STATES Across the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Birmingham: The city has kicked off a new anti-littering campaign. First-time offenders will face a $500 fine. For a second or subsequent offense, it doubles to $1,000. ALASKA Fairbanks: A federal appeals court has reversed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the “Fairbanks Four,” who contend they were illegally imprisoned for nearly two decades. ARIZONA Mesa: Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Center is expanding into the city. The legendary rocker and his wife, Sheryl Cooper, were at Westwood High School on Wednesday to announce a partnership with Mesa Public Schools. ARKANSAS Jonesboro: Residents celebrated a street being renamed in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. this week after months of debate. CALIFORNIA Sacramento: A push to pass first-in-the-nation proposals to limit single-use plastic has drawn support from actor Jeff Goldblum. Environmental groups hail California’s proposal as a landmark attempt to cut down on 75% of waste from items like takeout boxes, food containers and utensils within a decade. COLORADO Denver: Immigration and customs officials violated federal law by refusing to release documents about people who are not citizens, a federal court judge says.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: A new economic action plan will include incentives to attract employers and promote the growth of women- and minority-owned businesses, according to a top state official. DELAWARE Dover: A proposal by Democratic state lawmakers to outlaw homemade “ghost guns,” which can’t be traced by law enforcement agents, has cleared its first hurdle.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Despite months of protest from students, faculty and parents, the chancellor for D.C. Public Schools announced Thursday that Washington Met will close at the end of the school year, WUSA-TV reports. FLORIDA Tallahassee: The state House on Wednesday moved to repeal a powerful commission charged with placing constitutional amendments before voters. GEORGIA Atlanta: Proposed budget cuts could mean fewer state troopers on the road, fewer lawyers defending poor people and fewer probation officers, state agency heads say. HAWAII Hilo: The Solid Waste Advisory Committee in the state has proposed a plan that includes 82 waste management recommendations covering nine programs. IDAHO Boise: The state’s residents wouldn’t have to fall back or spring ahead for daylight saving time under legislation introduced Thursday. ILLINOIS Springfield: Grant funds will provide nearly $30 million for efforts across the state to acquire open spaces and develop and improve recreational facilities. INDIANA Crown Point: Work is underway for a war memorial delayed for years by the Great Recession. Crews began clearing trees last week. IOWA Des Moines: The state will become the latest to create an organization within state government designed to prevent school shootings under a plan announced Tuesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds. KANSAS Hutchinson: The family of Neil Armstrong has donated two items that were aboard the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 to the Cosmosphere space museum in Hutchinson. KENTUCKY Louisville: A new historical marker has been placed at the gym where Muhammad Ali learned to box. Ali’s brother, Rahman Ali, helped unveil the marker, saying his brother’s “whole life” started at Columbia Gym. LOUISIANA New Orleans: A historic brewery that’s been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina will officially reopen in a new location this weekend. Dixie Brewery plans to hold a grand opening Saturday, news outlets report. It first opened in 1907. MAINE Augusta: Gov. Janet Mills used her first State of the State address this week to paint a picture of the Pine Tree State as a home of compromise and bipartisanship. MARYLAND Baltimore: A report says a critical shortage of police officers in the city is delaying many of the reforms that are required under a federal consent decree. MASSACHUSETTS Swansea: Social media users have raised more than $30,000 to send a Target employee on a vacation after she faced criticism by a customer upset over the price of a toothbrush.
MICHIGAN Grand Haven: Recordhigh water levels on the Great Lakes are wreaking havoc along the state’s coastlines, and it’s only expected to get worse this year, state lawmakers were told Thursday.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld the city’s authority to impose a minimum wage that’s higher than the state’s.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Belhaven University is creating scholarships to honor author Angie Thomas, one of its graduates. Thomas wrote “The Hate U Give,” about an African American teenager who sees a police officer shoot and kill her best friend, and “On the Come Up,” about a young rapper who finds her identity and confronts stereotypes through music. MISSOURI Jefferson City: Lawmakers are considering whether to allow police across the state to live outside the cities where they work. MONTANA Missoula: The U.S. Court of Appeals heard arguments this week in an oil-drilling lease dispute near Glacier National Park on land considered sacred by the Blackfeet tribe. NEBRASKA Lincoln: The state’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against a commission that voted to allow machine bets on previously run horse races despite his warnings that the machines are illegal. NEVADA Reno: The Silver State will be joining Iowa in using mobile apps to gather results from thousands of caucus sites, amid heightened worries about election hacking. NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Sexual assault survivors, parents and other advocates urged lawmakers Thursday to close a loophole in state law they argue enabled a Concord High School teacher accused of abuse. NEW JERSEY Freehold: A hamhanded attempt to steal organ pipes has left a township church facing extensive damage. The burglary occurred overnight Tuesday at First United Methodist Church of Freehold, according to a post on the church’s Facebook page.
NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The state’s largest university is asking students to help with picking a new school seal to replace one that had sparked protests.
NEW YORK New York: The president of the city’s subways announced his resignation Thursday, two years after being brought in to help turn around the system. NORTH CAROLINA Hatteras: More than 100 sea turtles stunned by recent cold temperatures have washed up on the Outer Banks, the National Park Service says.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Hundreds of electronic devices aimed at adding speed and security at the voting polls will be distributed to the state’s 53 counties in the coming weeks. OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: A former zookeeper and one-time candidate for governor was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot and violating federal wildlife laws. OREGON Portland: Schools raised the statewide high school graduation rate for the class of 2019 to 80% and slightly narrowed racial and economic inequities, according to figures made public early Thursday.
PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a 13-year-old boy during a photo shoot, police said.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: State lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban 3D-printed guns. SOUTH CAROLINA Georgetown: A sheriff’s deputy responding to a burglary call was forced to settle a beef between his K9 and a spooked cow by using a stun gun. Georgetown County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Pleasant Hill community Wednesday when a K9 reportedly became “distracted” and bit a cow. SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: Twenty-one state legislators have signed on in support of a bill that would prohibit local governments from banning plastic bags, straws and other items. TENNESSEE Memphis: The city says it has emergency, private garbage crews on standby in case of a “wildcat” work stoppage this weekend. TEXAS Tomball: A teacher who authorities say brought a handgun to school and made threatening comments about colleagues has been arrested. UTAH Salt Lake City: A contentious state tax overhaul will be repealed amid growing voter backlash to the plan that would raise taxes on food and groceries while cutting income tax, GOP legislative leaders say. VERMONT Montpelier: The state is looking to award $2 million to help construct fast vehicle charging stations along highway corridors. VIRGINIA Richmond: The Menuhid Competition, considered the “Olympics of the Violin,” will feature a northern Virginia teen when it comes to the city this spring.
WASHINGTON Olympia: Middle and high school students joined administrators, parents and doctors Wednesday in urging a state Senate committee to pass severe restrictions on nicotine vaping products, decrying how some of their peers leave class to vape in the bathroom or even use the products during class by exhaling into their sleeve.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The state’s public schools superintendent wants the state Board of Education not to reduce the number of social studies courses required for high school graduation.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: The Milwaukee Brewers home ballpark will have a new name next year after a 20-year deal with Miller comes to an end. American Family Insurance announced this week that Miller Park will become American Family Field next Jan. 1.
WYOMING Cody: Sleeping Giant Ski Area is suspending winter operations after this season because of financial problems.