Around the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Montgomery: Gov. Kay Ivey has called state lawmakers into an immediate special session focused on her proposed gasoline tax increase to fund road and bridge construction.
ALASKA Juneau: State officials are proposing rate hikes of 40 percent to nearly 140 percent for residents of state-supported elder care facilities, health department documents show.
ARIZONA Phoenix: Welder Samuel Evans unexpectedly became a medical celebrity after he was bitten on his right thumb by a rattlesnake while hiking Sunday in White Tank Mountain Regional Park. Outside of clinical trials, Evans is the first patient in the U.S. to be treated with a new rattlesnake anti-venom.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Dozens of people, including actor David Arquette and his wife, TV personality Christina McLarty Arquette, rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday against what they say are unjust criminal justice laws and to encourage lawmakers to consider reforms. The activists spoke as part of a national “Day of Empathy.”
COLORADO Denver: A baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple on religious grounds and state officials said Tuesday that they would end a separate legal fight over his refusal to bake a cake celebrating a gender transition.
CONNECTICUT East Haven: A retired professional wrestler has announced a run for mayor. Republican Town Council member Steven “Big Steve” Tracey wrestled as “Dave Paradise.”
DELAWARE Dover: The state might get a new tail-wagging mascot. Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford, is leading a bill that names shelter dogs the official dog of the First State.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The National Park Service is predicting “peak bloom” for cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin will hit April 3-6, WUSA-TV reports.
FLORIDA Orlando: People can get to Sesame Street by way of SeaWorld, starting later this month. SeaWorld Orlando says its Sesame Street land is opening March 27.
GEORGIA Atlanta: The state Senate has approved stronger protections for public memorials in reaction to a nationwide push to remove Confederate monuments.
HAWAII Honolulu: The state’s tourism industry is anticipating a boost from a stretch of Japanese holidays known as “Golden Week” that has been extended this year.
IDAHO Boise: Legislation to allow theaters on the National Register of Historic Places to obtain licenses to sell beer and wine is going to the state Senate.
ILLINOIS Chicago: The state is launching WeKnowtheFeeling.org, a website aimed at helping people affected by gambling addictions.
INDIANA Indianapolis: The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is seeking to raise $1.5 million within 90 days to acquire and begin renovations on a building to serve as its permanent home.
IOWA Des Moines: Republicans in the state House are moving forward with a plan to expand Iowa’s medical marijuana program, in part by partially lifting a cap for medical cannabis oil on use of the chemical that makes recreational pot users high.
KANSAS Liberal: A teacher bested her trans-Atlantic competitors to win an annual Shrove Tuesday tradition squaring off against Olney, England. The High Plains Daily Leader reports Maggie Lapinski ran a 415-yard race with a time of 62.98 seconds. Contestants must carry a pancake in a frying pan and flip it at the beginning and end of the race. KENTUCKY Louisville: What’s sizzlin’, warm and comes in a large white bucket? It could be you. KFC has started a campaign for bubbling, branded hot tubs on crowdfunding website Indiegogo. LOUISIANA Lake Charles: A hot air balloon festival is coming to Chennault International Airport on July 19-20.
MAINE Portland: The state’s largest city will hold its annual celebration of art, music and food for the last time this summer. The Old Port Festival typically draws thousands of people, but organizers say the June 9 event will be the last. MARYLAND Greensboro: A black man’s death in police custody has left a grief-stricken family yearning for answers. Anton Black’s relatives aren’t satisfied by the conclusions of a county prosecutor.
MASSACHUSETTS Nantucket: The federal government is expanding a protected zone off New England to protect endangered right whales.
MICHIGAN Lansing: The state’s medical marijuana market is growing beyond expectations, generating more than $42 million since Nov. 1.
MINNESOTA St. Paul: Gov. Tim Walz has set a goal for the state to get 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2050, but his plan is short on specifics.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The state’s job market held steady in January, with unemployment remaining at record-low levels.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: A lawmaker is trying to put a stop to laws banning specific dogs. Rep. Ron Hicks says breed-specific legislation discriminates against pit bulls and infringes on owners’ rights.
MONTANA Bozeman: A group of logging opponents has offered the highest bid in the auction of a timber sale in southern Montana.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: State lawmakers have advanced a bill to prevent people from getting tattoos on the whites of their eyes.
NEVADA Reno: The U.S. Forest Service has tentatively approved a plan to build two chairlifts and a snow bridge across a state highway to allow skiers at the Mount Rose Ski resort to access 11 new trails.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Manchester: The 13th New Hampshire Literary Awards is looking for submissions, which are due by March 22.
NEW JERSEY Lawrenceville: A dean at Rider University has resigned over the school’s decision not to consider bringing Chick-fil-A to campus because of its opposition to the LGBT community. Cynthia Newman told conservative higher education news site Campus Reform she is a “very committed Christian,” and the food chain’s values “mirror my personal beliefs perfectly.”
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging legislators to devote part of state trust funds to early childhood education.
NEW YORK Albany: Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the number of visitors to state parks, historic sites and campgrounds topped 74 million in 2018, breaking a record.
NORTH CAROLINA Winston-Salem: An actress best known for her role in “The Color Purple” and an actor who has portrayed singer Jackie Wilson are the co-chairs of an upcoming festival. The Winston-Salem Journal reports Margaret Avery and Chester Gregory were introduced Monday as the co-chairs of the 2019 National Black Theatre Festival.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Another American Indian tribe is challenging the state’s voter identification requirements, which many Native Americans allege discriminate against them and suppress their vote. The Standing Rock Sioux has signed on to a lawsuit the Spirit Lake Sioux filed in the fall.
OHIO Granville: Actress Jennifer Garner has announced she will speak at the graduation ceremony at her alma mater, Denison University.
OKLAHOMA Norman: Attorneys for several pharmaceutical companies are asking for a 100-day delay in a trial centered on whether the firms fraudulently marketed drugs that fueled the opioid epidemic.
OREGON Bend: The state is about to be home to the world’s last Blockbuster video rental store. The location in Perth, Australia, will close this month, leaving only the one in Bend.
PENNSYLVANIA Valley Forge: A volunteer at Valley Forge National Historical Park recently discovered dozens of fossilized dinosaur footprints on flat rocks used to pave a trail.
RHODE ISLAND Warwick: The city has approved an ordinance that would fine people up to $500 for feeding wildlife.
SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville: A local brewery, Birds Fly South Ale Project, is celebrating International Women’s Day on Friday with a beer made entirely by women, with ingredients sourced from women, that will be used to raise awareness about The Homeless Period Project, a local group that benefits women and girls.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The movie “Tater Tot & Patton” was filmed in the state and written and directed by Andrew Kightlinger. The Pierre native says the film is “both a love letter to the state and a homegrown piece of art.” It’ll begin showing in South Dakota cities Friday.
TENNESSEE Memphis: The city is hoping to set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest picnic table. The effort will be part of the Memphis in May festival.
TEXAS Corpus Christi: Texas State Aquarium officials say they are trying to raise funds to build a $25 million wildlife research center.
UTAH Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it is renaming websites, social media accounts and email addresses to get rid of “Mormon” and “LDS” as the faith continues a push to be known by the religion’s full name and not nicknames it previously embraced.
VERMONT Burlington: The University of Vermont has received a surprise gift of half a million dollars to go toward researching bees.
VIRGINIA Virginia Beach: Pharrell is heading home to launch a new music and culture festival. The Grammywinning superstar announced SOMETHING IN THE WATER, a “cultural experience” running April 26-28.
WASHINGTON Poulsbo: Kitsap Humane Society staff has taken in about 300 rabbits taken from a homeowner overwhelmed by their breeding.
WEST VIRGINIA Glenville: Glenville State College is offering a new program to address teacher shortages.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: The revolutionary motorcycle movie “Easy Rider” is marking its 50th anniversary this year, and the Harley-Davidson Museum is celebrating by screening it April 5, with Peter Fonda, one of the original Easy Riders, on hand.
WYOMING Laramie: The University of Wyoming will pay $1 million to renovate a former sorority building to house up to 65 students.