Newspapers drop Dilbert after racist comments from creator Scott ...

Corrections and clarifications: USA TODAY did not publish the Dilbert comic strip. A previous version of this article was incorrect.

Numerous newspapers, including the USA TODAY Network, and a major comic distributor announced they will stop running the widely syndicated comic strip Dilbert after the creator described people who are Black as part of a "hate group" that white people should "get away" from.

Scott Adams, the creator of the strip that debuted in 1989 that pokes fun at office culture, received backlash from comments he made Wednesday on his YouTube channel "Real Coffee with Scott Adams."

As news organizations announced they were pulling the comic strip because of Adams' remarks, the comic strip creator continued to defend his remarks.

What did Scott Adams say?

The backlash against Adams began Wednesday when he referenced a Rasmussen Reports survey that had asked whether people agreed with the statement “It's OK to be white."

Most agreed, but Adams noted that 26% of Black respondents disagreed and others weren't sure.

The Anti-Defamation League says the phrase was popularized in 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the discussion forum 4chan but then began being used by some white supremacists.

Adams, who is white, repeatedly referred to people who are Black as members of a "hate group" or a "racist hate group" and said he would no longer "help Black Americans."

“Based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people,” Adams said.

AI: ChatGPT is poised to upend medical information. For better and worse.

Live weather updates: Southern California under siege with historic snow, rain, air rescues - and it's not over

Newspapers pull Dilbert, condemn Adams' comments

The USA TODAY Network, which includes USA TODAY and other newspapers owned by Gannett, such as The Arizona Republic and Detroit Free Press, announced Friday it would stop publishing Dilbert "due to recent discriminatory comments by its creator."

Other news organizations also did the same:

Andrews McMeel Universal Chairman Hugh Andrews and CEO and President Andy Sareyan said in a joint statement Sunday that the syndication company was “severing our relationship” with Adams.

Chairman Hugh Andrews and CEO and President Andy Sareyan said in a joint statement Sunday that the syndication company was “severing our relationship” with Adams. The Los Angeles Times said Saturday it would discontinue Dilbert Monday "in most editions", as it will last appear on March 12 since Sunday Comics are printed in advance.

said Saturday it would discontinue Dilbert Monday "in most editions", as it will last appear on March 12 since Sunday Comics are printed in advance. The New York Times said Sunday it would no longer be publishing the comic strip. Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, said the comic appeared only in the international print edition and not in the outlet's U.S. edition or online.

said Sunday it would no longer be publishing the comic strip. Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, said the comic appeared only in the international print edition and not in the outlet's U.S. edition or online. The Washington Post said Saturday it had “ceased publication" of Dilbert. A spokesperson said it was too late to stop the strip from running in upcoming print editions, including Sunday.

said Saturday it had “ceased publication" of Dilbert. A spokesperson said it was too late to stop the strip from running in upcoming print editions, including Sunday. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and other publications that are part of Advance Local media announced they were pulling Dilbert. Chris Quinn, editor of The Plain Dealer, said it was "not a difficult decision" as the outlet is "not a home for those who espouse racism. "

other publications that are part of Advance Local media announced they were pulling Dilbert. Chris Quinn, editor of The Plain Dealer, said it was "not a difficult decision" as the outlet is "not a home for those who espouse racism. " The San Antonio Express-News, part of Hearst Newspapers, said Saturday it will drop the Dilbert comic strip, effective Monday, “because of hateful and discriminatory public comments by its creator.”

Distributor drops Dilbert

Major comics syndicator Andrews McMeel Universal said in a statement that the syndication company was “severing" their relationship with Adams.

By Monday morning, Adams no longer appeared in searches on GoComics and “Dilbert” comics were gone from the website, which also features many top comic strips like “Peanuts” and “Calvin and Hobbes,” as well as political cartoons.

"As a media and communications company, AMU values free speech," the statement said. "But we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate."

Scott Adams defends comments

In another episode of his online show Saturday, Adams said he had been making a point that “everyone should be treated as an individual” without discrimination and "you should absolutely be racist whenever it’s to your advantage."

"But you should also avoid any group that doesn’t respect you, even if there are people within the group who are fine,” Adams said.

Adams has also continued to defend his remarks on Twitter, noting that he was getting "canceled."

While Adams' strips are no longer on GoComics, he maintains an extensive archive on his own website.

In a YouTube episode released Monday, Scott Adams said that new “Dilbert” strips will only be available on his subscription service on the Locals platform.

“They made a business decision, which I don’t consider anything like censorship,” he said of Andrews McMeel Universal, adding that his comments about Black people were hyperbole.

Elon Musk tweets support for Adams

Meanwhile, Tesla, Twitter and Space X CEO tweeted support for Adams.

"For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites & Asians," Musk tweeted. "Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist."

Musk later agreed with a tweet saying Adams’ comments “weren’t good” but had an “element of truth” to them.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY; Associated Press

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

Biden's student loan plan hits SCOTUS, Dilbert dropped: 5 Things ...

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Supreme Court set to address Biden's student loan forgiveness plan

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week on President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. Plus, USA TODAY White House Correspondent Rebecca Morin looks at refugees under the Biden administration, USA TODAY and other newspapers drop the Dilbert comic after racist comments by its creator, USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub talks about how chatbots could upend medicine, and USA TODAY Money & Personal Finance Reporter Medora Lee explains how an end to the pandemic boost to SNAP benefits will affect millions of Americans.

Live updates:Follow along as Supreme Court hears arguments on Biden's student loan forgiveness plan

Podcasts:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below.This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Monday, the 27th of February 2023. Today, the ramifications of the Supreme Court's upcoming decision on President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. Plus, a closer look at refugees under Biden, and what chatbots might mean for the future of medicine.

♦

The Supreme Court will begin picking through President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan this week with several hours of oral arguments set to begin tomorrow. And the court's decision, expected later this year, will represent a broader decision about presidential power. It could hurt Biden's ability to pursue other policies like abortion and immigration, and that could be a problem for a president likely seeking reelection with a gridlocked Congress.

In addition to addressing presidential power, the court's decision could also address whether COVID-19 is still a national emergency, since it was that emergency that let the Department of Education execute its loan forgiveness program. You can follow along with all the latest this week on USATODAY.com.

♦

President Joe Biden has pledged to fix a broken refugee program in the US, but two years later he's not even close to his goal. I spoke with USA TODAY White House Correspondent Rebecca Morin to find out more. Rebecca, welcome to 5 Things.

Rebecca Morin:

Great, thank you for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

What did you find in your analysis about refugee admissions under the Biden administration?

Rebecca Morin:

Right now, the Biden administration is trying to build up resources and take more refugees. According to our analysis, the United States only admitted 20% of the number that they have as their ceiling, which is 125,000.

With that, there's been a couple of humanitarian crises that the United States has helped out with. Afghan refugees who were coming after the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, Ukrainian refugees after Russia invaded. And so the US right now is being saddled with these different humanitarian crises. All those people, who are supposed to be part of this goal, they're they're waiting in line, and this line is getting very long because of just lack of resources.

Taylor Wilson:

In general, how does the Biden White House compare with past administrations when it comes to refugee admissions?

Rebecca Morin:

The Trump administration had the least amount of refugees admitted into the US. Trump also made the goal historically low. In fiscal year 2020, it was 18,000. And then in fiscal year 2021, before President Biden came in and revised it, it was 15,000. And the last full year of the Obama administration it was 85,000 refugees that they were trying to get in, and President Obama was just shy of that. Maybe the only other time we saw lower refugee intake was right after 9/11.

In the '90s it was hundreds of thousands. In the '80s there was up to 200,000 refugees coming in to the US, being admitted in.

Taylor Wilson:

Rebecca, what does the Biden White House say about some of these numbers? Especially considering that Biden himself campaigned on pledges to change some of the Trump era policies when it comes to refugees?

Rebecca Morin:

The administration has been very clear that these goals that they're setting, they're not going to meet immediately. Even when they announce fiscal year 2023, which is also 125,000, that it's not going to be something that happens now.

I talked to a State department official who basically said, "Yes, refugee admissions are a lagging indicator of our progress." It's going to take more time to feel the impact. Right now they're saying they're interviewing more refugees, so they're trying to get up there.

Taylor Wilson:

What do advocates say needs to change specifically under Biden, when it comes to refugees?

Rebecca Morin:

Some of the advocates I talked to, one of the big concerns, the long wait times. The time for refugees to go through this process, it could be a year, it could be two years. It's a pretty long process. They have to be referred by a different agency to the US, and so that takes time. And that's one of the biggest complaints that some of these advocates have.

The United States has a very rigorous background check, and some advocates want to see maybe a more streamlined process. They just don't have the infrastructure in place to try and really nail down everything that they need to do. They need to help everyone, and right now they don't really have enough people to do so.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY White House Correspondent. Thanks so much.

Rebecca Morin:

Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

A number of newspapers, including USA TODAY, are dropping the widely syndicated comic strip Dilbert. That's after its creator described people who are Black as part of a hate group that white people should get away from. Scott Adams is under fire for comments he made on his YouTube channel, where he also said he would no longer help Black Americans. And he said, "Based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people."

The USA TODAY Network, including USA TODAY and other local papers owned by Gannett, announced Friday that it would stop publishing Dilbert due to the discriminatory comments by its creator. Other publications, including the New York Times and Washington Post, announced the same.

♦

Chatbots driven by artificial intelligence could upend the future of medicine. One of them, ChatGPT, could help patients and doctors alike, but it's not without its skeptics. USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub explains. Karen, welcome back to the show.

Karen Weintraub:

Thanks so much for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So what is ChatGPT and how does it work?

Karen Weintraub:

Yeah. It's an interactive, large language model. So you can type in a question and it will give you a pretty convincing answer. May not be right, but it will be convincing. It's used right now for anything. Some people are using it, and shouldn't be, to write their term papers. Other people are using it to ask questions like you would in a search.

Taylor Wilson:

What potential could this application bring for both patients and doctors?

Karen Weintraub:

For patients, conceivably, if the information is right, it could be helpful. Let's say you went to the doctor and they said that you had some ailment. You didn't understand what the doctor said. You might be able to type in what is X, and it will give you an explanation for that that probably is pretty accurate. Where it's going to be potentially questionable, a diagnosis for instance. You enter fatigue, which is a really common thing, a lot of people are fatigued. There could be 100 or 1,000 probably different reasons for fatigue. It might give you six options. Maybe those are right, maybe those are wrong. The more specific you can be, the better, more likely it will be to be accurate, but it's hard to tell at this point.

So the use for patients is one thing, and pretty soon all of us will have access. There's currently free access to ChatGPT. A million people signed up in the first two days that it was available. The concern really is coming also from if doctors were to use it. In some cases it might be beneficial, where a doctor could get maybe more ideas for a diagnosis that they might not have thought about themselves. But also, it's impossible to tell the source of the information right now on these technologies. We use research trials to say this drug is good for this type of person, and there's no way to figure out using ChatGPT where that information came from, whether it was a study or just those words were associated and that's why it came up.

Taylor Wilson:

And so what else are skeptics saying about ChatGPT when it comes to medicine?

Karen Weintraub:

The problem with it is that it's just language. It associates words. So if you entered something like "diabetes treatment," it might say metformin, which is a common diabetes treatment. That doesn't necessarily mean metformin is the right treatment for you if you have diabetes, but it appears commonly on the internet, and so that's why it shows up.

So it's not a thinking being, it's just sort of telling you what the language model says is the most common thing. And so that could be problematic. If it told you that maybe you had some terrible type of cancer, you would be very upset by that and it might not be right.

Taylor Wilson:

Is there any legal framework for how doctors and medical professionals are allowed to use this technology?

Karen Weintraub:

Right now there is no legal framework, and there's some consideration in Congress about that. Some of the experts I talked to said they think there should be guardrails around the use of ChatGPT and similar technologies for medical care. There should always be a human in the process. You shouldn't just be relying on a diagnosis from a digital algorithm.

Taylor Wilson:

All right, Karen Weintraub, you're always opening our eyes about interesting stories from the world of health. Thanks so much.

Karen Weintraub:

Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

A pandemic era boost to SNAP benefits is set to expire at the end of this month. So what's that mean for millions of Americans? I spoke with USA TODAY Money and Personal Finance Reporter Medora Lee to find out. Medora, welcome back to 5 Things.

Medora Lee:

Hi, thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

First off, what are SNAP benefits?

Medora Lee:

SNAP benefits are Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formally called food stamps, to help low-income families afford nutritious, healthy foods.

Taylor Wilson:

Medora, who will be affected by these SNAP expirations?

Medora Lee:

Anyone who receives these SNAP benefits will be affected. And the USDA says that there are about 42 million Americans who receive these benefits, so that's a lot of people.

Taylor Wilson:

How much will SNAP recipients actually lose each month when these expire?

Medora Lee:

On average, there have been some studies and they say that people will be losing about $90 a month, but some people can lose upwards of $250 a month. It depends on various things. SNAP benefits are calculated based on income, number of people in your household, and certain expenses you have to pay.

Even if you think it's only going to be $90 a month, that is going to feel particularly difficult for some people, I think, because of inflation. So you're basically seeing a reduction in the number of dollars you can use to spend on food, and we all know the price of the carton of eggs. So this could be a big surprise. And a lot of food banks have been preparing for this because they expect a big rush of people are going to start coming to the food banks, starting March.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Medora Lee covers money and personal finance for USA TODAY. Thanks, Medora.

Medora Lee:

Thank you. Bye.

Taylor Wilson:

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us every day of the week right here, wherever we get your audio. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' SAG Awards, Russia, Italy ...

Dozens of people have died in a shipwreck off Italy’s southern coast. More harsh weather is expected in California. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Next stop: Oscars.

👋 It's Jane Onyanga-Omara and Julius Lasin, Daily Briefing authors. A bear doing coke on screen is pretty crazy. So is the wild true story that inspired it. USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt fact checks what's true and what isn't about "Cocaine Bear."

Now, here we go with Monday's news

Putin says Russia will 'take into account' NATO's nuclear capability

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday that after Russia suspended its participation in the last arms control agreement with Washington, it would “take into account” the nuclear weapons capabilities not only of the United States but of other NATO countries. Putin had said in a speech suspending Russia's role in the 2010 New START treaty last week that France and Britain, not parties to the agreement, had joined the U.S. in targeting Russia with nuclear weapons. In an interview with Russian TV, he said he took the action to "preserve our country, ensure security and strategic stability." Putin repeated his common theme that the West is bent on destroying Russia and that his one-year-old war in Ukraine is part of a battle for Russia's very survival. Read more

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' wins big at SAG Awards

The sci-fi multiverse-hopping "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night, the last stop on the road to next month's Oscars ceremony. The acclaimed indie movie cemented its status as the Academy Awards frontrunner by winning the SAG honor for best cast, while star Michelle Yeoh snagged best actress and Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan took home supporting actor honors. And Brendan Fraser scored a victory for "The Whale," winning best actor. See all of the winner's from Sunday's show.

More news to know now

🛒 Tens of millions of Americans will see the pandemic boost to their SNAP benefits expire at the end of February.

to their SNAP benefits expire at the end of February. 🏥 Jimmy Carter is in hospice care. Explaining the end-of-life care over 1 million Americans choose.

Explaining the end-of-life care over 1 million Americans choose. 🎤 "American Idol": Katy Perry shouts America has "failed us" at school shooting survivor's audition .

Katy Perry shouts America has "failed us" at school shooting survivor's audition 🚊Contaminated waste shipments from Ohio train derailment will continue after a temporary pause.

will continue after a temporary pause. 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub looks at the potential impact of artificial intelligence chatbots on the future of medicine. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

🌤 What's the weather up to in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast here.

More unusual weather expected after historic snow, rain in California

More harsh weather is expected in California this week after the state was hit with a historic weather front that impacted a wide swath of Southern California with stunning snow, record rains, and flooding. The first of two new storms brought rain and snow Sunday to northern California. Blizzard warnings will go into effect at 4 a.m. Monday and will last until Wednesday for much of the Sierra Nevada. The snow won't sweep down to the edge of coastal cities as it did in recent days, but this week's forecast for Los Angeles does call for high temperatures in the low 50s — about 15 degrees below normal. Read more about the weather in the U.S.

Dozens dead off Italy after migrant shipwreck

Rescue crews searched by sea and air Monday for the dozens of people believed still missing from a shipwreck off Italy’s southern coast that drove home once again the desperate and dangerous crossings of migrants seeking to reach Europe. At least 80 people survived Sunday’s shipwreck off the Calabrian coast, but rescue crews recovered 62 bodies, including those of several children and the corpse of a young man Monday morning. Dozens more were feared dead given survivor reports that the ship, which set off from Turkey last week, had carried about 170 people. Read more

Just for subscribers:

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USA TODAY Network, others drop Dilbert comic after creator's racist comments

Numerous newspapers, including USA TODAY, announced they will stop running the widely syndicated comic strip Dilbert after the creator described people who are Black as part of a "hate group" that white people should "get away" from. Scott Adams, the creator of the strip that has poked fun at office culture since its debut in 1989, received backlash from comments he made Wednesday on his YouTube channel "Real Coffee with Scott Adams." As news organizations announced they were pulling the comic strip, Adams continued to defend his remarks, noting on Twitter that he was getting "canceled." Read more

📷 Photo of the day: Damian Lillard has a historic scoring night 📷

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard scored 71 points in a 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Lillard's astonishing points tally is tied for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Read more about Lillard's record night and see more photos from this NBA season here.

One more thing

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Whoopi Goldberg suspended from 'The View': What we know

Whoopi Goldberg is suspended from "The View" after her "wrong and hurtful" comments on the Holocaust during the January 31 episode of the show.

During a discussion with co-hosts, Goldberg claimed the Holocaust, which involved the murder of 6 million Jews and other victims, was not "about race." Her co-stars, anti-Semitism groups and fans on social media immediately pushed back on her statement. The TV host quickly apologized and addressed her comments on-air during "The View" the next day.

Still, ABC News president Kim Godwin announced Goldberg's suspension on February 1, effective immediately.

Joy Behar started off the show on February 2 as moderator and quickly addressed Goldberg's suspension.

"You all saw the news, Whoopi will be back here in two weeks," she said.

Here is everything we know about the situation and her suspension.

What did Whoopi Goldberg say to get suspended?

Goldberg made her initial comments during a discussion about a Tennessee school board banning the book "Maus" from the eighth grade English and language arts curriculum.

The graphic novel, written by comic artist Art Spiegelman, tells the story of his Jewish parents living in 1940s Poland and follows them through their internment in Auschwitz.

More:'Maus' sales soar after book is banned by Tennessee school board

During the show's discussion of the book ban, Goldberg said: "Let's be truthful about it, because the Holocaust isn't about race," Goldberg said Monday. "It's about man's inhumanity to man. That's what it's about."

Co-host Behar chimed in, saying, "Well, they considered Jews a different race," in reference to the Nazis. "View" contributor Ana Navarro also pushed back, saying, "But it's about white supremacy."

Goldberg doubled down.

"But these are two white groups of people," she said. "You're missing the point. The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let's talk about it for what it is. It's how people treat each other. It's a problem. It doesn't matter if you're Black or white, cause Black, white, Jews ... everybody eats each other."

What backlash did Goldberg receive?

The comments drew a quick response on Twitter and Goldberg became a trending topic on the social media platform that day.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt was one of the users who corrected the host on Twitter.

"(The Nazis) dehumanized them and used this racist propaganda to justify slaughtering 6 million Jews," he added. "Holocaust distortion is dangerous," Greenblatt wrote.

StandWithUs, an organization dedicated to education about Israel and fighting anti-Semitism, tweeted that the Holocaust "was driven by multiple factors, and there is no doubt that one of them was Nazi racism against Jews."

"Nazis back then and white supremacists today consider Jews to be a different and inferior race," the organization added, along with a clip of the discussion on "The View."

How long is Whoopi Goldberg suspended from 'The View?'

Goldberg is suspended from "The View" for two weeks, Godwin announced in statement February 1.

“While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments," Godwin said, calling her words "wrong and hurtful." "The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities."

How did Goldberg address the criticisms?

Goldberg apologized on social media writing, "On today's show, I said the Holocaust 'is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man.' I should have said it is about both."

She added: "I stand corrected. The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I'm sorry for the hurt I have caused."

The social media apology was followed up with her on-air apology saying she is "grateful" for the corrections and that "the information I got was really helpful and helped me understand some different things.”

Greenblatt was also invited on "The View" to discuss why Goldberg's words had been hurtful. He added that the show should consider hiring a Jewish co-host as they're still seeking to fill Meghan McCain's spot since her departure last year.

McCain's last day on "The View" was in August and the show has yet to announce her replacement. Since her departure, guest co-hosts have joined the show during the 25th season. Current hosts are Goldberg, Behar, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines.

'The View' turns 25: OG hosts talk chemistry, tensions and replacing Meghan McCain

What did Meghan McCain say about the controversy?

Former "View" co-host Meghan McCain, whose views frequently conflicted with those of Goldberg while on the show, wrote a column for the Daily Mail about Goldberg's comments.

"I hope this can be used as a teachable moment to explain to millions of Americans why conflating the Holocaust as something that is specific and limited to 'white people' is insane, ahistorical and anti-Semitic," McCain wrote. "For as much as the left is fond of using Nazi comparisons and imagery, the truth of the Holocaust, who it targeted and why, deserves to be known and understood by all."

Contributing: Charles Trepany, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Lion Man, Garden State bud: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

CORRECTION: This article originally misstated details about a museum in the works in Atchison, Kansas, the birthplace of famed aviator Amelia Earhart. The centerpiece of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is Muriel – the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E. Named after Earhart's younger sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey, Muriel is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight around the world.

Alabama

Florence: An organization that has staged dozens of protests against a Confederate monument in north Alabama filed suit contending the city is trying to limit the demonstrations in violation of free-speech guarantees. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by Project Say Something and its founder, Camille Bennett, claims the city and Police Chief Ron Tyler are trying to clamp down on the protests by telling the group when, where and how it can demonstrate against the monument, located at the Lauderdale County Courthouse. Bennett said the organization, a nonprofit she founded about eight years ago, has tried to work with the city, the TimesDaily reports. “Alabama has a long history of confronting racial injustice through peaceful demonstration, and it is imperative that we not lose that ability to speak truth to power when the situation demands it,” Bennett said in a statement. The city has not responded to the federal lawsuit in court, and city officials declined comment. Project Say Something held as many as 175 demonstrations at the monument in 2020 but cut back the following year because the city used its noise and parade permit ordinances to discourage them, the lawsuit said. The chief relocated the demonstrations to a “protest zone” away from the courthouse to shrink the potential audience, it claimed, and he threatened to issue citations.

Alaska

Juneau: U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is in the midst of her first visit to the state in the role, including a visit to a community at the center of a long-running dispute over a proposed land exchange aimed at building a road through a national wildlife refuge. Residents of King Cove have seen a road as a life and safety issue. Haaland was in King Cove on Wednesday with Gov. Mike Dunleavy and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Dunleavy’s office said. King Cove residents have long sought a land connection through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to Cold Bay, which is about 18 miles away and has an all-weather airport. The refuge is near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula and contains internationally recognized habitat for migrating waterfowl. “The federal government needs to consider human safety and quality of life factors for residents in King Cove. The locals deserve to be heard by the federal government,” Dunleavy said in a statement. A U.S. Justice Department attorney last summer said Haaland had not decided what position she would take on a proposed land exchange, saying Haaland planned to review the record and visit King Cove before making a decision. A planned trip to Alaska last year didn’t materialize.

Arizona

Phoenix: The state’s Republican House speaker on Thursday was named one of five recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for his refusal to consider overturning the 2020 election results despite massive pressure from ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters. Speaker Rusty Bowers rebuffed repeated direct efforts by Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani and others to overturn results that saw President Joe Biden narrowly defeat Trump in Arizona. Trump and Giuliani urged Bowers in a phone call to retroactively change Arizona law to allow the Legislature to chose a different slate of presidential electors than those picked by the voters. “I am very grateful for this honor yet cannot help but feel undeserving of it,” Bowers said in a statement. “Honoring my oath and the people’s choices at the ballot box are not heroic acts – they are the least that Arizonans should expect from the people elected to serve them.” The award created by Kennedy’s family in 1989 is designed “to recognize and celebrate the quality of political courage that he admired most” and is given each year to one or more political figures. This year’s award honors those who showed “courage to protect and defend democracy in the United States and abroad.” The awards will be presented at a May 22 ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Arkansas

Fort Smith: A local agency says it’s seeing an uptick in calls for help after the end of a statewide rent relief program. The Arkansas Department of Human Services closed its program April 1, leaving many renters struggling to find additional avenues to keep their families housed. The Arkansas Rent Relief Program provided up to 15 months of relief for unpaid rent and utilities due on or after April 1, 2020. As of the beginning of this month, about 30,000 applications had been paid at the close of the program, totaling $92.5 million in funding distributed. Some households are still waiting for assistance as their applications are being processed. As of April 7, about 3,700 applications were still being processed across the state. In the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey taken from Jan. 26 to Feb. 7, 41.4% of Arkansas households surveyed said they were not current on rent or mortgage, making eviction or foreclosure either very likely or somewhat likely in the next two months. Dana Crawford, family services manager at the Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council, said she has seen an uptick in calls looking for help following the closure of the state’s rental assistance program. “We did have the Arkansas Fresh Start, but we have since depleted those funds,” Crawford said.

California

Sacramento: Parents of middle and high school students in the state would be warned about the dangers of firearms every year under a measure that advanced Wednesday. But they would no longer be required to tell school officials if they keep guns in the house, under the revised legislation. The state Senate Education Committee three weeks ago rejected the firearms reporting requirement as an invasion of privacy. So Democratic state Sen. Anthony Portantino reworked his bill, eliminating the parental reporting. The narrower version cleared the same committee Wednesday on a 5-1 vote. His revised bill requires schools to include information on the safe storage of firearms in the annual notifications they send home to parents of students in middle and high schools, starting in the 2023-24 school year. Legislation with a similar requirement has already passed the California Assembly. More than two-thirds of school shootings involve weapons taken from the students’ home, friends or relatives, Portantino said. “This is an attempt to try to empower school districts to do everything they can to make the school environment safe,” he said. “This errs on the side of caution.” If there are threats or perceived threats of school shootings, the proposal requires investigators to check the state’s firearm database to see if the suspect’s family has registered firearms.

Colorado

Aurora: The police chief who led the force in the Denver suburb when a gunman killed 12 people in a movie theater a decade ago is returning to temporarily lead the embattled department following the firing of its last chief. Daniel J. Oates, who served as police chief in Aurora from 2005 to 2014 before retiring as police chief in Miami Beach, Florida, will serve as interim chief and help in the selection of the next police chief, the city announced Wednesday. City manager Jim Twombly said he hired Oates “because he has established trust within our community and many of our officers.” Earlier this month Twombly fired Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, who was hired in 2020 as the city faced scrutiny over the death of Elijah McClain – a case that received widespread attention in the wake of protests of racial injustice and police brutality. McClain died after being stopped by police, put in a chokehold and injected with the powerful sedative ketamine in 2019. Three police officers and two paramedics were indicted in McClain’s death last year. Wilson acted quickly to fire officers for misconduct, including officers who took and shared photos appearing to mock McClain’s death. Twombly praised Wilson’s community outreach but said he fired her because of concerns about her leadership and management of the department, without getting into specifics. Wilson disputed Twombly’s assessment and alleged she was forced out for political reasons.

Connecticut

Westport: Emergency responders rescued 50 dogs and cats from a fire at a pet boarding facility after three people had escaped the flames by jumping from a second-floor window, authorities said Thursday. The fire was reported shortly before midnight Wednesday in a two-story building on Post Road East, Assistant Chief Jeff Gootman of the Westport Fire Department said in a news release. Firefighters responded and found heavy fire on the second floor of the building, which housed a pet boarding facility on the first floor and basement and an apartment on the second floor, Gootman said. After firefighters extinguished the flames, they searched the building and determined that the three people on the second floor had jumped to safety from a window, Gootman said. None required hospitalization. Westport firefighters and police officers removed approximately 50 dogs and cats from the boarding facility, Gootman said. The cause of the fire was under investigation Thursday.

Delaware

Wilmington: After decades of criticism over use of force and a strained relationship with the community, the Wilmington Police Department’s policies and procedures are coming under legal scrutiny. A federal lawsuit filed against Wilmington officers involved in the 2020 shooting of a man found sleeping in an SUV lists years of departmental procedures claiming city police are unable to handle many situations, including making contact with unarmed individuals. The civil lawsuit touches on documented accounts of how Wilmington officers have not been taught to give proper verbal warning prior to using deadly force or to take cover when officers believe someone is armed. The lawsuit also claims department supervisors, among others, fail to check that officers use their standard-issue equipment and fail to prohibit officers from making false statements. These failures create unwritten policies, allowing Wilmington officers to engage in acts of excessive force without accountability, which in turn result in injury to civilians, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of Jabri K. Hunter, who was shot by a Wilmington officer April 12, 2020. “These inadequate training policies existed prior to the date of this incident and continue to this day,” said the lawsuit targeting the officers involved in the shooting, Chief Robert Tracy and the city.

District of Columbia

Washington: Mayor Muriel Bowser and other community leaders announced Thursday that the city’s annual census of individuals experiencing homelessness showed a decline for the sixth straight year, WUSA-TV reports. Over the past year, the overall number of people experiencing homelessness has dropped 13.7%. Since 2016, when the Bowser administration began its Homeward DC plan, homelessness has declined by 47% total, data show. For the 2016 Point in Time count, 8,350 people were experiencing homelessness. In 2022, that number was 4,410. That’s the lowest recorded number going back to at least 2005, the mayor’s office said. The 2022 results also show declines in family homelessness (down 14%), homelessness among single adults (down 12%), and chronic homelessness for families (down 26%) and single adults (down 22%). “These results are a culmination of years of working together – across government, with our community partners and providers, and with residents in all eight wards – to implement Homeward DC and build systems and resources that meet the needs of D.C. residents,” Bowser said in a statement. “While we are proud of these results, we know there’s more work to do.”

Florida

Tallahassee: Black lawmakers staged a sit-in on the Florida House floor Thursday to protest a congressional map pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that they say will diminish the state’s Black representation in the U.S. House. The DeSantis map would increase Florida’s GOP presence and dismantle two districts now represented by Black members of Congress. As debate on the maps was nearing an end, Reps. Angie Nixon and Tray McCurdy opened up their suit jackets to display “Stop the Black Attack” T-shirts and shouted the same phrase. They sat on the state seal in front of the House speaker’s rostrum and were soon joined by other other Black Democrats and other supporters. The Republican-led chamber called a recess, all GOP lawmakers left the floor, and the state Florida Channel stopped broadcasting the proceedings. “This is good trouble! Necessary trouble!” Nixon shouted, echoing a phrase used by the late civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis. The group sang “We Shall Overcome” and prayed. Some members went on Facebook to stream live feeds of the protest. Nixon said in a text message to the Associated Press that the lawmakers would not leave the floor unless they were physically removed.

Georgia

Atlanta: Democrat Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign asked a federal judge Wednesday to shut down unlimited contributions to a committee controlled by Republican incumbent Brian Kemp. The filing is yet more litigation over the constitutionality of a 2021 Georgia law that allows certain top elected officials and party nominees to create “leadership committees” that can raise campaign funds without limits and coordinate spending with campaigns. The judge earlier denied a request by Abrams to start taking unlimited amounts before she clinches the Democratic nomination May 24. Kemp narrowly beat Abrams in the 2018 general election, and they would match up again if Kemp survives a Republican primary challenge from former U.S. Sen. David Perdue and others. The law allows the governor and lieutenant governor, opposing major party nominees, and both party caucuses in the state House and Senate to form leadership committees. Donors can give as much as they want, while they can’t directly give candidates for statewide office more than $7,600 for a primary or general election and $4,500 for a runoff election. Opponents say the law unconstitutionally favors incumbents over challengers because they can raise limitless sums for years ahead of an election.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Public school students must continue wearing masks in classrooms despite state officials lifting the same rules for airports and public transportation following Monday’s federal judge decision to remove mask requirements on U.S. flights. Masks are no longer required in Hawaii airports, on city buses or in handicapped vans, but all public students will be required to wear masks through the end of the school year, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. “I understand that there are different perspectives regarding the Hawaii State Department of Education’s indoor masking in schools,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a letter to parents. “We will continue to implement universal indoor masking in schools.” Federal transportation officials announced Monday that they would no longer enforce mask rules after a U.S. judge’s decision to strike down the mandate on domestic flights. The four largest U.S. airlines almost immediately dropped their mask requirements, and Hawaiian Airlines announced late Monday that it would follow suit. “We ask for our guests’ patience and understanding as we update all our communications and announcements,” the airline said. “We advise travelers to stay informed and follow mask requirements that may remain in effect at their origin or arrival airports.”

Idaho

Boise: Two men have been sentenced to jail time and banned from hunting for years after pleading guilty to poaching a grizzly bear near Yellowstone National Park. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said in a press release that Rex Baum, 79, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in connection with the female grizzly’s death last year. He was ordered to serve 3 days in jail and was banned from hunting for a decade. Baum’s son, Jared Baum, of Ashton, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and banned from hunting for life after pleading guilty to a felony in connection with the incident. Fish and Game officers discovered the grizzly’s carcass April 9, 2021, after the bear’s radio tracking collar signaled it had died, the Idaho Statesman reports. X-rays of the bear showed she had been shot more than a dozen times. Conservation officers visited the bear’s den, discovering a dead male cub. The agency contacted the two men after sending a warrant to Google for records of electronic devices that had been in the area around the time of the grizzly’s death. Idaho grizzlies are federally protected. Last month, Gov. Brad Little joined Montana and Wyoming governors in petitioning for the bears to be removed from Endangered Species Act protections.

Illinois

Springfield: The city will have a starring role in the state’s latest marketing campaign, with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Cozy Dog Drive-In, and other sites featured in the new promotion. Gov. J.B. Pritzker officially announced the new campaign, “Middle of Everything,” at a ceremony Monday at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. While the Windy City is spotlighted heavily, Springfield gets plenty of love as well, with sites related to the 16th president, such as Lincoln’s Home and Lincoln’s Tomb, promoted in addition to the museum and a statue of Lincoln sitting on a park bench outside the museum. Pritzker said the $30 million campaign would help to recover tourism dollars lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and put the state in a position to grow in the years to come. A series of TV ads will run with the campaign, directed by Illinois native Jane Lynch, famous for roles such as in the TV series “Glee” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The Dolton-raised actor, a graduate of Illinois State University, narrates a quartet of 30-second ads that showcase a Lincoln impersonator at the Lincoln Home, a muscle car at the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices downtown, Lynch interviewing a family at the Cozy Dog and speaking with a ghost of Lincoln at “Ghosts of the Library” in the ALPLM, among others.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Thomas McDermott Jr. released a new video ad Wednesday of him smoking marijuana in honor of 4/20, a cannabis-related celebration. McDermott, who will face Republican Sen. Todd Young on Nov. 8, has been vocal about his support for the legalization of marijuana, but the video of him lighting it up is a first. In the video the Hammond mayor posted on Twitter, McDermott lights a joint and smokes it in an Illinois backyard, where marijuana consumption has been legalized. He talks to an attorney, a physician, a criminal defense attorney, a professional distiller and another elected official about the benefits of legalizing weed. “Here’s the bottom line,” McDermott says in the video. “We need to legalize marijuana on the federal level. We need to also legalize cannabis in Indiana as well, so Hoosiers can get the health and economic benefits of cannabis.” The mayor admitted last year on his “Left of Center” podcast that he smoked marijuana at a recent Grateful Dead show at Wrigley Field. McDermott unveiled the ad the same day the Indiana Democratic Party launched a tour to push marijuana legalization. It started publicly advocating for the policy change in November, but with Republicans in control at the Statehouse, it went nowhere in the 2022 legislative session.

Iowa

Dyersville: This year’s Major League Baseball Field of Dreams game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs will have an opening act. The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Quad Cities River Bandits will play a regular season minor league baseball game in the stadium located near the iconic diamond from the movie Aug. 9. That showdown is set to take place just two days before MLB’s second-straight visit to the famous farmland and in the same ballpark used last season by the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will play on the same field Aug. 11. “I think it just adds to an entire week now up there,” said Kernels general manager Scott Wilson. “Instead of just one night even with the major league game, you’ve got Tuesday night with us. It gives the Field of Dreams some opportunity to do some things on Wednesday between us and have that game on Thursday.” It’s a marquee matchup of minor league teams have been rivals in the Midwest League for years. The River Bandits are the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Kernels are the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The two teams, who are are located in Eastern Iowa, will become the first two minor league teams to play on the field.

Kansas

Atchison: Aviator Amelia Earhart vanished as she tried to fly around the world in 1937, along with navigator Fred Noonan and their Lockheed Electra 10-E airplane. The centerpiece of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is Muriel – the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E. Named after Earhart's younger sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey, Muriel is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight around the world. That museum is in the works in Atchison, Earhart’s birthplace. Museum founder and president Karen Seaberg announced last week that supporters had already donated $10 million of the estimated $15 million needed to create the museum, including corporate powerhouses FedEx, Garmin and Lockheed Martin. The museum is expected to open next year, according to its website. Earhart, born in 1897 in Atchison, was a social worker in Boston in 1923 when she became the 16th woman in the U.S. to be issued a pilot’s license. She subsequently became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. She was also the first woman to fly nonstop across the U.S. She became a celebrity and drew attention by rejecting traditional women’s roles and speaking in support of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Earhart also created her own line of women’s clothing, featuring comfortable outfits designed for “active living.”

Kentucky

Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that he will form an advisory team amid a broad review as he weighs whether to take executive action to legalize access to medical marijuana. Beshear said he instructed his legal team to analyze potential options for executive action to create a framework to make medical cannabis available for people suffering from specified ailments. The Democratic governor also made a direct appeal to Kentuckians to offer their views on the issue. “I want to be clear: I am for medical cannabis,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference. “I want it done in the right way. And we’re going to be looking at our legal options very closely. And at the same time, we want to hear from you.” The advisory team will travel the state to gather public input, and Kentuckians will be able to express their views directly to the governor’s office, he said. The expanded review reflects the governor’s growing frustration after the latest bill to legalize medical marijuana died in the state Senate during the legislative session that ended last week. Lawmakers failed to “get the job done,” with Kentucky falling behind the majority of states that make medical cannabis available as an alternative to opioid medications, the governor said.

Louisiana

New Orleans: A federal judge and court-appointed monitors hired to oversee reform of the New Orleans Police Department said Wednesday that the long-troubled agency could reach full compliance this year after a nearly decade-old court-backed overhaul of its policies and practices. “I’m proud of how far NOPD has come,” U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, who approved the agreement in 2013 a highly critical 2011 investigation and report by the U.S. Justice Department. Morgan tempered her praise with acknowledgment of continuing problems, including the short-handed department’s slowdown in recruiting and allegations of wrongdoing by officers who work private duty details arranged through the department. But the department has shown transparency in dealing with such setbacks, Morgan said. The reform agreement, embodied in a court document called a consent decree, was welcomed by department critics when it was negotiated during former Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration. They said it was needed for a department that had been plagued by recurring scandals involving corruption or questionable use of force for decades. But the consent decree had its critics as well, including police officer representatives who said it hampered police work.

Maine

Augusta: Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed off on a $1.2 billion supplemental budget Wednesday that sends more than half the money to residents in the form of $850 relief checks. Backed by dozens of lawmakers and Cabinet members, the governor signed the bill into law in the State House Hall of Flags. “What this budget shows once again – through hard work and good faith negotiation – Democrats, Republicans and independents can come together to do what is right for Maine people. And that we can do so without rancor or bitter partisanship that has sometimes divided Augusta in the past,” she told the assembly. The swift action means the checks will be mailed to more than 850,000 Mainers as early as June. Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the budget proposal in a show of bipartisanship. Mills proposed returning much of the money to Mainers, taking a suggestion from Republicans as a historic surplus ballooned thanks to federal spending and rosier-than-expected revenue forecasts. It was originally touted as pandemic relief but is now called inflationary relief. Mills’ opponent in the upcoming election, Republican former Gov. Paul LePage, derided the relief checks as a “gimmick.”

Maryland

Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan signed measures into law Thursday aimed at increasing public safety, jobs, environmental stewardship and mental health resources. The Republican governor, who prioritized initiatives to support the police and fight crime this legislative session, signed legislation to increase transparency in the criminal justice system and to create a state gun analytics center to coordinate resources to screen and vet gun cases to improve the prosecution of gun crimes. “Violent crime continues to be Marylanders’ top priority, and today we’re signing our Judicial Transparency Act so that the public knows more about the sentences that are being handed down for violent criminals,” Hogan said. “We’re further expanding our warrant apprehension efforts and strengthening prosecutions on gun crimes.” Hogan opened his remarks before signing 103 bills with House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Pro Tem Melony Griffith by noting it was the first time two Black women were the presiding officers representing the Maryland House and Senate together at a bill signing. The criminal justice measures marked a compromise between the Republican governor and the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats.

Massachusetts

Martha’s Vineyard: A local family will go to court Friday over its continuing fight over a piece of land in Aquinnah that the Kennedy family donated to the Vineyard Conservation Society in 2013. Tanisha Gomes and her family say they are the rightful owners of that 5.7-acre property and are challenging the society’s motion for summary judgment, which asks a judge to throw out the case. In 2017, Gomes received a letter from Fidelity National Law Group, a firm that represents Vineyard Conservation Society Inc., to inform her and 19 members of her family about title problems with the land. The letter informed Gomes and her relatives that a lawsuit was filed with Dukes County Superior Court against the family, who are considered heirs of Louisa Pocknett. Pocknett, described in the complaint as the former owner of the property, died Aug. 29, 1874, and was a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. The family members were asked to sign an agreement to verify they had no right, title or interest in Lot 240, which was indicated on a plan entitled “Plan of Gay Head.” After further research, Gomes and her family found that Lot 240 remains in Pocknett’s name on the town of Aquinnah’s assessor’s website and objected to the lawsuit due to discrepancies surrounding incomplete deeds.

Michigan

Lansing: Republican state Sen. Lana Theis opened a session with an invocation by claiming children are being attacked by “forces” that want to indoctrinate them with ideas their parents do not support. Three Democrats walked out of last week’s meeting to protest her apparent reference to how schools address sexual orientation and gender identity and critical race theory. Within days, one who tweeted criticism of the prayer was targeted by Theis in a fundraising email, calling Sen. Mallory McMorrow a liberal social media “troll” and accusing her of wanting to “groom” and “sexualize” kindergartners and teach “that 8-year-olds are responsible for slavery.” McMorrow responded Tuesday with a forceful, impassioned floor speech that resonated nationwide. “I am a straight, white, Christian, married, suburban mom” who wants “every kid to feel seen, heard and supported – not marginalized and targeted because they are not straight, white and Christian,” she said. Theis, who declined to speak after the session, released a statement in which she did not apologize but again accused Democrats of trying to undermine parents as the primary decision-makers in their children’s education. McMorrow’s 5-minute speech found an engaged audience on social media, racking up millions of views across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Minnesota

St. Cloud: Mike Dando, a St. Cloud State University English professor, has helped to create a new superhero comic and is aiming to teach students in grades 5-12 literacy skills, critical thinking and self-reflection this summer through an often overlooked medium. Exploring concepts like Afrofuturism and the African diaspora, students can imagine new worlds by reading and analyzing the story of the first Black superhero, Lion Man. In 2018, after the highly successful “Black Panther” movie debuted, Dando worked with a group of artists and professors around the world to revisit Lion Man, the first Black superhero comic, written in 1947 by Black Philadelphia journalist Orrin Cromwell Evans. The original story follows Lion Man, a scientist turned superhero tasked by the United Nations to watch over a magical mountain full of uranium in Africa to prevent war. When All-Negro Comics Inc.’s paper supplier refused to help the company produce another book because its founders were Black, only one Lion Man issue was ever published – until now. Dando’s new, much longer Lion Man comic book follows the character’s journey of self-discovery and heroism as he works to save a group of other heroes trapped in monstrous bodies. He served as editor and project manager for the work written by John Jennings and illustrated by David Brame. Thanks to a grant from St. Cloud State, the team was able to make copies of the comic book – one of which is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – and Dando will work with a variety of after-school clubs this summer to talk about the narrative structure and themes of the book, as well as teach students how to make their own comics.

Mississippi

Gulfport: Volunteers on Thursday planted several types of grasses along a stretch of Mississippi Gulf Coast beach to help restore habitat for newly hatched Least Tern chicks. Audubon Delta, along with Harrison County Sand Beach Authority and Gulfport High School, partnered to install several species of beach grasses into a globally recognized conservation zone in Gulfport in order to stabilize the beach, encourage dune formation and provide coverage for the endangered birds. The area was destroyed after hurricanes Ida and Zeta and several tropical storms over the past two years, officials said. The project was made possible by a Caring for Our Coasts grant issued by Citgo and Restore America’s Estuaries.

Missouri

St. Louis: City leaders on Thursday announced plans for a new institute designed to make the region a major player in geospatial technology. Andy Taylor, executive chairman of the rental car company Enterprise Holdings, is providing financing for the Taylor Geospatial Institute, along with eight St. Louis-area research institutions. The institute will provide funding for research and program development and expects to attract leading scientists to St. Louis, organizers said. Taylor said in a statement that he hopes the institute “will cement St. Louis as the world’s true center for geospatial excellence.” A news release says research and training will focus on topics such as food security, improving health care systems, and national security. Officials did not disclose how much money the Taylor family is investing, but the family has funded more than $1 billion in St. Louis civic initiatives and cultural institutions through the years.

Montana

Helena: Lawmakers have rejected an attempt to call a special legislative session to investigate the state’s election processes amid continued false claims by ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters that the 2020 election was stolen. A poll of 149 lawmakers found just 44 approving a special session by Tuesday’s deadline, short of the 75 needed. The secretary of state’s tally showed 60 lawmakers rejected the special session, and another 45 didn’t return their ballots, which counts as a “no” vote. One legislative seat is vacant. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers tried to reach an agreement to ask Gov. Greg Gianforte to call a special session to create new voting districts for the Public Service Commission before three federal judges had to decide how to even out the populations in the five districts. However, GOP leaders were unable to get a commitment from all Republicans to limit the special session to addressing just the voting districts. Gianforte said he would not call a special session without such an agreement. After the court set the PSC districts for the 2022 elections, 10 lawmakers asked for the poll on whether lawmakers wanted to hold a special session on election integrity.

Nebraska

Lincoln: Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson endorsed state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks on Thursday in her campaign for the state’s 1st Congressional District. Pansing Brooks, a Democrat, is looking to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican who resigned after he was convicted on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution. Nelson, a Democrat, said Pansing Brooks has worked with both parties while in the Nebraska Legislature and passed more than 60 bills. Pansing Brooks will face state Sen. Mike Flood, a Republican, in a June 28 special election to determine who will serve the remainder of Fortenberry’s term in Congress. She’s also expected to face Flood again in November, assuming that they both win their parties’ May 10 primary nomination as expected. Nelson is the most recent Democrat to have served as Nebraska’s governor, with a tenure from 1991 to 1999. He was a U.S. senator from 2001 to 2013. Pansing Brooks has served in the Legislature since 2015 and is leaving office in January due to term limits.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Most of the five leading Republican candidates for governor who gathered Wednesday for a campaign forum offered dire assessments of the state’s tourism-dependent economy, rising crime and struggling schools – and asked for votes for their visions to fix them. Several also blamed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the consensus GOP front-runner, for skipping the event. “We want to have the best, well-run, state in the country,” said Guy Nohra, a Reno venture capitalist, drawing applause from among about 100 people at a Republican women’s club luncheon in Las Vegas. “But we don’t. We’re 50th in everything,” said Nora, who called his foray into politics the culmination of an American dream after his own teenage experience fighting a war in his home country, Lebanon, and his business ventures in the U.S. The event also featured North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, Gardnerville surgeon Fred Simon, former U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and firebrand northern Nevada lawyer Joey Gilbert.

New Hampshire

Concord: The state House approved a resolution Thursday in support of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary before advancing a bill opponents said would threaten it. The nonbinding resolution came a week after the Democratic National Committee approved a plan to revoke the guaranteed first-place spots in the presidential nominating calendar long held by the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. Noting New Hampshire has withstood previous challenges, lawmakers affirmed their commitment to the tradition and said candidates are well-served by campaigning in a state with an engaged citizenry and “well-run, free and fair elections.” But a supporter of a bill to create a provisional ballot system later called the current system “laughable,” claiming it allows people to cast fraudulent ballots with virtually no consequences. Under current law, voters who arrive at the polls without the necessary identification fill out affidavits promising to provide documentation within 10 days; those who don’t can be investigated and charged with fraud. The votes themselves remain valid, but under a bill sent to the House Finance Committee on Thursday, the state would create a new type of “affidavit ballots” that would be thrown out if voters fail to follow up. Opponents called it an expensive and complicated solution to a problem that doesn’t exist and said creating a system that would delay the final results for more than a week would threaten the state’s ability to hold the first primary.

New Jersey

Bloomfield: The flowers were finally on full display Thurday as recreational marijuana sales began in the Garden State. Michael Barrows wore his Grateful Dead T-shirt and Jerry Garcia face mask for opening day of legal cannabis sales and was one of dozens of people who lined up before dawn to join the celebratory scene. “It’s pretty amazing, exciting, and if I get pulled over on the way home, and I’m ever asked if I have any drugs in the car, now I’m allowed to say ‘only this,’ ” Barrows said, holding up the canister of marijuana flower he had just purchased. Possession of cannabis is legal now in New Jersey, though driving under the influence is still prohibited. Barrows, 60, joined a steady stream of other novelty-seekers, longtime marijuana users and medical patients at RISE in Bloomfield, near the state’s biggest city, Newark, and not far from New York City. With soul music blaring, free doughnuts in the parking lot, a steel drum and a balloon arch at the entrance, New Jersey’s cannabis kickoff for people 21 and older had the feel of a fair more than a store opening. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who has long backed recreational marijuana legalization and signed the bill that set up the new marketplace kicking off at 13 existing medical marijuana facilities across the state, appeared at ZenLeaf in Elizabeth for its first day of recreational sales. The governor said he wouldn’t be trying any pot; earlier this week he said it’s not his “thing,” and he prefers scotch.

New Mexico

Carlsbad: Habitat for about a million bats will be protected from human impacts through a deal between a nonprofit and the federal government. About 315,000 acres of southern New Mexico land owned by billionaire media tycoon Ted Turner were protected from development in a partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and New Mexico Land Conservancy. The deal saw a conservation easement added to Armendaris Ranch, owned by Turner, due to perceived cultural significance and biological diversity on the land in Sierra and Socorro counties. The ranch land supports more than 500 vertebrate species, according to a report from the Land Conservancy, including multiple listed for federal and state protections. It also contains the Fra Cristobal Mountain Range, home to 230 desert bighorn sheep, and lava fields that include the Jornada cave system that houses bats of multiple species. “This land is laden with important and unique natural and cultural resources, and the opportunity to permanently protect a property with conservation values of this magnitude was at the heart of our organization’s decision to tackle this landscape-scale project,” said Ron Troy, southern New Mexico program manager with the Land Conservancy.

New York

Olive: As western regions contend with drier conditions, New York City is under fire for sometimes releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day from a key reservoir in the Catskill Mountains. The occasional releases, often around storms, have been used to manage water levels in the Ashokan Reservoir and to keep the water clear. But residents downstream say the periodic surges cause ecological harm along the lower Esopus Creek. They say the high flows churn up the water so much it turns the scenic Hudson River tributary the color of chocolate milk. “These people can afford to offer New York City cheap, clean, beautiful water by destroying ours,” said Michael Vallarella, who lives on the creek in Saugerties. Standing on his back deck recently, he swiped through pictures on his phone of the water looking like “Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory river.” The tensions between upstate residents and the city of 8.8 million people to the south touch on how the largest unfiltered water supply in the country will operate in an expected stormier future. Opponents pushing for changes to the water releases got a boost recently when state regulators told the city to take a deeper look at their effects. City officials say they’re trying to strike the difficult balance of responding to downstream concerns while delivering quality water.

North Carolina

Asheville: The fight over a downtown Confederate marker is not over, according to the attorney challenging the city’s removal of Vance Monument, and documents filed Wednesday attempt to take the issue to North Carolina’s highest court. Despite an April 5 ruling from the N.C. Court of Appeals in favor of the city, affirming a lower court judgment to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing removal of the monument, the city finds itself again in limbo. Nearing midnight Wednesday, Edward Phillips, lawyer for the Society for the Historical Preservation of the 26th North Carolina Troops, which brought the challenge against the city, filed a petition for discretionary review with the N.C. Supreme Court. This document is a request for the Supreme Court to review the decision by the Court of Appeals. It does not ensure the high court will hear an appeal, said City Attorney Brad Branham. “I am not going to cede the point until I’m told there’s just no path forward,” Phillips said. The filings add to an already lengthy process to determine the fate of the obelisk that was built to honor racist Civil War-era Gov. Zebulon Vance. The 75-foot-tall granite Vance Monument stood in Pack Square Plaza in the heart of downtown Asheville. All but its base was taken down as of June 2021 after the City Council voted to remove it. The historical preservation group is seeking to stop and potentially reconstruct the monument to Vance.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that dismisses a lawsuit brought by the state and several western counties that could have resulted in the construction of additional roads in parts of the Badlands. The Badlands Conservation Alliance says the ruling protects some of the most pristine areas of the Badlands from traffic and potential oil development. “I think it’s a really serious win for the Badlands, for the long-term integrity of those areas that are still roadless and considered suitable for wilderness,” said Connie Triplett, president of the alliance. A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals found the state’s and counties’ claim is barred by a 12-year statute of limitations that was passed years ago. Their ruling upholds an earlier decision by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland, who dismissed the matter in 2017, the Bismarck Tribune reports. The case began a decade ago when Billings, Golden Valley, McKenzie and Slope counties sued the federal government. The state followed with its own lawsuit, and the court consolidated the two cases. The plaintiffs sought to claim rights to section lines used in land surveying and mapping in the Little Missouri National Grassland and other areas that make up the Dakota Prairie Grasslands.

Ohio

Columbus: A lawsuit has been filed targeting legal protections granted to health care providers that allow them to deny treatment they oppose on the basis of their conscience or religious beliefs. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein on Wednesday sued the state over the measure known as the “conscience clause.” According to the law, a medical provider can be “excused from participating” whenever a treatment conflicts with a provider’s “moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or convictions.” Opponents of the law say it could limit abortions or other medical care. The city also argues the measure violates Ohio’s Constitution and the federal Affordable Care Act. If nurses employed by the city are opposed to a medical procedure, “they can refuse it, and we as a city can’t do anything about it,” Klein said. He also said insurance companies could refuse to pay for certain procedures, and “that obviously causes significant problems for our employees.” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine kept the language of the law in place when he signed the 2021 budget. DeWine said the provision merely sets into state law what’s already being practiced. In a statement, Attorney General Dave Yost called the lawsuit “meritless, anti-democracy and authoritarian.”

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Plans to fully legalize marijuana can proceed to the signature-gathering stage, the state Supreme Court ruled, paving the way for two more cannabis plans seeking voter approval. The high court’s ruling late Tuesday comes amid a marijuana boom in the Sooner State after voters in 2018 approved the most liberal medical marijuana program in the nation. Nearly 10% of Oklahoma’s 4 million residents have qualified for a medical-use card – by far the highest percentage in the country. Supporters of the two separate proposals still need to gather enough signatures to put the plans on the ballot for voters. The plans approved Tuesday, State Question 819 and a companion State Question 818, would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to protect the right of residents age 21 and older to use marijuana. It’s part of a nationwide push to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults, which 18 states and the District of Columbia have already approved. Because the two proposals seek to amend the constitution, supporters will have to gather more signatures, about 178,000 in 90 days, for them to qualify for the ballot. “Whether we’ll get on the November ballot this year remains to be seen,” said Jed Green, a longtime Oklahoma cannabis activist behind the plans. “We’re going to push, push and push to get it done.”

Oregon

Portland: A Native American tribe in the state said it is assessing its legal options after learning the U.S. government plans to release water from a federally operated reservoir to downstream farmers along the Oregon-California border amid a historic drought. Even limited irrigation for the farmers who use Klamath River water on about 300 square miles of crops puts two critically endangered fish species in peril of extinction because the water withdrawals come at the height of spawning season, the Klamath Tribes said. Last year, critically endangered sucker fish central to the Klamath Tribes culture and religion didn’t have enough water to spawn, and thousands of downstream juvenile salmon died without reservoir releases to support the Klamath River’s health. The tribes said in a statement that the decision to release any water to about 1,000 farmers in the massive, federal agricultural project was “perhaps the saddest chapter yet in a long history of treaty violations” and placed the blame for the current water crisis on “120 years of ecosystem mismanagement at the hands of settler society.” The fish are important to the inland tribes’ cultural and religious practices and were once a dietary staple. The Klamath stopped fishing for the sucker fish in the 1980s as numbers dwindled. They now run a captive breeding program to ensure the species’ survival and note that no juvenile sucker fish have survived in the wild in recent years. “We have nothing left with which to ‘compromise,’ ” the Klamath Tribes said in a statement. “Global warming is certainly a global problem, but thus far its local consequences appear to be exacerbating existing and systematic inequalities between ourselves and the larger society.”

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: Prosecutors said Thursday that they will not re-try a Philadelphia man whose 2012 murder conviction was overturned earlier this month, citing weak evidence and the involvement of a disgraced former detective now charged with sexually assaulting witnesses in other cases. Rafiq Dixon, 40, had been serving a life sentence in the 2011 fatal shooting of Joseph Pinkney. The 40-year-old was expected to be released from prison Thursday afternoon, hours after a Common Pleas Court judge granted the motion to withdraw charges, his attorney said. The initial case relied heavily on testimony from three witnesses who gave inconsistent accounts. All three were interviewed by former homicide detective Philip Nordo, who has been charged with various crimes including stalking, intimidating, and sexually assaulting male suspects and witnesses during his career. In June, a judge reversed the 2015 conviction of Arkel Garcia, who confessed to murder during an interrogation in which, his lawyer said, Nordo asked the teenager to view pornography with him. The ruling came after both sides presented evidence that Nordo had sexually groomed witnesses in the case and trial prosecutors had suppressed his misconduct. Garcia was also serving a life sentence.

Rhode Island

Providence: Democratic former state lawmaker David Segal has joined the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, a fellow Democrat who’s retiring after more than two decades in office. Segal announced his decision Wednesday, saying that many voters are fed up with federal politics and that “government should be able to do more to address the concerns of our neighbors.” Segal served on the Providence City Council before winning a seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He served for two terms, from 2007 to 2011. In 2010 he lost a bid for Congress and founded a national liberal advocacy organization known as Demand Progress. He’s the latest entry in a crowded Democratic field that also includes state Treasurer Seth Magaziner; Joy Fox, a former top aide to Langevin; Biden administration official Sarah Morgenthau; Omar Bah, executive director of the Refugee Dream Center in Providence; and former political strategist Michael Neary. “We have the people power to reach the voters, we have the money to compete, and we have the urgent case to make that we deserve leaders who can bring people together and ensure their voices are heard,” Segal said in his campaign announcement.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution. The order by the state Supreme Court puts on hold at least temporarily the planned April 29 execution of Richard Bernard Moore, who drew the death sentence for the 1999 killing of convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg. The court said in issuing the temporary stay that it would release a more detailed order later. Attorneys for the 57-year-old inmate had sought a stay, citing pending litigation in another court challenging the constitutionality of South Carolina’s execution methods, which also include the electric chair. Moore’s lawyers also wanted time to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether Moore’s sentence was proportionate to his crime. It has been more than a decade since the last firing squad execution in the U.S. The state of Utah carried out all three such executions in the nation since 1976, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. The most recent was in 2010. The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday also set a May 13 execution date for Brad Sigmon, 64, convicted in 2002 of the double murder of his ex-girlfriend’s parents in Greenville County.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: A leadership shake-up and shorter wait times for service are welcomed changes for disgruntled military veterans who say the federal health care system is failing them, but that’s still not enough to appease the dozens of former soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines, as well as a handful of elected officials, who showed up at the South Dakota Veterans Council’s quarterly meeting Wednesday. Praises of this week’s removal of the now-former Sioux Falls Veterans Affairs director were tempered by caution for a need for more systematic improvements. “If you walked the halls on Tuesday, there were more smiles in the Sioux Falls VA Hospital than there have been in 14 months,” said Hawk Mayor, a Vietnam combat veteran, referring to the departure of now former Sioux Falls VA director Lisa Simoneau. “But we’ve been shut out.” Simoneau was removed from the position as of Monday after growing pressure for a regime change from both veterans, VA employees and South Dakota’s congressional delegation. Since at least October, members of the South Dakota Veterans Council have voiced concerns about a lack of responsiveness from Simoneau regarding what’s described as an inadequate level of care being provided to veterans entitled to medical services through the veterans’ health care system. Some employees at the VA have also blown the whistle in recent weeks on poor management practices and a hostile work environment under Simoneau.

Tennessee

Nashville: The state would become the latest to impose harsh penalties on doctors who violate new, strict regulations dictating the dispensing of abortion pills under a proposal headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. It’s part of a coordinated nationwide effort spearheaded by anti-abortion groups upset over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to remove a rule that required women to pick up the abortion medication in person. After Tennessee’s GOP-controlled House approved the measure last week, Senate Republicans on Thursday signed off on sending the proposal to the governor. Lee hasn’t publicly weighed in on the measure, but he has yet to veto a bill while in office and frequently stresses his opposition to abortion. According to the bill, delivery of abortion pills by mail would be outlawed, and anyone who wanted to use abortion pills would be required to visit a doctor in advance and then return to pick up the pills. The drugs may be dispensed only by qualified physicians – effectively barring pharmacists from doing so. Violators would face a Class E felony and up to a $50,000 fine. The in-person requirement had long been opposed by medical societies, including the American Medical Association, which said the restriction offers no clear benefit to patients.

Texas

Houston: A prominent conservative activist has been charged with unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over an October incident involving a contractor the activist hired, his attorneys said Wednesday. Jared Woodfill and Gary Polland, attorneys for Dr. Steven Hotze, said the Harris County District Attorney’s Office told them Wednesday that Hotze was indicted over allegations against a former police officer, Mark Aguirre, who worked for Hotze. Aguirre had been retained to pursue a voter fraud investigation on behalf of Houston-based Liberty Center for God and Country, a nonprofit organization Hotze runs. Aguirre was charged Dec. 14 with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a man accused him of running him off the road and holding him at gunpoint in an effort to prove what authorities have called a bogus voter fraud scheme. Aguirre claimed an air conditioner repairman was the mastermind. He said the man’s truck was filled with fraudulent ballots when he ran his SUV into it Oct. 19, according to authorities. Aguirre told police he and some friends set up a “command post” at a Marriott hotel in suburban Houston that conducted 24-hour surveillance on the repairman for four days, according to a police affidavit.

Utah

St. George: Faced with continuing drought and one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., the Washington County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to apply new water restrictions to every new residential and commercial development. The new rules won’t apply to any existing homes or commercial buildings, but they could hopefully provide a better balance between what water is available and the continued demand for new construction, said Adam Snow, a member of the three-member commission, which regulates buildings requirements for all of the unincorporated areas of the county. “We want to have beautiful communities and a beautiful place to live and maintain our quality of life,” Snow said. “We’re doing it as effectively and efficiently as possible with our water, which is a very sacred resource right now.” The changes will be written into Title 10, Chapter 27 of the county code. They will only apply to projects on unincorporated county land that still need approval from the county to go forward, although they resemble similar measures being passed by cities and towns in the area. Snow said about 5% of the county’s population lives on unincorporated land.

Vermont

Montpelier: Property owned by Vermont-recognized Native American tribes will be exempt from property taxes under a new law that takes effect in July. The legislation, signed by Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday, recognizes that Vermont lands “are the historic and current territories of the Western Abenaki people.” “I sign it out of respect for the heritage of our Native American communities and traditions,” Scott wrote in a letter to the Legislature. “Further, the associated costs to the Education Fund and the General Fund borne by all Vermonters are forecast to be negligible.” To be exempt from the state and municipal property taxes, the property must be used for the purposes of the tribe and not leased or rented. Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation, has said the tax exemption allows the tribes, which rely on grants and donations, to be able to use those resources “to help uplift our people” with food security and other needs. The legislation states that “stewardship of these lands was removed from the Abenaki by European governments and settlers” and acknowledges “the Abenaki people as the traditional land caretakers of Ndakinna, which includes parts of Vermont, New England, and Quebec.”

Virginia

Westlake: Officials at Booker T. Washington National Monument are asking the public for help in unraveling one of its biggest mysteries. Hidden away in a section of the park just off its Jack O’ Lantern Trail rests a cemetery that predates much of the known history of the former plantation where Booker T. Washington was born a slave and later freed. The cemetery has few markings to provide context to who was buried there or when they were buried. “It’s definitely one of the biggest mysteries at the park,” said Tim Sims, senior park ranger. Archaeologist with New South Associates recently began taking a deeper look into the cemetery, commonly referred to as the Sparks Cemetery named after a person who once lived nearby. Some of the Black families who have lived near the cemetery include the Brown, Holland, Divers, Burroughs, Ferguson, Taylor, Green, Harris, English, Edwards, Starkey, Swain, Saunders, Childress and Dudley families. Sims said the names of the families were found looking through property deeds, slave records and federal census records. People with information on those possibly buried in the Sparks Cemetery are asked to contact Velma Fann, historian, at New South Associates at 770-498-4155, x126 or vfann@newsouthassoc.com.

Washington

Olympia: The state Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that an Edmonds city ordinance requiring that guns be locked up and kept out of unauthorized hands is preempted by state law. The ruling affirmed a three-judge state of appeals ruling last year in the case sparked by a lawsuit filed by three residents against the city of Edmonds after it approved an ordinance in July 2018 requiring residents to lock up their guns or else face fines. “Under our system of divided government, many elected bodies hold legislative power, including elected city councils. These councils, however, must legislate within constitutional constraints,” Chief Justice Steven González wrote, joined by the eight other justices on the high court. “One of those constraints is that city ordinances must not ‘conflict with general laws’ that have been enacted by the people of our state by initiative or by our state legislature.” A statewide ballot measure that passed later that same year on gun safety doesn’t mandate that a firearm be stored in a particular way or place, but it created criminal penalties for when a gun isn’t properly stored and accessed by someone who is prohibited from possessing a firearm – such as a child – and used to injure or kill, displayed in public in an intimidating manner or used during a crime.

West Virginia

Morgantown: A health care system has partnered with a junior college on a program aimed at addressing the shortage of nurses in the state. Mon Health System and West Virginia Junior College signed a letter of intent to launch a nursing education program that will put students at the school on an accelerated path to becoming nurses, officials said during a signing ceremony Monday. Mon Health nurses will serve as faculty, and the students will have digital coursework as well as learning through work at the hospital – what Mon Health System President and CEO David Goldberg called patient-side, The Dominion Post reports. The program plans to open enrollment in September and start its first class next April. The collaboration, Goldberg said, will serve “to bring not only the best nurses to patient-side through Mon Health, but keep people in this community, grow our own, take care of our own neighbors, family members and friends, so we continue to be the best health care location in north-central West Virginia and improve our health care outcomes.” West Virginia Junior College CEO Chad Callen said nursing shortages are at near crisis levels in some areas of the state. “Such challenges require bold thinking and innovative, out-of-the-box approaches,” he said.

Wisconsin

Madison: The work of an investigator looking into the 2020 presidential election generated fresh criticism Thursday after newly posted documents included a memo describing one elections worker in the state as “probably” a Democrat in part because she loves snakes and “has a weird nose ring.” Also on Thursday, a judge ordered Michael Gableman to stop deleting records, the latest legal defeat for the former state Supreme Court justice. Gableman has released two interim reports on the election won by President Joe Biden and has suggested the GOP-controlled Legislature look into decertifying his victory. Republican leaders including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who hired Gableman, have repeatedly said they have no intention of trying to decertify the win. Gableman’s reports have not included evidence to back up the false claims that Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2020. A recently posted unsigned document on Gableman’s website, titled “cross pollinators,” details his probe into public employees who work in elections. That memo contends that a geographic information system analyst for Milwaukee is “probably” a Democrat because she plays video games, “has a weird nose ring,” sometimes colors her hair, “loves nature and snakes” and lives with a boyfriend but is not married to him.

Wyoming

Casper: The state’s senior population grew at the nation’s second-fastest rate in the second decade of the millennium, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Citing research from online resource hub AgingInPlace.org, the newspaper points to a 40% increase in the proportion of Wyoming residents who are 65 or older between 2010 and 2020, with the level sitting at 17.8% in the latest census. Only Alaska was found to have a faster-growing senior population when comparing U.S. Census Bureau data.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

USA TODAY bestselling book of 2021: See the 100 most popular ...

2021 was a pretty good year for author Dav Pilkey. Not only is his children's book "Dog Man: Mothering Heights" USA TODAY's bestselling book of the year, but he also followed up the achievement with four more of his books landing in the Top 100 for 2021, more than any other author.

In addition to "Mothering Heights," Pilkey earned top spots for "Dog Man: Grime and Punishment" at No. 32; "Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls" at No. 81; "Cat Kid Comic Club" at No. 28; and "Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspective" at No. 67.

Though, much like 2021 itself, the year didn't bring all good news for the author. Pilkey's publisher Scholastic pulled one of his books in March because it said the book perpetuated passive racism. "The Adventures of Ook and Gluk," published in 2010, was a spinoff of sorts of his popular "Captain Underpants" series that featured a time-traveling caveman who trains at Master Wong's School of Kung Fu. Pilkey publicly apologized and gave his full support to the halting of publication and distribution of the book.

"It was and is wrong and harmful to my Asian readers, friends and family, and to all Asian people. ... I hope that you, my readers, will forgive me, and learn from my mistake that even unintentional and passive stereotypes and racism is harmful to everyone. I apologize, and I pledge to do better," Pilkey wrote in a statement.

More:USA TODAY staff's 2021 favorite first-time reads: Add these 14 books to your to-be-read pile

Kristin Hannah tops this year's adult fiction with "The Four Winds," (No. 2), which USA TODAY rated ★★★½ (out of four) and called "epic and transporting, a stirring story of hardship and love that is likely to lead to a film adaptation." Hannah was followed in the fiction category by Matt Haig's "The Midnight Library" (No. 5) and Laura Dave's "The Last Thing He Told Me" (No. 6).

Unlike 2020 when titles on politics, former President Donald Trump and race and racism dominated, we did not see as many current affairs or political books in 2021's Top 100. "American Marxism" by Mark R. Levin did reach No. 3 and topped the nonfiction category. Only two other current affairs books appeared: "Peril" by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa (No. 38) and "The Real Anthony Fauci" by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (No. 46).

Actors and rock stars also made appearances this year. Among the titles were "Greenlights" by Matthew McConaughey (No. 26), which was also the year's top memoir. Foo Fighter frontman Dave Grohl also appeared with "The Storyteller" (No. 63), and Will Smith with Mark Manson for "Will" came in at No. 97.

USA TODAY’s Top 100 bestselling books of 2021

1. " Dog Man: Mothering Heights," by Dav Pilkey

2. "The Four Winds," by Kristin Hannah

3. "American Marxism," by Mark R. Levin

4. "Atomic Habits," by James Clear

5. "The Midnight Library," by Matt Haig

6. "The Last Thing He Told Me," by Laura Dave

7. "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse," by Charlie Mackesy

8. " Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot," by Jeff Kinney

9. "Where the Crawdads Sing," by Delia Owens

10. "It Ends With Us," by Colleen Hoover

11. "A Court of Silver Flames," by Sarah J. Maas

12. "The Four Agreements," by Don Miguel Ruiz

13. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle

14. "Dune," by Frank Herbert

15. "Oh, the Places You’ll Go!," by Dr. Seuss

16. "The Judge's List," by John Grisham

17. "Twelve and a Half," by Gary Vaynerchuk

18. "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," by Taylor Jenkins Reid

19. "The Body Keeps the Score," by Bessel van der Kolk

20. "They Both Die at the End," by Adam Silvera

21. "I Love You to the Moon and Back," by Amelia Hepworth; art by Tim Warnes

22. "The Song of Achilles," Madeline Miller

23. "Billy Summers," by Stephen King

24. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle

25. "People We Meet on Vacation," by Emily Henry

26. "Greenlights," by Matthew McConaughey

27. "The Wish," by Nicholas Sparks

28. "Cat Kid Comic Club," by Dav Pilkey

29. "Bridgerton: The Duke and I," by Julia Quinn

30 "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter

31. "The Silent Patient," by Alex Michaelides

32. "Dog Man: Grime and Punishment," by Dav Pilkey

33. "Project Hail Mary," by Andy Weir

34. "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue," by V.E. Schwab

35 "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown; art by Clement Hurd

36. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone," by J.K. Rowling

37. "Love You Forever," by Robert Munsch; art by Sheila McGraw

38. "Peril," by Bob Woodward, Robert Costa

39. "Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone," by Diana Gabaldon

40. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End," by Jeff Kinney

41. "The Lincoln Highway," by Amor Towles

42. "The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman

43. "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," by Bill Martin Jr.

44. "Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories," by Jeff Kinney

45. "We Were Liars," by E. Lockhart

46. "The Real Anthony Fauci," by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

47. "Apples Never Fall," by Liane Moriarty

48. "Verity," by Colleen Hoover

49. "Untamed," by Glennon Doyle

50. "Sooley," by John Grisham

51. "The 5 Love Languages," by Gary Chapman

52. "Bridgerton: The Viscount Who Loved Me," by Julia Quinn

53. "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy!," by Ree Drummond

54. "Malibu Rising," by Taylor Jenkins Reid

55. "The Vanishing Half," by Brit Bennett

56. " Atlas of the Heart," by Brené Brown

57. "The 48 Laws of Power," by Robert Greene

58. " A Court of Thorns and Roses," by Sarah J. Maas

59. "1984," by George Orwell

60. "The Alchemist," by Paulo Coelho

61. "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck," by Mark Manson

62. "Midnight Sun," by Stephenie Meyer

63. "The Storyteller," by Dave Grohl

64. "A Promised Land," by Barack Obama

65. "Green Eggs and Ham," by Dr. Seuss

66. "Anxious People," by Fredrik Backman

67." Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives," by Dav Pilkey

68. "The President's Daughter," by James Patterson, Bill Clinton

69. " A Gambling Man," by David Baldacci

70. "The Going-to-Bed Book," by Sandra Boynton

71. "The Christmas Pig," by J.K. Rowling; art by Jim Field

72. "Caste," by Isabel Wilkerson

73. "Better Off Dead," by Lee Child, Andrew Child

74. "The Women of the Bible Speak," by Shannon Bream

75. "Shadow and Bone," by Leigh Bardugo

76. "The Stranger in the Lifeboat," by Mitch Albom

77. "What Happened to You?," by Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry

78. "The Guest List," by Lucy Foley

79. "You Are a Badass," by Jen Sincero

80. "Keep Sharp," by Sanjay Gupta

81. "Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls," by Dav Pilkey

82. "Later," by Stephen King

83. "From Blood and Ash," by Jennifer L. Armentrout

84. "Firefly Lane," by Kristin Hannah

85. "Cloud Cuckoo Land," by Anthony Doerr

86. "Think Again," by Adam Grant

87. "Bridgerton: Romancing Mister Bridgerton," by Julia Quinn

88. "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish," by Dr. Seuss

89. "Then She Was Gone," by Lisa Jewell

90. "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee

91. "The Return," by Nicholas Sparks

92. "Where the Wild Things Are," by Maurice Sendak

93. "Ugly Love," by Colleen Hoover

94. "The Dark Hours," by Michael Connelly

95. "Killing the Mob," by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard

96. "A Time for Mercy," by John Grisham

97. "Will," by Will Smith with Mark Manson

98. "Golden Girl," by Elin Hilderbrand

99. "Bridgerton: An Offer from a Gentleman," by Julia Quinn

100. "Home Body," by Rupi Kaur

Contributing; Hannah Yasharoff

Our guide to 2014's best graphic novels and collections

David Colton, John Geddes and Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Folks are hanging mistletoe, candy canes are in vogue and It's cold outside — well, in the most places. That can only mean one thing: USA TODAY's fanboy triumvirate of David Colton, John Geddes and Brian Truitt have picked their favorite graphic novels and comic-book collections of the year.

From the Dark Knight — celebrating 75 years of making a cape and cowl cool — to tales from the dark side, the guys have put together a list of great books (plus some titles where you won't want to wait for the trade paperbacks) for last-minute digital gift-giving or if Santa brings you some extra spending cash over the holidays.

David Colton

Batman Eternal Vol. 1 , by Scott Snyder, Jason Fabok and others (DC Comics, $39.99)

DC should be praised for embracing the weekly comic-book format in recent years, but results have been mixed at best. Does anyone really know what's going on in Future's End? But this unassuming Batman weekly hit the ground running — with Commissioner Gordon framed for a fatal train accident in Gotham — and hasn't stopped since. Straightforward storytelling, dramatic rain-swept art and a gritty realism too often lacking in the tons of other Bat-books out there. In a Bat-universe filled with too many Robins, too many villains and way too many costumed sidekicks, Batman Eternal shows the Dark Knight at his classic crime-solving best.

Original Sin , by Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato (Marvel Comics, $75)

This Marvel "event'' arrived with the usual needless crossovers and tie-ins, but skip those and stick with that rarity in comics: A miniseries that actually changes things. Two of the most reliable creators in comics —Aaron, who has brought new life to Thor, and Mike Deodato, whose elegant artwork never disappoints — begin with a jaw-dropping premise: Someone has killed the Watcher. That sets off a mystery and a series of "original sin'' storylines (Iron Man knew about the Hulk's gamma bomb?). But the real payoff, beyond the Watcher, is the death of one of Marvel's most durable characters. This series, it turns out, is kind of essential.

The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio , b y Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (Abrams ComicArts, $60)

The new golden age of reprints is in full swing, but Simon and Kirby were so prolific (beyond creating Captain America, romance comics, Kirby at Marvel and more), there's still plenty of treasures unseen for decades in this giant collection. Included are 350 pages of artwork and stories, not only by Joe and Jack but by contemporaries such as Al Williamson, Leonard Starr and Mort Meskin. And where else can you find The Fly (a Spider-Man precursor?), Stuntman and Young Love? Just a wonderful compendium of the journeyman yet inspired work that built the comic industry in the 1940s and '50s.

Trees , by Warren Ellis and Jason Howard (Image Comics, $2.99 each issue)

Giant trees from outer space sounds like a Marvel monster book of the 1950s ("I am Groot!"), but instead this is a nuanced and very smart science fiction tale by Ellis (Planetary, Transmetropolitan). The hook is that the trees arrive on earth but then just stand there, ominous and foreboding. With crisp clean art by Howard, Trees achieves what so many TV sci-fi puzzle shows fail to deliver —genuine suspense. We can't wait to see what happens next.

Weird Love , e dited by Craig Yoe and Clizia Gussoni (IDW, $3.99 each issue)

Some of the, yes, weirdest comics ever produced were the "true love'' and "young romance'' comics of the 1950s and '60s. Cultural collisions abound: Women make bad choices, men are cads, the free love of the '60s looms but in the end, everyone learns their Eisenhower-era lessons and finds the straight and very narrow. Enter Yoe and wife Gussoni who have restored some of the most bizarre tales in the must-read reprint book of the year, Weird Love. Available as a comic or as a collection (out in February), these stories are a cultural time capsule of guilt, shame and teen anxiety.

John Geddes

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend

, by Box Brown (First Second Books, $17.99)

One wouldn't necessarily expect the story of Andre the Giant to be told with such a delicate touch. Most understand who Andre the Giant was: one of the legendary founding fathers of modern-day professional wrestling, the scene-stealing co-star of The Princess Bride, the 7-foot-4 giant with the unmistakable voice. What Brown does in this extremely detailed and heartwarming biography is provide readers a comprehensive look into who Andre the Person was. It doesn't matter if you're a wrestling fan or not, this book is about the amazing life (and struggles) of an extraordinary man and should be on everyone's must-read list.

Celeste , by I.N.J. Culbard (Self Made Hero, $24.95)

Celeste is a beautiful love story. Whether it's experiencing love at first sight, realizing how much you love your family, or learning to love yourself, this book plays elegantly off the notion that the world seems to disappear for people during certain pivotal moments in life. Told with a visual and narrative grace, Culbard is an artist who understands that less is more. The book's simplicity belies the complexity of the underlying themes of love, loss, fear and loneliness. Celeste is genre-agnostic but it never feels confused. It's a sci-fi-ish fairy tale that weaves together a quirky romance, a psychological mystery and a Lovecraftian horror. Celeste is the most refreshingly different book of the year and I couldn't recommend it any higher.

The Goon: Occasion of Revenge , by Eric Powell (Dark Horse, four issues at $3.50 each)

Will Powell ever stop being awesome? The latest Goon series finds everyone's favorite tough guy reunited with loyal sidekick Frankie, fighting a who's who of familiar and formidable supernatural baddies. Occasion of Revenge is different than some of Powell's past writing in that we delve deeper into the emotional emptiness that the Goon always has to hide and usually hides from. Fans still get what they come for: a whopping mess of fisticuffs, sharp dialogue and well-paced narrative that can move from touching to terrifying at the drop of a hat. Without giving away any spoilers, this four-issue series finds the Goon under attack in ways that he and we would never expect. Well worth your time and money, The Goon: Occasion of Revenge is a visual and emotional stunner.

Saga: Deluxe Edition Volume 1 , by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image Comics, 49.99)

If comic books were akin to football teams, then Saga has officially reached dynasty status. For the third year in a row, Saga makes my best of list for all the same reasons as previous years. The series remains inventive, fresh, bold and fun. Vaughan's story continues to twist and evolve, while the illustrative mastery of Staples immerses readers even deeper into this strange and beautiful universe. I recommend picking up the newly released Saga hardcover deluxe volume that collects the first three trade paperbacks (containing the first 18 issues) but adds special extras such as sketches, scripts and a behind-the-scenes interview with the book's creators. Saga, once again, reigns supreme.

Southern Bastards Volume 1: Here Was a Man , by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour (Image Comics, $9.99)

Written by Aaron, Southern Bastards is built on a bedrock of regrets, pain and revenge. The initial arc centers around Earl Tubb, a grizzled, older man who has come back to Craw County, Ala., to finally get closure on some painful memories. It doesn't take long for him to cross paths with Coach Boss, the local high school football coach whose control in town extends well beyond the hash marks. While there's a great deal of violence, you can't help but be drawn into this southern-fried crime story and mesmerized by the primal art of Latour. He doesn't so much draw this story as he does carve it out of hickory wood. Southern Bastards is gritty, violent and unrelenting; a book that you can't put down, even as it's kicking you in the gut.

Brian Truitt

El Deafo , by Cece Bell (Abrams, $10.95)

Bell's cartoonish childhood memoir focuses on bunny Cece's struggle with dealing with deafness at the age of 4 on and the "superpowers" that she feels she has with her "Phonic Ear." She even compares herself to Batman, which is the most darling thing ever. However, like the Dark Knight there's something deeper here than the surface — in this case, a little girl who's hard of hearing. Bell digs into the emotions and that's where the book transcends from being a kids tome to one where anybody who's ever felt like an outsider can find a connection, whether to Cece's need to find friendship in a world she continually feels out of place in or the sheer joy of conquering an obstacle. El Deafo is a must-read for any kid and for most adults, too.

The Harlem Hellfighters , by Max Brooks and Caanan White (Broadway Books, $16.95)

War is hell but for the black American soldiers in the 369th infantry regiment during World War I, battle lines were drawn before they even stepped foot into combat. It's a fictionalized account of the highly decorated army unit, who were given their Hellfighters name ironically by the Germans they were fighting — their countrymen had much worse things to say. The men journey from the recruitment station in a Harlem dance studio to their boot camp in South Carolina and deal with racism as well as the government trying to keep them down. On Kieron Gillen's Uber, White proved himself as one of comics' best artists when it comes to drawing the horrors of the battlefield and continues to earn his stripes here, while Brooks takes his own personal interest in the historical material and weaves a dramatic period tale with themes we're still warring with in the present.

In the Dark: A Horror Anthology , edited by Rachel Deering (IDW, $49.99)

Originally launched as a Kickstarter project, Deering rounded up a murderer's row of horror-comics talent — from A-listers of the genre such as Steve Niles, Scott Snyder (who also wrote the introduction) and Tim Seeley to newcomers such as Nailbiter co-creator Mike Henderson — for an anthology that is creepier than any Twilight Zone marathon. The highlights of the ginormous collection include the childhood danger of Cullen Bunn and Drew Moss' "Murder Farm," the Memetic creative team of James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan doling out some coming-of-age scares with "Why So Sad?" and Justin Jordan and Tyler Jenkins' monstrous tale "The Unseen" that would frighten a few tentacle off Cthulhu. Go ahead and read the thing in one sitting — it's not like you needed pleasant dreams anyway.

Seconds , by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Ballantine Books, ($25)

Everybody in indie comics wanted to see how O'Malley was going to follow up his Scott Pilgrim series, a hit in publishing and a cult fave in the movie world with Edgar Wright's big-screen adaptation. As it turns out, he succeeded smashingly with Seconds, which centered on talented chef Katie who's toiling in her current gig, dealing with the return of an ex and trying to launch her own restaurant when she's presented with a way to revise certain aspects of her life. (Hint: It involves mushrooms.) While Pilgrim was laden with video-game pop-culture references amid one immature guy's mission to come of age while also kicking the butt of his beloved's exes, Seconds is an outstanding affair that deals more with adulthood but still has that same O'Malley swagger and style.

The Wrenchies , by Farel Dalrymple (First Second Books, $19.99)

Take The Warriors gangs and the droogs of A Clockwork Orange, make them pint-sized and throw a bunch into a futuristic post-apocalypse that'd make Mad Max uncomfortable, and you get The Wrenchies, an adventure pitting tribes of children against demonic Shadowsmen who make monsters out of anybody past puberty. Maybe a little too violent and maturely themed for small youngsters, Dalrymple's paints a vast and wicked metropolitan wasteland that is scary yet beautiful and hinges the emotional journey on Hollis, a good boy forced to survive a not-great world.

Dave Chappelle backlash: Netflix employees walk out over trans ...

LOS ANGELES – Netflix employees made good on a promise to walk out Wednesday over Dave Chappelle’s transphobic remarks in his new stand-up special, a gesture that was amplified by emotional pleas from supporters who rallied outside company headquarters.

Netflix's transgender employees say executives at the streaming service dismissed their concerns that Chappelle's controversial comments in "The Closer" could lead to violence against the trans community.

The first person to address the crowd of about 150 gathered near Netflix's Hollywood offices was rally organizer Ashlee Marie Preston, who said she and other members of the community had invited Chappelle “on multiple occasions” to have “transformative dialogue, (but) he has made it clear it is not of interest to him.”

Preston also accused Netflix, which has repeatedly supported the comedian in recent days, of “making money off our inability to understand intersectionality.”

Here's why: Netflix's support of Dave Chappelle is setting a dangerous precedent

The group's list of demands presented to Netflix executives include "making long-term investments in content from trans, non-binary, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) creators; fully inclusive spaces for trans and LGBTQ BIPOC employees; and accountability when content causes harm," according to a Twitter post by GLAAD, the LGBTQ advocacy group.

At the rally, David Huggard Jr., a contestant known as Eureka! on RuPaul’s “Drag Race,” said those who enjoy Chappelle’s special are “laughing in the face of our pain.”

During those speeches, a counter-protester – who in contrast to most protestors didn't wear a mask – shouted “I’m just here for the jokes,” and held a sign that said “Dave Is Funny” on one side and “We Like Jokes” on the other. A scuffle ensued, which resulted in someone breaking the sign.

Another counter-protester, comedian Dick Masterson, said he attended the rally to "support Dave (Chappelle)'s statement against cancel culture."

"There's a big problem when people start tying speech to violence, because it is not," he said. "In this country, any speech is allowed, and violence is a hard no. There's a big canyon between those two."

Ted Sarandos: ‘I screwed up’ response to Dave Chappelle backlash

The contentious debate over Chappelle's comments has generated passionate responses from Chappelle supporters and detractors alike on social media. The issue intensified late Tuesday, as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos did a flurry of phone interviews in which he admitted he "screwed up" his response to staff but reiterated his support of the comedy special.

Sarandos' latest messaging “speaks to a culture not just at Netflix or this industry, but something at large, which is a lot of people’s first reaction in the light of controversy is to defend the person that they’re closest to without looking at the facts of the situation," Netflix employee Tierra Gonzalez told USA TODAY at Wednesday's rally.

Sarandos allowed that storytelling can sometimes negatively impact society, but said he did not feel "The Closer" needed a disclaimer.

"I should have first and foremost acknowledged in those emails that a group of our employees were in pain, and they were really feeling hurt from a business decision that we made," Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter. He also spoke with Deadline and Variety. "And I, instead of acknowledging that first, I went right into some rationales."

Sarandos noted that Chappelle follows in the tradition of comedians who push boundaries, but told Variety "I do not believe it falls into hate speech" because Chappelle's jokes weren't intended to cause physical harm.

Hours before the walkout, Netflix shared a statement with USA TODAY: "We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.”

The negative spotlight on Netflix stands in stark contrast to a recent glow: The content-creating powerhouse, responsible for hits ranging from “Tiger King” to “Squid Game,” won 44 Emmys this year and hit 200 million subscribers. On Tuesday, Netflix reported third-quarter profit and subscriber growth numbers that beat Wall Street expectations.

Dave Chappelle described gender as 'a fact' in his new Netflix comedy special, 'The Closer'

In "The Closer," Chappelle resurfaced a December 2019 controversy in which “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling drew backlash after conflating sex with gender and defending ideas suggesting that changing one's biological sex was a threat to her own gender identity.

"I agree, man. Gender is a fact," Chappelle, 48, said in "The Closer." "Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. That is a fact."

Much of our slam comes from the Black community:Not acknowledging that perpetuates racism

The LGBTQ+ community called Dave Chappelle's remarks transphobic, Netflix suspended several employees

“The Closer” generated backlash on social media from both the LGBTQ+ community and some Netflix employees, who voiced concerns that the special promoted transphobic attitudes at a time when violence against such Americans is on the rise. There were a record 44 killings of trans people in 2020, according to the Human Rights Watch.

Last week, Terra Field, a Netflix software engineer who is trans, was among three employees who were suspended for joining a virtual quarterly meeting of top executives without an invitation. They later were reinstated, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Friday, Netflix fired an employee who allegedly leaked how much Netflix had paid for “The Closer” (a reported $24.1 million), along with the special's viewership (10 million).

In an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, the fired transgender employee, B. Pagels-Minor, who prefers a gender neutral title, said they found Sarandos’ communications to staff “dismissive,” and acknowledged being fired. But “B. categorically denies leaking sensitive information to the press,” said Laurie Burgess, the worker's attorney.

A Netflix representative told the NYT that the employee "admitted sharing confidential information externally from their Netflix email on several occasions.”

Dave Chappelle says he's 'Team TERF':The comedian defends J.K. Rowling in his new Netflix special

In the course of two memos to staff, Sarandos defended the company’s association with Chappelle, declined to remove the special and questioned the need for alarm.

“While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content onscreen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm," he wrote.

The storm started brewing on Oct. 7, two days after Chappelle's special debuted, when Field fired off a tweet saying: "I work at @netflix. Yesterday we launched another Chappelle special where he attacks the trans community, and the very validity of transness – all while trying to pit us against other marginalized groups."

The comment went viral and led to a long Medium essay by Field, who lamented that after going through a similar upheaval in 2019 with Chappelle's "Sticks & Stones" special, the same debate seemed to be starting anew.

"I felt like all the work we did after ‘Sticks & Stones’ was meaningless and that having the exact same internal dialog and pile of emotional labor from the Trans* ERG was just going to get us the same canned statement about ‘artistic freedom’ (and it did)," Field wrote.

Banned Books Week: We defend 30 challenged books including 'Beloved' and '1984'

Celebrities assembled for a PSA

In the wake of Chappelle's special, “Dear White People” series producer Jacklyn Moore tweeted last week that she would not work with the streaming service as long as it continues to “put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content.”

Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby, who was cited by Sarandos in a widely disseminated memo to staff, blasted the CEO on Instagram, writing, "Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chappelle's fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial world view.”

As part of the walkout, organizers released a public service announcement that included messages from a variety of stars and activists. The PSA was shared on Twitter by transgender actor Elliot Page, who wrote "I stand in support with the trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC employees at Netflix fighting for more and better trans stories and a more inclusive workplace."

Jameela Jamil, star of NBC's "The Good Place," delivered "a message of love and support for those of you taking such a big risk in standing up for what you believe in." And Mason Alexander Park of Netflix's "The Sandman" said changes at the service won't happen until "we give non-binary and trans people like myself more power and more positions to tell our own stories."

'Being transgender is not a medical condition': The meaning of trans broken arm syndrome

'Antiracist Baby' and other Anti-racism books for adults, teens, kids

Books about Black history and antiracism have regularly been in the news (and on bestsellers lists) since the death of George Floyd in 2020 and subsequent nationwide protests that centered racism and police brutality.

They're back in the headlines again as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the country's first Black female Supreme Court nominee, faces grilling from conservative senators. On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas brought props to the hearing, cycling through posters of children’s books he said were used at a Washington, D.C., area private school where Jackson is a board member. He questioned whether Jackson knew the books, including Ibram X. Kendi's children’s book “Antiracist Baby,” were taught at the school, and whether or not she supports the teaching of critical race theory.

"Do you agree with this book that is being taught with kids, that babies are racist?" Cruz asked.

After a long pause, Jackson said: "I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist or as though they are not valued."

"You know Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has impeccable credentials – and you know you're doing the work – when @tedcruz questions her about your books since he can’t touch her record," Kendi wrote in a tweet.

"Antiracist Baby," a picture book that introduces young readers and their parents to the concept of antiracism and encourages discussion, was one of many books by Black authors that made waves on the USA TODAY Best Selling Book List following the rise of Black Lives Matter protests, debuting at no. 49 in summer 2020 and rising as high as no. 16. It was released a year after Kendi's guidebook for adults, "How to Be an Antiracist," which spent 29 weeks on the bestsellers list and reached as high as no. 2.

Such books have proven an important resource to learn more, providing a valuable look at the past and an avenue for continued research when protests are no longer front-page news.

"A lot of people don't really know the history of why things are the way that they are," City of Los Angeles Director of Branch Library Services Chad Helton told USA TODAY in June 2020. "What I would recommend is really looking into the scholarship of Black history. That way you can really understand how racism has manifested itself and how it's become structural and institutional. ... All of what is happening is connected to systemic and institutionalized racism."

If you're looking for titles to help expand your knowledge, we've rounded up options for beginning or continuing your reading quest:

Nonfiction reads

If you're looking for resources on how to talk about race or to brush up on history and important Black figures, experts say these books are a good place to start.

“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander is a “great book to read,” because it talks about the systemic problem of the criminal justice system, says Lorenzo Boyd, associate professor of criminal justice and assistant provost of diversity and inclusion at the University Of New Haven.

Dr. Beverly Tatum, psychologist and author of "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" and "Can We Talk About Race? And Other Conversations About Race in an Era of School Resegregation," recommends checking out "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism" by Robin DiAngelo or "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla F. Saad.

"From Slavery To Freedom: A History of African Americans" by John Hope Franklin offers a comprehensive look at how the foundation of the United States has dictated racism in the present, Helton added.

Expert recommendations, picks from the bestsellers lists and more:

"How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi

"Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

"Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson

"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

"Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson

by Bryan Stevenson "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

"Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race" by Reni Eddo-Lodge

"They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, And A New Era In America’s Racial Justice Movement" by Wesley Lowery

"Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do" by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

"Raising White Kids" by Jennifer Harvey

by Jennifer Harvey "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo

“The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement" by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris

"Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That The Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall

"Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism" by bell hooks

"Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People" by Ben Crump

"From Slavery To Freedom: A History of African Americans" by John Hope Franklin

"The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear" by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and William Barber II

“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander

"Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America" by USA TODAY reporter Charisse Jones and Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden

"Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement" by John Lewis and Michael D'Orso

"White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism" by Robin DiAngelo

"The Burden" edited by USA TODAY Network columnist Rochelle Riley

"Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde

"This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color" edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa

"Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That a Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall

"The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement" by Dr. William Barber

"Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower" by Brittney Cooper

"When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America" by Paula Giddings

"Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism" by Patricia Hill Collins

"Wandering in Strange Lands" by Morgan Jerkins

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Impactful fiction from Black authors

The learning doesn't stop with nonfiction works. Black authors have made notable and creative contributions to the worlds of fiction and poetry writing over the years, including Pulitzer Prize-winning titles.

Real-world issues are the basis for these bestselling stories and poems:

"Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi

"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

"Passing" by Nella Larsen

"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

"Sula" by Toni Morrison

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

"White Teeth" by Zadie Smith

"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" by Ntozake Shange

"An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones

"The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett

"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe

"Such a Fun Age" by Kiley Reid

"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

"Luster" by Raven Leilani

Four-star review:Yaa Gyasi’s 'Transcendent Kingdom' a profound story of faith, addiction and loss

Books of poetry by Black writers

From historically-significant works of prose (Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1950 with "Annie Allen") to contemporary dissections of culture, these award-winning and bestselling books of poems offer a lyrical approach to sharing Black stories.

"Selected Poems" by Gwendolyn Brooks

"I Can't Talk About the Trees Without the Blood" by Tiana Clark

"Finna: Poems" by Nate Marshall

"Coal" by Audre Lorde

"Citizen: An American Lyric" by Claudia Rankine

"There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé" by Morgan Parker

"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown

"The Black Unicorn: Poems" by Audre Lorde

"And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems" by Maya Angelou

More:Amanda Gorman performs powerful poem at inauguration: Read the full text of 'The Hill We Climb'

Help explain race to kids with these children's books

Talking to kids about complex world issues can be tough, but these books can help young people learn in a gentle, thoughtful way.

"I’ve seen a surge in different books to help with this situation," Ashay By the Bay founder and CEO Deborah Day told USA TODAY. "There’s a lot going on… Children need storybooks and they need the parents to sometimes sit down and read with them. That’s just that closeness – that opportunity is a great way to begin the healing process."

For preschool and elementary school-age kids, Dr. Tatum recommends sharing "Something Happened in Our Town" by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins and Ann Hazzard. For teenagers, Angie Thomas' "The Hate U Give" is a good place to start, she told USA TODAY.

Bestselling stories to help younger kids:

"The Colors of Us" by Karen Katz

"Let’s Talk About Race" by Julius Lester

"The Skin I’m In: A First Look at Racism" by Pat Thomas

Sesame Street's "We're Different, We're the Same" by Bobbi Jane Kates

"Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice" by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard

"I Am Enough" by Grace Byers

"Happy in Our Skin" by Fran Manushkin and Lauren Tobia

"Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement" by Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes

"Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America" by Jennifer Harvey

"Daddy Why Am I Brown?: A healthy conversation about skin color and family" by Bedford F. Palmer

"A Terrible Thing Happened" by Margaret Holmes

“Antiracist Baby" by Ibram X. Kendi

"Hair Love" by Matthew A. Cherry

"Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights" by Rob Sanders and Jared Andrew Schorr

"The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family" by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali Hatem Aly

"Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter" by Shani King

For teens:

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

"This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work" by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand

"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson

"Dear White People" by Justin Simien, illustrated by Ian O'Phelan

"The Black Kids" by Christina Hammonds Reed

"Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

"All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

"The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta

"This Is My America" by Kim Johnson

"Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves" by Glory Edim

"I'm Not Dying With You Tonight" by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal

'First look for sameness':Kristen Bell's new children's book urges kids, adults to focus on commonality

Black-owned bookstores to support

Bigger retailers may be selling out of the book you're interested – but don't forget about local shops! These bookstores run by Black owners also offer a slew of titles if you're looking to shop local.

Marcus Books: The nation's oldest Black-owned bookstore, located in Oakland, California.

The Listening Tree: A children's bookstore in Decatur, Georgia, that also offers a young entrepreneurs program for kids

Mahogany Books: Bookstore based in Washington, D.C.

Ashay By The Bay: San Francisco Bay Area kids bookstore

Harriett's Bookshop: Philadelphia-based store named after Harriett Tubman

Semicolon Bookstore: Chicago's only Black woman-owned independent bookstore

The Lit Bar: Bronx-based bookstore and wine bar

Sister's Uptown Bookstore: Family owned and operated bookstore and community space in Manhattan

Sankofa: Washington, D.C.-based bookstore that celebrates Pan-African culture and offers book clubs and children's events

Hakim's Bookstore: Philadelphia's first and oldest African American bookstore specializing in Black history

Cafe con Libros: Feminist, independent bookstore based in Brooklyn, New York

More:Inside historic Black bookstores' fight for survival against the COVID-19 pandemic

Contributing: Sara M. Moniuszko, Barbara VanDenburgh, Mary Cadden and Richard Rouan, USA TODAY.

Dr. Seuss: Bet you didn't know these 30 things about the famous ...

Colman Andrews

24/7 Wall Street

Theodor Seuss Geisel, who was called Ted as a boy but would one day be known to the world as Dr. Seuss, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1904. His father, Theodor Robert Geisel, who co-owned a brewery, often took young Ted to the city zoo. Perhaps inspired by these visits, Ted – with the encouragement of his mother, Henrietta – drew animal caricatures on his bedroom walls.

Dr. Seuss produced some 66 books in all, counting those he wrote but didn’t illustrate, those he co-authored or wrote under a pseudonym, and those that were published posthumously. He is the world’s best-selling children’s author, and according to some sources either the ninth or 11th most popular fiction writer of any kind in history. His books, which have been translated into 30 languages, have sold somewhere between 500 million and 650 million copies.

Variously hailed as the American Poet Laureate of Nonsense and the Modern Mother Goose, Dr. Seuss has brought pleasure to (and encouraged reading comprehension in) four generations of children around the world. But not everything about him was family-friendly. Here are some surprising facts about this prolific author and illustrator.

Controversy:The debate over Dr. Seuss: When racist themes collides with childhood nostalgia

Travel:Oh the Places You'll Go! Dr. Seuss museum opens its doors

1.

His grandfather was a partner in the Kalmbach & Geisel brewery, known familiarly as "Come Back and Guzzle," which later morphed into the Springfield Brewing Co., one of the largest such operations in New England.

2.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt once humiliated him on stage, exclaiming "What's this boy doing here?" instead of giving him the award for selling war bonds that he was expecting.

3.

His first published work was a parody of Walt Whitman's poem "O Captain! My Captain!," composed as a plaint about the difficulty of Latin class for his high school newspaper.

4.

He wrote a minstrel show called "Chicopee Surprised" as a fundraiser for a school trip, and he performed in it in blackface.

5.

He was fired from the college humor magazine at Dartmouth College for drinking gin with friends in his dorm room – during Prohibition!

Life prescriptions from the Doctor:Dr. Seuss quotes for every college moment

6.

"Seuss" is pronounced "zoice" in German, but Geisel preferred to rhyme it with "Goose," as in Mother Goose.

7.

He wasn't really a doctor. He began using the honorific in an attempt to mollify his father, who had wanted him to study medicine.

8.

"Oh, the places you'll go!", which became the title of his last book (published in 1990), was a Dartmouth catchphrase in the 1920s.

9.

He was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by Casque & Gauntlet, the senior society to which he belonged at Dartmouth.

10.

He attended Oxford University in 1926, pursuing a master's degree in English, but he left after less than a year.

11.

Helen Palmer, a fellow student at Oxford who was to become his first wife, encouraged him to give up the academic world to concentrate on his art.

12.

He and Helen were unable to have children, but he sometimes pretended humorously to have offspring, with names like Chrysanthemum-Pearl, Wickersham, Miggles and Boo-boo.

13.

His first published cartoon appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1927.

14.

In 1929, he drew a four-panel cartoon for the satirical weekly Judge that included a blatantly racist image, complete with the N-word.

15.

When it ran into financial difficulties, Judge began paying him in merchandise, including 100 cartons of shaving cream on one occasion and 13 gross of nail clippers on another.

16.

He was subsequently hired to create ads by the makers of Flit, a DDT-laced bug spray produced by a subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey.

17.

He created a slogan for the bug spray – "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" – that became an oft-quoted slogan of the day a la "Where's the Beef?"

18.

Some of his Flit ads featured more racist imagery, of both blacks and Middle Easterners.

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19.

He later rejected racism, drawing cartoons such as one featuring Uncle Sam wielding a Flit-like spray to blow the "Racial Prejudice Bug" out of the heads of white citizens.

20.

Working for another Standard Oil subsidiary, which produced Essomarine boat fuel, he became "Admiral-in-Chief" of the so-called Seuss Navy, an outfit made up for promotional purposes.

21.

He began writing and drawing children's books because it was one of the few genres not forbidden by his ad contracts.

22.

His first published children's book, "And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street," was rejected by publishers 27 times before it went to press in 1937.

23.

In 1939, he published a book for adults called "The Seven Lady Godivas," full of cartoon nudes. It didn't sell well, and he went back to children's books.

24.

During World War II, he enlisted in the Army and co-wrote some 27 humorous instructional cartoons featuring a hapless Army recruit called Private Snafu.

25.

He might have invented the word "nerd," which appears in his 1950 book "If I Ran the Zoo" – though the derivation is disputed.

26.

He wrote a fantasy movie about an evil piano teacher, "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.," released in 1953.

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27.

Helen, who was in frail health, committed suicide after Geisel had an affair with a friend's wife, Audrey Dimond – who was to become the second Mrs. Geisel.

28.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of the fact that his stories have inspired feature films and TV specials.

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29.

His license plate read "GRINCH," a reference to one of his most famous books, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

30.

He was a heavy smoker until the early 1980s and died of oral cancer – though not until 1991, when he was 87.

Methodology

To unearth little-known facts about Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, 24/7 Wall St. consulted the Springfield Museums’ Seuss in Springfield website, Penguin Random House’s Seussville website, the website of the New England Historical Society, an article reproducing early Seuss cartoons on Buzzfeed, and the following books: “Dr. Seuss: The Cat Behind the Hat” by Caroline M. Smith; “Of Sneetches and Whos and the Good Dr. Seuss,” edited by Thomas Fensch; “Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography” by Judith & Neil Morgan; “Theodor Geisel: A Portrait of the Man Who Became Dr. Seuss” by Donald E. Pease; “Who Was Dr. Seuss?” by Janet B. Pascal; and “The Beginnings of Dr. Seuss: An Informal Reminiscence,” edited by Edward Connery Lathem.

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