Across the USA

NEWS from every state

Alabama: Montgomery — A group of clergy leaders is airing a TV commercial that speaks out against the state’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The commercial urges legislators to fix the law, which participants say has hurt the state’s economy, bred a climate of fear and divided families. Participants include Baptist, Methodist, independent Christian and Jewish leaders.

Alaska: Fairbanks — Fairbanks is experiencing topsy-turvy weather: March was colder than February. National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Thoman says that has happened just 14 times in 100 years. The average temperature for March was 4.5 degrees — almost 7 degrees colder than normal. In February, the average temperature was 5.9 degrees — more than 7 degrees warmer than normal.

Arizona: Mesa — The Federal Aviation Administration said a home-built, single-engine plane crashed in a field Tuesday immediately after taking off from Falcon Field. The Rans S-12 aircraft caught fire, and Mesa Fire Department spokesman Forrest Smith said both people onboard the plane died.

Arkansas: Little Rock — Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza has approved a settlement in a lawsuit accusing legislators of unconstitutionally supplementing their salaries. Legislators must file detailed reports to be reimbursed for office and travel expenses. The settlement also calls for a regular review of reimbursements and ends a $10,200 annual payment some lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol receive instead of per diem and mileage reimbursements.

California: Los Angeles — Five water-main breaks that flooded streets in Hollywood were related to pressure changes caused by the inspection of a reservoir. The breaks in 6- and 8-inch pipes Tuesday sent water gushing onto streets, according to the Department of Water and Power.

Colorado: The

Colorado Springs — National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for southern Colorado as a snowstorm was expected to bring 16 inches of snow Tuesday in Trinidad and other communities in the southern Front Range.

Connecticut: Hartford — The state has extended until March 31, 2013, a ban on taking alewives and blueback herring from most inland and marine waters. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said monitoring showed no improvement in population size in the past year.

Delaware: Dover — The Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control is hosting its eighth recycling event for old tires on April 21 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. Residents are encouraged to drop off up to 10 tires.

D.C.:

A a pedestrian was struck and killed by a garbage truck at 14th Street and Columbia Road in Columbia Heights. The man has not been identified. Police are investigating.

Florida: Miami — A Cuban-born dancer will become artistic director of the Miami City Ballet. Lourdes Lopez, currently director of New York dance company Morphoses, will succeed Edward Villella at the end of the 2012-13 season. Lopez was born in Havana and grew up in Miami. She joined the New York City Ballet at age 16 and became a principal dancer in 1984.

Georgia: Atlanta — An exhibit featuring artifacts from the Titanic opens Friday at Premier Exhibitions. It features personal items of William Murdoch, the bridge officer who tried to keep the ship from colliding with an iceberg.

Hawaii: Honolulu — An effort to raise money for the family of a 3-year-old boy killed at a bus stop last week is being organized by the family of the man charged with negligent homicide in the crash. Potasi Uta’s relatives plan to open a Bank of Hawaii account for the family of Ashton Brown. His mother and three siblings were injured. Ashton and his family were homeless. Uta’s preliminary hearing is today.

Idaho: Orofino — Police said credit card fraud that has affected 300 people originated at a local grocery store. The Glenwood IGA store has been cooperating with investigators. In many cases, accounts were hit with small charges to see whether they were active before larger purchases were attempted.

Illinois: Chicago — Police carried out a security drill simulating a shooting attack at O’hare International Airport. The exercise was intended to test police response to a mass shooting at the airport. The mock event involved an individual arriving at the international terminal and firing on those inside.

Indiana: Jeffersonville — The city is trying to get rid of a barge it bought last year after officials decided that renovating it into an entertainment and rental venue would be too expensive. Mayor Mike Moore said the barge bought by the previous mayor’s administration isn’t a standard size used by river transport companies and it’s costing the city $200 a day in storage fees. The barge cost the city $370,000.

Iowa: Des Moines — For the first time in nearly six years, Republicans (612,000) top Democrats (608,000) on active voter registration rolls in Iowa. However, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky said there are more independent voters than Democrats or Republicans.

Kansas: Garden City — Garden City High School students will move into a new school in the fall armed with ipads, after the board of education voted to buy one for each student. The initiative will cost about $872,000. Funding comes from a $92.5 million bond issue for the high school, which came in under budget.

Kentucky: Hopkinsville — Police arrested eight middle school students accused of beating a 15-year-old boy as part of a gang initiation. The victim was not in the gang. His parents discovered what happened and called police.

Louisiana: New Orleans — Five former police officers will be sentenced today for their roles in deadly shootings of unarmed residents on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina. Before sentencing, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt is likely to hear hours of arguments by prosecutors and defense attorneys and testimony by relatives of shooting victims and the officers.

Maine: Bar Harbor — Christopher Schwartz, known for dressing as Batman and dancing with his boombox, has apologized for any “mass hysteria” he caused with an April Fools’ prank. Schwartz posted on his Facebook page April 1 that he would blow up a hospital unless he was paid $1 million. He was arrested Sunday, told police he was kidding, then proceeded to ask whether they had brought the money.

Maryland: Frederick — A Frederick County Circuit Court jury awarded $620,000 in damages to Roger and Sandi Jenkins, whose dog Brandi was shot by sheriff’s deputy Timothy Brooks. Brooks said he wasn’t able to fully explain during the trial why the dog’s actions caused him to shoot. Deputies had gone to the home with a civil warrant for a juvenile.

Massachusetts: Wellesley — The Boston Archdiocese has agreed to sell a former parish that has been occupied for more than seven years by parishioners protesting the closing. The deal with the town of Wellesley would sell the St. James the Great property for $3.8 million, contingent on approval by local voters and a Vatican ruling on an appeal by parishioners.

Michigan: Cheboygan — Cheboygan Memorial Hospital has been forced to close after a proposed sale of the facility to Mclaren Health Care was blocked amid regulatory issues, the

Cheboygan Daily Tribune reported. The hospital board voted to close, saying it didn’t have the money to stay open.

Minnesota: Rochester — The Children’s Museum, designed to appeal to kids from infancy to age 8, is set to open at 9 a.m. Thursday. It will include hands-on exhibits and activities to foster learning in everything from math to physics and drawing.

Mississippi: Hattiesburg — Investigators are piecing together what motivated a man to shoot at a restaurant, wounding five customers and employees. Police spokesman Lt. Eric Proulx said Scott Tyner, 44, walked into Cucos restaurant and opened fire. “There was no confrontation,” Proulx said.

Missouri: St. Louis — Police are investigating attacks allegedly involving 15 teenagers at a downtown park. Two men, ages 62 and 53, were attacked. The group then went after a 16-yearold boy and took his ipod.

Montana: Helena — A children’s psychiatric hospital is nearing its fundraising goal to build housing for families whose children are receiving treatment. Shodair Children’s Hospital has received a $225,000 “top-off” grant from the Murdock Charitable Trust to

help build the Shodair Family House. Shodair is the only facility for children’s acute and residential psychiatric care in Montana. Construction on the $1.3 million project is to begin in June.

Nebraska: Lincoln — A former police officer who pleaded guilty to stealing money from a police union charity fund has been given two to five years in prison. Cassandra Briggs, 42, who quit the department last April, had run the Santa Cop program that gives gifts to children from poor families. A lawsuit filed by the Police Union Charities says Briggs took more than $16,000.

Nevada: Carson City — The number of Nevada traffic deaths jumped nearly 25% in the first quarter of 2012 when compared with the same period last year, according to state figures. From January to March, 57 people died in accidents, 11 more than last year.

New Hampshire: Concord — Seven New Hampshire companies will share $80,000 in grants to help nearly 250 workers acquire new skills. Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, said the grants are among more than $4 million issued in the past five years to help train more than 12,500 workers.

New Jersey: Atlantic City — A state Senate panel approved an Internet gambling bill that would let Atlantic City casinos take bets from other states and other countries, as long as federal and state authorities agree it’s legal.

New Mexico: Mesilla — Trustees agreed to waive rental fees of the Mesilla Plaza and the Community Center so a Civil War re-enactment, commemorating the 150th anniversary, can happen in October. There are plans for a military ball, lectures, a candlelight procession and a concert of Civil War-era music. During the war, Mesilla briefly served as the New Mexico territorial capital for the Confederacy.

New York: New York — Dozens of parents in Park Slope want ice cream trucks to leave the Brooklyn neighborhood. They include Debbie Markovic; she has a lactose-intolerant daughter and says the temptation is too much. Community Board 7 said it gets complaints about the trucks’ music and parking issues, but a ban for health reasons is unrealistic.

North Carolina: Winston-salem — Winston-salem State University seeks to build on its 13-1 season with a free women’s football clinic, designed to help expand its fan base. The three-day Deborah Reaves Football Series (named for the wife of Chancellor Donald Reaves) started Tuesday and covers game terminology and rules.

North Dakota: Bismarck — North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger will shorten his office hours so staffers can catch up on paperwork. Jaeger said the office will be closed Mondays except for taking deliveries. Office hours Tuesday through Friday are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ohio: Cincinnati — Police are getting special “sensitivity training” to make them more aware of cultural differences before July’s World Choir

Games. countries Nearly and tens 400 of choirs thousands from 49 of spectators are expected.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City — The Federal Trade Commission sued two tribes, claiming their payday loan companies are operating illegally. The commission filed the complaint against companies operated by the Miami Tribe and the Modoc Tribe. The complaint alleges that the companies made repeated small withdrawals from customers’ accounts — while charging a fee each time.

Oregon: Springfield — City Council members indicated their approval for a proposal to expand overnight parking for the homeless. The proposal would expand rules adopted in 2009 that allow homeless families to stay in parking lots at about a dozen churches.

Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh — Bed bugs have been found at Beechwood Elementary School. Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said officials believe they’ve traced the bugs to one student’s home, and that student’s classroom has been the focus of efforts to get rid of the insects.

Rhode Island: Pawtucket — Vandals pushed the headstones off the bases of 18 monuments at the Walnut Hill Cemetery. The vandalism was reported by Edward Ayoud, a caretaker for the section of the cemetery used by St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church.

South Carolina: Charleston — Explosive teams from the city and the Air Force were called to the Medical University of South Carolina after a shell from the Civil War was found in a flower bed. During the war, the city was besieged by Union gunners for 567 days.

South Dakota: Pierre — The state Department of Health says 28 wild animals and 12 domesticated animals tested positive for rabies in 2011. The wild animals included skunks, bats and raccoons. The domesticated animals were cats, cattle, dogs and a horse. The 40 cases compare with 32 in 2010.

Tennessee: Memphis — A student who intended to peel an apple at Germantown High School was suspended. The issue was a 2-inch paring knife brought to school. Police were called, and the student was arrested.

Texas: El Paso — Investigators determined that a pickup driver ran a red light before hitting a patrol car in a wreck that killed a state trooper in a fiery accident March 24. Trooper Javier Arana was dead at the scene. Arana’s patrol car was struck while going through an intersection as he responded to a call about a pursuit. The driver of the Ford Ranger, Edgardo Antonio Flores, 18, has not been charged.

Utah: Salt Lake City — A judge halted the firing squad execution of a 50year-old man convicted of torturing and murdering a Utah college student in 1988. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell canceled Michael Anthony Archuleta’s April 5 execution so he can pursue a federal appeal. Authorities say Gordon Ray Church, 28, offered Archu-

leta and Lance Conway Wood a ride on Nov. 22, 1988. Police say the men sexually assaulted Church and beat him to death with a tire iron. Wood, who led investigators to the body, was sentenced to life without parole.

Vermont: Topsham — Someone opened a valve on a holding tank and dumped about 4,000 gallons of maple sap on the ground over the weekend. About 50 gallons of gasoline was stolen from a fuel tank at the maple sugaring operation run by Michael Emerson.

Virginia:

Charlottesville — A city councilwoman said she’s been the target of hatred since she asked at a public event whether Civil War statues in the city should be torn down. Councilwoman Kristin Szakos said the backlash has come in online comments, emails and telephone calls to her house.

Washington: Tacoma — A six-man cleaning crew with brushes and pressure washers is helping the Tacoma Dome shine again. They’re a week into a job that’s likely to last about a month, rappelling from the 150-foot tall cupola with 30 pounds of gear strapped to their bodies. A private donor is paying about $104,000 for the work.

West Virginia: Charleston — A halfhour documentary about the Coal River Valley will premiere on Linktv on the second anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. The explosion at the former Massey Energy mine killed 29 men on April 5, 2010. West Virginia: Hillbillies, Coal Miners, Treehuggers & God airs at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Wisconsin: Grand Chute — Police said a suspect was arrested in the bombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic here and was being held on a probation warrant. He has not been charged. A small fire broke out at the clinic on Sunday when the homemade bomb exploded, causing minimal damage to an exam room. No one was inside the clinic, which reopened Tuesday.

Wyoming: Laramie — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Rawlins is taking public comments before starting an environmental analysis of a proposed wild horse sanctuary. Owners of the 4,000-acre Deerwood Ranch have applied to provide long-term care for up to 400 wild horses gathered from Western public rangelands. The horses would not be kept on public lands.

U.S. territory:

Puerto Rico — A Santeria leader and a former basketball player are among 22 people sought in a federal investigation into an alleged drug-trafficking organization. Pedro Janer, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Caribbean division, said Orlando Robles Ortiz faces drug-trafficking charges. Robles is accused of helping direct the organization. DEA spokesman Jose Roman said basketball player Samuel Rivera also was arrested.