USA TODAY International Edition
50 ★ States
News from across the USA
ALABAMA Pell City: Parents are suing the school district after they say their son received a concussion when older baseball teammates hazed him by beating him with pillows. Pell City Police Chief Clay Morris told WBRCTV in a statement that the family’s claims are “false” and officers “determined no criminal conduct had occurred.”
ALASKA Juneau: According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the state’s working- age population has declined since peaking 10 years ago, among the highest loss of all U. S. states, Alaska Beacon reports.
ARIZONA Mesa: Three police officers have been injured while fighting a man who refused to leave a coffee shop, authorities said. Officers were called to the scene over the weekend and said 21- year- old Tegan Williams refused to leave when asked by police, who used a stun gun on him before a six- minute fight ensued.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: A lawsuit was filed challenging a new measure that makes it harder to get initiatives on the ballot by raising the number of counties where signatures must be gathered. Republican state Sen. Bryan King and the League of Women Voters of Arkansas filed the lawsuit.
CALIFORNIA Monterey: The man convicted of killing Kristin Smart, who vanished from California Polytechnic State University more than 25 years ago, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
COLORADO Larimer County: Four dead skunks found within the last two weeks have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, marking a growing trend of the deadly disease showing up in mammals in Colorado.
CONNECTICUT Norwich: The city council approved resolutions giving the Norwich Board of Education permission to apply to the state Department of Administrative Services for funding for three elementary school projects – Greeneville, Stanton and Moriarty elementary schools.
DELAWARE Wilmington: A 79- yearold man who was walking along Augustine Cut Off early Sunday was killed when he was hit by a car that left the scene, police said.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Police are investigating after they said a popular bicycle shop called The Daily Rider was the victim of a robbery early Monday, WUSA- TV reports.
FLORIDA Key West: Much of the Florida Keys lost water pressure after a water main broke, blocking traffic along the main roadway on the chain of islands and forcing businesses to close early. It was the third time a water main broke in the past week in the Florida Keys.
GEORGIA Gainesville: Federal officials are pausing a plan that could lead to new names for Lake Lanier and Buford Dam after locals objected to changing the monikers of landmarks now named for Confederate soldiers. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a statement announcing the pause pending further guidance from the Department of the Army.
HAWAII Kailua- Kona: Police fatally shot the driver of a stolen car on the Big Island, after he allegedly failed to obey their commands to show his hands, law enforcement officers said.
IDAHO Boise: A legislative committee approved $ 32 million for emergency rental assistance, the Idaho Capital Sun reports.
ILLINOIS Springfield: The regulatory body at the center of a stir over a law allowing retired county and state correctional officers virtually unrestricted permission to carry concealed weapons is seeking legislation to cover its concerns after failing to garner guidance from the state’s top lawyer.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Authorities have arrested nine people and were looking for others following illegal “spinning” events at three locations in the Indianapolis area. Most of those arrested were charged with resisting law enforcement and criminal recklessness, state police said in a release. Spinning is a trend where drivers perform what are called “doughnuts” in public parks, parking lots, intersections or freeway lanes, state police said.
IOWA Cedar Rapids: High inflation and construction cost spikes are prompting city officials to study the impact of growing expenses on its permanent flood control system.
KANSAS Topeka: U. S. government regulators have stopped allowing a large part of the Keystone oil pipeline to operate at higher- than- normal pressures following a massive oil spill in northeastern Kansas in December.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: Lawmakers advanced a bill to put limits on drag shows, capping a Senate debate as supporters touted it as a child- protection measure and opponents called it an unconstitutional attack aimed at LGBTQ groups.
LOUISIANA Shreveport: A teen has been found guilty of second- degree murder in the shooting death of a Huntington High School basketball player. Local news outlets report that Shamichael Antonio Pearson, 19, was convicted by Caddo Parish jurors in the fatal shooting of Devin Dewayne Myers. Jurors deliberated less than an hour.
MAINE Portland: A court is requiring the secretary of state to reword a ballot question about the future of utility service in the state over concerns the current language could mislead voters.
MARYLAND Baltimore: A former police chief was convicted of intentionally setting fire to buildings belonging to his adversaries, leading various law enforcement agencies on a sprawling investigation that linked a dozen arsons spanning nearly a decade and crisscrossing several counties.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A couple who runs Violence in Boston Inc., a nonprofit aimed at reducing violence, already charged with using the organization as their own personal bank, now face allegations that they misused COVID- 19 relief funds, federal prosecutors said.
MICHIGAN Sebewaing: A mentally ill man accused of making death threats on social media against Democratic politicians and those in the LGBTQ community was charged with illegally possessing guns.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Prosecutors announced charges for ten more people in the ongoing fraud investigation involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, the Star Tribune reports.
MISSISSIPPI Tishomingo County: A bald eagle that had been struck by a car was released Saturday near Bay Springs Lake after being rehabilitated, WTVA- TV reports. After being released, the eagle took flight towards a nearby branch overlooking the lake.
MISSOURI St. Louis: Bulldozers took down what was left of a oncebusy homeless encampment along the Mississippi River and near the Gateway Arch, ending nearly a year of debate over what to do about it. While some homeless advocates say the camp should have been left alone, business owners and others cited concerns about increasing drug use and crime, the St. Louis Post- Dispatch reported.
MONTANA Great Falls: Voters will be asked to approve or reject substantial increases in funding for the city’s police, fire, municipal court, and legal services departments, following a unanimous vote by city commissioners to submit a Public Safety Mill Levy request to voters in a special election next November.
NEBRASKA Papillion: Papillion La Vista Community Schools and the parents of a student who died after having an allergic reaction to a granola bar given to him by a teacher have reached a $ 1 million settlement, the Omaha World- Herald reports.
NEVADA Reno: Law enforcement agencies made two arrests and at least two people were taken by ambulance after a large fight at Wooster High School last week.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The state Senate recently refused to affirm abortion as an explicit right, but lawmakers are still considering a slew of bills on both sides of the issue.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Lawmakers have tapped into a financial windfall linked to robust oil and natural gas production to craft a nearly $ 9.6 billion state budget that includes record- high spending, but some lawmakers are concerned that such spending isn’t sustainable.
NEW YORK Syracuse: An 8- year- old boy who was inside an apartment where two people were fatally shot will be allowed to testify at the suspect’s murder trial after proving to a judge that he understands the difference between the truth and a lie.
NORTH CAROLINA Wilmington: A vehicle crashed inside a terminal at the Wilmington International Airport, but no one was injured, officials said. The driver faces charges of assault, trespassing on airport property, speeding to elude arrest, disorderly conduct and resisting a government official, the sheriff ’ s office said.
NORTH DAKOTA Harvey: The Legislature passed a bill to designate a 0.28- mile stretch of highway known as Highway 91 as the state’s shortest highway, Forum News Service reports. Some say it has the potential to be a tourist attraction, according to the news outlet.
OHIO Toledo: A judge is scheduled to decide this week on the validity of the insanity defense submitted by a man charged with fatally shooting two of his girlfriend’s three young sons and wounding the third.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Citing recent deaths and injuries near railroads, the police department is set to embark on a study to improve safety near railways. The department is seeking a $ 120,000 grant from the U. S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration to identify vulnerable rail locations and pedestrian behaviors that lead to injury or death.
OREGON Hillsboro: Newly released video shows a defendant escaping from a courthouse seconds after sheriff ’ s deputies remove his shackles. Officers found him hours later hiding in a closet in an apartment.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: A Democratic state lawmaker said he is running for auditor general in next year’s election, getting an early start on the campaign to lead the state’s fiscal watchdog agency. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, in announcing his candidacy, promised to overhaul how the agency tracks state and local government spending.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: State Rep. Michelle McGaw filed a bill to legalize “natural organic reduction,” or human composting. Several other states have legalized the practice.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, an early backer of President Joe Biden, is leaving his legislative post more than a year early to take an appointment in the Biden administration. The Democrat told The Associated Press that he would step down from the Senate later this year to focus on his role on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Mayor Paul TenHaken has appointed Dave Pfeifle to once again serve as city attorney following Stacy Kooistra’s announcement last month that he would step down from the position.
TENNESSEE Nashville: City officials on Monday sued over a new law that will cut the Democratic- leaning city’s metro council in half, a move that follows the council’s rejection of efforts to host the 2024 Republican National Convention in Music City. The law reduces the city’s combined council from 40 members to 20. Though it applies broadly to city or city- county governments, Nashville is the only one that is affected.
TEXAS Dallas: A man and woman have been arrested and charged after four people were found fatally shot in an apartment where an infant was found unharmed, police said.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A former student and soccer player is suing Westminster College after she said she and other players were asked sexual questions as part of an “initiation ritual” that the coach allegedly participated in, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
VERMONT Burlington: Law enforcement agencies continued to investigate after they said a threat was made on a United Airlines flight bound for Vermont. Police said the threat was made on United Airlines flight 3613, which took off from Newark, New Jersey, at 3: 14 p. m. MyNBC5 reported officials said about 20 minutes before landing at Burlington International Airport, the pilot was made aware of a threat found inside of a bathroom on the plane.
VIRGINIA Alexandria: A judge has rejected a request from Google to transfer a federal antitrust lawsuit against it from Virginia to New York. The ruling from U. S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema is a victory for the Justice Department and several states, including Virginia, that sued Google earlier this year and wanted to keep the case in the commonwealth.
WASHINGTON Bremerton: A 34year- old man accused of harassing state Rep. Michelle Caldier after he was warned and then ordered to stop contacting her has pleaded guilty to felony stalking charges.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: A child marriage bill is heading to the governor’s desk after lawmakers agreed to let 16- and 17- year- olds get married with restrictions. Currently, children can marry as young as 16 with parental consent, and anyone younger than that regardless of age can get married with a judge’s waiver. The bill passed over the weekend would remove the possibility that anyone younger than 16 could marry.
WISCONSIN Madison: A former University of Wisconsin- Madison graduate student threatened students, staff members and professors at the university, telling some of them via email before he traveled to the U. S. that he planned to kill their children, according to court documents. WYOMING Cheyenne: Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill on Native American adoptions, codifying the federal Indian Child Welfare Act as state statute, the Casper Star- Tribune reports. The law prioritizes the placement of Native American children in their tribal communities, according to the news outlet.