News from across the USA

ALABAMA Decatur:

An aerospace company is looking to construct a test site in Alabama. An official with Dynetics says the Huntsville- based contractor could construct a more than $ 14 million aerospace test facility starting as early as August, The Decatur Daily reports.

ALASKA Anchorage:

A state lawmaker says a survey found that 90% of Alaskans didn’t know that police could legally have intercourse with sex workers during an investigation. Anchorage Rep. Matt Claman tells Alaska Public Media he’s sponsoring legislation to make it a crime.

ARIZONA Tucson:

An Arizona rescue mission has cut its number of homeless shelter beds by nearly half after officials invoked a building safety code. The Arizona Daily Star reports that the Gospel Rescue Mission’s South Tucson shelter for men went from 106 beds to 55.

ARKANSAS Pine Bluff:

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is turning around its low enrollment, The Arkansas Democrat- Gazette reports. After a fiveyear decline starting in 2009, the school used recruiting buses that toured the state, leading to increases in 2015 and 2016.

CALIFORNIA Boulder Creek:

A blind dog that was lost in the Santa Cruz mountains was missing for more than a week before someone found her. KCBS reports that Sage, a 12- year- old Labrador who lost both eyes to glaucoma, is back home now.

COLORADO Denver:

Gov. John Hickenlooper has unveiled a program to give all Colorado children access to musical instruments and professional instruction. The Denver Post reports that the Colorado Music Coalition’s Take Note Colorado initiative provides access to students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

CONNECTICUT Stamford:

Officers arrested a man who allegedly was caught “violently keying” two police cruisers outside police headquarters, The Stamford Ad

vocate reports. The suspect reportedly yelled that he “hates the cops” and attempted to flee.

DELAWARE Sussex:

Union officials say a Delaware correctional officer was treated for a bite on the hand after a struggle with a Sussex Correctional Institution inmate. According to WDEL- FM, a drunken female inmate fought with officers as they tried to put restraints on her.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:

The District of Columbia’s central library is closed for several years of renovations. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library isn’t expected to reopen until 2020.

FLORIDA Miami:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it’s a shareholder in Miami Seaquarium’s parent company to push for the release of its captive orca to a marine sanctuary. PETA also owns Sea World shares for the same purpose.

GEORGIA Jekyll Island:

The Jekyll Island Shrimp and Grits Festival is the best in the region. So says the Southeast Festivals and Events Association. The

Brunswick News reports that the coastal Georgia festival beat 115 entries from 20 organizations to take the top prize.

HAWAII Lihue:

Authorities in Hawaii are investigating the suspicious death of a 15- year- old endangered monk seal. Officials say the seal that was found dead Feb. 23 on a Kauai beach had been in good health prior to her death.

IDAHO Boise:

Idaho lawmakers are considering more protection for homeowners and landlords from squatters. State law limits fast- track evictions to tenants either not paying rent or using illegal drugs.

ILLINOIS Chicago:

The Chicago Transit Authority is making plans for its 70th birthday. CTA’s fleet of vintage trains and buses will be unveiled to mark the agency’s creation in 1947.

INDIANA Kokomo:

Officials in Kokomo and Howard County have banned smoking in bars and private clubs effective April 1. And smoking will be forbidden at outdoor events in city parks as of July 1, The Kokomo Tribune reports.

IOWA Clinton:

Iowa authorities caught two men who escaped from the Jackson County Jail last week. Brian Willey and Andrew Combs men fled while awaiting trial on burglary charges.

KANSAS Topeka:

Kansas lawmakers are looking at higher tobacco taxes. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled last week that the state isn’t spending enough money on public schools.

KENTUCKY Lexington:

A federal jury in Kentucky convicted an Amish man of misbranding his homemade cosmetics with cancer- curing claims and impeding an investigation.

LOUISIANA New Orleans:

King Zulu, a white Bengal tiger at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, has died. Officials said the 20year- old male tiger was euthanized last weekend.

MAINE Fort Kent:

A Quebec musher won his eighth victory in Maine’s biggest sled dog race, the 250- mile Irving Woodlands Canam Crown.

MARYLAND Annapolis:

For Maryland lawmakers, it’s a case of “never mind.” The state Senate this week took up a resolution to repeal previous calls on Congress to hold a constitutional convention. The legislature has sent out four such calls since the 1930s.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston:

Massachusetts environmental police are investigating the deaths of two common loons. The dead birds were found on Cape Cod with shotgun pellets in their bodies, The Boston Globe reports.

MICHIGAN Troy:

A two- day summit in suburban Detroit focused on cybersecurity for military vehicles on land, sea and air. One panel discussed autonomous vehicle security.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis:

The former chairwoman of the Minnesota Vikings’ stadium oversight body jumped to the head of the line to buy front- row season tickets, The Star Tribune reports. But Michelle Kelm- Helgen says she would have waited to purchase tickets if she’d realized how early in the sales process it was. She resigned last month.

MISSISSIPPI Biloxi:

At the Biloxi Veterans Administration, Lillian Thornton is often called the “blanket lady.” WLOX reports that Thornton has crocheted more than 200 lap blankets over the past six years and donates them to the VA.

MISSOURI St. Louis:

St. Louis is preparing to elect a new mayor for the first time since 2001 amid a heavy focus on reducing crime. FBI statistics rank St. Louis among the nation’s most violent cities.

MONTANA Helena:

A man and his teenage son were hospitalized after getting caught in a weekend avalanche while cross- country skiing. The Independent Record reports that the teen was buried up to his waist and his dad suffered a few broken bones in the avalanche near Montana’s Stonewall Mountain.

NEBRASKA Blair:

Grace University plans to move from its Omaha campus to the former Dana College campus in Blair. The Blair campus has been closed since 2010.

NEVADA Las Vegas:

The director of Nevada’s largest domestic violence shelter is facing a domestic battery charge. Police records say Robert White II is accused of striking his live- in girlfriend.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Newington:

More than 90 soldiers from the New Hampshire National Guard’s 197th Field Artillery Brigade are being honored after time spent in the Middle East. A welcomehome ceremony is planned Sunday at the Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington.

NEW JERSEY Atlantic City:

A food truck festival featuring country music is coming to New Jersey. The Press of Atlantic City reports that the Garden State Country Music Food Truck Festival is set for Sept. 30- Oct. 1 in Atlantic City. Tickets will go on sale April 15.

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque:

After 40 years of service, Albuquerque Cab Co. is shutting down and laying off all 70 employees. Officials say competition, particularly from Uber and Lyft, made operating financially unfeasible.

NEW YORK Albany:

New York state Comptroller Thomas Di Napoli says the agency that investigates mistreatment of disabled people in state care refused to hand over records needed to complete a state audit. But the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs says state law prohibits handing over the records.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh:

A buildup of flushed baby wipes and similar material caused a weekend spill that put nearly 23,000 gallons of sewage into Raleigh’s Walnut Creek, The News & Observer reports.

NORTH DAKOTA Minot:

B- 52 bombers from North Dakota’s Minot Air Force Base will deploy to the Middle East for combat operations against the Islamic State, The Minot Daily News reports.

OHIO Columbus:

Ohio is offering grants to nonprofits to help them with security improvements. Eligible groups include churches, hospitals, libraries and private schools, among others.

OKLAHOMA Norman:

The University of Oklahoma saved about $ 13.7 million last year through an early retirement program. Now, officials are trying another round of voluntary early retirements to save another $ 9.4 million.

OREGON Portland:

North Clackamas schools Superintendent Matt Utterback has been named National Superintendent of the Year. During nearly five years at the helm of the Portlandarea district, Utterback has helped improve the high school graduation rate and student achievement levels.

PENNSYLVANIA Reading: A

tractor- trailer spilled more than 30,000 pounds of cat litter on a road near Reading when it failed to manage a curve and overturned. The northbound lanes of Route 222 were closed for five hours early Tuesday to clean up the mess, Spring Township police tell the Reading Eagle.

RHODE ISLAND Pawtucket:

A homeless saxophonist was a guest of the Pawtucket Police Department last weekend, and not in a cell. WJAR- TV reports that officers invited Mark to sleep in the lobby after finding him dozing in 12 degrees at a bus stop. In return for their kindness, Mark played “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

SOUTH CAROLINA Folly Beach:

Charleston County officials will make emergency repairs to the Folly Beach pier. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that pilings have been damaged by marine borer worms.

SOUTH DAKOTA Rapid City:

Campus officials say they don’t believe any of their students are involved in the recent appearance of white supremacist posters at Black Hills State University and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, The Rapid City Journal reports.

TENNESSEE Camden:

Neighbors of a Benton County landfill say the 42- acre site is a threat to community health. The Tennessean reports that complaints include a sickening smell and small explosions caused by heavy metals mixing with moisture.

TEXAS Austin:

South By Southwest says former Vice President Joe Biden will give a speech this weekend about efforts to end cancer. Biden’s son, Beau Biden, died of brain cancer in 2015.

UTAH Salt Lake City:

The San Juan County sheriff is offering a $ 500 reward to find out who put up fake signs near Utah’s new Bears Ears National Monument. The 30 signs at trailheads and on trees erroneously say that visitors must pay $ 100 to enter and that hunting and ATVs aren’t allowed, The Deseret News reports.

VERMONT Bennington:

Voters in Bennington are on record saying they support refugees and immigrants who are in the country illegally. The vote in the Vermont town’s Meeting Day came Monday. A number of Vermont communities are considering similar measures.

VIRGINIA Portsmouth:

An invitation to meet for sex showed up this week on the U. S. Coast Guard’s mid- Atlantic region Twitter account after it was hacked. A profile photo and bio were changed but were deleted within minutes. The Coast Guard apologized “for any unauthorized/ offensive tweets.”

WASHINGTON Olympia:

Washington state may be getting an earlier presidential primary. The state Senate this week passed and sent to the House a bill to move the primary from May to March.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston:

West Virginia lawmakers may make it a crime to abandon deer and other game animals caught in the state. The maximum penalties would be 100 days in jail and $ 2,500 in fines.

WISCONSIN Madison:

The Wisconsin Supreme Court says Madison must allow bus passengers to carry concealed weapons. Wisconsin Carry, a gun rights advocacy group, challenged Madison Metro Transit’s 2014 refusal to allow a passenger with a concealed- carry license from bringing a gun on the bus.

WYOMING Casper:

The University of Wyoming plans to offer a degree in natural resources, recreation and tourism in 2018. Interim dean Doug Wachob at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources says he doesn’t believe any other state in the country offers that combination, The Casper Star- Tribune reports.