STATE-BY-STATE

ALABAMA Valley Head:

Marcus Gordon Ricketts is charged with murder after investigators found a body buried in a 55-gallon drum behind his home, news outlets reported.

ALASKA Juneau:

Gov. Bill Walker has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to suspend its environmental review of a proposed copper-andgold mine near a major salmon fishery, saying he questions whether the project is ready to move forward.

ARIZONA Phoenix:

Grand Canyon University officials say the school has returned to nonprofit status.

ARKANSAS Little Rock:

The state Medical Marijuana Commission has taken the first step toward hiring an independent consultant to review about 230 applications for dispensary licenses following allegations of impropriety during the licensing process.

CALIFORNIA Los Angeles:

Silver Lake Medical Center, suspected of discharging hundreds of homeless patients and dumping them, has agreed to pay a $550,000 legal settlement.

COLORADO Greeley:

Health officials say 21 people are being treated for rabies exposure after contact with a baby raccoon, The Greeley Tribune reported.

CONNECTICUT Pomfret:

The Dennis Cemetery has taken to using grazing goats to help maintain the grounds and eliminate overgrowth.

DELAWARE Bear:

State police are seeking the public’s help in finding Jane Macauley, who claimed she was the victim of a carjacking set up by an intentional crash. Police say she falsely reported the incident in order to make a fraudulent insurance claim.

FLORIDA

A teen who climbed a tree to escape an alligator while swimming in a creek was rescued by a deputy who shot the reptile with a rifle.

Orlando:

GEORGIA Savannah:

Violent crime in Savannah has decreased by 16 percent for the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2017, police said.

HAWAII Lihue:

Scientists are asking for help in tracking green sea turtles. Biologists say it will help them understand foraging habitats, migration and distribution patterns.

IDAHO Coeur d’Alene:

The remains of Army Air Forces Sgt. Charles H. Daman will be buried Wednesday with full military honors. He was killed in 1945 aboard an aircraft during an attack mission in World War II.

ILLINOIS Springfield:

Retiring State Rep. Patricia Bellock is taking over as the director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

IOWA Cedar Rapids:

Iowa Relief LLC was awarded the state’s second license to manufacturer cannabis oil in Cedar Rapids. Iowa Relief will begin selling products July 1, 2019.

KANSAS Topeka:

State officials say fiscal year-end tax receipts came in $318 million above projections.

KENTUCKY Louisville:

An advisory committee formed by Mayor Greg Fischer says public displays honoring the Confederacy are unwelcome and not representative of the city today.

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge:

Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the state’s outlook from “negative” to “stable” and said the state has moved to more solid financial footing.

MAINE Portland:

Officials are pro- posing the creation of a fee on hotels to help address the city’s housing shortage. They say hotels are profitable, yet they rely on low-wage workers, who can’t afford to live near their workplaces, The Portland Press Herald reported.

MARYLAND Baltimore:

Water rates have increased in Baltimore for the third consecutive year. Rates jumped Sunday by about 9 percent in the city and by an average of nearly 14 percent in the county.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston:

Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a bill that will allow for the temporary removal of firearms from people considered a danger to themselves or others.

MICHIGAN Detroit:

The city transportation department and MoGo are partnering on a pilot program that offers 30-day bike passes to bus riders who buy bus passes.

MINNESOTA St. Paul:

The University of Minnesota will open a $79 million facility for its natural history museum July 14.

MISSISSIPPI Houston:

Franklin Corp. is building a $2.7 million warehouse and plans 60 new jobs over four years. The furniture company has 1,000 employees in Houston.

MISSOURI Columbia:

Media outlets can use cameras and tweet from courtrooms following changes by the state Supreme Court.

MONTANA Bozeman:

Wildlife officials say a black bear has been killed after it was captured for ripping up a tent in a campground. The decision was made to avoid future conflicts because it had become accustomed to people.

NEBRASKA Omaha:

This year’s American Solar Challenge will begin July 14 and head 1,700 miles along parts of the Oregon Trail.

NEVADA Las Vegas:

Democrats are outpacing Republicans in voter registrations for a third straight month, capturing an 8,623 to 5,830 edge.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Pinkham Notch:

Even with temperatures in the 90s, the Mount Washington Observatory spotted several small areas of snow on the summit and on Mount Jefferson.

NEW JERSEY Lacey Township:

The Oyster Creek power plant, America’s oldest nuclear power plant, will shut down Sept. 17 but will stay put for the next 60 years. Although the plant will stop producing electricity, radioactive material could be on site until at least the late 2070s.

NEW MEXICO Las Cruces:

Samuel Elliott has been sentenced to 170 years in prison for producing and possessing child pornography and conspiring to transport people illegally into the country.

NEW YORK Mount Sinai:

Jon-Erik Negron, a Long Island police officer who helped a distressed newborn take his first breath, is now the child’s godfather. Bryce Pappalardo’s parents say it’s the perfect way to keep Negron in their son’s life after the officer cleared the boy’s airway.

NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte:

Health officials say a cook-out may be responsible for an illness that sickened more than a dozen people. At least 15 people at one apartment complex were taken to hospitals after reporting gastrointestinal and other symptoms last weekend.

NORTH DAKOTA Fargo:

The Fargo Public Library is eliminating overdue fines for all children’s materials in an effort to increase literacy.

OHIO Columbus:

The 165th Ohio State Fair will focus on promoting the state. The fair will be held July 25 through Aug. 5 at the Ohio Expo Center.

OKLAHOMA Norman:

Jim Gallogly, the new president of the University of Oklahoma, is laying off about onethird of the executives who report to him. Restructuring will help keep tuition rates stable and work toward pay raises for faculty, Gallogly said.

OREGON Portland:

Martha Walters has been sworn in as chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She is the first woman to hold the position.

PENNSYLVANIA Erie:

Urban University, an Erie City Mission youth leadership program for middle schoolers, is underway. Students will experience horsemanship, theater, nature and art exploration, aviation and more.

RHODE ISLAND Providence:

State Attorney General Peter Kilmartin filed a lawsuit this week against 21 fossil fuel companies demanding damages associated with sea level rise and water cycles.

SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston:

South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. customers appear likely to get a 15 percent rate cut after the state’s Public Service Commission voted to enact the reduction ordered by lawmakers following a multi-billion dollar failed nuclear project.

SOUTH DAKOTA Piedmont:

A hail storm dented about 500 trailers and motorhomes at an RV lot, resulting in millions of dollars in damages, the Rapid City Journal reported.

TENNESSEE Nashville:

“Remastered,” a series on RFD-TV, highlights the stories behind six Tennessee brands. Jack Daniel’s, Lodge Cast Iron, St. Blues Guitars, United Record Pressing, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing and Prophetik Haute Couture will be featured. The series premieres July 11 at 7 p.m. CDT.

TEXAS Austin:

Nermin Awad ElHadik must serve five years in prison and repay $5.3 million in a health care kickbacks scheme.

UTAH Provo:

Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy is abruptly resigning this month after what he said was a lack of communication from county leaders over a budget shortfall of up to $1 million.

VERMONT Burlington:

University of Vermont Medical Center nurses say they’re planning a two-day strike starting July 12.

VIRGINIA Norfolk:

The Army Corps of Engineers has given the final greenlight for widening and deepening the commercial shipping lanes that serve the Port of Virginia.

WASHINGTON Taholah:

Scientists believe they have found remnants of a meteor on the seafloor off Washington state.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston:

First lady Cathy Justice has a doll in her likeness that will become part of the First Ladies of West Virginia Collection at the state Culture Center.

WISCONSIN Madison:

The state could rake in an additional $90 million in internet sales taxes this fiscal year if lawmakers start collection this fall, and $120 million in the following year, according to an analysis.

WYOMING Cody:

Four people have been rescued without serious injury after their raft overturned on the Shoshone River.