News from across the USA

ALABAMA Birmingham: Federal prosecutors charged a former medical product distributor with making a false statement regarding hormone shipments. Alfred Lamoureux Jr. of Columbiana allegedly told a postal inspector he was awaiting packages containing cosmetics for his wife.

ALASKA Anchorage: An ongoing leak of natural gas from a pipeline in Alaska’s Cook Inlet is prompting scrutiny of its petroleum production facilities. Cook Inlet is home to endangered beluga whales, humpback whales and wild salmon.

ARIZONA Chandler: Gunshots intended for a Chandler tattoo parlor instead pierced the front window of barber shop next door, narrowly missing a 4- year- old girl but spraying her with glass. Two arrests were made in the case.

ARKANSAS Woolum: Visitors to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas are being asked to look out for a lost backpack that contains a hiker’s prosthetic arm. Officials say the backpack is likely stuck on tree limbs or at the bottom of the river.

CALIFORNIA Folsom: Fans of a California Chick- fil- A are calling it a “beefnapping” after thieves stole three cow costumes from a Folsom franchise’s storage shed. The fast- food chain uses cows in its ads urging people to “Eat Mor Chikin.”

COLORADO Denver: Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed a bill that allows the public to know if an employer steals wages from workers. Such cases were previously shielded as trade secrets.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: Connecticut lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow expectant mothers to enroll in health insurance outside of the yearly open enrollment period. Supporters say it’s common sense to make pregnancy a qualifying life event.

DELAWARE Felton: A harbor seal that found its way up the Murderkill River in Delaware has been captured after evading rescue workers for several months. The seal, nicknamed “Phil,” was reported stuck in a muddy bog after likely following fish to a location 12 miles inland.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Two Secret Service officers who were on duty when a man jumped the White House fence and spent 17 minutes roaming the grounds have been told they’ll be fired, according to a congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. President Trump was in the White House at the time of the March 10 incident.

FLORIDA Tallahassee: Florida’s scrub- jay songbirds are finding new forests to call home. State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say they moved nine of the birds some 20 miles from Ocala National Forest to Seminole National Forest to help boost their numbers and genetic diversity.

GEORGIA Savannah: A former Chatham County Sheriff’s deputy has been indicted for allegedly sexually assaulting a female jail inmate, The Savannah Morning

News reports.

HAWAII Hilo: Two former inmates filed lawsuits alleging that the Hawaii Community Correctional Center held them past their release dates. The Hawaii

Tribune- Herald reports that the suits seek damages for false imprisonment and negligence.

IDAHO Boise: Scientists say a giant aquifer below an Idaho federal nuclear facility is as free of radioactive contamination and other pollutants as it has been in more than six decades of monitoring. But the water level at the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer is at its lowest level ever recorded.

ILLINOIS Chicago: The Archdiocese of Chicago has reached $ 3.15 million in settlements with three men who say they were abused years ago by a defrocked priest convicted of child abuse. The Chicago SunTimes reports that the former priest has been held at a state- run mental health facility since 2009.

INDIANA Rensselaer: Tenured faculty members at St. Joseph’s College have filed a lawsuit claiming breach of contract. St. Joseph’s will close once the current semester ends next month, The Lafayette Journal and Courier reports.

IOWA Iowa City: State lawmakers may eliminate a tax on utilities that funds energy and environmental research centers at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.

KANSAS Olathe: The family of a 10- year- old boy who died while riding a Kansas park waterslide has reached wrongful death settlements with two companies involved in the project. The Kansas City Star reports that settlement terms weren’t released.

KENTUCKY Covington: Officials have nominated Devou Park in Covington for the National Register of Historic Places. The Kentucky Enquirer reports that the park has preserved Civil War sites and structures, including Union fortifications used to prevent Confederate attacks.

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: A Deep South honor for Union general William Tecumseh Sherman? That could happen at Louisiana State University, where alumnus James Carville and others are working to rename the school’s Parade Ground for the Civil War officer known for his scorched earth campaign. Sherman was the school’s first superintendent.

MAINE Augusta: The University of Maine at Augusta is looking for its fifth president since September 2014. President James Conneely abruptly resigned last week. Conneely’s chief of staff tells the Kennebec Journal that Conneely is recovering from hip replacement surgery.

MARYLAND Baltimore: Citing recent attacks, Baltimore medics are asking to be equipped with protective vests. Officials cite 13 attacks on EMS workers over the past two years.

MASSACHUSETTS Cambridge: Harvard freshman Nadya Oka- moto is running for Cambridge City Council at age 19, The Boston

Globe reports. Okamoto says her campaign will be staffed by fellow students and volunteers.

MICHIGAN Ann Arbor: University of Michigan mechanical engineering students have made one of the most popular puzzle games much larger — and tougher to solve. Seven former and current students unveiled a 1,500- pound Rubik’s Cube last week on the Ann Arbor campus.

MINNESOTA St. Paul: Officials say nearly 40,000 children were suspected of being abused or neglected in Minnesota last year, a 25% increase from 2015. Minnesota Public Radio also reports a spike in maltreatment investigations.

MISSISSIPPI Parchman: Officials are investigating the death of a 20- year- old inmate at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. WLBT- TV reports that Marel Gartney was pronounced dead last week at the prison hospital.

MISSOURI Jefferson City: Missouri lawmakers are taking steps toward changing the rules for sales tax increases to fund the St. Louis Zoo. The legislation would allow ballot initiatives so the zoo can raise money to remain a largely free attraction.

MONTANA Helena: Montana lawmakers have sent a bill to Gov. Steve Bullock that would allow larger craft breweries — up to 60,000 barrels a year — to sell beer in tasting rooms, The Missoulian reports.

NEBRASKA Omaha: The last of the Malayan tigers at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium has died. Zoo officials say the 20- year- old, three- legged tiger named Mai was euthanized last week after her health recently declined. Mai, who lost her leg in a poacher’s trap, had been at the zoo since 2003.

NEVADA Reno: An independent audit found serious deficiencies in training and mental health care for Reno jail inmates. Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen requested the outside review after the Reno Gazette- Journal found that the suicide rate jumped to nearly 10 times the national rate two years ago.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Brentwood: A New Hampshire man apparently upset about a breakup with his girlfriend has been convicted of setting fires in three communities that killed some dogs. Gregory Bruno faced multiple counts of animal cruelty, arson and filing false reports.

NEW JERSEY Woodbridge: A longtime New Jersey high school teacher who called a student a “loser” in a Facebook post has had her teaching license suspended for two years. Paula Weckesser was fired by the Woodbridge School District for “prolonged” misconduct.

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The Abuquerque school system is dropping middle- school athletics because of an expected 2% state budget cut. Officials say that by eliminating volleyball, basketball, and track and field the district can save up to $ 750,000.

NEW YORK Syracuse: The 19th century remains of a Syracuse salt brine pump house were uncovered during a construction project, The Post- Standard reports. The stone wall ruins will be kept, with a sign explaining the city’s history when it was the nation’s salt capital.

NORTH CAROLINA Hookerton: Officials say a Greene County prison inmate attacked four guards with a homemade metal weapon while being moved. None of the officers were seriously hurt.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: North Dakota’s oil production increased in February above 1 million barrels per day for the first time since last August. Production has been rising because of a slight rebound in oil prices. There were 51 drill rigs operating in the state last week, up 12 from the February average.

OHIO Columbus: A Columbus middle school was closed after 40 students and a teacher were exposed to mercury when a thermometer broke in a science classroom. No one reported becoming sick.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Children in the care of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs will no longer be exposed to pepper spray, The Oklahoman reports. The change will take effect by June 1.

OREGON Medford: An Oregon man is accused of stealing a TV and PlayStation from a friend who was in a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound, The

Mail Tribune reports. The suspect is charged with burglary and theft.

PENNSYLVANIA Wilkes- Barre: The son of the Wilkes- Barre Township fire chief was sentenced to a maximum of 23 months in prison in an arson case at a vacant home. Richard Thomas Hart, 19, pleaded no contest to a single felony count of arson.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: Rhode Island’s No. 1 and No. 2 health care providers are proposing a merger, The Providence Journal reports. The plan to combine Lifespan and Care New England is a result of merger discussions dating to 1983.

SOUTH CAROLINA Awendaw: Sheriff’s deputies are looking for six youths who wrapped a dog in chains, dragged it and set it on fire near the South Carolina coast. Officials say the suspects appeared to be between 12 and 16 years old, The Post and Courier of Charleston reports.

SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: A study shows that outdoor recreation contributed more than $ 1.9 billion to South Dakota’s economy between October 2015 and October 2016. The study says recreational activity supported nearly 18,400 jobs, The Capital Journal reports.

TENNESSEE Nashville: After Chattanooga’s deadly school bus crash, Tennessee lawmakers are reviewing legislation to require school bus drivers to be at least 25 years old and without serious traffic violations in the last three years.

TEXAS Mart: Limestone County Judge Daniel Burkeen says he tried a whiskey home brew mix to relieve asthma before his arrest on a drunken driving charge. Burkeen was arrested last week after police say he was observed driving in an erratic matter.

UTAH Provo: Utah officials are temporarily closing the area surrounding Bridal Veil Falls for a $ 1 million renovation. The project is expected to be finished in about eight weeks.

VERMONT Royalton: A plan to merge school districts in the White River Valley Supervisory Union is on hold after Royalton voted against merging with two neighboring districts, Vermont Public Radio reports. Approval by all of the communities was required.

VIRGINIA Smithfield: The world’s largest pork producer is trying to grow skin and organs that can be used for humans. Virginia’s Smithfield Foods has a new division, Smithfield Bioscience, that sells byproducts to firms that produce medicine and supplements.

WASHINGTON Longview: For a third straight year, the U. S. Army of Corps of Engineers plans to kill cormorant sea birds known to heavily reduce the Columbia River’s salmon population. The latest operation started last week, The Daily News reports.

WEST VIRGINIA Huntington: Jan Rader was sworn in last week as Huntington fire chief, becoming the first female professional firefighter to attain that rank in West Virginia, The Herald- Dispatch reports.

WISCONSIN Madison: A Madison utility company’s key power plant has been out of service since September and needs $ 25 million in repairs, The Wisconsin State Journal reports.

WYOMING Laramie: The University of Wyoming is buying the vacant Pi Beta Phi house on Sorority Row to prevent the building from falling into disrepair, The Laramie Boomerang reports.