STATE-BY-STATE
ALABAMA Birmingham: Recent rain has greatly reduced the risk of wildfires in Alabama and replenished dried-up streams. But the National Drought Mitigation Center shows that only a sliver of southeast Alabama is drought-free.
ALASKA Juneau: More than three years of renovations at the Alaska State Capitol have wrapped up and the building is expected to be fully open for business in January. Six new rooms have also been added, The Juneau Empire reports.
ARIZONA Phoenix: Arizona lawmakers gather for annual retreats to discuss the upcoming legislative session. The Arizona Capitol Times reports that House Republicans paid $20,000 for their two-day event — some of it funded by lobbyists — while Democrats met at the Arizona Education Association for $1,400.
ARKANSAS Batesville: Batesville is offering free public internet in its downtown area. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the service began last week.
CALIFORNIA Santa Monica: A synagogue was smeared with feces and food on the first day of Hanukkah. Rabbi Boruch Rabinowitz tells The Los Angeles Times that he found the vandalism when arrived Sunday at the Living Torah Center/Chabad in Santa Monica.
COLORADO Colorado Springs: Crews are still working to clean up damage done by the Black Forest fire three years ago, The Colorado Springs Gazette reports. The blaze consumed more than 22 square miles and destroyed more than 500 homes.
CONNECTICUT Berlin: Officials say flames engulfed an Amtrak station that was set to be restored. No one was injured, but Fire Marshal Steve Waznia says the more than 100-year-old building is likely a complete loss.
DELAWARE Dover: Delaware State News reports that University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis and Delaware State University President Harry Williams signed a petition urging President-elect Donald Trump to uphold the Obama administration policy of deferring deportation of children in the country illegally.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The Washington subway system has started selling one-day passes for people planning to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration — and unlike in previous years, the cards don’t have the president-elect’s picture on them. Metro says it asked President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign for a picture to use on the cards but didn’t receive a response.
FLORIDA Delray Beach: Officials say a teenager texted his mother from the back of an ambulance after he was injured in a crash, asking her to grab a drugfilled suitcase from the trunk of the car. A Delray Beach paramedic alerted police.
GEORGIA Sandy Springs: A strip club was forced to close after fire inspectors found several “life and safety” violations. Flashers Bar was one of three adult entertainment businesses raided Dec. 15 in Sandy Springs.
HAWAII Honolulu: Hawaii paid out $112 million in tax credits for renewable energy investment in 2014. It was the largest state tax credit that year, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.
IDAHO Boise: The cause of a deadly Boise apartment building fire likely won’t be announced until early next year. The Idaho Statesman reports that investigators are awaiting toxicology findings on the woman who died in the Dec. 10 blaze. Five other people were injured — four residents and a firefighter.
ILLINOIS Chicago: The number of arrests in Chicago fell approximately 28% this year. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the number is on target to be the lowest since at least 2001.
INDIANA Vincennes: The annual New Year’s Eve watermelon drop in Vincennes will be Indiana’s last event celebrating the state’s bicentennial.
IOWA Atlantic: A new ethanol plant is set to open in Iowa under an agreement between Cass County officials and a private company. The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs reports that construction is to begin early next year.
KANSAS Lawrence: A nearly $40,000 cleanup has started at a building found to have high levels of lead left behind by a gun range, The Lawrence Journal World reports.
KENTUCKY Louisville: An instructional assistant at a Louisville school has been suspended for allegedly dumping a can of soda over a special-needs student after the student took a drink from the can, The Courier-Journal reports.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: A liquefied natural gas project being planned for Plaquemines Parish is expected to create 250 new jobs, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced last week.
MAINE Bangor: Federal prosecutors say a Canadian man pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to enter the United States after having been ordered removed. John Fraser, 54, of Nova Scotia, was ordered removed from the U.S. in 2010.
MARYLAND Millersville: An administrator at a Maryland police drug lab is accused of stealing opioid painkillers from a box where people can leave unwanted prescription medicine.
MASSACHUSETTS Plymouth: A man says his father’s World War II Purple Heart stolen earlier this year has been returned, perhaps by a thief who had an “attack of conscience.” Paul Curtis tells The
Patriot Ledger that the medal was stolen along with computers, jewelry and musical instruments during a break-in at his Plymouth home in April.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Michigan Wine Month has been moved to May from April. The state’s Grape and Wine Industry Council says May kicks off a travel season for people starting summertime wine touring plans.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Minnesota’s first-in-the nation ban on soaps containing the germ-killer triclosan takes effect Jan. 1. A federal ban takes effect in September, and major manufacturers have largely phased out the chemical already.
MISSISSIPPI Poplarville: Mississippi’s Department of Corrections says an inmate who escaped the Pearl River County Jail in a work truck is back behind bars. A tip led to last week’s capture of Aaron Roger Dollar, five days after he escaped.
MISSOURI Kansas City: The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City will undergo about $6.4 million in upgrades that will include a new exhibit gallery.
MONTANA Kalispell: Officials are looking at how well they handled the huge crowds at Glacier National Park this year. The park had nearly 3 million visitors, a record, The Flathead Beacon reports.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: Winterfest events are under way at several Nebraska state parks, such as the Christmas Bird Count through Jan. 5 at Indian Cave State Park near Shubert.
NEVADA Las Vegas: Servers and dealers on the Las Vegas Strip say they’re worried that as more foreign visitors hit the restaurants and casinos, they’ll receive fewer tips. That’s because American-style 20% gratuities are uncommon elsewhere in the world.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Manchester: Police are searching for a man who they say impersonated a Massachusetts state trooper to test-drive a vehicle that he didn’t return to its New Hampshire dealership. The dealership says the man flashed a badge and police ID, but never provided a driver’s license.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: New Jersey families who suspect abuse of a loved one by a home health aide will be able to borrow a tiny surveillance camera under the “Safe Care Cam” program announced by Attorney General Christopher Porrino.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: New Mexico is struggling with a budget shortfall. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the state could run out of money to pay jurors by March.
NEW YORK Albany: More than three dozen organizations across upstate New York will split $60 million in federal funding for programs that address local homelessness. The largest allocation — $13.7 million — will go to groups in the Albany region.
NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte: A former North Carolina pastor has admitted stealing from a church and school he co-founded. Federal authorities say Wade Malloy pleaded guilty last week to wire fraud for embezzling between $500,000 and $1 million.
NORTH DAKOTA Williston: City officials say a program to support licensed child care operators during a time of skyrocketing births is long overdue. The Williston Herald reports that local births have doubled since 2007.
OHIO Columbus: Ohio’s government watchdog says the state overpaid 18 government employees by nearly $50,000 for cashing out unused vacation time. State law says government employees should only be paid for up to 80 hours of unused vacation time per fiscal year.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The Oklahoma State Board of Education has approved a record number of certificates for emergency teachers to fill vacancies. The greatest numbers are for elementary, early childhood, science and math teachers.
OREGON Pendleton: A professional ski guide has been named director of the Wallowa Avalanche Center. Victor McNeil fills the vacancy left by the death of Kip Rand, who died in an avalanche last March.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Gov. Tom Wolf ’s administration and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are rolling out an emergency notification system to let motorists stranded in accident backups get updates to their cell phones about aid and cleanup efforts.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: A district court judge will go before the Rhode Island Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline next month following sexual harassment and judicial misconduct complaints against him.
The Providence Journal reports that Judge Rafael Ovalles has denied the allegations.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: An elk that wandered into South Carolina’s mountains and wouldn’t go home has been moved to a wildlife exhibit in Charleston. Wildlife biologists think the elk was driven out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by larger rivals.
SOUTH DAKOTA Rapid City: Ranchers and farmers affected by a devastating October wildfire in the Cottonwood area are starting to receive money from a relief fund, The Rapid City Journal reports.
TENNESSEE Jackson: The Tennessee Freshwater Pearl Museum has been destroyed in a fire near Camden. But owner Bob Keast tells The Jackson Sun that he’s determined to rebuild. There were no injuries in the fire last week and the pearls, which are grown across a 58-acre lot in Kentucky Lake, are safe.
TEXAS Dallas: A federal grand jury has indicted four people allegedly involved in a fraudulent foreclosure rescue scam. Prosecutors in Dallas say some 70 homeowners were bilked of at least $242,000 when they were told to ignore notices sent by their current mortgage holders and were duped into making payments to the defendants’ companies.
UTAH Salt Lake City: An atheist group is offering non-believers in Salt Lake City a church-like service that offers music, readings and community for those who aren’t Mormons or belong to other faith groups. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Sunday Assembly started holding weekly meetings in September.
VERMONT East Burke: A Vermont ski mountain has been named a training site for the U.S. Ski Team. Vermont Public Radio reports that Burke Mountain will soon host elite skiers from the eastern United States.
VIRGINIA Rocky Mount: Workers have finished demolishing a defunct dam on the Pigg River in Franklin County. Advocates say the move will open up the waterway for recreation and improve wildlife habitat.
WASHINGTON Richland: The Northwest’s only nuclear power plant is back on the regional grid after an unplanned shutdown.
The Tri-City Herald reports that the 1,190-megawatt Columbia Generating Station had a malfunction at a substation.
WEST VIRGINIA Morgantown: West Virginia University and Marshall University are splitting $6.2 million left from a court settlement related to a chemical exposure case. At WVU, the funds will support research programs in Alzheimer’s disease and other neuroscience fields. Marshall’s funding will further its work in rural health.
WISCONSIN La Crosse: A former Wisconsin dog track may be converted into a baseball stadium and business park. The Hudson City Council is considering a development plan for the track that closed in 2001, The La Crosse Tribune reports.
WYOMING Laramie: The University of Wyoming has created a professor of practice position. The Laramie Boomerang reports that the designation allows industry professionals to teach at the college under a one-year contract, with annual evaluations of performance.