Around the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Montgomery: Drivers will see a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gas tax to fund road and bridge construction, under legislation signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey.
ALASKA Nome: Pete Kaiser won the Iditarod early Wednesday, becoming the latest Alaska Native to claim victory in the iconic sled dog race.
ARIZONA Grand Canyon National Park: The National Park Service says a radiation scare at the Grand Canyon’s Museum Collection building was based on exposure readings that “overstated” the threat, and there are “no current concerns for park employees and visitors.”
ARKANSAS Fort Smith: Voters have rejected a temporary sales tax increase that would have paid for the completion of the U.S. Marshals Museum under construction in the city.
CALIFORNIA Alhambra: The hilltop Los Angeles-area mansion where music producer Phil Spector killed actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 is for sale at $5.5 million.
COLORADO Fort Collins: Hundreds of students plan to participate in the Northern Colorado Climate Strike on Friday, part of a worldwide effort to spotlight climate change.
CONNECTICUT New London: A historic lighthouse is scheduled to reopen to the public for the first time since 2015. The Day reports the New London Maritime Society was hosting its first tour of the New London Harbor Light on Wednesday.
DELAWARE Selbyville: Diana Ross, Steve Miller Band and Lyle Lovett are among the musicians slated to perform at the Freeman Stage this year. More than 60 acts have been announced as scheduled performers this summer at the outdoor venue.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The attorney general for the city has dropped a lawsuit against an area hospital and its owner that was meant to prevent the hospital from ending most services. The Washington Post reports a judge dismissed the case against Providence Hospital and Ascension Health last week.
FLORIDA Tallahassee: State lawmakers are eyeing a crackdown on people who claim their pets are emotional support animals to evade rules and deposits in rental units and condominium developments.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Officials blame heavy rains for more than 40 million gallons of sewage spills in the area in the past four months.
HAWAII Lihue: A wildlife refuge on Oahu is providing a new home for endangered albatross chicks. The Garden Island reports researchers recently translocated 25 chicks to the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge from their birthplace on the Midway Atoll 1,300 miles away.
IDAHO Boise: A bill seeking to determine why so many women in the state die while pregnant or from childbirth-related complications is headed to the governor’s desk.
ILLINOIS Springfield: A bill is moving forward in the Legislature that would raise the age to buy a range of tobacco products to 21.
INDIANA Springville: The state will be the site of the 20th “Gathering of the Juggalos.” Founded by music group Insane Clown Posse, the festival will be held July 31-Aug. 3 at Lawrence County Recreational Park.
IOWA Des Moines: The Legislature has sent to the governor a bill designed to prosecute people who get hired at a farm or puppy millaiming to record animal living conditions.
KANSAS Topeka: If the state’s highest court is going to force lawmakers to boost public education funding again, some conservative Republicans want something in return, including a voucher program to allow bullied kids to switch to private schools. A House committee expects to hold hearings this week.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: Republican lawmakers have agreed to reduce revenue by $105 million a year so they can give a tax break to some locally owned banks and exempt nonprofits from some sales taxes.
LOUISIANA Crowley: Cold, rainy weather, a shortage of workers and other factors have contributed to a slow start to this crawfish season.
MAINE Augusta: Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require horse-drawn buggies to have reflectors or lights at night.
MARYLAND Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University wants to create an armed police force, but it faces an uphill battle in this city deeply divided over policing.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A proposal that could allow more lobster processing in the Bay State has made it through the state Senate. MICHIGAN Detroit: After decades of intrigue, Aretha Franklin’s littleseen but much-praised gospel film will finally hit theaters nationwide April 19. Detroit fans will be able to get an early glimpse with a promotional screening tour.
MINNESOTA St. Paul: The state Department of Natural Resources says anglers who fish Mille Lacs Lake in May will get to keep one walleye.
MISSISSIPPI Gulfport: Officials say the tourism group promoting southern Mississippi has a new name and slogan. News outlets report Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast will now do business as Coastal Mississippi with the slogan “The Secret Coast.”
MISSOURI Columbia: George Smith, who won the University of Missouri’s first Nobel Prize, is donating the prize money to the school.
MONTANA Bozeman: An Army staff sergeant killed in Iraq in 2007 will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor, the White House says. Travis W. Atkins, who grew up in Bozeman and attended the University of Montana between tours in Iraq, will be honored March 27.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: Officials say a seven-story work of art downtown needs more than $95,000 in repairs. Parks and Recreation Department director Lynn Johnson says 10 glass panels are damaged along the bottom of the sculpture, called Ascent.
NEVADA Virginia City: A gas leak apparently triggered an explosion at an old saloon that injured a worker. The Delta Saloon suffered extensive damage in the blast Tuesday.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Glen: A children’s theme park centered on nursery rhymes and fairy tales is requesting the kids be left at home for one night. Story Land is holding its first “Nostalgia Night” for all kids “young at heart” age 21 and up June 22.
NEW JERSEY Atlantic City: In an effort to ensure public access to waterways and shorelines, a state Assembly committee advanced bills this week that would require the state’s Public Trust Doctrine to be applied to coastal development, protection and funding issues.
NEW MEXICO Las Cruces: The White Sands Missile Range will be filled with thousands of people from all over the world Sunday for the 30th annual Bataan Memorial Death March, which honors service members who defended the Philippines during World War II.
NEW YORK Harpursville: No twitch of her tail or bulge in her backside goes unremarked as April the Giraffe once again prepares to deliver a calf before an enthralled YouTube audience. Jordan Patch of Animal Adventure Park said Tuesday that April’s voracious appetite, full udders and swelling backside are all signs she’ll deliver soon.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: With smartphones now ever-present, state lawmakers are revisiting distracted driving laws and on Tuesday advanced a prohibition on handheld cellphone use.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Federal officials who permitted the Dakota Access oil pipeline are turning over some documents sought by American Indian tribes suing over the project. But the Army Corps of Engineers argued in a new court filing Monday that a request for dozens more records is vague and overly broad and should be rejected by a federal judge.
OHIO Cincinnati: The Shriners Hospital for Children, an institution for 50 years in Cincinnati, expects to move its operations to Dayton by the summer of 2020.
OKLAHOMA Tulsa: The Environmental Protection Agency has pledged more than $16 million annually for the continued cleanup of toxic mine waste at the heavily polluted Tar Creek Superfund Site.
OREGON Portland: A member of the right-wing Proud Boys group was arrested Tuesday after being indicted last month on assault charges from a brawl in the city last June.
PENNSYLVANIA York: York and Lancaster counties have become the Susquehanna National Heritage Area.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday to allow sports betting to move online, sending it to the governor’s desk.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: A lawyer for the state House is recommending representatives stop blocking anyone on their social media pages who has not harassed or threatened them.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Police have killed 60 deer since December to reduce traffic crashes and landscaping damage in the city.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Rangers at all 56 state parks are offering free guided hikes March 23.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A once-stalled measure to strengthen the state’s hate crime law has passed the Legislature and is poised to become law.
VERMONT Fair Haven: The town’s new mayor has been sworn in, though she required some coaxing, as well as a bit of cleanup. Lincoln, a 3-year-old Nubian goat, took the oath of office Tuesday.
VIRGINIA Wallops Island: Three small satellites developed at public universities in the state will be lifting off into space next month from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
WASHINGTON Richland: A report by the federal government says the Department of Energy needs better financial oversight at sites like the Hanford decommissioned nuclear production complex.
WEST VIRGINIA Huntington: The state is seeking volunteer drivers for a partnership to transport disabled veterans to hospital appointments.
WISCONSIN Madison: The state’s powerful tavern lobby wants bars to hold events without liquor licenses after Gov. Tony Evers said wedding barns don’t need licenses.
WYOMING Jackson Hole: Wildlife officials have spotted a winter-whitened, white-tailed jackrabbit, among the rarest native mammals here.