Around the nation

News from every state.

ALABAMA Birmingham: A memorial is being dedicated to two black men who were killed in racist lynchings near the city in the 1890s. The Jefferson County Memorial Project says it will dedicate a marker to Tom Redmond and Jake McKenzie at Sloss Furnaces on Monday night. ALASKA Anchorage: The state’s hot, dry summer has led to severe drought conditions in some communities, which are struggling to meet their water needs.

ARIZONA Phoenix: Inmates have asked a federal judge to take over health care operations in all state-run prisons and appoint an official to run medical and mental health services due to Arizona’s repeated failure to improve the care.

ARKANSAS Helena-West Helena: A newspaper that was expected to shut down Friday has a new owner. GateHouse Media said it has entered an agreement to sell the Helena-West Helena World to a pair of local entrepreneurs. Andrew Bagley and Chuck Davis said they intend to publish the newspaper weekly.

CALIFORNIA Sacramento: Homeowners forced to rebuild because of a wildfire won’t have to install solar panels under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. New rules taking effect Jan. 1 make California the first state in the country to require solar panels on new homes. Newsom signed a bill Friday that temporarily exempts homes in areas where the governor has declared a state of emergency prior to Jan. 1, 2020. The exemption would expire in 2023.

COLORADO Denver: The state has taken the unusual step of inviting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to downgrade the air quality rating of its biggest population center, and not everyone thinks that was a good idea. The EPA held a hearing Friday on whether to lower the ozone status of Denver and eight other northern Colorado counties from “moderate” to “serious.” That would force the state to work harder to reduce harmful pollution but also bring tougher and costly regulations for businesses.

CONNECTICUT Ledyard: The state’s hemp industry is beginning to take off. Gov. Ned Lamont announced last week that the state has licensed 82 hemp growers, two processors and 21 manufacturers under a pilot program he signed into law earlier this year.

DELAWARE Dover: Wilma Mishoe, the first woman to lead Delaware State University, has announced her retirement after a little more than a year as president.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Two D.C. councilmembers have asked government officials to examine a local company that has no employees and yet was given the largest workload and payout from a $215 million no-bid sports gambling contract. The Washington Post reports Robert C. White Jr. and Elissa Silverman want an investigation into Veterans Services Corp.

FLORIDA Crystal River: It wasn’t Gotham City, but Batman descended on a local preschool to help a 3-yearold girl who was being bullied. When Erica Calculli’s daughter Lydia came home with a black eye, she turned to social media, where Batman impersonator Jack Asbury saw the post and offered to walk the girl to school.

GEORGIA Marietta: Many Cobb County voters will cast hand-marked paper ballots in Nov. 5 municipal elections as a backup plan for the state’s election equipment ordered by a federal judge.

HAWAII Honolulu: A federal agency has approved a rail recovery plan submitted by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

IDAHO Boise: BNSF Railway’s plan to build two bridges as part of a second railroad line in northern Idaho to accommodate increased train traffic and future growth meets environmental requirements, federal officials said Thursday. The U.S. Coast Guard issued a final environmental assessment for the bridges across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek at Sandpoint, finding no significant impact.

ILLINOIS Downers Grove: This year’s Illinois Tollway high school art contest will honor the Illinois State Police. Tollway officials announced last week that the winning design will appear on the cover of the 2020 tollway map.

INDIANA Indianapolis: Ball State University will lead archaeological surveys at three state parks to locate possible prehistoric sites and homesteads from the early 1800s.

IOWA Fort Madison: Officials say the Sheaffer Pen Museum has reopened. The museum closed in May last year amid financial concerns and worries about the fate of company archives.

KANSAS Wichita: The Sedgwick County Zoo is beginning a 25-year process of rebuilding and expansion. The Wichita Eagle reports the next few weeks will bring moving day for animals large and small.

KENTUCKY Pikeville: Grants totaling $34.4 million have been announced in an effort to spur economic development and job creation in eastern Kentucky, hard-hit by the coal sector’s downturn.

LOUISIANA New Orleans: The city is closing a historic cemetery in the Garden District for maintenance and repairs. Tours and public visits won’t be allowed until work is complete at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.

MAINE Portland: The state moved ahead Friday with plans to become the first to allow voters to rank candidates in a general presidential election. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said she’ll allow a bill to become law in January without her signature. Ranked voting won’t yet be in place for a planned presidential primary in March 2020, Mills’ office said.

MARYLAND Annapolis: A two-year project to rehabilitate the westbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that’s expected to cause major delays will be getting underway this month.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston: State transportation officials are restoring 21 historic road markers installed nearly 80 years ago to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony because they’ve grown weatherbeaten over the decades.

MICHIGAN Isle Royale: The second year of the National Park Service’s wolf relocation project has kicked off with a capture of a wolf on the state’s mainland and a flight to Isle Royale in Lake Superior.

MINNESOTA St. Paul: Gov. Tim Walz has finally made good on a long-held campaign promise. After “eight months of negotiations and dealmaking,” he signed off on adopting a new dog for the family. The governor said he had in March 2017 promised son Gus a dog if he won the 2018 election.

MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The state is considering new rules that let companies continue to use food-labeling terms such as “veggie burger” and “vegan bacon,” as long as the terms are prominently displayed so consumers understand the products are not meat.

MISSOURI Columbia: Critics say a loophole in a new law meant to ensure the safety of children in unlicensed child care homes has caused some children to be pushed out of licensed facilities.

MONTANA Helena: Health officials are proposing new rules to regulate medical marijuana testing laboratories. A notice by the state Department of Public Health and Human Services says a hearing will be held on the proposed rules Sept. 26.

NEBRASKA Omaha: Officials have unveiled a blue, 300-pound bronze statue of a troll that now sits below the popular Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge spanning the Missouri River from Omaha to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The idea behind Omar the Troll – short for Omaha Metro Area River – is to keep visitors excited about the riverfront bridge.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Lincoln: This year’s New Hampshire Highland Games is hosting the World Championship in Heavy Athletics, where athletes from seven countries will compete in traditional Scottish events to test strength and agility. The games are set for Sept. 20-22 at the Loon Mountain Resort.

NEW JERSEY Deptford: A cornstalk that was planted by accident has now shattered a Guinness world record. The honor belongs to Matt Jacovelli, a Deptford retiree who noticed the unusually abundant cornstalk over the summer. The final tally was 29 cobs. A typical cornstalk yields two cobs.

NEW MEXICO White Sands Missile

Range: The missile range has scheduled an Oct. 5 open house at Trinity Site, the second of two such events planned this year. Trinity Site is where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated July 16, 1945.

NEW YORK New York: The state has a new license plate that features several famous landmarks. The Department of Motor Vehicles announced the design Friday based on the results of a statewide survey. The winning plate showcases iconic settings across New York state like the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls and the Montauk Lighthouse.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: The state’s Historic Preservation Office has set up an online forum so local governments and residents can report damage to historic properties caused by Hurricane Dorian.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Authorities relying on DNA collected from a cigarette butt have charged a man with engaging in a riot for his involvement in a Dakota Access pipeline protest three years ago.

OHIO Sharonville: A man confused about state drug laws has called a police department demanding that officers return the small amount of marijuana they “stole” from him.

OKLAHOMA Perry: Hundreds of strangers have honored a 97-yearold World War II veteran who funeral home officials say died with no known surviving family. Motorcycles carrying U.S. flags were part of Wednesday’s service for Herman White, who died Aug. 11.

OREGON Salem: After investigations revealed deplorable conditions for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were sent out of state because of a lack of services, Oregon is now bringing them back.

PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state will receive another $75 million in federal aid to fight the opioid-addiction crisis, money Gov. Tom Wolf ’s administration says will help with treatment, prevention and education.

RHODE ISLAND Cranston: The organization that oversees high school sports in the state is asking overzealous parents to settle down because they are driving away qualified game officials.

SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville: An upstate school district has started work on a new $15 million building at its science center. WSPA-TV reports the Greenville County school district is constructing a building that will house exhibits on the water cycle and sustainable living, plus a cafeteria and several classrooms.

SOUTH DAKOTA Pine Ridge: The Oglala Sioux Tribe has passed legislation aimed at hate crimes on the Pine Ridge reservation. The Rapid City Journal reports the law passed by the tribal council makes hate crimes punishable with up to one year in jail.

TENNESSEE Nashville: A priest who banned Harry Potter books from a Catholic school’s library was accused by parents of causing their children psychological and spiritual harm. A 2017 letter from 14 St. Edward Catholic School parents urged the diocese to remove the Rev. Dan Reehil.

TEXAS Houston: A federal judge is expressing frustration that officials don’t seem to be honoring a settlement of a lawsuit over oppressive heat at some state prison facilities. During a court hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison debated whether officials should be sanctioned by having them experience the same temperatures as inmates.

UTAH Salt Lake City: Conservative groups in the state have addressed school officials to disapprove of a new teacher instructional guide for sex education. Officials say teachers are now allowed to respond to student questions to provide medically accurate data and clarify or correct misinformation. Some parents say teachers should be encouraging students to speak to their parents, nurses or counselors and not expose other students to these types of questions or their answers.

VERMONT Strafford: A river poisoned by a mine that dates to the United States’ early days is looking good two decades after cleanup began. Contractors working for the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the federal Superfund program are doing final work on the Elizabeth Mine before turning it over to the state for long-term monitoring.

VIRGINIA Alexandria: Three couples planning to get married have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a state requirement that they disclose their race on their marriage application. According to the lawsuit, one county provided a list of more than 200 potential races to a couple who questioned the requirement. It included “American,” “Aryan,” “Moor” and “Mulatto.”

WASHINGTON Seattle: The King County Sheriff ’s Office will apologize and pay $80,000 and has implemented new use-of-force guidelines to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by two African American teens who say they were wrongly held at gunpoint at a concert.

WEST VIRGINIA Clarksburg: The city has approved an ordinance that would regulate a needle exchange run by the local health department.

WISCONSIN Madison: Organizers say a campaign to encourage Midwestern millennials to move to the Badger State will continue despite a lack of funding from this year’s state budget. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers declined to grant the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s request for $10 million over the next two years.

WYOMING Laramie: The University of Wyoming has announced plans to honor the Black 14 after they were cut from the school’s football team for wanting to protest during the civil rights movement. The Casper StarTribune reports nine of the living 11 members are expected back this week for the scheduled tribute. Officials say the weeklong commemoration includes a plaque presentation, football halftime recognition and a free public panel discussion.