Detroit Rising: Life after bankruptcy

Matthew Dolan, Susan Tompor and John Gallagher

Detroit Free Press

The City of Detroit has more than enough cash to pay its daily bills. Thousands of busted streetlights have been replaced. City retirees still receive pension checks, and valuable paintings remain ensconced in the gilded halls of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

That's the good news. But a year after a federal judge approved a cost-cutting and reinvestment plan in the nation's largest-ever municipal bankruptcy case, Detroit's financial future still hangs in the balance.

Among the greatest concerns: a multibillion-dollar pension bill that starts coming due in less than a decade.

The city is on the hook to make a balloon pension payment estimated at more than $100 million in 2024 alone. But if the pension investments do not perform as anticipated, the bill could be significantly higher.

So far, the early returns for the investments since the bankruptcy are falling short. City officials and their watchdogs are already considering paying more into funds much sooner than prescribed by the city's bankruptcy exit plan confirmed only a year ago. It's unclear how Detroit would foot the bill.

On Nov. 7, 2014, federal bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes gave a green light for Detroit's government to cut more than $7 billion in unsecured liabilities and pour $1.4 billion over 10 years into basic services to rehabilitate the city reeling from a decades-long population exodus, disinvestment and cash drain. At one time, the city's liabilities were estimated at more than $18 billion before creditors and pension holders took a financial haircut.

It was officially known as a plan of adjustment. In reality, it amounted to Detroit's second chance.

Some, especially retirees, remain embittered by pension cutbacks. But those who designed and approved the plan praise the city's hard-fought decisions forged in bankruptcy as a financial reckoning years overdue.

"I think the early indicators exceeded our expectations," former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr said in an interview late last month.

Orr, a seasoned corporate bankruptcy lawyer, became the city's viceroy in March 2013, ushering Detroit into a rare Chapter 9 bankruptcy and commanding the city through months of tense negotiations to clean up the balance sheet before leaving office late last year at the bankruptcy's conclusion.

Since then, trying to tear down thousands of blighted homes and commercial buildings while improving city services including public safety have been expensive and slow ordeals. Fixing the city's high poverty rate, unemployment and poorly performing schools were largely left out of the bankruptcy process despite impeding the city's revival.

Many acknowledge it's tough to come up with a complete report card on the city's bankruptcy plan after less than a year. But in an interview, Rhodes, the case's presiding judge, echoed Orr's early assessment: "My impression is that the city is actually doing better at this point in time than we had projected during the bankruptcy case."

Detroit's bond rating up, but at a cost

The city officially quit bankruptcy in December 2014, essentially capping the nation's largest Chapter 9 case, which raced through court after the city almost ran out of money, stopped paying its pension bills and filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2013.

Leading architects of the city's restructuring have been lauded with awards for their work. At least three books are in the works on the case and its 24-day trial featuring dozens of witnesses, thousands of exhibits and average Detroit residents saying no to Orr's sweeping restructuring plan. But many others, including some of the city's leading business and philanthropic leaders, cheered the end to the city's financial crisis despite the costs.

Until this summer, when Hillview, Ky., population 8,000, filed for Chapter 9 protection, no one dared follow in Detroit's costly footsteps. The city alone spent $165 million in fees for an army of lawyers and consultants.

"We certainly know many people were hurt during the bankruptcy, but what would have been the alternative and how would they have been hurt under the alternative?" said Michigan Treasurer Nick Khouri, who now chairs the city's financial oversight commission created during the bankruptcy.

Modern-day soothsayers once envisioned doomsday scenarios for Detroit: The city would be trapped in bankruptcy court for years. Defaulting on the city's debt would ripple throughout the municipal bond market. Detroit would be unable to borrow from creditors again.

None came true.

Indeed, some of the city's largest creditors and most fierce courtroom opponents took financial stakes in the city's future by taking over city parking garages and securing redevelopment rights to landmark properties such as Joe Louis Arena. A $245-million bond offering to finance reinvestment in city services this summer came at a premium for the city, but it also benefited investment grade from rating agencies for a city once seen as junk status.

Part of bankruptcy's legacy has been a turn to a more regional approach to the city's problems. Detroit is scheduled to transfer management of its water and sewerage department to a new regional authority on Jan. 1 as a byproduct of the city's bankruptcy.

Generally, most city revenue streams appear on track or better than expected, but progress on revamping and revving up city government remains a long slog with some delays in key initiatives such as hiring police officers, according to documents and interviews.

The city's dysfunctional and embarrassing street-lighting system is nearly overhauled, and the greater downtown seems to be taking off with new development. Local business titans Dan Gilbert and Mike Ilitch continue to reinvest in the city's core by spending hundreds of millions of dollars to re-create neighborhoods where their employees and others can live, work and play.

There is also palpable optimism as outside investors, including some of the nation's largest foundations and leading businesses — from the Ford Foundation to JPMorgan Chase to India-based Sakthi Automotive — flock to double down on Detroit's future.

Some residents in neighborhoods, however, wonder whether the new, good times will trickle onto their streets with new development and new jobs. Some have coined the phrase "Two Detroits" to describe a disconnect between eye-popping redevelopment in greater downtown and entrenched challenges in some of Detroit's fragile neighborhoods. Detroit remains one of the nation's most crime-ridden cities despite declining violent crime in 2014, according to FBI statistics.

Dilapidated and abandoned buildings littered across the city's 139 square miles remain just one of the city's many urban ills.

"I think the city's off to a very good start in removing blight, but it's a moving target," said John Mogk, a longtime law professor at Wayne State University who specializes in land and development issues. "As vacant buildings are removed, other vacant buildings crop up because of the rash of tax and mortgage foreclosures that are ongoing."

As a result, Mogk said, the initial expectations of eliminating blight in as little as five years were over-optimistic. More realistic, he said, is to think of ridding blight over a 10-year period.

'What we have here is a minimal city'

When the bankruptcy started, the city faced furious opposition from retirees, unions and financial creditors, making an amicable and speedy resolution appear unlikely. The city eventually reached settlements with all its major creditors, including retirees, unions, bondholders, bond insurers and banks. A fire sale of the city's art collection worth billions was prevented.

Today, the city has seen some dividends to a peaceful resolution to an urban crisis that some feared would end in unrest. Detroit continues to lose residents but at a much slower clip, with about 1% moving out between 2013 and 2014, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau in April. Some officials inside city government believe the city's population decline may have finally reached bottom this year.

Peter J. Hammer, director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University in Detroit, has doubts about a true rebound. He argues that the city has so far failed to reconcile the exuberance over the growing investment in downtown and Midtown Detroit while many in the city's neighborhoods have only seen limited gains in improved services.

"What we have here is a minimal city," he said, adding that municipal amenities across the city's borders remain far superior to city life. "A whole range of services from recreation to public health to neighborhood improvement are not available in the same ways that they are available if you just cross 8 Mile."

A better balance sheet, with challenges ahead

When asked for evaluations of the city's progress, many city and state leaders first point to the reform of the city's balance sheet.

"I think that's a strong statement right there," Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who authorized the city's bankruptcy, said in an interview Friday. "They show forecasts that they continue to balance budgets."

There are signs, so far, of a substantial recovery, according to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Buses meet posted schedules for the first time in two decades, police and ambulance response times have been significantly reduced, according to the mayor. More than 7,000 blighted homes have been torn down in the last 18 months.

The mayor who took office when an emergency manager still ruled the city also points to significant business reinvestment in the city and major new housing developments set for the riverfront, the new Red Wings arena district and Brush Park.

"We've got jobs coming back, and we're feeling good," Duggan said in an interview last week.

Even with the city now expected to bring in more revenue than expected in its current fiscal year, Duggan said there are still significant financial challenges ahead. At the top of the list are boosting the city's income tax collections and preparing for the significant payment that the city must make nine years from now to the city's general pension fund.

Thanks to rebounding real estate prices in neighborhoods across the city, property tax revenues are up, but income tax collections are coming in below projections, Duggan said.

"We're OK for now, but if we don't deal with that, it will become an issue," he said.

Duggan is working with lawmakers in Lansing on a bill to require suburban employers to withhold Detroit city income taxes on Detroiters who work in the suburbs.

"That's the biggest threat to the plan of adjustment: the inability to collect income taxes on Detroiters who work in the suburbs," Duggan said.

'It's not only a grand bargain, but a grand bet'

The centerpiece of the bankruptcy blueprint was the so-called grand bargain, an $816-million investment by the State of Michigan, some of the nation's leading foundations and the Detroit Institute of Arts to preserve the city-owned art museum collection in exchange for helping to pay down the city's crushing employee pension debt.

After emerging from the shadow of the city's bankruptcy, the DIA hit its $100-million fund-raising goal for the grand bargain earlier this year. Housed in a beaux-arts-style building along Woodward Avenue lined with Picassos and signature Diego Rivera murals, the world-class museum is expanding its statewide programming as part of its grand-bargain obligations.

The museum has also turned its attention back to building a $400-million endowment to replace the $23 million in annual operating support provided by a tri-county property tax until the year 2023.

Despite the grand bargain's success, the future of the city's pension funds, whose investments performed below expectations in the first year after bankruptcy, remains worrisome.

"It's not only a grand bargain, but a grand bet," said James Spiotto, one of the nation's leading experts on municipal bankruptcy. The managing director of Chapman Strategic Advisors in Chicago noted that the city is largely absolved of its obligation to pay into the pension system for a 10-year period but "projecting 10 years out is quite difficult, so I think they are going to have to pay attention to that."

City retirees now 'taking on water'

At stake is the future of retirees like Sonia Moore, 71, who left her job with the city in 1989 after an illness and went on disability. Despite the underfunding in the pension system, Moore said her friend still wonders about whether she and other retirees might see cuts to their pensions restored.

"She said, 'You think they're going to give us our money back?' " Moore recalled. "I said, 'Yeah, when hell freezes over.' "

Under the plan, general pensioners were hit with 4.5% cuts on their monthly checks, the elimination of annual cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increases, and a clawback in excessive interest from annuity savings. Police and fire pensioners saw a reduction only in their COLA increases. Without the grand bargain, the cuts would have been much worse, city leaders said.

More than 25,000 retirees and active city workers, including police and fire, are covered by both the General Retirement System and the police and fire system, according to the pension system's latest data. Pension fund officials interviewed last week said the idea of restoring cuts to pensioners as spelled out in the city's bankruptcy plan in great detail is not likely in the near term.

Many days, retirees say they fear that they've been forgotten while they struggle to move forward after the bankruptcy forced them to make changes in their own lives. The first cuts to monthly pensions hit checks April 1. But the new added cost of health care coverage — which added another $300 a month to $600 a month for coverage for some retirees — cut even deeper into family budgets.

City retiree Dave Nelson, 64, who lives in Lowell outside of Grand Rapids, said the city's bankruptcy has moved off the radar and has been forgotten by many people who aren't connected to the city.

"It's like it never happened," Nelson said.

An EMS captain for the Fire Department, Nelson was part of the city's General Retirement System, which faced deeper cuts than police and fire retirees. He said he personally pays $700 a month more now for health care coverage. His pension check was also cut by 4.5% each month, like other retirees. He lost about $25,000 in the clawback.

Nelson says he still has a good pension of about $4,200 a month, which sounds like a lot, he says. But he has property taxes, medical expenses and other costs to cover. Too often, the family has pulled out charge cards over the year and let credit card debt build.

"I was living within my means when I retired," said Nelson, who retired in 2005. "We've got a slow leak. We're taking on water."

Going back to work after pension cuts

In some cases, retirees in their late 50s and early 60s say they went back to work to deal with higher health care costs once covered in large part by the city. The extra costs of obtaining insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace can eat up an extra $300 to $600 per person for a retiree under age 65, according to financial advisers.

"I went in fighting," said Shirley V. Lightsey, president of a retiree association for the general city retirees. "I was ready to go to the (U.S.) Supreme Court." She said that she went into the bankruptcy thinking that the city's retirees should never approve cuts to their pension checks at all. Two-thirds of the city's retirees are age 65 and over with an average pension $19,000 a year, she said.

But she changed her mind and turned around to support the retiree cuts because she realized the cuts were necessary. Voting yes also meant that the cuts would be smaller because of the grand bargain. And if the issue went to the U.S. Supreme Court, some retirees wouldn't live to benefit from a resolution.

"At some point, you just have to resolve the issue in your brain," Lightsey said.

Sound the alarm bells, or is it too early to tell?

Even after the cuts, city officials, including the mayor, say the remaining pension obligation looms large.

Early returns since the bankruptcy are not especially encouraging. The city's two pension funds reported rates of return on its investments of less than 4% in the first half of the year, mirroring a poorly performing market. The General Retirement System covering most city retirees, for example, posted a 2.7% return for the six months ending June 30.

Fiscal year 2015 for the General Retirement System fund with a market value today of $2 billion could be worse. It "will likely show an investment loss," leading to an expected decline in the system's funding status, according to an Oct. 27 actuarial report commissioned by the fund. The latest figures show the General Retirement System has a funding level of 62.5%.

Those funding-level figures assume city will earn 6.75% return on its investments in the coming decades. But if the return is lower — say 4.29%, or the equivalent of the current long-term municipal bond rate — the funding level drops to less than 50%, according to an analysis last month by the actuarial firm Gabriel Roeder Smith & Co. for the General Retirement System. That could also push the final bill for city taxpayers much higher.

A similar report prepared for the city's police and fire department employees and retirees is not publicly available because it has not yet been approved by the pension board, a spokesman said.

City officials and pension fund experts say one year's lagging performance is not enough to sound major alarm bells. They note that the city has time to make up ground financially in future years.

But others, including the expert assigned to assess the feasibility of Detroit's bankruptcy plan, worry that low returns, especially in the early years, could mean the payments still owed by the city will have to increase when it resumes its funding of the system. The city is already on the hook to pay its largest pension fund $118 million in 2024 even if the funds met projected investment returns, one recent pension analysis found.

"There was really no Plan B if it doesn't work," said Martha Kopacz, who analyzed the plan for Rhodes and now consults for the city's financial review commission. "People just get tired of me chirping about this, but this is a really big number."

Can Detroit grow its way out of a pension problem?

As part of the bankruptcy, the pension systems lowered their annual expected growth rate to 6.75% from 7.9%, a move that puts the system at the conservative end of expected returns at other major public pension programs, officials said. But Eric Scorsone, professor and director of the center for local government finance at Michigan State University, said even the lower city's assumed rate of return of 6.75% could be a challenge to achieve.

"To be quite frank, what they're using is still pretty high," said Scorsone, who participated in the city's revenue-estimating conference in September.

The issue of pension bills no matter the rate of return has already attracted the attention of the city's financial review commission set up during the bankruptcy as a watchdog over Detroit finances.

At a meeting late last month, financial review commission member Darrell Burks, a former senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said, "We need to be prepared — whatever the number is — to accept the reality that it's going to be a substantial amount in 2024." He estimates an adjustment in the upcoming city budget "somewhere between $100 to $200 million to accommodate this problem."

That's because original forecasts submitted in the bankruptcy case showed the city paying roughly $92 million into the pension funds between now through 2024 plus help of the grand bargain.

But in 2024, pension payments made by the city alone could explode in subsequent decades. The city's pension payments between 2024 and 2034 are expected to be roughly $1 billion, forecasts produced by Orr's staff show. The debt owed by the city remains at about $900 million between the years 2034 and 2044. Finally, between the years 2044 and 2054, the payments reduce to about $629 million, according to the 40-year projection submitted as part of the bankruptcy. No updated and comprehensive forecast has been completed by the pension funds since the bankruptcy.

City officials hope that Detroit's population and tax base will be growing by 2024, increasing its ability to pay off its pension debt without blowing a hole in its budget.

Should Detroit prepay pensions?

Still, there is already talk about trying to prepay some of that obligation well before 2024 to offset the risk of a balloon payment envisioned by the bankruptcy plan.

In an Oct. 27 report from Gabriel Roeder to the city's largest pension board of trustees, the firm's actuaries recommended "that every potential action be taken to generate contributions to the Retirement System above and beyond those provided in the" bankruptcy plan of adjustment.

The city plans to hire a consultant to examine whether the assumptions about pension payments made during the bankruptcy still hold true and could explore the idea of prepayments.

"The decisions to be made on what can be done on pensions would have to go through the budget process," Detroit Chief Financial Officer John Hill told the commission last month. "The consultant would perform actuarial work — take a detailed look at assumptions, which are appropriate for the city to consider moving forward. The time period is as soon as possible so we can start thinking about a solution."

The message is finding a receptive audience among some charged with keeping the city on track.

"The sooner you can sock away money, the more that pot will grow to meet the identified challenges down the road," Bill Martin, the financial review commission's vice chairman and the former athletic director at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said in an interview last week.

Removing blight and installing streetlights

The $1.4-billion reinvestment initiative called for in the bankruptcy plan included $483 million in anticipated new revenues drawn from higher bus fares and improved tax collection. The city also projected $358 million in cost savings from establishing a more efficient city government, which could theoretically make the reinvestment plan $1.7 billion over 10 years.

But ramping up reinvestment in the city over the last year has been a massive challenge.

John Hill, Detroit's financial chief, describes the city's budgeting process as deliberately cautious, with stricter rules for each city department now to meet financial goals. So, for example, rather than simply buying new police cars, the city also budgets four years out on what it will cost to maintain and repair those vehicles so that those costs don't come back to bite the city, Hill said.

Some efforts have outpaced expectations. A $185-million project to overhaul and modernize Detroit's antiquated street-lighting system is on budget and ahead of schedule with more than 56,000 new LED streetlights installed of the planned 65,000, officials say.

The project, scheduled to conclude in late 2016, is headed up by the newly created Public Lighting Authority of Detroit. Many residents say they are pleasantly surprised to see working lights in their neighborhoods, although work crews did add several hundred extra and unplanned lights this year in response to complaints about dimness.

"The lights are coming back on," said U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen, the Detroit-based chief judge in the state's Eastern District who appointed Rhodes to the case and then led the marathon mediation sessions that ended with agreements between the city and its major creditors. "All these new young kids moving back to Detroit, it really creates a sense of optimism and momentum."

Other efforts have remained more slow-going.

In the early days of Detroit's bankruptcy case, Orr estimated that Detroit could have as much as $500 million to battle blight over 10 years. Visions of a blight-free Detroit briefly raised expectations.

But as more realistic estimates of future revenue emerged, projections of the cash for blight removal began to shrink. By the time the city emerged from bankruptcy, it was clear that the funds for blight removal would be only what Mayor Duggan could wrangle from outsiders, particularly from the federal government.

In that Detroit proved adept: The city has snared roughly $121 million in so-called Hardest Hit funds to pay for blight removal, federal money designed to assist cities in overcoming the scourge of mortgage foreclosure.

That money has enabled the city to raze about 7,000 derelict houses since early 2014. Enough money remains from the latest batch of Hardest Hit funds to remove another 1,000 to 1,500.

Recent controversy over the price of demolitions — the city's rush to supercharge the demolition process has pushed up costs — obscures how much progress the city has made in a short time. Duggan empowered the Detroit Land Bank Authority, previously a small and mostly ineffective agency with a handful of employees and a couple hundred parcels, to lead his blight fight.

Moving aggressively, the Land Bank, now with 93 full- and part-time employees and nearly 80,000 parcels in the city, has auctioned and closed the sale of 527 houses to new owners and sold 2,655 vacant side lots to current homeowners, according to city figures provided last week. It also posted 5,133 eyesore properties with notices of coming action and filed 3,246 lawsuits against the owners of those properties, with more than half of those cases already resolved in the city's favor.

Executive Fire Commissioner Eric Jones said blight removal has been crucial to reducing the number of fires.

"If you remove 7,000 blighted, vacant structures, that is fuel that arsonists don't have to burn," Jones said. "It's gone."

But much more remains to be done.

With roughly 100,000 vacant lots in the city and tens of thousands of vacant buildings, the city could labor for years at its current stepped-up pace before ridding the city of all eyesores. And there's no guarantee the city will have anywhere near the funds it needs to keep up the blight battle beyond next spring or so.

Progress on reforms, but will they stick?

Consultants and the expert witness Rhodes hired to assess the plan's feasibility also raised questions about the ability of the city's workforce to adjust, saying large numbers of workers and even managers lack skills and education needed for their roles. Part of the city's plan of adjustment calls for spending millions on training and retraining workers, in addition to an overhaul of the city's human resources operations.

Detroit in recent decades has also been far behind the digital revolution in other places, relying on paper records and obsolete computers to handle the city's business.

Last winter, frozen and broken water hydrants plagued firefighters battling blazes in the city. An antiquated reporting-and-maintenance system, based on paper records and e-mails, caused delays and communication lapses between the Fire Department and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which is supposed to fix hydrants.

Today, firefighters have smartphones to report troublesome hydrants to a system monitored by the water department.

Chief Information Officer Beth Niblock, whom Duggan hired during the bankruptcy from a similar post in Louisville, Ky., said 2,000 desktop computers have been replaced since the spring.

Perhaps most noticeable to the public, four new mobile applications were launched to assist people in reporting problems to the city, connecting to the Police Department, monitoring buses and paying for parking at meters. With the "ParkDetroit" app, users can pay for a space with a credit card, add time and set the system to sound an alert when the meter is about to expire.

Niblock said she has much to do, including implementing a new financial management system, a dispatching system for public safety, and fitting police officers with body cameras.

"We're making progress," she said. "It's never, I think, as fast as we all want it to be."

'I gave it my all,' but had to move out

Day-to-day life is now a little easier for Jerald Gossett, 33, who used to walk 10 minutes out of his way to get to a grocery store because of the dim and often broken streetlights along multiple blocks of Second Avenue, north of the New Center.

"You wouldn't want to walk down here before; it was pitch black," said Gossett, who lives on Euclid.

This year, work crews finally upgraded those streetlights, and he no longer avoids Second Avenue. It is now one of the brightest streets at night in all Detroit.

"I can walk straight down here and get home faster," he said last week, full grocery bags in hand.

In his ruling a year ago, Judge Rhodes determined the city's exit plan treats creditors fairly and gives the city a feasible chance of returning to solvency and restoring basic services for neglected residents.

Not all of them stayed, however. Toni McIlwain, who used to run the Ravendale Community Development Center on the east side, moved out of the city because her husband's city pension got cut by $400 a month.

They moved to Clinton Township, where she says they're paying $200 a month to insure two cars, as opposed to $1,000 a month in the city.

She says she "cried and cried" when they realized they had to move, but the numbers just didn't work. Also, the pension cuts for her husband "stole his dignity," McIlwain says. Her home of 16 years was lost in foreclosure when a potential buyer died after agreeing to buy the home on East Outer Drive, according to the former community activist.

"I gave it my all," McIlwain says after spending 32 years trying to keep kids out of harm's way and improving life over a 40-block section near the city airport through dozens of block clubs.

But many longtime Detroiters like McIlwain find it hard to give up on the hardscrabble city they grew to love.

"Even now, I get this feeling, I really belong in Detroit," she says. "I'm thinking, 'Is there a possibility I'll be back there someday?'"

Contact Matthew Dolan: 313-223-4743 or msdolan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @matthewsdolan. Free Press staff writers Jim Schaefer, John Wisely, JC Reindl, Matt Helms, Joe Guillen, Mark Stryker and Gina Damron contributed to this report.

Inflation Reduction Act: Senate passes Democrats' sweeping health ...

CNN —

The Senate on Sunday afternoon passed Democrats’ $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill, in a significant victory for President Joe Biden and his party.

The final, party-line vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie. The package is the product of painstaking negotiations, and its final passage would give Democrats a chance to achieve major policy objectives ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

The Democrat-controlled House, which is expected to take up the legislation on Friday, August 12, must approve the bill before Biden can sign it into law.

The sweeping bill – named the Inflation Reduction Act – would represent the largest climate investment in US history and make major changes to health policy by giving Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs and extending expiring health care subsidies for three years. The legislation would reduce the deficit, be paid for through new taxes – including a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% tax on stock buybacks – and boost the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to collect.

It would raise over $700 billion in government revenue over 10 years and spend over $430 billion to reduce carbon emissions and extend subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and use the rest of the new revenue to reduce the deficit.

Senate Democrats, with a narrow 50-seat majority, stayed unified to pass the legislation, using a special, filibuster-proof process to approve the measure without Republican votes. Final passage came after a marathon series of contentious amendment votes known as a “vote-a-rama” that stretched nearly 16 hours from late Saturday night until Sunday afternoon.

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin told CNN that the legislation he helped write is “a good balanced bill.”

“I think we’ll all benefit from it; the country will,” Manchin told CNN. “We have energy security, that’s what we were looking for. And we have the ability to invest in the energy of the future.”

Biden praised the Senate for passing the bill in a statement Sunday, thanking Democrats in the chamber and touting the legislation’s climate investments and health care provisions.

“Today, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests, voting to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, and everyday energy costs and reduce the deficit, while making the wealthiest corporations finally pay their fair share,” Biden said.

How Senate Democrats passed the bill on a party-line vote

Senate Democrats have long hoped to pass a signature legislative package that would incorporate major agenda items for the party, but struggled for months to reach a deal that gained full support of their caucus.

Manchin played a key role in shaping the legislation – which only moved forward after the West Virginia Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a deal at the end of July, a major breakthrough for Democrats after earlier negotiations had stalled out.

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Thursday night offered critical support after party leaders agreed to change new tax proposals, indicating she would “move forward” on the sweeping economic package.

But Sinema, Manchin and other senators worked through the weekend making crucial alterations on the bill.

To avoid a last-minute collapse of the bill on Sunday, Democrats created a plan to win over Sinema, who was concerned over the 15% corporate minimum tax’s impact on subsidiaries owned by private equity. Senate Democrats accepted a narrower tax proposal, but instead of paying for it through a change to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, as Senate GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota suggested, they instead extended the limitation on the amount of losses that businesses can deduct for another two years.

The change was intended to prevent House Democrats primarily from coastal districts, who have campaigned on repealing limits on the SALT deduction, from breaking from the bill, when they vote on it later this week.

After the bill’s passage in the Senate, Sinema said in a statement it would “help Arizonans build better lives for themselves and their families by lowering prices, making health care more affordable and accessible, and securing Arizona’s water and energy future,” while also “boosting innovation and spurring job creation.”

In a good sign for the bill becoming law, key House Democrats signaled later Sunday that they’ll vote for it despite previous demands over SALT.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey had been part of the “No SALT, no deal” caucus. But he said the bill passes his test because it doesn’t raise individual income tax rates.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, another member of that caucus, echoed his sentiment: “I will also remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that any discussion of reforms to the 2017 tax law begins with addressing SALT. Because this legislation does not raise taxes on families in my district, but in fact significantly lowers their costs, I will be voting for it.”

Republicans used the weekend “vote-a-rama” to put Democrats on the spot and force politically tough votes. They were also successful in removing a key insulin provision to cap the price of insulin to $35 per month on the private insurance market, which the Senate parliamentarian ruled was not compliant with the Senate’s reconciliation rules. The $35 insulin cap for Medicare beneficiaries remains in place.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that the bill included “giant job-killing tax hikes” and amounted to “a war on American fossil fuel.” The Kentucky Republican said Democrats “do not care about middle-class families’ priorities.”

“And their response to the runaway inflation they’ve created is a bill that experts say will not meaningfully cut inflation at all,” said McConnell. “The American people are clear about their priorities. Environmental regulation is a 3% issue. Americans want solutions for inflation, crime, and the border.”

How the bill addresses the climate crisis

While economists disagree over whether the package would, in fact, live up to its name and reduce inflation, particularly in the short term, the bill would have a crucial impact on reducing carbon emissions.

The nearly $370 billion clean energy and climate package is the largest climate investment in US history, and the biggest victory for the environmental movement since the landmark Clean Air Act. It also comes at a critical time; this summer has seen punishing heat waves and deadly floods across the country, which scientists say are both linked to a warming planet.

Analysis from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office – as well as multiple independent analyses – suggests the measure would reduce US carbon emissions by up to 40% by 2030. Strong climate regulations from the Biden administration and action from states would be needed to get to President Joe Biden’s goal of cutting emissions 50% by 2030.

The bill also contains many tax incentives meant to bring down the cost of electricity with more renewables, and spur more American consumers to switch to electricity to power their homes and vehicles.

Lawmakers said the bill represents a monumental victory and is also just the start of what’s needed to combat the climate crisis.

“This isn’t about the laws of politics, this is about the laws of physics,” Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii told CNN. “We all knew coming into this effort that we had to do what the science tells us what we need to do.”

Key health care and tax policy in the bill

The bill would empower Medicare to negotiate prices of certain costly medications administered in doctors’ offices or purchased at the pharmacy. The Health and Human Services secretary would negotiate the prices of 10 drugs in 2026, and another 15 drugs in 2027 and again in 2028. The number would rise to 20 drugs a year for 2029 and beyond.

This controversial provision is far more limited than the one House Democratic leaders have backed in the past. But it would open the door to fulfilling a longstanding party goal of allowing Medicare to use its heft to lower drug costs.

Democrats are also planning to extend the enhanced federal premium subsidies for Obamacare coverage through 2025, a year later than lawmakers recently discussed. That way, they wouldn’t expire just after the 2024 presidential election.

To boost revenue, the bill would impose a 15% minimum tax on the income large corporations report to shareholders, known as book income, as opposed to the Internal Revenue Service. The measure, which would raise $258 billion over a decade, would apply to companies with profits over $1 billion.

Concerned about how this provision would affect certain businesses, particularly manufacturers, Sinema has suggested that she won changes to the Democrats’ plan to pare back how companies can deduct depreciated assets from their taxes. The details remain unclear.

However, Sinema nixed her party’s effort to tighten the carried interest loophole, which allows investment managers to treat much of their compensation as capital gains and pay a 20% long-term capital gains tax rate instead of income tax rates of up to 37%.

The provision would have lengthened the amount of time investment managers’ profit interest must be held from three years to five years to take advantage of the lower tax rate. Addressing this loophole, which would have raised $14 billion over a decade, had been a longtime goal of congressional Democrats.

In its place, a 1% excise tax on companies’ stock buybacks was added, raising another $74 billion, according to a Democratic aide.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

Alex Rogers Clare Foran Ali Zaslav Manu Raju

Disappearing brands: 26 that shut down over the last 10 years

Grant Suneson

24/7 Wall Street

Running a company is never easy, and 2020 was even more challenging, presenting business owners with an unprecedented set of circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to the American economy, with the unemployment rate peaking at 14.7% in April. While unemployment dropped to 6.7% in November, it is still more than 3 percentage points higher than it was prior to the escalation of the pandemic.

With this economic crunch, many struggling companies were forced to seek bankruptcy protection or cease operations altogether. These businesses will join a list of once-prominent brands that, for one reason or another (long before the pandemic), lost profitability and shut down in the past 10 years.

To determine the brands that disappeared between 2011 and 2020, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed press releases, financial filings, and other news sources to find the major corporations that either went completely out of business or ceased the bulk of their operations.

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Many of the companies on this list failed to adapt to changing market forces and lost profits because of it. Retailers that were once successful saw online shopping cut into their sales, even before the pandemic required social distancing.

Though virtually every business faced pandemic-related struggles, few sectors had a harder time getting through 2020 than restaurants. With restrictions on indoor dining and supply chain issues, as well as having to temporarily close due to local health measures, more than 100,000 eateries have closed their doors for good. According to the National Restaurant Association, these closures will affect around one out of every six restaurants in the country. Among these casualties are world famous restaurants all across the country. These are the saddest restaurant closings of 2020.

1. Vine

• Founded in: 2012

• Type of business: Media

Vine was a short-lived but beloved video making app that took the internet by storm in the early 2010s. The app let users make six second videos that looped over and over, often to hilarious effect. Vine was purchased by Twitter in 2012 for $30 million as an easy way for users to shoot and share videos on the social media platform. Many other social media platforms began to offer video services similar to Vine's – specifically Instagram, which also gave creators a longer time limit on videos. Perhaps as a result, Vine usership plummeted, and Twitter discontinued the app in 2016.

2. Pier 1 Imports

• Founded in: 1962

• Type of business: Home goods

Unlike many of the other companies that folded in 2020, Pier 1 Imports was already on its way out long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The home goods retailer filed for bankruptcy in February, following nine straight quarters of declining sales. A few months later, Pier 1 decided to cease all operations and liquidate its assets.

3. Borders

• Founded in: 1971

• Type of business: Retail, books

As Amazon expanded far beyond its initial aim of selling books through the internet, brick-and-mortar book sellers like Borders struggled to keep up. While Borders competitor Barnes and Noble launched its own eBook reader, Borders failed to adapt to shifts in customer preferences and went bankrupt in 2011. The company had nearly $1.3 billion in debt, exceeding the total value of its assets.

4. The Weinstein Company

• Founded in: 2005

• Type of business: Entertainment

After becoming successful in founding Miramax Films, Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob founded film studio The Weinstein Company in 2005. In 2017, the New York Times and The New Yorker magazine published accounts from numerous women accusing Weinstein of rape, sexual harrassment, and unprofessional conduct. Following these revelations, the company bearing Weinstein's name was in a public relations crisis. After an attempted sale fell through, The Weinstein Company declared bankruptcy in early 2018. Lantern Capital eventually won a bidding war for the assets of the company.

5. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

• Founded in: 1884

• Type of business: Entertainment

For nearly 150 years, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus traveled around the country to entertain the masses. Acquired by Feld Entertainment in 1967, the circus began losing its popularity over the past few decades – attendance has reportedly dropped by as much as 50% since the 1990s.

Animal rights activists continuously targeted the circus for its use of creatures like elephants in the show. Feld Entertainment's CEO also noted that audiences seemed to be abandoning the circus due to their shortening attention spans and expanding entertainment options. The high cost of moving the show from city to city eventually made the business model untenable. The circus act performed for the final time in 2017.

6. Sports Authority

• Founded in: 1987

• Type of business: Retail, sports

In 2005, Sports Authority had $2.5 billion in sales across nearly 400 stores. The following year, the Colorado-based sporting goods retailer became a private company after a buyout by a private equity firm. Over the course of the next decade, Sports Authority faced stiff competition not just from online retailers, but also similar businesses like Dicks Sporting Goods. In March 2016, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It initially planned to keep most of its stores open, but eventually decided to shutter all locations. Later that year, Sports Authority's intellectual property was auctioned off for $15 million to its former competitor Dick's Sporting Goods.

7. Theranos

• Founded in: 2003

• Type of business: Health care

Theranos once appeared to be on the verge of revolutionizing the health care industry, but the entire operation turned out to be a sham. CEO Elizabeth Holmes claimed her company was creating a machine that could diagnose a wide range of diseases by analyzing a few drops of blood from a pricked finger. This promising idea earned Theranos a $9 billion valuation. It was later revealed that Theranos was simply testing customers' blood using standard testing devices from other companies. Holmes now faces up to 20 years in prison on nine counts of wire fraud and two conspiracy counts related to defrauding investors, doctors, and patients. The company was dissolved in 2018.

8. Gawker

• Founded in: 2003

• Type of business: Media

Gawker was an incredibly popular gossip blog that spawned a media empire, including specialty sites like Jezebel, io9, Deadspin and Kotaku. It was also one of the most divisive sites on the internet, publishing revealing pieces, frequently outing public figures as gay – including tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Thiel eventually funded a violation of privacy lawsuit filed by pro wrestler Hulk Hogan after Gawker published a sex tape of Hogan without his or his partner's permission. Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, won a $140 million judgement in 2016, which was settled for $31 million. Gawker declared bankruptcy, and the company was put up for auction.

Univision acquired all the brands under the Gawker Media umbrella but shut down Gawker.com itself as the brand could have been a target of further lawsuits. Gawker.com was purchased by Bustle and planned to relaunch in 2019, but after a series of disagreements among staff and management, the relaunch was postponed and the staff laid off.

9. Solyndra

• Founded in: 2005

• Type of business: Tech, solar panels

Solar panel manufacturing company Solyndra was a Silicon Valley darling, raising about $1 billion in venture capital funds and getting a $535 million loan thanks to a U.S. Department of Energy green power initiative. When the company went out of business in 2011, it became the most well-financed flop in U.S. venture capital history. Even though it had $140 million in revenue, the influx of cheaper solar panels put Solyndra out of business in 2011.

10. Dressbarn

• Founded in: 1962

• Type of business: Retail, clothing

Dressbarn was one of many companies that have suffered with the decline of the American mall. A staple at many large malls and shopping centers, Dressbarn offered professional women's clothing at hundreds of locations across the country. In 2019, the company announced it would close down all of its approximately 650 nationwide stores. Dressbarn's CFO said the company was not "operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment."

11. A&P Supermarket

• Founded in: 1859

• Type of business: Grocery store

A&P Supermarket disappeared in 2015 after more than 100 years in business as it could not compete with cheaper grocers like Walmart or higher-end chains like Whole Foods. A&P first went bankrupt in 2010, declaring $2.5 billion in assets and $3.2 billion in debt, before re-establishing itself as a private company two years later. The company again declared bankruptcy in 2015, this time shuttering or selling all of its locations.

12. MoviePass

• Founded in: 2011

• Type of business: Entertainment

MoviePass allowed users to pay a flat monthly fee to see as many movies as they wanted in theaters. According to MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes, its $9.95 price point was simply too low for the business model, which aimed to gain more revenue from the data it could glean from its customers. Spikes said parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics gained so many users after lowering the price, they refused to raise it.

With users seeing millions of dollars worth of movies each month on the company's dime, the model became unsustainable and Helios and Matheson was bleeding cash. The company began imposing restrictions, blacking out certain films, and gained a reputation for poor customer service, driving away users. Finally, in September 2019, MoviePass ceased operations. At one point in 2018, Helios and Matheson stock was worth over $2,000 per share. Now it is worth less than a penny.

13. Modell's

• Founded in:1889

• Type of business: Sporting goods

Modell's was a large sporting goods chain that operated in the northeastern part of the country. After initially planning to shut down just 24 of its stores, the company filed for bankruptcy in February, before the pandemic, and announced plans to close all stores. Modell's executives blamed competition from big box stores and Amazon as well as warmer winters that cut into jacket sales for hurting sales and ultimately causing the stores to close.

14. Teavana

• Founded in: 1997

• Type of business: Retail, tea

Starbucks is the nation's leading coffee seller, and in 2012, the company decided to venture into tea, acquiring Teavana for about $620 million. Many Teavana stores were located in shopping malls, which have experienced a significant decline in foot traffic in recent years. Starbucks decided in 2017 to close all of Teavana's nearly 400 locations.

15. Toys R Us

• Founded in: 1957

• Type of business: Retail, toys

Toys R Us was once a corporate juggernaut, controlling a quarter of the world's toy market with nearly 1,500 stores in the 1990s. The company's fortunes changed in the 21st century. Several private equity firms combined to take Toys R Us private in a $6.6 billion leveraged buyout deal in 2005. The company registered for an IPO in 2010 but withdrew the application in 2013 as sales have been declining. In 2017, Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy, with $5 billion worth of debt. The next year, the company announced plans to close all of its 800 or so remaining stores.

16. Alta Motors

• Founded in: 2010

• Type of business: Vehicles, electric motorbikes

Even as electric cars like Tesla have been taking off, one of the major players in electric motorbikes shut down operations in 2018. Alta Motors had expanded to more than 70 dealerships by 2018, but it failed to maintain a firm financial footing, even though sales had increased 50% in 2018 and reviewers and journalists seemed to be impressed with the product. A potential partnership with Harley-Davidson reportedly fell through, and the company ceased operations in 2018.

17. Vertu

• Founded in: 1998

• Type of business: Tech, phones

Vertu was founded in 1998 by Nokia as a high-end luxury phone maker. Vertu phones were often covered in jewels and other precious metals, costing over $10,000 for even the most basic of models. Nokia spun it off in 2012 to a Swedish private equity group that paid over $200 million for Vertu in 2012. The phones were difficult to sell, in part because of the high price point, but also because the technology itself was inferior to other phones on the market. The company was struggling over the next few years, posting losses of more than $60 million in 2014. Vertu was sold to a Hong Kong-based fund in 2015, then to an exiled Turkish businessman in 2017. That year, it was revealed the company had over $130 million in debt, and it was liquidated.

18. American Apparel

• Founded in: 1989

• Type of business: Retail, clothing

Once a shopping mall staple, there are no more physical American Apparel locations in any of America's malls. At its peak, the company was valued at over $1 billion, and once had over $600 million in sales. But the company filed for bankruptcy in 2015 after failing to turn a profit for six years. The clothing retailer would file for bankruptcy again just over a year later. American Apparel laid off employees and auctioned off its brand and equipment for just $88 million. It now operates as an online-only retailer.

19. Compaq

• Founded in: 1982

• Type of business: Tech, computers

Compaq was once one of the leading computer companies in America and the world overall. After its 1982 founding, the company had experienced tremendous growth, and by 1994, it controlled over 10% of the global computer marketplace. At its peak in 2000, Compaq was worth $40 billion. Yet competitors like Dell were able to eat up much of Compaq's market share by selling directly to customers and allowing customization, while Compaq had distribution deals with retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City. In 2002, Compaq was acquired by HP for $24 billion in a controversial and contentious merger. HP retired the Compaq name in 2013.

20. Luby's

• Founded in: 1947

• Type of business: Restaurant

Like many other restaurants, Luby's Cafeteria struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic. The eatery was particularly ill-suited to survive – its cafeteria-style serving made social distancing harder, and the restaurant chain had already been struggling financially for years. The company announced in September 2020 that all of its Luby's Cafeteria locations would close. Its parent company, Luby's Inc., said in December it would sell off all Fuddruckers locations to a franchisee before dissolving the company altogether.

21. Pebble

• Founded in: 2012

• Type of business: Tech, wearables

Tech startup Pebble appeared poised for success after raising over $10 million on Kickstarter – then the most successful campaign of all time – to fund its early venture into smartwatches. While Apple was still focused on iPhones and iPods, Pebble's campaign proved people would be interested in wearable tech. Once Pebble watches hit the market, sales were solid and reviews were mostly positive.

By 2015, Pebble was valued at $740 million – but it would be out of business the following year as Apple released its own smartwatch. Pebble struggled with supply chain issues, while Apple Watches took up more and more of the smartwatch market share. Pebble was unable to compete and was sold to FitBit for less than $40 million.

22. Jawbone

• Founded in: 1999

• Type of business: Tech, wearables

Jawbone is a classic case of a unique Silicon Valley phenomenon: "death by overfunding." The wearable tech company, known for making Bluetooth headsets and speakers, was once worth billions of dollars, but only because of all the capital it raised and not necessarily because of its earning potential. The company raised about $900 million in funding, which boosted its peak valuation to $3.2 billion in 2014.

By 2017, Jawbone was facing lawsuits from vendors, who said the company owed them money, and the company entered liquidation. According to Reuters, only one other venture capital-supported startup, solar panel maker Solyndra, raised more capital than Jawbone, and it also went out of business.

23. Palm

• Founded in: 1992

• Type of business: Tech, phones

Well before smartphones, PDAs – personal digital assistants – were a must-have device. The company that manufactured them, Palm, rose in value quickly. In 1998, Palm had more than two-thirds of the world's PDA market. It had a massively successful IPO in 2000 when it was spun off from parent company 3Com, and like many tech companies of that era, Palm was riding the dotcom bubble that was about to burst. At its peak in 2000, Palm's valuation was more than $53 billion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the world. Competitors like Sony began to eat into the PDA market, and once the tech bubble burst, Palm's stock price came crashing down. By 2009, Palm was bleeding cash, and it was acquired by HP for $1.2 billion in 2010. HP announced in 2011 it would no longer make Palm hardware and retired the brand.

24. Henri Bendel

• Founded in: 1895

• Type of business: Retail, luxury

Once an iconic department store, Henri Bendel shuttered all of its remaining locations in 2019. In 2018, the brand operated at a $45 million loss. The luxury retailer, which was owned by L Brands, suffered the same fate as many other high-end stores. Many brick-and-mortar operations struggled to compete with online shopping, while industry analysts believe consumers have been spending less on luxury goods in favor of other purchases like phones and other tech.

25. Blockbuster

• Founded in: 1985

• Type of business: Retail, entertainment

Even before the advent and surging popularity of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, Blockbuster was struggling. The once-ubiquitous video rental store has been in decline since 2004, when it had 9,000 stores worldwide. Blockbuster now has just one location – in Bend, Oregon. The decision to abandon online service helped doom the company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

26. Lord & Taylor

• Founded in: 1826

• Type of business: Department store

Lord & Taylor, which opened in 1826, was considered the oldest department store in the country. It shut down largely due to COVID-19, but the store suffered from the same issues many department stores and retailers were facing even before the pandemic, including lower foot traffic and declining revenue as online shopping became more common. Lord & Taylor was sold to an investment firm in 2006 for $1.2 billion. In 2019, fashion rental company Le Tote bought it for around $71 million. The company began liquidating its stores in August.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Summary of Regents efficiency study gives few details

Sara Agnew

Iowa City Press-Citizen

The initial summary of a multi-million dollar efficiency study for the state's three universities released Wednesday was so vague that even one member of the Iowa state Board of Regents expressed dismay with the report's lack of detail.

"I certainly expected more than this," said Regent Bob Downer of Iowa City, who learned the summary had been released to the public by a news reporter.

"I think it's important that the board members see it as soon as possible since we are spending considerable public funds on this report and have just voted to spend quite a bit more," he added.

The summary of the first phase of the study includes eight general areas where Deloitte Consulting believes the most efficiencies can be made. Among those areas are academic programs, space utilization and student services.

OUR VIEW:Looking for far more specifics on efficiency study

The consultants are conducting a more than $3 million review of Iowa's three public universities, which include University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and Iowa State University in Ames. The Board of Regents — which oversees the state's public universities and two specialty schools — hired Deloitte in February at a cost of $2.45 million to conduct the system's largest-ever efficiency study.

Last week, the board voted unanimously to spend up to another $1 million for the second phase of the study, which is expected to begin in mid-June.

At the time, Regent Ruth Harkin questioned whether it was wise to approve spending more money on a study for which they had not received a report.

"This can tend to be a loose situation, where we don't know if they are giving us new information, old information or impossible information," she said. "We should have some kind of product for the money."

Sheila Doyle Koppin, the Board of Regent's communication officer and transparency officer, said the next phase of the efficiency study will include a more detailed analysis of the eight identified areas. She added it is too early to speculate about whether any jobs will be cut or how much money will be saved.

"Nothing can be predicted at this time," she said. "The analysis is not done until the end of phase two."

According to the summary, phase two will include "developing a business case of the costs, benefits and estimated implementation time frame for each opportunity to further gauge the potential to increase efficiency and effectiveness."

Koppin said the summary released Wednesday is based on a more detailed report issued by the board's subcommittee that is overseeing the Deloitte study. When asked if the more detailed report could be made public, Koppin said: "I could check on that and get back to you."

Koppin said subcommittee meetings were not made public because the group only includes two regents — Larry McKibben and Milt Dakovich — which doesn't constitute a quorum. Meetings of a similar subcommittee that worked on the performance-based funding model were made public because, Koppin said, "It was our choice to make those meetings public."

Although McKibben indicated last week that figures would be released along with the summary, Koppin said, "He is committed to releasing figures prior to July 4."

Joe Brennan, UI's vice president of strategic communication, said the university wasn't surprised by the summary's lack of specifics.

"We understand that phase one was a very broad assessment that then focused in on opportunity areas," he said. "Now that the task force has identified those areas, we look forward to working with Deloitte to come up with specific strategies for each one."

Deloitte will return to each of the three universities this month to kick off the second phase of the review with a public forum.

Koppin said the purpose of the forums will be to give the campus communities and the general public an opportunity to ask questions, express concerns, provide input and learn more about the second phase of the review.

Miles Lackey, ISU's associate vice president and chief of staff to the president, said is university looks forward to the next step of the study.

"This first report provides a look at the breadth of the efficiency study and points to areas where the consultant believes there is potential for improvement at our universities," he said. "Continuous improvement is our goal, so we look forward to the next phase of this project."

UNI spokesman Scott Ketelsen declined to comment about the report, saying it was a Board of Regents' initiative and that any comments about the study should come from the regents' office.

ISU did not respond to requests to comment on the summary.

According to the summary, Deloitte found the most pressing challenges that face the three state universities are limited cross-university collaboration; overlapping and duplication of roles, services and programs; inefficient processes that cause time delays and frustration; and difficulty accessing and using data to drive decision-making.

Wednesday's summary comes at the end of the first phase of the study, which lasted 10 weeks. During that time, Deloitte visited each campus twice, conducted more than 390 interview sessions and focus groups and met with nearly 700 individuals across the three universities and Board of Regents' office.

Deloitte is expected to focus most of its efforts this summer on reviewing efficiencies within the university's administration while slowing its review of academics since many faculty and students are not on campus. Work on the academic areas will pick up in the fall, when Koppin said "highly interactive working groups will be convened to develop business cases."

Regents President Bruce Rastetter has said it has been 30 years since a previous efficiency study and that a review of the entire system is long overdue. Regents have said they hope the review will uncover $15 million to $24 million in efficiencies at the three institutions, which they say are necessary to deliver quality education.

Reach Sara Agnew at 887-5418 or sagenw@press-citizen.com.

Efficiency study summary

Deloitte Consulting identified during the first phase of its efficiency study the following areas where the three state university could make cuts to save money and streamline services:

• Sourcing and procurement to analyze further improvements to purchasing practices.

• Academic programs to strengthen academic programs to achieve maximum competitiveness, to broaden non-traditional student access through Distance Education and to better support institutional research practices and capabilities.

• Information technology services to examine ways to optimize how IT services are provided.

• Facilities to explore ways to more effectively use university infrastructure and reduce utility consumption.

• Finance to determine ways to simplify the delivery of finance services.

• Human resources to optimize how HR services are provided.

• Strategic space utilization to improve building usage rates.

• Student services to evaluate if a common application portal across the three universities would benefit students and the universities.

Town hall meetings

Town hall meetings to kick off the second phase of the efficiency study will be on the following dates:

• University of Northern Iowa: Monday.

• University of Iowa: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesday in the University Memorial Union, second-floor ballroom.

• Iowa State University: June 23

Choctaw crisis, Space Needle: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Tuscaloosa: City leaders are moving to limit nightlife in the college town during the pandemic as thousands of students return to school for the fall semester. The Tuscaloosa News reports a divided City County approved a measure Tuesday night that allows Mayor Walt Maddox to enact rules aimed at combating a surge in coronavirus cases in the city. Among the regulations is a move to reduce the capacity at bars to 50% after 9 p.m. There’s currently no limit. Another rule would reduce the occupancy of entertainment venues to 25%, down from 50%. The limits, which are expected to take effect Thursday, are in addition to statewide rules that include masks for anyone who is in public and can’t socially distance. Students already are arriving for the fall at the University of Alabama, where classes begin Aug. 19. The city of about 100,000 people also is home to Shelton State Community College and Stillman College.

Alaska

Anchorage: Alaska Airlines said 331 employees among the company’s workforce in the city may lose their jobs Oct. 1. The company said the Anchorage layoffs are part of companywide job cuts because of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Alaska Public Media reports. Alaska Airlines said 4,200 workers may be furloughed or laid off across the company beginning in October. The 331 workers account for about 26% of the airline’s workforce in Anchorage, company spokesman Tim Thompson said. Thompson said the number of layoffs may be lowered by Oct. 1, a day after the federal government’s multibillion-dollar payroll support program is set to expire. The airline announced in an alert to state and local governments that the jobs being considered for elimination include 135 Anchorage flight attendants, 76 customer service agents, and maintenance technicians and ramp service workers.

Arizona

Phoenix: A judge has ruled Gov. Doug Ducey’s closure of gyms across the state in response to the pandemic violates the due process rights of health clubs, and he set an Aug. 11 deadline for the governor to set up a system for giving fitness businesses a chance to apply to reopen. Judge Timothy Thomason wrote in the ruling that clubs that have been shut down for more than a month might not be able to survive yet were denied due process because they couldn’t apply to reopen until Ducey ended the shutdown. “It is imperative that their constitutional rights be respected,” Thomason wrote. Tom Hatten, chief executive of Mountainside Fitness, one of the two health club chains that challenged the order in the case, said he plans to reopen his clubs Aug. 11. The judge said a health club would be allowed to reopen once it attests it is following COVID-19 prevention guidelines, though the state could still deny applications as long as it’s providing due process.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday said scammers fraudulently filed on his behalf for unemployment assistance intended for people affected by the coronavirus pandemic, as officials said thousands of claims have been frozen over potential fraud concerns. Hutchinson said he received a notice over the weekend that he had been approved for unemployment assistance intended for independent contractors, gig workers and the self-employed. Hutchinson said he never applied for the assistance. “It can happen to anyone,” Hutchinson said. The Republican governor said the FBI is investigating a scheme that includes other fraudulent applications. State Commerce Secretary Mike Preston said 27,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims and another 10,000 unemployment claims have been frozen after they were flagged for potential fraud. Preston said several other Cabinet secretaries had received similar notices to Hutchinson’s.

California

Los Angeles: Figures showing the state has slowed the rate of coronavirus infections may be in doubt because a technical problem has delayed reporting of test results, the state’s top health official said. For days, California hasn’t received full counts on the number of tests conducted nor the number that come back positive for COVID-19, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday. He blamed an unspecified technical problem affecting the state’s database that provides test results to local health departments. Ghaly said it’s unclear when the issue would be fixed, adding that the state is relaying information manually to county health officials. The announcement came a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom gave his most optimistic report on the state’s virus efforts since a second surge of cases in early June.

Colorado

Denver: Gov. Jared Polis is urging Congress to go beyond simple renewal of earlier federal pandemic assistance and provide a more extensive package of aid to blunt the economic fallout of the coronavirus. Polis, a Democrat, said he wants food stamp benefit increases, home heating and child care assistance, support to meet anticipated surges in Medicaid demand, and an automatic extension of immigrant work visas for workers in health care and agriculture. The requests, in a Tuesday letter to the state’s congressional delegation signed by Democratic Treasurer Dave Young as well, also ask for more U.S. financial support for water projects, clean energy and public lands infrastructure – key initiatives of Polis’ administration. Polis insisted Tuesday that the initiatives would be long-term job generators and said Congress should “use this opportunity to invest in resilient, climate-focused solutions as our communities recover” from the pandemic.

Connecticut

Hartford: An online portal has been launched to help state residents who need housing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said the website came about after a call center that opened last month was swamped with calls, resulting in busy signals and long wait times for callers. Connecticut is offering two new programs that provide rental assistance and mortgage assistance for those struggling to pay their housing costs due to a job loss, a reduction of work, a furlough or the closing of a business because of COVID-19. Details on the two programs and eligibility can be found by visiting the Department of Housing website for renters and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority website for homeowners. Applicants can submit questionnaires online to determine if they’re eligible, as well as contact the call center at 1-860-785-3111 during business hours.

Delaware

Wilmington: Gov. John Carney approved a hybrid start to the school year Tuesday, allowing schools to use a combination of in-person and online learning when classes resume in the fall. Schools must also follow extensive health and safety precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19. The decision comes after weeks of the governor monitoring data and alluding to the likelihood of a hybrid school reopening. The state will provide free COVID-19 testing for teachers and staff before the school year begins and monthly throughout the school year using an at-home testing option. Schools across the state will also host community testing sites for students wishing to get tested before the school year starts. Schools are encouraged to offer some sort of in-person teaching, especially for students who would have difficulty learning in a fully remote setting, such as those with special needs, low-income students, homeless students or English learners.

District of Columbia

Washington: Mayor Muriel Bowser is asking residents to continue going to their scheduled doctor’s appointments despite concerns surrounding health centers during the pandemic, WUSA-TV reports. Hospitals are safe, ready and waiting to help, officials said. Bowser is also urging parents to take their children to the doctor to make sure they are up to date with vaccinations even though they will be returning to school virtually. District leaders want students to be ready to enter an in-person learning environment when it’s safe, Bowser said. “One pandemic is enough, and we do not want an epidemic in our pandemic,” said Dr. Laquandra Nesbitt with D.C. Department of Public Health.

Florida

Jacksonville: During a Tuesday roundtable at a nursing home in the city, Gov. Ron DeSantis returned to a familiar theme: protecting the state’s most vulnerable from the coronavirus. The governor said he was looking for “a pathway to get families access” to the 1.5 million loved ones who are finding themselves socially and emotionally isolated in nursing homes and senior facilities. “Four and a half months are a long, long time,” the governor said. Though Florida has managed to bring down the proportion of pandemic deaths stemming from nursing homes by keeping them on lockdown and other measures since March, infections have been surging in those facilities alongside community spread throughout the state this summer. The number of residents of long-term care facilities in the state testing positive for COVID-19 was about 5,800 as of Tuesday, roughly double that of early July.

Georgia

Macon: Organizers of the annual Macon Film Festival say they will hold the event despite the coronavirus, but the bulk of the film entries will be streamed online. Festival board chairman Steven Fulbright told The Telegraph the event is important to Macon and filmmakers. It will run from Aug. 13 through Aug. 30. Fulbright, who is also Visit Macon’s director of tourism, said attendees to the Macon event will have a variety of ways to enjoy the films while staying safe. Two feature films will be screened at the Grand Opera House on weekends, including a new documentary about Macon-based piano player Chuck Leavell. Leavell played the keyboard for the Allman Brothers Band and the Rolling Stones. Other film entries will be streamed online at scheduled times for a fee.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Many private schools in the state expect to begin the new year with in-person instruction. The private schools are typically smaller than their public counterparts and can more easily make adjustments to cope with the pandemic, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Philip Bossert, executive director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, said flexibility is a hallmark of its 120 member schools. “They can move pretty fast and do things responsibly without asking 10,000 people,” Bossert said. “To my knowledge all of them have a plan to open face-to-face, but when will be entirely up to each of them. And they have a plan also to switch back to remote learning if necessary.” The Hawaii Association of Independent Schools has sent daily updates and hosted numerous virtual discussions for school leaders, Bossert said.

Idaho

Boise: Gov. Brad Little said Wednesday that he’ll call a special session in late August due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Republican governor said in a statement that the special session will start the week of Aug. 24 and possibly include how to conduct the November general election amid the pandemic. Little also said the session might include legislation creating a liability shield for protection against lawsuits during declared emergencies such as the pandemic. A majority of House and Senate lawmakers on the Judiciary and Rules Working Group last month concluded that such a law is needed to protect government, schools and private businesses from frivolous lawsuits. A timeline calls for lawmakers to give the governor specific legislation by mid-August to be considered in the special session. Little would then issue a proclamation Aug. 17 detailing the exact issues to be considered during the special session.

Illinois

Chicago: The mayor on Wednesday announced that the nation’s third-largest school district will not welcome students back to the classroom, after all, and will instead rely only on remote instruction to start the school year. The city’s decision to abandon its plan to have students attend in-person classes for two days a week once the fall semester starts Sept. 8 came amid strong pushback from the powerful teachers union. When Chicago officials announced their hybrid-learning plan last month, they said it was subject to change depending on families’ feedback and how the coronavirus was faring in the area. On Wednesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot attributed the change in plans to a recent uptick in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city. A survey also showed 41% of parents of elementary school students and 38% of parents of high school students didn’t plan to send their children back to the classroom this fall, the district said in a news release.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state’s second-largest teacher organization announced Tuesday that its members may resort to striking to ensure a safe return to school as the state continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The Indiana chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents about 4,500 teachers and education staff statewide, said schools should reopen for in-person instruction only if teachers and school staff are provided with adequate personal protective equipment, funding is provided for necessary safety resources such as masks and cleaning products, and cases in the community are under control. If those safeguards aren’t met, AFT Indiana President GlenEva Dunham said union members would consider a strike. Dozens of Indiana school districts have already reopened for in-person classes or are planning to in the coming weeks, and Dunham said concerns remain about the precautions in place for brick-and-mortar settings.

Iowa

Des Moines: Doctors running the city’s intensive care units say they’re witnessing the consequences of many Iowans’ lax attitudes toward the coronavirus. “We’re seeing people suffering that don’t need to suffer, people dying that don’t need to die. This didn’t need to happen,” said Dr. Jason Mohr, who is the lead physician for UnityPoint Health’s intensive care units at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Iowa Lutheran Hospital. The intensive care units have been refilling over the past few weeks as the virus surges again. During the first coronavirus spike, in spring, most severely ill patients were elderly or worked in jobs that put them at particular exposure to the virus. Many adults in their 30s or 40s, with no known risk factors, are now being brought to the intensive care units because they’re stricken with COVID-19, said Mohr and his counterpart at Des Moines’ MercyOne Medical Center, Dr. Brad Wilcox.

Kansas

Overland Park: Nearly a quarter of the state’s almost 29,000 coronavirus cases have been linked to cluster sites, according to health officials. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment identified 360 outbreaks that have infected 7,710 people and led to 243 of the state’s 365 COVID-19 deaths, the Kansas City Star reports. Dr. Lee Norman, the state health department’s top administrator, said Tuesday that he expects to see a rise in cases linked to gatherings following the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The state’s clusters include 132 at private businesses, 95 at long-term care facilities and 54 from gatherings. Nursing facilities account for most of the deaths related to clusters, at 193. Meatpacking facilities and state prisons also accounted for some clusters. In Chanute, Kansas, 11 school administrators who attended a leadership retreat last week in Branson are in quarantine after six of them tested positive for the virus.

Kentucky

Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that he supports local school leaders who decide to begin the academic year with online instruction as a precaution against the coronavirus. On a day that Kentucky reported 700 new virus cases, the Democratic governor said he’s not surprised some school districts are opting for digital learning, rather than in-person instruction, at the outset of the school year. “Right now we still have a very high rate of cases in Kentucky,” Beshear told reporters. “While we believe we have stopped what could have been a very severe escalation, it’s still concerning with the number of cases that we see.” The governor recently recommended that public and private schools wait until at least the third week of August to resume in-person classes to help curb the spread of the virus.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The state’s agriculture department said a dog has tested positive for the coronavirus, the state’s first confirmed case in an animal. A nasal swab test determined the dog’s infection, the department said. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said no evidence suggests pets play a significant role in helping to spread the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, and he urged people not to abandon their pets because of worry. “It appears that people with COVID-19 can spread the virus to animals during close contact. It is important for people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to avoid contact with pets and other animals to protect them from possible infection,” Strain said in a statement. “At this time, routine testing of animals is not recommended.” The agriculture department refused to provide details about the dog, where its owner lives or any information that could help identify the pet owner, citing federal health privacy laws.

Maine

Milbridge: State officials are investigating a group of positive coronavirus cases among blueberry workers. Four employees of Wyman’s who had just arrived to begin working at a location in Milbridge have tested positive. It was the third cluster of coronavirus cases at a blueberry processing facility or farm in the state, the Portland Press Herald reports. Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah said the workers were tested before they began work. The cases have come at a time when the state is struggling to fill agricultural jobs. Maine public health authorities reported 17 new cases of the virus Wednesday. They also reported an additional death. The state has had more than 3,900 reported cases of the virus and 124 deaths.

Maryland

Baltimore: Health officials said a nightclub was shut down after it was found in violation of coronavirus safety regulations, making it the first time an establishment in the city was ordered to close for violations. The decision came after a video posted on Instagram showed a large day party outside Euphoria Nightclub on Sunday, The Baltimore Sun reports. In addition, officials have received more than 300 complaints about the establishment, Adam Abadir, a spokesperson for the city’s Health Department, told The Baltimore Sun. “Events like those depicted on social media at Euphoria are exactly the type of ‘super-spreader’ events that have led to dozens of cases around the country,” Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said in a statement Monday.

Massachusetts

Boston: Thousands of travelers to the Bay State have begun filling out forms required by the state to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday. On Saturday, the state began requiring visitors to comply with a new executive order mandating they quarantine for 14 days or face a $500-per-day fine if they refuse to comply. That includes residents returning home from out-of-state trips. Travelers who can produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72 hours before their arrival in Massachusetts are exempt. Those visiting from a lower-risk state as designated by the state Department of Public Health are exempted from filling out the form. Current lower-risk states include New England states, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii.

Michigan

Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday announced additional steps to combat racism, declaring it a public health crisis and ordering state employees to complete implicit bias training as the state confronts what she called systemic inequities highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic. The governor also created an advisory council of Black leaders. Black people account for 39% of Michigan’s nearly 6,500 confirmed and probable deaths related to COVID despite making up 14% of the population. In cases where race and ethnicity are known, the infection rate among Black residents is 14,703 per 1 million compared to 4,160 for white residents. Whitmer said the overall daily count of new cases has plateaued recently, but she wants to see a decrease. “Now is no time to spike the football,” the Democrat said on a day Detroit’s casinos were allowed to reopen after being closed since March.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: A group of voters sued Gov. Tim Walz and other officials Tuesday to try to block a requirement that voters wear face masks at polling places to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Members of the Minnesota Voters Alliance, backed by Republican lawmakers, argue that Walz’s mask mandate conflicts with a 1963 state law making it a misdemeanor for someone to conceal their identity with a mask. The Star Tribune reports the group is seeking a federal court order to block the rule for people who vote in person in next Tuesday’s primary. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a statement standing behind “the legality and constitutionality” of Walz’s executive order. Ellison’s office noted that the lawsuit is the 11th legal challenge against Walz or the state over COVID-19 restrictions.

Mississippi

Philadelphia: The state’s only federally recognized American Indian tribe has been devastated as COVID-19 has ripped through Choctaw families, many of whom live together in multigenerational homes. Almost 10% of the tribe’s roughly 11,000 members have tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 75 have died. The once-flourishing Choctaw economy is stagnant, as the tribal government put in place tighter restrictions than those imposed by the state. July brought a glimmer of hope, with some numbers dropping among Choctaws, but health officials worry the reprieve is only temporary. Choctaw Indians used to live across millions of acres in southeastern Mississippi but were forced off the land. Under an 1830 treaty, they were to move to Oklahoma. Those who remained in Mississippi endured segregation, racism and poverty. The tribe has long been a target of hate, members say, and the virus has only made things worse, with many blaming Choctaws for high case numbers.

Missouri

Kansas City: The American Royal will not hold this year’s World Series of Barbecue because it could not find a way to make the event safe during the coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced Tuesday. Glen Alan Phillips, president and CEO of the American Royal Association, said it was “painful” to cancel the barbecue contest for the first time since it began, The Kansas City Star reports. The barbecue, which draws competitors from more than 30 states and several countries, was scheduled for Sept. 17-20 at the Kansas Speedway. “It gets really challenging to have a large public component to your event, which then leads to major financial revenue issues with not being able to sell tickets,” Phillips said. The organization also canceled this year’s Pro Rodeo, which was scheduled for Sept. 25-26. But Phillips said most equine shows and the livestock show will be held this year.

Montana

Great Falls: The state listed 115 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, hours after Cascade County reported an “outbreak” of six incidents at a long-term living facility. This brings the state total of confirmed cases to 4,429 and 65 deaths, which was one more fatality than was listed Tuesday. There have been 2,820 recoveries, and 1,544 cases remain active. The state reports 79 people remain hospitalized out of 248 hospitalizations during the pandemic. The Cascade City-County Health Department said Tuesday evening that it “has identified an outbreak of six total COVID-19 cases in connection with a long-term care facility in Cascade County.” They said they would not release the names of the facility or further details at this time. The health department said it is working with the facility to determine appropriate strategies for containing and preventing further spread of the respiratory illness.

Nebraska

Omaha: More court hearings are being handled over video conference in Douglas County because of a coronavirus outbreak at the jail in the state’s most populous county. Inmates who test positive for COVID-19 or who have been near people with the virus aren’t being transferred to the courthouse for routine hearings, officials say. “We’re not going to bring them over and spread it to the courthouse,” Douglas County District Court Administrator Doug Johnson said. Thirteen correctional officers and six inmates recently tested positive, Corrections Director Mike Myers said. A total of 46 employees, 59 inmates and two contractors have tested positive at the jail, which houses nearly 1,200. Presiding Judge Horatio Wheelock said judges are doing as many hearings by video conference as possible in Douglas County District Court. The number of video hearings has steadily increased to 331 in July, up from April’s 288.

Nevada

Las Vegas: State officials said Tuesday that 95% of new coronavirus cases reported statewide during the prior day emerged in the Las Vegas area. State coronavirus response chief Caleb Cage said Clark County residents accounted for 931 of the 980 positive COVID-19 tests reported to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Fewer than 3% came from the Reno area. Confirmed cases in the state topped 52,000, and 15 more deaths were reported – bringing the total to at least 862. Separately, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office issued a report tallying $16.7 billion in federal coronavirus funding to the state since Congress approved a $2.2 trillion rescue package to help businesses, workers and the health care system deal with the pandemic. State administration chief Laura Freed said almost $11.8 billion has been allocated or spent on economic relief and development.

New Hampshire

Concord: A plea to those visiting northern New Hampshire from a chamber of commerce: Please pick up your trash and wear a mask. The Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce says even with the threat of a $100 fine and towing, cars crowd the roads near popular swimming holes and waterfalls, and visitors leave a trail of trash. And not all are following guidelines to wear a mask and practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. “We continue to see and hear stories at the chamber about the general disregard for good old American manners. It’s taken us all by surprise,” Janice Crawford, the organization’s executive director, said Tuesday.

New Jersey

Cresskill: A COVID-19 outbreak among teens in the borough may be the result of numerous recent house parties and a prom, authorities say. Chris Ulshoefer, Cresskill’s fire chief and coordinator of the Office of Emergency Management, said in a letter to residents Monday that “these events, along with improper social distancing, may be related to an outbreak of COVID-19 in our community.” Ulshoefer said in an interview Tuesday that he had learned of 20 teens who may have tested positive for the coronavirus, although that has not been confirmed by Bergen County health officials. Mayor Benedict Romeo said he was “disgusted” after hearing that teens in the borough could have been infected with COVID-19 at parties with no social distancing.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: The city’s zoo will partially reopen next week to visitors wearing face masks or other face coverings after being closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Outdoor exhibits of the ABQ BioPark Zoo will reopen Aug. 12, but indoor facilities such as the reptile and crocodile buildings will remain closed to the public, Mayor Tim Keller announced Wednesday in a statement. Also, high-touch attractions such as the carousel and trains will not operate, and daily public feedings and shows that draw crowds remain canceled temporarily, Keller said. Limited tickets will be available, and guests are asked to reserve their tickets in advance online to secure their spot, Keller said. “We’re excited to bring this family favorite back in a safe way.” The zoo will reopen Friday to BioPark Society members to test run the new ticketing system and experience procedures, Keller said.

New York

New York: Travelers coming to the city from 35 states and territories on the state’s COVID-19 quarantine list may be met at bridges and train stations and told to fill out travel forms under a program announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio. He said Wednesday that the city will set up checkpoints at Penn Station and other entry points to the city to tell travelers from places with high COVID-19 infection rates that they must quarantine for 14 days. The travelers will be given a health form to complete so that contact tracers can follow up and make sure they are quarantining, he said. The checkpoints will be set up at different entry points each day starting with Penn Station on Thursday, de Blasio said. Sheriff Joseph Fucito said there will be “a random element,” and every sixth or eighth car on a bridge might be checked. Travelers who refuse to fill out the travel form could be fined up to $2,000, de Blasio said.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A federal judge on Tuesday refused to order a wide array of changes to the state’s election rules sought by voting advocacy groups worried about how COVID-19 could limit ballot access. But he told election officials they can’t reject mail-in absentee ballots unless there’s a way that voters can fix errors. U.S. District Judge William Osteen said people turning in an absentee ballot should be told why it won’t otherwise count and be given a chance to address the problem. The issue is poignant this year as more registered voters are considering voting by mail to avoid the risk of contracting the coronavirus at traditional in-person voting centers and precincts. Democracy North Carolina and the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, two plaintiffs in the case, presented evidence to Osteen showing about 15% of absentee mail-in ballots were rejected in the March primary.

North Dakota

Fargo: A medical research company in the city will conduct two clinical trials that could lead to a vaccine for COVID-19. Lillestol Research is among several facilities across the nation participating in “Operation Warp Speed,” the federal government’s plan to provide 300 million doses of coronavirus vaccine by January 2021. Lillestol operations director Jamie Brown said the company plans to begin recruiting patients for the trial soon. She said patients chosen for the study will be tracked regularly to see if they contract coronavirus, KFGO reports. Participants will be compensated, but the company did not say to what extent. “These trials are placebo-controlled, meaning patients will get real vaccine or a placebo, which is inactive. We won’t know who is getting which type,” Brown said. “They will be followed for approximately two years. They’re really followed closely that first year.”

Ohio

Columbus: A statewide rule prohibiting bars and restaurants from serving alcohol after 10 p.m. will remain in place after a Franklin County judge on Wednesday rejected a request to put a temporary hold on the mandate. Common Pleas Judge Kim Brown denied a temporary restraining order requested by a group of Columbus bar and restaurant owners who filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Ohio Liquor Control Commission’s emergency action imposed as a means of slowing the spread of COVID-19. The ruling means Ohio’s bars and restaurants, which normally can serve alcohol for on-premises consumption until 1 or 2:30 a.m., must continue to abide by the emergency rule requiring sales to end at 10 p.m. and consumption by 11 p.m. Brown said limits on business operations imposed during the pandemic have been upheld by courts around the nation, and the plaintiffs’ lawsuit is unlikely to succeed.

Oklahoma

Yukon: The mayor of an Oklahoma City suburb alleges she was threatened by a state lawmaker because of a mandate she issued requiring bar and restaurant workers to wear masks in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Republican State Rep. Jay Steagall on Tuesday denied threatening Yukon Mayor Shelli Selby and said he was talking to her about his constituents’ concerns. “I’ve never threatened anyone,” Steagall told the Associated Press. “I’ve tried to take constituent concerns to her.” No court records show that charges have been filed. Selby, whose voter registration records indicate she is a Republican, issued the proclamation last month. In a police report, Shelby complained that “she was being harassed and intimidated for political reasons” by Steagall on July 29. She said she sent a letter of complaint about Steagall to state House Speaker Charles McCall.

Oregon

Salem: Health officials reported 342 confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday, increasing the state’s total since the start of the pandemic to 19,699, with five new deaths related to COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority said. The total death toll is 333. On Monday the state reported one of its highest weekly coronavirus testing positivity rates – 6.1%. The previous week it had been less than 5%. Oregon Health Authority officials said they continue to receive widespread reports of extended turnaround time from commercial laboratories, with some case results being reported two weeks after the test. The state’s increased positivity rate raises concerns about the possibility for students returning to school in the fall. School reopening guidelines released last week say the county where the school district is located must have 10 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, and the countywide and state test positivity rate must be 5% or less over the span of a week.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: State lawmakers heard about the slew of challenges ahead when schools reopen during a pandemic, as two days of hearings that ended Wednesday offered little reason for optimism. In hours of testimony before the House Education Committee, school officials and other experts said there have been months of planning, but there are also concerns about what lies ahead. Among the issues are questions about what standards schools should use to decide whether to shut down a school or a district when an outbreak occurs, a prospect that looms large as the school year is about to begin. “What happens if a student tests positive, a teacher?” asked Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill. “Because if you don’t have a plan in place, you can be prepared to hear exactly what we’ve been hearing, which is what the hell have you been doing to prepare for this?”

Rhode Island

Providence: The Rhode Island Family Court is holding night sessions to deal with a backlog of cases because of the coronavirus pandemic, court officials say. Chief Judge Michael B. Forte will preside over nine uncontested divorces Thursday evening and another nine on the evening of Aug. 20. The sessions, starting at 6:30 p.m., will be conducted remotely, with Forte presiding from home and other participants from their homes or offices. Proceedings will be streamed live and are expected to last about three hours. “When I learned in early July that the earliest a couple could get a hearing on an uncontested divorce was November, that was unacceptable,” Forte said in a statement. “We want to address the backlog, but we also want to take advantage of the remote hearing technology we have been using since this past spring and provide hearings during evening or non-working hours that are more convenient for many people.”

South Carolina

Laurens: The first trial in a South Carolina courtroom since the COVID-19 pandemic began included spread-out jurors, a glass shield around the witness stand and bailiffs reminding everyone that masks are required. The murder trial started Tuesday in Laurens County and was the first case tried in front of a jury since courts closed in mid-March as the virus began spreading, Solicitor David Stumbo said. Two additional rows of chairs were placed in front of the jury box so jurors could stay socially distant, The Index-Journal of Greenwood reports. Only three spectators could sit in any one row, outside of the families of the defendant and the victim. Both prosecutors and defense lawyers sat on the opposite side of the courtroom from jurors. Everyone had to wear a mask, and bailiffs were quick to point out when noses and mouths were not covered.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The state on Wednesday reported 89 new cases of COVID-19 and one death amid an uptick in the average number of daily new cases over the past two weeks. During those two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 20, an increase of 31%. The Department of Health also reported the highest number of active cases since June, with 951 people. But the number of people hospitalized from the coronavirus has remained low, now sitting at 43 patients. During the course of the pandemic, a total of 9,168 people have tested positive for COVID-19 statewide, and 88% of those people have fully recovered, while 137 have died. Minnehaha County, which is the state’s most-populated area, saw the largest increase with a daily tally of 27 cases. The latest death was a man in his 70s from Davison County, according to Department of Health data.

Tennessee

Nashville: Gov. Bill Lee reversed course Tuesday by announcing that Tennessee will release data on COVID-19 in schools despite initially declaring such information would not be collected by the state. The move marks yet another concession from the Republican’s administration to be more transparent only after Lee faced loud pleas from the public to release more information during the pandemic. “This is a health crisis. Privacy around personal information around someone’s health is incredibly important,” Lee told reporters during a COVID-19 briefing. “It’s a real balance to determine how to protect that privacy and at the same time to give transparency to folks who need to know.” Lee’s state health agency had stated last week that it would neither collect nor report data regarding the virus in schools, which are currently in the early stages of opening for the new school year.

Texas

Houston: The state board that licenses doctors has warned physicians that it could take action against anyone who falsely advertises a cure for COVID-19. The Texas Medical Board issued its warning after a Houston-area pastor and doctor, Dr. Stella Immanuel, very publicly touted hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the disease caused by the coronavirus, the Houston Chronicle reports. Multiple studies have found that hydroxychloroquine doesn’t help against the virus, and the Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against using it to treat patients with the disease because of reports linking it with heart problems and other injuries and disorders. In a video that went viral last week and caught the attention of President Donald Trump, Immanuel said that if everyone took hydroxychloroquine, it would stop the virus in its tracks within 30 days. She said it was “fake science” to say that the drug doesn’t work as a cure.

Utah

South Salt Lake: Hundreds of teachers and parents gathered in northern Utah to argue whether school district reopening plans intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 are too restrictive. Two demonstrations Tuesday in Farmington and South Salt Lake showcased opposing views in response to their respective school districts’ reopening plans, the Deseret News reports. About 250 people gathered outside the Davis School District building in Farmington to demand a return to normalcy. The district announced plans to implement a hybrid learning model where students will alternate between in-person and online classes. Another protest was held outside the Granite School District building in South Salt Lake. The district announced parents have the option to choose distance learning, while students who attend in-person classes will be isolated by classroom groups. Most protesters in South Salt Lake called for a hybrid plan – the exact thing the protesters in Farmington denounced as “absurd,” “tough on working families” and “political.”

Vermont

Jay: A federal judge has granted the request of the receiver overseeing Burke Mountain and Jay Peak ski resorts, whose owner was charged with fraud, to execute a $3.2 million federal government coronavirus relief loan to help keep the resorts open and employees working. The resorts have reopened after being closed down for several months due to the pandemic and hope to prepare for the ski season and boost staffing by November, federal receiver Michael Goldberg told U.S. District Court, according to Caledonian Record. The loan through the Paycheck Protection Program would be financed by City National Bank. Miami businessman Ariel Quiros, who owned Jay Peak and Burke, pleaded not guilty in May 2019 to 12 felony charges, including seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of false statements.

Virginia

Doswell: A theme park that is one of the state’s biggest tourist attractions and economic boosters will not open this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Richmond-Times Dispatch reports Kings Dominion in Hanover County will remain closed for the rest of 2020. It’s the first time since the park’s 1975 opening that visitors won’t ride the Dominator or reach the top of a 323-foot reproduction of the Eiffel Tower. Tony Johnson, the park’s vice president and general manager, cited Virginia’s Phase Three reopening restriction of limiting the park to only 1,000 guests. Kings Dominion said in late June that the 1,000-people limit was not economically sustainable. The park employs up to 4,000 seasonal employees each year and is one of the state’s top employers.

Washington

Seattle: The Space Needle has reopened to visitors after recently completing $1 million in upgrades intended to provide a safer experience during the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Operating and Marketing Officer Karen Olson said the skyline-defining tourist attraction, which closed in March, has focused on air quality, sanitation and touchless procedures, The Seattle Times reports. The Space Needle has installed ultraviolet lights designed to kill airborne viruses and bacteria, a fresh air circulation system in the elevators, and reverse-ATM kiosks that will convert cash into a card for a more touch-free experience. “We really focused in on how to have a safer experience, and not just for guests, but for team members and guests,” Olson said, adding that the attraction also bought 250,000 surgical masks to hand out more than two months before mask mandates were implemented.

West Virginia

Huntington: Two Huntington Fire Department firefighters have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Monday. Huntington Fire Chief Jan Rader said the first firefighter tested positive Friday, and a second tested positive Monday, as officials work to quarantine and test additional staffers. Stations and trucks are being professionally cleaned and sanitized, according to a news release. Mayor Steve Williams said he is working with union representatives to ensure the city still has enough fire department staff while also maintaining a safe work environment.

Wisconsin

Madison: A federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether it would be right to order an easing of the state’s absentee voting regulations ahead of the November presidential election, saying the coronavirus might pose less of a threat to in-person voting by then. Democrats and allied groups filed a series of lawsuits ahead of Wisconsin’s presidential primary election in April demanding that Judge William Conley ease absentee voting and voter registration requirements to simplify voting by mail because of the pandemic. Conley decided to extend the deadlines for requesting and filing absentee ballots, but conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the extensions the day before the election. The plaintiffs renewed their lawsuits for the November election. Wisconsin is expected to be a key battleground state in Democrat Joe Biden’s bid to unseat Republican President Donald Trump, who narrowly won the state in 2016.

Wyoming

Jackson: A new animal attack response team will rescue people attacked by grizzly bears in the northwestern Wyoming backcountry. The Teton County Sheriff’s Office, Teton County Search and Rescue, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Grand Teton National Park are behind the effort. Grizzly attacks in Wyoming often involve elk hunters. Officials hope to have the team ready to go when hunting season begins in September. It’s becoming more common for several different agencies to get called to attacks, Wyoming Game and Fish large carnivore biologist Mike Boyce told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. With more people and bears alike in the backcountry, grizzly attacks have been increasing. A fatal attack a hunting guide on a mountain two years ago, which left the guide’s client in need of rescue with the bear nearby, led to the idea for the response team, Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr said.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Student loan forgiveness application is available: Here's what to do

It's here.

The form to apply for President Joe Biden's one-time student loan debt forgiveness is now online. Borrowers can submit their applications here.

The unveiling of the application – following a beta test that launched Friday and attracted 8 million applicants – suggests the federal government is confident it can deliver on its mammoth debt cancellation campaign promise in the face of several legal challenges, including from seven conservative states.

"It landed and handled more than 8 million applications without a glitch or any difficulty," President Joe Biden said Monday during an announcement event, adding that the administration's plan is "economically responsible."

Borrowers are eligible to receive $10,000 or $20,000 in debt relief depending on their income and whether they received a Pell Grant in college. The Education Department has said borrowers who apply in October could have a chunk of their debt wiped out as soon as November. The feds have encouraged borrowers to file their forms by Nov. 15 if they want to see their balances shrink before the end of a freeze on payments that began during the pandemic and ends in January.

To apply, borrowers will have to provide their Social Security number and birthdate in the government's online form. As part of that, they will self-attest that they earn less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for couples, and those who provide false information could face fines or jail time. Some borrowers may have to file proof of their income.

The application is available in English and Spanish and via desktop computer or cell phones. People who already applied once the beta version went live don't need to apply again.

“My commitment was if elected president, I was going to make government work to deliver for the people," Biden said. "This rollout keeps that commitment, just as I am keeping my commitment to relieve student debt as borrowers recover from this economic crisis caused by the once in a lifetime pandemic.”

When will student loans be forgiven? What to know about debt relief applications

More:Legal challenges stack up for Biden's student debt forgiveness plan

First came lawsuits. Instantly, fewer could apply for loan forgiveness

About 43 million people hold $1.6 trillion in federal student loans, and about 40 million are expected to qualify for the one-time debt cancellation. But the loan forgiveness program, or at least the publicly available details about it, has evolved as the application window approached and legal challenges mounted. These changes mean fewer applicants can take advantage of the relief.

Assuming that most of the 8 million who have already applied are eligible for loan forgiveness, that would mean roughly 20 percent of the eligible pool already have signed up for relief. The White House previously estimated that about 75% of qualified borrowers would apply for debt forgiveness. Borrowers have through the end of 2023 to apply.

One group, the Pacific Legal Foundation, sued to stop mass cancellation on the grounds that borrowers living in some states would be unfairly taxed. But within days of that suit being filed, the White House said borrowers would be able to opt out of the debt relief plan. A federal judge in Indiana dismissed the group’s request to halt the forgiveness plan, saying the plaintiff couldn't be injured if his debt wasn't being forgiven.

More:Federal student loan forgiveness could be taxed as income in some states

Six conservatives states – Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina, filed a suit together, arguing Biden had overstepped his authority.

The states also said quasi-state agencies that service old student loans in the Federal Family Education Loan program would lose money. These loans are backed by the federal government but held by commercial banks. Until Sept. 29, the government had allowed borrowers to consolidate these loans into one loan owned by the federal government, meaning they would have a chance to be a part of the debt cancellation.

The states argue they would lose money because borrowers would collectively ditch their existing FFEL loans for those offered by the government. On the same day the lawsuit was filed, the federal government said any remaining FFEL borrowers could not consolidate their loans.

The federal government has said the new policy will cut nearly 800,000 borrowers from the debt forgiveness program, out of universe of nearly 4 million borrowers who have FFEL loans.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Monday the administration is "working on pathways" to support private borrowers.

The state of Arizona also sued the Biden administration, arguing the widespread availability of debt relief would steer some borrowers away from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. That’s a government initiative meant to encourage workers to forgo the high wages in the private sector and opt for work in the public sector. After a decade in these roles, a borrower's entire outstanding loan balance may be forgiven.

Other legal challenges were dismissed almost as quickly as they were filed. In Wisconsin, a conservative group attempted to stop the debt cancellation by arguing the president didn't have the authority to cancel debt. It also claimed the White House intentionally crafted the program to benefit borrowers of color, which they say violated the constitution's guarantee of equal protection of the laws. The suit was filed on Oct. 4th, and by Oct. 6th a judge had dismissed the case, saying the group didn't have standing.

How much will the president's student debt relief plan cost?

It depends on whom you ask. The federal government has estimated the plan would cost about $30 billion a year for the next 10 years, or $300 billion over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office put that cost at about $400 billion over the next 30 years, though it added in a report that such measurements are “highly uncertain.” That model is based on 90% of eligible applicants filling out their forms, a high adoption rate that has raised some skepticism from the White House.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has estimated the debt cancellation will cost about $360 billion.

More:Biden's student loan forgiveness will cost US about $400 billion, CBO estimates

From payment pause to student debt cancellation in under 3 years

In recent weeks, conversations around student debt forgiveness have been focused on how it would happen, and if one of the legal challenges would derail the president’s multibillion-dollar plan. That’s a sea change from conversations earlier this year in which borrowers wondered when the payment pause might end or if the average borrower would have any debt canceled.

There was reason to believe they would. Biden had campaigned on forgiving up to $10,000 in student debt per borrower, but some advocates had started to question if he would deliver on that promise.

The federal government froze student loan payments in March 2020 under President Donald Trump, and extensions of the moratorium often came just weeks or days ahead of when a given freeze was scheduled to end. In addition to the pause on payments, the federal government set interest rates at zero percent, and collections agencies stopped attempting collect on overdue bills.

More:How the student loan payment pause changed people’s lives

Though the uncertainty wore on loan holders’ nerves, it allowed millions of borrowers to pay down their debts, save for a home, or keep food on the table. The pandemic and the sluggish economy that came with it initially drove the pause, but rising gas prices and inflation prompted the Biden administration to renew it time and again.

In August, the federal government announced the one-time debt cancellation and what it called a "final extension" of the payment pause. A year earlier, the government said an extension of the payment pause through January 2022 would be the "final" one. But then last December, the administration extended the moratorium yet again.

Now, borrowers who fill out the form may see some of their debt erased in a matter of weeks.

More:Debt relief will change the lives of some with student loans, but fall short for others.

Contact Chris Quintana at (202) 308-9021 or cquintana@usatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CQuintanadc.

South Africa is building the world's biggest green ammonia plant for ...

CNN —

In Nelson Mandela Bay, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, thousands of hectares of land could one day become the world’s largest green ammonia plant.

Ammonia, which is made up of nitrogen and hydrogen, is commonly used as a fertilizer. In the early 1910s scientists devised a way to synthesize it, but before then, the main agricultural fertilizer was guano, bat or bird excrement, which had to be obtained from tropical islands and was in short supply.

Production of ammonia at an industrial scale allowed agriculture to boom, and according to a study from the University of Manitoba, without it, we wouldn’t be able to produce roughly half of the world’s food today.

Ammonia is also used to manufacture explosives for the mining industry and is a key ingredient in many pharmaceutical and cleaning products. Currently, its production mainly involves fossil fuels and is responsible for 1.8% of global CO2 emissions. But by using renewable energy, “green” ammonia can be manufactured, slashing the carbon footprint of agricultural production and opening up the compound to further uses.

Prominent among them is the use of ammonia as fuel, which could help decarbonize the shipping sector. It is what the Mandela Bay plant will focus on. “It’ll start replacing heavy fuel oils on ships and it’ll replace diesel. That will become the fuel of the future, particularly in the maritime industry,” says Colin Loubser, managing director of Hive Energy Africa, which is building the plant.

‘A completely green process’

The process to make green ammonia is quite simple, Loubser says, requiring just water, air and energy. Electrolysis is used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, and an air separation unit extracts nitrogen from the air. The hydrogen and nitrogen are then combined to produce ammonia.

“The process of making it green is that you’re using renewable energy for this. You’re not using fossil fuels, coal or gas to make it. It’s a completely green process,” says Loubser.

Projected to start operations in 2026, the plant will cost $4.6 billion. It will be powered by a nearby solar farm and will get its water — of which vast amounts are needed to make ammonia — from a local table salt factory that desalinates seawater.

At least 20,000 jobs will be created in the region over the lifespan of the project, according to Loubser.

It will be a welcome development for the area. “We were hit very hard by Covid,” says Asanda Xawuka of the Coega Development Corporation, the entity in charge of bringing employment to the region. “A number of jobs were lost in South Africa. For us in the Eastern Cape, the unemployment rate is sitting at over 50%. (This) means an investment of this nature with a number of jobs that are going to be created, it’s going to be very big.”

The shipping industry made up nearly 3% of global CO2 emissions in 2018. According to the International Energy Agency, ammonia will need to account for 45% of the global energy demand for shipping in 2050, for net zero scenarios to realize, which means it’s an essential component of a greener future. But green ammonia could also be burned in existing coal-fired power plants to quickly reduce their CO2 emissions, the study notes, or in plants customized to run entirely on ammonia.

One limiting factor is that ammonia is a pungent and toxic gas, so it needs to be handled by trained professionals. Using it as a fuel produces nitrogen oxides, which can act as greenhouse gases and cause air pollution, requiring additional technology to control emissions.

And many of the systems that will make use of green ammonia – including ship engines – are still under development, which is why production levels are low at the moment. However, production is expected to boom: according to a report by Precedence Research, the green ammonia market accounted for just $36 million in 2021, but will grow to $5.4 billion by 2030.

Watch as support for funding Ukraine erodes among Republicans ...

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

CNN —

If Republicans win the House in the midterm elections, their pledge is to take a hard look at the money the US is spending to help foot the bill – to the tune of billions in security aid – for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.

Kevin McCarthy, who would likely be Speaker of the House in January if Republicans win in November, still supports US aid. But if Republicans win the House, he said there will be no more “blank check.”

President Joe Biden said McCarthy’s comments show today’s Republicans “have no sense of American foreign policy.”

“These guys don’t get it. It’s a lot bigger than Ukraine – it’s Eastern Europe. It’s NATO. It’s real, serious, serious consequential outcomes,” Biden said Thursday at a fundraiser in Philadelphia for Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman.

Why the next few months is crucial for the future of Ukraine's military 05:36 - Source: CNN

McCarthy expressed surprise Wednesday that his questioning of Ukraine aid caused a stir.

“Wouldn’t you want a check and balance in Congress? Wouldn’t you want this hardworking taxpayers’ money, someone overseeing it?” he said on CNBC.

An emerging GOP divide

It’s wrong to paint Republicans with one brush on this issue. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed consistent support for Ukraine funding and put out a statement Friday vowing that a Senate GOP majority would continue to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia.

But McCarthy’s suggestion that a House Republican majority could target Ukraine funding may be part of a larger shift on the war. And the split between McConnell and McCarthy over the issue could be a point of contention if the GOP wins control of the House.

McCarthy has also said cutting spending in general will be Republicans’ top priority if they win control of the House.

America first vs. standing up to Russia

Speaking on Fox on Thursday, the pundit Laura Ingraham mocked former Vice President Mike Pence for referring to the US as the “arsenal of democracy” and suggested the US military is too depleted to be helping out other countries.

She had a sympathetic guest in Pence’s fellow Indianan, Rep. Jim Banks, who said the US should not be depleting its own cache of weapons to help a country in Europe. Keeping the weapons, he said, rather than putting them on the battlefield, would help the US stay stronger.

“That’s the reality of this moment we’re in today. We can’t put America first by giving blank checks to those around the world to solve their problems,” Banks said, echoing McCarthy’s language.

The ground is shifting

Lawmakers will have another chance to vote on Ukraine funding, likely this year as part of a larger government funding bill.

The last time the House voted directly on aid to Ukraine, the vote was strongly in favor – 368-57. The no votes were all Republicans.

But you can feel the ground shifting as a new wave of Republicans hopes to sweep into Washington.

Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama lost a Republican nomination to run for Senate in his state and said he felt attacked for voting to support Ukraine aid by his opponent Katie Britt and by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Bannon, it should be noted, has inspired many of former President Donald Trump’s policy positions and has been consistently opposed to the US funding for Ukraine.

“I stand by my vote & am proud of it,” Brooks said on Twitter. “Putin must be stopped. At home, America must hold political opportunists accountable.”

How much has the US given?

The US has committed more than any other country to Ukraine, according to a database of military, financial and humanitarian aid maintained by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. As a percentage of GDP, the US ranks sixth.

It has given a total of $18 billion in military aid to Ukraine since January 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement last week, while announcing an additional $725 million in aid.

Where does the money go?

From CNN’s report on the most recent $725 million authorized by the Biden administration:

The assistance includes High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARMs), anti-tank weapons and small arms as well ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and small arms, according to a press release from the Department of Defense. The aid package also provides medical supplies, more than 200 high mobility vehicles, and thousands of artillery rounds and rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) systems.

Republicans aren’t the only ones reevaluating the cost of aid to Ukraine

Elon Musk, the billionaire who has provided critical Starlink internet service to Ukrainian forces, tried to get the Pentagon to start footing the bill for that service before backing off earlier this week.

Musk has expressed support for Ukraine, but drew criticism when he suggested a peace plan in line with Russia’s interests in a recent tweet. Read more on Starlink from CNN’s Alex Marquardt, who first reported Musk was asking the Pentagon to foot the bill.

Even if Musk won’t be brokering a peace plan and will be continuing to provide internet service to Ukrainians, his recent actions could be another signal of the beginnings of fatigue in what has been mostly unified global support. Italy’s new governing coalition is expected to include former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has had a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

None of that means there will be less support from the US or the world for Ukraine, but it certainly means that powerful people – and people like McCarthy who may soon have a lot more power – are taking a harder look at how much is being spent.

Titanic auction, Legos, mighty Mississippi: News from around our 50 ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Birmingham: The state’s busiest airport is partnering with a company that can identify passengers through eye scans and fingerprints. Al.com reports that Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport recently added kiosks offering the technology for a fee. CLEAR offers a $15 per month membership, paid annually, with various discounts for family members. After the biometric identification, passengers move to the front of physical security screening. The company says its technology is available at more than 60 airports, stadiums and other locations.

Corrections & clarifications: In a previous version of this story, it erroneously stated what CLEAR members do in the security line. CLEAR is not involved with physical security. The article also incorrectly stated the number and types of locations where CLEAR is available. The program is available at more than 60 airports, stadiums and other locations.

Alaska

Kodiak: Alaska has become the only state without an arts council following a loss of funding through state budget cuts. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports that the closure of the Alaska State Council on the Arts last week means a $2.8 million loss of arts funding in the state. Although only $700,000 is state funding, another $2.1 million consists of federal funds through matching grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and private foundation support. Officials say those funds will no longer be available without the state council as a connecting vehicle. Officials say Alaska residents’ federal taxes will still help pay for the arts in other states through the NEA, but those funds will not contribute to the arts in their own communities.

Arizona

Tucson: A program that prioritizes drug treatment over jail time is credited with keeping people out of jail and saving taxpayers some money. The Arizona Daily Star reports more than 500 people struggling with opioid addiction were sent to a grant-funded Pima County “deflection” program in the past year. Based on jail booking costs, taxpayers saved $178,000 in the fiscal year that ended June 30. The effort began a year ago as a six-month pilot program in two divisions of the Tucson Police Department. Officers could recommend a suspect caught with 2 grams of opioids or less for treatment instead of arrest. Authorities say the program proved successful with nearly 120 people getting “deflected.” The county has since received $1.4 million in federal funds to expand the program.

Arkansas

Fayetteville: Northwest Arkansas cities are figuring out how to handle the arrival of electric scooters, and the process will be evolving, officials say. A state law set to take effect Wednesday authorizes electric scooters vendors to set up shop in any Arkansas city. The scooters are battery-powered, have two wheels and a T-shaped handlebar and a floorboard. Riders pay to unlock them through a mobile app. The law says riders must be at least 16, and scooters have a maximum speed of 15 mph. The law allows municipalities to establish reasonable regulations for the safe operation and presence of the scooters on public property, but not ban them from the public right of way. Fayetteville’s City Council first took up a draft of an ordinance to regulate the devices July 2. Scooter companies will have to apply for a permit, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

California

Santa Rosa: The Sonoma County Fair has eliminated the pig scramble from Farmers Day because of rising public concern and protests over animal welfare. In the long-running event at the fair, youngsters chased and tried to capture piglets weighing 40 to 60 pounds. Officials say this year’s event Aug. 4 will instead include elementary school children carrying watermelons slicked with vegetable oil around an obstacle course in a timed race. The board president says the decision reflects a “heightened awareness” toward calls for humane treatment of farm animals at the fair 55 miles north of San Francisco.

Colorado

Loveland: State wildlife officials are telling people near the Rocky Mountain foothills to keep an eye on their children and pets after a series of mountain lion sightings. Donna Kendrick says she and a neighbor saw a mountain lion recently in their backyards in west Loveland. Kendrick told the Loveland Reporter-Herald on Friday the big cat saw her and “vanished like a ninja.” Kendrick called the Colorado Parks and Wildlife department, where spokesman Jason Clay says wildlife managers are aware of the sighting. Clay says Loveland-area residents reported mountain lions twice previously this year. People have reported mountain lions six times this year in nearby Masonville.

Connecticut

Hartford: State Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais is urging homeowners to review their insurance policies before the upcoming tropical storm season. Peak hurricane season in Connecticut begins in mid-August and runs through late October. Mais says policyholders should discuss with an agent or insurance company if they have appropriate and adequate coverage. Although homeowners, condo and renters insurance cover many types of storm damage, he notes that damage from flooding is excluded. Separate policies can be purchased from the federal National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. He says now is the time to buy those policies, considering there’s a 30-day waiting period before the policy takes effect.

Delaware

Wilmington:From 2006 through 2012, nearly 300million painkillers were shipped into Delaware according to a Drug Enforcement Administration database published this week by The Washington Post. If those 276,177,276 pills were distributed equally, that would be 286 for every Delawarean. The data set, known as ARCOS, tracks the journey of every prescription painkiller in the United States, starting with the manufacturer that produced it all the way to the pharmacy that purchased it. In 2006, 29 million prescription painkillers landed in Delaware communities. In 2011, the year with the highest volume, that number was nearly 48 million — a 68% increase. In 2012, the most recent year of data available, the number was 41 million. More than half of the pills — nearly 150 million — arrived in New Castle County. Sussex County had the highest per capita rate in the state at 361 pills per person. Kent County saw the greatest increase in pills delivered between 2006 and 2012, going from 4.5 million to 7.1 million respectively — a 57% increase.

District of Columbia

Washington: Developer Adrian Washington, CEO and founder of Neighborhood Development Company, has apologized for padlocking Little Jewels Daycare and Nooks Barbershop citing environmental concerns last week, WUSA-TV reports. To make amends, Washington has offered the barbershop and daycare spots in a new building paying the same rent. “We did the right thing (where) there was a clear health emergency, but we did it in the wrong way. We didn’t communicate well, we came in suddenly and people rightly felt disrespected,” Washington says. He adds it served as a valuable learning lesson even for a developer who has been in the business for more than two decades.

Florida

St. Augustine: An alligator that eluded capture for days in a Chicago lagoon is settling in its new home. The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park said in a Facebook post Friday that it welcomed the reptile known as Chance the Snapper with a banner, pizza and the band Chicago’s greatest hits. The park that now houses Chance recommended the Florida trapper Chicago officials flew in to capture the gator. The 4-foot, 18-pound American alligator became an instant sensation from the day he was spotted in the Humboldt Park lagoon and photos popped up online. Investigators don’t know why the animal was in the lagoon, but experts say it wouldn’t have survived the winter. Park director John Brueggen says Chance will stay alone for 90 days to make sure he is illness-free, and then join other gators.

Georgia

Atlanta: Georgia Power intends to rely more on solar power than in past years to deliver energy to homes and businesses. It will also close a coal-fired power plant in the northwest part of the state. WABE-FM reports that it’s part of the company’s long-range energy plan, which was recently approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission. Under the plan, Georgia Power will close its coal-fired power plant near Rome. Also part of the plan: the company says it will add more wood burning to its energy mix. Georgia Power has proposed an increase in rates by about 7 %. Hearings on that matter are scheduled to begin later this year.

Hawaii

Wailuki: The governing authority for Maui’s water utility plans to study the feasibility of buying and maintaining an irrigation system that diverts stream water from east Maui and delivers it other parts of the island. The county Board of Water Supply voted Thursday to establish a subcommittee to study the issue, The Maui News reported. Alexander & Baldwin developed the East Maui Irrigation system a century ago to supply water to its sugar cane fields in central Maui. The company last year sold the cane fields to Mahi Pono, which is growing a variety of crops on the land. The system, which is today owned by A&B and Mahi Pono, has also supplied 35,000 residents in Upcountry with water. These water users have been in limbo after a bill that would have authorized the state to extend A&B’s water permits failed at the state Legislature in May. A&B’s diversion permit expires in December. The bill’s failure raises questions about the permit’s renewal and the delivery of water to end users after that date.

Idaho

Boise: In February, Idaho Fish and Game drastically cut the number of moose tags because of population declines across the state. In 2019-2020, there will be only 634 moose tags available each year, a 22% decrease from 2017-2018, which also saw an 8% reduction compared to 2015-2016. The Panhandle region of Idaho saw a 45% reduction in moose tags, the largest in the state, and the elimination of antlerless tags. Wildlife biologists do not have clear answers for the drop in moose population, but the likely suspect is a combination of habitat loss, ticks and predators. Idaho Fish and Game does not know exact moose population numbers but estimates there are 10,000 to 12,000 in the state. To estimate populations, Idaho Fish and Game relies on harvest information.

Illinois

Springfield: Thousands of people have visited the governor’s mansion since it reopened last year after renovations that cost $15 million. The State Journal-Register reports that the governor’s office says more than 29,000 people have toured the mansion. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner spearheaded the renovations because maintenance had been neglected. Recent former governors rarely used the mansion before the renovations. But Rauner lived there and now Gov. J.B. Pritzker has moved in. The mansion offers exhibits highlighting the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago and life during the Civil War. An “Art of Illinois” project also showcases 80 pieces of fine and decorative art. The mansion has hosted free weekly concerts this summer. The mansion is open daily from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for guided tours.

Indiana

Burns Harbor: The Navy is planning to commission its new USS Indianapolis combat vessel at a northwestern Indiana port this fall. The ceremony marking the ship’s entry into the Navy’s active fleet is set for Oct. 26 at Burns Harbor along Lake Michigan. It is the fourth military vessel carrying the Indianapolis name. The second USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine in July 1945 while returning from a Pacific island where it delivered key components for the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Only 317 of its nearly 1,200 crewmen survived the sinking and days in shark-infested waters. The ship was built at a Marinette, Wisconsin, shipyard and will be based near Jacksonville, Florida. It is a Freedom-class littoral ship designed to be highly maneuverable for missions such as mine-clearing and anti-submarine warfare.

Iowa

Coralville: Iowa State University is dropping claims of wrongdoing against a former employee and paying her $225,000 to resolve a legal dispute over its popular outdoor sculptures made from Legos. As part of the settlement, Iowa State has also taken several steps to restore the reputation of Teresa McLaughlin. Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen has written her a glowing letter of recommendation calling her an honest, innovative employee. The school also will dedicate a bench for McLaughlin in Reiman Gardens, the campus landmark that McLaughlin spent most of her career building as its director. Those steps will resolve a contentious three-year legal dispute that derailed Nature Connects, the traveling Lego art program conceived by McLaughlin. McLaughlin had accused the university of failing to pay her commissions. The university accused her of working to market competing exhibits.

Kansas

Garden City: A local zoo says two of four red panda cubs born last week have died. Officials with the Lee Richardson Zoo say one of the male cubs died of injuries “of an unknown origin” shortly after he was born. Another female cub died while being cared for by her mother. The cubs were among quadruplets born last Wednesday to Ember, a 9-year-old red panda. The zoo says only 1% of red panda litters are quadruplets. Ember and the cubs are expected to be on public display in late September or early October. Until then, footage of mom and cubs will be available on the zoo’s social media accounts.

Kentucky

Newport:The city’s plans to install a SkyWheel at the Newport on the Levee can move forward, the city announced Monday. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved the permit for construction of SkyWheel, the observation wheel planned for the riverfront, according to the city. Construction on the 230-foot tall SkyWheel will start as soon as possible. It will feature 30 climate-controlled gondolas and will be built at Newport on the Levee, right next to the Newport Aquarium, by Koch Development of St. Louis.

Louisiana

New Orleans: The Mississippi River is finally low enough again to let the Army Corps of Engineers begin closing a huge spillway after a record-breaking run diverting water into Lake Ponchartrain. The corps says Monday in a news release that about 10 of the 168 open bays in the Bonnet Carré spillway would be closed by day’s end. Spokesman Matt Roe says full closing is expected to take about a week, with daily checks to make sure the river remains low enough to avoid stressing the city’s levees. The spillway was created to limit the river’s rush past New Orleans, keeping it below 1.25 million cubic feet per second – an amount that would fill the Empire State Building in 30 seconds. The spillway was opened May 10 for the second time this year.

Maine

Stonington: A group of Maine lobstermen that has the backing of the state’s Congressional delegation is pushing back at a plan to protect endangered whales with new fishing regulations. A federal team has called for the removal of half the vertical trap lines from the Gulf of Maine to reduce risk to North Atlantic right whales. Lobstermen from the Maine coast gathered with three members of the delegation and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in Stonington on Sunday to make the case the new rules would put an unfair burden on a key state industry. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, who attended the rally, says right whales need help, but the government’s “one-size-fits-all risk reduction” approach might not be the best way. The whales number about 400 and have experienced high mortality recently.

Maryland

Baltimore: Several hundred people gathered outside Johns Hopkins Hospital to protest the hospital’s practice of suing patients over unpaid medical bills. The Baltimore Sun reports the Saturday demonstration also promoted the efforts of Hopkins nurses to join the National Nurses United union. The Sun reported in May that Hopkins has filed thousands of lawsuits since 2009 against patients with outstanding bills. It reported a large portion of those lawsuits targeted residents of low-income areas. Hopkins emailed a statement to employees Saturday saying it supports its nurses right to unionize, but the union released false information about Hopkins’ debt collection practices. Spokeswoman Kim Hoppe says the court is only called on when patients stop responding and all points of contact are exhausted. She says patients can apply for medical or financial hardship.

Massachusetts

Boston: Lawmakers are weighing a ban on the practice of declawing cats. Supporters of the measure say declawing is cruel and painful. They say cats rely on their paws and claws to groom themselves and to help protect and defend their bodies. The practice involves amputating a cat’s toes to the first knuckle. A bill that would prohibit declawing is scheduled for a public hearing at the Statehouse on Monday before the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure. Lawmakers in New York last month voted to approve a bill banning the declawing of cats. The bill was sent to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Declawing a cat is already illegal in much of Europe and in several Canadian provinces, as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.

Michigan

Arcadia:An exclusive golf course no longer encourages players to hit balls into Lake Michigan after a diver found hundreds in the water. A description on the Arcadia Bluffs website of the 12th hole overlooking the lake had said, “Go ahead and do it, everyone does,” in reference to hitting a ball into the water before striking a tee shot. The Detroit Free Press says Arcadia Bluffs removed that reference last week after inquiries from the newspaper. Golf course president William Shriver says he doesn’t want to encourage the practice. Experts say golf balls are made of plastic and rubber and aren’t good for the Great Lakes. A beverage cart employee says she was fired for discouraging players from hitting balls into the lake. Arcadia Bluffs declined to comment.

Minnesota

St. Cloud:About 400 butterflies filled the sky on Sunday afternoon to celebrate lost loved ones at the eighth annual butterfly release event organized by Quiet Oaks Hospice. More than a thousand people were in attendance to listen to music, send off a butterfly, sip on root beer floats and enjoy a summer breeze by the river. In previous years, the event organizer would read off the names of those who were being celebrated during the butterfly release. But this year, attendees were invited to speak the name of the person they were celebrating and take a moment of silence to reflect.

Mississippi

Columbus: A group petitioning to legalize medical marijuana in the state says it needs about 28,700 more signatures to put the initiative on the November 2020 ballot. Jamie Grantham is communications director for Medical Marijuana 2020. She says organizers have gathered more than 86,000 signatures. That’s about two-thirds of what’s needed. The Commercial Dispatch reports Grantham spoke to a civic club Tuesday in Columbus. She says the state Department of Health would regulate every facet of the program, including overseeing treatment centers where products would be sold. She says only Mississippi licensed physicians could prescribe marijuana products to people with “debilitating medical conditions.” State Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher says he opposes easing marijuana laws because of concerns the drug could be abused. He was a longtime narcotics agent.

Missouri

Kansas City: Lobbyist spending in Missouri has dropped by 94% since voters approved a $5 cap on lawmaker gifts last year. A KCUR analysis of state data concludes that lobbyists spent less than $17,000 on lawmakers in this year’s legislative session compared with last year’s spending of about $300,000. Peverill Squire, a University of Missouri political science professor, says financial gifts don’t buy votes, but they can buy lawmakers’ effort and time. Squire says most of the spending is on larger events that all lawmakers can attend, which adheres to the cap rule. Kelly Gillespie, a lobbyist who heads Missouri Biotech Association, says the new rules limit educational possibilities. Gillespie’s group funded a program last year to teach lawmakers about drug discovery and health care affordability. That is no longer an option.

Montana

Missoula: Glacier National Park officials are teed off over a report that tourists were hitting golf balls off Going-to-the-Sun Road during a traffic delay. NBC Montana posted a video Thursday taken by a tourist during a road construction delay that shows two men teeing off with golf clubs on the side of the steep mountain road. On Friday, Glacier spokeswoman Lauren Alley told the Missoulian the incident is under investigation. She says throwing or hurling things over Going-to-the-Sun Road has the potential to hurt or kill people or wildlife. She says anyone who spots such activity should try to record the person’s license plate number or remember their face if it can be done safely. Alley says law enforcement calls at Glacier are up 40% over last year.

Nebraska

Omaha: Two king penguin chicks that hatched in March are now on display at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. The first chick hatched March 14 and now weighs 26 pounds. The second hatched March 16 and weighs 32 pounds. Their genders are not yet known. The chicks will remain in a segregated “chick pen” in the Antarctic penguin habitat until they molt their nonwaterproof down feathers. It also allows the chicks to get acclimated to the habitat and the other penguins. The chicks were raised by adult males – not typical for this species. Generally, an adult female shares that responsibility. The Zoo’s Aquarium Birds staff only intervened during select feeding times to get the chicks used to accepting food by hand. The zoo has 24 king penguins: 13 males, nine females and the chicks.

Nevada

Fernley: The second-largest commercial land sale in state history is expected to bring thousands of new jobs to a northern Nevada industrial park covering nearly 7 square miles about 30 miles east of Reno. A California-based real estate firm, Mark IV Capital, outlined details of the $45 million purchase along Interstate 80. The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada estimates more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created as a result of the potential development at what will be called the Victory Logistics District. Mark IV Capital cited location and infrastructure as reasons for its decision to acquire the property. In addition to easy railway access, it sits at a crossroad near I-80 and U.S. Highways 50 and 395.

New Hampshire

Loudon: The state Department of Transportation will be implementing a traffic control plan for fans attending Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Race in Loudon. The race starts at 3 p.m., with maximum traffic congestion occurring in the late afternoon and early evening. There will be ramp closures and other changes affecting Route 106, Interstate 93 and Interstate 393. In some areas, extra temporary lanes will be created.

New Jersey

Newark: Passengers traveling between New Jersey and New York have experienced rail delays of five hours or more about 17 times per year in recent years. That’s the conclusion of a review conducted on behalf of New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. The study’s findings were released Monday by the overseers of a multibillion-dollar project to build a second Hudson River rail tunnel and a new rail bridge over New Jersey’s Hackensack River. The study covered 2014 through 2018 and says the delays cost commuters almost 2,000 hours in extra transit time. They were mostly caused by mechanical problems and an aging infrastructure. The $13.7 billion tunnel project has been stalled by disputes between New York and New Jersey and the federal government over how the cost will be divided up.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: In what’s expected to be a long, contentious process, a few dozen people gathered recently for the first public meeting hosted by Public Service Co. of New Mexico on the planned shutdown of its coal-fired power plant. The utility says it wants feedback on four proposed options for replacing the power that will be lost when the San Juan Generating Station closes in 2022. The proposals are outlined in a filing made earlier this month with the Public Regulation Commission. Regulators will review the options in public hearings over the next nine to 15 months. The Albuquerque Journal reports PNM also will hold meetings in August with organizations that want to test potential changes in the different scenarios using modeling tools to determine costs and feasibility.

New York

Alexandria Bay: The St. Lawrence River has been named the best bass fishery in the nation. It’s a first for the river, which borders Canada to the north and was ranked in the top 10 twice in the past four years by Bassmaster Magazine. The average weight of the entire 149-team field during a June tournament was 20.3 pounds, topped by the winning team from Sam Houston State University, which averaged 24.4 pounds a day. The Big Bass Award for that event was a 6-pound, 7-ouncer. Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall says in some years there was internal debate over No. 1, but not this year. New York’s Lake Erie out of Buffalo was 10th.

North Carolina

Asheville: Housing prices in Buncombe County have never been higher, outpacing even that of prices in Asheville city limits for the first time in nearly six years, data compiled by area real estate agencies show. The county's median sale price for the year's second quarter was $319,500, up more than 10% from the same time in 2018 and its highest figure on record, according to Mosiac Community Lifestyle Realty. The rise is being driven by more homes selling for more than $300,000 and fewer selling below $300,000 compared to the same time in 2018, Mosaic said. Buncombe had 732 home sales during the quarter, a roughly 8% boost from the previous year's totals. The same time period yielded 453 home sales in Asheville, also a record number for a quarter, says Mosiac.

North Dakota

Bismarck: The state Game and Fish Department says its workers have just completed one of the largest fish stocking efforts in the history of the agency. Crews have stocked 140 lakes across the state with more than 11 million walleye fingerlings from the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery. Fisheries production leader Jerry Wiegel says the Garrison Dam hatchery had to step up this year because of fish production that couldn’t be used at the Valley City National Fish Hatchery. Its source of water is Lake Ashtabula, where zebra mussels were recently discovered. Walleye already produced at Valley City here used only to stock Lake Ashtabula. Some were also sent to other states for use in lakes where zebra mussels exist.

Ohio

Rossford: Amazon says it will open two new distribution centers in Ohio. The company announced Monday that the two sites in Akron and near Toledo will bring a combined 2,500 full-time jobs. The new facility in Akron will be built on the site of a former shopping mall. The one in Rossford near Toledo is going up at the intersection of Interstate 75 and the Ohio Turnpike. Each of the two distribution centers will cover more than 700,000 square feet. Both centers will employ workers to pack and ship small items. Amazon has five other distribution centers in the state. They employ a total of roughly 8,500 workers.

Oklahoma

Chickasha: One of the last remaining Democrats from a rural district in the state Legislature says he won’t seek re-election in 2020. Rep. David Perryman announced Monday that he won’t seek a fifth-consecutive term for House District 56. The southwest Oklahoma district includes the towns of Anadarko, Chickasha, Fort Cobb, Minco and Pocasset. A minority floor leader, Perryman says it’s a “frustrating time” to be a Democrat from rural Oklahoma and that he’s disappointed with the lack of bipartisanship in the Legislature. Republicans have a 77-24 advantage over Democrats in the House. Perryman says that when he completes his term in November 2020, he plans to resume his full-time law practice in Chickasha.

Oregon

Salem:The state’s iconic Douglas firs are declining as the state’s summers have grown hotter and drier. Drought also is killing grand fir and might be contributing to declines in Western red cedar and bigleaf maple. Oregon has experienced drought each summer since 2012, peaking in 2015. Although rainfall and snowpack have been close to average the past two years, temperatures in many areas still were above normal. Climate change is expected to increase drought in Oregon. Oregon Department of Forestry scientists conduct statewide aerial and ground tree surveys across 30 million acres each year, recording the number of dead and dying trees from all causes, including drought, storms, disease and insect damage. In 2018, about 680,000 acres contained damaged or dead trees attributed to all causes. That’s fewer than at the peak of the drought but still higher than historic levels.

Pennsylvania

Wilkinsburg: Pogopalooza, known as the World Championships of Pogo, bounced into the city last weekend. Extreme pogo stick athletes from around the world came to town to show off their huge tricks and flips to compete for world titles in such categories as High Jump and Best Trick. The events on Saturday and Sunday weren’t just for the grown-ups. Pogo users under the age of 15 entered a “bounce off” competition and those who bounced the longest got a free pogo stick. Visitors tried their hand at pogo-sticking in a free jump area that had pogo sticks of all sizes. In addition to the main competitions, the pogo athletes attempted to break three Guinness World Records over the weekend.

Rhode Island

Newport: A Titanic survivor’s walking stick with an electric light she used to signal for help from a lifeboat has sold for $62,500 at an auction of maritime items. Guernsey’s auction house held the auction in Newport on Friday and Saturday. Guernsey’s President Arlan Ettinger says the top bid on Ella White’s cane was $50,000, plus the surcharge added by the auction house. The preauction estimate had been $300,000 to $500,000. The walking stick was consigned to Guernsey’s by the Williams family in Milford, Connecticut. Ettinger says some family members contested the sale. The issue was resolved before the auction, but the dispute might have made potential bidders nervous. Ettinger says the winning bidder said he was there on behalf of a friend in the United Kingdom.

South Carolina

Orangeburg: A family owned plant in Orangeburg County that makes machines for textile mills is closing after nearly 50 years. Mayer Industries Inc. CEO George Fischer says the company is consolidating its work making braiding machines at plants in Germany. Fischer told The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg that its 59 employees were told of the closing two years ago and the company has been working to help anyone find a new job. Fischer says Mayer Industries did a similar consolidation of its knitting machine business nearly 20 years ago. Mayer Industries built the Orangeburg plant in 1970 and created a course at the nearby technical college to teach workers metric measurements they would need to make machines for the European market.

South Dakota

Rapid City: A National Guard unit has been welcomed home after a nearly year-long deployment to the Middle East. A ceremony was held Sunday afternoon for the 26 members of the 935th Aviation Support Battalion at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Rapid City. KOTA-TV says community members showed their appreciation with prayer and applause. Gov. Krisit Noem told the guard members their dedication did not go unnoticed because of their exemplary work. The Rapid City-based unit provided aviation maintenance and repair support for the Army.

Tennessee

Memphis: The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says six corrections officer have resigned after an internal investigation into accusations of inappropriate conduct. The Commercial Appeal reports that the identities of the deputies were not provided. A social media post from the sheriff’s office says the investigations focused on inappropriate relationships with inmates at the Shelby County Jail. The deputies were suspended with pay in mid-June while an investigation was conducted. One of the deputies resigned in June after being charged with a personal conduct violation and consorting with persons of bad or criminal reputation, which are administrative charges. Sheriff’s Office Captain Anthony Buckner says in a video release that the investigation was halted because the deputies left the department and the office’s General Investigation Bureau did not find sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges.

Texas

Deer Park: The cleanup of millions of gallons of waste and polluted water is far from over four months after a large fire burned for days at a Houston-area petrochemical storage site. The Houston Chronicle reports that Intercontinental Terminals Company, the facility’s owner, must abide by a 31-page management plan that underscores how waste is sampled and identified, stored and discarded. The March 17 fire at the company’s Deer Park site, located southeast of Houston, triggered air quality warnings. More than 21 million gallons of potentially hazardous waste and contaminated water have since been collected from the tank farm and Houston Ship Channel. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office filed water pollution charges in April against Intercontinental Terminals Company, alleging the fire caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway.

Utah

Alpine: Police in northern Utah were surprised to learn the suspect in a reported burglary was a wild turkey. Dave Ventrano with Lone Peak police says they received a call on Saturday from a resident who heard a window break in the house next door. The family that lives there was out of town. Officers searched the house and found a dead turkey lying in a pile of broken glass underneath a window on the first floor of the home. Ventrano said the turkey died after flying through the window. He said there are a lot of wild turkeys in Alpine. Police gave the turkey carcass to a resident who owns a local barbecue restaurant.

Vermont

Stowe:The once-endangered common loon is making a comeback in Vermont, but not without the help of humans across the state who build islands for the birds. Eric Hanson, a loon biologist with the state Center for Ecostudies has been leading the group's efforts to manage loon populations in the state. On July 15, Hanson, volunteers from the conservation group Friends of Waterbury Reservoir and Park Ranger Chad Ummel met at the northern part of Waterbury Reservoir to grab some canoes and kayaks and paddled out to build a nesting raft for the two loons that call the artificial lake home. The raft the crew put together on the reservoir was made from a base of cedar logs. Hanson sawed notches on the logs so they fit together like Lincoln Logs.

Virginia

Richmond:The state Department of Health has issued a warning to residents that there has been an increase in respiratory illnesses across the state. The health department received increased reports of respiratory, or breathing, illnesses across the Commonwealth greater than observed in previous summers. Most of the reports have occurred among older adults and those with chronic medical conditions in assisted living and long-term care facilities, the VDH said. The reports involve different regions of the state and different diseases, including pertussis (whooping cough), influenza, haemophilus influenzae infection, Legionnaire’s disease and pneumonia caused by rhinovirus or human metapneumovirus.

Washington

Bremerton:The Kitsap Pride in the Park 2019 event emphasized unity: among law enforcement, churches, elected officials and community members. The Bremerton Police Department, City Council members and Mayor Greg Wheeler were among the hundreds of community members in attendance at Evergreen Park on Saturday. The Police Department took to the main stage following Wheeler's address to announce its “Safe Place” program. The program, operated by Officer and LGBTQ liaison Mitchell Chapman, will allow the department to offer a safe haven at the station for victims of hate crimes while police resolve the issue. Chapman says he will be working closely with local businesses and social services to train them on the protocols to serve as safe spaces.

West Virginia

Vivian: Crews have begun clearing the scene of a train derailment, where up to 20 cars went off the rails, some of which had carried hazardous materials at one point. No one was injured. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports Kimball Fire Chief Jimmy Gianato says the hazardous material train cars were empty during the Saturday crash, but will still be continually monitored becauese of possibility of a leak. After the Norfolk Southern train cars derailed near Vivian, some toppled onto their side. Others fell into the neighboring creek. The newspaper reports one was labeled “Carbon Dioxide Refrigerated Liquid.” Crews with Norfolk Southern, Emergency Railroad Services and Cranemasters worked to clear the scene Sunday.

Wisconsin

Appleton:In the midst of a sweltering heatwave that scorched more than half of the U.S., there was some good news for Appleton residents: It apparently has been worse. A Seattle news station reported Friday that Appleton is home to the hottest "feels like" day in U.S. history, when the temperature hit a high point of 101 degrees with a dew point of 90 degrees on July 13, 1995. That combination produced a heat index — or made it feel like — 148 degrees that day, KOMO News reported. Friday wasn't quite that hot — Appleton saw a high temperature of 90 degrees and dew points ranged from the low-to-mid 70s, says Scott Berschback, a meteorologist out of the National Weather Service office in Green Bay. Berschback couldn't confirm Friday's peak heat index, nor could he confirm the purported record.

Wyoming

Rock Springs: Two residents are trying to end the use of a gas chamber for euthanasia at an animal shelter. The Humane Society of the U.S. says Wyoming is one of just four states where shelters still use gas chambers rather than lethal injection to euthanize animals; the others are Missouri, Ohio and Utah. Animal welfare advocates say gas chambers are cruel because death often doesn’t happen quickly. The Rock Springs Rocket-Miner reports Madhu Anderson and Eve Waggoner have been protesting the use of gas at the Rock Springs animal shelter. Anderson says lethal injection is more humane and not difficult to implement. Rock Springs Police Chief Dwane Pacheco says the shelter only euthanizes feral cats and aggressive dogs and has one of Wyoming’s few free spay-and-neuter programs.

Surfboard proposal, Duke dorm opossum: News from around our 50 ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Gadsden: Hundreds of fish have been added to a creek as part of an ongoing effort to boost tourism. The Gadsden Times reports Black Creek was restocked Tuesday with about 1,100 pounds of trout above Noccalula Falls by the Rainbow Fly Fishing Club. The group also stocked 1,000 coppernose bluegill into the watershed in late March. Republican Rep. Craig Lipscomb, of Rainbow City, is a member of the fishing club and says its members are working with the city to fill a gap for activities at the falls in the winter months. Lipscomb says trout fishing in Georgia brings in tens of millions of dollars for the state, and Gadsden would benefit even from a fraction of that.

Alaska

Anchorage: A new FBI report says the state has the nation’s highest rate of sexual assault, and violent crime has increased. Alaska Public Media reports that the 2018 statistical analysis from the agency’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program says Alaska does not conform to a general national decline in violent crime. The annual report uses statistics from law enforcement agencies to provide an analysis of crime at the national, state and municipal levels. The report says violent crime in Alaska increased by 3% from 2017 to 2018 while falling 3% nationally. It says Alaska saw an 11% increase in the number of sexual assaults reported to law enforcement, while nationally there were 2.7% more assaults. The FBI says Alaskans reported four times more sexual assaults than the national rate.

Arizona

Phoenix: An increase of bald eagle breeding areas this year didn’t result in more nestlings in the state. Game and Fish Department officials say there were 71 eagle nestlings during the 2019 breeding season, down from 87 hatched last year. During the department’s annual bald eagle survey, raptor biologists counted a minimum of 74 occupied breeding areas statewide – up from the 69 counted last year. But the number of eggs laid dipped from 102 last year to 97 this year. The number of birds that made their first flight fell to 63 from the 70 recorded in 2018. Arizona’s bald eagle population has flourished since 1978, when 11 pairs were counted within the state and the species was listed as endangered. There currently are an estimated 74 adult breeding pairs.

Arkansas

Fayetteville: Court records show a former lobbyist who pleaded guilty to bribing three former state lawmakers will be sentenced this month. Rusty Cranford could face up to 10 years in federal prison for bribing Sen. Jon Woods, Rep. Hank Wilkins and Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, the nephew of Gov. Asa Hutchinson and son of former U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson. Cranford had hoped to increase revenue for the Missouri-based nonprofit Preferred Family HealthCare. Cranford also confessed to embezzling from the nonprofit where he worked. His attorney declined to comment. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports court records posted Tuesday show he’ll be sentenced Nov. 25. A federal grand jury in Missouri indicted Cranford on one count of conspiracy and eight counts of accepting bribes.

California

Santa Rosa: A Northern California brewery owner upset with devastating fires sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines is producing a beer he named “F--- PG&E,” and the brew has sparked a backlash. Steve Doty, owner of Shady Oak brewery in Santa Rosa, announced the new beer last week on a Facebook post. Doty tells SFGate he meant to draw attention to the negligence of PG&E executives and was stunned by the onslaught of critical comments by people who said they are related to utility employees. Others have attacked Shady Oak by giving it one-star reviews on Yelp and Google or calling the taproom with violent threats. Doty posted an apology to those upset by the beer name but says he is still standing by the name.

Colorado

Denver: A Muslim civil rights group is protesting after an arena security guard told a woman to remove her hijab before she could enter to see her 8-year-old daughter sing the national anthem with her school choir at a Denver Nuggets basketball game. Gazella Bensreiti said Wednesday that the guard told her to “take that thing off of my head” at the Pepsi Center box office Nov. 5. Bensreiti said she explained the scarf was for religious purposes. She said the guard replied that she didn’t care. After speaking with a supervisor, the guard ushered her inside. The Council on American-Islamic Relations protested the incident. Arena owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment called the encounter a misunderstanding and said the guard didn’t recognize that Bensreiti was wearing a hijab.

Connecticut

Hartford: Republicans in the state Senate are unveiling an alternative transportation plan they say doesn’t rely on tolls or tax increases. Thursday’s plan from the minority party in Connecticut’s Senate comes a day after Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont pitched his 10-year, $21.3 billion initiative to Senate Democrats. While the Democrats liked projects in Lamont’s proposal, they didn’t like how it includes 14 tolls on bridges across the state. It’s unclear whether the GOP’s plan will ultimately lay the groundwork for a compromise on an issue that has vexed the state for years. Like Lamont’s plan, the 10-year, nearly $18 billion Senate Republican plan also relies on low-cost borrowing from the federal government. Instead of using toll money to pay off the loans, it banks on money from the state’s dedicated transportation fund.

Delaware

Wilmington: The state’s birding community is mourning the loss of Wilmington resident William “Bill” Stewart Jr., who died Tuesday after battling cancer, while celebrating his legacy of conservation and determination. Stewart, 67, was a well-known birder, conservationist, educator and former gymnastics coach who helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to permanently preserve nearly 2,000 acres of land for future generations of birders and Delawareans through the Delaware Bird-A-Thon program he started in 2006. He helped put the First State on the birding map by showing visitors and locals the state’s beauty and international role in shorebird migrations. The Bird-A-Thon effort has raised more than $400,000, which has helped protect properties and start a hawk watch program in northern Delaware, as well as a science education grant for researchers. A celebration of life for Stewart will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Delaware Nature Society’s Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin.

District of Columbia

Washington: A landlord in the district is being forced to pay $1.1 million in rent payments to former residents who homes were plagued by pests, mold and raw sewage and violated housing and fire codes. The Washington Post reports D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced Wednesday that Sanford Capital LLC will pay the settlement to 155 former residents “forced to live in squalor.” Racine’s office had sued the Bethesda, Maryland-based company for violating consumer protection laws. For years, tenants struggled with unsanitary and poor conditions that left many without heat in winter months. Prosecutors said some residents also lacked working toilets, stoves or refrigerators. They say Sanford refused to fix some broken locks and didn’t maintain fire extinguishers, a move made even more dangerous by missing or broken smoke detectors.

Florida

Orlando: It’s light and bright in all the merriest of ways at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom this holiday season. For the first time since the park opened in 1998, there’ll be holiday-themed entertainment and decor throughout the 500-acre park, with twinklers lining rooftops and other new seasonal touches at the park, now Central Florida’s second most popular theme park, behind Magic Kingdom. At DinoLand, Donald’s Dino-Bash, the dance party is complemented by holiday decorations chosen by Donald Duck’s pals, with all kinds of holiday merch available for sale at the gift shop. Diwali, India’s festival of lights, is celebrated over in Asia, while in Africa, African celebrations blend with Western traditions, making a stroll through Harame for food and shopping a colorful mix of tastes and treats.

Georgia

Atlanta: A nonpartisan organization has placed a national debt clock downtown ahead of a Democratic presidential debate coming to the city. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports New York-based Peter G. Peterson Foundation placed the billboard on Ted Turner Drive between Walton and Marietta streets, near Centennial Olympic Park. The clock displays the nation’s nearly $23 trillion debt and pegs each American’s share of the number at about $68,000. CEO Michael A. Peterson says the debt issue affects everyone, not just lawmakers. He says he hopes the billboard sparks conversation on the enormous debt and ways to manage it. The foundation says the clock will remain in the city indefinitely. The Democratic debate will be Wednesday at Tyler Perry Studios in southwest Atlanta.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A man was surfing with his girlfriend when – instead of hanging 10 – he knelt down on one knee on his board and proposed. Hawaii News Now reports Lauren Oiye said yes just before Chris Garth dropped the ring in the ocean. Multiple photographers nearby captured the Sunday moment. Luckily, he had a spare. Garth said he knew it could go wrong, so he used a stand-in while they were out in the water. The real ring was on shore at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki, where the two met years before.

Idaho

Rexburg: Brigham Young University-Idaho has stopped accepting Medicaid as health insurance coverage, forcing full-time students to buy a university-backed plan. University officials say health plans could be purchased for at least $81 a month for single students and up to $678 a month for a family. Officials say a student form used to opt out of the school health plan was updated this month reflecting the change in policy. Open enrollment for Medicaid expansion began Nov. 1. State health officials say Madison County has the highest concentration of potential Medicaid expansion enrollees in the state. Students say a reason for the change has not been disclosed. Some students argue the plan is expensive and has limited coverage. The university declined multiple requests for comment.

Illinois

Springfield: A copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address that was handwritten by the 16th president himself is going on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum for two weeks. In a news release, the museum says it will display the copy – one of only five surviving copies written by Lincoln – from Thursday through Dec. 2. The display coincides with the anniversary of Lincoln’s delivery of the brief speech Nov. 19, 1863, at the height of the Civil War. The document that stays in a climate-controlled space most of the time to protect it from light and humidity will be housed in the museum’s Treasures Gallery. The address that begins famously with the words: “Four score and seven years ago … ” is handwritten on plain white paper.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Gov. Eric Holcomb isn’t promising any quick action on the call for further boosting teacher pay that thousands of educators will be making at the Statehouse next week. Teacher unions say at least 107 school districts with more than 40% of Indiana’s students will be closed Tuesday while their teachers attend the rally. Holcomb didn’t criticize school districts for closing the day of the union-organized rally, saying it was a local decision. The Republican governor said Thursday that he applauds teachers for expressing their concerns, but he’s waiting for a teacher pay commission he appointed to make recommendations by the end of next year. The rally dubbed “Red for Ed Action Day” will happen on the day legislators are gathering for organization meetings ahead of their 2020 session.

Iowa

Des Moines: The Slaughterhouse has a new home downtown. The haunted attraction, which has become a staple in Iowa, has begun moving to the old Bank of America building. To break in the new digs, set to open fully next September, Slaughterhouse will host a Krampus Krawl. The event will begin Dec. 7 with an all-age photo op before the crawl to four Full Court Press establishments. Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as “half-goat, half-demon” in Austro-Bavarian Alpine folklore. During the Christmas season, Krampus punishes children who have misbehaved, as opposed to Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas, who rewards well-behaved children with gifts. Tickets are available online. General admission tickets include a Glow Stein for one free pour at each of the four Full Court Press stops.

Kansas

Wichita: The City Council has approved a public financing package worth about $35.5 million to subsidize the creation of a medical school. The Wichita Eagle reports the package approved Tuesday will help create a campus for training osteopathic physicians. Called the Kansas Health Science Center, the new school will be built in the former Finney State Office Building. Once the center of state government in Wichita, the building was abandoned in favor of leasing privately owned office space across the city. Plans also call for three other buildings to be transformed – one into student housing, another into a dining hall and culinary center, and the third into a boutique hotel. The bulk of the money for the development will come from tax abatements.

Kentucky

Frankfort: A federal court is allowing a man to personalize a license plate with the phrase “IM GOD” after a three-year legal battle over the custom engraving. Court documents show Ben Hart, a self-identified atheist, set out to get the Kentucky plate in 2016. But Hart’s request was denied by the state transportation department on the basis it violated antidiscrimination guidelines. News outlets report similar plates had been approved before, including “TRYGOD” and “NOGOD.” Kentucky’s American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation got involved to help Hart challenge the decision. In an opinion Wednesday by a U.S. District Court in Frankfort, the judge ruled that “vanity plates” are private speech protected by the First Amendment and that the state had violated Hart’s rights by denying him the plate.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: A legislative auditor says 18 cities, towns and villages may be close to reaching bankruptcy or may have the inability to provide basic services to residents in the future based on the municipalities’ most recent financial information. The Monroe News Star reports Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera compiled a list of “fiscally distressed municipalities” and added it the auditor’s website. The municipalities range from small villages like Epps in northeastern Louisiana to larger towns like Winnsboro in central Louisiana. Purpera says the list is a way to alert the public and officials of the problems so they can be easily addressed. The list includes concerns for each municipality, including incomplete or inaccurate financial information, insufficient utility rates, debt and rural water infrastructure problems.

Maine

Harpswell: The town wants the Navy to protect the clam flats as part of its remediation plan for the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The Harpswell Conservation Commission has argued the stormwater system that brings water from ponds at the former Navy base to Mare Brook and Harpswell Cove should be extended. The commission told the environmental coordinator for the closure process that the Navy has an obligation to investigate the impact of the stormwater system. The Times Record reports that an investigation of the pond system had found several heavy metals including lead, arsenic and cadmium that could potentially reach nearby clam flats. Paul Plummer, Harpswell’s harbormaster, says the Harpswell side of the Harpswell Cove alone holds $100,000 worth of shellfish.

Maryland

Baltimore: The city has reached 300 homicides in a year for the fifth year in a row. Detective Donny Moses told WBAL-AM the total reached 300 Thursday morning with the shooting deaths of a man and a woman. The Baltimore Sun reports the city is on track to see one of its most violent years on record. The city recorded 309 homicides last year and 342 the year before. Democratic Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young addressed the homicide rate at a news conference Wednesday. He said the city is working to reduce the crime rate, and leaders aren’t to blame. Young took over as mayor this spring after Democrat Catherine Pugh resigned amid investigations into her business dealings. He’s running for reelection in 2020 against a dozen challengers, some of whom criticized his comments Wednesday.

Massachusetts

Sudbury: The Sky Bar, the multiflavored chocolate bar divided into four sections, is back on the market after a yearlong hiatus. The Boston Globe reports that production of the confection has resumed at a suburban gourmet shop less than a year after the owner bought rights to the brand in an online auction. The Sky Bar made its debut in 1938 but was discontinued last year when the New England Confectionery Co., also known as Necco, went out of business. Louise Mawhinney, owner of Duck Soup in Sudbury, bought the rights to the Sky Bar in January. The candy bar, divided into caramel, vanilla, peanut and fudge sections, is available in the store and online for $1.98. After the holidays, Mawhinney plans to get a wholesale license and ramp up operations.

Michigan

Jackson: A museum at a former southern Michigan prison is closing at the end of December. Cell Block 7 in Jackson allows visitors to step into the cells and walk the corridors of what was once the largest walled institution in the world. The museum’s website invites people to “spend some time on the inside” during a self-guided tour. The museum opened five years ago under an agreement between the state of Michigan and the Ella Sharp Museum, also in Jackson. Ella Sharp director Diane Gutenkauf says the costs are too high. Gutenkauf says some artifacts from the prison museum will be available at the Sharp museum, including oral histories of people who worked there or were inmates. The last day at the prison museum will be Dec. 29.

Minnesota

St. Paul: The battle over the name of a popular Minneapolis lake has landed before the Minnesota Supreme Court. Justices heard arguments Wednesday on whether the state Department of Natural Resources has the authority to change the name of Lake Calhoun to its original Dakota name, Bde Maka Ska. The state Court of Appeals ruled in April that the agency overstepped its authority in January 2018 when it changed the name. It said authority to change the name rested with the Legislature under statutes governing lake and other place names. KARE-TV reports Save Lake Calhoun attorney Erick Kaardal argued the legislature enacted a policy that says lake names that have been used more than 40 years cannot be changed without lawmakers granting additional authority. It could take the court months to make a decision.

Mississippi

Rolling Fork: The state is naming a stretch of land in the south Delta in honor of the two-term governor who is leaving office in January. Officials gathered Wednesday to dedicate the Phil Bryant Wildlife Management Area. The 18,000-acre site in Warren and Issaquena counties is made up of bayous, cypress sloughs and bottomland hardwoods. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Director Sam Polles says the area is divided into four tracts that will offer different types of hunting, including group hunts in a primitive setting. The department worked with the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to buy the land in 2018 from Anderson-Tully Company. Republican Bryant said during the dedication ceremony that he looks forward to bringing his grandchildren hunting on the land.

Missouri

Jackson: A rescued puppy is attracting a lot of attention because of his resemblance to a unicorn. The nearly 10-week-old puppy, named Narwhal, has a tail-like appendage growing from his forehead. Narwhal was rescued over the weekend and sent to Mac’s Mission in Jackson, which specializes in fostering animals with special needs. Mac’s Mission founder Rochelle Steffen says Narwhal doesn’t notice the extra tail and is otherwise a happy, healthy puppy. Although it looks like a tail, Narwhal cannot wag it. Steffen says the rescue group has been flooded with requests from people wanting to adopt Narwhal since his picture hit social media. But he’ll remain at Mac’s Mission so his caretakers can be sure the tail doesn’t grow out of proportion to his face and cause him problems.

Montana

Butte: A fish hatchery will be locked at night and begin using security cameras after vandals mutilated several fish. The Montana Standard reports the perpetrators killed about 20 rainbow trout, broke windows and tossed items into water channels at the Ennis National Fish Hatchery. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the Oct. 27 vandalism at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility about 88 miles southeast of Butte. Sheriff Phil Fortner says a witness saw a yellow ATV near the hatchery, but no suspects have been identified. Hatchery Manager Ron Hopper says the fish were cut with garden hoes, ice choppers or other tools. Hopper says that for the previous 80 years, the hatchery was left unlocked for after-hours visitors.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The state Transportation Department is offering to produce and emplace roadside memorials as a way to keep highways free of roadside safety hazards. The new departmental policy announced Wednesday says each sign will display the name of the person being memorialized and include one of five safety messages: “Please Drive Safely,” “Seat Belts Save Lives,” “Don’t Drink and Drive,” “Don’t Text and Drive” or “Don’t Drive Impaired.” The sign will be placed as near to the accident site as possible. Family members who have placed private memorials alongside state highways are encouraged to contact their local department offices to discuss disposition of the memorials and get information on the state installing new signs. The department’s Jeni Campana says the state-produced signs would be of a familiar design and would pose less of a safety hazard than the irregular appearance of private memorials.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Elon Musk’s Boring Co. will begin drilling an underground tunnel Friday for the Las Vegas Convention Center’s forthcoming people mover. To officially kick off the tunneling phase of the company’s first commercial project, the boring machine will be turned on 40 feet below ground. The $52.5 million underground people mover will allow convention attendees to travel the expanse of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s 200-acre campus in approximately one minute, according to officials. The transportation system will include three passenger stations that connect the convention center’s 3.2 million-square-foot space with the 1.4 million-square-foot West hall that is now under construction. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority officials say plans call for the expansion project to be completed by January 2021.

New Hampshire

Durham: After facing criticism over its prior annual holiday celebrations, the town is making some tweaks, planning a “Frost Fest” without a tree-lighting ceremony or grand entrance from Santa. WMUR-TV reports in past years Durham’s held a tree-lighting ceremony. But after some concerns that the event was too focused on Christmas, a working group was formed to make changes, such as not hanging wreaths on light posts. The Frost Fest is billed as a “winter celebration” with a bonfire, cookie decorating, ice sculpting, crafts and activities. Last year, town officials were under fire for denying a menorah to be displayed next to the tree decorated annually at a local park. The officials cited vandalism concerns.

New Jersey

Toms River: The state has drumsticked up a plan to deal with flocks of wild turkeys that are ruffling some feathers in a Jersey Shore neighborhood. And it doesn’t involve them winding up on dinner plates in two weeks. The state Department of Environmental Protection will trap scores of turkeys that have descended on a retirement community in Toms River and relocate them. The move comes as some residents say large flocks of turkeys have invaded the area, pecking at cars – and at some people who venture too close. Others say they give the birds a wide berth and haven’t experienced any problems. Toms River residents who have run a-fowl of the birds include former New York Yankees and Mets baseball player Todd Frazier, whose SUV was covered by turkeys recently.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: Federal and state officials have reached an agreement they say will strengthen their relationship as they work to improve forest conditions in the state. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen signed the so-called shared stewardship agreement during a gathering Thursday in Santa Fe. The agreement has been a work in progress over years and will address issues such as wildfires, drought and invasive species. Officials say the challenges faced by land managers transcend boundaries and affect people beyond the jurisdiction of any single organization, so they have to find new ways of working together and doing business at a greater pace and scale. Under the agreement, the state and national forests plan to evaluate opportunities, threats and alternatives for risk management.

New York

New York: Until recently, New York City police secretly kept fingerprints of children arrested as juveniles on file permanently in a department database. It’s an illegal practice that raised alarms about the lengths the nation’s largest police force has taken to keep tabs on the city’s youth. The Legal Aid Society uncovered the yearslong practice. The public defender organization pressured the police department to acknowledge it and threatened legal action to make it stop, citing a state law barring local police from stockpiling juveniles’ fingerprints. Now, after years of wrangling and resistance, the NYPD said Wednesday that it has purged all juvenile fingerprints records from the database and will no longer keep them indefinitely. The Legal Aid Society said the database contained the fingerprints of tens of thousands of New York City youths.

North Carolina

Durham: An opossum has illegally taken up residence in the ceiling of a Duke University dorm, where students have been complaining about being bitten by fleas. The school’s assistant vice president of student affairs, Joe Gonzalez, told reporters Wednesday that the school has yet to catch the elusive opossum about which students first complained in October. He says the creature has escaped custody partly because it appears to be splitting its time between the Few Quad dorm and somewhere else. Reports of fleas also began to surface last month, prompting the school to put students up in another dorm while they fumigated the place. Gonzalez says the opossum may have brought the fleas, but that’s unconfirmed. Irritated students are questioning why they’re dealing with such conditions at a $78,608-per-year school.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State officials have given an estimate on how much oil was spilled from a pipeline leak in Williams County last month. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality says an estimated 12,432 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline operated by Hiland Crude about a mile northeast of McGregor on Oct. 17. The department says the oil leaked onto cropland. Department staff have inspected the site and say they will continue to monitor remediation.

Ohio

Dayton: A traveling exhibit celebrating the service and heroism of military working dogs and the sacrifices they make during battle is being displayed at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The exhibit titled “Canine Warriors – Courage and Sacrifice, Always Beside You” features wooden sculptures of eight Wounded Warrior Dogs and four Canine War Dogs and is now on display at the museum in Dayton. Ohio craftsman James Mellick designed the exhibit to be symbolic of the wounds suffered by military dogs in battle and to raise awareness of their needs. The exhibit also features art depicting working military dogs from the Air Force Art Program. It will remain at the museum through Jan. 31.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: District attorneys are raising concerns about a proposed new ballot measure aimed at further reducing the state’s prison population. In a statement late Tuesday, Oklahoma District Attorneys Association President Jason Hicks says one problem is that crimes like child trafficking, aggravated assault and battery, and domestic abuse aren’t technically violent crimes under state law. The proposed state question filed Tuesday would prohibit prosecutors from using previous nonviolent felony convictions to enhance prison sentences. Hicks says state prosecutors are still examining the proposal, but there are already elements that would be “detrimental, if not catastrophic, for public safety.” District Attorney Angela Marsee says ignoring past convictions of repeat offenders is “detrimental to our mission.”

Oregon

Medford: Traditional Christmas feasts featuring Dungeness crab may not be in the cards this year, as officials have delayed the commercial crabbing season due to the small size of the crustaceans. The Mail Tribune reports the season had been set to start Dec. 1 for Oregon’s most lucrative commercial fishery, but now crabbing has been postponed until at least Dec. 16. It’s the sixth straight year the season has been delayed to allow the crabs a chance to fatten up to meet industry standards. Dungeness crabs off the coasts of Washington and California also have low meat levels in their shells, prompting similar delays in those states. Tests planned for late November or early December will determine whether commercial crabbers can start plying the Pacific beginning Dec. 16.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The FBI has begun a corruption investigation into how Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration came to issue permits for construction on a multibillion-dollar pipeline project to carry highly volatile natural gas liquids across the state. FBI agents have interviewed current or former state employees in recent weeks about the Mariner East project and the construction permits, according to three people who have direct knowledge of the agents’ line of questioning. All three spoke on condition of anonymity. The focus of the agents’ questions involves the permitting of the pipeline, whether Wolf and his administration forced environmental protection staff to approve construction permits, and whether Wolf or his administration received anything in return, those people say.

Rhode Island

Providence: A federal judge has sided with the cities of Providence and Central Falls after they challenged the conditions of U.S. Department of Justice public safety grants they said in a lawsuit would turn local police into federal immigration agents. District Court Judge John McConnell Jr. said in a ruling Thursday that “Congress has not granted the power to impose the conditions the DOJ imposed.” The federal government, among other things, wanted cities receiving public safety grants to notify federal agents when immigrants in the country illegally are about to be released. Attorneys for the cities said in a statement that they are pleased the court “found DOJ’s attempts requiring our police departments to be agents of a federal immigration system to be unlawful.”

South Carolina

Clemson: Bars throughout downtown in this college town are now signed on to the Angel Shot program, offering patrons a way to request help when they don’t feel safe. The simple order – “one Angel Shot, please” – is meant to be a simple solution to combat sexual violence and assault in the university’s entertainment district. An “Angel Shot” is not an actual drink. It is a code word that signals to a bartender or barback that a customer feels unsafe, typically from a potential perpetrator of sexual violence. From there, the bar’s staff will find that customer safe passage out of the bar and home. The Angel Shot program was implemented in every bar downtown this fall semester by Clemson University Student Government, which partnered with Pickens County Advocacy Center, Clemson City Police Department and Clemson’s Healthy Campus for the initiative.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: A man sentenced to 90 years in prison for killing his stepfather has petitioned the court in Minnehaha County to change his name because he wants a fresh start. Thirty-five-year-old Daniel Charles was 14 when he was sent to prison in 2000 for first-degree murder in Meade County. He was accused of putting a rifle to his stepfather’s head and pulling the trigger at a ranch near Opal. He told law enforcement at the time that he didn’t know the gun was loaded. Charles’ petition says he wants to change his name to Rameus Tiberius Aryada to start a new life with an adult identity. The South Dakota Department of Corrections lists Charles’ earliest parole eligibility as March 2045.

Tennessee

Nashville: The Tennessee State Museum is collecting stories of cultural identity, immigration and migration from the public. The project called Your Story, Our Story uses everyday objects as an entry point for these personal stories. Members of the public can add their own stories and read the stories of others on the Tennessee State Museum’s website. Because the museum is currently showcasing an exhibit on Tennessee food, it is especially encouraging visitors to add images and stories of recipes, cookware, dinnerware and ingredients that carry meaning in their families. Your Story, Our Story is an initiative of the Tenement Museum in New York City and partners across the U.S. that include museums, colleges, schools, libraries and community groups.

Texas

Robstown: With help from Nueces County Public Libraries, county Judge Barbara Canales led local students on a “bear hunt” at Oscar O. Ortiz Park on Wednesday evening. Despite the biting cold, Canales gamely led the students down a path to read from “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen. The county unveiled StoryWalk, a new feature at the park in which pages of picture books are displayed in wooden stands along paths so residents can read while they walk. It’s an effort to promote literacy and physical activity, and the county plans to implement StoryWalk at more parks. Canales and the kids read aloud together as the characters braved tall grass, a deep river, a forest and mud along their search for a bear. Canales called out to the students to stomp in big strides, run and tip-toe like the characters to bring the story to life.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on Thursday announced his 2020 candidacy for the Republican nomination for the office that he held from 2005 to 2009 before leaving to serve as a U.S. ambassador. Huntsman announced his candidacy in a statement before a scheduled kickoff swing Thursday and Friday to Cedar City and St. George in southern Utah. Incumbent Republican Gov. Gary Herbert is not running for reelection, and Huntsman has said he was considering a run for governor. Huntsman served as U.S. ambassador to China in the Obama administration and as U.S. ambassador to Russia in the Trump administration. Other Republicans in the 2020 race include Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah County businessman Jeff Burningham and Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton.

Vermont

Montpelier: Five groups are sharing more than $1 million to use phosphorus recovery technologies as the state works to reduce algae-causing phosphorus runoff into Lake Champlain and other waterways. It’s part of the Vermont Phosphorus Innovation Challenge announced last year to generate creative solutions to the phosphorus pollution in the state. Officials estimate about 38% of the phosphorus load in the lake comes from agricultural land. Gov. Phil Scott said Thursday that the state received 21 applicants for the funds. The finalists include Agrilab Technologies of Enosburg Falls. The governor’s office says the group will use existing phosphorus recovery technologies, composting and drying equipment to create a series of sites for phosphorus processing in Franklin, Addison, Lamoille and Caledonia counties.

Virginia

Richmond: A task force has been created to come up with ways to help mitigate and prevent evictions in the city. The group will include affordable housing and social justice advocates, youth and family homelessness specialists, public housing residents and property management professionals. Mayor Levar Stoney said in a news release that the group will work with the city’s Eviction Diversion Program, which began last month to provide rental assistance, free legal help, financial counseling and supportive service referrals to residents who are facing eviction. Stoney said the task force will explore steps the city can take to better understand the root causes of evictions. A research group at Princeton University found that Richmond and four other Virginia cities have some of the highest eviction rates in the country.

Washington

Seattle: A weeklong hearing will help determine whether a small American Indian tribe from the northwest corner of Washington state can once again hunt whales. The Makah Tribe conducted its last legal hunt in 1999, when its crew harpooned a gray whale from a cedar canoe. A U.S. appeals court later revoked permission for the hunts, saying the tribe needed to obtain a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The tribe has been trying to obtain the waiver since 2005, a process that has been repeatedly stalled by scientific reviews. The hearing beginning Thursday will focus on whether the tribe meets the requirements for the waiver. Animal rights groups oppose the effort. Whatever the outcome, the matter is likely to end up in federal court.

West Virginia

Charleston: The West Virginia Board of Education will give the public 60 days to comment on a proposal on charter schools, double the normal allotted time. The board put the policy proposal up for comment Thursday. Legislation signed by Gov. Jim Justice authorizes a staggered implementation of public charter schools, limiting the state to three charters until 2023, then three more every three years after that. The legislation was part of a broader education bill that included teacher pay raises. The West Virginia Education Association and the West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers have lambasted the bill, saying it shut out teachers’ voices and violates the state Constitution.

Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers is asking the Republican leaders of the Legislature’s budget committee to release $3.7 million a year in funding to pay for programs designed to help homeless people. Evers sent a letter Thursday to the committee cochairs, urging them to make available the funding that has been pending for four months. Evers is seeking action now before winter sets in. He says with cold temperatures and snow across the state already, “my concern has only grown.” The funding would go toward such things as grants to help low-income people with housing costs, help fund emergency shelters and pay for support to help homeless people get into permanent housing. The Assembly passed bills to approve the funding, but they’ve stalled in the Senate.

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park: The National Park Service says snowy weather last month likely cut down on visitors to Yellowstone during October. The agency recorded just over 170,000 visitors during the month, a 22% decrease from October 2018. So far in 2019, the park has hosted over 3.9 million visitors, which is down 2.5% from the same period last year. Yellowstone is entering its winter season, when visits to the park are typically the lowest of the year.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports