points for Alabama (5-0). Timmons scored 10 fourth-quarter points, and her two free throws with 5.8 seconds sealed the victory.

Grocholski scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half to help the Gophers rebound from a woeful first half. Minnesota scored a combined 17 points in the first two quarters, and 26 in the third alone to make it a game.

Hart tied the game, 55-55, on a layup with 3:54 remaining. But Hart, Grocholski, Braun and Amaya Battle all missed layups late.

“I don’t think any of the four even got above the rim,” Plitzuweit told KFAN. “It’s hard to win basketball games when you’re not efficient from there.”

Glenn finished with 13 points and four assists for the Gophers (5-2), who beat South Florida fairly handily on Monday to advance to the championship game.

Alabama was the best team Minnesota has played this season.

“We’ve got to figure it out,” Plitzuweit said, “but I’d rather play good competition now to figure it out and get ready for the Big Ten.”

Minnesota is host to Samford on Monday at Williams Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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