STATE-BY-STATE

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Birmingham: A woman whose job was to make change for University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital dining area cashiers was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Al.com reports that Kyejuana Avery was accused of stealing $1.1 million.

ALASKA Anchorage: Interior Secretary Sally Jewell says Alaska’s Walrus Islands have been designated as a national historic landmark.

ARIZONA Flagstaff: The National Park Service says Flagstaff is seeing the benefit of a decadeslong commitment to dark-sky friendly practices. The Arizona

Daily Sun reports that satellite images show far less light pollution than a comparable-sized city.

ARKANSAS Little Rock: The Little Rock Zoo has announced the births of three maned wolf pups. The zoo said one male and two females were born Dec. 21 and now weigh about two pounds.

CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an around-theclock counseling hotline to provide support to riders who experience unwanted sexual advances. The “It’s Off Limits” hotline was unveiled last week.

COLORADO Colorado Springs: A Colorado Springs soup kitchen lost a huge reserve of food due to a 24-hour power outage caused by strong winds. The Gazette reports Marian House lost at least $5,000 worth of food.

CONNECTICUT Stonington: Norman Boiselle contacted Stonington police last week to say he wanted to turn himself in. Responding officers say Boiselle appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests after crashing into a snowbank.

DELAWARE Dover: Another round of redevelopment projects in five downtown areas across Delaware will move forward. Gov. Jack Markell announced nearly $3.6 million in state grants.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: District of Columbia officials say violent crime was down in 2016 after spiking in 2015. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Peter Newsham cite a 10% reduction in violent crime. But homicides rose to 135.

FLORIDA Lakeland: At least 40 handguns were stolen during a burglary at Rapture Gun & Knives in Lakeland. The Polk County Sheriff ’s Office says video surveillance shows two suspects using a tool to dismantle the lock and then smashing a glass case.

GEORGIA Atlanta: A lawsuit says the company that handles parking enforcement for Atlanta knowingly cited drivers for nonexistent violations. The suit filed last week alleges that PARKatlanta and its parent company knew that their wireless technology had data flaws that could indicate someone hadn’t paid for parking when, in fact, they had.

HAWAII Honolulu: Hawaii plans to challenge a judge’s order requiring the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources to hold another case hearing related to the proposed giant telescope project on Mauna Kea.

IDAHO Nampa: A Nampa family is getting joy out of the area’s sub-zero temperatures after a father built an ice castle in his front yard. The Idaho Press-Tri

bune reports that Jared Mundell used an orchard stepladder strung with Christmas lights, a drippy hose and freezing temperatures to build an ice palace. His daughters are big fans of Frozen.

ILLINOIS Lincolnshire: A federal judge struck down a right-towork law in Lincolnshire aimed at organized labor. The Pioneer

Press reports that Judge Matthew Kennelly ruled that only states have the power to enact laws that prohibit union security agreements.

INDIANA Indianapolis: The number of Indiana school districts receiving top state ratings dropped sharply following lower student scores on the revised ISTEP standardized exam. About 8% of school districts received an A, down from 46% a year ago.

IOWA Des Moines: A rare black rhinoceros born last year at a Des Moines zoo now has a name. The

Des Moines Register reports that “Tumani” means “hopeful” in Swahili.

KANSAS Topeka: Kansas health officials are taking steps to reduce the state’s backlog of Medicaid applications for nursing home patients. The state has a backlog of nearly 2,700 applicants.

KENTUCKY Henderson: A Henderson man was sentenced to three years in jail for driving through a Memorial Day cross display at a park. The Gleaner reports that Anthony Burrus knocked down about 150 crosses and destroyed another 20 with his vehicle.

LOUISIANA Shreveport: A federal prosecutor says more than $1 million will go to law enforcement agencies as the result of a money laundering case involving a Shreveport area car dealership. Two of the owners of the business were sentenced to prison in 2014.

MAINE Portland: Maine Gov. Paul LePage is sporting a trimmer look. The Sun Journal reports that LePage told WLOB-FM that he lost some 50 pounds with bariatric surgery back in September.

MARYLAND Eden: A couple accused of running a puppy mill out of their Maryland home have been indicted on animal cruelty charges. A raid last April found 310 dogs living in filthy conditions.

MASSACHUSETTS Falmouth: The owner of a Cape Cod ice cream parlor has pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property. Authorities say David Ariagno gave money and alcohol to his teenage employees as rewards for vandalizing a competitor, The

Cape Cod Times reports.

MICHIGAN Flint: Michigan health officials are following up on 17 cases of Legionnaires’ disease last year in Genesee County. The state wants to know more about what McLaren Hospital is doing to strengthen its water system.

MINNESOTA St. Paul: Minnesota officials last week announced the latest round of broadband expansion grants to provide access to more than 16,000 households, 2,200 businesses and 71 community organizations.

MISSISSIPPI Magnolia: The Magnolia City Council has killed a deal that would have replaced 915 water meters in the city. The McComb Enterprise-Journal reports that the problem was a meter reader who was improperly reporting working meters as broken.

MISSOURI Joplin: Missouri Southern State University in Joplin is receiving a $1 million donation to establish scholarships. The Joplin Globe reports that Debra and David Humphreys of Joplin are the donors.

MONTANA West Glacier: Glacier National Park once again had a record-breaking number of visitors last year, just shy of 3 million people. The Missoulian reports that’s an increase of more than 580,000 visitors compared to 2015.

NEBRASKA Chapman: The school board in the tiny Nebraska town of Chapman has failed to reverse a vote to close the community’s school, despite pleas from residents. The Grand Island

Independent reports declining enrollment and high cost perstudent at the school.

NEVADA Las Vegas: Las Vegas school police say the arrest earlier this month of two Gibson Middle School students accused of bringing a gun and bullets to campus marks the 11th weapon case this school year. No one was hurt.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Con

cord: The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office is appealing federal court rulings that found the state’s so-called “ballot selfie” ban unconstitutional. The law that took effect in 2014 makes it illegal to post a photo of a completed ballot.

NEW JERSEY Brick: The federal government has awarded a contract for one of the largest beach fill projects in U.S. history. The $92 million contract is to replenish Ocean County, New Jersey beaches that were devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: Agents for New Mexico’s attorney general raided the office of a district attorney who was stopped in June for suspected drunken driving. The agents also seized the state car driven by Francesca Martinez-Estevez.

NEW YORK Yonkers: Five people were treated for what were described as minor injuries after a small tractor plunged through the roof of a Yonkers discount store. The Journal News reports that the tractor was performing work on the roof before it caved in.

NORTH CAROLINA Asheville: An Asheville group has received $8 million to preserve farmland in western North Carolina. Blue Ridge Forever is getting the money from the U.S. Agriculture Department, the Asheville

Citizen-Times reports.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: North Dakota lawmakers are mulling a proposal to dissolve the state’s tobacco prevention agency. Critics say the agency duplicates anti-tobacco efforts by the state Health Department.

OHIO Cincinnati: Authorities say a man improperly received $130,000 in medical and housing benefits through Veterans Affairs by claiming he had served in the Marine Corps. Instead, Shawn Oliger actually had been imprisoned during those years, court documents indicate.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to expand the range of students who are subject to out-of-school suspensions for assaulting teachers and other school employees to grades three through five, The Oklahoman reports.

OREGON Eugene: An Oregon real estate company looking to capitalize on the expanding marijuana industry is planning to build a multimillion-dollar growing and processing facility in Eugene, The RegisterGuard reports.

PENNSYLVANIA Denver: A police officer responding to a crash wound up driving a surgeon, an assistant and a donated liver to a Philadelphia hospital for an emergency transplant. East Cocalico Township police Sgt. Darrick Keppley navigated 60 snowy miles after picking up the pair and the organ from their disabled vehicle that had skidded off an icy road.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: Some Rhode Island lawmakers say it’s time to legalize recreational marijuana. The proponents officially kicked off their effort last week to get legislation passed this year.

SOUTH CAROLINA Rock Hill: The mayor of Rock Hill wants the city to create its own bus system.

The Herald of Rock Hill reports that the city’s only current public service is a bus that runs to and from Charlotte.

SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: Online retail giant Amazon has agreed to begin collecting state and local sales taxes on purchases in South Dakota, Gov. Dennis Daugaard says.

TENNESSEE Nashville: Nashville public school officials will study whether it’s practical to put seat belts on school buses. The Ten

nessean reports that the metro school board voted unanimously last week for a feasibility review.

TEXAS Cypress: A man tells the

Houston Chronicle that sheriff ’s deputies conducted faulty field tests on cat litter they found in his vehicle, which they believed was methamphetamine. Ross Lebeau was charged with possession of a controlled substance, but court documents show the case was dismissed.

UTAH Payson: A man accused of attempted armed robbery was found hiding in a corral full of cow manure. KSL-TV reports that when officers located the suspect’s vehicle, the man hid in the corral.

VERMONT Montpelier: A new report shows a significant increase in the number of Vermont children in protective state custody, such as foster care. The report says custody rose 41% from 2012 to 2014, and officials say it’s continuing to rise.

VIRGINIA Richmond: The Virginia House of Delegates is making recorded floor sessions available for the public to view online. House Speaker William Howell says daily floor proceedings will be available online within a few hours of adjournment.

WASHINGTON Seattle: Washington’s state Supreme Court has thrown a wrench in plans for a big oil terminal in Grays Harbor. The justices said last week that the project must be reviewed under a 1989 law passed after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey claims 11 companies have monopolized the state’s asphalt paving work. A lawsuit filed in Kanawha Circuit Court alleges violations of the state’s antitrust law.

WISCONSIN Madison: A group of ex-judges is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to adopt rules requiring judges and justices to recuse themselves from cases involving campaign donors. The

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the proposal sets varying amounts for requiring a judge to step aside, from $1,000 for a circuit judge to $10,000 for justices.

WYOMING Cheyenne: A proposal to cut the number of school districts in Wyoming to save money isn’t getting much traction. Critics say the reduction from 48 districts to 23 — one for each county — is politically toxic in a state that favors local control over education.