In the news

■ Bruce Bostelman, a Nebraska state senator, apologized amid ridicule after a televised debate in which he cited a persistent rumor that litter boxes were being placed in school bathrooms to accommodate kids who identify as cats, claiming, “They meow and they bark and they interact with their teachers in this fashion.”

■ Trudy Busch Valentine, an Anheuser-Busch beer heiress, announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate, shaking up a low-profile Democratic primary in a solidly red state, saying “Most Missouri families include Democrats, Independents and Republicans; mine sure does.”

■ Quintez Brown, 21, of Kentucky, who was running for Louisville Metro Council, was indicted on attempted murder and endangerment charges after police say he fired a gun at a mayoral candidate, grazing his sweater.

■ Jamie Petrone, 42, an administrator at Yale University’s school of medicine, faces as much as 20 years in prison after admitting she purchased $40 million worth of computer equipment through school accounts and resold it, spending the money on luxury cars, real estate and travel.

■ Mary Kelly Tate, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, praised the trustees as they acted to remove from six buildings the names of people who supported slavery and racial segregation, calling it a historic moment and “an extremely positive path forward.”

■ Wilson Tong, CEO of LifeArt Asia in Hong Kong, concedes that people feel “it’s a little bit shameful to use so- called paper caskets,” but a coffin shortage and space constraints for cremation burials have created a market for cardboard eco-coffins, with designs that can reflect religion, hobbies or favorite colors.

■ Midori Hayashi, 75, of Tokyo, who’s largely stayed at home during the pandemic, said “I wanted to come here for sure this year, and I’m really happy” as she celebrated cherry blossom season at a viewing spot near the Imperial Palace.

■ Elizabeth Peters of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden says cherry blossom fans should forget about “peak bloom,” because “each moment is special,” adding that after months of dreary weather and bare branches, it’s finally time in New York City, with 40,000 ornamental cherry trees bursting with white and pink petals.

■ Jeannette Weiland, 49, of Sioux Falls, S.D., was arrested after a checkbook was stolen and police say she cashed a $1,600 check that she wrote to herself.