STATE- BY- STATE

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Montgomery: The U. S. Forest Service says crews will conduct controlled burns on about 91,500 acres of the Bankhead, Conecuh, Talladega and Tuskegee national forests during the next six months. The Decatur Daily reports that such burns reduce undergrowth that can pose a wildfire threat.

ALASKA Anchorage: An Alaska volcano that has erupted periodically since mid- December sent up two more ash clouds last week. Pilots report that the ash cloud from Friday’s activity at Bogosl of Volcano in the Aleutian lslands reached 36,000 feet. The Wednesday eruption sent an ash cloud to 31,000 feet.

ARIZONA Flagstaff: The Arizona telescope that first spotted Pluto nearly a century ago is undergoing restoration. The Arizona Daily Sun reports that the leaky Lowell Observatory telescope will be weatherproofed, among other improvements.

ARKANSAS North Little Rock: Timex Group plans to close its North Little Rock distribution center by the end of the year, eliminating 64 jobs. Timex has operated in Arkansas since 1945, The Arkansas Democrat- Gazette reports.

CALIFORNIA San Diego: Authorities say four students suffered minor injuries after being struck by a tree that fell near their middle school. Chula Vista police say the 50- year- old pepper tree came crashing down Friday during heavy rain.

COLORADO Cortez: For the first time in more than 60 years, the Galloping Goose No. 5 will make a winter excursion. Managers of the restored rail bus worked with the Durango- Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for a Feb. 18- 19 run, The Journal reports.

CONNECTICUT New Haven: The longtime president of Gateway Community College in New Haven is retiring. Dorsey Kendrick is scheduled to step down June 1. Kendrick is credited with growing enrollment and overseeing completion of the school’s downtown campus.

DELAWARE Wilmington: The Wilmington City Council is ending its practice of opening meetings with prayer. The News- Journal reports that the invocation has been replaced by a “silent reflection.”

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: A noose was found hanging in a break room last week at the Washington Metro Transit system’s Carmen Turner Facility. The Washington Post reports that transit police are investigating.

FLORIDA Tampa: The Florida Department of Children and Families has 90 days to devise a plan to improve care for foster children. The Department of Health and Human Services says the state agency underperforms in several critical areas, The Tampa Bay Times reports.

GEORGIA Atlanta: Federal prosecutors say four men who advertised heroin for sale on Facebook were convicted of conspiracy to deal drugs. Atlanta police received a tip that one of the men advertised heroin “specials of the day” and arranged delivery.

HAWAII Honolulu: A researcher who lost her right arm in a University of Hawaii laboratory explosion is suing the school and the researchers she worked for. Thea Ekins- Coward alleges that she received inadequate safety training and was given tanks that were unsuitable for flammable gases.

IDAHO Boise: More than two dozen crows were found dead last week near Nampa City Hall. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is conducting avian autopsies.

ILLINOIS Chicago: The Illinois Supreme Court says Chicago can’t force companies to tax residents who rent cars in the suburbs. The Chicago Tribune says Enterprise and Hertz challenged the 9% tax.

INDIANA Tipton: An agency that oversees the Indiana State Fair train is looking for a new partner to operate the 37- mile route. The Indianapolis Star reports that the Indiana Transportation Museum will no longer manage the train amid a dispute over repairs and maintenance.

IOWA Marathon: Marathon might turn to the sun to provide power to its nearly 250 residents.

The Sioux City Journal reports that the Buena Vista County town is considering building a 1.42- megawatt solar project on a former baseball field.

KANSAS Topeka: The Kansas Supreme Court has rejected a state teachers’ union challenge to a 2014 law ending guaranteed public school tenure. The union claimed the tenure provision violated a one- subject limit on legislation.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: Kentucky officials hope to select a new operator for the Beaver Dam rest area along the Western Kentucky Parkway in early April. The rest area that had a gas station, convenience store and restaurant closed recently.

LOUISIANA New Orleans: In an oddly festive protest, a brass band played mournfully as demonstrators lowered a Statue of Liberty replica into a coffin and wheeled it through the streets of New Orleans. The so- called “Jazz Funeral for Lady Liberty” coincided with President Trump’s swearing- in.

MAINE Augusta: Maine’s wild blueberries might start turning up in school lunches more often. The state’s agriculture agency is giving the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine $ 50,000 to promote the fruit as good school food.

MARYLAND Baltimore: Citing safety and permit violations, fire officials closed a long- running rehearsal space for musicians. But The Baltimore Sun reports that Studio 14 operator Scott Gatley expects to reopen after upgrading the sprinkler system and making other fixes.

MASSACHUSETTS Lowell: UMass- Lowell has launched a free bus ride program to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. Students and employees can ride buses just by showing their university ID.

MICHIGAN Grand Rapids: Michigan prison food that might not be tasty isn’t enough to carry a lawsuit. That’s the view of a federal judge who last week dismissed a lawsuit by a prisoner who said his rights were violated by cold noodles and warm milk.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Minnesota’s fish and wildlife fund is projected to go into the red as soon as next year. An oversight panel is recommending higher fees for fishing and hunting licenses and other measures.

MISSISSIPPI Meridian: Grand jurors are complaining about horrible conditions in the 112year- old Lauderdale County courthouse in Mississippi. The Meridian Star reports that the problems cited include bad odors, poor plumbing, mold and dust.

MISSOURI Jasper: A Missouri man is taking recycling to the extreme. The Joplin Globe reports that Jimmy Carter expects to finish his home of old tires, cardboard and wood scraps in about four years. Carter says the house will make minimal use of electricity and gas.

MONTANA Helena: Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen says some Montana student test data given to the U. S. Education Department before she took office were “falsified.” But her predecessor, Denise Juneau, tells Lee Newspapers that Arntzen is “jumping to conclusions.”

NEBRASKA Lincoln: Lincoln is set to ban cardboard from its landfill next year. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that residents will have to either seek curbside recycling or take their cardboard to a free city recycling site.

NEVADA Reno: A study of autonomous driving technology will use electric buses in three Nevada cities. The research buses in Reno, Sparks and Carson City will still have drivers, The Reno-Gazette Journal reports. They’ll collect data on pedestrians, bikers, other vehicles and traffic lights.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Campton: Applicants are being sought for the annual White Mountain National Forest Artist- in- Residence program. The deadline is March 3.

NEW JERSEY Winslow Township: A man who brandished a power drill during a failed attempt to rob a bank was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Camden County prosecutors say Raymond McNeil will have to serve at least 17 years before he’s eligible for parole.

NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: New Mexico’s tax agency says some residents may wait longer for income tax refunds this year. Officials say returns seen as having a potential for refund fraud will take longer to process.

NEW YORK Albany: New York is offering a weekend of free snowmobiling for out- of- state residents as a way to promote winter tourism. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the offer for the weekend of Feb. 3- 5. It’s also good for Canadian visitors.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: A few people grabbed some quick cash when the back of an armored car opened on Interstate 40 in Raleigh last week. By the time police arrived, those who picked up the money were gone.

NORTH DAKOTA Minot: Minot is looking to eliminate its cap on liquor licenses, and the city’s bar owners aren’t happy. The Minot Daily News reports that a liquor, beer and wine license would still cost $ 3,125, but would add a $ 150,000 application fee.

OHIO Columbus: Online registration is beginning for Ohio’s motorcycle rider education programs. Courses are planned around the state from March through November for people who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle or take a refresher on safety.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Restoration specialists at the Oklahoma Capitol are scratching their heads over some unusual discoveries in the 100- year- old building. Workers found a door that was walled up, and basement windows that were painted over.

OREGON Medford: An Oregon company wants to build a potfriendly RV park. The Mail Tribune reports that Grow Condos, which supplies warehouse space for marijuana growers, will call the park Smoke on the Water.

PENNSYLVANIA Norristown: A business owner on Philadelphia’s historic Jewelers Row is charged with fencing items stolen from luxury homes in the suburbs. Authorities say Wasim Shazad used his storefronts to sell more than $ 1.5 million worth of items.

RHODE ISLAND South Kingstown: The University of Rhode Island is celebrating its 125th year, beginning with a Wednesday ceremony. URI President David Dooley will ring the bell 12 times at Davis Hall to mark a dozen decades of graduates.

SOUTH CAROLINA Andrews: Police say a South Carolina high school student accused of throwing a paper airplane that struck a teacher in the eye could go to jail for up to a month. The South Strand News reports that the teacher had recently undergone eye surgery.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: A Sioux Falls couple who’ve lived without a legal address for more than a decade got a win this month when the City Council rejected a commercial rezoning that could have boxed in their home, The Argus Leader reports.

TENNESSEE Nashville: Tennessee health officials have suspended new admissions at Benchmark Healthcare in Puryear. The state Department of Health says the 32- bed licensed nursing home’s financial problems pose a threat to the welfare of residents.

TEXAS Beaumont: A federal prison chaplain has admitted taking bribes from inmates in return for smuggling cigarettes and tobacco into the Texas facility. Eric S. Patrick faces up to 15 years behind bars.

UTAH Salt Lake City: Utah’s Hogle Zoo is mourning the death of a baby giraffe. The zoo said the female calf, Akiki, died Friday despite medical therapy.

VERMONT St. Albans: Authorities say a Vermont prison inmate used a broken- off broom handle as a weapon to take another inmate hostage and demand cigarettes and a hospital trip. Matthew Hinton was disarmed after about three hours.

VIRGINIA Radford: Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity leaders are threatening to sue Radford University for defamation after their suspension was lifted earlier this month following an investigation of goat abuse allegations.

WASHINGTON Quilcene: The state and the Navy have bought 159 acres connecting two sections of the Dabob Bay Natural Area, The Kitsap Sun reports.

WEST VIRGINIA Morgantown: A kindergartner’s mom is suing Mercer County schools to eliminate a 75- year practice of putting kids in Bible classes. A school official tells the Charleston Gazette- Mail that the classes are voluntary.

WISCONSIN Janesville: Janesville residents are closer to reaching a decision about removing or repairing the Monterey Dam. The Janesville Gazette reports that an advisory panel majority favors removing the damaged dam rather than repairing it.

WYOMING Jackson: Forest managers in Wyoming report that some skiers and snowboarders are illegally making tracks in winter range that animals use to conserve energy and survive harsh Rockies winters, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports.