News from across the USA

ALABAMA Blount County: Matthew Shane Wester, a former teacher accused of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old whom he married shortly after she graduated high school, was acquitted after his young wife failed to show up for court and prosecutors couldn’t continue without her, AL.com reported. ALASKA Fairbanks: Yukon River ice jammed 6 miles downstream of Eagle, newsminer.com reported. The area was badly damaged by breakup flooding in 2009. ARIZONA Chandler: Intel will lay off 560 people, according to a letter the chipmaker sent city officials, The Arizona Republic reported. ARKANSAS Little Rock: A smoker fire at Jerky’s Spicy Chicken and More forced the closure of that restaurant and neighboring EJ’s Eats and Drinks,

ArkansasOnline reported. CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: Willie Williams, who became the city’s first African-American police chief in the aftermath of the riots in 1992, died at 72, the

Los Angeles Times reported. COLORADO Fort Collins: State wildlife officials say more than 5,600 fish in the Big Thompson River have died as a result of a chemical runoff from a bridge reconstruction project, the Colo

radoan reported. CONNECTICUT Fairfield: Victoria E. Leonard, 37, is facing charges after her 9-year-old daughter called 911 to report she was concerned about her mother, the Connecticut Post reported. She is charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor and one count of breach of peace after police found her intoxicated and unable to care for her daughter and another 4-year-old child. DELAWARE Wilmington: An SUV belonging to Mayor Dennis Williams was stolen from outside his home along North Madison Street, police said. Two juveniles were arrested and charged with stealing the vehicle, as well as resisting arrest and driving without a license, The News Journal reported. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The DC Trust, a non-profit group that received millions of taxpayer dollars each year, is bankrupt and will be dissolved to cover debts,

The Washington Post reported. FLORIDA Port Canaveral: Local commissioners have decided to cut ties with Sooner Investment Group Inc., the company that was to develop the city’s Cove area into a large-scale restaurant, retail and entertainment district,

Florida Today reported. Sooner’s efforts to attract the upscale tenant mix the port was looking for were largely unsuccessful. GEORGIA Clayton County: Fire crews battled a fire at a “hoarder house,” said David Vazquez, battalion chief and spokesman for the fire department. The amount of stuff in the house made it difficult for firefighters “to put out all the hot spots,” Vazquez said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was difficult for our crews to move around.” HAWAII Puhi: Puhi Metals Recycling Center will be accepting eWaste free of charge starting June 1, The Garden Island reported. A list of electronic items that can be taken to the center can be found at www.kauai.gov/ewaste. IDAHO Boise: Residents say at least 25 cats have disappeared from the area in the past few months, KBOI-TV reported. ILLINOIS Chicago: Schools are preparing for the possibility of a teachers strike before the end of the school year, the Chicago Tri

bune reported. The plan includes canceling final exams but allow- ing elementary and high school graduation ceremonies to proceed, district CEO Forrest Claypool said. INDIANA Indianapolis: Mount Vernon Middle School principal Scott Shipley, 43, was charged with a misdemeanor for failing to promptly report suspected child abuse, The Indianapolis Star reported. Court records indicate Shipley learned March 12 of allegations that teacher’s aide Kisha Nuckols sent explicit photos to a 17-year-old, but that wasn’t reported until March 29. IOWA Iowa City: Police have charged 69-year-old Francis Prohaska of Iowa City with animal neglect after they found 62 ducks crowded in an abandoned U-Haul van, the Iowa City PressCitizen reported. KANSAS Overland Park: Authorities are investigating lightning as the possible cause of a house fire here. Neighbors believed the home was for sale and vacant. No one was hurt. KENTUCKY Lexington: The University of Kentucky has suspended the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity for five years for alcohol and hazing violations, the Lexing

ton Herald-Leader reported. LOUISIANA Bogalusa: Leigh Edward Cutrer, 36, was booked on a charge of attempted seconddegree murder after he allegedly fired a shotgun at another man during an argument, The Times-Picayune reported. MAINE Benton: Fire officials say a 50-by-60-foot barn most recently used as a welding shop was destroyed by fire, The Morning

Sentinel reported. The two-story, wood-frame barn was the former Dan’s Used Cars complex. MARYLAND Baltimore: Lt. Victor Gearhart, a high-ranking police union official who was reassigned to an overnight security detail in January after a series of Twitter arguments with local activists, has filed a federal lawsuit against the police department, The Baltimore Sun reported. MASSACHUSETTS Harvard: The Ayer Rotary Club is gearing up for its annual rubber ducky race on May 7. The Boston Globe re- ported that the winner of Harvard’s Ducky Wucky River Race will receive free airfare, a twonight stay at a hotel and a free dinner for two anywhere in the world.

MICHIGAN Muskegon: Local officials are stepping up the fight against blight with more than a dozen demolitions planned over the coming weeks, the Muskegon

Chronicle reported. The grant is from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s blight elimination program. MINNESOTA St. Paul: Law enforcement officials issued 972 citations statewide to drivers for texting while driving during a weeklong crackdown, the Pioneer Press reported. St. Paul police gave out 34 of them, while Minneapolis issued 17. MISSISSIPPI Hattiesburg: Mississippi Power Co. and Silicon Ranch Corp. are partnering to build the $100 million, 50 megawatt solar farm, which is expected to generate enough electricity to supply power to about 6,500 homes, the Hattiesburg American reported. MISSOURI Highlandville: Authorities say a teenager is recovering after falling 60 to 70 feet from a cliff at the Busiek State Forest. The Springfield NewsLeader reported that the victim was flown by helicopter to a hospital. MONTANA Helena: The Montana Public Service Commission is considering changing the rules for when electric service can be shut off for non-payment during the winter. NEBRASKA Omaha: Wildlife officials have found evidence that a female mountain lion is roaming southeast Nebraska, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The finding means there may be a breeding pair of mountain lions roaming far from the animal’s established territory in northwest Nebraska. NEVADA Reno: Gov. Sandoval says he’s considering legal action to force the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to pay for roundups of wild horses that have been put on hold because of budgetary constraints. NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Gov. Hassan wants to increase the Rainy Day Fund to near its limit of 10%, or $140 million to $150 million, for the first time in decades, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. NEW JERSEY Millville: The Police Department is implementing a stricter policy for securing weapons at home because of the recent thefts of firearms from the residences of two Millville police officers, The Daily Journal reported. NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by a motorized off-road vehicle users group that challenged a Forest Service decision reducing the routes available for use in the Santa Fe National Forest. The court ruled that the New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Alliance didn’t have a legal basis to sue. NEW YORK Buffalo: The Buffalo Zoo announced the birth of an African Lion cub, WGRZ-TV reported. The still-unnamed cub was one of four born on March 5, but the only one to survive. He was born to first time mom Lelie and dad Tiberious and the first lion cub born here since 1991. NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: A Christian student organization at N.C. State University sued four administrators at the school in federal court, claiming that the university’s policy on student speech is both unconstitutional and unfairly enforced, The News

& Observer reported. Grace Christian Life said it should not have to get a permit from the university to hand out fliers and talk to students about Jesus. NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Previous Outdoor Heritage Fund, a program that provides grants to conservation projects across North Dakota, will consider only five projects totaling about $1.1 million next month, The

Bismarck Tribune reported.

OHIO Columbus: The Columbus

Dispatch reported that crashes have risen here since traffic cameras were turned off amid continuing legal battles over their use. Statistics show crashes increased at 21 of the 38 intersections. OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel American

Gods has started shooting its 10-episode first season in Toronto, but the acclaimed author has revealed that some shooting also is planned in Oklahoma, The

Oklahoman reported. OREGON Eugene: More than 1,000 workers at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart hospitals here have ratified their first union contract,

The Register-Guard reported. PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh: Police say a man was shot dead after he opened the door during a home invasion. RHODE ISLAND Woonsocket: A middle school teacher was arraigned on charges he broke into his girlfriend’s apartment and assaulted her. Corey Lamoureux, 47, was charged with breaking and entering, simple assault and related crimes.

SOUTH CAROLINA Spartan

burg: Nichole Lynn Buchanan, 30, a former Carolina Alliance Bank employee, was sentenced to two years in jail after pleading guilty to embezzling nearly $180,000 from a customer’s bank account over a six-year time period, the Greenville News reported. SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Augustana University received a $1 million donation toward a student activities center, a science building and an endowment to support athletics. TENNESSEE Nashville: Middle Tennessee State University named a new support center for military veterans who are students there in honor of country music singer Charlie Daniels and his wife, Hazel. The 2,600square-foot center opened in November. TEXAS Austin: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, along with other lawmakers, said he would support legislation that would keep restrooms in the state single-sex, the

Houston Chronicle reported. UTAH American Fork: The Timpanogos Cave National Monument here will be getting a new visitor center to replace the one destroyed by a fire 25 years ago, the Daily Herald reported. VERMONT Winooski: Doris Sage, mother of Isaac Sage, a mentally ill man shot by a Winooski police officer in 2013, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her son against the city and former officer Jason Nokes claiming the police department violated Isaac Sage’s constitutional rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and the Vermont Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act,

Burlington Free Press reported. VIRGINIA Richmond: The city seeks artists to paint several downtown storm drains that feed into the James River as a reminder for residents to keep the river and streets clean, the Richmond

Times-Dispatch reported. WASHINGTON Spokane Valley: The Spokane Valley City Council has approved a $411,115 settlement to fired city manager Mike Jackson, The Spokesman-Review reported. WEST VIRGINIA Beckley: The Paint Creek Scenic Trails Association created an app to give people access to 10 audio pieces with information on a 44-mile scenic byway near here, the Charleston

Gazette-Mail reported. The byway features historic points of interest as well as places to fish for trout, ride bikes, view wildlife and paddle kayaks.

WISCONSIN Milwaukee: Agustin “Gus” Ramirez, executive chairman of Husco International, was honored as the 2015 Wisconsin Business Leader of the Year, with proceeds from the dinner funding scholarships for executive directors of four Wisconsin non-profits, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

WYOMING Powell: State officials reopened Wind River Canyon, along U.S. 20, after a rock fall, the Powell Tribune reported.