Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 9 March 2023 | The Week UK

Obesity drugs breakthrough

Putting weight loss drugs on the NHS could help reduce the government’s benefits bill, said The Times. Health officials believe that obesity drugs could ultimately be offered to up to 12m people after the approval of a “game-changing” weight-loss jab. Officials hope to persuade Jeremy Hunt and the Treasury to bankroll the initial cost of the move by arguing that the plans will get millions of people with joint problems and other illnesses caused by obesity back to work. However, some in government are said to be “thoroughly unconvinced” by the plan, according to The Times.

Flag fix, fire starters: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Prattville: Three former workers at a church day care center have been indicted on more than three dozen charges of abusing children ages 2 and younger, some of whom were harmed on video, authorities said Tuesday. A special grand jury returned charges after watching security videos that showed children being hit, kicked and punched, according to court records and prosecutor C.J. Robinson, who spoke at a news conference. “When you have videos in crimes of this nature, it leaves very little doubt,” he said. The 44 total charges against Susan Baker, of Prattville, Leah Livingston, of Wetumpka, and Alicia Sorrells, of Deatsville, stem from their work at a day care operated by Journey Church of the River Region, Robinson said. All three women were arrested earlier this month. Each person was indicted on charges of child abuse and failure to report child abuse, officials said. An attorney for Sorrells said she will be acquitted once jurors consider the evidence. Livingston doesn’t have an attorney to speak on her behalf, and a lawyer for Baker wasn’t immediately available. Church leaders have cooperated in the investigation, Robinson said.

Alaska

Juneau: State lawmakers tasked with negotiating a budget deal reached a tentative agreement Tuesday that would pay residents more than $3,000 this year, but the final amount would depend on whether the Legislature can muster the votes needed to access a key savings account. The tentative agreement calls for a dividend from the state’s oil-wealth fund in the range of $2,500 this year, plus a $1,300 “energy relief” check. However, half the funding for the energy check would come from a budget reserve account that requires three-fourths support in each the House and Senate to access. Payments to residents could be about $3,200 or $3,850 depending on whether the vote threshold is reached, according to estimates shared with reporters by the office of Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, the Senate Finance Committee co-chair. He chaired the conference committee, which met for the first time Sunday and announced the tentative agreement Tuesday, the day before the legislative session was scheduled to end. The negotiated package is subject to a vote by the House and Senate. Stedman said the budget is a good one, with a “healthy dividend,” capital projects around Alaska, and attention to K-12 education and the university system. He said the dividend is a “sensitive issue” to negotiate, with splits among lawmakers over what the size should be.

Arizona

Phoenix: Two more bills restricting responses to the coronavirus pandemic are heading to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk, including one that would affect the ability of future state leaders to respond to another airborne disease and a second blocking the state from ever requiring schoolchildren to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Tuesday’s state Senate votes were the latest moves by GOP lawmakers to limit what they have called government overreach. The Republican-controlled Senate approved a bill that would ban any state or local government agency from requiring face masks to be worn in their buildings. The measure already passed the House and got no support in either chamber from minority Democrats. They have argued it removes one of the most effective measures to prevent the spread of a respiratory disease like COVID-19. Senators also approved a bill barring the state Health Services Department from adding a COVID-19 vaccine to the list of inoculations required to attend public schools. It replaces a measure passed last year that only banned mandates for vaccines given federal emergency use authorizations. That measure, too, is heading to the governor’s desk and got no support from minority Democrats.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has raised another $601,000 in her bid for governor, continuing to far outpace her Republican and Democratic rivals. Sanders, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the state’s May 24 primary, reported having more than $7 million cash on hand for her campaign. Monday was the deadline for campaigns to file their monthly fundraising reports with the state. Sanders faces former talk radio host Doc Washburn in the GOP primary. Sanders reported spending more than $838,000 last month. She has raised nearly $15 million since launching her campaign last year. Chris Jones, the front-runner in fundraising among the five Democrats seeking the party’s nomination, raised more than $161,000 last month and spent more than $147,000. Jones has raised $1.8 million since entering the governor’s race and has about $108,000 on hand. The other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination are Anthony Bland, James “Rus” Russell, Jay Martin and Supha Xayprasith-Mays.

California

Los Angeles: Dozens of environmental and anti-nuclear organizations expressed opposition Tuesday to any attempt to extend the life of California’s last operating nuclear power plant, challenging suggestions that its electricity is needed to meet potential future shortages in the nation’s most populous state. Last month, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom raised the possibility that the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant – which sits on a coastal bluff halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles – could keep running beyond a scheduled closing by 2025. His office said the governor is in favor of “keeping all options on the table to ensure we have a reliable (electricity) grid.” In a letter to Newsom, groups that included San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, the Oregon Conservancy Foundation, the Snake River Alliance and the Ohio Nuclear Free Network said the plant is old, unsafe and too close to earthquake faults that pose a threat to the twin reactors. “Your suggestion to extend the operational life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility is an outrage,” they wrote. “Diablo Canyon is dangerous, dirty and expensive. It must retire as planned.” The Democratic governor has no direct authority over the operating license for the plant. He floated the idea that owner Pacific Gas & Electric could seek a share of $6 billion in federal funding the Biden administration established to rescue nuclear plants at risk of closing.

Colorado

Denver: A man who shot and wounded two demonstrators while apparently aiming at a Jeep that was headed toward the crowd during a protest to bring attention to police violence in suburban Denver in 2020 was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days in jail followed by five years of probation. Samuel Young, 24, had been convicted in March of two counts of second-degree assault, four counts of attempted manslaughter and a single count of illegally discharging his gun, The Denver Post reports. “It all happened so fast, there was no time to think, just to react,” Young said in court. “My reaction was wrong. … I cannot take bullets back. I immediately regretted what I’d done and wanted to repair the damage.” Several hundred people who attended the July 2020 protest in Aurora had walked onto a highway and blocked all its lanes. A Jeep approached from behind the protesters and headed toward the crowd, prompting Young to fire five shots. Two hit the back of the Jeep, and two hit fellow protesters. One man was shot in the leg and another grazed in the head. A woman also broke her leg when she leaped from the highway. The driver, who pulled off the highway and contacted police, was not charged. The protest was organized in support of Elijah McClain, a Black man who died after being injected with ketamine by first responders called to the scene of an arrest.

Connecticut

Hartford: The Department of Justice has given the green light to National Guard members on active duty for their states to join labor unions, despite a U.S. law that makes it a felony for military personnel on active federal duty to unionize. The agreement, finalized Tuesday, settles a lawsuit filed in federal court in Connecticut by labor unions against Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department, seeking collective bargaining rights for Connecticut National Guard members on state duty ordered by the governor. Already, the case has prompted some National Guard members in Texas to unionize. A 1978 federal law makes it a criminal felony for members of the armed forces, including the National Guard, to join or attempt to form a labor organization. But the statute only applies to service members when they are on active federal duty ordered by U.S. military officials, according to the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School, which represented the unions in the lawsuit, filed in November. “Before this case, unions were understandably deterred from organizing state active duty National Guard members due to the potential for criminal penalties,” Rekha Kennedy, a Yale law student working for the clinic, said in a statement.

Delaware

Lewes: Staffing challenges mean there won’t be lifeguards at the Savannah and Johnnie Walker beaches this summer, a city official said. City Manager Ann Marie Townshend said the city was not in a position to safely guard the two municipal beaches. The city didn’t want to inadequately staff the beaches and create a “false sense of security,” she said. The city intends to return to a full lifeguarding staff in the future, Townshend said. Meanwhile, people should continue following beach rules and be careful while swimming and enjoying the beach, she said. Many Delaware resort towns have increased pay or benefits to attract more summer employees. Lewes recently increased lifeguard pay from $13.49 per hour to $16 per hour to compete with neighboring municipalities. In the past, Lewes has had lifeguards patrolling from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the summer. Last year, Lewes hired eight lifeguards, two fewer than has been typical. Beaches were unguarded for a weekend in August due to low staffing.

District of Columbia

Washington: This Friday the district is celebrating Bike to Work Day, encouraging locals to reduce their carbon footprint and get some exercise to boot, WUSA-TV reports. Another incentive: The price of gas in the Washington metro area is at a 10-year high, with the cost per gallon in the district averaging $4.84 as of Wednesday, according to Gas Buddy. The Bike to Work Day tradition is coordinated by a network of transportation organizations in the D.C. area called Commuter Connections, as well as the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. The first 15,000 people who register online to participate are eligible to receive a free T-shirt at any of the event’s pit stops. There are more than 100 pit stops for Bike to Work Day, located throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Those who register will be entered into a raffle to win a free bike donated BicycleSPACE, Three Points Cycles and Bikes@Vienna. Those looking for a biking buddy can join a free Bike to Work convoy led by experienced biking commuters. And Capital Bike Share is offering free unlimited rides of up to 45 minutes per trip on its standard bikes. Its e-bikes will be offered at 10 cents per minute. Bike to Work Day in D.C. started with a small group of riders in 2001, and by 2017 the day saw an all-time high of 18,700 people participating.

Florida

Bunnell: A 17-year-old gay student who was suspended for leading protests at his high school against the state’s so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation says school administrators are now stopping him from running for senior class president. Because of the disciplinary infractions he received for leading the protests at Flagler Palm Coast High School in March, school administrators are preventing him for running for the elected student body office, Jack Petocz said in a letter posted on Twitter on Tuesday. The school is located about 30 miles north of Daytona Beach. “I am continuing to be punished for standing up for my identity and against widespread hatred,” Petocz wrote. “We shouldn’t be subject to abuse both in Tallahassee and at-home.” In an email, school district spokesman Jason Wheeler said Flagler Schools was not permitted to speak about individual students’ disciplinary records. Requirements for individual on-campus clubs or organizations are set by the schools or clubs themselves, he said. “The district has no say in setting those requirements or in how those requirements are enforced,” Wheeler said. Petocz is being honored next week with an award at the 2022 PEN America Literary Gala for organizing students to protest the Florida legislation and fighting book bans. PEN America is a New York-based nonprofit that advocates for free speech and is made up of novelists, journalists and other writers.

Georgia

Atlanta: The Republican head of the state election board said Tuesday that a recently released film alleging ballots were illegally collected and dropped off during the 2020 presidential election falsely suggests there were tens of thousands of illegitimate votes in Georgia. Still, State Election Board Chairman Matt Mashburn promised a “fair” investigation of its claims. “It’s not going to be a witch hunt,” he said at a meeting of the board. “It’s going to be done soberly and with great care by people who know what they’re doing.” The movie, called “2000 Mules,” paints an ominous picture suggesting Democrat-aligned ballot “mules” were supposedly paid to illegally collect and drop off ballots in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It has been praised by ex-President Donald Trump as exposing “great election fraud,” but election security experts say it is based on faulty assumptions, anonymous accounts and improper analysis of cellphone location data. Mashburn, who said he watched the film, said it suggested there were 92,000 “illegitimate, manufactured votes” in the state, but he said that’s not true. Even if a ballot is illegally dropped off, it goes through the same checks as other ballots to ensure the vote is legitimate, he said.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The Honolulu Police Commission has narrowed down the competition for the next police chief to four finalists. Seven people vying for the job spent last week going through an assessment process that included a mock press conference. The four highest scorers advanced as finalists: Scott Ebner, Mike Lambert, Arthur “Joe” Logan and Ben Moszkowicz. Lambert and Moszkowicz are Honolulu police majors. Lambert heads the training division. Moszkowicz heads the traffic division. Logan is a retired Army major general who was head of the Hawaii National Guard. Ebner is a retired New Jersey state police lieutenant colonel. Out-of-state consultant PSI Services LLC was contracted for $145,777 to assess the candidates, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. The commission will take over the remainder of the selection process, which includes allowing the public to interact with the finalists, Hawaii News Now reports. It’s been more than a year since former Chief Susan Ballard retired. Interim Chief Rade Vanic took his name out of the running for the permanent position in March, KITV reports.

Idaho

Boise: Powerful state House Speaker Scott Bedke has won the GOP primary for lieutenant governor. The fourth-generation rancher who is generally considered an expert on Idaho’s water issues defeated state Rep. Priscilla Giddings in a race called Wednesday following voting in Tuesday’s primary. The race was another battle between an establishment Republican in Bedke against a far-right candidate in Giddings. Bedke got about 52% of the vote and Giddings 43%, while Daniel Gasiorowski received the remainder. Giddings was censured by her House colleagues late last year after publicizing the name of a 19-year-old intern who reported she was raped by another House lawmaker. Bedke was appointed to a House seat representing south-central Idaho in 2001 by Republican Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. Following redistricting, he won the GOP primary and general election. He ran mostly unopposed ever since. He became speaker in 2012 by defeating then-Speaker Lawerence Denney, now Idaho’s secretary of state. Bedke will face Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler in the November general election for lieutenant governor, a post Democrats last held in the 1970s in deeply conservative Idaho.

Illinois

Chicago: The Archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to pay $1.2 million to a man who alleged he was sexually abused at 12 years old by a defrocked priest who was convicted of sexually abusing several boys, the man’s attorney announced Tuesday. The settlement of the case before a lawsuit was filed was announced in a news release by attorney Lyndsay Markley and marks the latest chapter in the story of Daniel McCormack, one of the most notorious pedophiles in the history of Chicago’s archdiocese. McCormack, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to sexually abusing five children while he was a priest at St. Agatha’s parish in Chicago, was released from prison last fall and has registered as a sex offender with the Illinois State Police. According to published reports, he was listed at that time as living in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood. The settlement follows other similar settlements in which the archdiocese has agreed to pay men who alleged they were abused by McCormack when they were children. In all, the archdiocese has paid well over $12 million to men who filed lawsuits or settled cases involving McCormack before filing lawsuits. The archdiocese declined to comment on the settlement.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Republicans aren’t showing signs of putting the brakes on rising state gasoline taxes even as Indiana’s government continues its streak of fast-growing tax collections. Hoosiers are now paying about 56 cents per gallon in state taxes on gasoline – the highest-ever level shown in state records – and it will increase next month based on rising fuel prices. Democrats have been calling over the past week for Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to issue an emergency order suspending the gas tax or for the GOP-dominated Legislature to do so when lawmakers hold a one-day meeting next week. Republicans shrugged off a push in March by Democrats for a gas tax suspension projected to cost about $125 million a month as national gasoline prices surged past $4 a gallon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Republican legislative leaders argued that much of the gas tax money was dedicated to the state’s highway construction program, and they instead pushed through a plan for gradually cutting Indiana’s individual income tax rate over the next seven years. Indiana’s average price hit $4.60 for a gallon of regular as of Wednesday, according to AAA. State Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, said that a gas tax suspension would be in “the best interest of Hoosiers” and that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Iowa

Des Moines: Jackson Elementary will retain its name but honor a new historical figure going forward. The Des Moines School Board voted unanimously to change the name during its Tuesday meeting. Students launched the name change campaign about two years ago while researching a class assignment. During a school board meeting last month, Jackson students cited the seventh U.S. president’s ownership of enslaved people and mistreatment of Native Americans as just two of several reasons they were advocating for a name change. The children argued Mary Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer, was a better fit in part because the school’s name should reflect its diverse student body. Mary Jackson’s story was made famous in the 2016 book and film “Hidden Figures.” Of the elementary school’s nearly 400 students, 25% are white, roughly 36% are Hispanic, 12% are Black, and about 20% are Asian, according to state data. Parents, students and staff attending the meeting quietly cheered and clapped following the vote. Jackson fourth grader Maximus Vannavong, who spoke at last month’s meeting, said he was “happy that it changed and got approved.” Board Chair Dwana Bradley thanked the students for their hard work. “It’s very important and valuable and people do listen and pay attention when you use your voices,” she said.

Kansas

Topeka: Republicans on Wednesday improved their chances of flipping the state’s only congressional seat held by a Democrat, when the Kansas Supreme Court upheld the new congressional map they drew. The map slices territory out of the Kansas City-area district Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids has carried by a 2-to-1 margin and replaces it with three counties that ex-President Donald Trump carried by more than 40 percentage points in 2020. Republicans argued that Davids still would have carried the new district two years ago and that the map was a fair way to rebalance the number of residents in each of the state’s four districts after 10 years of population shifts. Attorneys for the Kansas voters and voting rights group that challenged the map urged the state Supreme Court to declare that broad language about “inalienable natural rights” and “equal protection and benefits” in the state’s bill of rights bars overly partisan and racial gerrymandering. But the justices apparently didn’t see it that way. Their decision bucks what has been a trend in a small but growing number of states since the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision in 2019 that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.

Kentucky

Lexington: After a disastrous showing last summer that included long lines and a severe lack of water for attendees amid blazing heat, the Railbird Festival “will take a pause in 2022,” according to a Tuesday post on the event’s Twitter account. More than 30,000 people flowed into the music festival at Keeneland in Lexington in August 2021 as attendees anxiously awaited bands like My Morning Jacket, Dave Matthews Band, Leon Bridges, Jason Isbell and Bendigo Fletcher. However, with anticipation came perspiration as the two-day event held in the middle of summer was sold out, which meant long lines for everything, including water. During the first of the festival’s two days, patrons were expected to bring empty bottles to fill while at the event but were not allowed to bring any water within their containers. That, mixed with the 20- to 30-minute lines to access the limited water stations placed around the grounds, angered attendees as temperatures reached 90 degrees. According to its Twitter account, Railbird Festival said organizers have taken the criticisms and concerns from former festivalgoers “to heart” and are “working hard behind the scenes to create an exceptional experience for the next edition of the festival.” The fest will reopen June 3-4, 2023, at its new downtown venue, Red Mile Gaming & Racing.

Louisiana

New Orleans: A state lawmaker’s attempt to set restrictions on what public schools can teach about race was rejected by a House committee Tuesday, with some panel members saying the legislation needlessly encroached on state and local education officials’ duties, while other said the legislation was so broadly written it could squelch classroom debate. Both bills were by Rep. Ray Garofalo, a St. Bernard Parish Republican who lost his chairmanship of the House Education Committee last year after pushing similar legislation over the objections of the House leadership. Garofalo was back before the same panel during a livestreamed meeting at the Capitol in Baton Rouge. His House Bill 1014 listed several teaching restrictions, including forbidding teaching that anyone of any race bears “collective guilt” for past actions by members of the same race; that the United States is “systemically racist”; or that anyone should be “adversely or advantageously treated” on the basis of race. Similar bills have been proposed or passed in a number of Republican-controlled states in response to the recent spate of publicity about “critical race theory,” an academic framework dating to the 1970s that centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions. Critical race theory is not a fixture of K-12 education but has become a catchall political buzzword for any teaching in schools about race and American history.

Maine

Dyer Brook: Residents of a town in far northern Maine are experiencing trouble with mail delivery that officials blame on roads full of potholes. Officials with the U.S. Postal Service told Dyer Brook officials last week that mail carriers were suspending deliveries because of unsafe roads, WGME-TV reports. Officials said deliveries have resumed as the potholes are starting to get filled in. WGME-TV reports residents were told mail would be held in a neighboring town during the service disruption.

Maryland

Ocean City: More than 3,000 customs, hot rods, street machines, classics and muscle cars will assemble for various car shows, contests, parades and live auctions in the city from Thursday to Sunday for the 31st annual Cruisin’ event. Residents and visitors alike are reminded to tap the brakes as they cruise along Coastal Highway, as the resort town will be designated a special event zone for the rest of the week, meaning lower speed limits. Violators will face increased fines and penalties for violations and, in extreme cases, arrest. The Ocean City Police Department will remain on high alert during the entirety of the event. Officers from the Ocean City Police Department, Maryland State Police and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office will strictly enforce all traffic laws. Officers will also enforce all laws for spectators who incite drivers for spinning of wheels or burn-outs, as well as for the driver. According to the OCPD, significant traffic congestion and alternate traffic patterns are anticipated throughout the weekend. Due to the high traffic volume, all motorists are advised to plan their drives accordingly to ensure they arrive at their destinations safely and on time.

Massachusetts

Boston: The commission put together to study the racial implications of the Massachusetts state seal and motto has voted unanimously to recommend that both be replaced. The Special Commission on the Official Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth, made up of lawmakers, members of Indigenous tribes, historians and others, made the decision at its meeting Tuesday, GBH News reports. The current seal that appears on state flags, which dates to the late 19th century, features a depiction of a Native American man beneath a colonist’s arm brandishing a sword. Critics say it references the defeat of local tribes at the hands of English colonists centuries ago. The state’s Latin motto –which translates into English as, “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty” – dates to about 1659 and is attributed to English politician Algernon Sydney, according to the secretary of state’s office. Brian Boyles, co-chair of the 20-member commission, pointed out at Tuesday’s meeting that the face on the seal was based on a photograph from the Bureau of Ethnology in Washington, D.C., of Thomas Little Shell, a Chippewa leader who never lived in Massachusetts. “No Native residents were consulted in this selection,” Boyles said. The next step is seeking new designs to the seal and motto.

Michigan

Grand Rapids: A prosecutor said Wednesday that he will only decide whether to charge a white police officer in last month’s fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, after he finishes discussing it with experts. Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker acknowledged that the “investigation appears to be moving painstakingly slowly,” six weeks after Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head during a struggle. “It is imperative that I review all the facts and evidence before making a charging decision,” Becker said. “In this situation, my decision can only be made by taking the time to gather all the available information, both from (state police) and from state and national experts.” State police submitted a report April 28, but Becker said he requested more information. “I ask for your continued patience,” he told the public in a statement. Schurr killed Lyoya, 26, on April 4, minutes after stopping his car because the officer said it didn’t match its license plate. Lyoya didn’t produce a driver’s license and began to run. The officer quickly caught him, and the pair grappled on someone’s lawn while a bystander recorded video. Schurr shot Lyoya in the head after demanding that Lyoya “let go” of his police Taser.

Minnesota

Cass Lake: The federal government will soon return nearly 12,000 acres of land in northern Minnesota it wrongfully took from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe decades ago. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs thought it had the power to sell tribal tracts without the consent of the majority of the owners, a misinterpretation of an Interior Department order back in 1948, Minnesota Public Radio News reports. Tribal District 3 Representative LeRoy Staples Fairbanks III said the land transfers were acts of outright theft. “They mailed out letters to people. If they didn’t get a response, they took them as ‘yes.’ They took them as approval,” he said. Fairbanks said he asked his staff to begin looking into the issue in 2012 after hearing from community members for many years. Then-President Donald Trump signed legislation in December 2020 allowing for the return of the land, which is located within the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County. The land is expected to be returned to the tribe in the coming months now that the band has submitted its survey detailing each of the parcels involved. Fairbanks said the Leech Lake band’s relationship with the Cass County leaders played an important role in getting the Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Act signed into law.

Mississippi

Greenwood: A Catholic elementary school that primarily serves Black and Hispanic families in the Mississippi Delta is closing after more than 70 years, following a sex abuse scandal, declining enrollment and a steep decrease in donations. St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood notified teachers and families Friday that it will close at the end of this week, the Greenwood Commonwealth reports. It joins more than 200 other Catholic schools in the U.S. that have closed permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. The school in Greenwood was founded in 1951 and is run by the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province, a Wisconsin-based religious community that opened a mission in an impoverished part of Mississippi. In recent years, the school in Greenwood has been tarnished by a clergy sex abuse scandal dating back to the 1990s. Paul West, a former friar who was a teacher and principal, was convicted in April of abusing a former student at the school. The Mississippi attorney general’s office later dropped a second set of charges against West in the abuse of another student as the 62-year-old former friar began a 45-year prison sentence.

Missouri

Potosi: A prosecutor is seeking to vacate the conviction of a man who spent nearly two decades behind bars for the 1998 death of his mother – a crime he and others insist he did not commit. Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Hedgecorth has asked a judge to set aside 38-year-old Michael Politte’s second-degree murder conviction, the Kansas City Star reports. Politte was released from prison last month, two months after he was granted parole. Politte was just 14 when Rita Politte died in a fire at the family home in the eastern Missouri town of Hopewell. Michael and a friend were also in the home but managed to escape the blaze. Politte’s lawyers said the boys were awakened by smoke and scrambled to escape, before Politte found the burning body of his mother. Investigators said the fire was started with gasoline and determined Rita Politte had also suffered blunt force head trauma. The investigation focused on her teenage son as the main suspect, and four years later he was convicted as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. The only physical evidence investigators had to link him to the crime was what they said was the presence of gasoline on the teen’s shoes. But that finding was based on now-discredited fire investigation techniques, and the state has conceded there was no gasoline on his shoes.

Montana

Helena: Residents who want to cast a vote in next month’s primary election must be registered with their county elections office by noon June 6, under an order by the Montana Supreme Court. The justices, in a 4-1 ruling Tuesday, said changes to election laws passed by the 2021 Legislature will remain in effect for the June 7 primary. District Court Judge Michael Moses of Billings had ruled last month that a law ending Election Day voter registration appeared to unconstitutionally burden the right to vote, and he temporarily blocked it for this year’s primary election. The Supreme Court lifted that injunction, agreeing with Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen that three local elections have been successfully held under those laws. The court also noted the plaintiffs – the Montana Democratic Party, Native American organizations and youth advocacy groups – had not challenged the laws prior to the earlier elections. Sheila Hogan, executive director of MDP, has said the 2021 voting laws were an attack on the constitutional right to vote and more greatly affected young, Native, elderly or disabled voters and others who might have difficulty getting to the polls. Western Native Voice, whose work includes registering Native Americans to vote, said in recent years its largest voter registration days have been on election days.

Nebraska

Omaha: The City Council has approved a redevelopment plan for a downtown property to become a skyscraper housing Mutual of Omaha’s headquarters, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The plan involves the city buying an existing parking garage and Mutual adding a block of downtown property as part of its $600 million proposal, according to the newspaper.

Nevada

Reno: People start more wildfires that burn more acres in the state than natural events like lightning. In the past four years, Nevadans – either intentionally or unintentionally – started 1,419 fires, while natural events such as lightning started 1,015 fires. Those human-sparked fires burned 776,125 acres, nearly 48,000 acres more than started naturally. In 2018, illegal fireworks set off near Winnemucca started the largest fire in Nevada’s history, burning 439,000 acres. Other significant causes of human-started fires include arson, power lines that brush against vegetation, chains dragging behind trailers causing sparks, target shooting, and campfires. The most notable year was 2020, when nearly half of the 491 wildfires in Nevada were sparked by human causes. While Nevada’s largest, most destructive fires have not been caused by target shooters, “there is just a lot of them in the wildland urban interface areas, drawing down resources needed on other wildland fires,” said Kacey KC, Nevada state forester and fire warden. Part of that is due to Nevada’s rapid growth – the state is one of the fastest growing in the nation. Areas that were once remote locations for target shooting and discharging fireworks are now close to residential areas.

New Hampshire

Peterborough: A 168-year-old company known for its handwoven, hardwood baskets is closing its factory and stopping production, partly because of an insect pest that has been destroying ash trees. The Peterboro Basket Company has been in business since 1854. The company said in a recent announcement that the baskets “are principally made of U.S. grown, Appalachian White Ash,” which is also typically used for baseball bats and ax handles. “For some years the Emerald Ash Borer beetle has reduced the availability of the wood used to make the baskets,” the company said. The emerald ash borer has destroyed tens of millions of trees in the U.S. and Canada. The company said other extreme labor shortages, ongoing supply chain issues and owners who are “ready to retire” are among the other considerations in deciding to close. The factory plans to produce its last basket this summer or fall.

New Jersey

Cedar Grove: Gov. Phil Murphy announced proposed legislation Wednesday that would create licensing for police that he said would make it easier to fire rogue officers. “It will send a strong message that we are rebuilding the bonds of trust between the police and residents, especially in Black and brown communities,” Murphy said during the announcement at the Essex County Police Academy in Cedar Grove with Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin. New Jersey has been grappling with the question of licensing police officers for at least the past four years. Licensing was one of several recommendations the Asbury Park Press made in its police misconduct series “Protecting the Shield” that were embraced by then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal after its publication in January 2018. The series highlighted the fact that New Jersey stands nearly alone in the nation in failing to license police officers. Rhode Island and Hawaii are frequently mentioned as the other states without licensing. But police licensing is a broad catch-all that obscures some of the details of the process of removing a police officer from policing, which varies around the country. Decertification is more to the point. But decertification as it has stood in New Jersey for decades doesn’t have any teeth.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: A conservative-backed foundation that aims to post online registration records for voters across the country urged a federal judge Tuesday to override objections by New Mexico election regulators who say the initiative violates state law and would discourage people from registering to vote out of privacy concerns. The VoteRef.com website does not list details of how people voted regarding candidates or initiatives. The Voter Reference Foundation has posted voter rolls from at least 20 states that can be searched by names or addresses to verify where people live and view whether they voted in various past elections. A companion website highlights the difference between the number of ballots cast according to certified election results and the number of people listed as having voted on registration rolls at various points in time as local registrations are added and purged. Eddie Greim, an attorney for Voter Reference Foundation, urged a federal judge to intervene and ensure voter rolls can be published online to provide direct accountability and allow people to vet the accuracy of most registration records submitted by others. New Mexico election regulators say the unprecedented efforts flouts state statutes that limit the acquisition and sharing of voter registration rolls to governmental activities and political campaigns.

New York

New York: Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he’s considering a run for Congress after a legal battle over the state’s political maps opened up a seat in Brooklyn. The two-term Democrat, who left office at the end of 2021, said Wednesday that he’s formed an exploratory committee for New York’s 10th Congressional District. The Democratic-heavy district will include a large slice of western Brooklyn, where he lives. New York’s 10th District is currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, but the state’s political maps are being redrawn under supervision of a New York judge after a court found they were unconstitutional and gerrymandered in favor of Democrats. The court this week unveiled new proposed maps that significantly draw a number of New York City-based districts. Nadler said he believed the maps were changed so much that they are also unconstitutional, but if the proposed districts become final at the end of this week, he intends to run in the 12th District representing Manhattan. The primary contest has been pushed back from June to Aug. 23. De Blasio toyed with running for governor this year before deciding to sit it out. He also had a short-lived run for president in 2019.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The General Assembly returned Wednesday to Raleigh for its traditional budget-adjustment work session, but lawmakers aren’t getting out of the blocks quickly. The House and Senate gaveled in and out sparsely attended floor sessions at midday Wednesday. Republican leaders in both chambers say committee meetings and recorded votes won’t occur until next week. The delay is not surprising given that dozens of incumbents have been back home competing in Tuesday’s primaries. Lawmakers began introducing bills Wednesday. The chief job for lawmakers is to approve changes to the second year of the already-enacted two-year budget. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper made recommendations last week. House Speaker Tim Moore told reporters Wednesday that he expected the session to last five or six weeks. That’s in line with Senate leader Phil Berger’s recent comments that he and Moore were aiming to adjourn the session around July 1, when the new fiscal year begins. Other legislation pending from 2021 likely to be debated now include bills that would legalize medical marijuana and sports wagering. Moore said he didn’t expect cannabis legislation, which has yet to clear the Senate, to be considered in the House until 2023.

North Dakota

Devils Lake: Horizon Financial Bank is holding its first ever “Piggie Pageant,” featuring nothing but locally made piggy banks. Teaming up with a third grade class from Sweetwater Elementary School, bank representatives read students “The Story of the Original Piggie Bank” and talked to the kids about the importance of savings their money. Sami J. Lindenberg, bookkeeper for the bank, said they also donated the book to the classroom library, explained the rules of the pageant to the kids and instructed them to paint their own piggy banks for the competition. Community members are invited to cast their ballots for their favorite pig. Voting, to last through Friday, is anonymous and can be done by stopping into the bank or online, through Horizon’s Facebook page. After the pageant is over, the piggies will be returned to the students to take home and keep.

Ohio

Columbus: Judges would be required to consider criminal suspects’ threat to public safety when setting bail amounts under legislation and a separate proposal for a state constitutional amendment being advanced by Ohio House Republicans. The GOP proposals follow a ruling by a divided state Supreme Court earlier this year that said a $1.5 million bond for a Cincinnati man accused of fatally shooting a man during a robbery was too high. The measures were scheduled for votes in the House on Wednesday, but they were pulled from the agenda. House Speaker Bob Cupp said more discussion was needed on how the proposals mesh with bigger conversations on changes to the state’s bail system. Lawmakers must weigh a number of issues, including people stuck in jail on nonviolent offenses “simply because they can’t afford to get out,” said Cupp, R-Lima. The Ohio Supreme Court majority said safety concerns expressed by the victim’s family members and evidence that the suspect presented a false ID when confronted after fleeing to Las Vegas weren’t factors relevant to the amount of bail. The court said public safety concerns could be met by other requirements, such as electronic monitoring, which was done in the case of the Cincinnati murder suspect, according to court records.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Republican leaders in the state House and Senate announced an agreement Tuesday on a $9.8 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year – the largest in state history. Unlike previous years, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt was not included in a statement announcing the agreement, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposal. “This year’s budget agreement reflects that the Oklahoma Legislature prioritizes education, law enforcement and healthcare,” Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat said in the statement. Among the key provisions is a plan to send “inflation relief” cash payments in December of $75 to each individual taxpayer and $150 to married couples who file jointly. The deal includes a $32.5 million increase in funding to the Department of Human Services to eliminate the waiting list of more than 5,000 developmentally disabled Oklahomans to receive state services. While the average budget increase was about 10%, some state agencies received boosts, while others had a reduction in funding. Public schools received a modest increase of about 0.54% over last year’s budget, while colleges and universities saw an increase of about 7.45%. The House and Senate saw their budgets increased by 19% and 15%, respectively, while the budget for the governor’s office remained flat.

Oregon

Portland: Voters in Multnomah County have elected a female sheriff for the first time in history. Current Undersheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell, a 26-year veteran of the agency, handily won the top job with two-thirds of the vote and will replace Sheriff Mike Reese on Jan. 1. Reese could not run for reelection due to term limits. Morrisey O’Donnell received key endorsements from Reese, former Govs. Barbara Roberts and Ted Kulongoski, and the mayors of three cities –including Portland – that contract with the county for law enforcement services, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports. Morrisey O’Donnell called the day a win for the community and “trailblazers everywhere.” “I promise to work every day to reduce gun violence, bring compassionate solutions to the homelessness crisis, and collaborate with partners to make our community safer,” she said in a statement. “I know it’s a big task, and I’m honored and encouraged by your trust in me.” Morrisey O’Donnell was hired by the sheriff’s office in 1996 as a corrections deputy and was appointed undersheriff in August, making her the first woman in Multnomah County to serve as second-in-command in the sheriff’s office. She previously led both the agency’s corrections and law enforcement divisions, the newspaper reports.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: One of the Legislature’s most powerful Republicans lost a primary race, and another was in real danger Wednesday of going down to defeat, both targeted by challengers from the right. As vote counting continued, state Sen. Pat Browne of Lehigh County was a few dozen votes behind school board member and pilot Jarrett Coleman. State Rep. Stan Saylor of York County lost to Wendy Jo Fink, who promised to eliminate school property taxes. Both incumbents were attacked for being Harrisburg insiders. Saylor was elected in 1992 and Browne in 2005 after a decade in the state House. They chair the Appropriations Committee in their respective chambers. The committees are the conduit for the state budget legislation and play a prominent role in much of the Legislature’s business. Another longtime House Republican from York County also was looking at a possible defeat: Rep. Keith Gillespie was trailing badly to Joe D’Orsie, the communications director at an Apostolic Church. Gillespie was first elected 20 years ago. On the Democratic side, 12-year incumbent Rep. Pam DeLissio lost to nurse Tarik Khan in a Philadelphia district.

Rhode Island

Narragansett: Members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe will be able to walk onto Narragansett Town Beach for free this summer despite the objections of some residents who voiced concerns about overcrowding. The Town Council narrowly voted to approve the change late Monday night during a raucous meeting that lasted for more than four hours. “It’s about the beach, but in many ways, it’s about more than just the beach,” said Town Council President Jesse Pugh, who introduced the resolution along with Councilwoman Deb Kopech. Typically, anyone over the age of 12 must pay a $12 admission fee to walk onto Narragansett Town Beach, on top of paying for parking. Town residents have the option of purchasing a discounted seasonal pass. Pugh said Monday that members of the Narragansett tribe, regardless of whether they are town residents, would be able obtain a seasonal pass for free by showing their tribal identification cards at the beach’s sales office. The pass will be good only for this summer, and the town has no obligation to continue the program after this year. Supporters see the move as a small but meaningful way to honor the tribe from which the town took its name. But opponents said it seemed like the measure was being rushed through.

South Carolina

Columbia: A deputy charged in the deaths of two women who drowned in a locked police van in 2018 ignored barricades and drove into rapidly rising floodwaters against advice from his supervisors and officials on the highway, a prosecutor said Monday. Former Horry County Deputy Stephen Flood is on trial on two counts of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide for the drownings of the women he was taking to mental health facilities under a court order as rain from Hurricane Florence inundated eastern South Carolina. Flood faces up to five years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter and 10 years in prison for each reckless homicide charges. Flood could have prevented the deaths of Wendy Newton, 45, and Nicolette Green, 43, four separate times that evening, Solicitor Ed Clements said in his opening statement Monday at the Marion County courthouse. First, he could have listened to people in the Horry County Sheriff’s Office to avoid the shortest route, which was along a highway that had flooded in major storms before, Clements said. Flood then drove around barricades closing state Highway 9 near Nichols, ignored National Guard troops in the road past the barricades who warned them the water was too deep to traverse, and drove his police transport van into water covering the highway near the Little Pee Dee River bridge, the prosecutor said.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: State lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously approved a report finding that Republican Gov. Kristi Noem’s daughter got preferential treatment while she was applying for a real estate appraiser’s license in 2020. The findings of last year’s legislative probe, which was conducted by a Republican-controlled Government Operations and Audit Committee, repudiate Noem’s insistence that her daughter, Kassidy Peters, didn’t receive special treatment with her application. State lawmakers on Wednesday approved the committee’s findings by a voice vote and without discussion. Noem, who is running for reelection and is positioned for a 2024 White House bid, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, despite holding a meeting that included Peters and key decision-makers from the agency that was evaluating her license application just days after the agency moved to deny her the license. After the meeting, Peters received another opportunity to demonstrate she could meet federal standards and was ultimately awarded the license. The Republican governor on Wednesday stuck to her defense, saying in a statement that “Kassidy followed the same process as other applicants did to obtain her license. She did not receive preferential treatment.” But the report says Peters received three opportunities to demonstrate to state regulators that she could meet federal standards with her appraisals, which deviated from the standard certification process of two opportunities before an application is denied.

Tennessee

Nashville: The state’s highest court ruled Wednesday that Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program does not violate the state constitution, clearing the path for families to soon use taxpayer dollars on private schools. The Tennessee Supreme Court’s 3-2 decision overturns several lower court rulings that had previously determined the program violated the Tennessee Constitution’s “home rule,” which says the Legislature can’t pass measures singling out individual counties without local support. Under the law, the voucher program would apply only to Nashville and to Shelby County, which includes Memphis – the areas with the lowest-performing schools and regions with Democratic political strongholds who opposed the measure. The law squeaked through the GOP-controlled General Assembly in 2019, with Republicans repeatedly tweaking the legislation to ensure it applied only to Democratic-controlled areas after acknowledging it was unpopular among their constituents. “Every child deserves a high-quality education, and today’s Tennessee Supreme Court opinion on (the voucher law) puts parents in Memphis and Nashville one step closer to finding the best educational fit for their children,” Lee said.

Texas

McAllen: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday that authorities were prepared for an anticipated increase in migrants crossing the border from Mexico, days before a public health order is set to end after being used to turn people away nearly 2 million times without a chance to seek asylum. A federal judge may order that pandemic-related asylum limits continue, but Mayorkas offered public reassurances of readiness after a whirlwind tour of Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. Homeland Security has said it will prepare for as many as 18,000 daily crossings, compared with a daily average of about 7,800 in April, though Mayorkas emphasized that those are not projections. Mayorkas visited a remodeled processing center in McAllen, the region’s largest city, where migrants sat on metal benches and on sleeping mats spread on the floor, as aluminum thermal blankets made rustling noises. Televisions pointed into cells. The center reopened about six weeks ago for about 1,200 migrants. Chain-link fences have been replaced with cinder block walls. Cells have an open roof that Border Patrol officials said provides better ventilation.

Utah

St. George: A new report detailing the risk of wildfires across the nation for the next 30 years found southwest Utah to be one of the riskiest areas in the country. The report, released Monday by the nonprofit First Street Foundation, used a 30-year simulation of fires across America and a variety of metrics to calculate fire risk, including data from the U.S. Forest Service’s LANDFIRE program, weather reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, historical records of where wildfires have occurred in the past and changes in climate trends. It found approximately 79.8 million properties in the lower 48 states are at wildfire risk. The report highlighted several counties in Utah with a lot of structures at risk for fire. In Utah County, there are over 118,000 structures at risk. In Salt Lake County, there are 138,600. But while those counties had the largest numerical risk, the areas with the highest risk per household were in southwestern Utah. The report estimates that of Washington County’s 101,400 structures, 93.6% are at a 0.2% or worse risk of being involved in a wildfire this year, compared to 35.2% in Utah County and 9.3% in Salt Lake County. Overall, 57.7% of structures in Utah are at a 0.03% wildfire risk, while 24% of structures are at a 0.2% risk.

Vermont

Colchester: Planned Parenthood of Northern New England will close four health centers in Vermont and one in New Hampshire next month, while also expanding the days of operation at seven other centers in the region. The organization announced the “difficult but strategic decision” decision to shutter part-time health centers in Bennington, Hyde Park, Middlebury and St. Albans in Vermont and in Claremont, New Hampshire, effective June 12, said Kai Williams, senior vice president of health care delivery, in a statement. “We believe these decisions will ensure that we can continue to serve northern New England for generations to come,” she said. Over the course of a year, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England will expand the days of operation to a minimum of four or five days a week at health centers in Barre, Brattleboro and Williston, Vermont; in Exeter, New Hampshire; and in Sanford, Biddeford, and Topsham, Maine, the organization said. Operating hours will not change at facilities in Burlington, Rutland, St. Johnsbury and White River Junction, Vermont; in Derry, Keene and Manchester, New Hampshire; or in Portland, Maine.

Virginia

Richmond: A Virginia State Police pilot was temporarily blinded during a search for a suspect when a person on the ground aimed a laser pointer at the police aircraft, officials said. Troopers were helping the Nottoway County Sheriff’s Office with a pursuit and search for a suspect near the town of Crewe on Monday, state police said in a news release. While one of the agency’s airplanes was aiding in the search, the pilot was temporarily blinded by a laser pointer being used on the ground, police said. When the pilot regained his vision, he and his co-pilot identified the source of the laser and provided troopers on the ground with an exact location and address. As the airplane continued to assist with the search, the laser continued to track the aircraft. Crewe police officers and Virginia State Police troopers found a woman and the laser pointer and took her into custody. The woman was charged with one felony count of interfering with the operation of an aircraft, police said. The Federal Aviation Administration was notified of the incident, which is under investigation. WRIC-TV reports that state police said the woman and the suspect police were searching for were not connected.

Washington

Mount Rainier National Park: Two climbers were rescued by helicopter Friday after one fell into a crevasse the day before on Mount Rainier. The climbers had been in contact with the National Park Service beginning last Wednesday evening, when they stopped their summit bid at 12,800 feet because of adverse weather, according to the NPS. They didn’t initially ask for assistance, the Seattle Times reports. But the climbers called for help Thursday after one of them fell 80 feet into a crevasse at about 12,200 feet above sea level and suffered arm and leg injuries, officials said. The climber who fell was able to communicate with Mount Rainier National Park dispatchers, as well as his partner on the Kautz Glacier, but authorities could not immediately launch a rescue effort because of deep snow, limited visibility and strong and erratic winds, according to the Park Service. Heavy winds thwarted rescuers’ efforts to reach the climbers Friday morning, but rescuers were able to reach the pair several hours later. The climbers were on the Kautz Glacier climbing route below the Wapowety Cleaver and had planned to descend the Disappointment Cleaver route when one of them fell into the crevasse, officials said.

West Virginia

Charleston: The finishing touches on a six-lane upgrade of the West Virginia Turnpike in Beckley are getting underway and expected to last about eight weeks. The $140 million widening project on the 8-mile stretch was finished last fall, but final paving and striping were delayed to allow holiday traffic to have full access on the heavily traveled road. Paving and striping will take place between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to minimize impact on motorists, said Jeff Miller, executive director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority. Delays should be expected until the work is complete. The speed limit in the zone will be 55 mph, the state Department of Transportation said. Miller said it will be strictly enforced. “It’s a very, very busy area, and we just don’t want anything bad to happen to anybody,” he said.

Wisconsin

Madison: A judge on Tuesday voiced skepticism about a lawsuit challenging the legality of private grant money awarded to the city to help run the 2020 election, calling some of the arguments “ridiculous,” a “stretch” and “close to preposterous.” The lawsuit argues that private grants given to Madison from a group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg amounted to illegal bribery. The Wisconsin Elections Commission in December rejected that complaint, and this lawsuit is an appeal of that decision. Four nearly identical lawsuits are also pending in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha. The case in Madison was the first to hold arguments. Three Wisconsin courts have previously rejected similar lawsuits arguing that the grants were illegal. Similar lawsuits filed in other swing states have also been rejected. Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke referenced those rulings when he questioned attorney Erick Kaardal Tuesday. Kardaal said the commission got it wrong, and Madison should not have been allowed to use a portion of the grant money to pay for absentee ballot drop boxes because, he said, they are illegal, based on a Waukesha County circuit court ruling issued after the election. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently weighing an appeal of that ruling.

Wyoming

Jackson: The father of a Marine killed in an attack on an airport in Afghanistan last year is planning to run for the state House as a Republican, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Jim McCollum’s son, Rylee, died at age 20 in a suicide bombing in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal from the Taliban-run nation. Wyoming’s 16th legislative district is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Mike Yin, who ran unopposed in 2020, according to the newspaper.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: A sculpture project highlighting the sister-city relationship between the capital of the Heart of Dixie and the Italian city of Pietrasanta points to the idea that we all exist under the the same moon. Artists Craigger Browne and Marcello Giorgi are joining forces on “Nostra Luna,” Italian for “Our Moon,” which will eventually have a home at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. Browne is an artist in residence in Sylacauga whose commissioned work includes a Helen Keller statue in 2017; Giorgi is a master carver from Pietrasanta. Browne says the moon is believed to have two faces in Italian folklore – one side toward the past and one toward the future. Giorgi’s side will feature an older woman looking back over Pietrasanta “with prideful approval of many centuries of classical tradition,” Brown says. On the other side, he is carving a younger woman “looking forward over Montgomery with joyous hope for the future.”

Alaska

Anchorage: At least 60 ice seals have been found dead along the state’s west coast, and federal biologists are trying to determine the cause. Some carcasses had lost hair, and NOAA Fisheries hopes to determine if that was due to decomposition or abnormal molting. The agency noted the importance of ice seals to Alaska Native coastal communities. Bearded, ringed and spotted seals were reported dead south of Nome and north of the Bering Strait. A hunter counted 18 carcasses along 11 miles of shore north of the village of Kotlik and dozens of others along an island near Stebbins. Eight young bearded seals were found Monday on St. Lawrence Island. North of the Bering Strait in the Chukchi Sea, a National Park Service biologist counted six dead seals near Kotzebue’s airport. NOAA Fisheries also received accounts of up to 30 dead seals between Kivalina and Point Hope.

Arizona

Phoenix: Sales taxes have gone uncollected because of flaws in a new state program created to make the process more efficient, according to auditors. The Arizona Department of Revenue failed to identify many businesses that weren’t paying taxes and erased active businesses from its tracking system, says a recent report by the Arizona auditor general. Some cities and counties, which were assured they no longer had to deal with sales tax collection issues, now are assigning staff again to assure their cities get the money they are owed. The Department of Revenue fully took over auditing and collecting sales taxes for all cities, towns and counties in 2017. More than a year later, the auditor general showed the Department of Revenue was auditing significantly fewer businesses and, at one point, had completely stopped checking whether businesses had licenses.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The Police Department announced Wednesday it is overhauling policies for obtaining no-knock warrants in drug raids, eight months after a man alleged officers blasted down his door and raided his apartment without probable cause. Police Chief Keith Humphrey said at a news conference that the department will now use more detailed information when determining whether a no-knock warrant is reasonable. In October, Roderick Talley said he was suing the department and the city, alleging police lied to obtain a no-knock warrant and used similar boiler-plate language on dozens of other warrants. He showed video footage from outside of his home that he said proved officers lied when they claimed they witnessed a confidential informant buying cocaine from Talley. Footage showed the informant ringing Talley’s doorbell and leaving minutes later – after no one answered the door.

California

Sacramento: State judges say prison inmates can legally have small amounts of marijuana – if they don’t inhale. The 3rd District Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday that California voters in 2016 legalized recreational possession of less than an ounce of cannabis with no exception – even for those behind bars. The court overturned the convictions of five inmates who were found with marijuana in their prison cells. However, the three-judge court said state law does prohibit smoking or ingesting pot in prison. Also, officials can still punish possession as a rules violation – and corrections officials say pot possession is still against those rules. Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office says it’s reviewing the appellate court ruling but didn’t say whether it will appeal.

Colorado

Denver: Casinos in the state saw an increase in combined 2018 revenue that set a record for the state. The Denver Post reports that casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek reaped combined revenue of $842.1 million last year. The American Gaming Association says the figure is a 1.7% increase over the state’s $828 million take in 2017 and a nearly 13% increase over 2014. The association’s 2019 edition of its “State of the States” roundup found 12 of 24 states with legalized commercial gambling enjoyed record revenues last year. The association says the industry brought in an all-time national high of $41.7 billion in 2018, a 3.5% increase over 2017. Officials say Colorado still lacks legal sports betting, which contributed significantly to the national increase.

Connecticut

Hamden: A popular state park is reopening more than a year after it was hit by a tornado that brought down thousands of trees. Gov. Ned Lamont says Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden will reopen to the public beginning at 8 a.m. Friday. State workers and volunteers have spent months clearing the extensive trails in the 1,400-acre park, named for its 2-mile ridge that resembles a man in repose. The park has been closed since the storm hit on May 15, 2018. Final work on restoration of the main Tower Trail was completed earlier this week. The cost of the restoration work has totaled about $735,000. The state anticipates that about 75% of that will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Delaware

Wilmington: Black-and-white license plates are coveted as a sign of prestige in the First State. They’re reserved only for low-digit tag numbers, and people bid thousands of dollars for them. Yet they suddenly seem to be everywhere. Turns out a lot of them are “illegal tags,” says C.R. McLeod, community relations manager for the Delaware Department of Transportation. Jordan Irazabal, who is behind the Facebook page and website TheDelaware3000.org, has for the past 11 1/ 2 years been trying to find and photograph the 3,000 lowest Delaware tag numbers and running into what he says is a disturbing trend. Irazabal says he finds the fakes offensive and has started a petition asking police to crack down on people with unauthorized plates.

District of Columbia

Washington: The street outside NASA’s headquarters in the capital has been renamed “Hidden Figures Way” to honor the black female mathematicians who helped send humans to the moon. News outlets report district officials, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and others gathered Wednesday to unveil the new street sign. “Hidden Figures” author Margot Lee Shetterly and the families of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson also attended the event. Shetterly’s 2016 book details the struggles of the women as they crunched numbers at the NASA Langley Research Center in the pre-computer age. Cruz in August proposed renaming E Street SW through the Hidden Figures Way Designation Act, which passed in December.

Florida

Big Pine Key: Marine researchers have finished a 10-day assessment of the iconic green sea turtle in the Florida Keys. The study completed Wednesday examined where green turtles live and feed in Keys waters and evaluated green turtles’ general health. Data acquired from 26 green turtles included measurements, skin biopsies and bloodwork. All were released except for three that are being treated at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital for Fibropapillomatosis, a herpes-like virus that affects turtles worldwide. The effort was a collaboration of the Turtle Hospital, other marine research groups and Force Blue, a nonprofit that aids returning combat veterans through mission-focused programs to help the world’s ocean environment. Green sea turtles in the southern Atlantic Ocean are classified as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

Georgia

Roswell: The city could begin penalizing hotels that burden police with an outsized number of calls for help. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports a hotel safety ordinance was proposed for Roswell on Tuesday by City Council member Mike Palermo. He says there are just a few hotels in town that burden taxpayers with frequent calls for help. The newspaper says most of the calls involved drug use and prostitution. The proposed bill would punish these hotels by dividing 911 calls by the number of rooms and charging offenders accordingly. A similar act that passed narrowly in Alpharetta last month would require a 100-room hotel making 42 calls for police service in a year to hire an off-duty police officer nightly for $90,000 a year. The law would not penalize medical and fire calls.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A snake stowed away in a man’s bag and remained undetected until it completed the trip from Florida to Hawaii, officials said. The southern black racer snake slithered out of the man’s backpack when he arrived on Maui on Monday, KGMB-TV reports. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a threat to Hawaii’s native species. The Virginia man was not aware of the animal until it emerged after he arrived at a vacation rental property in the community of Pukalani, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The non-venomous snake measured about a foot long and a quarter-inch in diameter, officials said. The property owner told the visitor that snakes are illegal in Hawaii and alerted police, who captured the snake along with state Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel.

Idaho

Boise: The state Supreme Court says law enforcement officers can’t arrest someone for a misdemeanor unless they have a warrant or actually saw the crime being committed. The unanimous ruling made Wednesday has advocacy organizations scrambling because it likely means police will have to dramatically change how they respond to domestic violence calls. The ruling came in a drug conviction case, but the high court noted the Idaho Constitution’s provision against unlawful search and seizure doesn’t allow warrantless arrests without probable cause. That means no misdemeanor arrests unless the officer saw the crime. Officers responding to domestic violence calls often arrest the person they suspect of committing the violence on a misdemeanor charge as a way of separating those involved and defusing the situation.

Illinois

Springfield: Abraham Lincoln history buffs will have the chance to learn more about the courtship and marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is hosting tours over the summer that will let visitors learn about their unexpected romance. It’s called “Abe and Mary: Quite Contrary.” Tour guide Jen Brownell says Lincoln and Todd were different on so many levels from education to temperament, yet they seemed to complement each other. The free tours will be offered Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. until Aug. 7. The tour covers 1.5 miles and will take about an hour. Visitors are encouraged to reserve a space online.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Butler University is planning a $100 million upgrade and expansion of its science facilities that will become the school’s largest single investment to date. The private Indianapolis college announced Thursday that its trustees approved the three-phase project last week. The Indianapolis Business Journal reports the school says the project will create 96,000 square feet of space for a science complex featuring “high-tech classrooms, modern research labs and collaborative working spaces.” Construction on the first two phases is expected to be completed within about 18 months. Butler’s science program enrollment has increased 70% in the past decade, causing the department to outgrow its space. Administrators hope to raise at least $42 million through philanthropy and have already secured $27.5 million in donations. A bond issue will fund the remainder.

Iowa

Arnolds Park: The Iowa Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s hundreds of inductee exhibits have been moved to a new and bigger space in Arnolds Park. They can be found now in the same building that houses the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum. The Hall of Fame had been in the Roof Garden, an open-air complex next to the amusement park. The garden was demolished and is being rebuilt as part of the multimillion-dollar Restore the Park campaign. The new Hall of Fame museum has three times more space than the old version for the photos, videos and memorabilia from bands, musicians and radio personalities. Highlights include recording equipment from Iowa studios, contracts to perform at the Roof Garden that were signed by the likes of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, and a bright red suit worn on stage by the late Tommy Bolin, a Sioux City native and guitarist for such bands as Deep Purple and the James Gang.

Kansas

Wichita: The new owners of a long-abandoned amusement park want to transform it into an outdoor event center and paintball range. The Wichita Eagle reports that the plan is set to go to the City Council next month after winning approval from planners and neighbors. Councilman James Clendenin says he’s pleased to see some redevelopment finally occurring at the site. He says the area has been a nuisance since Joyland shut down for good in 2006. After years of vandalism, a fire destroyed much of what remained in August 2018. Three months later, Gregory and Tina Dunnegan bought Joyland’s 57 acres at auction for $198,000. A consultant wrote in a site proposal that the owners envision temporary outdoor festivals and amusement rides to “capture the old flavor of Joyland.”

Kentucky

Louisville: Donated blood generally has a six-week shelf life, but University of Louisville researchers are testing a way to convert red blood cells into a longer-lasting powder that potentially could save the lives of soldiers, trauma patients and maybe even astronauts. U of L professors Michael Menze and Jonathan Kopechek, as well as Ph.D. candidate Brett Janis, have spent two years developing this “freeze-dried” approach to storing blood, which has drawn interest from the U.S. military, NASA, emergency responders and other groups. “So many people told us, ‘We really want this. We really need this,’ ” Kopechek said. Menze, Kopechek, Janis and U of L students have devised a process of preserving red blood cells though freezing and dehydration. The powder remains viable at a wider range of temperatures than donated blood, which has to be refrigerated.

Louisiana

New Orleans: The U.S. Justice Department says hate crime charges have been filed in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches earlier this year. A news release from the department says 21-year-old Holden Matthews faces three counts of intentional damage to religious property. He’s also charged with three counts of using fire to commit a felony. The indictment says the fires were set “because of the religious character” of the properties. Matthews has pleaded not guilty to related state charges. His attorney declined comment on the federal charges. Three historic African American churches were burned over 10 days, beginning in late March, in and around the city of Opelousas. The June 6 federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday.

Maine

Augusta: The state legalized medically assisted suicide Wednesday, becoming the eighth in the nation to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with prescribed medication. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who had previously said she was unsure about the bill, signed it in her office. “It is my hope that this law, while respecting the right to personal liberty, will be used sparingly,” Mills said. While still controversial, assisted suicide legislation is winning increasing acceptance in the United States, and this year at least 18 states considered such measures. Maine’s bill would allow doctors to prescribe terminally ill people a fatal dose of medication. The bill declares that obtaining or administering life-ending medication is not suicide under state law, thereby legalizing the practice often called medically assisted suicide.

Maryland

Baltimore: A jury has awarded nearly $3 million to an inmate who was beaten by prison guards almost six years ago in what his attorney called a “systemwide failure.” The Daily Record of Baltimore reports jurors awarded $2.7 million to Kevin Younger, who was assaulted by officers at the Maryland Reception, Diagnostics & Classification Center in Baltimore in 2013. Officers beat Younger the day after he witnessed other inmates assaulting a guard. Younger’s lawsuit said three officers attacked him as “misplaced retaliation” because they believed he was involved in the attack. Attorney David Daneman said the attack resulted from a “systemwide failure” at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Massachusetts

Boston: A lawsuit being filed against state officials says the education funding system shortchanges low-income school districts. Advocates planned to announce the lawsuit at the Statehouse on Thursday on behalf of more than a dozen parents around the state. The plaintiffs argue that the current formula used by the state to distribute education money to school districts violates the civil rights of children in underfunded communities. The lawsuit comes amid behind-the-scenes efforts on Beacon Hill to revamp the 1993 formula which many critics view as outdated and responsible for a widening gap in academic achievement between students from wealthier communities and their less-advantaged urban counterparts. Plans to overhaul the spending formula have been introduced by Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, but no consensus has been reached.

Michigan

Detroit: The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is marking Black Music Month with a concert featuring many of Detroit’s prominent musical, visual and literary artists. Singer Joan Belgrave, wife of late jazz trumpeting great Marcus Belgrave, is producing and performing at the June 27 concert, “Our Music Our Lives.” The show aims to explore connections between music and the American black experience. It will include works from slavery through modern times and span several genres, including R&B, jazz, gospel, blues and spoken word. Dance and graphic art also will be featured. Scheduled performers also include Mark Scott of the Miracles, Motown Legends Gospel Choir, poet and playwright Bill Harris, and the Lisa McCall Dancers. Black Music Month was recognized by President Jimmy Carter 40 years ago.

Minnesota

St. Paul: President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for spring storms and flooding that caused nearly $40 million in damage to infrastructure across the state. Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that the declaration will provide federal emergency relief money for 51 Minnesota counties and four tribal governments. Walz had requested the federal aid in a letter to Trump two weeks ago. The governor says that “Minnesota is on the road to recovery,” and the incoming federal money “will expedite that process enormously.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized using federal public assistance funds to reimburse affected communities for response and recovery costs. FEMA will pay 75% of eligible expenses. The state will cover the other 25% from the Disaster Assistance Contingency Account.

Mississippi

Picayune: A city worker was passing by a home when he noticed it was on fire and saved a girl inside who had woken up to find smoke filling her room. The Picayune Item reports Stanley Hart saw smoke coming from the house Tuesday morning. Hart and a neighbor, Mark Jones, arrived to find a 15-year-old girl inside who was knocking on the window for help to get out. Hart called 911, and then he and Jones broke the window with a cinder block to rescue the teen. Fire officials say the initial investigation shows the fire started near the kitchen stove. The 15-year-old was airlifted to a hospital in New Orleans. No one else was in the home at the time of the fire.

Missouri

Branson: This tourist town is getting a new science attraction called WonderWorks. The Orlando, Florida-based operation announced this week that the new location will open in November in the former theater for the Baldknobbers, one of the longest-running country music shows in town. WonderWorks bills itself as “the indoor amusement park for the mind.” Chief operations officer Janine Vaccarello says it appeals to all age groups, with a lot of hands-on activities and themed areas that cater to the interests of the communities where WonderWorks has a presence. The Branson location will have a military room and a space devoted to the city’s history. WonderWorks has five other locations, including in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Panama City Beach, Florida; and Syracuse, New York.

Montana

Great Falls: Campers and hikers used to seeing “pack it in, pack it out” signs may soon be seeing some “pull your share” notices as well. The Pull Your Share movement, started by Great Falls High teacher Dan Wilkins three years ago, encourages people to spend five to 15 minutes on their trips pulling out noxious, nonnative knapweed at campgrounds and other sites. An annual Pull Your Share field trip has teachers and students from local high schools heading out to pull the weeds in hopes of encouraging all recreationists to “pull their share.” Since the first year, it’s grown from two students and one teacher to 190 students and nine teachers. Wilkins says knapweed cannot be used by wildlife or domestic livestock and doesn’t have enough nutrition for them to survive.

Nebraska

Lincoln: A city councilman says an ordinance that forces the Muslim owners of a new hookah lounge to serve alcohol in violation of their faith must change. The ordinance requires businesses in Lincoln that allow smoking indoors to have a liquor license. Those businesses must stock and serve booze. The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that Councilman Roy Christensen has been working with city lawyers to write a new ordinance that would allow businesses like 88 Hookah Lounge to operate in compliance with the owners’ faith and local rules. Cigar bars are legal in Nebraska under the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act as long as they do not sell anything else. City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick says the difficulty will be drafting a law that allows the hookah lounge to serve non-alcoholic beverages.

Nevada

Reno: The city is closing down some downtown streets as NASA resumes a series of drone tests in high-density urban settings. Beginning Friday, Lake Street will be closed from 1st to 2nd streets from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. through June 20, and again June 23-25. Chism Street also will be closed from Dickerson to 2nd Street from June 14 to July 2. It’s part of the final stage of a four-year effort to develop a national drone traffic management system. NASA and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems conducted initial tests last month, flying drones for the first time above Reno streets beyond the operator’s line of sight. They’re researching emerging technology that someday will be used to manage hundreds of thousands of small unmanned commercial aircraft delivering packages.

New Hampshire

Rye: Jenness State Beach is getting an upgrade. The state Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new bathhouse at the Rye beach on Friday at 1:30 p.m. The design is similar to the style of the facilities at Hampton Beach State Park and North Hampton State Beach. It features exterior changing rooms, rinse-off showers and a family bathroom. The bathhouse is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until Labor Day. It replaces the previous bathhouse, built in 1980. Jenness Beach is one of five state park beaches along New Hampshire’s seacoast.

New Jersey

Fort Lee: A little more than a year after the death of celebrity chef and native son Anthony Bourdain, the Garden State is honoring his memory with the launch of the Anthony Bourdain Food Trail, a statewide tribute that includes 10 of the restaurants he visited for a 2015 episode of his CNN food and travel show “Parts Unknown.” The food trail kicked off Thursday and continues Friday with statewide ceremonies featuring Chris Bourdain, the late chef’s brother; New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way; and Jeffrey Vasser, executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. Thursday’s event locations included Hiram’s Roadstand in Fort Lee and Frank’s Deli in Asbury Park. Sites slated for Friday visits, open to the public, are James’ Salt Water Taffy in Atlantic City and Donkey’s Place in Camden.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: The U.S. Air Force has begun construction on a facility at Kirtland Air Force Base that officials say will play a role in the proposed “space defense.” The Albuquerque Journal reports the Air Force Research Laboratory’s $12.8 million Space Control Laboratory will consolidate efforts on the base. The new facility will include office and lab space for 65 civilian and military contractors. It will contain a 5,000 square-foot high-bay laboratory space and more than 5,000 square feet of secure office, laboratory and meeting space. Air Force Col. Eric Felt says space is now “a war-fighting domain.” President Donald Trump has proposed creating a new U.S. Space Force – a plan that has hit widespread resistance on Capitol Hill.

New York

Albany: The state would become the 13th to permit driver’s licenses for immigrants who entered the country illegally under legislation passed by the state Assembly on Wednesday. The measure has the support of liberal groups, the state’s largest business organization and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. Yet its fate remains uncertain in the state Senate, which has not scheduled a vote on the bill. During floor debate in the Assembly, Democrats argued that immigrant families deserve to have the same ability to drive given to other New Yorkers. Licensing immigrants, they said, would improve road safety and help the businesses that rely on immigrant employees. “This bill is common sense,” said Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, D-Bronx and sponsor of the legislation.

North Carolina

Raleigh: An increasing number of North Carolinians live with hepatitis C, many unaware they’re infected. In response to a dramatic statewide spike in infections fueled by the opioid crisis, the state launched a multimillion dollar initiative Thursday to fight the virus, seeking to increase access to screenings and treatment. It is funded by biotech company Gilead Sciences and partners with local health care providers and the Harm Reduction Coalition, which advocates for health services for drug users. The state’s health department estimates that 110,000 people in North Carolina live with hepatitis C and that in 2017, 186 people were newly diagnosed, a roughly fivefold increase from a decade earlier. The virus can cause severe liver damage or death. In 2016, the most recent year that data is available, 511 people died in North Carolina of hepatitis C-related causes.

North Dakota

Mandan: State residents are donating blood to fill a shortage this summer that a blood transfusion nonprofit says is leaving hospitals in the region without enough donations to meet their needs. Vitalant serves hospitals in North Dakota and parts of South Dakota. The organization’s donor recruitment official, Colleen Scott, tells the Bismarck Tribune that the region’s blood supply was critical in February because of people getting sick and snowstorms affecting blood drives. But she says donations have significantly dropped in the summer months, when people are typically busier. Vitalant is hosting daily blood drives, reaching out to loyal donors and encouraging everyone to bring a friend.

Ohio

Cincinnati: In honor of LGBTQ Pride month, more than 100 Cincinnati Bell employees used Post-it notes this week to create a Pride mural on the north side of the company’s Atrium 2 headquarters. The mural extends from the 9th floor to the 16th floor and is made up of approximately 26,000 sticky notes put on 96 windows. And for the first time, Cincinnati Bell illuminated its signage on top of Atrium II using Pride colors Wednesday night. Both the mural and the Atrium 2 illumination will remain through the end of June. The company is a corporate sponsor of Cincinnati’s Pride Parade, set for June 22.

Oklahoma

Pryor: Google has announced a $600 million expansion project at a data center in Pryor and a $6 million grant for computer science education for students in 4-H chapters in rural areas of 20 states. The announcement was made Thursday outside the data center. The expansion project is expected to add about 100 jobs to the more than 400 now employed at the center that opened in 2011. National 4-H Council President Jennifer Sirangelo said the grant through Google.org will focus on computer science training for an estimated 1 million children in rural areas that have limited access to computer science education. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the grant will be used to teach coding and leadership skills to students.

Oregon

Portland: The city has launched a program to distribute portable toilets in order to reduce cleanup costs and improve public health and hygiene. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Mayor Ted Wheeler proposed the Hygiene Street Response initiative after receiving numerous complaints about human feces in public places. Wheeler says that beyond cleanliness, bathrooms are needed to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as hepatitis A. The city council voted last month to provide $877,000 in funding. Officials say the program will deploy six portable toilets in high-need areas and build mobile bathrooms and shower trailers to be given to nonprofit groups serving the homeless population. A city report says disposal of more than 3,300 gallons of waste, without including other related fees, cost $26,480 for one year.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: Dozens of rare 13-star American flags never before exhibited will be on display at the Museum of the American Revolution. Antique flag dealer and expert Jeff Bridgman has loaned the historic flags to the Philadelphia museum for display starting Friday, which is Flag Day. The flags feature 32 arrangements of 13 stars representing the 13 original colonies. There was no official pattern for the stars until 1912. Flag makers had previously arranged the stars however they wanted. A highlight of the display is a nearly 6-foot flag that features 13 stars that roughly form the letters “U” and “S.” Three flags from flag maker Sarah McFadden, known as the “Betsy Ross of New York,” will be on display. “A New Constellation: A Collection of Historic 13-Star Flags” runs through July 14.

Rhode Island

Coventry: A man sick of potholes has taken matters into his own hands. WJAR-TV reports that Seth Kerstetter spent his own money Sunday to fill holes on Centre of New England Boulevard in Coventry. Kerstetter was at Home Depot when he decided to purchase supplies and fix the most problematic potholes. He blocked traffic, put out traffic cones and worked for about two hours. The boulevard is lined with shopping centers and apartments. Because it is privately owned, neither the town nor the state is responsible for its upkeep. The road is in receivership and under the supervision of attorney Matthew McGowan. McGowan says because the developer ran out of money, the road was never properly surfaced. He says an effort is underway to find money to fix it.

South Carolina

Greenville: Autumn the giraffe is pregnant again at the Greenville Zoo. The 13-year-old female Masai giraffe is expected to give birth in early July. Autumn gave birth to her first calf, Kiko, in 2012. Kiko now lives at the Toronto Zoo. She had a second pregnancy in 2014 that ended with a stillborn calf. Autumn later gave birth to Tatu in 2016. Tatu was later transferred to the Lehigh Valley Zoo. In January, Autumn gave birth to Kiden, her first calf to be fathered by Miles, a 10-year-old male giraffe who still lives at Greenville Zoo. Miles is also the father of the expected calf. In the past, Autumn’s previous calves were transferred before she gave birth. This time, Kiden will remain with his parents through the birth. The public can keep an eye on Autumn’s pregnancy progress via the zoo’s webcam.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: Local artists are taking to the streets, literally, in an effort to keep the area’s rivers healthy. The city’s Downtown Storm Inlet Art Project, now in its third year, aims to remind citizens the dangers of throwing and dumping “litter, debris and hazardous chemicals” into storm drains, which are direct lines to the Big Sioux River running through the heart of Sioux Falls. Artists Molly O’Connor and Ashton Dockendorf painted two of the six new inlets of 2019 on Dakota Avenue last Friday, with motifs depicting the value of aquatic well-being. Eighteen total painted inlets sit along a seven-block stretch. The Big Sioux River could use some help, says Jessica Sexe, the city’s sustainability coordinator. Sediment from farms and lawns has left the Big Sioux listed as an “impaired water body” unsafe for swimming, kayaking and canoeing.

Tennessee

Memphis: The Tennessee Valley Authority is ready to clean up and demolish the Allen Fossil plant in South Memphis. But plans to do so are drawing concern from environmental groups that say the cleanup process has not been publicly vetted and involves pumping dangerous amounts of arsenic solids into the Mississippi River. Inactive since March 2018, the once coal-powered Allen plant still contains an estimated 3 million cubic yards of coal ash waste and other combustible residuals. The water near and in these coal ash pits and their stilling ponds was recently ranked among the worst in the nation for contamination due to the high amount of arsenic present in the water. TVA has said its preferred option for cleaning up the coal ash ponds is removal, but doing so involves a process called “dewatering,” a plan the Southern Environmental Law Center has criticized.

Texas

College Station: Friends and family of former President George H.W. Bush gathered in Texas on Wednesday to mark the first day of issue for the U.S. Postal Service stamp honoring him. The event was held on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, where Bush’s presidential library is located. Bush died in Houston on Nov. 30 at the age of 94. Speakers at the event, which was held on what would have been Bush’s 95th birthday, talked about the 41st president’s prolific letter writing. His grandson Pierce Bush said his grandfather’s words, dreams and hopes live on through his letters. “His letters showed his unique ability to lift others up, just at the time they needed to be lifted,” he said. George H.W. Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993.

Utah

Capitol Reef National Park: Officials say vandals have etched an image of an eye onto a sandstone rock formation at Capitol Reef National Park. Park visitors reported the graffiti on the Temple of the Moon monolith in the remote Cathedral Valley on June 6. Park officials say the etching is more than 2 feet wide and about 1 1/ 2 feet tall. Officials are determining if the graffiti can be removed or hidden. Defacing national park structures is a federal crime punishable by jail time and fines. Park law enforcement officers are investigating the vandalism. Information on the crime can be called in or submitted on the National Park Service website.

Vermont

Montpelier: State health insurance regulators are planning to tweak Medicaid rules so transgender youth no longer have to wait until age 21 to seek gender-affirming surgery. The changes are aimed at removing barriers for people seeking a suite of surgeries in order to alleviate gender dysphoria, a conflict between a person’s gender identity and physical gender, says Nissa James, policy director for the Department of Vermont Health Access. Gender-affirming surgeries covered by Medicaid include 16 types of genital surgery, as well as breast augmentation or mastectomy, a surgery that removes the whole breast. The changes would be “enormously positive” for transgender people, especially those in their late teens, says Dr. Rachel Inker, who runs the Transgender Health Clinic at the Community Health Centers of Burlington.

Virginia

Richmond: A state agency has issued permits for three new solar projects. Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has signed off on two new projects in Halifax County and one project in Orange County. Combined, the new projects are expected to generate more than 200 megawatts, or enough energy to power about 25,000 homes. Virginia has seen a dramatic increase in solar facilities in recent years, driven largely by large technology companies seeking carbon-free energy sources for data centers.

Washington

Seattle: The state says drivers won’t pay tolls to use the city’s downtown Highway 99 tunnel until this fall. The Seattle Times reports Washington State Department of Transportation toll spokeswoman Emily Glad said Wednesday that no specific date has been set. When the four-lane tunnel opened Feb. 4, the state intended to begin collecting money from drivers this summer. But if tolling started now, drivers would encounter even worse congestion on Alaskan Way, where demolition crews are taking down the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and on First Avenue, which is crowded with detouring buses that had used the viaduct. State lawmakers approved the tunnel in 2009 to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct and now have required that tolls raise $200 million toward the $3.2 billion project.

West Virginia

Charleston: A beekeeping garden has been added to the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center in hopes that it will help the building attain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the first urban beekeeping garden in the city was set up last week on the convention center’s balcony. Along with three beehives, the garden contains flowers and herbs. Assistant Director Jim Smith says it’s also a way to show the public how the center participates in sustainability efforts, as well as recycling and energy management. In its quest for certification, Director John Robertson says the facility is implementing a more efficient air conditioning system and reducing the amount of electric and water used.

Wisconsin

Westfield: Izzle, Timon, Batman, River and Mars spent years confined inside a lab, their lives devoted to being tested for the benefit of human health. But these rhesus macaques have paid their dues and are now living in retirement – in larger enclosures that let them venture outside, eat lettuce and carrots, dip their fingers in colorful plastic pools, paint, and hang from pipes and tires – in relative quiet. More research labs are retiring primates to sanctuaries like Primates Inc., a 17-acre rural compound in central Wisconsin, where they can live their remaining years, according to the sanctuaries and researchers. For some monkeys, it’s their first time hanging out in the fresh air. There were approximately 110,000 primates in research facilities in 2017, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Wyoming

Casper: The Eastern Shoshone Tribe has joined a growing list of municipalities and groups nationwide in suing the makers and distributers of prescription painkillers. The Casper Star-Tribune reports the tribe announced Tuesday it had filed a federal lawsuit against two dozen companies, claiming they used deceptive marketing to convince doctors to prescribe opioids for treatment of chronic pain. The tribe says the opioid crisis has caused substantial increases in child welfare and social service costs. The lawsuit notes the opioid crisis has disproportionately affected Native Americans. The lawsuit is similar to those filed by other Wyoming entities, including the city of Casper and the Northern Arapaho Tribe.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Birmingham: Alabama Power said it’s reducing water releases from its hydroelectric dams because of a drought affecting the state. The move is intended to prevent lakes from shrinking too much. But a statement from the utility said that without rain, water levels will still likely fall below normal on lakes including Weiss, Henry, Logan Martin, Harris, Martin and Smith. Parts of the state haven’t had substantial rainfall in weeks, and a federal assessment shows more than 80% of Alabama is abnormally dry or in a drought. Conditions are worse in eastern and central parts of Alabama. Montgomery is more than 6 inches below normal, and Troy is more than 10 inches below normal rainfall. Totals are more than 3 inches off in Birmingham.

Alaska

Juneau: Scientists have confirmed an increasing number of moon jellyfish floating around Juneau waters. The Juneau Empire reported Friday that warm ocean temperatures and plentiful food in the form of zooplankton have contributed to the increased sightings. A marine biology professor said the moon jellyfish known as Aurelia aurita have reached maturity after spawning in early spring. Experts said residents could be stung and urge people not to pick up beached jellyfish. Scientists said the sting of a moon jellyfish is considered less painful than the sting of some others. Experts have recommended watching the jellyfish from a pier for the best views. Scientists said there are concerns that too many jellyfish in the water could throw off the ecosystem because they would eat too many zooplankton

Arizona

Phoenix:A major construction project to widen Interstate 17 north of Phoenix is moving closer to its start date, as the Arizona Department of Transportation prepares a request for proposals for construction companies that want to be part of the work. The Anthem to Sunset Point rest area project, which is moving ahead after a $90 million federal grant announced earlier this year, should break ground in 2021 and be done by 2023, according to the department. A host of elected officials gathered at the outlet mall in Anthem on Thursday to highlight how the widening will benefit the estimated 1 million residents and visitors who travel the road annually, particularly those who get stuck in hours-long backups on weekends. Delays lasting several hours are a weekend tradition. Crashes, even minor, clog the roadway as people head north to campsites and cabins on Fridays and Saturdays, and as they head home on Sundays. The plan will add a third northbound and third southbound lane to the road between Anthem and Black Canyon City.

Arkansas

Pine Bluff: A casino in Pine Bluff held a surprise “soft opening,” four days before its planned grand opening. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the Oklahoma-based Quapaw Nation’s Saracen Casino Annex opened at 6 p.m. Friday with about 300 slot machines and a full-service bar. Saracen Casino Resort spokesman Carlton Saffa said the facility is a preview of the 80,000-square-foot casino that will have a 13-floor, 300-room hotel across the street by the end of next year. Saffa said the soft opening was planned to be invitation-only, but those plans were changed because of high interest. The Arkansas Racing Commission in June approved the license for the casino after Arkansas voters last year approved a constitutional amendment legalizing casino gambling in four counties.

California

Los Angeles: Investigators completed a two-week examination of the charred wreckage of a scuba diving boat and could not determine what ignited the fire that killed 34 people off the Southern California coast, a law enforcement official said Friday. The boat, named Conception, was anchored just off Santa Cruz Island when it caught fire and sank early on Sept. 2. It was raised and brought to Port Hueneme, a naval base northwest of Los Angeles, where specially trained teams from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tried to figure out what sparked the blaze. They completed their work there without finding the cause, but the investigation will continue, said the official, who was not authorized to release the information publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Pieces of the boat have been sent to labs for additional testing, and investigators are poring through hundreds of documents seized from the boat’s operator, Truth Aquatics Inc., the official said. Some parts of the boat washed away when it was submerged.

Colorado

Pueblo: Gov. Jared Polis, a solar developer, an energy company and a steel plant have announced a large solar project in Pueblo. The Chieftain reported Lightsource BP would build, own and operate the proposed 240-megawatt solar facility on property owned by EVRAZ North America, a steel manufacturer. The project would sell its power to Xcel Energy, which would sell it to the steel plant. The Bighorn Solar Project would be one of the state’s largest. It would give EVRAZ a long-term contract that provides the steel mill price certainty through 2041. EVRAZ North America president and CEO Skip Herald said Friday the solar power makes possible a planned $480 million investment aimed at producing longer railroad rails. The mill employs about 1,100 people. The solar project would create about 300 jobs in construction, operations and maintenance.

Connecticut

Lebanon: A generations-old question over who owns the mile-long green at the center of the city has been resolved after two years of negotiations and court hearings. The green, little changed from the days when French troops camped on it during the Revolutionary War, is the center of community life in the town of just over 7,200 people. But several years ago, plans to expand a library on the edge of the green were thwarted because a document dating to 1705 showed the green actually belonged to the “heirs and assigns” of the 17th and early 18th-century investors in the property. This month a judge signed off on the last piece of a plan that awards ownership and control of most of the land to the town.

Delaware

Wilmington:Incyte, a Wilmington pharmaceutical company, is preparing to expand its Augustine Cut-Off headquarters. Two years ago, the company opened a 154,000 square-foot office building next to the former John Wanamaker building, which has served as the company’s home since 2014. The latest expansion, consisting of a six-story lab and office building, and a two-story parking deck, is supposed to bring all of Incyte’s employees to one campus. Some of Incyte’s roughly 700 employees work in leased spaces in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington. Since 2014, the company has consistently outgrown its buildings, said Paula Swain, Incyte’s head of human resources of facilities. New Castle County Council approved the expansion project Tuesday. Swain expects construction to begin in October and end in about two years.

District of Columbia

Washington: Beach Drive has reopened after a major rehabilitation project, WUSA-TV reported. Crews completed the fourth and final section of more than 6 miles of work on Friday. Construction crews kept busy on Beach Drive until the bitter end, using every minute leading up to the noon Friday deadline to ensure the 23,000 tons of new asphalt was ready for drivers. The National Park Service, along with the Federal Highway Administration, oversaw the project, installing new pavement markers, center-line rumble strips, guardrails and road signs. It’s a major improvement from the potholes of before. Crews also installed a new drainage system. Fourteen new retention ponds now prevent runoff into Rock Creek. Because Beach Drive is part of a National Park, the road was not expanded beyond its original footprint.

Florida

Lake Buena Vista: Walt Disney World on Friday introduced its newest way to get around the resort: an aerial cable car system that whisks visitors from hotels to theme parks three stories above the ground while going 11 mph. The Disney Skyliner cable cars opening to visitors on Sunday are the latest addition to one of the largest private transportation systems in the U.S. The almost 300 enclosed cable cars join 423 buses, 61 mini-vans (appropriately named Minnie Vans), 30 parking lot trams, 29 watercraft and 12 monorail trains. With the Skyliner air gondolas, visitors get neon-colored cars painted with the images of almost two dozen Disney characters taking them on the three lines to five stations where they can access nine resorts and two parks. Disney World has four theme parks and more than two dozen resorts. No more than 10 people are allowed in each cable car. A car will arrive every 10 seconds, allowing the cabins to handle about 3,000 people an hour.

Georgia

Macon: An ongoing drought has made outdoor burning in Georgia more dangerous than previous years, state officials said. In the past three months, the Georgia Forestry Commission said firefighters have responded to – on average – about 41% more fires. Drought conditions are worsening, affecting more than 11 million people and threatening crops across a five-state area from Louisiana to South Carolina, federal officials said. In Georgia, residents should postpone open burning if conditions are not favorable, Forestry Commission Chief of Protection Frank Sorrells said in a statement. The main cause of wildfires is debris that escapes from a fire, he said. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has summer burning restrictions in place in 54 Georgia counties to protect air quality. State officials will resume issuing burn permits in these counties once the restrictions are lifted on Tuesday, The Telegraph reported.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Retail firm DFS Hawaii plans to lay off 165 of its 660 employees in three locations across Hawaii’s islands, officials said. Financial losses from decreases in the international travel market prompted the staff reductions announced Thursday, company officials said. DFS Hawaii said positions are expected to be cut at two Oahu locations, including T Galleria in Waikiki and the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, as well as the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on the Big Island. The affected employees worked in the management, sales, operations and clerical departments. Eligible workers will receive severance packages based on their individual years of service, officials said. DFS Hawaii caters largely to international travelers. The company’s flagship store in Waikiki opened in 1975 and is now the chain’s sixth-largest galleria store worldwide. The first DFS Hawaii duty-free shop in the United States was established at what was previously known as Honolulu International Airport, now the Inouye International Airport.

Idaho

Caldwell: KIVI-TV reported The College of Idaho is teaming with local company indieDwell to build new dorms out of repurposed shipping containers. Associate Dean of Students Jen Nelson said the school was eager to find a housing solution that would be quick and affordable. The dorm units will have five single rooms surrounding a common area. Once the shipping container dorms are completed early next year, the school will have 54 new rooms. School officials said that will help alleviate the shortage. At this time, students are even being housed in the vacant President’s House on campus.

Illinois

Chicago: Barack and Michelle Obama will speak next month at a summit in Chicago focused on the vision for the Obama Presidential Center. The event will include young leaders from around the world and participants of programs run by the Obama Foundation. It’s the third such summit. Officials said the theme is “Places Reveal Our Purpose.” Organizers said the summit will show how the Obama Presidential Center “connects to a growing global network of leaders.” The center is planned along the lakefront of Chicago’s South Side. It’s near where Obama started his political career and lived with his family. The $500 million center is expected to house a public library branch, house multimedia collections and have community programs, among other things.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Federal officials said an Indiana company is recalling 744 pounds of ready-to-eat pork products which might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late Saturday that the products by Fisher Packing Company in Redkey were shipped statewide. They were packaged in late August. The products include smoked ham, smoked ham shanks and Canadian bacon. They have the establishment number “74SEIN” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products should be thrown out or returned. Federal officials said the problem was discovered when the company found that a sample confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Consumption of foods contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause a serious infection primarily affecting the elderly, people with weak immune systems and pregnant women and their newborns. There have no confirmed illness reports.

Iowa

Des Moines: Iowa now has 24.9 million pigs on farms, a record number and up 6% from last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the figures Friday for the quarter ending Sept. 1. It showed Iowa farms have just over 1 million breeding pigs and 23.9 million market hogs, or those raised for meat. The growth in hog numbers comes as environmental groups are trying to force the state to slow expansion of pig farms. A state court judge on Sept. 10 said two environmental groups may proceed to trial in their lawsuit alleging the state’s policy of expanding hog farms and its voluntary farm pollution controls violate the rights of citizens to clean water in the Raccoon River. The USDA said the national inventory of pigs is at 77.7 million, the highest number for Sept. 1 since records began in 1988.

Kansas

Topeka: State wildlife officials are working on plans to stop a continuing drop in the number of young people who are interested in hunting, in part because the decline could lead to fewer dollars for conservation. For years, Kansas encouraged young hunters by conducting guided hunts. But those classes are losing participants for a variety of reasons, including more entertainment options, more children living in cities and a lack of public hunting land, Kansas News Service reported. Kansas remains popular for out-of-state hunters, with the number of licenses and permits more than doubling over the past two decades to more than 150,000. But in-state licenses have declined about 14%. Hunting licenses contribute about $28 million to the state’s conservation coffers, which gets about 60% of its funding from the licenses. Because out-of-state licenses cost more, their popularity has offset having fewer Kansas hunters. But 2019 was the first in five years where nonresident sales declined. Hunting advocates said one factor contributing to the decline is a lack of public hunting land. Less than 2% of Kansas land is free for public hunting, according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Tourism.

Kentucky

Frankfort:Kentucky’s Division of Water and Department for Public Health are issuing a public health advisory for harmful algal bloom along the Ohio River. The advisory is for people using the waters for recreation. The advisory area is from the McAlpine Dam near Louisville to the Greenup Dam near Greenup in northeastern Kentucky. State officials also issued an advisory for Briggs Lake near Russellville. The advisory means algal toxins have been found at various locations along the water. Swimming, wading, and other water activities are not recommended during the advisory. State officials said ingested water might increase the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It can also cause skin irritation.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The percentage of Louisiana’s people living in poverty has dipped slightly, but the state remains among the poorest in the nation. New data released Thursday from the Census Bureau showed 18.6% of Louisiana residents lived below the poverty line in 2018, compared to 19.7% a year earlier. By comparison, the national average in 2018 was 11.8%. The statistics show more than one-quarter of Louisiana’s children live in poverty. The state remained third-highest in the nation for its poverty rate, behind only Mississippi and New Mexico. Seven states had poverty rates of less than 10%. The census data shows Louisiana’s median income level reached $47,905 last year, well behind the U.S. average of $61,937.

Maine

Acton: The devastating toll of ticks on New England’s moose herd has caused the region’s population to shrink, and experts worry it could get worse with climate change. The northern New England states are home to thousands of moose, but the herd has dwindled in the last decade, in part because of the winter ticks. The ticks infest moose and suck their blood dry, and sometimes tens of thousands are found on a single animal. Maine has the largest moose population east of Alaska and was home to some 76,000 animals about seven years ago. Lee Kantar, Maine’s moose biologist, said that number might now be as low as 50,000. Scientists in Maine are entering the final year of a multiyear study of the moose population in its northern and western areas.

Maryland

Annapolis: An investigation at the U.S. Naval Academy has found it is “unlikely” a rope and knot found over a door in a construction area was meant to be a noose, but the possibility could not be definitively ruled out. The academy announced Friday that the rope resembled a common construction device used to hoist items, although it was draped over a door “for no readily apparent reason.” The academy said the investigation didn’t discover who placed the rope over the door or identify any existing racial animus on the job site. The academy announced an investigation earlier this month after receiving notice from the Caucus of African-American Leaders. The caucus was contacted anonymously about the rope on Aug. 28, the 56th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Massachusetts

Boston: Starting on Wednesday, the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat, will be open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The ship, berthed in Boston, will be closed on Oct. 22, then open for free public visits from Wednesday until Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Guests can walk the ship at their own pace and ask questions to the ship’s active-duty Navy sailors, or listen to sailors give presentations on the ship’s history every 30 minutes. The USS Constitution played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855. It earned its nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812.

Michigan

Lansing: State and local health departments will conduct aerial spraying for the first time since 1980 to combat a rare mosquito-borne virus that has killed three people and been recorded across the southern half of the state. The aerial spraying is set to begin Sunday and will include 14 counties where eastern equine encephalitis has been confirmed in humans or animals. The weather might determine the actual spraying schedule. Other states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have recently done aerial sprays. Michigan is encouraging officials in affected counties to consider postponing or rescheduling evening outdoor events until there is a hard frost. The number of U.S. deaths and illnesses from the virus are higher than usual this year.

Minnesota

St. Cloud:Bishop John Francis Kinney, bishop emeritus of St. Cloud, died Friday at Quiet Oaks Hospice in St. Augusta, according to the Diocese of St. Cloud. He was 82. Kinney, the eighth bishop of St. Cloud, headed the diocese from 1995 until his retirement in 2013. He spent 53 years as a priest, with 39 as bishop. During his retirement, Kinney lived at the Speltz House in Sauk Rapids. Kinney presided over the diocese during turbulent times as the Catholic Church became mired in allegations of sex abuse. In a 2016 interview with the St. Cloud Times, Kinney said the revelation of clergy sexual abuse was the most difficult thing he had to work through. Following the revelations, Kinney set up listening and information sessions that he attended in parishes around the diocese. In 1993, the then-National Conference of Catholic Bishops appointed him to chair an Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse. During his tenure as chair, the ad hoc committee published “Restoring Trust,” a document then used by dioceses to address sexual abuse in the church.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state will get $1.25 million to evaluate the effects of freshwater from a Louisiana spillway on dolphins and sea turtles in the Mississippi Sound. The money from federal oil and gas revenue-sharing will go to Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Gov. Phil Bryant said in a news release Friday. The study will examine the abundance, health and habitat of dolphins and sea turtles in the area. The federal government said at least 310 dolphins have been stranded since February from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, 130 of them in Mississippi. Another 101 were in Louisiana, 42 in Alabama and 37 in Florida. Some have had skin lesions consistent with freshwater exposure, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway twice this year to protect New Orleans levees, sending Mississippi River water into the Mississippi Sound for a total of 123 days. The first opening was from Feb. 27 until April 11 and the second from May 10 to July 27. The number of strandings peaked in May and fell sharply in June, according to NOAA.

Missouri

Hannibal: Against all odds, what appears to be Samuel Clemens’ signature has turned up on the wall of the cave he made famous in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” In the mid-1800s, long before he adopted the pen name Mark Twain, Clemens and his young pals romped around the cave on the outskirts of Hannibal. As a group of Twain scholars toured what is known as the Mark Twain Cave this summer, cave owner Linda Coleberd and three other enthusiasts broke off in search of Clemens’ signature. It was long believed to be among the thousands of names signed on the limestone walls. A beam from a lone flashlight glanced along the cave wall and Lovell saw the name “Clemens” written in pencil. Experts said it is almost certainly authentic.

Montana

Helena: A group of history fans saw how ground-penetrating radar can be used to help discover unmarked graves Thursday, which was the first day of the 46th Montana History Conference in Helena. During a trip to the Silver City Cemetery north of Helena, University of Montana Ph.D. candidate Ethan Ryan, an archaeologist and ground-penetrating radar specialist, explained that he uses a 400 megahertz device with an electromagnetic pulse to detect anomalies underground. He can then use surface clues and disturbances to determine whether an unmarked grave might be nearby. Before the group went to the cemetery, Pam Attardo, preservation officer for the City of Helena and Lewis and Clark County, spoke about the ongoing preservation efforts happening there. She said the cemetery dates back to the days of the Wild West and is home to a number of graves, both marked and unmarked. Attardo shared some myths about the location, including a story about a group of outlaws captured in Silver City and eventually buried in the cemetery. However, no historical record of any such event exists, the Independent Record reported.

Nebraska

Omaha: The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is holding a new Halloween event meant to replace the zoo’s previous long-running Spooktacular trick-or-treat event. The zoo’s Ghouls and Glow event kicked off Friday and will be held Thursdays through Saturdays every week until its last run on Oct. 24-25. The event will feature 400 lantern displays at the Bay Family’s Children’s Adventure Trails. Visitors will encounter dancing skeletons, candy monsters, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, witches, wizards, spider web arches and a mummy band. A number of bats, vultures, spiders and black cats will also light up the trails. Hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins will glisten along the zoo’s pathways, as well as a nearly 15-foot-tall pumpkin tree. Tickets for the event, ranging from $8 to $18, are available online and at the zoo.

Nevada

Fernley:A proposed industrial park east of Reno could benefit efforts to protect part of a desert trail used by the Donner Party and thousands of others as they journeyed west in the 1840s, historic preservationists and a federal official said. Known as the Fernley Swales, the deep sand trenches and grooves that are part of the California National Historic Trail were carved by wagons and oxen in the Forty Mile Desert between the Humboldt and Carson rivers just north of U.S. Interstate 80. The mile-long swales on the edge of the town of Fernley were protected in 2001 by a U.S. Bureau of Land Management easement that has remained in place despite changes in ownership. But the site is near a shooting range and often the scene of illegal dumping. Signs marking its historical significance are regularly riddled with bullet holes. Earlier this year, Mark IV Capital bought land in and around Fernley for its new Victory Logistics Center, including the parcel with the easement. Jon Nowlin, a member of the California-Nevada chapter of the Oregon-California Trail Association, said approval of Mark IV’s plans would require the dedication of some land to open space. Victoria Wilkins, acting field manager for the BLM’s Sierra Front Field Office, said it’s rare for the agency to have a historical easement surrounded by an industrial park, but the development could benefit the swales.

New Hampshire

Manchester: One of two New Hampshire homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is on the market. The Toufic H. Kalil house in Manchester was built in 1955 and is an example the “Usonian Automatic” houses Wright designed as a more moderately-priced option for the post-war middle class. The house made of modular concrete blocks was built for a doctor and his wife who were inspired by the home of a friend whose Wright house was built on the same street. That property, the Zimmerman house, is now part of the Currier Museum of Art. The Kalil house is now for sale for the first time, being offered at $850,000 by the Paula Martin Group. It includes the original furniture and fixtures.

New Jersey

Newark: State attorney general Gurbir Grewal is ordering two counties to end cooperation agreements with federal immigration authorities. Grewal’s announcement Friday came a day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested more than 50 people in New Jersey. A directive this year limits law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE. But sheriff’s departments in Cape May and Monmouth counties have separate agreements to perform some immigration functions. Critics of New Jersey’s directive said it makes it easier for violent criminals to be released before they can be handed over to immigration authorities. Grewal said Friday the directive gives local authorities the ability to identify dangerous individuals to ICE for detention. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said Friday he would fight the order. Cape May County’s sheriff didn’t immediately respond to an email.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: Flags across New Mexico are at half-staff in honor of state Sen. Carlos Cisneros, who died earlier this month of a heart attack. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered flags lowered Friday in recognition of the long-time lawmaker lying in state. The senator’s casket, blanketed by a white cloth adorned with the state seal, was in place in the Rotunda for a public viewing. A funnel service is scheduled Saturday at a church in Santa Fe. Cisneros had recently announced his bid for re-election to represent a vast district that stretches from the state line with Colorado to the outskirts of Los Alamos, including Taos, Peñasco, Truchas and Pojoaque Pueblo. Cisneros joined the Senate in 1985 and went on to play a leading role in annual budget negotiations.

New York

New York City: A woman fighting cancer for the third time is thanking police for getting her to treatment after her car got stuck in United Nations-related traffic. Gabriela DeMassi said two officers volunteered to escort her and her parents through Thursday morning’s jam after she and her mother asked officers if they knew a better way to Manhattan’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. After getting through traffic, DeMassi, 28, said one officer greeted her with a smile and said: “Keep up the good fight. Never give up! You got this!” DeMassi recounted the experience in an Instagram post that went viral within the law enforcement community. NYPD Chief Terence Monahan left a comment thanking DeMassi for sharing the story. He closed by echoing the officer’s words: “You got this!”

North Carolina

Raleigh: The state’s health agency is urging people to make sure their vaccinations are up to date after several confirmed mumps cases at two private universities. The state Department of Health and Human Services said there have been seven confirmed cases combined at Elon University and High Point University as of Thursday. State and local public health workers are responding in part by vaccinating susceptible groups on campus. Mumps is a contagious virus causing swollen glands, puffy cheeks and fever, and can lead to more serious complications. DHHS said anyone with confirmed or suspected mumps needs to stay home and limit personal contact for five days, or until mumps is ruled out. The agency said vaccinations are the most effective way to prevent mumps or limit complications should mumps still occur.

North Dakota

Bismarck: The remains of a North Dakota sailor who died during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are coming home for burial at the state’s Veterans Cemetery. KFGO-TV reported that the remains of Radioman 2nd Class Floyd Wells were identified in June. His remains are arriving at Hector International Airport on Monday and burial is scheduled for Tuesday. Wells was a native of Cavalier. He was assigned to the USS Arizona, which was struck by torpedoes. The attack on the ship killed 1,177.

Ohio

Lancaster: The role of Ohio’s formidable run of early U.S. presidents in establishing lasting national customs like the White House Easter egg roll and West Wing war room is explored in a history exhibition running through late December. “The Ohio Presidents: Surprising Legacies “ opened this month at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, located in Lancaster about 30 miles southeast of Columbus. Objects include clothing, furniture, personal items and campaign posters of William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding. Curator Christine Fowler Shearer said the show features fun facts about the presidents that aren’t common knowledge. The artifacts and photographs were gathered from the Library of Congress, Ohio History Connection and elsewhere.

Oklahoma

Tahlequah: The new chief of the Cherokee Nation plans to invest $16 million into the tribe’s language preservation program, including a new cabinet-level position focused on its language, culture and community. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. announced the “Durbin Feeling Cherokee Language Preservation Act” in a statement on Friday. Feeling is a leading Cherokee linguist and one of an estimated 2,000 people the tribe identifies as “first-language” speakers, or those whose native language is Cherokee. The new plan includes a $5 million renovation of the former Cherokee Casino Tahlequah building into a new language center, and a $1.5 million annual appropriation for the next five years for its operation. The largest American Indian tribe in the United States, the 370,000-member Cherokee Nation is headquartered in Tahlequah.

Oregon

Salem:The Oregon Supreme Court – the oldest government building on the Capitol Mall – is set to empty out in October for two years of renovations including earthquake reinforcements and safety upgrades. Services at the century-old court building, which includes the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals courtroom, the State of Oregon Law Library, the Oregon Judicial Department and Appellate Court Records, will be spread to different locations throughout Salem. It will cost about $51 million and displace 56 employees, according to Oregon Judicial Department spokesman Todd Sprague. Over the past year, staff members have hauled tens of thousands of volumes from its law library collection to new locations. The second-floor library has been home to historic documents that date to the 15th century.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have been found in six Pennsylvania counties, along with one human case. The state’s West Nile Control Program said the mosquitoes were found Friday in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster and Philadelphia counties. The human case of West Nile virus was discovered in Chester County. Friday was the last routine surveillance and reporting day for 2019, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s website. West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne sickness that might cause encephalitis, a brain irritation. Mild infections can produce fever, headaches, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands.

Rhode Island

Providence: Officials said they have decided to dismantle the city’s first two-way bike lane a month after its installation following public criticism. The Providence Journal reported the city’s recent decision is expected to cost $127,500. Mayor Jorge Elorza’s office said the lane was completed the week of Sept. 9 and cost $63,500. The dismantling process will begin this fall and will cost $64,000. After the lane’s construction, residents began complaining it made the rest of Easton Street too narrow. Louise Ely said cars would have nowhere to move if an ambulance drove by since the lane is on one side of the street. Sarah Mitchell, chairwoman of the Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition, said the city should do more outreach to educate people about how to use these lanes.

South Carolina

Congaree National Park: A timber company is selling some swamp and forest land to a conservation group that hopes to donate the land to Congaree National Park. Friends of Congaree Swamp bought the 214 acres from Weyerhaeuser for $783,000. The State newspaper reported the land is along Running Lake Creek and has trees so thick that areas remain darkened by shade in the middle of the day. Friends of Congaree Swamp used a combination of money from the state and federal governments, private donations and fines from wetland violations. The federal government will have to approve the transfer to the national park near Columbia, which could take some time.

South Dakota

Custer: Officials at Custer State Park said 25,000 people turned out to watch this year’s annual buffalo roundup. The Rapid City Journal reported hundreds of bison were herded into corrals during the 54th annual roundup on Friday. Park resource manager Mark Hendrix said of the 1,460 animals in herd, 470 will be sent to auction Nov. 6. He said staff attempts to keep the herd at an average of 1,000 animals to maintain the ecological balance in the 71,000-acre park south of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Tennessee

Memphis:Two Memphis schools won the Blue Ribbon designation this year, one of the highest honors from the U.S. Department of Education, given to just 362 schools nationwide. Campus School and Maxine Smith STEAM Academy were recognized for their high scores on state and national tests. They were among six schools in Tennessee to earn the award this year. The designation does not come with financial awards, but is a coveted label. Campus School is a contract school run by the University of Memphis. The elementary school is known for its high test scores and frequently tops district ratings. This spring, 74% of students scored proficient in reading and writing, compared with 21% of students in the district and 34% statewide. Maxine Smith STEAM Academy is a middle school that Shelby County Schools opened in 2014 to serve high-performing students that pass admission tests.

Texas

Austin: A county administrator is apologizing for saying Gov. Greg Abbott “hates trees because one fell on him.” The Texas Tribune reports that the comment made Friday by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat, during a panel discussion was first reported in a tweet by the online magazine The Federalist. Abbott, a Republican, has been paralyzed from the waist down since 1984 when a tree fell on him in Houston while he was jogging. Eckhardt said on her website and in a tweet that she “made a mistake” and apologizes to Abbott. Eckhardt said she “made a flippant comment that was inappropriate.” Eckhardt’s comments came during a discussion about the Texas Legislature overriding local ordinances such one in Austin regarding the cutting down of trees.

Utah

Antelope Island State Park: Authorities said a 22-year-old Utah woman hiking at Antelope Island State Park suffered a broken leg and a laceration on her other leg when she was charged by a bison. Officials said the woman was on an established trail while running toward a companion when the incident occurred Friday night in a remote area and that it’s not clear what prompted the bison to charge. The woman’s identity wasn’t released. Utah State Parks Lt. Eric Stucki said the woman lay still after the bison used its head to throw her into the air and that the animal then nudged her with its nose before moving off. Antelope Island wildlife include hundreds of bison. The state park is connected to the Great Salt Lake’s southeastern shore by a 7-mile-long causeway.

Vermont

Montpelier: The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is beginning to receive the results of tests for a class of chemicals known as PFAS in public water supplies and so far all met public drinking water standards. The testing is part of a state law that requires the testing of an estimated 590 water systems across for the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl levels in public drinking water. So far, the results have come back for 45 system and all met all the state standards with concentrations below 20 parts per trillion. Bryan Redmond of the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division said the initial sampling results are encouraging. The deadline for testing is Dec. 1. PFAS chemicals were widely used in firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and other products.

Virginia

Lovingston: A vehicle has hit and killed a yak who rose to internet fame by making his great escape in Virginia while on the way to a butcher shop. The Washington Post reported the owner of the yak, Robert Cissell, said on social media that the animal named Meteor died Friday morning on U.S. 29 in Nelson County. Meteor had been on the loose since Sept. 10, when he kicked off the back door of a livestock trailer and ran into the mountains. Nelson County Animal Control officer Kevin Wright said there were no witnesses to Friday’s collision. He said a commercial vehicle might have hit the yak and kept going. The Nelson County Farm Bureau wrote a tribute to Meteor on social media that ended with, “Roam free, Meteor!”

Washington

Snohomish: A multiracial family has raised concerns after Ku Klux Klan symbols were spray painted on multiple trees near their home. KOMO-TV reported that the Anderson family has had tough conversations about race with their four adopted children, but the racially offensive graffiti crossed a line. The family sid the teenage son discovered the KKK symbols on six to eight trees as he walked through the woods right next to their house heading to the lake. Snohomish County deputies said an investigation is underway. Authorities said they have not received any other reports and they do not have any leads. The family said the community is usually friendly and welcoming, but a conversation clearly needs to happen.

West Virginia

Charleston: West Virginia’s U.S. senators want to make the New River Gorge a national park. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin on Thursday introduced the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Designation Act. The lawmakers said the move will boost the local economy and tourism in the area, citing a study that said national-park status is shown to increase the number of visitors by 21%. The proposal would allow hunting and fishing at the park. The New River Gorge is the site of the annual Bridge Day festival, where many gather to watch people base jump into the gorge.

Wisconsin

Madison: State utility regulators have authorized the construction of a $500 million power line, despite claims that they ignored complaints, concerns and alternative solutions. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the Public Service Commission approved the plan Thursday, rejecting accusations of a conflict of interest that were brought by two conservation groups, the Driftless Area Land Conservancy and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. The groups said the will appeal. The Cardinal-Hickory Creek line would run between Dubuque, Iowa, and Middleton, west of Madison. Construction is expected to start in 2021. Project supporters said it will allow for the transmission of more carbon-free electricity and save customers money. But critics said the state could transition to renewable energy without damaging natural areas along the planned route of the proposed power line.

Wyoming

Jackson Hole: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in northwest Wyoming will use renewable energy to power its lifts and other operations. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that resort officials announced that they would enter Lower Valley Energy’s Green Power program for customers and begin drawing energy from the Horse Butte Wind Farm near Idaho Falls, Idaho. Phil Cameron of Jackson-based Energy Conservation Works sid Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is one of only a handful of ski resorts across the country to fully move to renewable energy. Over the last two years hundreds of businesses and residents of Teton County have converted to green power. Among them are Snow King Mountain Resort and Jackson Hole Airport.

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From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Scottsboro: Jackson County plans to reopen the park where a deadly fire at a marina killed eight people a week ago. Most of Jackson County Park will reopen Monday, officials said, but the part of the marina where fire occurred will still be off-limits. Paul Smith, the county emergency management director, said crews would be cleaning up the site through the weekend. Environmental damage from the blaze didn’t get outside the immediate area around the marina, he told a news conference Friday. A fire broke out on a dock at the marina Jan. 27, destroying about three dozen boats and claiming eight lives. Officials have not determined the cause of the fire, but they said investigators are looking at one boat in particular. Most burned boats that sunk in the wide creek where the marina is located off the Tennessee River have been removed, Smith said, but some remain. Salvage work will take “quite a while,” he said.

Alaska

Juneau: Gov. Mike Dunleavy is planning town hall meetings centered on the state’s fiscal situation and future. Events are planned for Petersburg on Monday and Wrangell on Tuesday. Dunleavy’s office said the town halls will be open to the public. Additional public events will be announced later as part of a town hall series, his office said. Dunleavy has said he plans to more directly communicate with Alaskans. His first year in office was marked by an ongoing recall effort, which was fueled by anger over budget cuts he proposed last year. Dunleavy has called the recall effort political. Besides the town halls, Dunleavy plans to meet with school and community leaders, tribes, business groups and nonprofits across the state, according to his office. Dunleavy told reporters Friday that the state is paying for the upcoming trips. He faced criticism last year for holding town halls hosted by Americans for Prosperity-Alaska.

Arizona

Flagstaff: The City Council drew an overflow crowd as it moved toward declaring a climate emergency to address climate change and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. With more than 250 people present for the council’s consideration of the issue at a meeting last week, dozens had to sit on folding chairs in the lobby of City Hall to watch a livestream, the Arizona Daily Sun reports. The council is now poised to officially adopt the resolution following a legal review. “We have seen and felt the sense of emergency,” Councilwoman Regina Salas said after numerous members of the public spoke. The measure would be nonbinding. But activist Sara Kubisty said declaring a climate emergency sets a standard that residents and voters can cite during future policy discussions. Mayor Coral Evans said she supported the resolution but warned that further climate action will take real effort and won’t always be popular.

Arkansas

Jacksonville: The City Council voted Friday to allow new tests on fingerprints and DNA evidence relating to the case of a man the state put to death in 2017. The council voted to allow the tests that Ledell Lee’s family contends could exonerate him of the 1993 slaying of Debra Reese. Patricia Young, Lee’s sister, had sued the city to allow the new tests. Representing the family were the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arkansas and the Innocence Project. The groups said they plan to have the DNA evidence tested at a nationally accredited laboratory at Young’s expense and to upload the fingerprints to a national database. Lee was the first of four inmates Arkansas executed in April 2017 before its supply of a lethal injection drug expired. The state had originally planned to execute eight inmates, but four were spared by court rulings.

California

San Francisco: A conservation group has reached an agreement to buy a canyon in the Santa Cruz Mountains that includes 100 acres of ancient redwood trees, a purchase that will help create a continuous corridor of protected redwood habitat stretching to the Pacific Ocean. Save the Redwoods League reached an agreement Thursday to buy the 564-acre Cascade Creek, nestled between Big Basin Redwoods and Ano Nuevo state parks, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The towering redwoods have never felt the blade of a saw, the kind to which conservationists reverently refer as “old-growth.” “We got here just in time,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League, gesturing toward blue paint marks, which indicate they were once the target of loggers. The league has so far raised $8.6 million of the $9.6 million needed to complete the transaction, which is expected to close May 30.

Colorado

Denver: The state Senate formally approved a death penalty repeal bill Friday and sent it to the House, where prospects for passage are favorable. Gov. Jared Polis has said he will sign a repeal bill. The 19-13 vote came in the seventh effort in recent years to repeal the state’s death penalty. The bill would apply to offenses charged on or after July 1. It would not apply to the three men on Colorado’s death row. That provision was added to the bill at the conclusion of an hourslong Senate floor debate Thursday. Democratic Sen. Rhonda Fields of Aurora again urged her colleagues to keep capital punishment – or at least refer the question to voters. Colorado’s last execution came in 1997. Twenty-one U.S. states have abolished capital punishment. Other states are currently considering action.

Connecticut

Hartford: The state is giving $1.3 million to help house victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, advocates say. The state’s Department of Housing and Coalition Against Domestic Violence announced a new round of funding Thursday, the Hartford Courant reports. The coalition said the money will allow the two state agencies continue to find safe housing for victims who are fleeing intimate partner violence and human trafficking. The new funding followed an initial $1.7 million received last year when the two agencies began to collaborate in their effort to house victims of abuse and human trafficking. Gov. Ned Lamont commended the agencies’ efforts and said the state has been a leader “on issues pertaining to domestic and family violence and providing protections for survivors, and enhancing these services remains a priority.”

Delaware

Dover: Democratic Gov. John Carney is proposing to increase the state’s operating budget by almost 4% next fiscal year, boosting spending to more than $4.6 billion. The budget proposal unveiled Thursday for the fiscal year starting July 1 includes a 2% pay raise for state employees, who also received pay raises last year and the year before, at a $29.3 million cost to taxpayers. Carney’s proposed operating budget includes $36.5 million in new spending to address school enrollment growth. He’s also proposing a record capital budget of $892.8 million for construction, maintenance, technology, equipment, economic development and environmental projects. The proposal includes $50 million in new spending for clean water initiatives, $50 million for economic development, and $50 million to build and renovate schools in Wilmington.

District of Columbia

Washington: A new study has been granted $1 million to determine who would qualify for free or discounted fares on Metro, officials say. The district’s social science center called The Lab received $1 million in grant funding to run the study, WUSA-TV reports. The city says 18% of all Metrorail riders are considered low-income, and that number jumps to 48% on Metrobus. City Administrator Rashad Young says the study ensures the city does not waste its money, as it could ultimately pay Metro for revenue it loses. Researchers say they want the system to be seamless with SmarTrip cards, perhaps linked to databases of other social services, like food stamps. Young also says the idea will not be a handout in a city where getting around can bankrupt those trying to make ends meet. Officials say 2,500 adults will be asked to participate in the study starting this summer.

Florida

Islamorada: Visiting Tibetan monks helped release a rehabilitated sea turtle in the Florida Keys. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the release Thursday of “Drifter,” a 170-pound female adult loggerhead sea turtle who was rehabilitated at the Keys-based Turtle Hospital after she was found floating offshore of the Lower Keys last November. The monks hail from the Drepung Gomang Monastery in India. “Drifter” was released into the Atlantic Ocean off an Islamorada resort after an hourlong ceremony performed by the monks, each an ordained student of the Dalai Lama. Ritual chants aspired that the turtle and other animals enjoy long lives. Minyak Rinpoche, the group’s leader, said the key to ultimate happiness is compassion for all living things and loving kindness. Staff at the Turtle Hospital have been rescuing, rehabilitating and returning turtles to the wild for almost 35 years.

Georgia

Atlanta: Anne Cox Chambers, a newspaper heiress, diplomat and philanthropist who was one of the country’s richest women, died Friday at the age of 100. Chambers’ nephew James Cox Kennedy announced her death to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, her company’s flagship newspaper. Chambers, a director of Cox Enterprises Inc., promoted Jimmy Carter’s political career and served as U.S. ambassador to Belgium during his presidency. Forbes estimated her net worth several years ago at nearly $17 billion. She was well known for her charitable giving and served on the boards of the Atlanta Arts Alliance and the High Museum of Art, among other institutions. She owned a white-columned manor across from the governor’s mansion in Atlanta, where Jimmy Carter brought his daughter, Amy, over to swim in the pool. Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement Friday praising Chambers, saying her “contributions to the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia will be felt for generations to come.”

Hawaii

Honolulu: Law enforcement officers from around the country gathered in the city for a ceremony to honor one of two officers killed while responding to a call in which a suspect and his landlord died and nearby homes were leveled by fire. Officer Tiffany Enriquez was memorialized Thursday by her family, members of the public, and police officers and emergency personnel who formed a “thin blue line” at the Honolulu Police Department headquarters as part of Enriquez’s “end of watch” ceremony. Enriquez, 38, was a seven-year veteran of the Honolulu police assigned to Waikiki. The Air Force veteran was the first female officer to die in the line of duty in Hawaii when she was fatally shot Jan. 19 along with Officer Kaulike Kalama. Authorities say Jaroslav Hanel, 69, shot the officers and killed landlord Lois Cain in a suspected landlord-tenant dispute.

Idaho

Boise: The state’s roads are becoming increasingly dangerous with distracted drivers and a growing number of motorists, the director of the Idaho Department of Transportation says. “Drivers are more distracted than ever before,” Brian Ness told state lawmakers on a budget-setting committee Friday. “And I think technology may be to blame for much of that.” Legislation to impose a statewide ban on handheld cellphone use while driving is pending in the Senate, and distracted driving legislation is pending in the House. Ness isn’t taking a position on the legislation, but his agency is running a campaign aimed at having people put away distractions while driving. Ness was before the committee to present his agency’s budget. Republican Gov. Brad Little has proposed a 7.9% increase from last year to $785 million. The committee won’t start setting state agency budgets for several more weeks.

Illinois

Chicago: The city is suing a coffee company for trademark infringement, saying its logo is nearly identical to the symbol for the city’s fire department. Fire Department Coffee’s logo features the letters F, D and C, intertwined in a stylized monogram, just like the one for the Chicago Fire Department, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The design is likely used to confuse consumers into thinking the city has endorsed or sponsored the business, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday. Firefighters run the Rockford-based company, and “10% of proceeds from every order goes towards supporting ill or injured firefighters and first responders,” according to its website. “Fire Department Coffee pursued all of the correct legal channels and secured an approved, registered trademark for our current Fire Department Coffee logo,” the company said in a statement.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Four members of the Indianapolis City-County Council openly identify as members of the LGBTQ community, which is the most ever for the legislative body. Newly elected member Ali Brown, who is bisexual, says none of the candidates won in November for that reason. “None of that was part of (anything) groundbreaking or anything like that,” Brown says. “It was just something that was.” But LGBTQ advocates hope it means their concerns are better heard. “The only expectation we have is that they listen to our community and provide a voice to the issues important to our community,” says Chris Handberg, executive director of Indy Pride. “Whereas in the past, we have not had easy access to lawmakers and politicians and leaders to be able to provide some of that.” The candidates were elected as part of a Democratic wave on the council. Indiana’s legislature is overwhelmingly Republican.

Iowa

Des Moines: A divided state Supreme Court concluded Friday that a central Iowa recreational lake that owners tout as the state’s largest private lake isn’t private at all because it is accessible via a public waterway. The ruling could have ramifications for private lake developments connected to rivers that want to keep out nonmember boaters. It’s not immediately clear how many lakes in the state could be affected. The 4-2 decision came in the case of Jeffrey Alan Meyers, who was arrested by Iowa Department of Natural Resources officers for boating while intoxicated on Lake Panorama in July 2018. The DNR officers initially stopped Meyers’ pontoon boat on the lake because it was decorated with blue lights, violating an Iowa law against displaying blue lights on a boat that’s not an emergency vessel. DNR officers claimed they had jurisdiction because the lake is connected to the publicly accessible Middle Raccoon River.

Kansas

Lawrence: As the Super Bowl neared, University of Kansas students urged administrators to call off classes on the day after the big game and to provide vomit bags on campus if they didn’t. The Student Senate made the request in a resolution passed Thursday as the Kansas City Chiefs prepared to play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the team’s first trip to the Super Bowl since 1970. It said Chancellor Douglas Girod should consider the “health implications of students attending classes and attempting course work less than 12 hours after the culmination of the Super Bowl and any celebrations that follow the game, should the Kansas City Chiefs emerge victorious.” The resolution also said Student Senate members don’t condone the tradition of fans mimicking tomahawk chops or “any other behavior that mocks or is offensive to Native American culture.” They urged the Chiefs to “take proactive attempts to end such traditions.”

Kentucky

Louisville: The number of travelers taking flights at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport last year set a record, officials said. The airport announced in a statement on Thursday that 2019 was its busiest year yet with 4.2 million passengers. That’s nearly 300,000 more than it had in 2000, when there were 3.9 million passengers. “Exceeding the 4 million mark is something we are very proud of and is a new milestone for our airport,” said Dan Mann, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “We know how successful 2019 was for passenger traffic, and we believe the numbers for 2020 will be even better.” Last year, the six airlines serving Louisville increased capacity on 20 different routes including the addition of nonstop flights to multiple locations. “Direct flights are essential in making us attractive for businesses and visitors,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration reached another impasse Friday over the state’s income forecast, unable to strike a deal with the Legislature’s new Republican leaders about how to set the projections used to build the budget. The Democratic governor had been hopeful that a change in the House’s top leadership would break through repeated logjams over the forecast and give him the updated, larger state income forecast he wanted as he crafts his budget proposal for next year. Instead, the Edwards administration found itself at odds with both the new Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and new GOP Senate President Page Cortez during the latest meeting of the Revenue Estimating Conference. Both expressed concerns about the numbers proposed by nonpartisan legislative and administrative economists that the governor’s chief budget adviser wanted to use.

Maine

Portland: Allen’s Coffee Brandy, a venerable brand of liquor beloved in Maine, is no longer the top-selling alcohol in the Pine Tree State. State alcoholic beverage records say Mainers spent $12.2 million on Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and $11.7 million on Tito’s Handmade Vodka last year, the Bangor Daily News reports. Those sales were enough to eclipse Allen’s, which garnered $9.2 million in sales. Allen’s remains the most-purchased hard alcohol in the state in terms of volume. People purchased more than 90,000 cases of Allen’s in Maine last year, while Tito’s came in second at 71,000. Allen’s is produced by M.S. Walker of Massachusetts. Sales are trending downward, though. Revenue of Allen’s has dropped by about a sixth since 2014. Last year’s sales lagged about $400,000 behind the 2018 figure. Maine is the only significant market for Allen’s, which is especially popular in a milk-based mixed drink called a “Sombrero.”

Maryland

Bel Air: The city’s police chief has been placed on administrative leave after being accused of physical and verbal fights with his estranged wife and teenage son. Charles A. Moore Jr., chief of Bel Air police, was served a temporary protective order Tuesday, news outlets report. Deputy Chief Richard Peschek will serve as chief in Moore’s absence, town officials say. Moore and his wife separated in 2016, according to court documents obtained by The Aegis, a division of The Baltimore Sun. In December, Moore and his adult son went to his wife’s house, where Moore allegedly got into an argument with his teenage son and attempted to choke the boy after being punched by the teen, court documents state. Jason Silverstein, Moore’s attorney, said his client is the victim, the newspaper reports. Moore was also accused of sending “belittling text messages” to his wife and threatening to to “bash her head,” according to the documents.

Massachusetts

Boston: Bay State voters who can’t get to their local polling location for the upcoming presidential primaries can now pick up absentee ballots. Voters who will be out of town March 3 or have a disability or religious belief that prevents them from voting at their polling place are eligible to vote by absentee ballot. Those who need a ballot mailed to them may send an absentee ballot application to their city or town hall. Family members may also complete the application on a voter’s behalf. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is recommending voters submit absentee ballot applications as soon as possible to allow time for the ballot to be mailed to the voter and returned to their city or town hall. Ballots must be delivered to the local election office by the close of polls March 3 in order to be counted. Early voting will also be available Feb. 24-28 for all voters.

Michigan

St. Clair Shores: People who live along the shores of Lake St. Clair are wondering how much it will cost them to clean up a sludge-like substance that recently washed up on their properties. Tests of samples taken from one property in Macomb County, in southeastern Michigan, showed the substance to be decaying algae containing E. coli bacteria, the county health department said in a release. Health officials have said the algae presents “no imminent public health hazard.” But to vacuum the material up using a sanitary truck and then dispose it could cost about $10,000 per home, according to Ryan Siarkowski, the owner of Synergy Development Specialist. It will cost more if a homeowner also removes the soil beneath the material, said Siarkowski, who noted that every house would be different. Lake St. Clair feeds into the Detroit River and is part of the waterway linking lakes Huron and Erie.

Minnesota

Duluth: The breathtaking ice caves along the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will likely be inaccessible this year due to low ice coverage on Lake Superior. On Friday, less than 5% of Lake Superior was covered by ice; ice coverage is typically 25% at the end of January. The Star Tribune reports the last time the ice caves were accessible by foot was in 2015. While ice coverage on Superior usually peaks in February or March, data shows most winters with this level of ice Jan. 31 don’t accumulate much more. A University of Michigan study last year said tracking ice on the Great Lakes is an ideal case study for climate research. Ice surrounding the Bayfield Peninsula was more consistent before the late 1990s, when “all of a sudden we saw years in which there was no safe ice cover,” said Andrew Gronewold, a study author. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Mississippi

Oxford: Former Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith is set to receive a journalism award from his alma mater, the University of Mississippi. The university’s School of Journalism and New Media announced in a news release that Smith is the latest to be honored with its Silver Em award. Smith will receive the award during a ceremony April 1 in Oxford. Smith, who grew up in Holly Springs, spent more than 20 years anchoring Fox News before leaving the network last year. “Shepard Smith embodies what a journalist should be – for decades, he has reported the news without fear or favor,” said Debora Wenger, assistant dean for innovation and external partnerships and professor of journalism. “Because he got his start in journalism here at the University of Mississippi, we feel extraordinarily proud of all he has accomplished.”

Missouri

Jefferson City: Lawmakers this session are trying to make it easier for military spouses and out-of-state doctors, teachers, pharmacists and other licensed professionals to get jobs in the state. Legislation approved by the state House last week would allow those professionals to work in the state without going through its licensing process. One bill would make the exception only for military spouses, who might move frequently. That bill wouldn’t allow military spouses to transfer teaching licenses to Missouri. Another bill would apply what’s called license reciprocity to all out-of-state professionals. Republican Gov. Mike Parson called for license reciprocity for military spouses during his January State of the State address to the Republican-led Legislature. He told House and Senate sponsors of the measure that he’s counting on them to send legislation to his desk “very soon.”

Montana

Helena: The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted a secretarial natural disaster designation to 17 counties that requested federal aid after incurring losses caused by multiple disasters during the 2019 crop year, Gov. Steve Bullock said Friday. The designation will make producers eligible for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency, including emergency loans. The farmers have eight months to apply for the loans. The counties designated are Cascade, Chouteau, Daniels, Dawson, Glacier, McCone, Pondera, Prairie, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sheridan, Teton, Toole, Treasure, Valley and Wibaux. Bullock sent two letters to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting a secretarial disaster designation for several counties that had multiple disasters, including excessive moisture and snow, freezing, frost, hail and high winds.

Nebraska

Kearney: Officials are investigating how a pair of juvenile offenders managed to escape custody twice in a 24-hour period. The incident began Tuesday night when a report of two suspicious males led the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office to call the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney to see if it was missing any teens. The facility’s staff checked and reported two teens were missing, the Kearney Hub reports. Early the next day, deputies in neighboring Seward County found an abandoned, stolen car in a snowbank off Interstate 80. Footprints in the snow led deputies to the two escaped juveniles. By Wednesday afternoon, York County deputies received a report that a transportation company driver taking the teens back to the Kearney facility had been assaulted and the transport van stolen. York police tracked the van to Hamilton County, where the teens were again taken into custody and back to the youth center, which has been plagued by escapes and understaffing in recent years.

Nevada

Las Vegas: The city has opened a new park named for a police officer killed in the line of duty in 2014. The numerous officials and dignitaries who attended the dedication ceremony Friday for Officer Alyn Beck Memorial Park on Friday included Gov. Steve Sisolak, Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Beck and another officer were killed while having lunch at a restaurant when they were shot by a couple who also killed a civilian who tried to stop them. The couple eventually died in a gunfight with other officers. The 10-acre park named after Beck features a lacrosse field, soccer fields, basketball court and a shaded playground with benches for families.

New Hampshire

Hampton Beach: The village’s annual Easter egg hunt has been moved inland out of concern that plastic eggs could end up in the ocean. The Hampton Beach Parks & Recreation Department announced on Facebook on Wednesday that the department will no longer host the Easter Egg Dig on the beach because it cannot ensure all eggs will be accounted for, the Portsmouth Herald reports. “I know there’s a lot of people that love this, and it’s been a tradition,” Recreation Director Rene Boudreau said. “I also feel that it’s a time where these kinds of decisions have to be made, and I’d rather be known for trying to help the cause as opposed to be part of the problems.” The department’s post received mixed reaction. Some parents praised the decision, while others called it “very silly.” But Blue Ocean Society Director Jen Kennedy wrote in a letter to the editor that many eggs that are not found during the hunt are discovered in beach cleanups months later.

New Jersey

Elmwood Park: A northern New Jersey paper plant is operating again, a year after a massive fire destroyed most of it. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was among the guests Friday at the Marcal plant in Elmwood Park for a ceremony at one of the few buildings that wasn’t leveled by the January 2019 fire. “We need to get back to work,” Marcal CEO Rob Baron said Friday. Marcal’s resumption of operations was made possible through a merger with Lewistown, Pennsylvania-based Nittany Paper Mills. Investigators conducted more than 100 interviews and concluded that the fire started in a building where large rolls of paper were stored, but they have been unable to determine the cause due to the extensive damage. The fire destroyed 30 of 36 buildings as well as Marcal’s familiar red sign visible from Interstate 80. Demolition at the site began last August. About 500 people lost their jobs.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: Police hired a convicted felon and allowed him to continue working in a high-ranking position even after officials learned he had provided a wrong birthdate and Social Security number, city records show. Documents obtained by KOAT-TV through an open records request show that Amir Chapel was hired in April as the department’s policy and compliance manager. The position, which paid $72,000 a year, was created to make sure police followed the city’s settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice involving use of excessive force. A department memo and court records show Chapel had been convicted of forgery in Texas, misuse of a credit card in Illinois and robbery in California. Under Albuquerque personnel rules, applicants are ineligible for city employment if they make a false statement on applications or if they have a prior felony conviction involving “moral turpitude.”

New York

Albany: The New York State Bar Association is endorsing the legalization of recreational marijuana, as state lawmakers consider proposals this session to legalize the drug. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has put forward legislation to legalize marijuana in the state. Under the governor’s proposal, sales to retail dispensaries would be taxed at 20%, and people could have 1 ounce of marijuana before getting in trouble. A separate proposal, backed by Democrats in the Legislature, would permit people to have to have 3 ounces of marijuana. The legislation would set one of the largest limits for legal marijuana possession in the nation. The bar association on Friday announced that it supports legalizing adult recreational marijuana. The association also said it approved a report that outlined various recommendations for how the state should address the issue.

North Carolina

Raleigh: From interstate improvements to turn lanes, the state’s Department of Transportation is asking residents to advise which projects they want funded over the next 10 years. A statewide public comment period to submit ideas continues through Feb. 28 for the 10-year transportation plan for 2023-2032. Residents can send project suggestions in a short, interactive survey found on the 2023-2032 STIP website. Projects can be for any type of transportation, including highway, aviation, bicycle, pedestrian, ferries, rail and public transportation. The comment period is not for maintenance, such as patching potholes. In addition, a three-day open house will be held Tuesday through Thursday during regular business hours at DOT’s Division Five headquarters in Durham for in-person input about potential projects in Wake, Durham, Franklin, Person, Granville, Vance and Warren counties.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A pipeline spill of oil-field wastewater in northwestern North Dakota has affected more cropland than originally reported. State environmental scientist Bill Suess said regulators were notified last month of the 8,400-gallon pipeline leak in Renville County. The pipeline is operated by Texas-based Cobra Oil and Gas. Regulators initially said about 1,000 square feet of cropland was affected. The landowner, Sherwood resident Allan Engh, said people involved in the cleanup of the site told him the brine could have contaminated as much as 400,000 square feet of soil. Suess told the Bismarck Tribune that estimate could be accurate, but the official number is not yet known. “We know it’s bigger; we know it’s impacting a very large area,” Suess said. He said the spill of produced water happened 2 miles north of Sherwood and within a mile of the U.S.-Canada border. The cause of the pipeline leak is unknown.

Ohio

Cincinnati: Fiona, the hippopotamus heartthrob at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, apparently made a mess of her Super Bowl prediction Thursday. Zookeepers placed two “enrichment” toys in front of her, marked with the logos of the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. While the plan called for Fiona to nudge one of the items with her snout to indicate her pick, she instead chose to lose her leafy green lunch on the Chiefs’ item, WLWT-TV reports. Fiona’s premature birth three years ago drew international attention. She has since grown to 1,200 pounds, roughly the weight of four NFL offensive linemen. It’s the third year she has handicapped the Super Bowl, correctly picking the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the New England Patriots in 2018 but missing on the Los Angeles Rams upsetting the Patriots in 2019.

Oklahoma

Norman: A judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the University of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents of negligence in its handling of a sexual harassment case. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman ruled Thursday that the case filed by Levi Hilliard involves a “mixed question of law and facts” that should be decided in future legal proceedings, The Norman Transcript reports. Balkman, however, did dismiss a portion of the lawsuit that sought punitive damages against the university. Hilliard, a former server at a university restaurant, says former OU Vice President Jim “Tripp” Hall III made sexual advances toward him on multiple occasions. He says Hall “patted him on the buttocks” during the fall 2017 semester and pinched his nipples at the university club where Hilliard worked.

Oregon

Portland: The city has agreed to pay an African American couple $120,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit that contended a police officer pulled them over and then broke the key off in the ignition, leaving them stranded. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports city officials settled the suit Friday with Claudius and Daynelle Banks. Officer Christian Berge said he pulled the couple over in March 2015 at 2 a.m. for drifting into oncoming traffic. Attorneys for the Banks said Berge never filed a report or conducted a field sobriety test. Berge said he didn’t have time or backup support to process a drunken driving arrest, so he gave the Banks a warning and allowed them to walk home. Berge said he accidentally broke the key off not in the ignition but in the driver’s door lock. He denied searching the vehicle. Court documents say Berge had approached the vehicle and ordered, “Get your black (expletive) out of the car.”

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: A judge put a freeze on a new state police policy regarding sales of partially manufactured gun frames that can be made into working pistols and rifles. Commonwealth Court Judge Kevin Brobson issued the preliminary injunction Friday, about three weeks after state police provided guidance to gun dealers about how to perform background checks for sales of what are often called 80% receivers or unassembled “ghost guns.” Brobson said the plaintiffs, businesses that manufacture and sell the gun frames, have raised a legitimate question about whether the state police policy is too vague. He said he would be open to revisiting the scope of his injunction, depending on what state police does in response. State police announced last month that gun dealers must call the state gun-purchase background check system for sales of the 80% receivers and are not permitted to simply use the online system.

Rhode Island

Providence: A bill would require safety barriers or netting on bridges that connect islands to the state’s mainland. If made into law, the barriers would be required for three bridges that connect Aquidneck and Conanicut islands to the Rhode Island mainland – Mount Hope Bridge, the Claiborne Pell Bridge and the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge – by Jan. 1, 2022, in an effort to prevent suicides. Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr., D-Warwick, introduced the legislation. He described the problem as “frequent” and said in a statement that Portsmouth Police responded to Mount Hope Bridge 36 times last year. Between 2010 and 2018, there were 27 suicide deaths from the three bridges, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority already has prevention measures in place, including a surveillance system that allows authorities to act quickly.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state’s military museum covers 250 years of artifacts and stories of brave soldiers fighting for their country, from the Revolutionary War to the ongoing conflict Afghanistan. But the museum’s official name – the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum – is stuck in the four years South Carolinians didn’t fight for the U.S. And when anything involving the Confederacy comes up, it drags on fundraising and admissions, Executive Director Allen Roberson says. When recently working on renewing its national accreditation, the American Alliance of Museums Accreditation said the museum could make it easier on itself by eliminating “Confederate” from its name. Roberson has his own reason for suggesting the change. “The name right now is too long. And what do you think about when you hear ‘relic’? I prefer ‘artifacts,’ ” he says, suggesting a relic would be a small bottle of sand from a desert battle, while an artifact would be the pen a president used to sign a declaration of war.

South Dakota

Rapid City: Tribal police have taken over law enforcement duties from the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Tribal Police Chief Robert Ecoffey told the Rapid City Journal said the tribe wasn’t getting “enough resources in terms of manpower” from the BIA. The move is allowed under the 1975 Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act, which allows tribes to manage federal programs that affect their communities. Charles Addington, director of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, said the agency supports the move. Tribal officers will take control of the BIA’s $1.3 million budget, property, equipment and responsibilities, which include investigating higher-level crimes on the reservation, Addington said. Ecoffey said the BIA allocates nine positions to the reservation, and nine of his officers have now been promoted to detective.

Tennessee

Nashville: The state’s Department of Environment and Conservation on Thursday announced that Dunbar Cave State Park has been selected as the 2019 Tennessee State Park of the Year. The agency says Dunbar Cave State Park – which encompasses 144 acres – is the site of significant prehistoric Mississippian Native American cave art, as well as a prehistoric site for part of the Eastern Woodlands. Over the past two years, the staff has transformed Dunbar Cave State Park by redeveloping cave tours to be more engaging. Research performed by park staffers resulted in new discoveries of Mississippian art and rare Cherokee written symbols that represent syllables. “Dunbar Cave State Park represents some of the highest qualities of our state parks system,” Deputy Commissioner Jim Bryson says. “It takes a lot to stand out among the work of our 56 state parks, and we are proud of the work that has been done at Dunbar Cave.”

Texas

Dallas: More than a dozen police officers have been disciplined for making offensive statements on social media, including posts that were bigoted or made light of police violence. The city’s police department announced Thursday that 13 officers whose posts violated department policy would receive punishments ranging from a written reprimand to unpaid suspension. Two more cases are still being reviewed, and one officer resigned, the department said in a statement and memo on the disciplinary measures. The officers can appeal their punishments. “It is imperative that we operate with the highest level of ethics and integrity to ensure that the public is confident in the legitimacy of who we are as a law enforcement agency,” Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall said. The officer’s posts were among thousands identified by researchers with the Plain View Project as potentially undermining public confidence in police departments around the country.

Utah

Brigham City: A 9-year-old boy is in stable condition after accidentally shooting himself in the head, authorities say. Brigham City Police Department responded to the call Thursday just after 5 p.m., authorities said. The boy was taken to Brigham City Community Hospital but was later transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, authorities said. An investigation is ongoing. The accidental shooting occurred just hours after a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the head while playing with a gun in his home in Murray, about 65 miles south of Brigham City, authorities say. Police believe the 3-year-old boy was awake before his parents and another sibling and used a chair to reach a handgun that was sitting on a kitchen cabinet, officer Kenny Bass told the Deseret News.

Vermont

Montpelier: Republican Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a paid family and medical leave bill, saying it would have worsened economic inequity in the state. Scott said Friday that he will move forward with a voluntary program that doesn’t rely on a mandatory $29 million payroll tax. “For years, Vermonters have made it clear they don’t want, nor can they afford, new broad-based taxes,” he said in a statement. “We cannot continue to make the state less affordable for working Vermonters and more difficult for employers to employ them – even for well-intentioned programs like this one.” Democratic legislative leaders expressed disappointment about the veto. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said the bill represented significant movement toward Scott’s position, but the governor was unwilling to compromise.

Virginia

Tazewell: A rescued puppy is helping lighten the stressful days of the dispatchers at a 911 center. The puppy’s former owners surrendered the 8-week-old lab mix to the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, and dispatchers fell in love, WVNS-TV reports. “A lot of people don’t realize how stressful this job can be,” Edwinna Cecil told the station. “If we have a bad call, you can’t be upset when you see something this precious. It helps calm everybody down. The whole atmosphere has changed since he’s been here.” As the official 911 dispatcher service dog, he will not only provide emotional support but also be an ambassador for 911, attending events and visiting schools. Dispatchers are asking the public to help name the puppy. People can vote on the sheriff’s office Facebook page for their favorite or four proposed names – Mischief, Rookie, Taser or Creed. Votes will be counted Monday afternoon.

Washington

Richland: Energy Northwest is considering whether there is a need and regional interest for adding a small modular nuclear reactor system near the Tri-Cities – Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. Energy Northwest already operates the only commercial nuclear power reactor in the Northwest, Columbia Generating Station near Richland, in addition to small solar and hydroelectric projects and a wind farm. The public agency currently generates the electricity for more than 1.5 million customers in Washington state. Now it plans to spend up to $2 million to look at the feasibility of small modular reactors that might be added near its existing reactor. The study will look at the electricity that will be needed in the Northwest in coming decades and where it will come from.

West Virginia

Charleston: The state may soon require the speedy testing and collection of rape kits under a bill passed by the House of Delegates on Friday. Lawmakers approved the proposal by a unanimous vote of 96-0 without debate. It now moves to the Senate for consideration. The bill comes amid a national push to clear backlogs of the kits. More than 20 states have approved bills to require submission guidelines or kit audits in the past two years, according to the advocacy group End The Backlog. The measure would require the kits to be submitted to the state police’s forensic lab within 30 days or as soon as possible after collection. It would also allow for the creation of a tracking process of the kits and would require a court order before law enforcement could dispose of the examinations.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: The city’s first brewery since Prohibition, Sprecher Brewing, was sold Friday to a group of local investors. Sprecher Brewing is credited with jump-starting the craft beer age in Milwaukee when Randy Sprecher and business partner James Bubolz opened shop in 1985, with $40,000 and a hand-built brew kettle. Sprecher Brewing is metro Milwaukee’s longest-running craft brewery. Sharad Chadha, former vice president for GE Medical and an executive with Samsung, will be the brewery’s CEO. Milwaukee native and entrepreneur Andy Nunemaker will be chairman of the board, and Jim Kanter, the former general manager for MilllerCoors, will also be on the leadership team. “Nothing is really going to change for our partners and suppliers and things like that,” brewery president Jeff Hamilton said Friday. Chadha said the goal is to make Sprecher a national craft beverage producer.

Wyoming

Casper: The headdress worn by a Native leader is returning to the tribe after he gave it to a non-Native dentist living in the state, tribal leaders said. The Northern Arapaho Tribe held a ceremony Saturday to welcome the headdress of Chief Black Coal, who guided many to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming in the 19th century, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Coal gave his headdress to a dentist who would often travel to the reservation to provide dental care, officials said. The great-grandson of that dentist contacted the tribe last year asking if the tribe wanted the headdress back, tribal leaders said. The Tribal Historic Preservation office accepted the offer, and descendants of Coal traveled to Massachusetts to retrieve the 140-year-old headdress, officials said.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports