By MARK THIESSEN

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A cargo ship that had been delivering new vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean, weeks after crew members abandoned ship when they couldn’t extinguish an onboard fire that left the carrier dead in the water.

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The Morning Midas sank Monday in international water off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain, the ship’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said in a statement.

“There is no visible pollution,” said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. “Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution.”

Fire damage compounded by bad weather and water seepage caused the carrier to sink in waters about 16,404 feet deep and about 415 miles from land, the statement said.

The ship was loaded with about 3,000 new vehicles intended for a major Pacific port in Mexico. It was not immediately clear if any of the cars were removed before it sank, and Zodiac Maritime did not immediately respond to messages Tuesday.

A salvage crew arrived days after the fire disabled the vehicle.

Two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment will remain on scene to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris, the company said. The crew members of those two ships were not injured when the Morning Midas sank.

Zodiac Maritime said it is also sending another specialized pollution response vessel to the location as an added precaution.

The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles southwest of Adak Island.

There were 22 crew members onboard the Morning Midas. All evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel. There were no injuries.

Among the cars were about 70 fully electric and about 680 hybrid vehicles. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship’s stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles, the Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime said at the time.

Adak is about 1,200 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.

The 600-foot Morning Midas was built in 2006 and sails under a Liberian flag. The car and truck carrier left Yantai, China, on May 26 en route to Mexico, according to the industry site marinetraffic.com.

A Dutch safety board in a recent report called for improving emergency response on North Sea shipping routes after a deadly 2023 fire aboard a freighter that was carrying 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore.

One person was killed and others injured in the fire, which burned out of control for a week. That ship was eventually towed to a Netherlands port for salvage.

Valley Outreach in Stillwater recently underwent a makeover paid for with a grant from Bayport-based Fred C. & Katherine B. Andersen Foundation.

An open house is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the social-service agency and food shelf, located at 1901 Curve Crest Blvd. W., to celebrate the remodel, which includes fresh paint, new awnings, better signage, new lights, modern sliding doors, and more accessible entrances, said Jess Hauser, director of communications for Valley Outreach.

“These improvements to our building’s exterior will make Valley Outreach a safer, more welcoming and accessible place for all who walk through our doors,” Hauser said. “The building is critical to our mission, and we’re committed to being a good caretaker for years to come.”

The amount of the one-time grant was not disclosed, but Hauser said it was designated for the building’s renovation and is separate from the nonprofit organization’s operating budget, meaning it could not be used to buy food or expand programming.

The open house is free and will include food, live music, tours, kids’ activities, raffles, prizes and a sidewalk sale.

For more information, go to valleyoutreachmn.org/.

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Ramsey County commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed salary increase of 3% for board members.

The seven-member board is expected to vote on the proposed salary increase July 1, with the increase effective Jan. 1. Board members currently make $104,077 per year and the board chair makes $109,338. If the proposal is approved next week, salaries would increase to $107,199 for commissioners and $112,559 for the board chair.

County employees with settled bargaining agreements and unrepresented employees received a general wage increase of 3% in 2025. The board typically sets commissioner salary increases at a rate that matches general wage increases for county employees in the previous year, according to county officials.

Increasing commissioner salaries isn’t going to improve anything in the county, which has a median income of around $20,000 less than commissioners’ current salaries, said Greg Copeland, a St. Paul resident and former candidate for state office, during Tuesday’s public hearing.

“I don’t know how many county employees — and some of you are here today, presumably county employees — are getting a $3,100-plus annual raise. So that 3% thing is kind of, well, it’s not very transparent,” Copeland said.

In Ramsey County, salary increases were approved last year, going from $101,280 to $104,077 for commissioners and from $104,477 to $109,338 for the chair.

The current annual salary for commissioners in Hennepin County is $128,337, according to Hennepin County officials. A July proposal by Hennepin County commissioners to increase their annual salaries to $182,141 was later withdrawn following pushback from county residents.

In 2022, the League of Minnesota Cities conducted a study of commissioner salaries across the state, at the time putting Ramsey County commissioners at just over $97,000 and those in Hennepin County at nearly $114,000. The base salary for Washington County commissioners at the time was about $72,000. In Carver and Anoka counties, it was $75,000.

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By MIKE CORDER

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has a sleepover this week in the Netherlands that is, quite literally, fit for a king.

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Trump is visiting The Hague for a summit of the 32 leaders of NATO on Wednesday, and his sleeping arrangements have received a significant upgrade.

He is scheduled to arrive Tuesday night and be whisked by motorcade along closed-off highways to the Huis Ten Bosch palace, nestled in a forest on the edge of The Hague, for a dinner with other alliance leaders hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander.

Trump had been expected to stay at a swanky hotel in the town of Noordwijk on the Dutch North Sea coast, but not anymore.

“President Trump has accepted King Willem-Alexander’s invitation to spend the night at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague,” said a White House official granted anonymity to discuss plans not yet made public. “This is a historic event – marking the first time an American President will stay at the King’s residence.”

A spokesperson for the Dutch government information service, Anna Sophia Posthumus, told The Associated Press that the president will be sleeping at the palace that is home to Willem-Alexander, his Argentine-born wife, Queen Maxima, and their three daughters, though the princesses have mostly flown the royal nest to pursue studies.

Parts of Huis Ten Bosch palace date back to the 17th century. It has a Wassenaar Wing, where the royal family live, and a Hague Wing that is used by guests. The centerpiece of the palace is the ornate Orange Hall, named for the Dutch Royal House of Orange.

The palace is also close to the new U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands.

Trump is no stranger to royal visits. In 2019, he dropped in to Windsor Castle for tea with Queen Elizabeth II during a tumultuous visit to the United Kingdom.

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands, Molly Quell in The Hague and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.