STATE- BY- STATE

ALABAMA Huntsville: A Lauderdale County couple were indicted on charges that they beat and robbed an alleged drug dealer — who then called police to report the crimes, The TimesDaily reported.

ALASKA Fairbanks: A large crowd of teens circled a giant boulder on the front lawn of Hutchison High School. They spray- painted the rock bright blue. Then, they each chose a different color paint and inscribed a personal message to their two fallen friends killed in a car crash, newsminer. com reported.

ARIZONA Gilbert: Mayor John Lewis formally resigned to become president and CEO of the East Valley Partnership, a nonprofit regional coalition, The Arizona Republic reported.

ARKANSAS Little Rock: Candy Wilkerson said in a Facebook post that she will continue to operate Capital Smokehouse and Grill in the wake of the death July 1 of her husband, co- owner and chief cook Doug Wilkerson, ArkansasOnline reported.

CALIFORNIA San Diego: As thousands came for Comic- Con, police officer Tito Santos stood at the top of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront parking structure, surveying the surrounding area with binoculars, rifle at his side. “With terrorism across the globe — France last year and Dallas and Orlando — you have to make adjustments,” Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul Connelly told the Los Angeles Times.

COLORADO Denver: The state set another tourism record with the 77.7 million people who visited last year, spending an alltime high of $ 19.1 billion during their stay. The Denver Post reported the Tourism Office said last year’s tourists generated more than $ 1.1 billion in state and local taxes, an increase of almost 7% from 2014.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: Gov. Malloy bypassed security at an airport while carrying his son’s backpack in November, drawing objections from some airport officials, the Hartford Courant reported. Malloy apologized and said he and his family “were running a little behind” that day.

DELAWARE Rehoboth Beach: The popular Junction and Breakwater trail between Lewes and here reopened a few days ahead of schedule. The News Journal reported that a repair project forced the temporary closure of 2 miles between the two resort towns, effectively shuttering one leg of a 15- mile loop.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Despite warnings from Metro about transit service disruptions during its SafeTrack maintenance project, ridership is creeping back toward normal, increasing the potential for even more commuting hassles, The Washington Post reported.

FLORIDA Melbourne: Raging orange flames ravaged the Elizabeth Eaton home, which was built in 1893 on the Indian River bluff in the Riverview Drive neighborhood, Florida Today reported.

GEORGIA Atlanta: Peering over the shoulders of summertime’s self- styled tong masters, the Journal- Constitution pointed out common mistakes made on the barbecue grill. Don’t fiddle with the food too much, the experts advised, and hold off on the sauce till the last moments.

HAWAII Oahu: Ocean Safety officials warned the public about a man- o- war influx along the east shore, particularly at Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii News Now reported. Warning signs were posted, but the beaches remain open.

IDAHO Stanley: The first sockeye salmon arrived in the central part of the state. A statement from the Department of Fish and Game said the fish arrived after a 900- mile journey from the Pacific Ocean.

ILLINOIS Joliet: A small plane crashed into a house, killing the pilot, setting the house on fire and leaving debris scattered throughout the neighborhood, the Naperville Sun News reported.

INDIANA Muncie: To make her world a nicer place in a time of so much national unrest, Jeannetta Presley created a “Blessing Box” for her front yard, The Star- Press reported. The small black cabinet is stocked with non- perishable food items and basic toiletries for people to take and bring back when they can.

IOWA Waterloo: Some residents are teaming up with City Council members in an effort to get security cameras installed around the city, KCRG- TV reported.

KANSAS Pittsburg: A 26- yearold man involved in a homeinvasion robbery in which a Pittsburg State University student was killed was sentenced to five years in prison, The Joplin Globe reported.

KENTUCKY Louisville: A federal grand jury convicted former Bullitt County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Corder on charges that he arrested a man for crimes he didn’t commit. Corder — who was fired from the Police Department — was accused of willfully depriving a county resident of his constitutional rights, The Courier- Journal reported.

LOUISIANA New Orleans: A City Hall selection committee chose Social Bicycles, or SoBi, a Brooklyn, N. Y., company, to bring a bike share program to the city,

The Times- Picayune reported.

MAINE Newry: The site of one of the world’s largest tourmaline finds was put up for sale at an asking price of $ 2.7 million. Listing agent Kevin Fletcher told The

Sun Journal that whoever purchases Plumbago Mountain could be in for a potential windfall should they dive in and strike a vein.

MARYLAND Baltimore: Police Commissioner Kevin Davis wants to relax a hiring policy for police officers that disqualifies applicants for past marijuana use, saying it is “fundamentally inconsistent with where we are as a society” and hurts hiring efforts, The Sun reported.

MASSACHUSETTS Amherst: The town agreed to pay $ 5,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by longtime activist Richard Maximus Strahan, who alleged he was roughed up by officers in 2012, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported.

MICHIGAN Monroe: A 27- yearold suspect was arrested in connection with the death of Chelsea Bruck, 22, who went missing after attending a large Halloween party Oct. 26, 2014, in Frenchtown Township, the Monroe News reported.

MINNESOTA Brainerd: The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a small alligator in Hardy Lake. Officers responded, scooped up the 31- inch- long reptile and handed it off to the nearby Safari North Wildlife Park, the Star Tribune reported.

MISSISSIPPI Jonesville: The town council asked Police Chief Skylar Dore to resign after online comments he made regarding violence against police, The Natchez Democrat reported. He posted profanity- laced remarks against President Obama after the recent killings of police officers.

MISSOURI Fenton: KSDK- TV reported that the St. Louis County Tax Increment Financing Commission recommended approval of $ 34.6 million in TIF funding for redevelopment of the plant. The St. Louis County Council will decide on the TIF funding in August.

MONTANA Bozeman: U. S. Census estimates show that the city’s population growth outpaces that of other cities in the state. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported the city added 1,760 people from 2014 to 2015. That 4.2% growth rate brought the population to 43,400 last year.

NEBRASKA Lincoln: About 250 suicide prevention signs will soon be installed in 12 city and five University of Nebraska parking garages, fulfilling a goal of a coalition formed in the wake of a spike in suicides by young people, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

NEVADA Las Vegas: The state will get $ 690,000 in federal funds to fight the spread of the Zika virus and manage cases.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The state will receive $ 622,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight the Zika virus. The CDC is awarding $ 60 million nationally, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.

NEW JERSEY Clarksboro: A Pokémon Go player called 911 after getting stuck in a tree tracking characters in Eglington Cemetery. The Courier- Post reported that the unidentified young woman got down with the help of a ladder provided by East Greenwich Township Fire and Rescue.

NEW MEXICO Los Alamos: Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers are working on a “SuperCam” that will collect soil samples from Mars with a laser. KRQE- TV reported that scientists want to place the SuperCam inside the Mars 2020 Rover.

NEW YORK Binghamton: Dick’s Sporting Goods is returning home in a sense. The Press & Sun Bulletin reported that 22 years after the company relocated its corporate headquarters to Pittsburgh, the company will build a $ 100 million, 650,000- squarefoot distribution center less than 5 miles from its original store on the city’s East Side. The chain began as a small bait- and- tackle shop 48 years ago.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Wake County officials urged public pools to treat their water with extra high levels of chlorine to combat a gastrointestinal disease caused by micro- parasites, The News & Observer reported.

NORTH DAKOTA Fargo: The U. S. Department of Agriculture said milk production during the quarter running April through June was up 4% from the previous year. The average number of milk cows was 16,000 head.

OHIO Lexington: Kayla Heimann, 28, is one of 13 science, technology, engineering and math teachers in the country to earn an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, the News Journal reported.

OKLAHOMA Sapulpa: A Depew man surrendered, one of two men wanted in a Creek County cattle rustling case. Frankie Lane

Hunt, 20, was booked into the Creek County jail. Hunt and another suspect, Charles Edward Roby III, 20, of Bristow were accused of stealing 24 head of cattle from three ranches, The

Oklahoman reported.

OREGON Bend: The Arts Commission decided it will no longer offer funding from grants to the High Desert Museum, The Bulletin reported.

PENNSYLVANIA Lehman: State residents studying at Penn State in State College next year will see a tuition hike of 2.3%. The typical student at the main campus will pay about $ 28,000 next year, including food and lodging.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: Rhode Island became the first state to ban the use of bullhooks to train elephants. Democratic Gov. Raimondo signed legislation that bans the hooks in circuses and traveling shows.

SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston: The state was awarded nearly $ 4.5 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat the Zika virus, The Post and Courier reported.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Construction began on a $ 30 million mixed- use building downtown. The eight- story Washington Square across from the Washington Pavilion will include retail and office space, a parking ramp and condominiums.

TENNESSEE Soddy- Daisy: The state Department of Transportation axed proposals to build a toll bridge across the Tennessee River, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

TEXAS Coppell: The average price of gas was $ 2.03 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, a drop of 3 cents from the previous week, AAA Texas said.

UTAH Manila: One person died after being struck by lightning inside a canyon at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area straddling the Utah- Wyoming border, KSL- TV reported.

VERMONT Burlington: The state will receive $ 267,000 to fight Zika from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC), the Burlington Free Press reported.

VIRGINIA Richmond: This is the first state to offer registration for the federal Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program, which provides expedited airport security screening, at Department of Motor Vehicles offices, the Richmond Times- Dispatch reported.

WASHINGTON Everett: The Daily Herald reported that University of Washington professors Joseph Wartman and David Montgomery were awarded one of the Geological Society of America’s top prizes for a study looking into the Oso slide.

WEST VIRGINIA Huntington: The Marshall Artists Series will return Sept. 29 with Tony Bennett, the Charleston Gazette- Mail reported.

WISCONSIN Appleton: The city’s 28 parks will continue to operate as dog- free zones. A resolution to allow leashed dogs on park roads and trails failed on a vote by the Common Council, the Post- Crescent reported.

WYOMING Gillette: Michael Pierce, a University of Wyoming professor, leads NASA’s effort in the state to help capture the movement of the next total solar eclipse on video, the Gillette News Record reported. The eclipse will occur Aug. 21, 2017. The video will be captured using telescope locations in Riverton, Casper and at Guernsey Elementary School. Pierce said high school teachers and students will monitor the telescopes and record the total eclipse on video at each point.