You can no longer hike alone in Nepal: Country bans solo hikers ...

Solo hiking will soon be banned from Nepal’s national parks in an attempt to reduce risks for the tens of thousands of adventurers who annually flock to the Himalayan country.

The move goes into effect next month and makes guides now mandatory, according to the Nepal Tourism Board.

The decision, announced in early March comes after incidents in which tourists became lost and sometimes died while hiking alone, according to the board’s director, Mani R. Lamichhane.

“There were many cases where tourists have disappeared,” Lamichhane told the New York Times. He added that deaths among solo trekkers had given some tourists the misperception that Nepal was unsafe.

Hiking illegally in Hawaii will cost you:Illegal hikers in Hawaii may have to pay for their own rescues, after many are saved from this popular hike

New rules apply to tourists of all experience levels

The new rules apply to tourists of all experience levels on treks in Nepal’s national parks, such as the popular Annapurna Circuit, a 150-mile route that circles the Annapurna mountain range. Trekkers can still embark on solo hikes outside of national parks, such as around the city of Kathmandu.

Border standoff:US officials in riot gear clash with migrants attempting mass entry into Texas

"The decision, however, will not be applicable to Nepali trekkers,” Lamichhane told The Kathmandu Post.

The tourism board has also increased the fee charged to hikers.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

What to stop doing on your trip to Hawaii, according to locals

In pre-pandemic days, over 10 million people would arrive annually to enjoy the Hawaiian Islands. That's quite a bit of people, considering that the state's population is about 1.4 million. The impact of the high number of tourists hasn't gone unnoticed.

"Over a century, Hawaii has welcomed many visitors by embracing them with warmth and aloha," Diana Su, the senior marketing manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa who was raised in Honolulu, said. "However, over decades, the amount of visitors have increased and started depleting the state of its natural resources, damaging the delicate environment, and affecting traditional practices and rituals."

About two-thirds of Hawaii residents think their "island is being run for tourists at the expense of local people," a number that has held steady for about five years, according to a 2022 state-sponsored survey asking residents about their sentiment toward tourism. They point out overcrowding, damage to the environment, higher costs and more traffic.

BOOK A SPOT:To manage over tourism, are reservation systems the future of traveling to Hawaii?

JUST DON'T:Stop throwing coins into hot steam vents, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park asks of 'disrespectful' people

At the same time, tourism is a pillar of Hawaii's economy – in fact, it represents a quarter of it, thanks to the jobs it creates in the hospitality industry and visitor spending.

It can be a tricky balancing act for people who want to visit Hawaii while minimizing any negative impact on the islands because for so long, people have treated it as their paradisiacal playground. The best people to turn to for advice on this are undeniably the ones who live in Hawaii: locals.

Read below to read Hawaii locals wish tourists would stop doing while visiting the islands:

1. Don't be clueless

Su urges people to know their stuff before departing on their trip, so take some time and learn more about Hawaii.

"Avoid coming to Hawaii without doing some research first," she said. It's important to know how to "avoid disrespecting sacred sites and respect boundaries and kapu (off-limit) areas."

Take the time to learn about the companies you're hiring for excursions or tours to make sure they support the community and environment. Making educated choices on where to spend your money and what is considered respectful or disrespectful will make your trip to Hawaii that much better.

DON'T BE THAT TOURIST:Here's how to respectfully visit Hawaii, have an authentic trip

2. Don't take anything, ever

Many visitors to Hawaii take sand, coral or lava rocks from its national parks as memorabilia of their trip to Hawaii. According to Jin Prugsawan Harlow, chief of interpretation, education and volunteers as well as public information officer for Haleakala National Park, taking items from national parks is not only illegal, it's also culturally inappropriate.

Hawaiians view Haleakala as their ancestor, Harlow said, so taking something from the park is considered highly disrespectful.

"People come to Hawaii and (other national parks) because they're wild, scenic and beautiful," Harlow said. "And people can play a great role in making sure it stays that way."

THINK TWICE:Stop throwing coins into hot steam vents, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park asks of 'disrespectful' people

3. Don't go during peak hours

Traffic in Hawaii is a sore spot, with Honolulu often ranking as one of the most congested cities in the country. With so many tourists out and about on the islands, Harlow suggests to try going to popular attractions during off-hours.

"At Haleakala, things can get crowded around the summit around sunset but from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the park is really empty," she said. "Going to the Kipahulu District, arriving earlier in the day helps you beat crowded parking lots."

4. Don't disturb wildlife

Hawaii is blessed with many beautiful creatures, some of which are impossible to spot anywhere else in the world, like the Hawaiian monk seal. While spotting these creatures out in the wild is always a treat, keep your distance and make sure to never disturb them or their natural habitat (as in, don't touch reefs or flip over rocks).

In certain cases, it's illegal to get too close to animals like turtles and nursing seals. Seriously, it's not worth it.

SHARK ATTACK:Tourist taken to hospital after 'serious bite' from shark on Maui's north shore

5. Don't be reckless outdoors

Hawaii has otherworldly valleys, peaks, shorelines and waterfalls to explore, and as stunning as the experience may be, it can also be dangerous if you're not careful. A lack of preparation, bad weather conditions and going to unsafe areas that are trending online can often put people at risk.

For example, on Kauai, the Kauai Fire Department locked the gate accessing Queen's Bath, a large tidal pool that can be hazardous, especially when the surf is rough. Still, people sneak in and often end up needing to be rescued. Do your research about hikes or beaches and heed to warning signs – they're there for a reason.

"One of our most important values, for example, is to respect the land and ocean that provides for us, and we ask that visitors share in this ethos to keep our home beautiful," Wendy Tuivaioge, Director of Hawaiian Programs at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, said. "Be mindful of your surroundings, do not venture out alone, and stay on well-marked trails."

DO THIS, NOT THAT: You won't regret these 8 activities when you visit the islands, according to Hawaii locals

6. Don't use harmful sunscreen

Hawaii's ecosystems are unique and fragile, including its coral reefs, and some sunscreens may play a role in harming the islands' marine life.

In 2018, Hawaii Gov. David Ige passed a law that went into effect in 2021 – making Hawaii the first state – that banned sunscreens containing chemicals believed to damage coral and marine life, oxybenzone and octinoxate.

When slathering up with SPF, do your part to protect the ocean by picking reef-safe brands. Some brands that are reef-safe include Raw Elements or Kokua Sun Care, which is made right in the islands.

7. Don't geotag

It may be tempting to do it for the 'gram and share your vacation pictures online, but that post may have consequences long after you hit upload.

The rise in social media geotagging and sharing of once hidden spots has caused many across the country to blow up and become overcrowded and overrun, much to the dismay of locals who have been enjoying these more secret places for a long time. If you find yourself at this crossroads, consider the impact of your post.

CROWDED SPOTS:Was your favorite hidden vacation spot overexposed? Blame social media and pent-up demand

8. Don't forget you're visiting someone's home

At the end of the day, many locals have one reminder: "It's important for travelers to understand they are visiting someone's home and draw on the sensibilities that come with that," Ha'aheo Zablan, general manager of Kaimana Beach Hotel who is also Native Hawaiian, said. "We have amazing visitor-centric opportunities to take in all Hawaii has to offer without venturing into local neighborhoods or exploring too far from resort zones." For example, people who seek out hikes with trailheads in quiet neighborhoods have been called out for disturbing residents with noise or crowded parking.

Prejean echoes the sentiment: "While Hawaii is a welcoming destination, we do ask that tourists be aware of their surroundings, reduce your 'footprint' by leaving the places you visit better than you found it, and to treat the local neighborhoods and people with respect and kindness."

Health departments apply lessons learned from Covid to other ...

KHN —

LIVINGSTON, Mont. — Shannan Piccolo walked into a hotel with a tote bag full of Narcan and a speech about how easy it is to use the medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses.

“Hopefully your business would never have to respond to an overdose, but we’d rather have you have some Narcan on hand just in case,” Piccolo, director of Park City-County Health Department, said to the hotel manager.

The manager listened to Piccolo’s instructions on how to use Narcan, the brand name of the drug naloxone, and added four boxes of the nasal spray to the hotel’s first-aid kit.

Shannan Piccolo, with the Park City-County Health Department in Montana, talks with a hotel manager about how to use Narcan nasal spray to reverse a drug overdose. Katheryn Houghton/KHN

The transaction took less than 10 minutes. It was the third hotel Piccolo had visited that hot July day in Livingston, a mountain town of roughly 8,000, where, as in much of the nation, health officials are worried about a recent rise in the use of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

It was the first time the local health department offered door-to-door training and supplies to prevent overdose deaths. The underlying strategy was forged during the pandemic when public health officials distributed rapid tests and vaccines in high-risk settings.

“We learned this from covid,” said Dr. Laurel Desnick, the county’s public health officer. “We go to people who may not have time to come to us.”

Dr. Laurel Desnick, public health officer for the Park City-County Health Department in Montana, prepares to deliver boxes of Narcan to local hotels. The free distribution of Narcan, the brand name of the drug naloxone, which can reverse opioid overdoses, is one public health strategy borne out of the covid-19 pandemic. Katheryn Houghton/KHN

The pandemic laid bare the gaps and disparities in the U.S. public health system, and often resulted in blowback against local officials trying to slow the coronavirus’s spread. But one positive outcome, in part fueled by a boost in federal dollars, is that health workers have started adapting lessons they learned from their covid-19 response to other aspects of their work.

For example, in Atlanta, where the county health department planned to mail out at-home kits to test for diseases, a program modeled on the distribution of covid rapid tests. In Houston, health officials announced this month they’ll begin monitoring the city’s wastewater for monkeypox, a tactic broadly used to gauge how far and fast covid spread. And in Chicago, government agencies have tweaked covid collaborations to tag-team a rise in gun violence.

Some of these adaptations should cost little and be relatively simple to incorporate into the departments’ post-pandemic work, such as using vans purchased with covid relief money for vaccine delivery and disease testing. Other tools cost more money and time, including updating covid-borne data and surveillance systems to use in other ways.

Some public health workers worry that the lessons woven into their operations will fall away once the pandemic has passed.

“When we have public health crises in this country, we tend to have a boom-and-bust cycle of funding,” said Adriane Casalotti, with the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Some federal pandemic relief funding is scheduled to last for years, but other allocations have already run dry. Local health workers will be left to prioritize what to fund with what remains.

Meanwhile, historically short-staffed and underfunded health departments are responding to challenges that intensified during the pandemic, including delayed mental health treatment and routine care.

“You’re not just starting from where you were 2½ years ago, there’s actually a higher mountain to climb,” Casalotti said. “But places that were able to build up some of their systems can adapt them to allow for more real-time understanding of public health challenges.”

In Atlanta, the Fulton County Board of Health has offered to mail residents free, at-home tests for sexually transmitted diseases. The state has historically had some of the highest rates of reported STDs in the nation.

“This program has the power to demonstrate the scalable effects of equitable access to historically underserved communities,” Joshua O’Neal, the county’s director of the sexual health programs, said in a press release announcing the kits.

The changes go beyond government. University of Texas researchers are trying out a statewide program to crowdsource data on fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses. Those working on the project are frustrated the national effort to track covid outbreaks hasn’t extended to the overdose epidemic.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said her team is expanding the covid data-driven approach to track and report neighborhood-level data on opioid drug overdoses. Nonprofits and city agencies that have worked together through the pandemic now meet each month to look at the numbers to shape their response.

Arwady said the city is trying to use the pandemic-driven boost in money and attention for programs that can last beyond the covid emergency.

“Every day, we’re having these debates about, ‘How much do we continue on? How big do we go?’” Arwady said. “I feel like it’s such a moment. We’ve shown what we can do during covid, we’ve shown what we can do when we have some additional funding.”

The city also opened a new safety center modeled on its covid-response base to counter gun violence. Employees from across city departments are working together on safety issues for the first time by tracking data, connecting people in highest-risk areas to services, and supporting local efforts such as funding neighborhood block clubs and restoring safe spaces.

Separately, neighborhood-based organizations created to handle covid contact tracing and education are shifting focus to address food security, violence prevention, and diabetes education. Arwady said she hopes to continue grassroots public health efforts in areas with long-standing health disparities by using a patchwork of grants to retain 150 of the 600 people initially hired through pandemic relief dollars.

“The message I’ve really been telling my team is, ‘This is our opportunity to do things that we have long wanted to do,’” Arwady said. “We built some of that up and I just, I’m gonna kick and scream before I let that all get dismantled.”

Back in Montana, Desnick said not every change relies on funding.

When flooding destroyed buildings and infrastructure in and around Yellowstone National Park in June, the Park County health department used a list of contacts gathered during the pandemic to send updates to schools, churches, and businesses.

Desnick posts regular public health video updates that began with covid case counts and broadened to include information on flood levels, federal cleanup assistance, and ice cream socials for people to meet first responders.

Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.

Piccolo, the county’s health director, spent roughly an hour on that day in July going to hotels in Livingston’s core to offer opioid overdose response training and supplies. Three hotel managers took the offer, two asked her to come back later, and one scheduled an all-staff training for later that week. Piccolo plans to extend the program to restaurants and music venues.

It’s that kind of adaptation to her job that doesn’t require the continuing flow of covid aid. The state supplied the Narcan boxes. Otherwise, she said, “it’s just about taking the time to do this.”

Gas prices, Seresto collars, vaccines for kids, heat wave. It's ...

With gas at $5 per gallon, President Joe Biden is urging gas companies to immediately cut costs. Congress wants a top-selling flea collar off the market. And America's youngest kids could be getting COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next week.

👋 It's Laura Davis. It's Wednesday. Do you know where your kids under 6 are? Round 'em up, it's about to be vaccine time. Here's the news.

But first, the truth is out there, y'all. 👽 China's giant "Sky Eye" telescope picked up signals that could be from alien civilizations, researchers say.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

Coming soon: 2 COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest kids

America's youngest children could soon have access to two COVID-19 vaccines. An expert panel on Wednesday unanimously found Moderna's vaccine safe and effective for children ages 6 months to 6 years old. An hour later, the committee voted to support a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. If its decisions are upheld by the Food and Drug Administration's commissioner and then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccines will be available for young children as soon as Tuesday. Although young children have largely been spared the worst of COVID-19, they can still become seriously ill and more than 200 have died from their infections, according to data presented by the FDA. Read more here.

Biden urges oil companies to immediately cut costs

Gas is up. Biden wants it down. In a letter to heads of top oil and gas companies on Wednesday, Biden urged them to immediately reduce prices as gasoline exceeded $5 a gallon in some parts of the country. The president's letter said Russia's war against Ukraine was the primary driver of spiking fuel prices, but "historically high refinery profit margins are worsening that pain." It was the White House's latest effort to demonstrate that Biden, who lacks the authority to enforce the directive to oil executives, is working to reduce inflation. Keep reading for more.

What everyone's talking about

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

Congress: No more Seresto collars

One of the most popular flea and tick collars in America poses "too great a risk to animals and humans" and should be removed from the market, a congressional subcommittee recommended in a report released Wednesday. The House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy held a hearing Wednesday afternoon, aiming to investigate the Environmental Protection Agency’s "failure to regulate the Seresto collar as well as Elanco’s refusal to take action to protect pets and their owners from the collar’s harm." Since it entered the U.S. market in 2012, records show Seresto flea and tick collars have been linked to at least 98,000 adverse incidents and 2,500 pet deaths — the most of any such product regulated by the EPA. Keep reading for more from the hearing.

Maker of Seresto defends collar amid calls for a ban over safety concerns.

amid calls for a ban over safety concerns. 🔎 Popular flea collar linked to almost 1,700 pet deaths. The EPA has issued no warning.

The Fed makes aggressive moves to fight inflation

The Federal Reserve is rolling out the heavy artillery in its bid to fight historic inflation that has shown little letup. But the aggressive strategy is expected to further slow the economy and increases the risk of recession. It already has triggered a brutal market sell-off. The Fed raised its key short-term interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point Wednesday – its largest hike since 1994 – to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%. It also downgraded its economic forecast. It also signaled that more big moves may be coming. Fed officials forecast the federal funds rate will end 2022 at a range of 3.25% to 3.5%, according to their median estimate. Here's what it means for you.

Will rates keep going up? Is it too much, too soon? What we know.

Is it too much, too soon? What we know. Redfin, Compass lay off hundreds of workers as housing market cools.

Real quick

Storms threaten as sprawling heat wave drags on

Parts of the upper Midwest braced for severe thunderstorms Wednesday while dangerous, sweltering heat continued to bake nearly a third of the nation's population. Scattered severe thunderstorms, as well as several tornadoes, large hail and gusty, damaging winds are expected from parts of Iowa into Wisconsin, according to NOAA. Meanwhile, a week of record-breaking heat continues to hit a wide swath of the nation, with excessive heat warnings and advisories remaining from Michigan to northern Florida, the National Weather Service said. Dangerously hot and humid weather will persist Wednesday from the Upper Midwest to the Southeast, with many locations once again seeing triple-digit heat indices. 🥵 Check your local forecast here. And stay hydrated!

A break from the news

5 things to know for August 31: Mar-a-Lago, Flooding, Heat waves ...

CNN —

Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the ‘5 Things’ newsletter.

Two of California’s many wildfires are threatening Sequoia National Park and the massive, iconic trees that grow there. And in Louisiana, Tropical Depression Nicholas could slow down recovery from Hurricane Ida, which just blew through two weeks ago.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. California recall

A flood watch is currently in place for millions of people across the southwestern US after a weekend of rain and thunderstorms drenched the region. In Las Vegas, at least two people have died in flooding since last week in what has become the wettest monsoon season in a decade. In Texas, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a disturbance that will bring thunderstorms and up to 6 inches of rain over the next few days, leading to potential flash flooding. While the rain has brought relief to some drought-stricken areas, experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme flooding and catastrophic disasters. Separately, a new study indicates a disastrous megaflood is coming to California in the next four decades – and experts say it would be unlike anything anyone alive today has ever experienced.

2. Coronavirus

CNN meteorologist explains cause of water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi 02:27 - Source: CNN

3. Gen. Mark Milley

5. Haiti

NASA scrubs Artemis I rocket launch due to engine issues. CNN reporter explains why 02:39 - Source: CNN

5. UK deportations

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Man vs. Emu

A woman used her smartwatch to call 911 after getting stuck in an interesting position at the gym. Watch the video here.

NASA releases stunning new image of the Phantom Galaxy

In a galaxy far, far away – 32 million light-years from Earth – there is a remarkable spiral of solar systems. Take a look at the new image here.

How Princess Diana’s style legacy remains relevant

Today marks 25 years since the death of Princess Diana, but her legacy and wardrobe continue to inspire new generations.

DC Comics featured stereotypical Latino foods on Hispanic Heritage Month covers

The publisher attempted to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by adding Latino foods to its comic covers… but fans found it offensive and cliché.

Kohl’s and Gap have a surprising plan for this season’s unsold clothing

Some retailers are holding onto their unsold inventory in the hope of selling it next summer. And yes, they’re confident these items will stay in style.

IN MEMORIAM

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, has died at the age of 91 after a long illness, Russian state news agencies reported on Tuesday. Gorbachev is credited with introducing key political and economic reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War. Several world leaders paid tribute to Gorbachev Tuesday, with President Joe Biden calling him “a man of remarkable vision” in a statement.

TODAY’S NUMBER

17

That’s how many people in Pakistan have been recently impacted by devastating floods. Some areas have seen five times their normal levels of rain, largely due to the climate crisis, experts say. Torrential rainfall and extreme flooding have killed more than 1,100 people and injured more than 3,500 others in the country since mid-June.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“This is merely an attempt to stop a man that is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins, from running again for the Presidency.”

– Alberto Flores, a port director for the US Customs and Border Protection, after a large shipment of baby wipes at the US-Mexico border turned out to be $11.8 million worth of cocaine. Officers seized the narcotics Friday at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge just north of Laredo, Texas, according to a news release. An inspection revealed 1,935 baby wipe packages were stuffed with around 1,533 pounds of alleged cocaine.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Heat builds for the west as tropical systems in the Atlantic intensify 02:21 - Source: CNN

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

My Dog Gets Annoyed by New Puppy From Day One

Hear the Otherworldly Sounds of Skating on Thin Ice

Watch this dog’s reaction when an energetic puppy becomes the newest addition to the family. (Click here to view)

El Paso memorial, hogs by helicopter: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: The state’s tourism agency has been honored for its work promoting civil rights travel in 14 U.S. states. The office was presented with an award recognizing its marketing campaign for the U.S. Civil Rights Trail during an industry trade show in London last week. The trail promotes museums, churches and other African American landmarks across the South. Promotional materials include video interviews with civil rights participants from the 1960s and photos of landmarks. Alabama oversaw the project in partnership with the Atlanta-based TravelSouth USA and the National Park Service. The trail includes sites from Kansas to Delaware, including all of the Deep South. The state won an award for best regional destination.

Alaska

Anchorage: Warm temperatures and an abundance of food are keeping bears out of their dens in south-central Alaska. KTVA-TV reports the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is warning people to be aware of bears that have not begun to hibernate. Anchorage area biologist Dave Battle says the department has received regular reports of sightings of both brown and black bears. Battle says most black bears enter dens by October, but brown bears are sometimes still up in November. Battle says denning is a response to both cold weather and food availability, but it’s not cold enough, and bears still have food available. Battle says bears are trying to pack in every calorie they can.

Arizona

Phoenix: The Arizona Sikh Community has donated 550 trees to low-income Phoenix neighborhoods. Local Sikh leaders gathered Sunday with Mayor Kate Gallego and other officials for a tree dedication ceremony. Planting of elm, Arizona ash and other drought-resistant trees has already started in some downtown neighborhoods. The gift worth about $68,000 is part of a worldwide observance of the anniversary of Sikh religion founder Guru Nanak’s birth in 1469. There were similar tree-planting campaigns in countries including Germany, Canada and Myanmar earlier this year. More trees are especially welcome in Phoenix, which suffers from an urban heat island effect that raises already high temperatures in areas covered by heat-retaining asphalt and concrete. Phoenix has planted thousands of trees in recent years in hopes of offsetting the effects.

Arkansas

Pine Bluff: Mold contamination is so high at an election office that officials are considering moving. Jefferson County Election Commissioner Stuart Soffer says air quality technicians found an election room with small mold spores measuring 73,300 particles per cubic foot, exceeding the acceptable levels of 2,500 particles per cubic foot. Technicians found large mold spores measuring 16,800 particles per cubic foot; the acceptable level is 200 particles per cubic foot. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the mold is a health hazard and puts 150 voting machines at risk. Soffer said the county could be liable if it knowingly exposed people to mold. Mold can cause a stuffy nose, coughing or wheezing. Technicians recommended a $1,500 dehumidifier. County Judge Gerald Robinson, the CEO for the county government, says he’s exploring alternative buildings.

California

San Francisco: The head of a commuter train system apologized to a black rider who was detained and cited by police for eating a breakfast sandwich on a train platform after an outcry from people who assailed enforcement of a no-food rule as racist. More than two dozen people staged an “eat-in” at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station over the weekend, and others continue to protest the Nov. 4 encounter, which ended with a 31-year-old man, who was headed to work, in handcuffs and unable to leave until he had told BART police his name. BART officials said Monday that an independent auditor is investigating. Eating is not allowed in paid portions of stations to maintain cleanliness, but it shouldn’t be used to prevent people from getting to work on time, they said. Steve Foster says he knew eating was not allowed on trains but did not realize it was banned on platforms.

Colorado

Denver: A state law banning the sale and transfer of large-capacity gun magazines has not stopped the sale and transfer of magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition. An undercover investigation by 9Wants to Know found examples of gun stores in Colorado either ignoring the law altogether or finding a loophole to get around the law. “It’s shocking to see that people are doing this,” said state Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora. In 2013, a Democrat-controlled Legislature passed four comprehensive bills dealing with guns, including the bill sponsored by Fields banning magazines that hold more than 15 bullets. The bill, signed into law by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper, banned the sale, transfer and possession of a large-capacity magazine as of July 1, 2013.

Connecticut

Waterford: Environmental groups are planning to remove a 1970s dam that has blocked alewife herring from returning from the ocean to freshwater spawning grounds. The Day reports a recently announced $187,000 grant from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund will help pay for the removal of the dam in Alewife Cove along the Waterford-New London line. The grant was awarded to the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound, which are working on the project with the Alewife Cove Conservancy. The groups will be required to provide $128,000 in matching funds. The groups say the project will restore 3 miles of a migratory corridor that benefits alewife as well as sea lamprey and American eel. A timeline for the project has not been announced.

Delaware

Wilmington: The Central YMCA downtown will end its housing program for the homeless next spring, cutting 41 guaranteed beds in the city and potentially relocating dozens of men. The beds are reserved for the chronically homeless, a group advocates consider to be the most vulnerable among homeless adults and the most challenging to help. Those who qualify can stay indefinitely. Their rooms are paid for by a $264,000 federal grant that the YMCA of Delaware this year declined to apply to renew. The current grant lasts until May. The YMCA and Housing Alliance Delaware, the nonprofit that coordinates shelter placements statewide, is finding ways for the current residents to stay in their rooms with other funding such as vouchers, to move toward paying rent like the YMCA’s other tenants or to be relocated to other housing.

District of Columbia

Washington: Authorities say a man was walking his 4-month-old pit bull when he was robbed of the puppy at gunpoint. News outlets report the dog named “L.A.” was stolen Saturday. A D.C. police statement says the man and L.A. were walking that afternoon when a vehicle slowed next to them, and the driver asked about buying L.A. The man refused, and the driver followed the pair. It says the driver then stopped the car and got out with a passenger, who pulled a handgun and told L.A.’s owner that “it’s our dog now.” The driver grabbed L.A. and fled in a burgundy Kia Forte. L.A. was wearing a blue collar at the time. A $1,000 is offered for information leading to an arrest.

Florida

Inverness: Controversy over a county commission blocking a library system from having a digital subscription to the New York Times has spilled over into the local tourism realm. The Citrus County Chronicle reports that people are canceling trips to Citrus County, and the repercussions are being felt as far abroad as London. John Pricher, director of the Citrus County Visitors Bureau, said as of Wednesday afternoon he’s received 10 anonymous and signed emails from tourists who all oppose county commissioners’ actions. In late October, commissioners discussed whether to buy the digital subscription but didn’t make a final decision. On Nov. 19, Citrus County Commissioners will decide whether to take the advice of library officials and spend $2,700 annually for a digital subscription to the paper.

Georgia

Atlanta: Enrollment at the state’s public colleges and universities is rising again, led by its largest schools. The University System of Georgia reported Tuesday that total enrollment rose 1.5% in fall 2019 from fall 2018. More than 333,000 students are enrolled across the state’s 26 institutions. Among those schools, 11 showed growth, and 15 showed declines. The fastest-growing institution, proportionally, was Georgia Tech, where enrollment went up nearly 12% to 36,000. The Atlanta’s school 3,800-student gain made up more than three-quarters of all student gains statewide. Other schools showing large gains were Kennesaw State University, Middle Georgia State University and Georgia Gwinnett College. Atlanta Metropolitan State College saw enrollment drop the most, falling 16% to 1,844.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A public health study says Native Hawaiians experience fewer years of good health compared with other ethnic groups in the state. The study by University of Hawaii researchers published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health found Native Hawaiians have 14 fewer years of healthy life than other groups. The study based on a self-reported survey calculates the number of healthy years among the state’s indigenous people and those with white, Filipino, Japanese and Chinese heritages. The study finds Native Hawaiians have 62.2 years of healthy life expectancy, compared with 75.9 years for Chinese, 74.8 for Japanese, 73.3 for Filipinos, and 72.1 years for white Hawaii residents. The authors say the analysis provides a more complete estimate of population health than life expectancy studies.

Idaho

Boise: Federal officials have released a final plan for five open-pit phosphate mines and reclamation work in eastern Idaho proposed by J.R. Simplot Co. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service released the jointly prepared final environmental impact statement Friday for the Dairy Syncline Mine Project about 14 miles east of Soda Springs. The five mines, disposal areas, tailing ponds and other mine workings would cover about 4.3 square miles. The two federal agencies are taking comments before making decisions. The area contains one of the nation’s most abundant deposits of phosphate ore that’s turned into fertilizer needed by farmers to grow food. The area also contains more than a dozen federal Superfund sites needing cleanup from past phosphate mining activities.

Illinois

Chicago: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is giving a legal aid group $30,000 to educate farmworkers about and to do research on pesticides. The EPA said in a statement that the money going to Legal Aid Chicago will, among other things, help it survey corn-detasseling workers and fruit harvesters in Illinois on their knowledge of pesticide use. It says the goal is to improve the health of migrant farmworkers. Legal Aid Chicago says the state Department of Agriculture has received a record number of nearly 1,000 complaints in 2019 on alleged misuse of pesticides. It says that’s 10 times recent averages and illustrates the need for better education. The money going to Legal Aid Chicago is part of a series of grants nationwide for groups working on similar measures.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state is bringing an exhibition exploring the opioid crisis to its official museum early next year. The Indiana State Museum says “Fix: Heartbreak and Hope Inside our Opioid Crisis” aims to remove the shame and isolation surrounding opioid addiction. It will feature displays on the biology behind addiction, the history of health crises in America, and personal stories from addicts and their families. The Indiana Business Journal reports more than 1,700 people in Indiana died from drug overdoses in 2017. Most of those deaths were linked to opioid abuse. The exhibit will feature multimedia displays, hands-on installations and interactive artwork. One display will allow a visitor to enter a giant brain and watch how substance abuse affects it. The 7,000-square-foot exhibit will run for a year starting Feb. 1.

Iowa

Fort Madison: A monument marking a battlefield where 23 soldiers died has been installed in Fort Madison. The granite monument put in place last week includes a history of the military post on one side and the soldiers’ names on another side. Andy Andrews of the North Lee County Historical Society and Friends of the Old Fort says the $14,000 cost was underwritten by donations through Friends of Old Fort Madison. A flagpole will be installed nearby. The Fort Madison Daily Democrat reports that Fort Madison, originally known as Fort Bellevue, was built by the U.S. Army in 1808 and abandoned in 1813. It was the location of the only War of 1812 battle west of the Mississippi.

Kansas

Wichita: A cold front that froze much of the state set at least six records for low temperatures. The National Weather Service reports Wichita, Salina, Russell, Dodge City, Garden City and Medicine Lodge set low temperature records early Tuesday. The lowest temperature was in Garden City, which dropped to minus 1, breaking the record of 7 set in 2018. The highest temperature of the six cities was 8 in Wichita, which breaking the former record of 9. Wichita, Salina, Dodge City and Medicine Lodge broke records set in 1911. Much of Kansas experienced below-freezing temperatures after an arctic air mass moved from the Rocky Mountains to northern New England on Monday, with forecasters saying much of the affected region would see record-breaking cold temperatures Tuesday.

Kentucky

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area: The war on feral hogs at Land Between the Lakes has escalated, with plans announced this week to shoot them on sight from helicopters. The winter campaign to eradicate feral hogs at the site also includes bait trapping and euthanasia, managed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Forest Service. Feral hogs are non-native and threaten visitor safety, cultural sites, and native plant and wildlife species, Land Between the Lakes officials say. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service began assisting the Forest Service with trapping in 2014 with success but not at a rate that keeps up with the hogs’ rapid growth. Feral hogs can have two litters per year averaging five-10 piglets. Those offspring can give birth to a new generation in less than a year, according to a release.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The state’s social services agency says 893 children in foster care were adopted over the past year. The Department of Children and Family Services says that’s the second-highest number of adoptions from foster care in a single year in state history, falling just below last year’s record of 912. The latest numbers are from the federal budget year that ran from Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30. The department says the 893 children were adopted into 661 families. Of those families, 27% adopted more than one child, including 164 families who adopted siblings. First lady Donna Edwards hosted an adoption celebration with the families Thursday at the governor’s mansion.

Maine

Bucksport: A company that intends to create a salmon farm at a former mill site is altering the plan to avoid a 19th-century farm identified during an archaeological survey. Arthur Spiess from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission said Whole Oceans will change the planned locations of an auxiliary building and an access road in Bucksport. He told the Bangor Daily News that the historical significance of the farmstead “is undetermined.” Whole Oceans plans to start building the $180 million salmon farm next spring. It’ll be located on the former site of a paper mill. Spiess declined to identify the contractor who performed the archaeological survey or release the contractor’s report, saying the exact location of historical sites, which the report identifies, is confidential under state law.

Maryland

Westover: Officials gathered over the weekend to celebrate Somerset County’s new technical high school that allows students to explore a whole host of career fields in a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. Somerset County Technical High School opened its doors to students in September, but officials from the county, state legislators and Congressman Andy Harris’ office gathered Saturday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and to tour the facility, according to a press release. The new $42 million building serves about 400 students from grades 8-12 and teaches them about a number of career fields including automotive technology, biomedical scienes, information technology and more, the release says. The funds for the building were provided by the state and loans from the federal government. The building is also eco-friendly and energy efficient, including a “vegetated roof” in some areas to provide insulation.

Massachusetts

Boston: Medical marijuana products are set to become exempt from the state’s four-month vaping materials ban. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins ruled a week ago that marijuana cultivated for medical use must be exempted from Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s ban starting Tuesday. Wilkins ruled that the ban can’t apply to marijuana card holders seeking to purchase cannabis vaping products. He said the ban as written undermines the state’s medical marijuana law. Officials said patients will be able to resume making purchases at noon Tuesday. A group representing medical marijuana patients argued that only the state Cannabis Control Commission can regulate marijuana products. Baker issued the emergency ban in September in response to lung illnesses attributed to use of e-cigarette products.

Michigan

East Lansing: A new Michigan State University exhibit is built around a 20th-century guidebook that a generation of black motorists used during the segregation era to find places where they could safely sleep, eat, shop or find services while traveling. The exhibit for “The Negro Motorists’ Green Book” runs at the East Lansing school until the end of November. It will also introduce the guide’s creator, Victor H. Green. Green’s book listed 86 black-friendly Detroit businesses and five in Lansing from 1936 to 1966. The exhibit presents before-and-after pictures of the businesses, showing how they looked 50 to 80 years ago and today. The historical display follows the 2018 release of “Green Book,” an Oscar-winning film highlighting the guide that African Americans consulted when traveling in the South during the Jim Crow era.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: After completing coursework for her hectic senior year, statistics major Emilia Janik has an additional responsibility: sorting through multiple data sets to determine what more than 30,000 students at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities care most about on campus. As the solo research and data coordinator for the Minnesota Student Association, it is Janik’s job to work with student government to create surveys for the student body every semester. Usually, the work is completed by more than one person, but Janik is a one-woman show. The survey results help discover the issues students want to see changed or advocated for at the University, the Minnesota Daily reports. The latest survey, which MSA says is its best yet, received more than 3,000 responses on questions about grocery stores, off-campus living, environmental justice issues and freedom of speech, among others.

Mississippi

Oxford: The University of Mississippi says a lecture by a conservative journalist is back on after initially being canceled. The Oxford Eagle reports Daily Wire contributor Elisha Krauss will speak in the university’s student union Wednesday. The talk was originally set to be inside the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics, but Krauss said she was told by a professor that a policy mandated no ideological groups could host speakers there. The event is hosted by the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter, a conservative youth activism organization. Krauss tweeted about the cancellation last week. Hours later, the university responded on Twitter saying the decision to cancel was made by two individuals and wasn’t authorized by the administration. The school rescheduled it and affirmed its commitment to free speech.

Missouri

St. Louis: A 12-year-old girl has died from injuries suffered last month when a St. Louis County patrol vehicle struck her. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Akeelah “Ke Ke” Jackson had been in critical condition since she was hit Oct. 14 while crossing a street in Jennings. Her family’s attorney, Robert Merlin, says she died about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. County Police Sgt. Benjamin Granda has said the officer told police he was trying to get closer to a suspicious car to make a traffic stop and wasn’t using lights and sirens. The patrol vehicle reached a top speed of 59 mph on a stretch of road with a limit of 30 mph, although the exact speed at the time of impact wasn’t known.

Montana

Kalispell: Park officials in the state have closed public comment on a road management plan intended to help officials better handle increased visitation. The Flathead Beacon reports Glacier National Park officials will begin weighing comments as they attempt to mitigate crowds and congestion on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Park officials say the alpine highway plan was released in September after receiving more than 3 million visitors this year. Officials say the plan suggests expanding the shuttle service, implementing a partial parking permit system, improving and adding trails and bathrooms, and extending visitor hours in some locations. Some comments say the plan omits determining a carrying capacity for the Sun Road, raising concerns about the long-term solutions to crowding. A former park official says a plan limiting use would be a better-suited first step.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is planning construction of a reflection area for its Veterans’ Tribute project. The university said in a news release Monday that the area will run from the steps of the Military and Naval Science Building to the Coliseum. The $3.75 million project is part of an upgrade of the mall just east of Memorial Stadium. The fundraising goal through the University of Nebraska Foundation is $4.5 million, which will cover construction and create an endowment for maintenance. Words on steps in the reconfigured space will honor career moments and personal sacrifices of veterans. The tentative design will embody the concept of glass panels featured in the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2020.

Nevada

Reno: Federal land managers have withdrawn more than 500 square miles of public land from a swath of eastern Nevada where oil and gas drilling leases go to auction this week after a judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ease protection of sage grouse habitat. The acreage pulled from Tuesday’s scheduled sale covers more than half the lease area the Bureau of Land Management originally planned to auction. It roughly corresponds to priority habitat designated in a 2015 federal sage grouse plan completed under President Barack Obama for Nevada and northeastern California. The Trump land-use plans finalized in March had removed the most protective habitat designations across millions of acres. A federal judge temporarily blocked the rules last month because they could allow activity likely to harm the struggling bird species in seven Western states.

New Hampshire

Portsmouth: A bridge has been replaced and rededicated to a World War II submarine crew member who died when the vessel sank in August 1944. George Laderbush, of Portsmouth, was a torpedoman’s mate about the USS Flier when it sank after striking a Japanese mine. Seascoastonline.com reports the Woodbury Avenue bridge over the Route 1 Bypass in the city was originally dedicated to Laderbush when it was built in 1949. But the plaque wasn’t in a prominent location. The bridge was closed two years ago and was replaced. The plaque was removed and refurbished and is being featured in a more visible area. Laderbush’s niece and nephew, Marga Coulp and George Laderbush, were guests of honor at the Veteran’s Day bridge rededication.

New Jersey

Toms River: Police say a convertible traveling at high speed went airborne and crashed into the second floor of a commercial building, killing both of the car’s occupants. Toms River police say the red Porsche Boxster went out of control just after 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The car hit the center median, struck an embankment and went airborne into the building. Police said two Toms River men, 22-year-old Braden DeMartin and 23-year-old Daniel Foley, were deceased when emergency responders arrived at the scene. Police said the structure, which was unoccupied at the time, had been deemed unsafe by a building inspector. Sgt. Vincent Padalino said the building, which is across from Hooper Avenue Elementary School, houses four businesses, including a counseling service and a real estate company.

New Mexico

Santa Clara Pueblo: Federal officials say a tribe will see an increase in federal disaster aid as it continues to recover from flooding that occurred several years ago. A significant portion of Santa Clara Pueblo’s watershed was wiped out by wildfire in 2011 and the flooding that followed. President Donald Trump recently authorized an increase in the level of funding for public projects undertaken as a result of flooding that occurred during the summer of 2012. Under the disaster declaration issued for the state in August 2012, the federal share for public assistance was 75% of total eligible costs. Trump’s order increases that to 90% for the pueblo. The tribe is in the midst of rehabilitating the Santa Clara Creek and surrounding areas by building erosion-control structures and replanting.

New York

Albany: The state’s court system says it plans to expand the gender options on jury documents in an effort to be more inclusive of people who do not identify as male or female. State court spokesman Lucian Chalfen says the system aims to have the updated juror information card set for distribution by early January. Chalfen says the new categories will include female, male, transgender, nonbinary, intersex and other. He says the cards, which tell people when they must attend jury duty, only have male and female gender options right now. The court system is also changing up its juror questionnaire.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Education officials had to warn parents not to use Google to search for two schools because the results included explicit images. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports searches for Four Oaks Middle School and South Johnston High School over the weekend returned an “explicit image” in the top results. The newspaper described the image as “graphic and overtly sexual.” A search of the two websites Monday showed the offending images appear to have been removed. Johnston County Schools said it was working with the schools, law enforcement and Google to get the images taken down, and it asked faculty and staff to help remove the image by reporting it as inappropriate to Google.

North Dakota

Grand Forks: A break-in at a sorority house at the University of North Dakota has some students on edge. Police are looking for a man who broke into the Gamma Phi Beta house early Monday and took pictures of a woman who was sleeping. Senior Matthew Ely tells KVLY-TV the crime is “kind of weird, kind of scary” because it’s something that doesn’t happen very often on campus. Chloe Shelton, a freshman and sorority member, says she always walks with a group of people, especially at night. University administrators sent an alert to students after the crime occurred.

Ohio

Columbus: Tree farmers are joining forces with the state to send a little holiday cheer to the troops overseas. The Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Christmas Tree Association are partnering on an effort that will ship more than 100 Christmas trees to military members stationed overseas. Growers will donate the trees, and state inspectors will make sure they are free of pests and disease. Both groups will work with volunteers Tuesday to wrap, load and ship the trees at the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Columbus. Each shipment will also include decorations provided by schoolchildren, churches and veterans’ groups.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A group working to reduce the state’s prison population is launching a new initiative petition that could lead to the release of hundreds more inmates. A group of business, political and religious leaders filed the constitutional ballot initiative Tuesday. The proposal would prohibit prosecutors from using previous felony convictions to enhance sentences in nonviolent cases. It would also allow people who already had such sentence enhancements to petition the courts for relief. Once its petition is finalized, the group will have 90 days to gather nearly 178,000 signatures from registered voters to place the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. The same group launched a successful initiative in 2016 that reduced criminal penalties and ultimately helped lead to the release of hundreds of inmates from prison last week.

Oregon

Portland: A Portland State University study found tiny pieces of plastic in the vast majority of razor clams and oysters sampled along the state’s coast. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports up to 700,000 of the microscopic fibers are shed by yoga pants, fleeces and other active outerwear made of synthetic textiles during a wash. These fibers are in the wastewater from laundry machines that eventually winds up in the ocean. Some of the tiny plastic fibers could also come from derelict fishing gear. The study’s authors collected and sampled shellfish from 15 sites from Clatsop in the north to Gold Beach near the California border. Of the roughly 300 shellfish studied, all but two contained at least some microplastics. There was an average of 11 pieces of microplastic in each specimen.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The family of a sick inmate who died inside a rural jail two years ago claims guards and medical professionals ignored and even ridiculed his distress but documented his agony. A federal lawsuit filed Friday by the mother of 40-year-old Shawn Kitchen blames Clinton County, jail officials and medical staff for mishandling what began as a urinary tract infection and led to a fatal kidney infection. The lawsuit claims Kitchen exhibited symptoms shortly after being jailed for an alleged probation violation and within three days was seen crying in his cell and unable to stand without assistance. It accuses medical and jail staff of responding to his complaints by putting him in a restraint chair and solitary confinement.

Rhode Island

Providence: Brown University has announced plans to double the number of veterans it enrolls by changing admissions policies, increasing financial support and bolstering recruitment. The Ivy League university announced in a press release on Veterans Day that standardized test scores will be optional for veterans in the admissions process. The release indicates changes in financial aid will eliminate “all out-of-pocket costs” for undergraduate tuition and fees for veterans. “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to our veterans,” university President Christina Paxson says. The Providence Journal reports there are currently 21 undergraduate veterans at the school, out of about 7,000 undergraduates.

South Carolina

Clemson: Clemson University and WYFF 4 Greenville are partnering to create an on-campus satellite news bureau. The bureau gives Clemson students the chance to work alongside industry professionals. “Our students will have the opportunity to work alongside WYFF journalists in the bureau on campus and gain tremendous professional experiences doing that,” says Clemson University Department of Communications Chair Joseph Mazer. The bureau, housed at Hendrix Student Center next to the Student Media offices and studio, was unveiled Tuesday. WYFF 4 news director Bruce Barkley says the Clemson bureau won’t be a main fixture during the station’s newscasts but will be used by reporters and crew members while on assignment in the Clemson area. WYFF 4 sports reporters will be able to use the office as a home base during major sporting events.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: Visiting and camping in the state’s parks will be a little more costly after legislators gave a proposed fee increase the final OK on Monday. The legislative Rules Review Committee agreed the process was complete for implementing the increased park entrance and camping fees, which was the final step for the proposal that began in September. Sen. Lance Russell, R-Hot Springs, was the sole opposition in the 5-1 vote. Beginning Jan. 1, an annual state park pass will cost $36, and a daily pass will cost $8. Prime campsites will cost $26, preferred campsites will cost $23, and modern campsites will cost $20. A new statewide $15 fee will begin for all non-electric, tent-only campsites. A seven-day motorcycle pass to Custer State Park will cost $20. Currently, an annual park pass costs $30, and a daily pass is $6, while the seven-day Custer motorcycle pass is $10, and campsites start at $17 for a modern campsite.

Tennessee

Lynchburg: The distillery that produces Jack Daniel’s whiskey is once again teaming up with a military support group to help service members and their families get home for the holidays. For the ninth year, the distillery is working with the Armed Services YMCA for the “Operation Ride Home” campaign. It provides financial assistance to active-duty junior-enlisted military members and their families to travel home during the holidays. Distillery officials say that since the campaign began, about 7,230 service members and their relatives have been assisted. Jack Daniel’s says it has again donated $100,000 to kick off the campaign. Military members have been able to travel to all 50 states thanks to the program.

Texas

El Paso: The makeshift memorial formed after the Aug. 3 mass shooting was completely removed Tuesday in anticipation of the reopening of the Cielo Vista Walmart. City officials say some materials will be preserved for historical purposes. A permanent memorial for the 22 killed in the shooting is being built by Walmart in the south end of the store. Construction crews could be seen building the memorial Tuesday morning. Some materials have been moved to a smaller memorial in Ponder Park. Staff from the El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of History and the Public Art Program, along with Zaragoza Rotary volunteers, began selecting items from the memorial Tuesday to take to Ponder Park. Erica Marin, a registrar at the El Paso Museum of History, says they selected a mix of items, from handmade ones like a string of paper cranes and wooden stars to religious items like rosaries and memorial wreaths.

Utah

Salt Lake City: City officials have bought more than 100 new hybrid sedans for the police department, but some have criticized the vehicle’s size. KUTV-TV reports some officers from the Salt Lake City Police Department have warned city leaders that the Ford Fusion Responder hybrid sedan is too small for use by officers or people they have in custody. Officers say the vehicle is a liability, citing concerns with safety in the event of a collision and lack of all-wheel drive in wintry conditions. City leaders say replacing police cruisers with hybrid models is more sustainable. Officers say the cars could still be used in other areas, but it doesn’t solve the patrol car problem. Officers say some cars are more than a decade old and have thousands of miles.

Vermont

Montpelier: The state auditor says numerous questionable choices were made in the administration of the state’s remote worker program aimed at attracting new residents by paying them to move to the Green Mountain state. In a report released Tuesday, Auditor Doug Hoffer wrote that the program’s cost-effectiveness cannot be determined because it’s not known for certain if the grantees moved to Vermont because of the program. He also says the program has serious structural flaws by requiring applicants to prove their Vermont residency before applying. Hoffer writes that “spending taxpayer funds on programs of questionable value is bad enough,” and the problem is made worse by not spending that money “on programs with demonstrable and quantifiable long-term benefits.”

Virginia

Richmond: An army of Confederate monuments dots the state’s landscape, but some of those statues could soon start coming down after Election Day gave Democrats control of the General Assembly for the first time in decades. Members of the new legislative majority say they plan to revive proposals to make it easier to remove the public displays honoring Civil War soldiers and generals in a state that was home to two Confederate capitals. Previous attempts to do so were quickly dispatched in the Republican-controlled General Assembly, in votes largely along party lines. Del.-elect Sally Hudson, a Democrat whose district includes Charlottesville, says she plans to reintroduce legislation her predecessor, David Toscano, sponsored, giving cities and counties the ability to remove Confederate monuments. Local governments are currently hamstrung by a 1904 state law.

Washington

Seattle: A new federal lawsuit aims to kill plans for building one of the world’s biggest methanol refineries along the Columbia River. Plans for the $2 billion refinery, shipping terminal and pipeline project in Kalama, Washington, are already stalled after a state board required further environmental review. Now conservation groups including Columbia Riverkeeper are suing in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. They said Tuesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not consider the huge amount of greenhouse gases the project would emit or the effect on endangered orcas. The refinery would turn fracked gas from Canada into methanol, which would be shipped to China to make plastics. The project’s backer, Northwest Innovation Works, says the project would provide a cleaner source of plastics than coal-based methanol.

West Virginia

Charleston: West Virginians are being told to be on the lookout for an invasive insect. The state Department of Agriculture says in a news release that a small population of the spotted lanternfly was detected in the Eastern Panhandle community of Bunker Hill last month. The insects are devastating to trees and crops such as grapes and hops. They lay eggs in the fall on surfaces including vehicles, firewood, outdoor furniture and campers. That allows them to hitch a ride to new areas. Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt says protecting the fruit orchards and wineries in the Eastern Panhandle is a concern. The agency says landowners should inspect their property for lanternfly egg masses. The insect is native to China and likely arrived in North America on goods imported from Asia.

Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers has signed an executive order designed to promote diversity and inclusiveness in state government. Evers signed the order at a state office building Tuesday surrounded by Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, members of his Cabinet, Democratic state lawmakers and others in his administration. The order requires state agencies to develop and implement equity and inclusion action plans. It also calls for creating and providing mandatory equity and inclusion training for all state agency employees. Evers is also creating a diversity and equity advisory council. He says the state is taking a proactive role in making make sure government employees feel empowered and heard in the workplace. Supporters say the effort will help address racial disparities in Wisconsin.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: An interim legislative committee has rejected a proposed bill to raise the state’s property tax. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that members of the Joint Revenue Interim Committee took the action during their meeting Monday in Cheyenne. The bill would have raised the tax rate on real and personal property from 9.5% to 11.5%, a jump that calculates to a roughly 20% increase in taxable property. Under the bill, minerals and industrial property would have been excluded from the increase. Proponents of the idea say the increase is essential to help the state deal with declining mineral industry revenue in the coming years. But opponents say raising the property tax could place an unfair burden on low-income people.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

COVID news: 900K deaths worldwide, 190K in US

A day after a vaccine maker hit pause on its COVID-19 clinical trial, the nation's top health experts said Wednesday that the delay shows the degree of safety going into testing the candidate vaccines.

AstraZeneca put a hold on its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide while it investigated an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom. The interruption represents the first major hiccup in what has been a remarkably smooth path in the historically rapid vaccine effort spanning the globe, but Dr. Anthony Fauci said such pauses are not uncommon.

"It's really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it’s unfortunate that it happened," Fauci said.

The news comes as 900,000 deaths from COVID-19 are recorded worldwide, 190,000 of which are from the United States.

Some significant developments:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that New York City could resume indoor dining at the end of the month at 25% capacity with other restrictions.

Five counties in California, including Orange County south of Los Angeles, are moving ahead with reopening plans amid a decline in confirmed coronavirus cases across the state. Places of worship, restaurants with indoor dining and movie theaters will soon be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.

Honolulu is extending stay-at-home orders for another two weeks amid a surge in cases.

Internationally, India reported another 89,000 cases on Wednesday after becoming the world's second hardest-hit country the previous day.

The Transportation Security Agency reported its busiest day since March over the Labor Day weekend: About 935,000 passengers went through TSA checkpoints on Saturday.

Senate Republicans unveiled a coronavirus relief plan far smaller than what lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spent weeks arguing over. It's a bill that even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says isn't perfect.

📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 6.3 million confirmed cases and more than 190,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there are almost 27.6 million cases and more than 900,000 fatalities.

📰 What we're reading: A study by a California research group estimates that the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to more than 260,000 coronavirus cases in the month following the event. Gov. Kristi Noem called the study "fiction."

🗺 Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak, state by state

This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter.

A spike in teacher deaths raises concerns as school year starts

Teachers in at least three states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the dawn of the new school year, and a teachers’ union leader worries that the return to in-person classes will have a deadly impact across the U.S. if proper precautions aren’t taken.

AshLee Marinis, a 34-year-old special education teacher in Missouri, died after being hospitalized for three weeks. Elsewhere, a third-grade teacher died Monday in South Carolina, and two other educators died recently in Mississippi — which has reported 604 cases among school workers.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said schools need guidelines such as mandatory face coverings and strict social distancing rules to reopen safely.

“If community spread is too high as it is in Missouri and Mississippi, if you don’t have the infrastructure of testing, and if you don’t have the safeguards that prevent the spread of viruses in the school, we believe that you cannot reopen in person,” Weingarten said.

– The Associated Press

Gov. Whitmer’s virus-related powers reach top Michigan court

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s bold use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic reached the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices heard hours of arguments about whether she has illegally made far-reaching decisions without input from the Legislature.

Justice David Viviano raised pointed and repeated questions about whether the 1945 emergency law Whitmer relied on was ever intended to deal with a health pandemic.

Deputy Solicitor General Eric Restuccia, representing the governor's office, pushed back, saying that although the Emergency Powers of Governor Act does not specifically mention epidemics, it says it can be invoked when "public safety is imperiled" and it references disasters and catastrophes that would clearly include major threats to public health.

– The Associated Press and Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press

Events at near-empty stadiums still linked to infections, study finds

Professional soccer matches played in near-empty stadiums were linked to higher COVID-19 cases and deaths in the area, a study at the University of Reading found.

Researchers studied hundreds of soccer matches in England in February and March and found that a match led to six more COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the area where the match took place, two more COVID-19 deaths and three additional excess deaths.

Even stadiums that are 80% empty are unlikely to reduce rates of COVID-19 transmission without effective social distancing measures for fans before, during and after matches, the researchers concluded.

"Even when stadiums are only partially filled, fans tend to pack together in groups. They also mix in bar areas, toilets, and queues, as well as in pubs, shops and restaurants outside the grounds," said sports economist and study author James Reade. "This behaviour presents an effective route for airborne viruses to spread, and is no less prevalent with smaller crowds."

– Grace Hauck

Britain bans gatherings of more than 6 people

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock says new limits on social gatherings in England to six people are set to stay in place for the "foreseeable future," potentially until or even through Christmas.

Hancock said the new limit for both indoor and outdoor gatherings, which will come into force and be enforceable by law from Monday, will provide "more clarity" to people and should help keep a lid on a recent spike in coronavirus cases.

Though there are exemptions, such as for schools, workplaces and "life events" like funerals and weddings, the government is clearly hoping that the new limits will be easily understood and followed. Unlike the previous set of guidelines, people could be fined for not following the rules – 100 pounds ($130) for a first offense, up to a potential 3,200 pounds ($4,100).

– The Associated Press

New York City to resume indoor dining at month's end

Indoor dining is set to resume in New York City after being stopped in late March because of COVID-19. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that restaurants can add indoor dining at 25% capacity in the city starting Sept. 30.

The rest of the state has been allowed to have limited indoor dining, and the entire state has had outdoor dining since late spring as the virus' infection rate has stayed below 1% for 33 straight days.

New York City has had the most COVID deaths in the state, and Cuomo and city officials have been cautious in reopening businesses, particularly in the city.

The safety guidance will require temperature checks at the door for all indoor customers and require one member of each party to provide contact information for COVID tracing if needed. Indoor dining will also prohibit any bar service, and masks must be worn when not seated at tables. Restaurants will have to close at midnight, and the state is encouraging them to improve infiltration systems.

– Joseph Spector, New York State Team

Trump said he knew the coronavirus was deadly but chose to 'play it down'

President Donald Trump told journalist Bob Woodward that he knew the coronavirus was more deadly and contagious than the flu while he continued to downplay its dangers to the public, according to Woodward's new book "Rage."

"I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic," Trump told Woodward on March 19 in excerpts of audio interviews obtained by CNN.

In interviews with Woodward from December 2019 to July 2020, Trump discussed the threat of the coronavirus with a level of detail that he had not yet acknowledged to the public, noting Feb. 7 that it was "deadly stuff," and "more deadly than your – even your strenuous flus."

While Trump discussed the threat of the virus to Woodward, he continued to assure the public that it was "under control" in the U.S. and would "go away."

– Jeanine Santucci

Three-time Olympic gold medalist decries mask wearing, then apologizes

Three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings wrote in a recent Instagram post that she did not wear a mask while shopping over the weekend, which she referred to as "a little exercise in being brave."

The consensus among public health experts is that wearing a mask is a crucial preventive measure amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Walsh Jennings said that she wants "people to stop living in fear and start living in a way that strengthens themselves body, mind and spirit."

The next day, Walsh Jennings offered an apology after facing sharp criticism, including from fellow beach volleyball player Jennifer Kessy and Walsh Jennings' own sister, Kelli Mezzetti.

– Chris Bumbaca

NIH head: No way anyone could know the exact date vaccine will be ready

Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, said health officials do not expect that all six candidate COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. will be proved safe and effective in clinical trials but that safety was "foremost in all our minds."

Collins, testifying before a Senate panel Wednesday, said three of the six candidates are in Phase 3 trials, and that the hold on AstraZeneca's trial is a "concrete example" of the safety measures in place to pause a trial after even one illness.

Collins also said he was cautiously optimistic about a vaccine being ready by the end of the year but that no scientist would be able to say whether a vaccine could be ready by a specific date – a reference to President Donald Trump's repeated promise a vaccine will be ready by Election Day.

Collins was also optimistic about the potential efficacy of the vaccine. He said that if he had to guess, he would expect a vaccine to have longer lasting efficacy than a seasonal flu vaccine. However, Collins cautioned that scientists won't know for sure until later on in the trials.

Fauci: Vaccine trial pause is unfortunate but not uncommon

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called AstraZeneca's hold on its COVID-19 candidate vaccine trials "unfortunate" but said it was "not uncommon at all" during vaccine development.

“It’s really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it’s unfortunate that it happened,” Fauci told CBS “This Morning” on Wednesday. “Hopefully, they’ll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you don’t know. They need to investigate it further.”

AstraZeneca, one of the companies racing to make a vaccine against the coronavirus, said Tuesday that it was investigating an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom and paused its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide.

The company, which is currently working with the University of Oxford on Phase 3 of testing its vaccine, said the pause was "a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials."

– Elizabeth Weise and Karen Weintraub

Pope Francis: Health of all is a 'common good'

Pope Francis, in an appeal Wednesday against the "partisan interests" emerging among some nations and groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, made a plea for all to look out for the health of others as well as themselves.

"The coronavirus is showing us that each person’s true good is a common good and, vice versa, the common good is a true good for the person. Health, in addition to being an individual good, is also a public good. A healthy society is one that takes care of everyone’s health," Francis said in a public address.

Francis resumed his weekly public audiences last week after a six-month hiatus because of the pandemic. A limited crowd gathered to see Francis, with chairs were spaced out in the San Damaso courtyard inside the Apostolic Palace.

BioNTech CEO confident vaccine will be ready for approval by mid-October

BioNTech CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin said in an interview with CNN that his company's vaccine being developed along with Pfizer could be ready for regulatory approval by mid-October or early November.

"It has an excellent profile and I consider this vaccine ... near perfect, and which has a near perfect profile," Sahin told CNN on Tuesday. Sahin's comments came the same day another candidate vaccine hit a snag as AstraZeneca paused its trial after an unexplained illness.

The comments also come after BioNTech and Pfizer were among the nine biopharmaceutical companies that issued a letter Tuesday pledging to fully vet their COVID-19 candidate vaccines before asking for federal approval to market them.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine could be ready before the November election and that if it wasn't, it was because of a "deep state" conspiracy against him.

Majority of young adults live with their parents for first time since Great Depression

The number of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents reached record highs as more than half reported residing at home in July. In February, 47% of young adults reported living at home. That number grew to 52% by July, or roughly an increase of 2.6 million people, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

The number is higher than any previous measurements, Pew says. At the end of the Great Depression, based on data from the 1940 census, 48% of young adults lived at home. The peak during the Great Depression may have been higher, but there is no available data, Pew says.

The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been particularly hard for young Americans, and Pew's data show many moved home due to job loss or college campus closures.

Pennsylvania college football player dies of coronavirus complications

California University of Pennsylvania football player Jamain Stephens, 20, has died, the school announced Tuesday. Stephens, a senior defensive lineman, was the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jamain Stephens.

Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where Stephens played, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday his cause of death was related to complications involving COVID-19. It is unclear how he contracted the disease.

California University was not playing football this fall with COVID-19 health concerns forcing sports to be halted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. A cause of death was not given in the California University announcement.

– Erick Smith

Trump says North Carolina restrictions will hurt his reelection bid

President Donald Trump kicked off a campaign rally on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by accusing the state's governor of using coronavirus restrictions to hurt his reelection chances.

"Your state should be open," Trump said to a crowd of hundreds that erupted in cheers at the Smith Reynolds Airport.

The president, still stung from the loss of the GOP convention that was due to take place in Charlotte last month but moved to a nearly all-virtual event over COVID-19, said North Carolina and other key battleground states such as Michigan were keeping their states shut for "political reasons."

"On Nov. 4, every one of those states will be open. They're doing it for political reasons," Trump said in remarks that lasted 76 minutes.

– John Fritze, Courtney Subramanian and David Jackson

Los Angeles sets COVID-19 guidelines ahead of Halloween celebrations

Los Angeles County health officials have set guidelines for Halloween celebrations amid the coronavirus pandemic. The city banned door-to-door trick-or-tricking, trunk-or-treating events where children receive treats from car-to-car, haunted houses, festivals and other related events.

"Door-to-door trick-or-treating is not allowed because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters," the guidelines say.

Instead, officials are encouraging families to celebrate by attending virtual events, car parades, drive-in movie theaters and other activities that follow the city's public health guidelines.

TSA passenger screenings top 900,000 twice over Labor Day weekend

The Transportation Security Agency reported Tuesday that more people flew over the Labor Day weekend than at any other point in the COVID-19 pandemic. About 935,308 passengers went through TSA checkpoints on Monday, setting a new record. That betters the previous high of 862,949 that was set on Aug. 16.

The number of passengers who went through TSA checkpoints went over 900,000 twice during the long holiday weekend – first on Friday with 968,673, then again on Monday. Thursday also saw higher-than-average traffic with 877,673 passengers being screened.

Though the TSA numbers approached 1 million for the first time since the country went on lockdown, they're still a far cry from Labor Day weekend in 2019, when more than 2 million passed through checkpoints all but one day.

– Jayme Deerwester

Honolulu extends stay-at-home order

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Tuesday that he will extend an existing stay-at-home order for two weeks to control the coronavirus in Hawaii's largest city.

The stay-at-home order will be kept in place through Sept. 24. But Caldwell said he will modify the rules to allow solo activity at beaches, parks and trails. Individuals will be able to run, sit or eat by themselves in these public places beginning Thursday.

COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY

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Contributing: The Associated Press

Synagogue fight, celebrity burglaries: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: Corrections officials apparently botched an inmate’s execution last month, an anti-death penalty group alleges, citing the length of time that passed before the prisoner received the lethal injection and a private autopsy indicating his arm may have been cut to find a vein. Joe Nathan James Jr. was put to death July 28 for the 1994 shooting death of his former girlfriend. The execution was carried out more than three hours after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for a stay. “Subjecting a prisoner to three hours of pain and suffering is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment,” Maya Foa, director of Reprieve US Forensic Justice Initiative, a human rights group that opposes the death penalty, said in a statement. “States cannot continue to pretend that the abhorrent practice of lethal injection is in any way humane.” The Alabama Department of Forensic Science declined a request to release the state’s autopsy of James, citing an ongoing review that happens after every execution. Officials have not responded to requests for comment on the private autopsy, which was first reported by The Atlantic. At the time of the execution, Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm told reporters that “nothing out of the ordinary” happened. Hamm said he wasn’t aware of the prisoner fighting or resisting officers. The state later acknowledged that the execution was delayed because of difficulties establishing an intravenous line but did not specify how long it took.

Alaska

Juneau: Police in the city are trying to get DNA samples from people with certain past convictions to help fulfill the governor’s push to reduce a backlog of missing evidence across the state, Alaska Public Media reports. The ACLU of Alaska has raised concerns about DNA collection efforts and said it’s monitoring the situation.

Arizona

Phoenix: Democratic attorney general candidate Kris Mayes is calling to investigate and potentially cancel the leases the State Land Department signed with a Saudi Arabian company that is pumping from Phoenix’s backup water supply in western Arizona. Mayes is also calling for the company to pay the state approximately $38 million for using the water in La Paz County, which sits in a basin that could be tapped as future water source for the Phoenix metro area. Mayes said the leases should be put on hold while they are investigated because they potentially violate the Arizona Constitution’s gift clause, as well as a clause that requires state land and its products to be appraised and offered at their true value. The Arizona State Land Department gave a sweet deal to a Saudi Arabian company called Fondomonte to farm areas in Butler Valley near Bouse, growing alfalfa to ship it back to the Middle East to feed its cows. Fondomonte pays only $25 per acre annually, which is about one-sixth of the market price for farm land in that area, according to experts and the state’s own mass appraisal for areas in and around Butler Valley. In addition, the water that is being pumped by Fondomonte is located in what’s called a transfer basin, meaning water sucked from the ground can be shipped to areas of the state where groundwater is regulated.

Arkansas

Little Rock: A man who was beaten and held down by law enforcement officers during an arrest that was caught on a widely circulated video has filed a federal lawsuit against the officers. Attorneys for Randal Worcester filed the lawsuit Monday over the Aug. 21 arrest outside a convenience store in the small town of Mulberry that’s prompted state and federal criminal investigations. A bystander’s video shows one officer hold Worcester down as a sheriff’s deputy repeatedly punches and knees the 27-year-old man in the head before grabbing his hair and slamming him against the pavement. At the same time, a third officer also kneed Worcester repeatedly. All three officers – Mulberry Officer Thell Riddle and Crawford County deputies Zachary King and Levi White – are white. Worcester is also white, according to jail booking information. Worcester’s lawsuit accuses the officers, all of whom have been suspended, of violating his constitutional rights. The lawsuit also names the city of Mulberry, its police chief, Crawford County and its sheriff as defendants. “Any reasonable law enforcement officer should have known that his conduct violated clearly established federal law and was a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the lawsuit said.

California

Sacramento: State lawmakers on Monday approved a nation-leading measure that would give more than a half-million fast food workers more power and protections, over the objections of restaurant owners who warn it would drive up consumers’ costs. The bill will create a new 10-member Fast Food Council with equal numbers of workers’ delegates and employers’ representatives, along with two state officials, empowered to set minimum standards for wages, hours and working conditions in California. A late amendment would cap any minimum wage increase for fast food workers at chains with more than 100 restaurants at $22 an hour next year, compared to the statewide minimum of $15.50 an hour, with cost of living increases thereafter. “We made history today,” said Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry, calling it “a watershed moment.” “This legislation is a huge step forward for workers in California and all across the country,” she said as advocates offered it as a model for other states. The Senate approved the measure on a 21-12 vote, over bipartisan opposition. Hours later the Assembly sent it to Gov. Gavin Newsom on a final 41-16 vote, both chambers acting with no votes to spare.

Colorado

Denver: Two minors and an adult face charges after a teenager was fatally shot in the head while filming a video for the popular social media platform TikTok earlier this month. Three minors were filming dance videos to post on TikTok in the southern Colorado town of Monte Vista when a Glock 19 pistol discharged Aug. 7, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KRDO-TV. The victim’s identity has not been released. Emiliano Vargas, 21, has been arrested for allegedly permitting or providing a minor with a firearm. The two other minors who were at the scene were arrested for alleged reckless manslaughter and possession of a handgun by juveniles, according to a statement by the Monte Vista Police Department. According to the affidavit, one of the minors told police that she saw the other juvenile point and shoot the gun at the victim before throwing the pistol on a nearby bed. When asked if it seemed like an accident, the girl said to police that “it could be.” Vargas told police he was not at the scene when the shot was fired, according to the affidavit.

Connecticut

Killingly: A high school assistant principal this month was charged with bringing a handgun onto campus – more than a year after the incident occurred and three months after state police were directed to reopen the case. Rolando Navarro, 43, was charged Aug. 16 with possession of a weapon on school grounds, a felony, and released on a $1,000 non-surety bond pending his scheduled arraignment Wednesday at Danielson Superior Court, according to a state police criminal information summary. Navarro and Principal Rafael Calixto were placed on administrative leave in February, weeks after the state Department of Children and Families and state police announced an investigation into a report of a gun discovered at Harvard H. Ellis Technical High School last year. State police from the Central District Major Crime Squad in August interviewed a former student who said he was tasked June 8, 2021, with performing a tire rotation on Navarro’s personal vehicle inside the school’s automotive shop. The student and his shop teacher said they found a gun box in the vehicle’s rear tire well containing an unloaded semi-automatic pistol and magazine. Soon after the weapon was reported, Navarro retrieved the gun box and left, police said.

Delaware

Dover: State health officials announced Monday that they will soon include fentanyl test strips in naloxone overdose-reversal kits distributed to the public. The effort is aimed at preventing accidental overdoses due to fentanyl consumption, the Division of Public Health’s Office of Health Crisis Response said in a news release. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in Delaware, found in more than 80% of fatal overdoses, officials said. There were 515 overdose deaths in Delaware last year, an increase of 15% from 2020, according to Division of Forensic Science data. Fentanyl was found in 83% of those deaths. The test strips are highly sensitive, and marijuana, cocaine, meth, ecstasy and other substances can be tested for the presence of fentanyl, officials said. Most overdoses are unintentional, officials said, and people may not realize how strong a drug is or that it contains fentanyl, which cannot be detected by sight, taste, smell or touch. The Division of Public Health also distributes 10-pack fentanyl test strip kits through a free mail-order program.

District of Columbia

Washington: During her show at The Anthem concert hall Monday, New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde caused a stir by telling the crowd she swam in the Potomac River, WUSA-TV reports. “The crowd is in SHAMBLES,” concertgoer Natalie Escobar said in a tweet. Escobar said the Grammy-winning artist told fans she did it to get a feel for D.C. Another Lorde fan said many in the venue booed. In video from the show, Lorde says she was lying in the river contemplating what to say to the crowd. “I love swimming in water where I’m playing,” said Lorde, 25. “It makes me feel like I know you a bit better.” The reaction on social media has been mixed. “She did what?!” one user wrote. Another joked that the musician is going to grow an extra limb. Others praised her gutsiness. Earlier this year, local leaders celebrated the progress made in cleaning the Potomac. “I think a lot of people still think that this river is not clean enough to swim, but we’ve been doing the testing for three straight years, every single week,” Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks said back in March. “And we’re finding that there’s plenty of days, and a lot of places more than 85% of the time, where it is safe to swim in this river. I swim in this river; my daughter swims in this river.” Swimming in the Potomac without a permit has been banned since 1932.

Florida

Fort Lauderdale: Four school board members appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in one of the state’s most Democratic counties were sworn into office Tuesday. They replace the elected Broward County board members DeSantis suspended after a grand jury investigating the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School found widespread wrongdoing. The Florida Department of Education on Monday voiced “significant concerns” about the school system’s actions before, during and after the shootings of 17 people by Nikolas Cruz, a troubled former student who attacked the high school’s campus on Valentine’s Day in 2018. In a letter sent to Superintendent Vickie Cartwright, the state cited the grand jury’s finding of mismanagement of the $800 million voter-approved bond to renovate schools, the underreporting of criminal activity to the state, the district’s “almost fanatical desire to control student data” and use it to manipulate public perception, and the practice of allowing students with serious felonies back on school campuses. “Due to the gravity of the issues outlined above, the Florida Department of Education and the Office of Safe Schools will contact you to arrange an in-person meeting this week to investigate these major concerns,” wrote Tim Hay, who directs the state’s Office of Safe Schools.

Georgia

Atlanta: A prosecutor on Monday announced a sprawling indictment against members of what she said is a violent street gang that has been targeting the Atlanta-area homes of famous athletes, entertainers and others who flaunt expensive possessions on social media. Singer Mariah Carey, Marlo Hampton of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Atlanta United player Brad Guzan and the Atlanta Falcons’ Calvin Ridley all had their homes broken into, the indictment says. The 220-count indictment filed Aug. 22 charges 26 people, most of whom are accused of violating Georgia’s anti-gang and racketeering laws. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the crimes alleged in the indictment – carjacking, kidnapping, armed robbery, shootings, home invasions – were committed by members of the Drug Rich gang, which she said began to emerge in 2016 in a neighboring county. In addition to the celebrity targets, social media influencers were also victimized in home invasions and burglaries, Willis said. “What they do is target people who show their wealth on social media,” she said. “So I do have a message for the public: Where it is kind of fun to put your things on social media and show off, unfortunately these gangs are becoming more savvy, more sophisticated in the way that they target you.”

Hawaii

Honolulu: The Hawaii State Capitol remained closed Monday after a power outage over the weekend. On Saturday morning, one of three high-voltage circuit breakers at the Capitol shorted, officials said. The cause is unknown. The Department of Accounting and General Services has been working with contractors to restore power as soon as possible, officials said in a statement Monday. Until the damaged equipment is repaired, the downtown Honolulu building will remain closed. The Hawaii Legislature adjourned in May. The 2023 session starts in January.

Idaho

Boise: The University of Idaho wants to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm in south-central Idaho, the geographical heart of the sector. University President Scott Green and school officials said in a presentation to Gov. Brad Little and other members of the Idaho Land Board this month that the proposed Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment will help support growth of the dairy and other industries. “CAFE will be a leader (for) water usage and environmental quality challenges while supporting the continued growth of the dairy, livestock, cropland and food processing industries,” Green told the board. The dairy industry is Idaho’s top agricultural sector and ranks third in the nation behind California and Wisconsin. Idaho’s main dairy products are milk, cheese and yogurt. The school wants the Land Board to use $23 million from the 2021 sale of 282 acres, in Caldwell, of endowment land benefitting the University of Idaho’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to buy roughly 640 acres of farmland in Minidoka County north of Rupert. The $23 million is in a fund controlled by the Land Board. The presentation was informational, and the board is expected to take action on the plan in September.

Illinois

Rockford: A federal judge sentenced a man to 55 years in prison Monday for the shooting death of a deputy U.S. marshal serving an arrest warrant for a series of downstate burglaries. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly imposed the sentence on Floyd E. Brown, 43, of Springfield, for his April 8 conviction on charges of second-degree murder of a federal officer, attempting to kill additional federal officers, assault of federal officers and multiple firearm counts. Brown was acquitted of first-degree murder. Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner, 35, was a McHenry County deputy working with a Marshal’s Service fugitive task force when he was killed March 7, 2019, at a Rockford hotel. When task force officers attempted to gain access to Brown’s third-floor hotel room, he fired 10 shots through the door and nearby walls, narrowly missing three deputy marshals, U.S. Attorney John Lausch said. Brown then jumped out a window and fired a shot that killed Keltner, who was positioned outside. Brown was arrested several hours later near Lincoln after a high-speed pursuit.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Abortion clinic operators filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block the state’s near-total ban on abortions. The lawsuit filed in a Monroe County court claims the ban, set to take effect Sept. 15, “strips away the fundamental rights of people seeking abortion care” in violation of the Indiana Constitution. It argues the law “will infringe on Hoosiers’ right to privacy, violate Indiana’s guarantee of equal privileges and immunities, and includes unconstitutionally vague language.” Indiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature approved the tighter abortion restrictions Aug. 5, making it the first state to do so since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated federal abortion protections for abortions by overturning Roe v. Wade in June. The Indiana law includes exceptions, allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest within 10 weeks of fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. Under the law, abortions can be performed only in hospitals or outpatient centers owned by hospitals, meaning all abortion clinics would lose their licenses. Any doctors found to have performed an illegal abortion would be stripped of their state medical licenses and could face felony criminal charges punishable by up to six years in prison.

Iowa

Des Moines: Police are investigating a burglary from some unusual victims – endangered primates. Bonobos are considered humanity’s closest living animal relative, and a wooded research site in southeast Des Moines is home to seven of them out of only 250 alive in captivity. On Saturday morning, a staff member at the Ape Initiative reported an overnight burglary to Des Moines police. According to the organization’s Facebook page, the burglars did extensive damage and took a “considerable amount of tools and equipment that we use every day to keep the bonobos safe and healthy.” The investigation is active, and neither the group nor Sgt. Paul Parizek, the Des Moines Police Department’s spokesman, could share specifics of what was taken or how burglars gained access. Neither the bonobos nor the institute’s human staff were put at risk, and the animals remained safe, said Jared Taglialatela, the group’s director. The bonobos seem to be unaffected, Taglialatela said. As for the reported break-in, he said none of the scientific equipment or data on site was taken. Staff are now working on cleanup, repairs and paperwork, away from their normal responsibilities.

Kansas

Burlington: Builders of a proposed electric line taking nuclear energy from Kansas to Missouri now have eminent domain power, but they will have to wait to use it until the final route is approved. Regulators say electricity consumers in the state will be better off in the long run from cost savings, despite having to help foot the bill for sending Kansas-produced electricity out of state. The Kansas Corporation Commission granted public utility status to NextEra Energy Transmission Southwest, which plans to build a 94-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line from the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant, near Burlington, to the Blackberry Substation in Missouri, north of Joplin. Now that NextEra has a certificate of convenience and necessity, it has eminent domain powers. But it can’t use them until it gets approval for the route, expected to run through Coffey, Anderson, Allen, Bourbon and Crawford counties. Instead of a longer route following highways in southeast Kansas, the proposal crosses large swaths of farmland, making it a shorter distance to the station. Several landowners objected to the power lines, which would require a 150-foot easement, during the regulatory proceedings. Anderson County farmer Mike Welding testified that he has no intention of allowing NextEra agents onto his property or to sign the easement contract.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The state has received a $5million federal grant to help prevent wrong-way crashes on interstates, officials said. The funding will go toward implementing a pilot program that will use new technology to detect when someone goes the wrong way and then alert the wrong-way driver, other drivers and emergency responders, according to a statement Monday from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “Wrong-way driving is a major safety challenge,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “These funds will allow us to use innovative video technology to help monitor and bolster safety on corridors prone to these types of incidents.” Kentucky’s Wrong Way Driving and Integrated Safety Technology System will include digital and roadway signs, cameras and sensors. Locations in Fayette and Jefferson counties – home to Lexington and Louisville, respectively – will be chosen based on crash history and interstate ramp designs, and the system could expand into other counties, officials said. “In addition to implementing this new technological system, we’ll continue researching statewide opportunities to address wrong-way crashes, such as striping and signage,” Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said.

Louisiana

New Orleans: Nearly 100 calls to report rapes this year have been quickly downgraded from emergency status, leaving survivors to wait hours for police – and, increasingly, to leave before officers arrive, a New Orleans newspaper and TV station report. The change is highlighted in a report that City Council crime analyst Jeff Asher plans to present to the council this week, WWL-TV and The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate report. Other serious crimes, including armed robberies, carjackings, aggravated assaults and domestic disturbances, are also often being shifted from high to low priority before police arrive, Asher wrote. Advocates and officials are worried that the long waits raise the emotional cost for rape survivors and the chance that the reports won’t be investigated. The changes come at a time when the department has fallen from 1,300 officers to about 950. The reasons are not clear, but authorities appear to be trying to keep lights-and-siren treatment for still-unfolding emergencies, the news agencies report. So far this year, 98 aggravated rape reports – 40% of the total – have been reclassified from emergencies to nonemergencies while the call was being dispatched. The same happened with 1,486 domestic disturbances, 431 domestic batteries, 252 aggravated assaults and 74 armed robberies or carjackings, Asher wrote.

Maine

Portland: Parents of children enrolled in religious schools fought for years – all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court – for the state to treat tuition reimbursements the same as other private schools. But only one of the religious high schools that stood to benefit has signed up to participate this fall, after Maine’s attorney general warned that the schools would have to abide by state anti-discrimination laws, including those that protect LGBTQ students and faculty. That development has frustrated the families who sued. “Their hands are tied. The state said you can take the money, but we’ll tie your hands,” said David Carson, whose daughter was a sophomore at Bangor Christian Schools when his family and two other plaintiffs sued in 2018. The Supreme Court ruled in June that Maine can’t exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition for private education in rural towns where there are no public schools. Last year, 29 private schools participated in the tuition reimbursement program, enrolling more than 4,500 students, officials said. Those schools that meet the state’s criteria can get about $12,000 per student in taxpayer funding. So far, only one religious school has signed up to participate, and that application will go through a review process, said Marcus Mrowka, a state education spokesperson. Mrowka declined to identify the school. The deadline for applications is Thursday.

Maryland

Annapolis: Eva Cassidy may be the most famous musical artist ever to live in Annapolis, but it took 26 years and a mural dedication for the city to mount a tribute concert in her honor. Cassidy died in 1996 of metastatic melanoma. She was 33, beloved locally, with one solo album and countless gigs at Annapolis bars to her name. That album, “Live at Blues Alley,” has since sold more than 12 million copies, landing atop record sales charts around the world. No other artist who spent her recording career in the Washington area has enjoyed that level of success, with the caveat that Cassidy did not live to see it, the Capital Gazette reports. “That’s the thing about Eva: All of her success was posthumous,“ said fan Doug Gibson, who attended the recent dedication along with his girlfriend, an artist who knew Eva Cassidy through Annapolis art circles. Acquaintances, co-workers, friends, family, bandmates, roommates and even ex-boyfriends all were among the crowd of several hundred who attended the official dedication of “Maryland Songbird,” a portrait of Eva Cassidy painted on the rear of a Cathedral Street building in Annapolis. The mural was created by artists Jeff Huntington and Julia Gibb with help from local students and supported by their nonprofit Future History Now. More than 30 musicians performed at a tribute concert in the Eva Cassidy Lot.

Massachusetts

Worcester: The Worcester Housing Authority held a groundbreaking Monday for “A Place to Live,” a $7.7 million, 24-unit building that will provide permanent, supportive housing and wraparound care for people experiencing homelessness. “This will not only help people to achieve long-term housing,” Alex Corrales, executive director of the WHA, said during the ceremony Monday morning at the building site. “It will improve residents’ wellness.” The building is the first of its kind in the state and is based on the “A Place to Live” model first developed by the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance. The model offers permanent, supportive, micro-housing units for those who have been chronically homeless. The three-story, 13,340-square-foot building will include 24 fully furnished studio apartments – two of which are wheelchair accessible – as well as a unit for a resident manager and space for group meetings and individual meetings with service providers. Residents will be selected through a lottery system. “This is a sacred moment in which we are announcing and groundbreaking a project and, even more than that, a home,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said at the ceremony. “This supportive housing is loving and beautiful.”

Michigan

Traverse City: A judge began hearing evidence Monday to determine if five men will face trial for their alleged roles in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The proceedings in state court came six days after two men who were described as leaders of the scheme were convicted in federal court. Michael Null, William Null, Eric Molitor and Shawn Fix, all from Michigan, are each charged with providing material support for terrorist acts as well as a gun crime. Brian Higgins, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, faces the same material support charge. Judge Michael Stepka must decide if there is probable cause to send the men to trial in Antrim County, a low bar at this stage of the case. The county is the location of Whitmer’s Elk Rapids vacation home. Fourteen people – six in federal court, eight in state courts – were arrested in 2020 and charged in relation to the kidnapping plot. Federal authorities said there was support to abduct Whitmer and spark a civil war, known as the “boogaloo, before the 2020 election. It’s a “version of anarchy,” FBI agent Hank Impola testified Monday. The Null brothers, Higgins and Molitor participated in trips to see Whitmer’s home, according to evidence.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Preparing for an unprecedented strike, hundreds of University of Minnesota service workers protested on campus Tuesday to demand an end to what they called poverty wages and abusive employment practices. “It’s shameful that the University of Minnesota has a billion dollars left over at the end of the year, coming off the backs of workers who are homeless and don’t have enough money for food,” Brian Aldes, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 320, said in a statement. “The State of Minnesota, UMN President Joan Gabel, and the Board of Regents need to understand that if our brothers and sisters at the university are forced to strike, the Teamsters are ready to take up this fight, no matter the cost.” The protesting service workers were joined by student and environmental groups, faculty members, community leaders and elected officials, including Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Local 320 represents 1,500 workers at UMN who clean buildings, service dormitories, maintain grounds, prepare food, maintain HVAC systems, care for research animals, drive trucks, and perform other activities across the university’s five campuses. Many of the workers are Black, including immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and other East African countries.

Mississippi

Jackson: Hunters have set a new state record after killing a female alligator that measures more than 10 feet long, state wildlife officials said Monday. A pair of hunters killed the gator Sunday on the Pearl River near the Ross Barnett Reservoir northeast of Jackson, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks said in a news release. It measured 10 feet, 2 inches long from head to tail, making it the longest female alligator harvested on record in the state. The catch would have tied a 1984 world record, but that record fell last year after a female alligator taken in Florida measured 10 feet, 6.75 inches, said Ricky Flynt, the department’s alligator program coordinator. Flynt said it’s possible the Mississippi alligator was 75 to 100 years old. The hunting season for alligators in public waters opened Friday and ends Sept. 5.

Missouri

Jefferson City: The state Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner for mistakes made in the 2018 prosecution of then-Gov. Eric Greitens but agreed with an advisory counsel’s decision that suspension of her law license or disbarment was not merited. The brief ruling from the state High Court echoed a “joint stipulation” agreement reached in April by Gardner and the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel. In that agreement, Gardner conceded that she failed to produce documents and mistakenly maintained that all documents had been provided to Greitens’ lawyers in the criminal case that played a pivotal role in the Republican’s decision to resign in June 2018. The agreement, stating that Gardner’s conduct “was negligent or perhaps reckless, but not intentional,” called for a written reprimand, but it was ultimately up to the Missouri Supreme Court to issue a ruling. In addition to the reprimand for violating rules of professional conduct, the court fined Gardner $750. Messages seeking comment from Gardner’s office weren’t immediately returned. She told the disciplinary panel in April that the mistakes were due to the fast-moving nature of the Greitens case. “Yes, we had a process. But unfortunately, that process came up short,” she said at the time.

Montana

Kalispell: Authorities say a man shot two people, killing a woman and seriously injuring her husband, during a weekend altercation at a bar near Glacier National Park. Whisper Dawn Mari Sellars, 28, of Hungry Horse, died at the scene of the shooting outside of the South Fork Saloon in Martin City, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said. A 40-year-old man from Kila was arrested at the scene and booked into the county jail for suspected deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide. He was due to make an initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in Flathead County Justice Court, officials said. Deputies responded early Saturday morning to a reported shooting at the saloon and found a woman had been killed and a man injured, the sheriff’s office said. Just before the shooting, Sellars and another woman allegedly got into an argument with the suspect after he found them taking pictures in a golf cart that he’d driven to the bar from a nearby party, the Hungry Horse News reports, based on accounts from witnesses. After the suspect pushed Sellars, her husband pushed the suspect, who fell, got up and allegedly started shooting, the newspaper reports. The victims had five children. Martin City has about a population of 460 people and is located about 20 miles northeast of Kalispell.

Nebraska

Tecumseh: A death row inmate who strangled his cellmate after complaining he talked too much died Monday at the state prison in Tecumseh. Officials said they have not determined how Patrick Schroeder, 45, died. Schroeder died about four years after he was sentenced to death for the strangulation death of his prison cellmate, Terry Berry. Schroeder admitted to killing Berry in 2017, saying his cellmate was too talkative. After Berry’s death, the state paid his family $479,000 to settle a lawsuit that alleged the state was responsible for Berry’s death because officials put in him a cell with Schroeder, who had been convicted of murder in the 2006 killing of a 75-year-old farmer from Pawnee City. Berry, 22, of Scottsbluff, was nearing parole after being convicted of forgery. As is the case whenever an inmate dies in state custody, a grand jury will conduct an investigation of the death.

Nevada

Reno: The historic Sinai Mansion – also called the Howell House – will likely be torn down despite a proposal made last November to move it to a new location on the Truckee River. The Nevada Museum of Art, which owns the 106-year-old building, has started construction on a $60 million, 50,000-foot expansion that requires a commitment to move the house by October. It can be moved anywhere, but it can’t stay where it is next to the museum. “We know people who lived here and who grew up here at the Sinai Mansion – the Howell House – and I can tell you there’d be a lot of broken hearts in this community if this didn’t end up on its feet somewhere else,” museum executive director David Walker said by phone from the Sinai Mansion, where administrative staff are temporarily located during construction. One proposal to save the mansion comes from Reno attorney Nancy Gilbert, who submitted it to the city Nov. 2. Gilbert’s proposal would move the building 1.5 miles from its current spot to a city-owned property that’s been abandoned for over a decade. The plan is supported by the museum, the Historic Reno Preservation Society and the 1200 Riverside Drive Community Association. Gilbert envisions a coffeehouse, restaurant and event space incorporating both old buildings.

New Hampshire

Portsmouth: City officials have received a number of complaints from residents about supporters of ex-President Donald Trump who have been appearing regularly at Prescott Park. The complaints have prompted at least two City Council discussions about the issue, an investigation by the city’s Legal Department, and plans to implement more rules about the designated public forum area of the city-owned park that has long been dedicated to freedom of speech and expression. Robert Sullivan, an attorney for the city, said the complaints from citizens started last summer but “have been continuous all summer long” in 2022. He emphasized the group’s First Amendment rights to free speech, but there are questions about rules regarding the park’s designated public forum area. The pro-Trump group has also appeared downtown in front of North Church – a traditional public forum area that has seen countless political speeches, rallies and protests over the years. “We have been led to believe they are in the park nearly every day,” Sullivan said. “There’s a public forum area at Prescott Park in which constitutionally protected speech is not only allowed but encouraged. John McCain announced his candidacy for president in that very same location.”

New Jersey

Trenton: The state is using $6.5 million of federal aid to help collect and digitize school blueprints for first responders, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. The American Rescue Plan funds will help the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the state police devise maps for about 1,500 schools public and private schools. An additional 1,500 schools already have such digital graphics available, according to the administration. The maps are critical to help police and other responders react to emergencies in what could be unfamiliar environments, officials say. “With the epidemic of gun violence reaching every part of our communities, including our schools, we offer our families not empty promises, but concrete investments in tools and resources that will keep our students safe,” Murphy said in a statement. The announcement comes nearly a month after Murphy signed legislation requiring the state’s nearly 600 school districts to set up threat assessment teams aimed at stemming any violence in schools. The bill was introduced two days after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. That measure goes into effect in the 2023-2024 school year.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday pardoned six people for convictions ranging from fraud and larceny to burglary and drug trafficking. The pardons represent another round of clemency decisions for the first-term Democratic governor who is seeking reelection. She has pardoned 56 people overall. The governor’s office said nearly all of the pardoned offenses stem from crimes committed a decade or more ago, and all but one involved nonviolent offenses. Among those pardoned was Cynthia Jaramillo, who escaped from serial killer David Parker Ray in 1999. The governor’s office said Jaramillo, who had a drug trafficking conviction on her record, has since dedicated her life to supporting women facing homelessness and addiction. The others were Bridgette Yvette Tabor, Jack Ferguson, Travis Earl Gatling, Randall E. Johnston and Kathleen Woerter. The governor’s pardoning power extends to all crimes committed under state law except for impeachment and treason. A pardon restores certain rights, such as the right to vote and the right to hold public office.

New York

New York: Amid the bright lights and electronic billboards across Times Square, city authorities are posting new signs proclaiming the bustling crossroads a “Gun Free Zone.” The sprawling Manhattan tourist attraction is one of scores of “sensitive” places – including parks, churches and theaters – that will be off limits for guns under a sweeping new state law going into effect Thursday. The measure, passed after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June expanded gun rights, also sets stringent standards for issuing concealed carry permits. New York is among a half-dozen states that had key provisions of its gun laws invalidated by the high court because of a requirement for applicants to prove they had “proper cause” for a permit. The quickly adopted law, however, has led to confusion and court challenges from gun owners who say it improperly limits their constitutional rights. Under the law, applicants for a concealed carry permit will have to complete 16 hours of classroom training and two hours of live-fire exercises. Ordinary citizens would be prohibited from bringing guns to schools, churches, subways, theaters and amusement parks – among other places deemed “sensitive” by authorities. Applicants also will have to provide a list of social media accounts for the past three years as part of a “character and conduct” review.

North Carolina

Durham: U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley pitched herself Monday as a bridge between law enforcement and the Democratic Party, appealing to moderate voters in one of the nation’s most competitive races for a seat in the narrowly divided chamber. Joined by more than a dozen current and former law enforcement officers at a news conference in Durham, Beasley announced new legislative priorities to strengthen public safety and mend the frayed relationship between her party and the police force. The Democrat committed to working with Republican lawmakers to secure funding for local law enforcement to train officers on deescalation techniques, mindful responses to behavioral health crises and alternatives to using force. She also told sheriffs she would fight for federal funding to help rural departments address officer shortages and the ongoing opioid crisis. With the Senate in a 50-50 deadlock, North Carolina is one of the few states where Democrats have strong potential to flip a seat this November. Beasley, former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, will face off this fall against Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, who is endorsed by ex-President Donald Trump. Beasley distanced herself Monday from the “defund the police” movement – a progressive push to divest funds from police department budgets and reallocate them to social services and other community resources.

North Dakota

Fargo: A Fargo police officer was justified in fatally shooting a man at an apartment complex in July, state Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Monday. Wrigley said Officer Adam O’Brien, a more than 10-year veteran of the department, fired his gun at 28-year-old Shane Netterville, of Jamestown, after Netterville ignored commands of officers and sped out of a garage in a stolen van, narrowly avoiding officers. Netterville suffered a chest wound and died at a hospital several hours later. The shooting came after a citizen report of three “possibly deceased” people in the van, Wrigley said. The men were alive and may have been sleeping in the van. When police arrived, Netterville “failed to company with lawful orders,” he said. Wrigley said the two passengers in the van said they heard police commands and were trying to convince Netterville to comply. Wrigley and Fargo police Chief David Zibolski showed dash and bodycam video of the incident during a press conference in Fargo. Wrigley previously rejected calls to release camera footage of the shooting. O’Brien was placed on paid administrative leave while the case was being reviewed by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Zibloski said O’Brien will return to full duty Sept. 7.

Ohio

Columbus: The state Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would not take up an appeal of a $25 million judgment against Oberlin College in a business’ lawsuit claiming it was libeled by the school after a shoplifting incident involving three Black students. The court did not say why it would not hear the appeal. The 9th District Court of Appeals in Akron upheld the judgment in late March. Oberlin College said in a statement that officials are disappointed the high court did not hear the school’s appeal. “The issues raised by this case have been challenging, not only for the parties involved, but for the entire Oberlin community,” the statement said. Store owners Allyn Gibson and his son, David Gibson, sued Oberlin College in November 2017 claiming they had been libeled by the school, and their business had been harmed. The lawsuit was filed a year after David Gibson’s son, also named Allyn, chased and tackled a Black male student he suspected of having stolen a bottle of wine. Two Black female students who were with the male student tried to intervene. All three were arrested and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges. The arrests triggered protests outside Gibson’s Bakery, where flyers were handed out, some by an Oberlin College vice president and dean of students, accusing the Gibsons of being racist.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has reinstated the murder conviction and life sentence of a man featured in the book and television series “The Innocent Man.” The court overturned a lower court decision that said prosecutors and police withheld evidence that could exonerate Tommy Ward, 61, of the 1984 murder of Donna Denice Haraway in Ada. The ruling, dated Friday, said the withheld evidence, which included witness interviews and police reports, had been available to Ward’s defense since 2003 and was not included in Ward’s direct appeal after his 1999 conviction. “Raising the same general categories on post-conviction that one raised on direct appeal, even if the basis is different, will result in a procedural bar,” according to the state court’s opinion. “He’s very disappointed that he’s still in prison for a murder he didn’t commit,” Ward’s attorney, Mark Barrett, said Tuesday. “We are pressing forward… exploring the possibility of going to federal court” with additional appeals. Barrett noted that the appeals court ordered the lower court to consider an additional claim regarding new evidence discovered in 2019. That evidence includes previously undisclosed suspects and whether police provided Ward with information about the victim’s blouse, which prosecutors said he had described.

Oregon

Portland: A federal judge has ruled that the Oregon State Hospital must impose strict limits on the length of time it treats patients accused of crimes who need mental health treatment. Judge Michael W. Mosman’s ruling seeks to ease the psychiatric hospital’s overcrowding, speed up patient admission and stop people waiting for admission from languishing in jail, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports. Effective immediately, the hospital must release “aid-and-assist” patients accused of misdemeanors within 90 days of admission and those accused of felonies within six months of admission. Aid-and-assist patients are those found by a judge to be unable to participate in their own defense at trial. The judge’s decision overrules an Oregon law that says the hospital can hold an aid-and-assist patient for up to three years, or the maximum amount of time that a person could have been sentenced to prison for their alleged crime, whichever is shorter. Disability Rights Oregon and Metropolitan Public Defenders requested the order after protesting the hospital’s lengthy admission delays. Disability Rights Oregon in 2002 won a court order that required the hospital to admit aid-and-assist patients within seven days so they can begin mental health treatment quickly.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: The state may not keep a cache of weapons seized from the parents of a gunman who killed one state trooper and permanently disabled another eight years ago, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The parents of Eric Frein sued after authorities refused to return 25 rifles, 10 pistols and two shotguns that were taken from their home in September 2014, days after Frein ambushed the troopers outside a state police barracks in the Pocono Mountains. Eugene Michael Frein and Deborah Frein were not charged in their son’s crime – for which he was convicted and sentenced to death – and none of their weapons were used in his deadly late-night assault. The Pike County district attorney, who was named as a defendant in the parents’ suit, had argued that authorities had the right to hold the seized weapons, saying they might be needed as evidence during Eric Frein’s state and federal appeals. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying in its ruling Tuesday that state authorities never used Michael and Deborah’s weapons as evidence at their son’s trial and violated the parents’ constitutional rights by holding on to the guns indefinitely.

Rhode Island

Newport: A Jewish congregation in New York City has moved to evict Rhode Island congregants who worship at the nation’s oldest synagogue as part of a long-running dispute over control of the historic building. The New York-based Congregation Shearith Israel on Monday filed a motion in state District Court to take control of Touro Synagogue by removing its current tenants, the Newport-based Congregation Jeshuat Israel. Congregation Shearith Israel said in court documents that it sent a notice in October demanding that Congregation Jeshuat Israel leave the premises as of Monday. “CJI, and any others still in possession of the premises, must vacate the premises as of midnight on the termination date,” Shearith Israel wrote. Members of Congregation Jeshuat Israel released a statement Friday saying their goal was to have a long-term lease so the congregation could have the security of knowing they and future generations can continue to worship in the synagogue. They said they are willing to take full responsibility for maintaining the building and maintaining orthodox services, with the hope of expanding the congregation. “Touro Synagogue is our home, and the place where we have worshipped and been the sole caretakers, for almost 140 years,” members of the congregation wrote.

South Carolina

Columbia: “Cocky” will now be joined by “The General” at University of South Carolina football games this fall. The school announced Monday that its live, crowing rooster mascot will have a new name going forward. The bird had previously been called “Sir Big Spur,” but a dispute between its old and new owners led to the name change. Neither the university nor the athletic department owned rights to the former name. The rooster has had a perch at football and baseball games at South Carolina the past two decades. “The General” will be alongside human-sized mascot “Cocky” when the Gamecocks open the season against Georgia State on Saturday night. The new name comes from Revolutionary War general Thomas Sumter, who was known as “The Fighting Gamecock.” South Carolina deputy athletic director Eric Nichols said when officials realized they’d have to change the name, it seemed fitting to go back to the Gamecock nickname’s origin. “We know Gamecock fans are passionate about our traditions, and seeing the live mascot at games and other athletics events is something they look forward to,” Nichols said. The athletic department worked with the rooster’s new owners, Beth and Van Clark, in picking a name. The school’s legal department discouraged keeping any part of the old name.

South Dakota

Aberdeen: Avera Health has announced plans to resize its organization, including eliminating jobs, in response to rising expenses. The higher costs for items that include paper products, common medical supplies, software technology and more mean a reduction is coming to the workforce across the Avera network, according to a statement released by the company Monday evening. “We are resizing our organization with an even greater focus on delivering high-quality patient care while redefining our core business focus around patient care. Sadly, this will mean a reduction in our nonclinical workforce across the Avera footprint, restructuring in areas and changes in services,” the statement said. Details were not shared about how many positions are being eliminated or what specific changes are in the works. While Avera is caring for more patients, inflation is a big reason for the change, per the statement. Because of those rising expenses, Avera said it is challenging itself to “be more efficient, focused and creative in looking at health care differently and less expensively, while leveraging innovation.”

Tennessee

Nashville: A South Korean tire manufacturer plans to add almost 400 jobs in a third expansion of its Tennessee operations. The state Department of Economic and Community Development said Hankook Tire & Technology Co. is planning to add the jobs over five years at its Clarksville campus. The company plans to finish a previous expansion to double U.S. production of passenger car and light truck tires. Hankook will invest $612 million in the third expansion, which will add the company’s first U.S. production line of truck and bus radial tires. Tire production at the new phases of the plant is expected to begin in the last quarter of 2024, then reach full capacity by early 2026. The company broke ground on the Tennessee facility in 2014. Hankook has relocated its North American headquarters to Nashville. The new Clarksville expansion will bring the company’s workforce to about 2,300 people across Tennessee.

Texas

Uvalde: The Associated Press and other news organizations are suing local officials after months of refusal to publicly release records related to the May massacre at Robb Elementary School. The lawsuit filed Monday in Uvalde County asks a court to force the city, school district and sheriff’s department to turn over 911 recordings, personnel records and other documents. Newsrooms have requested them under Texas open records laws since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers May 24. More than three months after one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history, news organizations have turned to courts in an effort to obtain information and records that Uvalde officials and state police have argued they cannot release because of ongoing investigations. The Texas Attorney General’s Office has also ruled that Uvalde officials cannot withhold all records. Misleading and outright false statements by authorities about the police response in the initial hours and days after the attack on a fourth grade classroom – which lasted more than 70 minutes – have sowed distrust that remains among many Uvalde residents. “The obfuscation and inaction have only prolonged the pain of victims, their families and the community at large, all of whom continue to cry out for transparency regarding the events of that day,” the lawsuit says.

Utah

Salt Lake City: The state reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 3,143 new cases. That’s down 11.2% from the previous week’s tally of 3,539 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Utah ranked 46th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 10.8% from the week before, with 654,873 cases reported. With 0.96% of the country’s population, Utah had 0.48% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 16 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before. Across Utah, cases fell in five counties, with the best declines in Davis County, with 351 cases from 446 a week earlier; in Salt Lake County, with 1,294 cases from 1,376; and in Utah County, with 470 cases from 512. Within Utah, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in San Juan County with 157 cases per 100,000 per week; Tooele County with 116; and Salt Lake County with 112. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Vermont

Burlington: The state will spend $3million in the coming year to attract more workers, continuing an effort that began in 2019 when the state offered to cover up to $10,000 in moving expenses for people willing to move to the Green Mountain State to work remotely. In 2020, the Legislature added a program offering up to $7,500 in moving expenses to workers who accepted jobs with Vermont companies in targeted positions such as cooks and servers, child care workers, registered nurses, construction laborers, delivery drivers, elementary school teachers and retail salespeople. In 2021, the state offered both incentives again. The $3 million commitment this year comes despite widespread opposition in the Legislature – especially in the state House – and a review by the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office that rejects the conclusions of a third-party study claiming the programs paid for themselves within two years. The review stated, among other things, that the report relied on “unrepresentative and misleading data to derive its most important conclusions.”

Virginia

Richmond: Hazing charges against five former members of a now-expelled Virginia Commonwealth University fraternity in connection with a freshman’s death from alcohol poisoning after a party have been dropped. Six of the 11 former Delta Chi members charged in the death of Adam Oakes, 19, have pleaded guilty or no contest, but a prosecutor in the case declined to say why the charges against the remaining five were dropped last week, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Last year, 11 former members of the fraternity were charged with hazing and seven of them with serving alcohol to a minor. VCU suspended the students, a defense attorney said last year, and the university permanently removed the fraternity from campus. Three of the six who pleaded guilty or no contest are eligible to have their charges dismissed if they meet the terms of their plea agreements. Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Hollomon declined to comment on the dropped charges, citing the open case status of three defendants. Both charges in these cases are misdemeanors and carry no more than a year in jail and a fine of $2,500. None of the six received jail time. The police investigation found Oakes was told to drink a large bottle of whiskey in February 2021, and the freshman from Loudoun County was found dead the next morning.

Washington

Seattle: Members of the Chinook Indian Nation rallied Monday on the steps of a federal building in Seattle to raise awareness for their long fight to get federal recognition. Chairman Tony Johnson, whose tribal name is Naschio, told KNKX Public Radio that his great-great-grandfather and other leaders first hired lawyers to sue for their lands back in the 1890s. Federal recognition would mean access to federal dollars for health care and housing for this group of tribes, which are based in southwestern Washington, particularly Pacific County. The rally was the start of a campaign by Chinook leadership, they said, to pressure U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to use their influence in Congress to get the Chinook recognized. For a brief time twenty years ago, the Clinton administration recognized the Chinook Indian Nation, but the Bush administration revoked that decision in 2002 after another Indigenous nation in Washington state, the Quinault, appealed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Johnson said during a speech Monday that the Chinook nation, which is made up of five tribes – the Cathlamet, Clatsop, Lower Chinook, Wahkaikum and Willapa – refused to sign a treaty that would force them to lose their land and therefore was never moved to a reservation.

West Virginia

Charleston: Two former teacher’s aides have been charged with failing to report the abuse of special needs students at an elementary school, the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office said. The charges were announced Monday in connection with a case involving former special education teacher Nancy Boggs, officials told news outlets. Boggs pleaded guilty in May to 10 misdemeanor counts of battery and was sentenced this month to 10 years in prison stemming from incidents in September 2021. The aides were charged under a state law that requires school employees to report to authorities when they have “reasonable cause” to suspect abuse or neglect or witness “conditions that are likely to result in abuse or neglect.” One aide pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance Monday, and the other postponed the arraignment until her lawyer could be present.

Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers is allocating $90million more in federal pandemic funding for schools. Evers said the funds are aimed at helping school officials recruit and retain teachers, combatting staffing shortages that have emerged since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020. “Yes, they are federal funds, I understand that, but until there is a (state) budget, we need to make sure that the people that stand behind me can do the good work,” the Democratic governor said at a news conference at Leopold Elementary School in Madison. Evers is a former state superintendent and public school educator. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, both Republicans, did not react to the governor’s plan. Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels, who is challenging Evers in November, said the plan was political. “The fact that self-proclaimed ‘education governor’ Evers needs to make news on education with 70 days until Election Day shows that his anti-parents, pro-special interest education agenda isn’t resonating with Wisconsin voters,” Michels said. “Evers wants his big checks to make people forget his big failures, but his disastrous record speaks for itself.”

Wyoming

Jackson: At the Jackson Cupboard food bank, Ash Hermanowski oversees the distribution of about 1,200 free meals a day from a commercial garage after being forced from a previous site by a malfunctioning sprinkler. The food bank couldn’t afford any other place in town. Just across the street, The Glenwood, a collection of townhomes that will sell for millions, is nearing completion. “Unparalleled luxury,” its website says, in a “truly relaxing oasis.” It’s the “ultimate irony,” Hermanowski said. “The staff and I, we talk about it all the time. We all struggle to live here, and they’re building high-end residences. That dichotomy exists all over town, but people refuse to see it.” Inflation is particularly high in the town of Jackson and the surrounding Teton County, which, even before the pandemic erupted two years ago, was the wealthiest and most unequal place in the nation. The state of Wyoming has calculated that the cost of living in the county at the end of 2021 was 68% higher than in the rest of the state – with housing costs 130% higher. Roughly 85% of the food bank’s recipients have a job, often more than one, said Sharel Lund, executive director of one22, a nonprofit that includes Jackson Cupboard.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Casa Bonita, MyPillow poke: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Huntsville: The Rocket City has overtaken the Magic City as Alabama’s largest, according to new census numbers. Huntsville, with a population of 215,006, is now slightly more populous than Birmingham, according to U.S. census numbers released Thursday. Birmingham, which had long been Alabama’s largest city, has a population of 200,733. And the capital, Montgomery, is biting at its heels in third, with 200,603 residents. However, the Birmingham metro area remains the largest in the state. The Birmingham-Hoover metro statistical area has 1.1 million people, while the Huntsville metro area has just 491,723. Huntsville, with historical ties to the space industry, has seen rapid growth over the past ten years, partly fueled by the tech and manufacturing sectors. The city’s population has jumped by 19% since 2010. “I’m proud that the great things we have going on in Huntsville have grown our city,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle wrote in a tweet. “To tell the truth, we’re more focused on being the best than the biggest.” Birmingham got the nickname the Magic City for its rapid growth and had long been Alabama’s largest city. Much of the recent growth around Birmingham has been concentrated in the surrounding suburban areas, rather than in the city itself.

Alaska

Anchorage: U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is spending two days in the state traveling with Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski to showcase what Granholm’s office calls Alaska’s status as “America’s living laboratory.” The visit coincides with the recent passage of the bipartisan infrastructure deal and is intended to show how investments and research and development funding “will bring jobs and help build the state’s clean, secure energy future,” Granholm’s office said. The visit started Sunday in Fairbanks with a tour of the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Cold Climate Housing Research Center, highlighting its training of a local workforce to build and rapidly deploy shelter for climate-threatened communities in an effort to reduce the need for relocation. Also on Sunday’s agenda was a tour of the Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility and the Chena Hot Springs Renewable Energy Fair. On Monday, plans call for visiting the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, where researchers are developing ways to achieve 100% renewable power for rural villages. In Anchorage, Granholm and Murkowski will speak with Malcolm Woolf, president of the National Hydropower Association. The visit is set to conclude with a meeting with Alaska Native engineering students and alumni.

Arizona

Phoenix: A coalition of educators, parents and advocates for children is asking a judge to overturn several new state laws that restrict the power of local governments and school districts to impose COVID-19 requirements, arguing the statutes violate constitutional rules and pointing out the state is seeing a growing number of coronavirus cases among children. A new lawsuit filed Thursday against the state by the Arizona School Boards Association, a teacher’s union and others challenges a law that prohibits cities, counties and public school districts from imposing mask requirements on students and teachers. At least 11 districts accounting for 140,000 students and more than 200 schools have defied the law by imposing their own mask rules. The coalition also is seeking to overturn a law prohibiting colleges and universities from requiring COVID-19 shots for students and making them reveal their vaccination status, as well as another statute that forbids communities from establishing vaccine passports for people to show they were inoculated. The lawsuit argues elements of the legislative proposals with limits on local government had violated constitutional rules requiring laws to focus on only one subject and have their contents reflected in the title of the bills.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Most public school students in the state will be required to wear masks when classes begin this week, following moves by dozens of districts in response to a judge blocking Arkansas’ mask mandate ban. At least 60 public school districts and charter schools have approved the requirements in the past week. The pace at which districts have approved the mandates surprised even public health experts who say masks are needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, especially as the ultra-contagious delta variant fuels a surge in cases and hospitalizations. “I think those actions are going to prevent some superspreader events that would have occurred,” said Dr. Joe Thompson, president and CEO of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. Some form of mask mandate has been approved in the state’s 10 largest school districts. The biggest, Springdale, approved a requirement but only for students in kindergarten through seventh grade. The Little Rock School Board, which sued over the state’s mandate ban, voted Thursday to require masks be worn indoors by students and staff. Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Friday that she’s appealing Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox’s Aug. 6 preliminary injunction against the mandate ban. Fox ruled the ban violated the Arkansas Constitution.

California

Oakland: A McDonald’s franchise has settled a lawsuit by employees who said the owner gave them masks made from dog diapers and coffee filters to guard against the coronavirus. Thursday’s settlement requires the owner to provide masks and gloves to all workers and provide other health and safety measures required by a judge last year, such as regular temperature checks. The franchise owner didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement. The measures will remain in place for a year unless government health agencies no longer recommend them. The Telegraph Avenue outlet shut down for a month beginning in May 2020 after 20 workers refused to show up, contending that 25 workers and their families, including a baby, had come down with the coronavirus. After the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, employees asked for masks but received dog diapers and coffee filters as a stopgap measure, and when they eventually received masks intended for one-time use, they had to wear them for several days, the employees alleged. Three of the employees who sued also alleged that they were required to work despite having COVID-19 symptoms, and all later tested positive for the virus.

Colorado

Lakewood: The creators of the irreverent animated television series “South Park” are buying Casa Bonita, a quirky restaurant in suburban Denver that was featured on the show. Matt Stone and Trey Parker said in an interview with Gov. Jared Polis on Friday that they had come to an agreement with the current owners of the restaurant, which closed to diners in March 2020 as the pandemic took hold. It declared bankruptcy in the spring. “We’re excited to work with everybody and make it the place we all want to make it,” Parker said. The Lakewood restaurant has been in business since 1974 but gained wider recognition when it was featured on a 2003 “South Park” episode and when the Denver Broncos announced some of their draft picks there in 2018. The Mexican restaurant is known for its decor, which includes a pink facade and large indoor waterfall, as well as its cliff divers and skits that feature an excitable actor in a gorilla costume. But some have noted there is room for improvement. “The one area that we would all love to see an upgrade – and I think I speak on behalf of everybody who patronizes Casa Bonita – is the food could be a little better,” Polis said. “I think it could be a little more than a little better,” Stone added.

Connecticut

Hartford: Shoppers are getting a one-week tax break. The state’s annual Sales Tax Free Week, which began Sunday and runs through Aug. 21, exempts retail purchases of most clothing and footwear priced under $100 from Connecticut’s 6.35% sales and use tax. The exemption applies to each eligible item costing less than $100, regardless of how many of those items a customer purchases. The sales tax holiday, which costs the state about $5 million in lost tax revenue, applied to clothing and footwear costing less than $300 per item in past years and was ultimately scaled back. However, many retailers are expected to offer additional discounts during the week, which is a popular time for back-to-school shopping. Connecticut Retail Merchants Association President Timothy G. Phelan said the week gives residents an opportunity to save money and also “reconnect with local retail businesses that have endured the business challenges of the past year and a half,” referring to the pandemic. “The COVID-19 economy this year has put retail businesses, particularly smaller independent retailers, under increasing pressure just to stay in business and to stay in business here in Connecticut,” Phelan told state lawmakers earlier this year during a public hearing.

Delaware

Dover: To enter Firefly Music Festival, guests will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours, the festival’s owner announced late last week. The policy will be in place for all events and venues operated by AEG Presents, which purchased Firefly in 2018. “We have come to the conclusion that, as a market leader, it was up to us to take a real stand on vaccination status,” AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano said in a statement, citing the virus’s delta variant and vaccine hesitancy that have pushed statistics “in the wrong direction again” in recent weeks. In the past month, COVID-19 cases have quintupled in Delaware. “We realize that some people might look at this as a dramatic step, but it’s the right one,” Marciano said. “We also are aware that there might be some initial pushback, but I’m confident and hopeful that, at the end of the day, we will be on the right side of history and doing what’s best for artists, fans, and live event workers.” Firefly officials previously said the festival will be limited to 50,000 people for each day of its four days, Sept. 23-26. According to AEG’s website, its festivals will accept a physical copy of a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or a digital copy of the card for proof of vaccination. Masks are strongly encouraged, the website says.

District of Columbia

Washington: A military base in the nation’s capital was locked down for about two hours Friday, causing a brief panic, after an armed man ran onto the grounds during a local police investigation of gunshots on the surrounding streets. A statement from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling said the man’s firearm was discovered after the intrusion, and the intruder himself was detained about 2:45 p.m. during “a thorough sweep of the installation.” The individual, who was not named, was transferred to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. The naval support facility at the north end of the base is used by Marine Helicopter Squadron One, the fleet of green helicopters that carry the president and vice president. Col. Mike Zuhlsdorf, the base commander, credited the “thorough and coordinated response” among multiple agencies, including MPD and the Secret Service, with helping to swiftly control the situation. “I remain confident in our security posture,” Zuhlsdorf said in a statement. The 905-acre base in southeast Washington houses Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard units, along with the Washington field office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the headquarters of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Florida

Gainesville: The University of Florida will open its upcoming semester with in-person classes, reversing itself within hours of telling students the term might begin online because of the state’s renewed COVID-19 outbreak. UF administrators sent an email to students Friday afternoon telling them that after consulting with university epidemiologists, plans were being made to put the first three weeks of school online. But then a few hours later, a second email went out announcing that classes would be conducted in person. No reason was given for the reversal, but UF said in a statement that no schools in the state university system would be conducting classes online. The university is not requiring vaccines or mask-wearing but is recommending both. In an email to students last week, administrators wrote that they “cannot modify the operation of the entire university for a minority of people who may choose not to be vaccinated.” Gov. Ron DeSantis is strongly opposed to vaccine and mask mandates, saying those decisions should be left to each person. He has encouraged vaccination but has stopped wearing masks in public. The state averaged almost 22,000 newly confirmed cases per day last week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, up from about 1,500 per day in mid-June and blowing past last year’s highs.

Georgia

Savannah: The National Park Service is pushing back after a U.S. government report recommended approval of a launch pad for commercial rockets on the Georgia coast, saying a chance of explosive misfires over a federally protected island popular with tourists and campers poses an “unacceptable risk.” Camden County in Georgia’s coastal, southeast corner has spent nine years and $10 million seeking permission to build what would be the nation’s 13th licensed commercial spaceport. The proposed Spaceport Camden took a big step forward in June, when the Federal Aviation Administration issued a final environmental impact study that concluded building the spaceport would be its “preferred alternative.” Now the Park Service and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, are disputing the FAA’s conclusion that the spaceport poses minimal risks or adverse impacts to Cumberland Island, a federally protected wilderness. The island, known for wild horses and nesting sea turtles, is managed by the Park Service and draws about 60,000 visitors each year. In a July 22 letter to the FAA, the Interior Department said the final study on the spaceport’s impacts noted that a failed launch could result in “fires, explosions, or releases of propellants or other hazardous materials.”

Hawaii

Honolulu: Two visitors from the U.S. mainland were arrested for allegedly using fake vaccine cards to travel into the state. Officials with the Hawaii Attorney General’s office arrested the visitors at Honolulu’s international airport, a spokesman for the agency said in a statement. Investigators said the two were in violation of the state’s travel rules, which require travelers to produce either a negative coronavirus test or proof of COVID-19 vaccination to avoid quarantine when entering the state. Violating the state’s COVID-19 mandates, including falsifying a vaccination card, is a misdemeanor that can result in a fine of up to $5,000, up to a year in prison or both. The visitors were arraigned Wednesday after being arrested over the prior weekend. Authorities responded to a tip from a community member. “Attorney General investigators are committed to ensuring all such leads are investigated and thank the community for their assistance and support,” the AG’s office said. The agency said that while there may be other cases pending with other Hawaii law enforcement divisions, this was the first arrest by the Department of the Attorney General for allegedly falsifying vaccination cards.

Idaho

Boise: The state’s budget surplus is up to $1.4 billion, officials said Friday. The Idaho Division of Financial Management said it based the increase on a revised general fund revenue forecast it does every August for the current fiscal year to account for economic conditions and law changes. The agency said the surplus comes from a nearly $900 million ending balance for fiscal year 2021, which ended June 30, combined with another $513 million more than the forecast used by lawmakers to set the state’s budget last May for the current fiscal year, 2022, which ends next summer. The agency also said revenue collections were nearly $40 million more than anticipated in July, the first month of the current fiscal year. State officials said the $1.4 billion surplus could change based on monthly revenue collections. Budget setting for fiscal year 2021 occurred before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and state officials feared a big deficit. But the state received billions of dollars in coronavirus rescue money, and many Idaho residents and businesses received pandemic aid. Federal money was also used to boost unemployment benefits. In addition, Idaho has been one of the fastest-growing states, with new residents bringing in additional money.

Illinois

Chicago: An exhibit of more than 80 works by the graffiti artist known publicly only as Banksy has come to the Windy City. “The Art of Banksy” opened Saturday and runs through Oct. 31 in a shuttered, 45,000-square-foot broadcast communications museum. The pieces – which include canvases, prints and sculptures – are from private collections. Stencils by the street artist have appeared on the walls of buildings – even a British prison, bridges and streets across the globe. Some of his most recognizable stencils and murals include “Flower Thrower,” “Rude Copper,” “Girl with Balloon” and “I Remember When All This Was Trees.” Earlier this year, a Banksy painting honoring health workers in the pandemic sold at auction for more than $23 million. Titled “Game Changer,” the work first appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May 2020. The black-and-white picture depicts a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy, as Batman and Spiderman toy figures lie in a wastepaper basket next to him. At the time it went up, the hospital said Banksy left a note for workers there saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”

Indiana

Chesterton: The National Park Service wants to charge entrance fees for the first time at the Indiana Dunes National Park, citing a dramatic increase in visitors in recent years and the need for more revenue for park maintenance. The federal agency will hold an online public meeting on the proposed fees via Zoom on Wednesday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT. If approved, the fees would begin March 31, 2022. The northwest Indiana park has seen a surge in visitors during the past two years, and the new fees would help finance park maintenance, public safety and programming, officials said. “The value of public open spaces has been underscored during the COVID pandemic,” Park Superintendent Paul Labovitz said in a statement. The proposed entrance fees include $15 per person for people walking, bicycling or boating into the park, or $20 for motorcyclists. A commercial motor coach fee would be $100. The other fees would be a $25 seven-day pass for vehicles and a $45 annual pass. Among the other new entrance fees, the Park Service proposes adding six backcountry campsites that would cost $25 per night, with a limit of eight campers. The 15,000-acre park along Lake Michigan’s southern shore, about 50 miles east of Chicago, became Indiana’s first national park in February 2019.

Iowa

Des Moines: Iowa’s Ethics Board has found that Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds didn’t violate any laws when she appeared in a series of taxpayer-funded ads last fall promoting coronavirus public safety measures. The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board voted unanimously Thursday to find Reynolds did not violate a 2018 state law that prohibits statewide elected officials from using public funds for self-promotion. Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand had accused Reynolds of the ethical violation, saying the ad campaign she launched in November was used to promote her own image when she appeared in several of the ads encouraging mask-wearing. Sand, a Democrat, had said the ad campaign was funded with money intended to pay for expanded testing capacity for the coronavirus and improve collection and reporting of data about the pandemic. He also said Reynolds’ office didn’t seek federal approval to spend the money on an ad campaign until after it was announced and well after his office requested invoices for the spending. On Thursday, the Ethics Board found that the law includes an exception for when a governor proclaims a disaster emergency, which Reynolds had done for the pandemic. Sand said the ruling declared “open season” on using taxpayer money for politicians’ self-promotion.

Kansas

Leavenworth: The CoreCivic Leavenworth Detention Center has been on lockdown for more than a week and a half after an inmate died from injuries he suffered in a fight, officials said Friday. Scott W. Wilson, 39, was kicked, punched and struck with a tray Aug. 2. He suffered a broken rib and punctured lung and died two days later, said Maj. Dan Nicodemus, deputy chief of the Leavenworth Police Department. Another inmate, a 28-year-old man, has been identified as a suspect, but no charges were filed as of Friday afternoon. The Leavenworth Detention Center houses pretrial detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service. Ryan Gustin, spokesman for CoreCivic, said in an email that the detention center was placed on lockdown Aug. 3, and the lockdown was still in place Friday. Detention center officials are working with U.S. Marshals to determine when normal operations will resume, he said.

Kentucky

Frankfort: State tourism officials are offering a new incentive for residents to get vaccinated. The initiative called Vax and Visit launched Thursday and allows permanent Kentucky residents who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination to enter drawings for travel incentives at state parks, said Tourism, Arts and Heritage Secretary Mike Berry. There will be 30 drawings for gift certificates that will include golf rounds, overnight lodging and campground stays, he said. The drawings also raise awareness of how Kentucky residents can get vaccinated, officials said. “Offering vaccine incentives to Kentucky state parks will not only boost travel revenue in local communities but also ensure that Kentucky continues to be seen as a safe travel destination post-pandemic,” Berry said. Winners will be selected beginning Sept. 9, and the final drawing will take place Oct. 7.

Louisiana

New Orleans: The French Quarter Festival, in which thousands crowd the streets of the historic New Orleans neighborhood to listen to brass bands, zydeco and other music, has become the latest victim of the state’s fourth coronavirus surge. Festival organizers announced Friday that they were canceling the festival, which had been slated for Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Other events such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival have already canceled events slated for this summer and fall. The event will return to the French Quarter on April 21-24 of next year, organizers said Friday. The Festivals Acadiens et Creoles, which takes place in Lafayette, is also being canceled for this fall, organizers announced. That festival had been slated for Oct. 8-10 and instead will take place March 18-20 of next year. Louisiana has set new daily records for the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 for two weeks. Ninety-one percent of those hospitalized are unvaccinated, according to state health department data. Only 38% of Louisiana’s population is inoculated, putting it among the bottom five states in the nation, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the number of people seeking their first shot has increased dramatically over the past month.

Maine

Augusta: The state’s congressional delegation wants the Federal Communications Commission to keep Maine a one-area-code state. All of the Pine Tree State is served by the 207 area code. The four members of the delegation said 207 phone numbers are projected to run out by 2024 if the FCC doesn’t take action, and that would necessitate the creation of a second area code in the state. The delegation told the FCC on Thursday that the 207 area code is “both a cultural touchstone and a matter of efficiency.” It also said adding another area code could be a problem for businesses because so many leave the 207 area code out when posting a phone number or relaying a message. The Maine Public Utilities Commission recently asked the FCC to let Maine try a method that allocates numbers one at a time to phone providers rather than allocating them in large blocks. The congressional delegation said it strongly supports that request, which it said could help maintain the solo area code.

Maryland

Baltimore: Police officials have told all employees they cannot collect overtime pay while on paid vacation, a practice the department says costs the city an average of $300,000 per year. Shallah Graham, the department’s chief financial officer, told City Council members last week that the agency won’t let employees file for overtime pay in addition to vacation pay, The Baltimore Sun reports. A previous payroll system allowed this practice of “double dipping” without a way to identify when it happened, but Graham said a new system has greater transparency. Before an investigation by the newspaper, the department spent nearly $50 million a year in overtime, according to department budget records. The investigation showed many officers made tens of thousands of dollars in paid overtime, including five who logged more than 2,000 hours of overtime each in a single year. While the practice didn’t violate any city policy, the Inspector General’s Office reported last month that “it could be perceived as wasteful.”

Massachusetts

Quincy: Turtles are being temporarily relocated so the city can start a $1.4million pond restoration project. Starting this week, volunteers from the New England Herpetological Society will trap the turtles and take them to the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth. The trapping process, which involves sardine-baited “hoop traps,” will take four days, according to a news release. Turtles will be taken from the traps each day to the wildlife center. The contractors are scheduled to begin restoration work Aug. 27. The plan is to dredge sediment from the pond and create a gravel stormwater treatment wetland on the north side, the city said. Julie Sullivan, the city’s environmental scientist, said sediment that has settled at the bottom of the pond has become so thick that it interferes with plant life and harms the ecosystem. The idea to move the turtles was sparked after Quincy residents expressed concerns that the restoration of the pond would disrupt wildlife.

Michigan

Lansing: The state has passed the grim milestone of 20,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a top health official warning that people must continue taking precautions. State health officials reported Friday that Michigan had totaled 20,011 confirmed deaths since recording its first one in March 2020. “We’ve seen real devastation and tragedy as a result of COVID-19, and it remains as important now as it (was) a year ago to mitigate the transmission of this virus,” said Elizabeth Hertel, director of Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services. “Because it is deadly.” Health officials are preparing for a new wave of coronavirus infections caused by the highly transmissible delta variant that is sweeping the country. On Friday, Michigan identified delta variant infections in more than 50 counties and the city of Detroit. Michigan’s COVID-19 deaths have been highest among the elderly and African Americans. Those 70 years and older have accounted for 69% of the total deaths. Confirmed deaths among African Americans have accounted for about about 22% of deaths, whereas Black residents comprise only about 14% of Michigan’s population.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: The city’s police will no longer stop motorists for minor traffic violations, such as expired tags or an air freshener hanging from their rearview mirror, according to a new policy change. Police Chief Medaria Arrandondo, in an internal memo Thursday, said the move comes after examining how officers can better use time and resources. “MPD will no longer be conducting traffic stops solely for these offenses: expired tabs, an item dangling from a mirror, or not having a working license plate light,” Arradondo wrote in the memo obtained by the Star Tribune. Critics have long argued that low-level traffic stops in which officers use a minor traffic or equipment violation as a justification for pulling over someone they want to investigate contribute to racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The memo also said the city attorney will stop prosecuting tickets for driving after suspension if there was no accident “or other egregious driving behavior that would impact public safety.” Mayor Jacob Frey said Friday that police will continue to stop motorists for offenses that are a threat to public safety, such as reckless driving or speeding.

Mississippi

Jackson: A rural community is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, two weeks after hosting the Neshoba County Fair that drew thousands who lived in cabins, attended shoulder-to-shoulder outdoor concerts and listened to stump speeches – including one by the Republican governor, who decried federal masking guidance as “foolish.” Frustrated by rising COVID-19 infections, the chief executive officer of the 25-bed Neshoba General Hospital posted a message on social media challenging Gov. Tate Reeves to step up and show leadership. “@tatereeves hospitals and healthcare workers need you to help us. Where are you?” Lee McCall wrote Tuesday on Twitter. “We are overwhelmed with the surge of Covid and understaffed to safely care for our patients. Our incredible staff are holding it together but we are all at our breaking point.” Last week alone, Mississippi broke its single-day records of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalized patients multiple times. The previous records were in January, before vaccinations were widely available. Until recent days, Reeves had made few public statements about the coronavirus the past few weeks. In a July 29 speech to a conservative crowd at the Neshoba County Fair, he called federal advice for the fully vaccinated to resume wearing masks indoors “foolish” and “harmful.”

Missouri

Sedalia: Mostly unmasked crowds packed into the Missouri State Fair shoulder-to-shoulder last week as it opened amid soaring numbers of new COVID-19 infections. Fair officials decided in the spring to bring back the full fair after replacing it with a much smaller youth livestock show last year because of safety concerns, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. “We’re not seeing any kind of slowdown in attendance and are expecting an average to good year,” said State Fair Director Mark Wolfe, adding that his staff estimated up to 340,000 people will attend the event before it closes Aug. 22. Among the unmasked was Brian Eggers, a 55-year-old farmer who lives outside Chillicothe. He lost a close neighbor as well as aunts and uncles to COVID-19 and said he hasn’t gotten around to getting a shot. “I’m not anti-vaccine, but I haven’t gotten it myself yet,” he said as he watched a youth livestock show, adding: “If God wants to take me, that’s his choice.” Jessica Miller, who manned the fair’s vaccination station, said five patients had come in for COVID-19 shots in the event’s first 2.5 hours of operation. Some told Miller that their jobs were going to require the vaccine or that they would be allowed to eschew a mask if they got inoculated.

Montana

Missoula: Police on Friday released the name of a 21-year-old man who was shot and killed by a police officer after authorities say he fled a traffic stop. Brendon T. Galbreath, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who lived in Missoula, died in a hospital Thursday. Galbreath’s brother, Terrance LaFromboise, said Friday that the family had received statements from law enforcement officials following his death that did not match up with information publicly released by Missoula police following the incident. In a recording of communications between police officers during the chase and shooting, a police officer can be heard saying the victim shot himself. “Did he shoot or did we?” an officer asks. “Both,” another officer responds. LaFromboise said people who knew his brother find it hard to believe he had a gun or knew how to use one. “He has a strong stance against guns,” he said. Galbreath was the salutatorian of his class in high school and had met former first lady Michelle Obama during a trip to Washington, D.C., through a pre-college program. He moved to Missoula during the coronavirus pandemic, after several relatives contracted COVID-19 and died. He was planning to apply to study at the University of Montana to study medicine or engineering, his brother said.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has rejected an anti-critical race theory resolution. The 5-3 vote Friday followed about three hours of public comment from students, faculty and others, the Lincoln Journal-Star reports. Regent Jim Pillen, a Republican candidate for governor, introduced the resolution objecting to “any imposition of critical race theory” in academic curriculum in July, after another candidate for governor criticized him for not taking action on the issue. Critical race theory, a framework for examining the effects race and racism have on institutions, both historically and today, has become a flashpoint in the culture wars. Several legislatures have enacted bills preventing it from being taught. Pillen said most Nebraskans believe critical race theory to be “discriminatory, divisive” and antithetical to the values held by many. But the proposal ran into a buzz saw of opposition from students, faculty, administrators and others, who said it abridged academic freedom and would hurt recruiting and retention, particularly of students and faculty of color. The ACLU of Nebraska, Anti-Defamation League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People bused students from Omaha to Lincoln and handed out T-shirts emblazoned with “Protect Academic Freedom.”

Nevada

Las Vegas: The owner of a hotel that was fined a year ago for defying state coronavirus pandemic restrictions and hosting a beauty pageant and a faith-based Donald Trump campaign rally has lost a court challenge of the governor’s directives that limited meeting sizes. State Attorney General Aaron Ford said Friday’s ruling against Ahern Hotel and Convention Center amounted to a finding by a court that emergency orders issued by Gov. Steve Sisolak after COVID-19 emerged in March 2020 balance the rights and safety of residents. “Today, the court recognized what we already knew – the state has a responsibility to protect the lives of Nevadans,” Ford said. In a verbal ruling, Clark County District Court Judge Nancy Allf decided the lawsuit filed in August 2020 was moot because there are no more occupancy limits imposed by the state, Ford said. The city of Las Vegas and its planning director also were named as defendants. The property was fined nearly $11,000 after holding an “Evangelicals for Trump” event at which a city employee tallied more than 1,100 attendees – far more than the 50-person limit Sisolak had ordered for public and private events at the time. Organizers of the Mrs. Nevada America pageant held days later removed spectators to comply with crowd limits.

New Hampshire

Concord: The state has a new goal of reducing waste sent to landfills by 25% by 2030. The goal is included in a bill signed into law last week. Sen. David Watters, a Dover Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said it reframes and updates the state’s waste reduction goals and requires more innovation to reduce how much trash is generated and to increase the diversion of trash from landfills through reuse, recycling and composting. The law requires the Department of Environmental Services to update the state’s solid waste plan and make it available to the public.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state has retained its slot as the country’s densest, and Newark kept its crown as New Jersey’s biggest city, according to newly released U.S. census figures. The state’s population per square mile climbed 5.6% over the past decade to 1,263 people up from 1,195.5 – higher than every other state, though behind the District of Columbia. Newark also saw its population climb above 300,000, edging out a growing Jersey City that some expected would overtake Newark. Jersey City will remain the Garden State’s second-biggest, after growing 18% to just shy of 300,000 residents. The new figures also show the state became less white and more Black, Hispanic and Asian. The white population fell from 5.21 million a decade ago to 4.82 million in 2020, while the Hispanic and Asian populations both climbed by nearly 30%. People identifying as Hispanic climbed from 1.55 million in 2010 to 2 million in 2020, while the Asian population went from about 720,000 to roughly 942,000. The Black population grew from 1.13 million to 1.15 million. People under age 18 in New Jersey have declined from 2.07 million in 2010 to 2.01 million. Overall, the state’s population climbed from 8.8 million to 9.3 million. It will keep the 12 House seats it currently has.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: State health officials say an increase in hospitalizations has prompted them to put out an urgent call for volunteer nurses to help boost the state’s medical workforce. The New Mexico Department of Health late Friday called on nurses or anyone with a medical license to volunteer to help because officials believe hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with patients. They want recently retired health workers or anyone qualified to sign up for the state’s Medical Reserve Corps. Hospitals are seeing increased hospitalizations because of long-postponed surgeries and a surge in COVID-19 patients. The delta variant of the coronavirus is much more contagious than previous strains. “We ask our nurses, and anyone with a medical license, to once again volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps,” Dr. David R. Scrase, the acting director of the state health department, said in a statement. “To get through this together, we need everyone who can provide patient care to work side by side with us during this critical time.” The state’s Reserve Medical Corps has filled more than 139 requests during the pandemic, deploying 2,750 volunteers. To sign up, go to the Corps website at nmmrcserves.org.

New York

Albany: State Sens. Jamaal Bailey and Brian Benjamin are emerging as top contenders in the search for the next lieutenant governor, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. Bailey and Benjamin, both from New York City, are among several candidates being vetted by Kathy Hochul and her team and have emerged as the leading contenders, the person said. Last week Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would resign after increasing calls for his impeachment following an investigation that found he sexually harassed 11 women. He is set to leave office Aug. 24, when Hochul, who has been lieutenant governor since 2015, will take over. The state Assembly will suspend its investigation of Cuomo once he steps down after its leader concluded the Legislature didn’t have the clear authority to impeach a departed official, the chamber’s top Democrat said Friday. In an interview Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Hochul, who hails from the Buffalo area, said she had narrowed her search to focus on candidates from New York City. “Even though I’ve spent thousands of hours in New York City, and I’m well familiar with the challenges, I want someone who lives there,” she said. “I want someone who understands the challenges firsthand.” The position of lieutenant governor has largely been a ceremonial role.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Those who visit indoor spaces within the capital city will now need to wear a face mask to limit the spread of COVID-19, the mayor said Friday. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin also said city employees who are already fully vaccinated or get to that point by Sept. 17 will receive a $250 reward and two days of bonus leave. “The number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in our community and across the state at an alarming rate,” Baldwin said in a statement. “The idea that we can hope COVID-19 will just go away on its own is not a reality. It’s time to take responsible action and today we are taking an important step to make sure the people of this community, and those who visit us, remain healthy and safe.” The move to reimpose the mask mandate will only be within Raleigh city limits, not Wake County. But the requirement does apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The largest city in the state may also soon decide to compel masking indoors for residents and visitors, as Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles backtracked comments she made last week that she lacked the authority to compel people to wear masks indoors. Renewed mask requirements and rewards for vaccinations are coming as the more contagious delta variant sweeps across the state, giving North Carolina its worst coronavirus metrics in months.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State officials say production of oil and gas is holding steady. The latest figures released Friday show the state’s oil production from May to June has plateaued at about 1.1 million barrels per day for both months. “I would have to characterize the Bakken at this point as a sleeping giant,” State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said. “The COVID pandemic kind of put the industry to sleep, and it’s struggling somewhat to wake up.” The state’s oil production has recovered somewhat from last summer’s lows amid the coronavirus crisis, but it’s far from the record 1.5 million barrels per day produced in late 2019, the Bismarck Tribune reports. North Dakota’s natural gas production is also steady at about 2.9 billion cubic feet of gas per day in June. Officials say that if gas production grows, the state will need more pipelines and processing facilities within the next two years if it’s to continue to keep flaring down. “It’s not going to be an easy feat,” North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said. “Things will have to get moving relatively briskly to meet those time frames.” Helms said he expects oil production will likely increase next year as companies slowly add back rigs in North Dakota, as well as crews needed to frack newly drilled wells so they can start producing oil.

Ohio

Columbus: A concealed weapons permit would become optional, and the requirement that individuals “promptly” notify police officers that they are carrying a concealed weapon would be eliminated, under legislation proposed in the state Senate. The bill is similar to a measure pending in the Ohio House and is one of several GOP-backed proposals in recent years seeking to expand gun rights in the state. The new concealed weapons bill, dubbed “Constitutional Carry” by its backers, was introduced Aug. 5 by state Sen. Terry Johnson, a Republican from southern Ohio’s Scioto County. Keeping the permit optional – as opposed to eliminating it altogether – would allow gunowners who obtain it to carry a concealed weapon in states with reciprocity agreements recognizing such permits. Earlier this year, Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Cincinnati, noted it’s already legal to openly carry a firearm in Ohio without a license or training. “In order to avoid unnecessary hassle from the public or law enforcement, one may decide to put a coat or jacket over their firearm,” Brinkman, sponsor of the House legislation, told the House Government Oversight Committee in April. “Sadly, that individual instantly turns into a felon if they have not gone through some … government-mandated rigmarole first.”

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: An emergency rule by Gov. Kevin Stitt allows hospitals to renovate conference rooms and other areas to care for COVID-19 patients, the state’s health commissioner said Friday. The rule is not an emergency declaration, which would allow state schools to implement mask mandates, said Dr. Lance Frye, adding that he is not convinced one is needed. “We strictly looked at what do we need to respond (to the virus surge) and is there anything that was … accomplished before in our emergency declaration that we can’t do now,” Frye said. “We are good where we are right now as far as our ability to respond” to the surge that Frye said would be slowed with vaccinations. Unvaccinated patients make up 98% of new cases and 93% of hospitalizations in the state, Frye said. The state health department reported 2,814 new coronavirus cases Friday and a seven-day average of 2,122 new cases daily, up from 1,268 on July 28, along with 1,326 virus-related hospitalizations. Oklahoma’s vaccination rate reached 50% of residents with one dose, according to deputy health commissioner Keith Reed, and 41.1% fully inoculated, compared to national rates of 58.2% with one dose and 49.9% fully vaccinated.

Oregon

Salem: A new state law that suspends a requirement for a basic-skills test in math, reading and writing to graduate high school is being praised by advocates as a way to rethink education standards and sharply criticized by others as a misguided effort that will hurt children’s learning in the long run. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 744 last month without much attention. The measure temporarily eliminates essential-skills testing through the 2022-23 school year. That requirement had been put on a hold amid the pandemic, which forced the closure of many schools and remote learning for students. The Oregon Department of Education has said the new law will allow the state to develop more equitable graduation requirements. Officials have been told to compare diploma requirements in various states and find ways to reduce disparities and ensure graduation requirements are fair. “Senate Bill 744 does not remove Oregon’s graduation requirements, and it certainly does not remove any requirements that Oregon students learn essential skills,” department spokesman Marc Siegel told KATU. Rashelle Chase, founder of Mxm Bloc, an advocacy group led by Black women and focused on education and other social justice issues, said certain children struggle with exams and had been hurt by the testing requirements.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: Health care workers, college students and higher education employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-October under new mandates announced by the city’s Public Health Department on Friday. The mandates were passed Thursday night by the Board of Health, which provides guidance to the city’s health department, said acting Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole. She said both categories of people will be required to be vaccinated by Oct. 15, but exemptions will be allowed for religious or medical reasons, with added precautions or accommodations for those people. Health care workers with an exemption will be required to wear masks and undergo a coronavirus test twice a week. At colleges, those with exemptions will have to get a PCR test or two antigen tests weekly. Once a college reaches a 90% vaccination rate, Bettigole said those people with exemptions can double-mask and social distance in indoor spaces, or colleges can offer virtual options as an accommodation. City public health officials also made adjustments to mask mandates announced last week in an effort to accommodate parents with young children not yet eligible for the vaccines.

Rhode Island

Providence: West Nile virus has been found in a mosquito sample collected in the state for the first time this summer, environmental officials said. A mosquito trapped July 29 in Cranston tested positive for the virus, the state Department of Environmental Management said in a statement Thursday. No mosquito samples this year have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, another mosquito-borne disease. The finding was not unexpected, given that West Nile has been found in multiple samples collected in neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts, indicating that the virus has “established seasonal activity in our area,” the department said. Because the virus is expected to become more prevalent as the season progresses, state environmental and health officials urged residents to limit their exposure to mosquitoes until the first hard frost. That includes eliminating mosquito breedings areas; ensuring windows and doors have screens; avoiding outdoor activities at sunrise and sundown, when mosquitoes are most active; and wearing shirts with long sleeves and long pants and using insect repellant when outdoors.

South Carolina

Hilton Head Island: A new genealogy research project could help preserve vulnerable coastal land belonging to Gullah Geechee families. The Heirs’ Property Family Research Project in Hilton Head Island will assist families with research that could help them obtain valid deeds for land that has been passed down to multiple family members without a will. Organized by the town’s Gullah Geechee Culture and Land Preservation Task Force, the Heritage Library of Hilton Head Island, and the University of South Carolina Beaufort, the project aims to help Black Americans known as Gullah or Geechee. These slave descendants retained much of their African heritage passed down from ancestors who grew up isolated on coastal islands off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Some of the Gullah Geechee land is particularly vulnerable, project organizers said in a statement, because of the way it was passed down without a formal will. Volunteers with the free program will tap into census records and other documents to create family trees. Sheryse DuBose of the task force said the project could aid several Gullah Geechee families to secure titles for their land.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell said he was aggressively poked by someone seeking a selfie, which led him to say he was attacked. Lindell, who hosted an election fraud symposium in the city last week, told the conservative talk show FlashPoint that he was approached by a man who wanted a photo Wednesday night. “He put his arm around and stuck his finger, it was so much pressure, I just knew if I did anything something more was coming,” Lindell said, gesturing to his side. “He jammed it in where it was just piercing pain.” Lindell had told the crowd Thursday at the election fraud symposium that he was still in pain and wanted everyone to know about the evil in the world. The Sioux Falls Police Department said it is investigating a report of an assault at a hotel near the symposium. Police spokesman Sam Clemens has declined to identify the victim, citing Marsy’s Law, a state constitutional amendment that protects crime victims. Lindell announced the symposium in July, saying he hoped hundreds of “cyber-forensics experts” would attend and back up his claims that voting machines were hacked to flip votes for former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden in 2020.

Tennessee

Nashville: The governor’s office is pushing back on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation that goes as far as claiming cows are being vaccinated to inoculate unwitting people who eat meat. The confusion over an assortment of outlandish claims illustrates the hurdles that face a state in the bottom 10 for vaccination rates amid a coronavirus resurgence stretching hospitals thin. In an email Thursday to lawmakers, a top deputy of Republican Gov. Bill Lee debunked “several conspiracy theories” about a recent executive order. The email says some components that are being most frequently misinterpreted were included in previous executive orders during the pandemic. Lee’s office said lawmakers seeking information for constituents and constituents themselves have reached out about the claims. The rumors deemed “FALSE” in the governor’s office email are that his executive order creates “quarantine camps”; that the National Guard will round up unvaccinated people and take them to locations to be quarantined or vaccinated, or forcibly vaccinate them in their homes; that the executive order lays the groundwork for permanent lockdowns; and that COVID-19 vaccines are being given to livestock to vaccinate people through meat consumption.

Texas

Dallas: A man who was scheduled for trial on murder charges last week has instead been granted release on bond after Dallas police revealed that material in his case might be among troves of data lost from its computer system. A Dallas County judge granted Jonathan Pitts bond Thursday after prosecutors asked the judge to delay his trial as they worked with police to determine whether case material was part of the information lost while the Dallas Police Department was moving data from a computer network drive. It was not immediately clear when Pitts would be freed from jail. The release of Pitts, who is charged in the 2019 shooting of Shun Handy, was ordered as authorities race to determine how many cases may have had evidence vanish in the 8-terabyte data loss. Prosecutors told Judge Ernie White on Thursday that they needed more time to work with police to audit the materials in Pitts’ case to determine whether anything was lost. On Friday evening, Dallas Police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said that “all the evidentiary items and data are available for prosecution on this murder case.” White granted Pitts release without paying bail because state law requires a person be freed if prosecutors aren’t ready at the time trial, his defense attorney, George Ashford III, told The Dallas Morning News.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Zion National Park may soon require reservations to hike one of its most famous trails. The Angel’s Landing hike is a narrow trail perched on the edge of a red-rock cliff in southern Utah. The number of people visiting Zion has been growing at a breakneck pace in recent years, and Angel’s Landing is one of the most sought-after destinations. More than 300,000 people made the trek in 2019, according to park officials. The crowding is worrisome on the trail where people regularly fall and die from the trail edged by a sheer cliff, park officials said. The system would start in 2022 and require people to pay $6 to enter an online lottery to get a permit and a $3 per person usage fee if they are chosen. It would apply specifically to the narrowest section of the trail, called the chain section after the metal handholds driven into the rock. Park officials are taking online public comment on the proposal through Sept. 12.

Vermont

Montpelier: The state Supreme Court has authorized a one-year pilot project for remote civil jury trials. The move comes after a committee studied how to utilize remote hearing technology to increase access to justice and address civil case backlogs. The issue is especially important as the judiciary continues to navigate challenges associated with COVID-19. “The judiciary has been using remote technology to facilitate operations in order to ensure access to justice and continuity of operations and to promote the health and safety of judges, staff, and court users during the pandemic,” said state court administrator Patricia Gabel. “Considering the ways available technology can assist us in managing our civil docket is an important step in our ongoing effort to leverage technology and adapt our operations to changing conditions,” she said. The pilot project will not affect criminal trials.

Virginia

Roanoke: A federal judge declined to block the blasting of bedrock on a mountain where a natural gas pipeline is supposed to be laid, saying she lacks authority to do so. The decision by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Dillon comes after the property owner on Bent Mountain in Roanoke County sought an injunction to halt the work involving the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Dillon said Friday that her court was not the proper jurisdiction to resolve the dispute, noting that landowner John Coles Terry III had already sought action from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, The Roanoke Times reports. An attorney for Terry’s family asked last week for a temporary injunction on the drilling and blasting. Construction crews had started boring holes to prepare for explosives that would clear a trench for burying the 42-inch-diameter pipe. Terry’s motion said the blasting could contaminate his well water and that of others downstream. But the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and pipeline officials have said they’ve not seen evidence of the potential harm described in the motion. Terry said after Friday’s hearing that crews had yet to reach the portion of his land where construction would most likely impact his water.

Washington

George: More than 160 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed so far among people who attended the Watershed Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in central Washington. More than 20,000 fans packed the Gorge, in George, for the three-day outdoor country music festival in late July, The Seattle Times reports. The Grant County Health District said Friday that the cases are tied to residents in counties including King, Grant, Pierce, Skagit, Kittitas, Okanogan, Whatcom, Kitsap, San Juan, Lincoln and Stevens. There’s also one case tied to an Oregon resident. Officials expect more cases associated with the festival to be confirmed in the coming days, and investigators are working with those who have tested positive to identify other cases. Public Health officials urge people who attended the festival to self-quarantine and get tested for the coronavirus. On average, symptoms of the virus develop five to six days after exposure, but the incubation period can be as long as 14 days, officials said. In eastern Oregon, Umatilla County Public Health officials have tied at least 66 COVID-19 cases to the outdoor Pendleton Whiskey Music Fest on July 10. Sixty-one of the people who tested positive were unvaccinated, officials said.

West Virginia

Charleston: Policies that allow state officials to refuse to change a transgender person’s gender on their birth certificates should be declared unconstitutional, according to a new federal lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic on Thursday sued the Department of Health and Human Resources on behalf of two transgender men born in West Virginia, The Exponent Telegram reports. The suit stems from a ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court last year that said circuit judges could no longer issue court orders telling health officials to change birth certificate gender markers. The lawsuit says the ruling led to health officials refusing to change gender markers and prior legal names on birth certificates of transgender individuals. The Department of Health and Human Resources has the authority under state law to make requested changes without a court order, according to ACLU of West Virginia Legal Director Loree Stark. Denying such requests violates transgender individuals’ constitutional rights to free speech, due process and equal protection, Stark said. West Virginia is “one of the last remaining states in the nation” where the gender marker on birth certificates can’t be changed, Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic Director Alexander Chen said.

Wisconsin

Kenosha: A woman accidentally shot a friend while using the laser sight on a handgun to play with a cat, authorities said. A criminal complaint charging the 19-year-old woman with negligent use of a weapon said she was visiting a Kenosha apartment Tuesday afternoon where a 21-year-old man had brought a handgun. The woman, who a witness said had been drinking, picked up the handgun, “turned on the laser sight and was pointing it at the floor to get the cat to chase it” when the gun went off, the complaint filed Thursday said. The man, who was standing in a doorway, was shot in the thigh, authorities said. He left and went into another apartment, where police found him after responding to a 911 call, the Kenosha News reports. A tourniquet was applied to his leg to stop the bleeding before he was taken to a hospital. There’s no word on his condition, but authorities said he was facing charges for violating bond conditions that prevented him from having a weapon. The woman told police she thought the magazine had been taken out of the gun and said it “accidentally went off,” according to the complaint.

Wyoming

Casper: A new memorial honors the military service of Native Americans who long went unrecognized. The Path of Honor opened Thursday at the Frank B. Wise Business Center in Fort Washakie, where stones along a winding red path symbolize courage and commitment to living a purposeful life, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Lyle Wadda of American Legion Post 81 spearheaded the project that began in 2008 after the Wind River Development Fund and Post 81 partnered to create the business center. Still, even after the building and memorial’s completion, Wadda found himself in disbelief when it was finally dedicated to the public in a ceremony attended by dignitaries including Gov. Mark Gordon. “We accept anyone in this post,” he said at the dedication ceremony. “You don’t have to be Native American or part of another tribe. Business is open to everyone.” John St. Clair, chairman of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council and a Vietnam veteran, pointed to the dedication and bravery of Native Americans who served as volunteers in the Spanish American War and in World War I, before Native Americans were granted U.S. citizenship. At the Wind River Reservation alone, close to 900 tribal members have served in conflicts ranging from World War I to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

News from around our 50 states

From staff and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: Lawmakers have voted to place statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller on the grounds of the state Capitol. State senators on Tuesday voted 29-0 for the bill. The legislation now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. The bill by Rep. Laura Hall creates a Women’s Tribute Statue Commission to fund, commission and place statues of Parks and Keller on the Capitol grounds. Parks was arrested Dec. 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery city bus to a white passenger. Her arrest helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil rights movement. Keller, who was both deaf and blind, became a world-famous author and activist.

Alaska

Kodiak: Many are familiar with uninvited guests unexpectedly crashing at the house, but an eagle took such a scenario to new heights. An eagle grabbed a piece of freezer-burned halibut that someone had thrown out and apparently misjudged its climb up a cliff with the 4-pound piece of fish while likely being chased by another eagle, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reports. The wrong trajectory led the eagle to smash through a front window of Stacy Studebaker’s home Saturday. “It was so unbelievably loud. My first thought was I thought an atomic bomb had dropped and the windows were blowing out,” says Studebaker, who founded the local chapter of the Audubon Society. She and a neighbor struggled to get the raptor out of her home as it dealt mayhem. Except for some blood around the beak, the eagle didn’t appear to be injured.

Arizona

Phoenix: Tonto National Monument, a desert park northeast of Phoenix, has been designated an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association. That honor is bestowed on areas worldwide that take steps to make it easier for people to enjoy the night sky without the distractions of light pollution. Achieving this designation involves retrofitting light fixtures and bulbs, acquiring data for darkness analysis, and monitoring and interpreting the importance of preserving darkness. The state is awash in dark-sky sites, including the communities of Camp Verde, Flagstaff, Fountain Hills, Oak Creek and Sedona; Grand Canyon National Park; Kartchner Caverns State Park; Oracle State Park; Petrified Forest National Park; Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument; Parashant National Monument; Tumacacori National Historical Park; Walnut Canyon National Monument; and Wupatki National Monument.

Arkansas

Fayetteville: Local leaders are considering a measure that would prevent the city from using public money to buy disposable products made with Styrofoam. The Fayetteville City Council discussed the proposal Tuesday night but took no action. The measure would also prohibit vendors, concession stands or food trucks operating on city property from using polystyrene foam, better known as Styrofoam. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the proposal is set to be considered again later this month. Cities and states across the nation have been busy banning or imposing fees for single-use foam and plastic products, while a wave in the opposite direction has led some states to seek prohibitions against such bans at the local level.

California

Beverly Hills: A fiery debate is breaking out as people at tony hair salons, gas stations and stores weigh in on whether the city of the rich and famous should become the first in the U.S. to outlaw the sale of tobacco products everywhere except a few cigar lounges. The City Council decided Tuesday night to make some changes to the proposal, such as allowing guests in Beverly Hills’ luxury hotels to acquire cigarettes through their concierge or room service. Members indicated they plan to pass the amended measure May 21. Abstainers have said yes to the idea, and the sooner the better, while smokers protested. California already outlaws smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars. It also has one of the highest cigarette taxes in the country – nearly $3 a pack. The proposed ordinance would ban all tobacco products from grocery stores, pharmacies, hotels and gas stations.

Colorado

Denver: Voters narrowly made the city the first in the nation to decriminalize psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms.” Decriminalization led by a slim 51%, according to preliminary figures on Tuesday’s election released by Denver’s Election Division. As many as 1,300 votes still remain to be counted, but that figure was not enough to swing the vote the other way, division spokesman Alton Dillard said. Final results will be released May 16, he said. Organizers say their only goal in the mushroom measure is to keep people out of jail for using or possessing the drug to cope with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other conditions. The initiative effectively decriminalizes use or possession of psilocybin by people 21 and older, making it the lowest enforcement priority for police and prosecutors. It does not legalize psilocybin or permit its sale by cannabis businesses.

Connecticut

Hartford: An effort to better market the state as a good place to live, visit and do business has cleared a key legislative hurdle. The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 113-28 for a bill requiring the Department of Economic and Community Development to come up with a marketing strategy that includes outreach to startup businesses and entrepreneurs, a new social media photo competition highlighting Connecticut’s beauty, and a campaign highlighting successful businesses. The bill, which awaits Senate action, also suggests DECD consider updating the state’s “Still Revolutionary” logo or design a new one with the help of a middle-school design competition. Other suggestions include targeting former residents between ages 30-45 and improving print marketing in airport lounges. Some Republicans opposed the bill, arguing lawmakers should simply cut taxes to attract business.

Delaware

Dover: In an effort to better identify victims of human trafficking, hospitals across the state will start to use the same techniques, making the First State likely the first in the country to adopt a coordinated approach, health officials say. Delaware has become an attractive place for traffickers because of its place along the I-95 corridor – and critics say state officials have been slow to address the growing problem. The Delaware Healthcare Association, which represents all the hospitals in the state, announced five recommendations Wednesday that will be implemented at all hospitals within the next year: educating the entire staff about human trafficking, using a specific assessment to identify red flags, following a step-by-step process to respond to suspected trafficking, using a hospital code for trafficking victims to collect statewide data and following a memo on how best to address minors who are being trafficked.

District of Columbia

Washington: Comedian Dave Chappelle has been chosen to receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The 45-year-old Chappelle shot to international stardom through his Comedy Central program, “Chappelle’s Show,” which gleefully skewered racial stereotypes and hot-button societal issues. He later made headlines for walking away from a lucrative contract over creative differences. Chappelle attended Washington’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and his first hourlong comedy special was filmed in the nation’s capital. Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter called Chappelle “a hometown hero” and said his social commentary and body of work embody Twain’s statement that “against the assault of humor, nothing can stand.” Chappelle will be presented with the award in a star-studded ceremony Oct. 29 that will be broadcast on television Jan. 6, 2020.

Florida

Gainesville: The lovebugs that are driving Floridians crazy right now may not be good for the finish on cars, but they are good for the environment, particularly the soil, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The pesky, slow-flying insects lay their eggs in places with dying vegetation, such as thatch, which is the cut grass spit out by lawn mowers. That’s where immature lovebugs, which actually are a type of fly known scientifically as plecia nearctica, live and eat. Feeding on the dead vegetation redistributes essential nutrients back into the ground, and that benefits plants and the environment. Also known as honeymoon flies, double-headed bugs and kissing bugs, the adult insects feed on plant nectar, especially sweet clover, goldenrod and Brazilian pepper.

Georgia

Atlanta: The state is seeking proposals to develop a Medicaid waiver that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp says will make health care more affordable and accessible. If approved by the federal government, the waiver would allow Georgia to expand Medicaid more conservatively than federal rules typically allow. The Department of Community Health asked six consulting firms Monday to submit proposals for waivers addressing Georgia’s Medicaid program and private health insurance. Officials are aiming to submit them to the federal government by the end of 2019. A bill that Kemp signed in March gave his office wide leeway to seek a waiver that reshapes the state’s health care system. Georgia is one of 14 states that haven’t fully expanded Medicaid under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The State Department of Health has launched a new website that provides near real-time data on the air quality following last summer’s Kilauea eruption. The site is expected to serve as an online resource, particularly in the event of future volcanic eruptions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. “We listened to the concerns of residents, took action to improve our air quality monitoring system, and created a one-stop, user-friendly website. We’re much more volcano-ready than we have ever been,” says Health Director Bruce Anderson. Data for the website is pulled from air quality monitoring stations at strategic locations throughout the state. Most are on the Big Island. The state upgraded and expanded its air quality monitoring system with more than $1.5 million in federal and state funds. People can access the data via an interactive air quality map.

Idaho

Boise: A planned hiking-and-biking trail connecting the popular central Idaho tourist destinations of Redfish Lake and Stanley is being challenged in federal court by the owners of Sawtooth Mountain Ranch. David Boren and Lynn Arnone filed the lawsuit last month seeking to stop a U.S. Forest Service plan to build a 4.4-mile trail for pedestrians, cyclists and horseback riders. The trail cuts across the Sawtooth Mountain Ranch. But the Sawtooth National Forest has a conservation easement deed dating to 2005 that it says allows the trail to cross the private property. The lawsuit contends the planned trail deviates from the easement and has “numerous flaws and illegalities.”

Illinois

Chicago: Community and environmental activists are pushing for the opening of Lake Calumet on the city’s South Side to public access for recreation. Currently, a chain-link fence topped with razor wire surrounds the lake, blocking public access to hundreds of acres of natural habit. Ders Anderson of Chicago-based Openlands told the Daily Southtown in Tinley Park that Lake Calumet has long been recognized for the waterfowl, bald eagles and other bird species that roost nearby. Anderson says in addition to bird-watching, walking or bicycling on trails near the water, canoeing on the shallow lake or simply relaxing would benefit residents of Chicago and nearby suburbs. About 1,500 acres around Lake Calumet are part of the Port of Chicago, controlled by the Illinois International Port District.

Indiana

Franklin: Researchers at Franklin College have received a record-breaking research grant to study the behavior and management of Canada geese in the state, where the migratory bird’s population is growing along with complaints. The four-year grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act includes a $250,000 award that will fund Franklin College’s contribution to the study, on which the college is partnering with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Ball State University. It is the largest research grant ever awarded to the small college about 20 miles south of Indianapolis. Indiana’s Canada goose population is estimated around 130,000, according to the DNR, but the rise in complaints involving geese in urban areas suggests that figure may actually be higher.

Iowa

Onawa: A new report has named this small town, known for its wide main street and its claim to the invention of the Eskimo Pie, the poorest in the state. According to 24/7 Wall Street, Onawa is the only town in Iowa where more than 1 in 4 residents lives below the poverty line. The town’s 24.9% SNAP benefit recipiency rate is more than double the 11.2% rate statewide, the report says. The town with a population of 2,849 has a median household income of $31,089 (state: $56,570), a poverty rate of 25.3% (state: 12%) and a median home value of $93,500 (state: $137,200). The population is 90% white and 8% American Indian. Onawa is most widely known for staking a claim as the town with the “widest main street in America” at 150 feet wide. It’s also known as the birthplace of the Eskimo pie, a frozen treat made of ice cream encased in a chocolate coating, reportedly invented by Chris K. Nelsen in the summer of 1919.

Kansas

Kansas City: A water park where a 10-year-old boy was decapitated isn’t hiring lifeguards, advertising or selling tickets with just weeks left before its typical Memorial Day weekend opening date, underlining speculation that it could be put up for sale. Schlitterbahn remains mum on its plans but has largely removed reference from its website about the park where Caleb Schwab was killed in 2016 when the raft he was riding on the 17-story Verruckt slide went airborne and hit a metal pole. Verruckt – German for “crazy” – never reopened and was torn down last year. Season tickets have been on sale for months for Schlitterbahn’s four Texas locations, but not the Kansas park. Speculation about a potential sale was fueled by mortgage lender EPR Properties announcing last week that Schlitterbahn is expected to pay off its approximately $190 million loan on the property soon.

Kentucky

Walton: The high school senior who went to court over a restriction tied to chickenpox at his school has come down with the illness, his lawyer says. Christopher Wiest says Jerome Kunkel, 18, got sick last week, nearly two months after the Northern Kentucky Health Department issued its order to control an outbreak at two small parochial schools in Boone County. “He’s fine,” Wiest said. “He’s a little itchy.” In January, chickenpox broke out at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School and Assumption Academy, its high school. The schools and church in Walton are affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X, a conservative branch of Roman Catholicism that rejects Vatican II reforms. Nearly 90% of the schools’ students have religious exemptions against vaccinations. Kunkel and his classmates did not receive the vaccine because its production involves laboratory-generated cells taken from a fetus aborted in 1966.

Louisiana

Shreveport: A display of “magic, luck and friendship” will brighten up downtown’s Shreveport Common neighborhood this fall. The FriendsWithYou artist group will install a vivid, colorful public park called Rainbow City, including more than 35 larger-than-life, vinyl, multicolored inflatable sculptures standing up to 50 feet high. Rainbow City will be unveiled in late October in the Common Park. Various interactive and entertaining experiences are programmed at the inflatable park from Oct. 26 through Dec. 7, including a Dia de los Muertos celebratory dance party, a PJs and Pancakes breakfast, a romantic movie screening under the stars, a yoga session and more. On Oct. 26, FriendsWithYou will lead a Rainbow City Parade, featuring a new inflatable character named “Gumball,” designed by Caddo Parish student Isaiah Roberts. The fourth grader’s drawing was selected from hundreds of submissions.

Maine

Portland: The state’s baby eel fishermen are enjoying a steady harvest and strong prices during the first season in which regulators are using new controls to stop poaching. Baby eels, called elvers, are one of the most lucrative marine resources in the U.S. on a per-pound basis, but the fishery has had problems with poaching. This year, packing and shipping of the fish is subject to more scrutiny by the Maine Marine Patrol. Fishermen are more than 90% of the way through their quota for the year, which is slightly less than 10,000 pounds. The average price is more than $2,000 per pound, which would be the third highest average on record if holds, state officials said. “For the guys who want to do the right thing and grow this fishery, they’re happy to comply,” says Jeffrey Pierce, a former state legislator who is an adviser to the Maine Elver Fishermen Association.

Maryland

Baltimore: Police arrested seven people Wednesday as they ended a monthlong sit-in in the lobby of an administrative building at Johns Hopkins University, where a group of protesters have demonstrated against the creation of a campus police force and the institution’s contracts with the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency. City police officers and firefighters “provided assistance” shortly before 5 a.m. to reopen Garland Hall, the primary administrative building, the university announced. Protesters had chained the doors shut and blocked stairwells, defying a city fire marshal’s orders to keep the entrances and exits clear. Firefighters used an electric saw to get inside. The city’s top prosecutor swiftly dismissed the idea of prosecuting them. “No one arrested, student or community member, will be prosecuted,” said Melba Saunders, spokeswoman for State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

Massachusetts

Boston: America’s oldest performing arts group is looking for a child who was literally wowed by a recent classical music concert. The Handel & Haydn Society had just finished its rendition of Mozart’s “Masonic Funeral” at Symphony Hall on Sunday when a youngster blurted out loudly: “WOW!” Boston classical music station WCRB-FM captured the exuberance on audio. The crowd can be heard bursting first into laughter and then into rousing applause for the child. Now the organization founded in 1815 has mounted a search for the kid it’s calling the “Wow Child” – not to reprimand him or her but to offer a chance to meet the conductor and hear the orchestra again as a guest of honor. “It was one of the most wonderful moments I’ve experienced in the concert hall,” Handel & Haydn president and CEO David Snead wrote in a letter to concertgoers asking them to share the child’s name.

Michigan

Detroit: A 17-foot bronze sculpture that arrived downtown last year got people talking, taking selfies and wondering what exactly it means. This week, the conversation sparked by “Waiting,” a work of art by internationally acclaimed artist Kaws, will get some fresh context, thanks to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. “Kaws: Alone Again,” which opens Friday and runs through Aug. 4, is a solo exhibition of work by Brooklyn-based artist Brian Donnelly, who goes by the alias Kaws. The show was organized by MOCAD’s executive director Elysia Borowy-Reeder in collaboration with the contemporary art superstar. “Riffing on specific genres of pop art, figuration, deconstruction, collage and fashion, the exhibition represents an underlying irreverence and affection for our turbulent times, as well as Kaws’ agility as an artist to appropriate and transform,” MOCAD says about the exhibition.

Minnesota

St. Paul: Mississippi River flooding in the capital this spring swamped the record for the longest period of flooding ever measured in the city. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the river was above flood stage for 42 straight days, easily surpassing the 2001 record of 33 days. The National Weather Service says the river fell below flood stage last weekend. The city is continuing to assess and clean up riverside streets that were submerged before reopening them. All of the city’s flood plain parks, including boat launches, remain closed.

Mississippi

Oxford: The mayor is apologizing about confusion over parking meters. Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill says drivers will not be ticketed for parking at a malfunctioning meter. The Oxford Eagle reports the city put stickers on meters a couple of weeks ago warning people not to park at broken ones. The city’s parking director, Matt Davis, had also told the newspaper that citations would be issued. Parking meters are still fairly new on the town square in Oxford. Tannehill says the mayor and aldermen never voted to allow ticketing for vehicles parked at broken meters. She said Saturday on social media that if someone finds a broken meter, the city should tell that driver: “ ‘It’s your lucky day.’ ”

Missouri

Springfield: An Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals panel has upheld a previous ruling on a city ordinance that prohibits women from showing their nipples and areolas in public, despite protests from local activists who argue the policy is discriminatory. The decision Monday is the latest in a four-year controversy that started when some women walked shirtless through downtown Springfield to protest the differing rules for men and women. Members of the City Council, who feared the scandalizing of children and moral degradation of the community, later passed an ordinance prohibiting women from showing their nipples in public. But the ACLU and local “Free the Nipple” activists sued, and a federal judge upheld the city’s ordinance in 2017. On Monday, a three-judge panel for the appeals court agreed with the lower court, citing at least eight cases during which courts upheld similar laws.

Montana

Billings: Law enforcement officials say they’ve managed to slow an increase in violent crime rates in the state’s most populous county that’s being driven largely by methamphetamine trafficking and abuse. U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox on Wednesday announced results from the first year of an initiative targeting violent criminals in Yellowstone County. They say the number of murders, robberies and aggravated assaults increased just over 1% over the past year, after surging 26% in the prior 12-month period. Alme credited the government’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative for helping bring federal charges against 170 defendants in Yellowstone County for drug trafficking, armed robbery and firearms offenses. Alme says a similar effort in Missoula County is also showing positive results.

Nebraska

Niobrara: People who suffered losses when the Spencer Dam failed have gotten more bad news: State law limits the liability of the dam’s owner. That owner, Nebraska Public Power District, has said the March 14 collapse was due to a combination of high Niobrara River flows and massive chunks of ice. The home of a man who lived below the dam, Kenny Angel, was swept away. His body still has not been found. The Norfolk Daily News reports that attorney David Domina addressed a gathering of homeowners, farmers and businesspeople Monday in Niobrara. He told them state law limits the district liability to $1 million per claim per occurrence and $5 million per occurrence for all claimants. He says Knox County already is listing more than $17 million in damages.

Nevada

Sparks: The Forest Service’s rejection of a proposal to drill for oil or gas in the Ruby Mountains has become official after no one complained during the 45-day objection period. Forest Supervisor Bill Dunkelberger says the agency’s decision became final Tuesday. He says the service didn’t receive a single objection after it determined the drilling wasn’t suitable for the area and selected the “no leasing” alternative in mid-March. He says that reaffirms his belief he made the right decision for future management of more than 82 square miles of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest along the mountain range in northern Nevada’s Elko County. Dunkelberger concluded any economic benefits from the drilling would be limited compared to money the natural resources contribute to the area economy through tourism, recreation and livestock grazing.

New Hampshire

Durham: University of New Hampshire researchers say they’ve discovered a new strain of canine distemper virus in wild animals in New Hampshire and Vermont. Over one year, pathologists diagnosed canine distemper virus infection in eight mammals: fishers, gray foxes, a skunk, a raccoon and a mink. Pathologists found all of the animals were infected with a distinct strain of the virus that had been identified only in a single raccoon in Rhode Island in 2004. They said the identification of this strain fills a gap in the general knowledge of canine distemper virus strains circulating in North America. The strain was identified by UNH pathologists in collaboration with colleagues at Cornell University, University of Georgia, Northeast Wildlife Disease Cooperative, and state Fish and Game departments.

New Jersey

Newark: Gov. Phil Murphy has signed four bills into law aimed at improving maternal health care, particularly for residents using Medicaid. The Democrat signed the measures Wednesday at University Hospital in Newark. The new laws were enacted just a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study showing that pregnancy-related deaths are rising and that being black is a main risk factor. One measure provides for Medicaid to cover doulas. Another sets up a pilot program for perinatal care for those on Medicaid. The third bill bars early, elective deliveries that are not medically necessary for those on Medicaid and on the state’s health benefits plans. The final measure codifies a current practice by requiring perinatal risk assessment forms be filled out by Medicaid providers.

New Mexico

Las Vegas: A group of college students is helping redesign the Jemez Historic Site visitor center using multimedia tools. New Mexico Highlands University announced this week that 15 of its media arts students are creating floor-to-ceiling video projections of historic images and oral histories at the Native American site. The students also are adding interactive touch-screen computer tablets that focus on artifacts and an event called “Light Among the Ruins.” Supervisory archaeologist Ethan Ortega says the students used oral histories and texts written by Jemez tribal members to create the new components. The Jemez Historic Site includes the stone remains of a 500-year-old village and the San Jose church, which dates to 1622. It’s located at Jemez Springs, about 50 miles north of Albuquerque.

New York

Albany: A new exhibit chronicling the end of one of the most turbulent decades in American history has opened to the public at the Empire State Plaza. The exhibit titled “1969” opened Wednesday at the Vietnam Memorial Gallery in the Robert Abrams Justice Building in downtown Albany. Events such as the first moon landing and Woodstock music concert occurred 50 years ago this year, while the Vietnam War raged in Southeast Asia. The exhibit includes photographs, archival footage and artifacts from the era, along with audio recordings of veterans from New York telling stories about their Vietnam experience in ’69. Nicholas Valenti, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and is now a leader of the Vietnam Veteran chapters of New York, joined state officials at the official opening.

North Carolina

Durham: Duke University has received a $5 million grant to improve the 55-acre Sarah P. Duke Gardens site on campus, which attracts about 400,000 visitors each year. University President Vincent Price said in a news release that The Duke Endowment is providing the grant for the Garden Gateway Project, a fundraising campaign. The grant brings the total raised to $16 million of the $30 million goal for the project, which will revitalize the gardens’ front entrance and fund new and improved facilities and classrooms. The plan also calls for a new performance lawn and expanded indoor event hall. The Duke Endowment is a private foundation based in Charlotte. The university, the foundation and Duke Energy are separate organizations despite sharing a name.

North Dakota

Medora: Part of the scenic drive and some trails are being temporarily closed at Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North Unit while prescribed fire projects are completed. Planned burns are used as a resource management tool. The National Park Service says one fire Thursday is to encompass about 4,300 acres, or nearly 7 square miles. There also will be a smaller fire covering 700 acres, or about a square mile. The scenic drive will be closed at the Caprock Coulee trailhead to the end of the road. Portions of the Achenbach and Caprock Coulee trails will be closed for visitor safety. Burning is expected be completed by the end of the day.

Ohio

Cincinnati: The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is expecting two new babies this year. “Two of our giraffes are pregnant. One, Tessa, is due in June, and the other, Cece, is due in the fall,” spokeswoman Michelle Curley says. Both Tessa and Cece have given birth at the zoo before, but these will be the first giraffe calves in three years. Cece’s daughter Cora and Zoey, who was born to Jambo, made their debut in 2016. In 2014, Tessa gave birth to Nasha. Way back in 2011, Tessa gave birth to the zoo’s first baby giraffe in 26 years. According to the zoo, giraffe calves typically weigh about 125 pounds at birth and are approximately 6 feet tall.

Oklahoma

Tulsa: Fines, dues and court expenses assessed to defendants in the state have spiked since fiscal year 2007, and some criminal justice reform advocates say state and local government agencies are increasingly relying on them as an income source. Tulsa World reports that citations, fees and costs have risen 27% since 2007. State lawmakers have also imposed two administrative charges that collectively require defendants to pay an additional 25% of all fees amassed by the courts for the executive branch. Court collections have contributed to about 66% to 90% of yearly district court subsidies over that same period. Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform director Kris Steele says an impoverished person’s inability to pay either puts them in jail or leads to their return to crime in order to satisfy the debts.

Oregon

Salem: The Legislature is considering a bill that would let farmers sue companies, such as Bayer and Syngenta, that hold patents on genetically engineered seeds if crops grown from those seeds contaminate other crops. Contamination from genetically engineered crops can make organic and conventional crops unable to be sold. GE crops also can escape their fields and become a nuisance for other farmers that is hard to eradicate. House Bill 2882 would allow landowners or tenants to seek three times actual economic damages if GE organisms, also called GMOs, are present on their land without permission. It also would allow residents to sue the corporations if GE organisms are found on land owned or occupied by a public body in the area where they live.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Three Mile Island, site of the United States’ worst nuclear power accident, will begin a planned shutdown starting June 1 now that it is clear that it will not get a financial rescue from the state, its owner said Wednesday. Exelon Corp.’s statement comes two years after the energy giant threatened to close the money-losing plant without what critics have called a bailout. The fight over Three Mile Island and Pennsylvania’s four other nuclear power plants invigorated a debate over the “zero carbon emissions” characteristics of nuclear power in the age of global warming and in one of the nation’s largest fossil fuel-producing states. Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 is licensed to operate through 2034, and shutting it down will cut its life short by 15 years. It will go offline by Sept. 30, Exelon said.

Rhode Island

Warwick: A school district has changed its policy after facing criticism for a plan to serve students who owe lunch money sun butter and jelly sandwiches instead of a hot meal. Warwick Public Schools, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, said Wednesday that a school subcommittee recommended students get the lunch of their choice regardless of their account balance. Chairwoman Karen Bachus clarified that under the current policy students would’ve been provided the sandwich, which is also a daily choice on the school lunch menu, vegetables, fruit and milk. The district faced pushback after announcing in a Facebook post Sunday that students who owed money on paid, free or reduced lunch accounts would be served cold sandwiches until the balance is paid starting May 13.

South Carolina

Charleston: The state’s largest detention center is facing a serious staffing shortage, and officials are hoping to hire those looking for work. WCIV-TV reports there are about 90 vacancies currently out of nearly 400 jobs at the Al Cannon Detention Center. Deputy PJ Skipper says the job isn’t for everyone, but it’s one that has kept her coming back every day for 23 years. She says she initially planned a short two-year stint but realized working there is a calling. She says if she can make a difference with just one inmate, she’s done her job. The sheriff’s office is holding a Career Day on Saturday. Those interested should bring a driver’s license or other ID and be ready to take tests to see if they qualify for the posts.

South Dakota

Keystone: Fireworks will return to Mount Rushmore National Memorial for the Fourth of July celebration in 2020. Mount Rushmore’s fireworks were discontinued after 2009 due to concerns related to the pine beetle infestation that increased fire concerns in the Black Hills National Forest. The forest has since rebounded, and advances have been made in pyrotechnic safety. Gov. Kristi Noem, federal Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith on Tuesday announced the resumption of fireworks. Noem said the agreement came after several months of meetings and discussions.

Tennessee

Nashville: Along with classic country songs like “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” there’s a legendary tale that millions associate with George Jones – the lawn mower story. Once, during a terrible bout of binge drinking, Jones says he was left alone in his house with no booze. To stop him from driving to the liquor store, his wife had hidden all his car keys. “But she forgot about the lawn mower,” Jones wrote in his autobiography, “I Lived to Tell It All.” Jones cleaned up his act for good in 1999, living a sober life until his death in 2013, but the lawn mower legend lives on. Now, it’s been immortalized in a new mural on the side of Nashville’s Colonial Liquors, where Jones was once a frequent customer. The mural was painted by Nashville artist Shawn Catz, along with a crew of musician friends. But the cartoon design actually comes from an episode of “Tales From the Tour Bus,” an animated TV series by Mike Judge (“Beavis & Butthead,” “King of the Hill”).

Texas

Austin: Removal of Confederate and other historical markers would need approval from voters or state lawmakers under a bill that won initial approval from the state Senate on Tuesday. The measure would take removal powers away from local governments and other public entities who have grappled with calls to remove Confederate markers that are now facing protests over the era’s racist history. The Dallas City Council voted last year to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a park, and the University of Texas in 2017 removed several statues of Lee and other Confederate figures. Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott and other top state Republicans agreed to remove a Capitol plaque that said slavery was not the underlying cause of the Civil War.

Utah

Cedar City: Southern Utah University has secured funding for a new child development center, which officials say could fill a previously unmet need of on-campus child care. But city residents as a whole may also be struggling to find quality, affordable child care. Data suggests care in Cedar City isn’t just hard to come by but also expensive. Though finding affordable, quality child care is an issue many families and individuals face, SUU is focusing its services on students who are single mothers. Construction on the Sorenson Legacy Child and Family Development Center will begin in July, and it will be open for student use by August 2020. Kathy Wyatt, steering committee chair of the child care center and SUU’s first lady, says the center will double as a preschool, taking in children who are infants up to age 5.

Vermont

Derby Line: U.S. officials have marked the completion of a new U.S.-Canada border crossing facility that is designed to smooth the flow of people and trade between the two countries while keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism and criminal organizations. The new $33 million facility at the northern end of Interstate 91 in the Vermont town of Derby Line replaces another facility that was built in 1965. High-tech improvements make the new facility more energy efficient, and it includes technological upgrades and larger spaces where officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection can process both people and cargo. Construction began in fall 2016. The port of entry processes about 1.1 million people a year, says Christopher Averill, the regional administrator of the General Services Administration.

Virginia

Richmond: A police officer who cursed at a group of black middle schoolers and later promised to publicly apologize has rescinded the offer. Richmond police Chief William Smith tells The Richmond Times-Dispatch that the officer, whose name hasn’t been released, no longer feels he can handle the large setting. A March video shows the officer telling the Albert Hill students to “wait until your asses turn 18, then you’re mine.” Student Cameron Hilliard filmed the video and says someone outside her group yelled an obscenity directed at officers, launching the confrontation. The officer apologized to the students and their guardians last week and signed an agreement to publicly apologize at a school assembly. The chief says the officer is sorry for not being able to meet with the school.

Washington

Olympia: Gov. Jay Inslee, who is seeking a path to the White House on the message of climate change, signed a measure Tuesday that makes the state the fourth in the nation to establish a mandate to provide carbon-free electricity by a targeted date. The measure was among several environmental bills that Inslee signed at a park in Seattle, surrounded by climate advocates and others. The signing of the new law comes less than a week after Inslee unveiled his first major policy proposal of his presidential campaign, in which he called for the nation’s entire electrical grid and all new vehicles and buildings to be free of carbon pollution by 2030. “We are determined to build a solar and wind and electrical system where people can access clean energy and cleaner air to breathe for our kids as long as Washington state is here,” he said.

West Virginia

Charleston: The U.S. government sued nearly two dozen of Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies Tuesday to get them to pay about $4.8 million in unpaid mine safety fines. The civil lawsuit was filed by federal prosecutors on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Justice’s companies committed more than 2,000 federal Mine Health and Safety Act violations since May 2014 but have refused to pay the penalties despite multiple attempts by federal agencies to get the money, according to the lawsuit. “This is unacceptable, and, as indicated by this suit, we will hold them accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen.

Wisconsin

Madison: Assembly Republicans with prisons in their districts are complaining about Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to grant temporary raises at only six institutions. Nineteen Republicans sent a letter Wednesday to Evers saying that the raises aren’t fair and that compensation should be addressed through the state budget. A state audit released last week found entry-level guard pay in Wisconsin was second-lowest among seven Midwestern states. Evers’ budget calls for spending an additional $23.8 million to create a pay progression system for prison workers. Days before the audit was released, Evers’ administration gave temporary raises of up to $5 an hour to workers at Columbia, Dodge, Green Bay, Taycheedah and Waupun correctional institutions as well as the Lincoln Hills youth prison. Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff says Evers is trying to fix problems Republicans have ignored.

Wyoming

Laramie: If Thomas Foulke has his way, some of the oldest domesticated crops in the world will help grow a new industry in the state. Foulke, a senior research scientist at the University of Wyoming in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, is leading an effort called the Wyoming First-Grains Project, which aims to develop a niche industry around growing “first grains.” He describes those as the earliest domesticated cereal crops, among them Emmer wheat, spelt, barley and einkorn. “People were making bread from wild grains before they even domesticated it,” he said. “There was something about bread and something about wheat that was really important to early humans.” In conjunction with UW research farms in Lingle, Powell and Sheridan, the First-Grains Project produced about 20 acres of spelt and Emmer wheat last year.

From staff and wire reports