STATE-BY-STATE

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Birmingham: Police say three Alabama mosques have been burglarized in recent days, in Tuscaloosa, Gadsden and Anniston.

ALASKA Anchorage: NOAA researchers studying the decline of Steller sea lions in Alaska have turned to crowdsourcing for assistance. The scientists are trying to find out why the Aleutian Islands sea lion population hasn’t recovered.

ARIZONA Tucson: Arizona’s three universities are asking the Board of Regents to approve higher tuition and fees. The increases at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University would range from 1.4% to 3.9%.

ARKANSAS Murfreesboro: A teenager found a 7.44-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. It’s the seventh largest diamond found since the Arkansas park was established in 1972.

CALIFORNIA San Diego: Police say about 16 people broke into a high-end San Diego department store to steal pricey purses. The suspects hit before dawn Friday at Neiman-Marcus in Fashion Valley mall, targeting purses that cost up to $2,000 apiece.

COLORADO Pueblo: Black Hills Energy added 34 wind turbines to its Colorado power supply last week, cutting the ribbon on the Peak View Wind Project, The Pueblo Chieftain reports.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: Connecticut lawmakers may provide financial help to homeowners with failing foundations. One idea for funding is a new $12 surcharge on homeowners and renters insurance policies.

DELAWARE Dover: Delaware is looking to hire a new warden for the maximum-security prison where inmates staged an uprising and hostage taking last month, killing a prison guard. The former warden, David Pierce, was reassigned.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The District of Columbia’s highest court has a new chief judge. Anna Blackburne-Rigsby was sworn in last week to head the D.C. Court of Appeals.

FLORIDA Miami: Florida anticipates winning its fight against a flesh-eating parasite threatening deer in the Keys. State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says no wild screwworm flies have been found there since Jan. 10.

GEORGIA Jonesboro: Police in Georgia are searching for an unhappy customer who threw her takeout order at restaurant workers. WSB-TV reports that the woman said there wasn’t enough seasoning salt on her French fries. The woman cursed and tossed two takeout containers over the counter.

HAWAII Kailua- Kona: Rain and snow have kept the alpine lake atop Mauna Kea full or nearly full for more than two years, West Hawaii Today reports.

IDAHO North Fork: A suspension bridge over the Salmon River in Idaho that provides access to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness has collapsed. The U.S. Forest Service says a rock slide is suspected.

ILLINOIS Arlington Heights: New Illinois ID cards aim to ease interactions between police and people with disabilities. The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports that a “Person with a Disability Wallet Card” tells police that people who may seem to be uncooperative struggle to verbalize.

INDIANA Anderson: An 8.2megawatt solar park is planned for nearly 30 acres in Madison County, The (Anderson) HeraldBulletin reports. The site will get 30,000 solar panels, enough to power 1,200 homes.

IOWA Watterloo: Boaters at Brinker Lake in Waterloo have more room to roam. Officials removed a buoy line that cut off access to where sand and gravel dredging was done, The Courier reports.

KANSAS Topeka: Kansas lawmakers want to give a sales tax break to people rebuilding fences on agricultural land after wildfires burned more than 1,000 square miles this month. The measure was sent last week to Gov. Sam Brownback.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is offering a class for women to learn basic skills for outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. The April 8 workshop also will include beginner bow and crossbow hunting.

LOUISIANA New Orleans: Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration has abandoned a proposal to require New Orleans bars to shut their doors at 3 a.m. City officials first pitched the idea in January as part of an anti-crime plan. But bar owners questioned whether it would hurt their income by slowing the flow of customers.

MAINE Augusta: The Maine Department of Education hasn’t had a permanent commissioner since 2014. Now, Gov. Paul LePage has nominated acting head Robert Hasson for the post.

MARYLAND Annapolis: Maryland lawmakers are moving toward keeping the state’s existing Chesapeake Bay oyster sanctuaries intact. That would be a blow to the commercial fishing industry’s efforts to expand the oyster fisheries.

MASSACHUSETTS Amherst: Amherst College has whittled its list of possible athletic mascots to five: the Fighting Poets, the Mammoths, Purple and White, the Valley Hawks, and the Wolves. Voting started this week.

MICHIGAN Mackinaw City: A five-day ferry tour this summer will feature visits to 32 Great Lakes lighthouses. The trip is planned for June 5-9, with 80 available spots. Guests will stay at several resorts along the tour route.

MINNESOTA Winona: A former candy factory in Winona will retool to produce gummi and gel supplements for pets. The Ferrara Candy Co. closed last spring.

MISSISSIPPI Jackson: A surprise shakedown last week at two Mississippi prisons uncovered homemade alcohol, cell phones and suspected illegal drugs, among other contraband.

MISSOURI Jefferson City: The head of Missouri’s prison system is implementing a zero-tolerance policy for managers who fail to respond to reports of sexual harassment and other misconduct.

MONTANA Billings: The U.S. Postal Service is refusing to deliver a flier for a Billings church. The flier to promote Harvest Church sermons leading to Easter reads, “We’re gonna have to kill Him,” a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus. Postal officials blocked it for its threatening content, The Billings Gazette reports.

NEBRASKA Omaha: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has announced the name of its gorilla born earlier this year. Kgosi, an African word meaning king, was selected from 825 names submitted.

NEVADA Elko: An Elko County committee has approved a master plan for an enhanced 911 system, The Elko Daily Free Press reports. The county has raised $200,000 for start-up costs.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Hooksett: State police are investigating the theft last week of nearly $1,000 worth of liquor from the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlets on both sides of Interstate 93 in Hooksett.

NEW JERSEY Mays Landing: Three volunteers sued the Atlantic County Animal Shelter in New Jersey for deleting their critical comments on the organization’s Facebook page about dog abuse and euthanizations, NJ.com reports.

NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: New Mexico lawmakers have approved guidelines for quick processing of DNA evidence kits from sexual assaults. The measure awaiting Gov. Susana Martinez’s signature sets a 30-day deadline. New Mexico police have been grappling with a backlog of untested evidence kits.

NEW YORK New York: Rescues aren’t new to New York City’s subway system. But one last week was ... different. Officers found themselves chasing down a duck that strayed onto the tracks in Brooklyn. The Transit Bureau posted video on Twitter of officers carrying the bird along the platform, and later releasing it in a park.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: The North Carolina Supreme Court wants a lower court to determine whether a law compensating people involuntarily sterilized by the state decades ago is unconstitutional. The case involves the estates of three people who died before the law’s cutoff date.

NORTH DAKOTA Minot: Comedian Jeff Dunham and legendary rockers The Doobie Brothers are headliners for this year’s Norsk Hostfest in Minot. The Sept. 27-30 event is billed as the largest Scandinavian heritage festival in North America.

OHIO Trotwood: A tractortrailer spilled over two tons of chicken feed after overturning in Ohio. WHIO-TV reports that crews used industrial vacuums to clean up most of the load.

OKLAHOMA Altus: The Altus Chamber of Commerce says wind farms built near military installations disrupt low-level flight routes used for aircrew training, The Oklahoman reports.

OREGON Portland: A pilot program in Portland will put homeless families in small modular homes built in the backyards of willing homeowners. In exchange, the homeowners will own the tiny houses after a fiveyear lease and can rent them out. Officials say 200 homeowners have signed up to learn more after the effort.

PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: One of Philadelphia’s most prominent celebrations of Latin American culture has been canceled this year amid concerns over the immigration crackdown, WCAUTV reports.

RHODE ISLAND Westerly: A Rhode Island group’s plan to put up a mural depicting a historic newspaper front page announcing the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has been canceled because of the publication’s headline slur on Japan, The Westerly Sun reports.

SOUTH CAROLINA Goose Creek: A man whose roommate’s body was found in a barrel behind his home is charged with murder. Shannon Maurice Smith Jr. previously had been charged with stealing the victim’s car.

SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: South Dakota’s animal disease research lab is in line for much-needed renovations and upgrades. The lab performs daily food safety tests, and it tests for diseases in pigs, cattle and other livestock.

TENNESSEE Knoxville: Tennessee officials will hire a firm to look into the handling of wildfires that tore through Gatlinburg and killed 14 people last year, The Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Despite some criticism of the response, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters says he believes the report will show that authorities did well.

TEXAS Austin: A Texas school district says state Attorney General Ken Paxton is raising unfounded religious freedom concern over a spare classroom at Liberty High School in Frisco where Muslim students can pray. Paxton’s office sent a letter asking if students of other faiths are excluded. Officials say the room is for all students.

UTAH Springville: A Corvette crashed into a small plane at the Spanish Fork-Springville Airport last week, The Daily Herald reports. The plane had stopped on a taxiway for a mechanical problem, while the Corvette and a Porsche were drag racing. No one was hurt. Police say the cars didn’t have authorization to be at the airport.

VERMONT Montpelier: Teachers and school board commissioners in Burlington are deadlocked in negotiations for a new contract. The School Board declared an impasse last week. Officials hope to reach a resolution before the school year starts in August.

VIRGINIA Henrico: A Virginia woman’s pet fox is back home after going missing last week. Brittany Smalley tells NBC12 that her fox Swiper escaped when a storm blew her front door open. Swiper was spotted three days later near a laundromat, and Smalley lured him into his carrier with his favorite fruit, canteloupe.

WASHINGTON Tacoma: Authorities say seizures at the Port of Tacoma involving merchandise that violates U.S trade laws are increasing, KOMO-TV reports. U.S. Customs and Border Protection last week seized an ocean cargo container of 2,100 LCD TVs from China with counterfeit trademarks.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The West Virginia Board of Education has agreed to close Valley Head Elementary School in Randolph County. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the school has 27 students. They’ll transfer to George Ward Elementary next school year.

WISCONSIN East Troy: The historic Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin is taking this season off. It’s the first time that’s happened since it opened in 1977. Amphitheater manager Live Nation says acts that usually play Alpine are playing other venues this season, so Alpine will spend the time making upgrades.

WYOMING Jackson: It was a tough winter, but Jackson Hole’s moose population is strong. Wildlife biologist Aly Courtemanch estimates 346 moose are in the area, up from 231 last winter and the most since 2010, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports.