STATE-BY-STATE

MONTANA Bozeman: Raymond

ALABAMA Montgomery: A Hollywood film is beginning production on a memoir chronicling Montgomery attorney and Equal Justice Initiative co-founder Bryan Stevenson. Some of the movie, which features Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, is being filmed in the city.

ALASKA Kodiak: The U.S. Coast Guard has received the first of five new multipurpose aircraft that will replace its aging air fleet at Air Station Kodiak. The remaining four planes are expected to be delivered next year.

ARIZONA Scottsdale: White Castle will open its first restaurant in the state next year. The fast food chain will bring its famous sliders along with 50-75 new jobs.

ARKANSAS Fort Smith: Former museum handyman Mark Stevens pleaded guilty to stealing a small gold pin that belonged to an American Old West federal judge from an exhibit. Stevens received probation and a fine.

CALIFORNIA Oakland: The city is crediting a Ceasefire strategy for a 31.5 percent drop in gun homicides since 2013. The program offers assistance to those identified as most likely to be perpetrators and victims of gun violence.

COLORADO Denver: Gov. John Hickenlooper has pardoned 26 people who, after reviews, were determined to have rebuilt their lives after serving time for a variety of offenses.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: State residents can now use text messages to reach 911 emergency dispatchers.

DELAWARE Dover: Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of whooping cough in the central part of the state.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: A bike rack that calls security if someone attempts to steal your bike resides outside the Wilson Building. The hightech racks are under a small pilot program with the city.

FLORIDA West Palm Beach: Judge Peter Evans abruptly retired after referring to Assistant Public Defender Sheldon Graves, who is black, as “the other gorilla defense counsel” during a court hearing.

GEORGIA Tybee Island: Mayor Jason Buelterman has announced he is resigning for family reasons.

HAWAII Honolulu: The National Park Service is planning to reopen sections of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park next month following the lull in activity from the Kilauea volcano.

IDAHO Boise: A federal judge will hear arguments this week in a lawsuit brought by a woman who says a fertility doctor fraudulently used his sperm to artificially inseminate her mother in 1980. The doctor has denied any wrongdoing.

ILLINOIS Blue Island: A fire significantly damaged Maple Tree Inn Chicago, a nationally regarded Louisiana-style restaurant that was founded in 1975. The owners say they’ll rebuild the restaurant.

INDIANA Mount Vernon: Officials say the The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled about 4.7 million tons of cargo between January and June, a 36 percent increase from the same time last year.

IOWA Dubuque: Work on Mississippi River locks has caused a sudden drop in river levels in the state.

KANSAS Topeka: Gov. Jeff Colyer is recommending that the state Legislature expand Medicaid to include an estimated 150,000 uninsured Kansans. The expansion would focus on helping people with substance abuse problems.

KENTUCKY Richmond: Eastern Kentucky University says it is reducing tuition for students who are serving on active duty in the military.

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: S&P Global Ratings has boosted its outlook on the state from “negative” to “stable.” The agency did not upgrade Louisiana’s credit rating.

MAINE Portland: The University of Southern Maine is considering a name change to attract students.

MARYLAND Baltimore: With the Seafood Festival approaching, animal rights group PETA has erected a billboard featuring the state crustacean, the blue crab, with the words: “I’m me, not meat.”

MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Officials are reporting the first three confirmed human cases of mosquitoborne West Nile Virus in state this year. None of the cases were fatal.

MICHIGAN Grand Rapids: Health officials identified the swine flu as what sickened about 120 people who attended a national letter carriers’ convention.

MINNESOTA St. Paul: Minnesota Public Radio reported that Center Point Energy submitted plans for a pilot program to sell renewable natural gas to state residents.

MISSISSIPPI Vicksburg: Commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer Unified Brands is moving its 175employee operation from Byram to Vicksburg and adding 250 jobs.

MISSOURI St. Louis: The Archdiocese of St. Louis has agreed to open its files to the state attorney general’s office for an investigation of potential clergy abuse cases. At least two other Catholic dioceses say they’re willing to do the same. Reinke, whose crimes drew national attention when at least one Yellowstone visitor caught his interaction with a bison on video, has been sentenced to 130 days in jail after pleading guilty to misconduct in two national parks.

NEBRASKA North Bend: Residents near Legge Lake say they’re worried and frustrated about stopped freight trains that can block access to their homes for hours.

NEVADA Reno: The City Council voted to move forward with new laws that would bar lap dances and private booths at strip clubs. NEW HAMPSHIRE Plymouth: Gretchen Digman, 42, has been accused of concealing the death of her newborn child by putting the body in a metal box that was kept in a storage unit.

NEW JERSEY West Windsor Township: Fifty-five recruits from the Mercer County Police Academy Class #19-18 became officers in a ceremony at Mercer County Community College.

NEW MEXICO Clovis: Las Vegas casino executive Daniel Lee is proposing a $200 million racetrack and casino with a “moving grandstand” that will allow an audience to travel alongside running horses.

NEW YORK Albany: A new state law will require officers serving eviction papers to check a property for pets and make sure they leave the property with their owners. Under the old law, animals were treated as nonliving property and could be left behind.

NORTH CAROLINA Butner: Vannara Nhar, a former inmate who had nearperfect vision when imprisoned at the Federal Medical Center in 2011 and was legally blind when he left in 2013, has received a $2.6 million settlement.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The National Weather Service is taking steps to improve radar coverage for western North Dakota after a deadly tornado raised awareness of the gaps.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: A proposed charter school has been approved along with its core mission of serving indigenous students.

OREGON Salem: Children – not reporters or voters – will ask questions of candidates during the first gubernatorial debate Oct. 2.

PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: Cherry Street Pier will open Oct. 12 on the Delaware River waterfront. The $5 million development includes an open-air park and artists’ studios and offices.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: Nurses and other health care workers at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital have approved a five-year contract. The union says the contract provides a competitive wage plan and address staffing and resource concerns.

SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: While in town for their On the Run II Tour, Jay-Z and Beyonce were given the key to the city their for “humanitarian and cultural contributions.”

SOUTH DAKOTA Tea: A new opening date for the state’s first Hindu temple has yet to be set after the original one, Aug. 19, was not met because of weather issues.

TENNESSEE Nashville: Campaign finance complaints have been dismissed against Republican gubernatorial candidates Bill Lee and Beth Harwell.

TEXAS Austin: University of Texas basketball coach Shaka Smart is the top-paid public employee in the state with an annual salary of $3,040,417.

UTAH Salt Lake City: The state will receive $2.3 million in federal funds as part of a project to roll out public transportation that is propelled by low- or no-emissions systems.

VERMONT Burlington: For the first time, Vermont has an air ambulance to fly patients between hospitals in the northern part of the state and New Hampshire.

VIRGINIA Raphine: An urgent care clinic is set to open next year at a travel center off Interstate 81, partly intended to serve truck drivers passing through.

WASHINGTON Tacoma: Goodwill stores in Tacoma, Kent, Olympia and Selah offered in-state teachers the chance to get as many as 50 free books Saturday.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Patrick Morrisey says he has accepted an invitation to debate incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin on Nov. 1.

WISCONSIN Omro: Chris Nguyen found a 4-foot python under the hood when he pulled over after experiencing car trouble. It took hours to free the snake. The snake’s owner was fined for having a python, but police say they’ll dismiss the ticket if the owner pays for the SUV’s damages.

WYOMING Cheyenne: The F.E. Warren Air Force base is testing for lead after a child living on the base tested positive for high amounts.