News from across the USA
ALABAMA Montgomery: The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 51-47 to approve a $5.9 billion Education Trust Fund budget.
ALASKA Juneau: The state and federal governments are reviewing information from studies on the lingering effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill to decide how to proceed in a continuing legal case.
ARIZONA Sedona: The U.S. Forest Service has banned the containers for food and drinks near Oak Creek and Fossil Creek, citing safety and health hazards. The ban goes into effect April 1. Violators can face a fine of up to $5,000 or six months in jail. Forest officials said visitors have cut their feet on broken glass containers that also contribute to the litter problem.
ARKANSAS Hot Springs: City leaders have approved the condemnation of the Majestic Hotel building that was destroyed in a fire last month.
CALIFORNIA Ventura: Testing has found high levels of bacteria at two Ventura County beaches. The water at Surfers Point at Seaside Park in Ventura and Kiddie Beach Park in Oxnard failed to meet state standards for bacteria. Warning signs have been posted.
COLORADO Denver: A 1-yearold child left alone inside their father’s car was taken away when it was towed. Police said Thomas Benton, 36, was dropping a friend off at his grandmother’s home when he went inside and left the baby asleep in the car. When Benton came back outside, after what he told officers was 10 minutes, the car was gone. CONNECTICUT New Haven: Keshav Ramesh, a fifth-grader from South Windsor, correctly spelled “sundries” and “probate” to clinch this year’s New Haven Register Spelling Bee. Keshav will go on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.
DELAWARE Dover: The state Supreme Court has ruled that the Wilmington Housing Authority cannot prohibit residents from carrying guns in common areas such as lounges, halls and laundry rooms.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The U.S. Education Department has placed a hold on $6.2 million of the $75 million it awarded the city under the Race to the Top program, saying that local officials must seek explicit federal approval before spending those funds.
FLORIDA Miami: A new administrative policy bans police officers from taking their guns next time they attend a Miami City Commission meeting unless they are assigned to City Hall or handling a call. The Miami Herald reported the new rule follows a protest in February. Officers will now have to check their guns at the door before entering the chambers.
GEORGIA Atlanta: The Underground Atlanta shopping and entertainment complex will soon be up for sale. The Atlanta City Council approved a plan to buy out the rights of CV Underground, the company that manages the complex, for $8.8 million.
HAWAII Honolulu: State Attorney General David Louie said royalties from geothermal resource development on Hawaiian home lands must be used to benefit Native Hawaiians.
IDAHO Kuna: A collection of more than 300 vehicles as well as car parts collected over decades is for sale in an online auction that runs through Friday. Car aficionado Clarence Haken died three years ago, and the cars are being sold in an online auction.
ILLINOIS Chicago: Construction begins next week on an elevated path meant to help bikers and walkers safely navigate a heavily used area near Chicago’s Navy Pier. The 16-foot-wide elevated path will be part of the city’s 18-mile Lakefront Trail.
INDIANA South Bend: Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County plans to auction two large, multipaned windows and a section of a third that were part of Notre Dame’s Main Building, the
South Bend Tribune reported. Proceeds will go to Habitat’s Women Build program.
IOWA Des Moines: State officials said 2013 was another year of safe hunting in the state. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said no fatalities were recorded last year during hunting seasons. However, there were 11 injuries and six cases of property damage.
KANSAS Lawrence: The wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain visits next week to discuss leadership, her humanitarian work and life on the campaign trail. Cindy Hensley McCain will speak the evening of March 25 at the Dole Institute of Politics.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: The Kentucky Commission on Women Foundation has received a $100,000 grant from Toyota to complete the production of a public television documentary that highlights contributions women have made to the state throughout its history.
LOUISIANA Plaquemine: The Iberville Parish Council has approved an ordinance making it illegal to wear sagging pants and other apparel below the waist, exposing skin or underwear in public. A first-offense conviction will bring a $50 fine, a second conviction a $100 fine and third and ensuing convictions will bring $100 fines and 16 hours of community service.
MAINE Norridgewock: Police armed with assault rifles descended on a man’s home after members of a tree removal crew reported that he had a gun. Turns out the “gun” the tree crew had seen on Michael Smith was just a life-sized tattoo of a handgun on his stomach. When he’s not wearing a shirt, the tattoo looks like a gun tucked into his waistband.
MARYLAND Greenbelt: Gospel singer Yolanda Adams will headline a fundraiser April 6 at the University of Maryland to help Eleanor Roosevelt High School expand its cultural exchange program with a school in Kenya. MASSACHUSETTS Pittsfield: The estate where Herman Melville wrote Moby-Dick will soon be a working farm again. Pittsfield’s Community Development Board gave approval for a small farm on the 44-acre property known as Arrowhead.
MICHIGAN Kalamazoo: A boy who said he didn’t want an 11th birthday party because he had no friends got a one-day contract that will allow him to join the pro hockey Wings for their home game Sunday. Colin, whose family didn’t want his last name used, has a condition similar to Asperger’s syndrome that makes it difficult to relate to peers.
MINNESOTA Mankato: A teenage boy faces charges in a death investigators linked to synthetic drugs. The 17-year-old is charged in juvenile court in Blue Earth County.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The Department of Corrections asked a state judge to rule that information on execution drugs and suppliers is confidential and exempt from the Public Records Act.
MISSOURI Kansas City: A national debate over the safety of tanning beds has made its way here. A Missouri bill would require anyone under 17 to get their parents’ consent before tanning.
MONTANA Great Falls: A large collection of paintings, photos and sketches that includes images of survivors of the Battle of the Little Bighorn is for sale. The Wrangler Gallery is seeking a buyer for the 122-piece David Humphreys Miller collection. Gallery owner Brad Hamlett told the Great Falls Tribune the collection recently was appraised at about $3.8 million.
NEBRASKA Omaha: The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center will hold its first Spring Arts and Crafts Fair this weekend.
NEVADA Elko: The Elko City Council is taking steps to allow homeless people to camp on city-owned property. Council members unanimously endorsed an ordinance change to allow overnight camping on 10 acres owned by the city near the Humboldt River. NEW HAMPSHIRE Hanover: Faculty and staff at Dartmouth College are showing off their artistic talents. The two-day event started Wednesday and includes paintings, photography and live music.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: A report by a task force of the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse said the state should expand prescription monitoring rules and make it easier for people to have drug treatment covered by insurance, noting a “skyrocketing ” problem of heroin and prescription drug addiction.
NEW MEXICO Roswell: Authorities said 11 vehicles recently have been set on fire here and police are seeking the public’s help. Police said they have little clues on the suspected arson but are offering a $1,000 reward.
NEW YORK Cambridge: A mastodon that was on display at Vassar for 80 years and in storage for another 20 has a new home at Cambridge High, on permanent loan from the State Museum. NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte: Charlotte Douglas International Airport has reopened its fourth and shortest runway after a review ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration because of safety concerns. The runway is used mostly for landings.
NORTH DAKOTA Fargo: Earl St. Claire was sentenced to 25 years in prison for leading a methamphetamine ring.
OHIO Columbus: Gov. Kasich, a Republican, unveiled a $2.4 billion state construction budget to fund a host of community, school, park and prison projects. Quick legislative action on the bill is expected.
OKLAHOMA Chickasha: Authorities in Grady County are investigating the drowning of a person who rode a horse into a pond. The horse came back up, but the rider didn’t surface. A dive team discovered the victim’s body.
OREGON Ashland: The City Council voted 4-2 to order up a draft of an ordinance that would ban carrying loaded guns openly in public. PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh: Mayor Bill Peduto is appealing an arbitration panel’s decision that its police officers can live outside the city. The appeal to Allegheny County Court puts on hold last week’s ruling that would let officers live within 25 miles of the City-County Building. RHODE ISLAND Providence: Rhode Island is receiving $12.6 million from the federal government to improve and preserve public housing. SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The state filed a lawsuit intended to keep the federal government from defunding a multibilliondollar project to turn weaponsgrade plutonium into commercial nuclear reactor fuel, saying its closure would hurt an international non-proliferation agreement and eliminate hundreds of jobs.
SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: The state fair will bring the band Boston to Huron on Aug. 31. Boston is known for the hits More than a Feeling and Peace of Mind.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Greenfield Products, a manufacturer of heavy equipment attachments, is investing $6.3 million to expand its operations in Obion County, adding 100 jobs during the next two years.
TEXAS Waco: A bull in no mood for vaccinations led police on a chase down a city street before horse-riding, lasso-yielding officers were able to wrangle the animal.
UTAH Park City: Summit County authorities are looking for whoever shot and killed a dog in its own backyard. Animal control officers said a 4-year-old black Labrador was found dead by his owners, Tom and Sherry Weaver.
VERMONT Newport: A Vermont company has won a $21 million contract to produce 90,000 helmets for the U.S. military at a plant here. Revision Military CEO Jonathan Blanchay said the new contract enabled the company to add 47 jobs since the contract was announced in January.
VIRGINIA Alexandria: Developer EYA outlined a $200 million project that would replace the Robinson Terminal South warehouse on the Potomac River with high-end residences, retail and a restaurant, The Washington Post reported.
WASHINGTON Seattle: A primary backer of the state’s legalization of marijuana reported a massive drop in pot possession charges last year. The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said court filings for misdemeanor marijuana possession by adults over 21 years old totaled 120 cases in 2013, a huge drop from 5,531 cases in 2012. WEST VIRGINIA Martinsburg: Berkeley County health officials are seeking the public’s input on a proposed expansion of the county’s smoking ban. The proposal would extend the ban to bars, private clubs and all public spaces.
WISCONSIN Menomonie: The fatal shooting of a man during a search for drugs by SWAT team officers was justified, Dunn County District Attorney James Peterson ruled. Dennis Grohn, 32, was killed when officers executed a “no knock” search warrant.
WYOMING Jackson: New research shows that only 7% of mountain lions in the Jackson Hole area are surviving into adulthood. Teton Cougar Project leader Mark Elbroch said there’s a correlation between young cougars dying and the area’s growing wolf population.