Across the USA
Alabama: Birmingham — Commissioners in bankrupt Jefferson County on Tuesday were to hold a hearing on possible sewer rate increases. The county last year filed the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history over some $4 billion in debt linked to its sewer system.
Alaska: Fairbanks — Traffic is moving again on a section of the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory that was closed for four days because of a washout. The washout occurred along a critical stretch of the Alaska Highway north of Watson Lake. Crews worked around the clock to repair the highway, which was reopened Monday night.
Arizona: Phoenix — The state Department of Gaming said it has dismantled an illegal horse track near Picacho, about halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. Gaming spokesman Rick Medina said five people are believed to be directly involved with running the operation. There have been no arrests. The case has been turned over to the state attorney general’s office.
Arkansas: Little Rock — The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission awarded seven grants worth nearly $12,000 for projects to mark the war’s 150th anniversary. Grants range from $1,000 to $2,000. Recipients include the Northwest Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trail; the Cross County Historical Society; the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation and the Sevier County Historical Museum. Others are for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture; a cemetery tour in Eureka Springs and a project in Pine Bluff on southern life.
California: A double
San Francisco — amputee whose custom-made, handcranked bicycle was stolen in San Francisco just before he was set to ride it across the country began his trek on a new bike, thanks to a Berkeley nonprofit group. The Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program loaned one of its hand cycles to Krzysztof Jarzebski, 53, a Polish Paralympics athlete.
Colorado: Denver — The Colorado Department of Agriculture canceled a quarantine on a Douglas County ranch after a horse was found with a potentially fatal horse virus, equine herpes. State officials say the quarantine was successful after a horse was brought to Colorado from Iowa and was euthanized after showing signs of the disease.
Connecticut: New Haven — Employees at the Hospital of Saint Raphael have been told that 200 jobs could be lost at the end of July in a planned merger with Yale-New Haven Hospital. Cindy van Beren, Saint Raphael’s vice president of corporate affairs, said the number is an estimate, and the job losses include no doctors or nurses.
Delaware:
Wilmington — The Faithful Friends Animal Society has named a new cat adoption room after Joseph Szczerba, a New Castle County officer who was killed in the line of duty last year at age 44. Szczerba had volunteered regularly at the no-kill shelter. Szczerba was stabbed Sept. 16 after confronting and chasing a suspect in a vehicle break-in.
D.C.: ing travelers Starting to Monday, transfer Metro up to $20 is allow- from a card. paper Previously, farecard the to a maximum plastic SmarTrip transfer who was use $7. farecards Beginning will July be 1, charged customers an additional cost $5, but $1 Metro a trip. plans SmarTrip to offer riders cards who when purchase they register new the cards card a online. $3 rebate
Florida: Boca Raton — Fred Pollino, an Afghanistan War veteran who was injured in a helicopter crash, will receive $40,000 for his escalator cleaning business under a grant from Pathway to Business Success. The group launched its efforts Tuesday to recruit Florida veterans who need help with their businesses. They must be veterans of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars.
Georgia: Atlanta — The Georgia State Crime Lab has stopped providing handwriting comparison analysis for criminal cases because of an accrediting issue. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has told prosecutors and law enforcement agencies that the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors determined that scientists didn’t meet its requirements. They will undergo training and retake the test.
Hawaii: Honolulu — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing adding 40 plants and snails on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai to the endangered species list. It’s also proposing designating critical habitat for 135 species on the three islands and Kahoolawe.
Idaho: Caldwell — A former Nampa real estate broker who pleaded guilty to grand theft rather than face trial on allegations he took more than $400,000 from business clients has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Jerry Gunstream, 62, was sentenced Monday in 3rd District Court and must serve a minimum of two years.
Illinois: Crete — Village trustees have rejected a plan to build a federal immigrant detention center in this community, 35 miles south of Chicago. Crete President Michael Einhorn had hoped the center would bring hundreds of jobs. Residents worried the center would depress their property values and pose a security threat.
Indiana: Indianapolis — A kidney transplant today will be “Twittercast.” Indiana University Health urologist Chandru Sundaram said he hopes the event can inform the public about how a living donor can save a life. Sundaram will remove a kidney from Colin Newton, 33, and transplant it into Newton’s friend Caleb Johnson, 31.
Iowa: Onawa — An Onawa man accused of shooting his boss as part of a faked burglary received two years probation. Bradley Chapman, 24, pleaded guilty to a firearms charge after prosecutors dropped two other charges. He was charged in the Feb. 5 shooting of Darren Hieber, 32, of Mapleton. Hieber is accused of having Chapman shoot him in the leg as part of their story that they’d interrupted a burglary at Hieber’s business. Hieber has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for July 31.
Kansas: Wichita — The Kansas Agricultural Service projects Kansas farmers will harvest 387 million bushels of winter wheat. That would be the high-
est year’s wheat crop production is expected since to be 40% 2003. bigger This than vest. the The drought-devastated service predicted yields 2011 har- will average about 43 bushels per acre.
Kentucky: officials are Jackson seeking — a new Transportation home for the tucky historic 30 over bridge the Kentucky that carries River Ken- in Breathitt was built County. in 1935 The and Pratt is eligible truss for bridge the National Register of Historic Places. The new owner would have to re-erect the bridge and keep its original characteristics. Proposals will be accepted through Aug. 20.
Louisiana: New Orleans — The Times-Picayune is laying off 200 employees as the 175-year-old daily newspapers prepares to print just three days a week. The layoffs amount to about half of the newsroom’s employees. Advertising, circulation and other departments also were affected.
Maine: Portland — Mainers United for Marriage have exceeded a fundraising goal that makes them eligible for a $100,000 matching grant from Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder who is editor in chief of The New Republic. Maine residents will vote Nov. 6 on whether to allow marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples.
Maryland: Baltimore — The City Council next week is expected to give approval to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s plan to raise the tax on bottled beverages from 2 cents to 5 cents in July 2013. The funds would help renovate the city schools.
Massachusetts: Boston — State Auditor Suzanne Bump reported that welfare cheats have cost taxpayers more than $2.7 million during the fiscal year that ends this month. A joint committee in the state Legislature is reviewing welfare reform plans.
Michigan: Detroit — Detroit Public Schools will lose $4.2 million in state funding during the next four years because of poor student attendance. District attendance fell below 75% on 10 days during the 2010-11 school year. State law requires all districts to have at least 75% attendance to receive their full per-pupil allocation for the day.
Minnesota: Minneapolis — A U.S. Navy pilot whose fighter plane went down over Laos in 1965 was finally laid to rest. The family of William Swanson of Zimmerman gathered at Fort Snelling National Cemetery where the Vietnam veteran was buried. Swanson was 27 when his Skyraider aircraft crashed during a reconnaissance mission in April 1965. Last week, the Department of Defense announced Swanson’s remains had been identified years after villagers led investigators to the area where his plane went down.
Mississippi: Vicksburg — The transportation museum will open Friday in the former depot of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. Lamar Roberts, the museum director, said admission fees will be reduced during the first month since some of the museum’s exhibits and items are still being set up. The museum will feature models of 250 ships and boats, 175 cars dating to the early 1900s and six airplanes, plus model trains and original oil paintings of Civil War ships and river battles.
Missouri: St. Louis — Home-brewers who made hundreds of gallons of beer for a festival this weekend won’t be allowed to serve it. Excise Commissioner Robert Kraiberg said it would be illegal to serve home-brewed beer from unlicensed brewers at the Brewers Heritage Festival.
Montana: Butte — Jefferson County authorities released the name of a 41year-old man who was killed in an ATV crash near Basin. Sheriff Craig Doolittle told The Montana Standard that Michael Lee O’Brien was traveling too fast on a corner when he crashed last Wednesday. O’Brien died at the scene.
Nebraska: Kearney — A 2-year-old girl was found walking alone in Harmon Park. Police returned the little girl to her home about a block away and cited her mother for misdemeanor child abuse. Officers have had other contact with the woman about allowing her child to wander unsupervised.
Nevada: Reno — Business on the Las Vegas Strip helped boost Nevada gambling revenue in April more than 6% from last year despite double-digit declines in Reno and other parts of northern Nevada. Casinos statewide brought in $856 million. Revenue on the Vegas Strip — which accounts for more than half of the gambling revenue statewide — was up about 7%, to $459 million, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said.
New Hampshire: Salem — Construction will start this summer on a $4 million apartment building complex for low-income residents. The project at the 140-acre Braemoor Woods site is expected to be completed in March. The complex is the first project to be built in conjunction with Salem’s 2year-old workforce housing ordinance.
New Jersey: Trenton — New Jersey Transit approved a rapid-transit bus route to connect heavily traveled southern New Jersey roads with downtown Philadelphia. The $46 million project would also add 1,800 parking spaces for commuters in Winslow and Deptford Townships.
New Mexico: Santa Fe — The state is switching to a paperless procurement system to allow vendors to electronically submit bids for government contracts. The State Purchasing Division has contracted with North Carolinabased SciQuest for a system estimated to save $2 million over three years.
New York: Fort Drum — The 10th Mountain Division’s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade is getting 45 new Black Hawk M-model helicopters. Crews will spend the summer conducting training flights upstate. The brigade’s older Black Hawks will be transferred to National Guard units in the region.
North Carolina: Charlotte — The City Council voted to give the Charlotte Knights $8 million toward a new baseball stadium. The plan calls for the Chicago White Sox affiliate team to receive $7.25 million from hotel and motel tax revenues, with the rest coming from a booster group. The Knights said play could begin in April 2014.
North Dakota: Watford City — The Long X Bridge on U.S. Highway 85 is again open to traffic 24 hours a day after repairs. The bridge on the major
north-south route in the oil patch was damaged March 18 when it was struck by a truck load that was too high.
Ohio: Toledo — Maumee Bay Brewing is creating its own version of the War of 1812 by offering two beers from that period, American-style Old Siege Lifter Honey Brown and English-style King’s Shilling Pale Ale, at its pub in Oliver House and at special tastings.
Oklahoma: Wagoner —
A teenager pleaded guilty to killing a man in a murder-for-hire scheme. Michael Richardson, 19, was sentenced to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to a second-degree murder charge in the death of 53-year-old Arthur Burney — the father of Richardson’s girlfriend. Burney’s wife, Patricia, was accused of offering Richardson $6,000 to kill her husband. She was convicted in April and sentenced to life in prison without parole. She is appealing her conviction.
Oregon: Prineville — Crook County health officials suspect a man being treated at a Bend hospital has a form of plague that infects the blood. The man in his 50s had contact with a sick cat. The disease can spread through contact with a sick animal or a bite from an infected flea. Karen Yeargain of the Crook County Health Department said plague is treatable with antibiotics if caught early.
Pennsylvania: Meadville — Crawford County commissioners will replace security cameras in 19 current locations and add 45 more at the prison after a guard was fatally injured by an inmate. Cost: $282,000.
Rhode Island: Providence — The street lights of the $4.4 million Westminster Street Decorative Lighting project have finally been switched on in the Olneyville neighborhood. Mayor Angel Taveras said the lighting can help boost business.
South Carolina: Columbia — Benedict College is planning a new dorm with space for 400 students, to open in August 2013. President David Swinton said the $15 million facility will let the historically black college with an enrollment of 3,200 stop housing students in off-campus apartments.
South Dakota: Mitchell — A man accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a 9-year-old girl pleaded guilty to manslaughter and third-offense driving under the influence. Michael Sedlmeier, 46, was accused of having a blood-alcohol level more than double the legal limit when he fled police and caused a crash March 24 that killed Iszabella Morgan.
Tennessee: Nashville — Tennessee’s general fund revenue collections beat expectations by more than $12 million in May, topping $400 million for the budget year so far. Sales tax collections, which make up about two out of three state tax dollars, exceeded estimates by more than $17 million.
Texas: San Antonio — The Air Force removed 35 instructors in less than a year at Lackland Air Force Base, including some accused of sexual misconduct with female cadets. Col. Polly Kenny, a staff judge advocate for the 2nd Air Force in Biloxi, Miss., said most of the 35 removals were for infractions other than sexual misconduct.
Utah: say 340 Draper men and — women Utah prison inmates officials will receive mony today. high school Former degrees Brigham in a Young cereUniversity running back and Jamal San Willis Francisco will deliver 49ers a speech on overcoming adversity.
Vermont: Montpelier — The state is providing additional tax relief to people whose mobile homes were damaged or destroyed during Tropical Storm Irene. The owners must be Vermont residents, the mobile home must have been damaged or destroyed in a 2011 federally declared disaster, and the owners must have bought a replacement home between April 2, 2011, and June 30 of this year.
Virginia: Norfolk — The Governor’s Bowl challenge through July 4 is aimed at helping the state’s food banks offset the typical summer declines in food donations. Awards will be presented to three Chamber of Commerce offices and one state government office based on total pounds donated.
Washington: Seattle — It’s probably what Eddie would have wanted. A bald eagle known as Eddie, regularly seen on lampposts along the 520 bridge, flew in front of a bus and was killed last summer. Bald eagles typically mate for life, and Eddie left behind a partner named Eva. But Eva is over her loss, and she and another male eagle are at home on their nest. Recent photos show a new crop of eaglets.
West Virginia: Glade Springs — The Toyota Advanced Manufacturing Technician Program will give students hands-on experience while they earn a two-year degree. The program is a partnership between Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia and Bridgemont Community and Technical College. Students will attend classes twice a week and work three days .
Wisconsin: Madison —
The Historical Museum is exploring punk, alternative and grunge music recorded and produced here in the 1980s and ’90s in an exhibit called “Smart Sounds/Alt Music/Mad Scenes.” It will run from June 19 to Sept. 15. The exhibit centers around Smart Studios, starting with its founding in 1983, its rise to fame in the 1990s and its closing in 2010. Bands such as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and the city’s own band Garbage recorded there.
Wyoming: Laramie — The House for Historic Women is open. Weldon Tuck of the Louisa Swain Foundation said the house is filled with displays honoring 13 women who have been instrumental to the history of the community, the state and the nation.
U.S. territory:
Guam — As scores of people attend an auto dealer convention this week, the Visitors Bureau is looking to expand the island’s share of the corporate travel market. The bureau is considering opening a convention center to host events similar to the 2012 Hyundai Asia/Pacific Dealer Convention that opened at the Hyatt Regency and will continue until Friday.