Across the USA

Alabama:

Anniston — An increase in sightings may indicate that the black bear population is on the rise in the region. In addition to at least two reports of bears at Cheaha State Park, a wildlife camera caught an image of a black bear in Piedmont. And the Little River Canyon National Preserve is seeking funding to study the bears’ habitat.

Alaska:

Eagle River — Two girls playing in the street were injured when they were stomped by a moose. The girls, ages 11 and 6, were playing Monday when the moose chased them. Police in Eagle River say the girls ran to a nearby yard but the moose followed. Police spokesman Dave Parker says the 6-year-old was severely stomped on her back and arm. The older girl was treated and released at the scene.

Arizona:

Phoenix — Allison Havir is offering $10,000 for the return of her German shepherd, DiiDii. Havir says a friend was watching DiiDii on May 17 at his home near Indian School Road and Hayden in Scottsdale. The dog got out through a side door. DiiDii is 2½ years old, weighs 60 pounds and was wearing a silver choke collar.

Arkansas:

Texarkana — Authorities are searching for two murder suspects who escaped a southwest Arkansas jail by a using a hacksaw blade to saw through metal bars covering a window. The Miller County Sheriff’s Office says Cortez Hooper, 23, and Quincy Stewart, 36, were at large Tuesday. The pair were discovered missing Monday. The men jumped out a second-floor window then somehow got around a 10-foot fence topped with razor wire.

California:

Simi Valley — The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is buying a 140-acre greenbelt to preserve its stunning views near its library and museum. Melissa Giller, a foundation spokeswoman, said the foundation bought the land to preserve the tranquility of the library’s views from its Air Force One Pavilion. The asking price was reportedly $7.2 million by Cornerstone Community Church.

Colorado:

Denver — More than a thousand people marched in protest of Wells Fargo bank, saying it has a lower federal tax rate than many workingclass taxpayers. Police blocked traffic in the marchers’ path from a Wells Fargo building to the Colorado Convention Center a few blocks away. The protest was staged by groups including the Colorado AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club and ProgressNow Colorado.

Connecticut:

Hamden — Carlton Highsmith, a retired paper industry executive and member of Quinnipiac University’s board of trustees, has donated $1 million to the business school. The university announced Tuesday that it has established the Carlton Highsmith Chair in Entrepreneurship and will match Highsmith’s donation, starting a $2 million fund.

Delaware:

Lewes — Guides are being sought to give tours on the Lightship Overfalls, which was designated as a National Historic Landmark last year. The ship, built in 1938, is docked on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Lightships are ships that act as lighthouses.

D.C.:

A Brookings study of neighborhood walkability rated Georgetown No. 1 and the New York Avenue corridor last, The Washington Post reported. It said the more walkable a neighborhood is, the higher the value of office and retail space, and the more income from residential rentals and sales.

Florida:

Gainesville — A University of Florida survey shows consumer confidence was up by 3 points in May to 77. That’s also nine points higher than a year ago on a scale of 2 to 150. Chris McCarty, director of the university’s Survey Research Center, said confidence was particularly strong among those under 60 and those with incomes of more than $30,000.

Georgia:

Rome — New rules proposed for inert landfills could put some out of business. More than 2,500 such landfills, that contain waste that doesn’t decompose, are permitted in the state. Under the proposed changes, facilities would have to meet standards comparable to construction/demolition landfills.

Hawaii:

Honolulu — Construction on Hawaii’s largest wind farm is underway. The Kawailoa Wind Project on Oahu’s North Shore will supply electricity for 14,500 homes. Wisconsinbased RMT recently started work on major features of the project, including the foundations that will anchor 30 wind turbines.

Idaho:

Idaho Falls — The caves excavated above the Salmon River by a recluse who lived in them for more than six decades have been filled in with dirt and lava rock. The Bureau of Land Management said workers filled about a dozen caves that were the home of Richard “Dugout Dick” Zimmerman shortly after his April 2010 death at age 94. The caves posed a safety hazard because support timbers were starting to crack. He lived in caves by choice.

Illinois:

Chicago — A calf was born on Memorial Day to the pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins at the Shedd Aquarium. The mother and calf appear well and will remain under 24-hour observation for several months.

Indiana:

Muncie — Officials said the Delaware County Fair will get a new grandstand. The old one, built in 1948, was demolished because of safety concerns found during an inspection prompted by last year’s deadly Indiana State Fair stage collapse. The new seating area is expected to be completed by July. The fair runs July 9-21.

Iowa:

Ames — Iowa State University President Steven Leath says the hiring of 200 faculty members will be focused on helping central Iowa become a research and manufacturing center and expand its biotech offerings.

Kansas:

Topeka — The state will give preference in awarding contracts to companies where 20% of the employees have disabilities. Gov. Brownback,

NEWS from every state a Republican, said the bill he signed Tuesday will help the disabled find work and get off aid programs. The bill requires the state to give preferences for contracts to certified businesses if their bids are no more than 10% higher than the most competitive bid. Kentucky: Louisville — The University of Louisville was swamped by flash flooding Tuesday amid thunderstorms while a fire damaged an apartment complex after lightning struck the building near campus. At least a dozen students were dislocated, officials said. Water seeped into at least five buildings on the main campus. Louisiana: New Iberia — The Iberia Parish Council approved the purchase of the former Grand Marais Elementary School in Jeanerette for $75,000. Councilman Roger Duncan said the land will be used for a “day park” with a playground and walking track. Maine: Augusta — The Bureau of Parks and Lands’ deadline for its FirstTime Campers raffle is Thursday; the drawing Friday. The prize is a free weekend of camping to 44 Maine families that have never before camped. Maryland: Hagerstown — Hagerstown Community College has won a $1.25 million federal grant to start a college-prep program to help about 70 Washington County students each year who will be among the first in their families to attend college. Massachusetts: Hanson — The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife was set to release more than 100 Northern Redbellied Cooter hatchlings at Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area. The endangered turtles were removed from the wild last fall, then were paired with educational and scientific facilities, which raised them in warm environments with unlimited food. Michigan: Lansing — The Governor John B. Swainson Award will be presented Thursday at the Capitol to Jennifer Boardman, a co-founder of the Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium; Nancy Brown, a promoter of the Michigan Legal Milestones Program; and Joann Germinder, a guest curator for the Michigan Historical Museum’s exhibit on 100 years of Girl Scouting. Minnesota: Minneapolis — A fire captain said he and four other firefighters who were trapped in the attic of a burning church are lucky to be alive. The fire destroyed the Walker Community United Methodist Church. Capt. Joe Mattison said the firefighters’ exit was blocked by flames. All five had burns to their hands. One firefighter remains hospitalized. Mississippi: Starkville — Officers Andy Round and Taylor Wells were chosen to become the Police Department’s first motorcycle unit since the mid-1970s. Missouri: Kansas City — The use of PCP is increasing, particularly in the city’s urban core. The drug induces hallucinations and makes many users combative and unable to feel pain. Po- lice Capt. Todd Paulson called PCP the scariest drug on the streets. Montana: Missoula — Apple growers in the Bitterroot Valley say a recent cold snap at the same time apple trees were in full bloom will likely dent this year’s apple crop. Al Pernichele of Al and Mary Pernichele’s Frost Top Orchard north of Corvallis says he lost 90% of his expected apple harvest. Charlie Swanson of Mountain View Orchards lost 60% of his crop. Nebraska: Lincoln — More than 300 people from the USA and Canada may attend the 67th meeting of the Entomological Society of America’s North Central Branch. The meeting is Sunday through June 6 at the Embassy Suites. Topics for the bug experts include new crop protection products, endangered species and insecticide resistance. Nevada: Reno — High-resolution imaging technology known as bare-earth airborne LiDAR — Light Detection and Ranging — has uncovered more substantial seismic hazards in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe than first believed. The U.S. Geological Survey says the steep, fault-formed range west of the lake could generate earthquakes with magnitudes from 6.3 to 6.9. It also warns they could trigger landslides along the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone stretching from west of Truckee Calif., to the south end of Tahoe. New Hampshire: Concord — Two dozen museums in the state are free to military personnel and their families through Labor Day, including the Moffett House Museum and Genealogy Center in Berlin and the SEE Science Center in Manchester. New Jersey: Newark — The state Attorney General’s office has released a smartphone application to help consumers make better-informed decisions about donating to charities. New Mexico: Las Cruces — Dona Ana County voters will be able to cast ballots at special voting centers in a June 5 primary election. Registered voters will be able to visit any of 39 locations to fill out a ballot tailored to their own precincts. County Clerk Lynn Ellins says the new centers should allow poll workers to issue results quicker. New York: New York — Two baby red-tailed hawks have taken their first flight after nearly 50 days of life from their nest on a ledge at New York University. Boo and Scout are stars of a New York Times webcam outside NYU’s Bobst Library. North Carolina: Chapel Hill — Scientists found species of ticks not seen before in the region, and public health officials are concerned that more ticks will mean higher rates of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The changes can be traced to 2009, when scientists found the Ixodes Affinis tick, which had been previously seen only in coastal Florida and Georgia. North Dakota: Bismarck — Wildlife officials will get tougher on people who violate laws preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species. Game and Fish Department enforcement chief Robert Timian said violations have brought more warnings that citations in the past. That’s changing after years of officials telling the public about harmful consequences of spreading unwanted species. Ohio: Mansfield — The Richland County Fair, which offered beer for the first time last year, won’t allow the drinks at this year’s event that starts Aug. 5. Religious leaders and others said it would change the family-friendly atmosphere. Oklahoma: Broken Arrow — The mayor said he’ll step down amid criticism of a proposed Indian casino. Mayor Mike Lester said he’ll resign as mayor but retain his seat on the City Council. Last week, the National Indian Gaming Commission said the site for a proposed casino can’t be used for gambling. The Kialegee Tribal Town hoped to build the Red Clay Casino there. Oregon: Hillsboro — A man who was found mentally incompetent to stand trial in a Forest Grove slaying may be discharged with no notification to authorities. Washington County Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey said public safety should be the priority, but patient privacy laws may prevent mental health workers from disclosing when Yovane Muro is released from hospital care and where he goes. Pennsylvania: Sunbury — The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs wants to sell the 75-year-old Sunbury Armory building and grounds. The 18,000-square-foot building was occupied by Pennsylvania Guardsmen until a recent move to the new Danville Armed Forces Reserve Center. The armory was independently appraised at $395,000. Rhode Island: Providence — Brown University has formally dedicated its new $46 million aquatics and fitness center. The facility includes a 56-meter pool for varsity and recreational use and a seating area for 800. South Carolina: Columbia — Matt Andrews, a Rock Hill resident and a recent graduate of Winthrop University, designed a new logo for the Army National Guard engineering unit heading to Afghanistan in July. Task Force Panther is sporting a logo with a growling, muscled black panther perched atop a red castle. South Dakota: Mitchell — A Sioux Falls seafood restaurant has its anchor back. The 100-pound anchor belonging to Long John Silver’s disappeared May 18, then was found in a park last week. The anchor had sat near the restaurant’s front entrance since 1975. Tennessee: East Ridge — The East Ridge City Council will consider two anti-smoking proposals around city buildings and parks. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports one plan by City Manager Tim Gobble would limit tobacco use on city property to designated areas. The other would ban smoking and snuff on city property. Texas: Dallas — As he sat at a pep rally at Woodrow Wilson High School in 2009, Aden Shank got tired of seeing cheerleaders toss candy weakly into the crowd. So Aden concocted a glossy crossbow called the Cheer Launcher. Candy is stuffed into a paper tube and placed onto the contraption. Pull back a large latex band and let it go. Utah: Provo — Federal cuts of the Pell grant program, which supports lowincome students, mean fewer people are registering for summer school. At Utah Valley University, 600 fewer students are expected in the first session of summer classes, down from 11,600 last year. At Brigham Young University, a similar drop is forecast. Vermont: Waitsfield — Pamela Malone has agreed to pay the state a $6,000 penalty to settle wetlands violations. State investigators said Malone built a driveway through a wetland and approved clearing, grading, dredging and filling without applying for paperwork. As part of the settlement, Malone will hire a wetland consultant to submit a restoration plan. Virginia: Blacksburg — Virginia Tech has partnered with X7 Systems Integration under a nearly $1 million contract to install a video security system. The project could ultimately result in up to 2,500 security cameras being installed around the 2,600-acre campus over the next several years. Washington: Pasco — A man who was burning weeds in gusty winds was arrested for investigation of reckless burning after a four-alarm fire burned a motel under renovation. West Virginia: Morgantown — A group has raised more than $10,000 toward the $45,000 cost to build a statue honoring Col. Zackquill Morgan, who founded Morgantown in 1785. Wisconsin: Chilton — Dairy farmers have known for generations that contented cows give more milk. The farmers are coming up with creative ways to help keep their cows happy. Some installed waterbeds for cows to rest on, while others play classical music. Some hire animal chiropractors to give older cows a tuneup and correct minor issues in calves. Wyoming: Jackson — Teton County School District 1 middle school and high school students are being surveyed about teenagers’ sleeping habits. The study is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey focuses on drowsy driving, depression, academics and social outcomes. U.S. territory: Guam — The War in the Pacific National Historical Park will hold events in June that are free to the public.