News from across the USA

ALABAMA Birmingham: Auburn University’s one- day fight to prevent a white nationalist from speaking on campus will cost $ 29,000 in legal fees under an agreement approved by a federal judge. School officials said they agreed to the settlement “to avoid more costly litigation costs.” ALASKA Fairbanks: Two Alaska nonprofits are coming together to build affordable housing for homeless people. The Fairbanks Rescue Mission and the Greater Fairbanks Area Habitat for Humanity are building 20- by- 24foot cabins this summer with the aid of missionaries, the Fairbanks Daily News- Miner reports. ARIZONA Bisbee: Authorities say several Old Bisbee structures were destroyed in a windwhipped fire this week. The Cochise County sheriff’s office says there were no injuries. ARKANSAS Bentonville: A Northwest Arkansas Community College official says the school was rejected for a five- year grant of $ 1.3 million because of extra support letters from high school administrators. The letters pushed the application past the 65- page limit, the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette reports.

CALIFORNIA Sacramento: A judge declared a mistrial this week in the case of a man charged with hitting Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson in the face with a coconut cream pie, The Sacramento Bee reports. The trial ended with a hung jury.

COLORADO

Denver: Two dogs have tested positive for rabies, Colorado’s first cases of the disease reported in canines in over a decade. Rabies is more common among wild animals, with 41 cases so far this year. CONNECTICUT Vernon: The former pharmacy supervisor of the University of Connecticut’s Student Health Services is headed to prison for 20 months for forging prescriptions. Authorities say Michael Olzinski also ordered personal items through the pharmacy, The Journal Inquirer reports. DELAWARE Wilmington: The head of Delaware’s prison system says he could use more security cameras and staff. Legislators are looking into prison conditions after a February inmate riot and hostage- taking that left a prison guard dead. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Doctors at a psychiatric hospital say a man charged with fatally stabbing a passenger aboard a Metro train in 2015 is competent to assist his defense at trial. The Washington Post reports that a judge set a May 2018 trial date for Jasper Spires. FLORIDA Orlando: Commissioners in this Florida city are discussing whether the “Johnny Reb” statue recognizing Confederate veterans should be removed from a downtown park. GEORGIA Brunswick: Officials in Brunswick are working to win back the city’s lost status as a U. S. “Tree City” by reviving its tree board, The Brunswick News reports. Brunswick must hold an annual Arbor Day program as part of the effort. HAWAII Honolulu: The U. S. Supreme Court has turned away a challenge to Hawaii’s open primary. The state allows voters to take part in primary elections regardless of their political affiliation. IDAHO Caldwell: Idaho State Police says a motorcyclist riding on a walking path near Jefferson Middle School in Caldwell last weekend died after he hit a chain that was across the path. The rider was not wearing a helmet. ILLINOIS Chicago: Chicago’s Swedish Covenant Hospital is giving away 1,000 bike helmets June 10 to promote safety as the summer biking season begins. INDIANA South Bend: Holy Cross College is selling 75 acres of land to the University of Notre Dame in a move aimed at helping stabilize Holy Cross’ finances, the South Bend Tribune reports. IOWA Des Moines: Iowa has been billed more than $ 20,000 so far to fight a lawsuit by the Iowa State Education Association challenging the state’s new collective bargaining law. And that’s just one of two suits. KANSAS Wichita: Sedgwick County authorities say human remains were found in a farm field just outside of Wichita by a property owner who was mowing. The Wichita Eagle reports that it’s too early to tell the age and gender of the person. KENTUCKY Mammoth Cave: Mammoth Cave officials say a popular trail tour has been running twice a day after a $ 5.8 million project making it safer was completed last month. Concrete pavers to help reduce tripping are now part of the Historic Cave Trail, The Bowling Green Daily News reports. LOUISIANA New Orleans: The Louisiana ACLU has sued the New Orleans prosecutor for what it calls “false subpoenas.” It’s the second suit to claim that Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro sometimes sends out documents labeled as subpoenas without getting a judge’s approval. MAINE Portland: A man says he’ll remove two tiny homes on trailers from a parking lot he owns after Portland officials said they are illegal. Brent Adler had argued the houses are recreational vehicles, The Portland Press Herald reports. MARYLAND Salisbury: A man who was found in a drainage pipe six days after escaping from a Maryland psychiatric hospital’s parking lot has been found not competent to stand trial for attempted murder. WBAL- TV reports that David Watson will be re- evaluated in six months to a year. MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A study finds that spending on Massachusetts prisons and jails is soaring, even as overall inmate populations decline, The Boston

Globe reports.

MICHIGAN Detroit: The Detroit Institute of Arts is expanding a program that places reproductions of artwork outdoors in areas of Michigan that are deemed culturally underserved. “Inside/ Out” installations will remain on view until October. MINNESOTA Faribault: Three teenagers are suspected of illegally cutting down trees in Faribault, including a tree planted in memory of a student who died in 2009. Police Chief Andy Bohlen calls it a “senseless act of vandalism.” MISSISSIPPI Natchez: Authorities rescued 14 dogs from an alleged Mississippi dogfighting ring, The Natchez Democrat reports. The Adams County sheriff says an anonymous tip led to the arrest of one man. MISSOURI St. Louis: Former senator and U. N. ambassador John Danforth is the latest recipient of the Winston Churchill Leadership Medal. The award announced this week is from Missouri’s National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton. MONTANA Billings: Yellowstone County has agreed to pay $ 1.25 million to the family of a man who was fatally shot in 2015 by sheriff’s deputies, The Billings Gazette reports. Two deputies said they felt threatened as Loren Simpson drove toward them in a stolen SUV. NEBRASKA Lincoln: The Lincoln Journal Star reports that black drivers accounted for about one in every 10 motorists pulled over by Lincoln police last year. Blacks account for a little over 4% of the city’s population. NEVADA Las Vegas: The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada says a controversial neck hold used by Las Vegas police to subdue suspects should be off limits after the death of an unarmed man outside a Strip casino. NEW HAMPSHIRE Wilmot: A man injured in a house explosion this month thanks Siri for saving his life. Christopher Beaucher tells WMUR- TV that his face and hands were badly burned in the blast. He grabbed his cellphone but couldn’t dial it, so he asked the iPhone’s virtual assistant Siri to call 911. Authorities are still investigating the explosion. NEW JERSEY Trenton: New Jersey lawmakers have filed a lawsuit to halt Gov. Chris Christie’s $ 300 million statehouse renovation, saying it should be subject to legislative approval. NEW MEXICO Carlsbad: The Pecos Valley Riders ATV club has asked Carlsbad City Council to allow their vehicles to use the roads along with cars and motorcycles, The Carlsbad Current

Argus reports.

NEW YORK New York: Former Vice President Joe Biden will headline the Democratic National Committee’s annual LGBT Gala in New York on June 21. NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte: North Carolina craft beer brewers are challenging the state’s annual production cap and franchise law. The lawsuit filed this week says the restrictions are unconstitutional, The Charlotte Observer reports. NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Another North Dakota fish record has fallen. The state Game and Fish Department says Derek Larson of Mandan used a bow and arrow to land a buffalo fish on May 5 in the Heart Butte Reservoir. The 57- pound, 8- ounce whopper beat the previous 2011 record of 54 pounds. OHIO Cleveland: A tech entrepreneur is looking to boost tourism in Cleveland through “mixed reality” lakefront aerial gondola rides, Cleveland. com reports. Jon Stahl’s project is called the Cleveland Skylift. OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: A proposed $ 1.50 a pack cigarette tax increase that was a key piece of a budget deal for Oklahoma lawmakers was rejected this week. The vote likely will send budget writers back to the negotiating table as the end of the legislative session nears. OREGON Salem: Gov. Kate Brown recently signed three executive orders in a cost savings initiative. But critics say the measures do little to help close Oregon’s $ 1.6 billion budget shortfall. PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Orchestra is returning to national radio with broadcasts three times a week for at least the next year on SiriusXM, Philly. com reports. RHODE ISLAND Providence: City councilors voted no confidence in the Providence council president this week after he was charged with embezzlement and misusing campaign finance funds. But Luis Aponte says he is innocent until proven guilty and has no plans to step down. SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: A coroner says a healthy 16- yearold South Carolina high school student died after drinking too much caffeine. The Richland County coroner says Davis Cripe had no pre- existing heart condition before he collapsed and died in class after drinking a large Mountain Dew, a latte from McDonald’s and an energy drink. SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks will host a public dedication Friday for Good Earth State Park’s new visitor center. The center features an interactive Oneota culture exhibit, a state- of- the- art theater and a large classroom for park programs. TENNESSEE Nashville: Lipscomb University will become the new owner of the iconic Nashville recording studio Sound Emporium. The university said the studio is a gift from former Charlotte/ New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn.

TEXAS Austin: Texas lawmakers have sent Gov. Greg Abbott a measure to crack down on inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. The bill requires principals and superintendents to report inappropriate teacher- student relationships or face jail time.

UTAH Salt Lake City: San Juan County Commissioners say they won’t put their sheriff and two deputies on administrative leave even though the three face criminal charges. The sheriff’s office has only 11 officers, commissioners say.

VERMONT Montpelier: The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding the public to avoid disturbing spawning sea lamprey in the Connecticut River and several of its tributaries. Sea lamprey carcasses play a critical role in cycling marine nutrients into freshwater ecosystems. VIRGINIA Richmond: Virginia is encouraging parents to bring their kids to one of the 37 state parks on Saturday. The 7th annual “Kids to Parks Day” offers hay wagon rides, fishing and guided hikes. The event is aimed at encouraging kids to lead active lifestyles and become more involved in science, history and nature. WASHINGTON Tacoma: Officials say a 4- foot sandbar shark bit the finger of a diver who was doing maintenance at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, The News Tribune reports. Officials say it’s the first time a shark has bitten someone since the exhibit opened in 1989. WEST VIRGINIA Princeton: The city is considering a zoning amendment to allow expanded alcohol sales, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports. Princeton’s current code permits the sale of alcohol only at full- service restaurants. WISCONSIN Wisconsin Rap

ids: Plans are being made for a new research center to support Wisconsin’s $ 1 billion cranberry industry. The Wisconsin Cranberry Research and Education Foundation is purchasing about 155 acres in Jackson County for the facility. WYOMING Laramie: Two University of Wyoming offices, information technology and academic affairs, will shoulder the brunt of the 37 employee layoffs that started this week. The university says it will save more than $ 3 million a year with the cuts. The school is losing about $ 42 million in state funding.