PHOENIX — Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh detailed his favorite regular-season throws from quarterback Drake Lindsey this year. Then Harbaugh spun it forward into the Rate Bowl in Arizona on Friday and into the 2026 season.

“I want him to always go out there and be feared,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what our goal is.”

Lindsey completed 63% of his passes (228 for 361) for 2,235 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. The redshirt freshman’s total attempts and TD tosses rank within the top 10 single-season numbers in program history. He can add to those marks against New Mexico after the 3:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

One of Harbaugh’s favorite passes from Lindsey this season came in the 31-28 win over Rutgers on Sept. 27. It was a guard-pull play-action pass with tight end Jameson Geers’ crossing route serving as the first read. Receiver Le’Meke Brockington’s post route is not even considered in the progression.

“Funny thing on that is, I can tell you how many times I said to Drake to throw the post on that: Zero,” Harbaugh said. “He saw the grass and threw it. It’s that type of throw.”

Lindsey feathered in the right touch over Scarlet Knights defensive backs, and Brockington came down with it for a 9-yard score to tie the game at 14-14 at Huntington Bank Stadium.

“That’s not necessarily a read in the play,” Lindsey said. “(It’s) kind of clear-out route. And I just kind of felt the space and felt the grass and trusted Le’Meke to be there. We’ve never even thrown that one time, so that was a really cool feeling. Harbaugh kind of gave me some (grief) for it, kind of messing with me.”

Lindsey would throw two more touchdowns in the Rugters win, but his 78-yard bomb to Jalen Smith — the U’s longest pass play of the season — jump-started the U’s comeback from a 14-0 hole. That, too, was on Harbaugh’s list.

Harbaugh also mentioned a crucial third-down conversion on a four verticals route to Brockington during a two-minute drill comeback in the 23-20 overtime win over Michigan State on Nov. 1. Plus, a sideline out to Brockington in the 38-35 loss to Northwestern on Nov. 22.

“(Lindsey) let the ball go before Le’Meke hit a break point,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, it’s a ridiculous throw; like, you can’t teach it.”

Harbaugh added a post route touchdown to Javon Tracy in the Northwestern loss. That play was designed to lead to the check-down options, not necessarily take a shot down the field.

“(Lindsey) saw split safety, (and the) safety (back) pedal; Javon ended up running into the post,” Harbaugh explained. “He threw it before Javon was looking. Javon made a great catch.”

Lindsey added on his own list the 52-yard completion he had to Malachi Coleman in the Wildcats game. “(Coleman) made a great catch on it,” he said. “That was a good ball, good protection.”

Lindsey had one heck of a game at Wrigley Field that crisp afternoon, throwing a career-high four touchdown passes. But both he and Harbaugh alluded to passes they would like to have back. That centered on his three-interception showing in the 41-3 loss at Iowa on Oct. 25.

“There’s a few throws that you know you always want again, and maybe not have thrown your best, but maybe threw your best as well,” Lindsey said. “The season is always fun.”

Former Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan said Lindsey showed off his arm with the first throw of the season, a sideline out to Koi Perich in the 23-10 win over Buffalo on Aug. 28.

“You saw his arm talent and just natural ability to throw the football pop,” Morgan told the Pioneer Press.

That type of trust is what Harbaugh has been emphasizing with his to-be redshirt sophomore QB. “You want to continue to build off of it. You want to continue to let him know, ‘OK, you can make any throw,’ ” Harbaugh said.

After diving into his own throws, Lindsey was asked by a reporter if he had a favorite run, a tongue-in-cheek joke because Lindsey isn’t known for his speed.

He chuckled.

On a naked bootleg, Lindsey’s stiff arm of a Michigan State defender led his way to the end-zone pylon and won Minnesota the game in overtime. His fourth-down scramble against the Boilermakers aided that 27-20 comeback win on Oct. 11.

“Not a lot. Maybe get a few more next year,” said Lindsey, who had four rushing TDs this season. “Probably the Michigan State one. That was a cool experience. I like the Purdue one, as well. But then again, didn’t run the ball much. I’ve got to do a better job of that.”

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Following the signing of a new cooperative agreement between Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management and Red Lake Nation tribal leaders, a new cannabis dispensary called NativeCare is expected to open early next year in West St. Paul.

Pending municipal regulatory approvals, the dispensary would be located at 2067 S. Robert St., a city spokesperson said. The address is a storefront in Ten Acres Center, a strip mall at the intersection of Robert Street and Mendota Road.

In a statement, Red Lake announced the dispensary would open in January. A representative of the Red Lake Nation did not respond to interview requests.

Red Lake’s original NativeCare dispensary, located on tribal land in Beltrami County, was the first dispensary to open after the state legalized the sale of cannabis in August 2023.

The new compact between Red Lake and the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, signed by Gov. Tim Walz on Dec. 15, allows Red Lake to open a select number of off-reservation retail dispensaries alongside continuing safety commitments including regular testing and reporting.

An employee sells cannabis products at a Red Lake Nation NativeCare dispensary. (Mathew Holding Eagle III / MPR News)

“The Red Lake Nation is eager to share our top tier cannabis and cannabis products with the Minnesota market,” Red Lake Nation chairman Darrell G. Seki Sr. said in a statement issued by the state Office of Cannabis Management. “Over the past five years, we have been perfecting unique strains of cannabis in our premiere growing facilities at the Red Lake Nation. Our goal from the beginning has been to produce the highest quality cannabis products that are free of all toxins and impurities. Consistent testing has verified that we have reached our goal.”

Revenues from these dispensaries are expected to be “significant” and will be reinvested in education, health and wellness services for Red Lake Nation members and infrastructure improvements on tribal-owned reservation lands, tribal leaders said in a statement.

“We are focused on making sure that our cannabis operations are a success, so that our tribal infrastructure projects can be completed and our members are able to obtain the employment opportunities that our integrated cannabis operations provide,” Seki said in another statement from the Red Lake Nation.

As state cannabis regulations have taken shape in recent years, Native nations have found themselves with a significant head start. Tribal-run dispensaries like NativeCare began opening almost immediately after adult-use recreational cannabis was legalized in Minnesota in 2023, but licenses for privately owned dispensaries did not roll out until summer 2025.

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The state also maintains cannabis agreements with White Earth Nation, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the Prairie Island Indian Community, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, which operate a number of dispensaries around the state. Alongside the proposed West St. Paul location, Red Lake leaders also announced plans for a NativeCare dispensary to open soon in Thief River Falls.

As private dispensaries have proliferated in recent months, cities in the Metro area have enacted varying regulations around how many will be allowed to open and where they can operate, the Pioneer Press found.

Red Lake leaders initially submitted a proposal to the city of West St. Paul while the compact was still pending but city staff asked them to resubmit last week after the agreement had been signed, said Sarah Haugen, the city’s communications coordinator. City staff are currently reviewing the application to ensure it complies with local regulations, she said.

Tribal leaders did not specify in their proposal why West St. Paul was of particular interest for a dispensary, Haugen said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House has been charged in a complaint with federal firearms charges in connection with the ambush on November 26 that fatally wounded one of the West Virginia National Guard members and seriously injured the second.

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Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with the intent to commit an offense punishable for more than one year. He has also been charged federally with transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce.

“The transfer of this case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was killed and her parents are now forced to endure the holiday season without their daughter. Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a long road ahead in his recovery.”

Lakanwal remains charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill and illegal possession of a firearm in the shooting that killed Beckstrom, 20, and wounded Wolfe, 24, in violation of D.C. code. Lakanwal, who was shot during the encounter, has pleaded not guilty to the D.C. charges.

There is no death penalty in D.C. Superior Court.

Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard for President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital, which has flooded the city with federal agents and troops since August. Lakanwal is accused of driving from Bellingham, Washington to Washington, D.C. while in possession of a stolen firearm and ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station three blocks from the White House.

A picture of National Guard member Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of two National Guard members who were shot in Washington on Wednesday, is honored with blue bows in Webster Springs, W.Va., Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)

An Afghan national, Laknawal worked with the American government, including the CIA, “as a member of a partner force” in Kandahar, Afghanistan, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said.

Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, officials said. That Biden administration program evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

Lakanwal’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

Mendocino County is what happens when the Pacific Ocean decides it wants to date a rainforest. Once a year, Mendocino Area Parks Association (MendoParks), invites folks to join them on the Mushroom Train, a journey into the redwoods to partake in artisanal cocktails and locally foraged culinary delights, all in the name of fun and fundraising.

The Mushroom Train is just one offering from the Fort Bragg-based Skunk Train depot. This post-logging railroad, once a conveyor belt for redwood extraction, now runs a very different kind of harvest: foodie-level bites, foraged fungi, fine wines and fundraising.

The annual Mushroom Train makes its run each November as one of MendoParks’ largest fundraising events. The nonprofit receives no tax dollars yet manages education, stewardship and community programming across Mendocino Coast state parks. Every ticket is a direct donation to redwoods, trail access and the future of this ecological corridor.

Travelers mingle on the open-air car, savoring the fresh forest air and lively atmosphere of the Mushroom Train. (Photo by Clara Shook)

All aboard

The morning of the event the depot hums with pre-departure anticipation. It’s a 21+ event. People flash their IDs, sip warm cider or coffee and pull their puffy jackets tighter against the morning chill. For a few more dollars, the presidential class car, new for 2025, is a plush little jewel box complete with emerald velvet tufted seats, vintage radio speakers at each table and, this year, Tamar Kaye and Crispin Cain of Mendocino Spirits pouring its Low Gap California Whiskey.

Someone asks, “Is bourbon an acquired taste?,” and Cain grins. “Bourbon is … a commitment,” he says. The car erupts in laughter, and everyone accepts it.

The ride into the reds

The train runs parallel to Pudding Creek, rattling along a wooden trestle, then the canopy closes in. We glide into second-growth redwoods, descendants of the giants felled for profit in the early 20th century.

This railroad used to export forests. Now, it transports the people who protect them.

The second pour: Kaye and Cain share tastes of their distillery’s limited-edition candy-cap mushroom liqueur, and the whole car warms with the smells of butterscotch and maple.

Glen Blair Bar: A forest party with a purpose

Guests prepare their own snacks at DIY s’more and hot dog
stations at the large campfire pits outside the Glen Blair Bar pavilion. (Photo by Clara Shook)

Twenty minutes later, we disembark at Glen Blair Junction and enter “Glen Blair Bar,” a large open-air pavilion filled on this day with mushroom-infused light bites, local craft wines and spirits, and vendors selling mushroom-themed art and accessories.

Live music from three local bands starts soon after arrival. The opening act is the Sid Hillman band, fronted by the executive director of MendoParks himself. Next, we are treated to the soulful sounds of 18-year-old guitar virtuoso Bella Rayne & friends, followed by instrumental world fusion band The Runabout.

In the clearing next to the pavilion are three large campfire rings adjacent to DIY s’more and hot dog stations, for the kid in you. This is an adult play date after all.

Guests cluster around the mushroom education and identification table as Eric Schramm points to a cluster of California golden chanterelles and a 1.5-pound porcini he found the previous day.

Next, we have the wine education table, led by Cory Lester of Bee Hunter Wines, who shares tastes of its red and white varieties from its Boonville tasting room.

Locally foraged mushrooms like Candy Cap and Morel invite guests to explore the diverse flavors of Mendocino County’s forest bounty. (Photo by Clara Shook)

Optional experiences

An hour into the festivities, the first round of the forest bathing tour fans out into the woods, guided by Certified Forest Bathing Guide Megan Carson, who talks about this Japanese practice known as shinrin-yoku as medicine. With slower breathing and reduced stress hormones, it helps the body remember its somatic connection to nature.

Leslie Krongold of Leslie’s Accessible Walks, known for her accessibility advocacy, maneuvers the well-maintained gravel path in her motorized chair expertly, proof that with intention, more people can access wild beauty.

Dance, fire, cold air, warm faces

A guest dressed in festive mushroom-themed attire joins fellow riders for the whimsical redwood experience. (Photo by Clara Shook)

As the afternoon deepens, DJ Beetroot back on the train drops vintage dance tracks. People dance around the wooden embarkment platform in fleece and beanies. The cold makes the warmth from the round campfire pits more delicious.

In this redwood clearing, there’s no pretense. This fundraiser feels like gratitude in motion.

How to do this trip right

From San Francisco, Mendocino is 3-4 hours north. Highway 1 is scenic but can be a bit twisty to maneuver in the dark. Highway 101 to Highway 20 is faster, less nausea-inducing. Savvy visitors arrive Friday night.

North Cliff Hotel in Noyo Harbor offers two-person jetted tubs with ocean views and fireplaces in every room.

Mendocino folks treat the Mushroom Train like a sacred annual ritual. Tickets sell out early.

Mendocino isn’t selling novelty here — it’s modeling a future: post-extraction, post-burnout, post-disposable culture. We’re not just sipping liqueur under the redwoods. We’re investing in the comeback of a coastline long used, logged and left for dead. Growing up near the timber plantations, wetland marshes and barrier islands of North Carolina, I’ve seen land survive a lot — except human indifference when conservation is needed. Up here, on this quirky little train powered by bourbon, mushrooms and communal joy, the opposite is happening. This is what Northern California looks like when people decide the forest deserves more than nostalgia.

This isn’t tourism.

It’s stewardship disguised as a party, and this is your invitation.

Guests enjoy the open-air car’s perfect view as the train snakes its way through the lush Mendocino redwoods.
(Photo by Clara Shook)

If you want to take the Mushroom Train, you’ll have to wait to buy advance tickets for next year’s MendoParks fundraiser. But adults can still ride the Skunk Train to Glen Blair Bar or on select weekends this year ($59.95). The family-friendly Pudding Creek Express ride ($54.95-$295) with games, snacks and redwood exploration is available year-round, and “Mr. Skunk’s Giant Christmas Tree and Workshop” holiday ride ($85.45-$113.95), featuring seasonal treats and decor, runs through Dec. 31. For tickets, visit skunktrain.com