STATE-BY-STATE
ALABAMA Jacksonville: Michael Panik, a Jacksonville State University student, used online crowdfunding to raise $10 to buy himself a 20-piece Chicken McNugget meal at McDonald’s, AL.com reported. ALASKA Fairbanks: A crew from Green Geophysics, a Berkley, Calif.-based scientific consulting company, set up instruments to measure solar winds, the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, newsminer.com reported. ARIZONA Phoenix: The White House Council on Women and Girls tapped Kimberly Scott, an Arizona State University associate professor, to lead an initiative that aims to get minority women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, The Arizona Republic reported. ARKANSAS Little Rock: Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Freese and Airman 1st Class Codee Smith were awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for their response to a threat at the Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas Online reported. On June 15, the guards shot an armed man who sped his vehicle up a curb at the main gate and tried to get into the facility.
CALIFORNIA Yosemite Nation
al Park: Hans Florine completed his 100th ascent of the Nose Route of El Capitan. The San
Francisco Chronicle reported that Florine, a world-renowned rock climber, finished the ascent Saturday. He was joined by El Capitan first-timers, Jayme Moye of Boulder, Colo., and Fiona Thornewell of London. COLORADO Denver: Buyers of marijuana in the state received a one-day reprieve from tax on the herb, KUSA-TV reported. CONNECTICUT Greenwich: A man died after accidentally driving a van off a boat ramp at the Cos Cob Marina. DELAWARE Wilmington: U.S. Rep. John Carney, a Democrat, formally filed paperwork to launch a 2016 campaign to become the state’s next governor,
The News Journal reported. Carney, 59, has run for governor once before, losing a 2008 Democratic primary to Gov. Markell. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Oscar award-winning actor Tom Hanks joined the effort to complete the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial,
The Washington Post reported. FLORIDA Pensacola: Gulf Coast residents lined the roadways Wednesday from Fort Walton Beach to Pensacola Naval Air Station for a procession for a fallen airman, Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley. Sibley, 31, and Capt. Matthew Roland, 27, were gunned down in Afghanistan at a vehicle checkpoint, the Pensacola News
Journal reported. GEORGIA Gwinnett County: Sheriff Butch Conway declared that “all lives matter,” and he called those making allegations of racism against law enforcement officers “hate groups” and “domestic terrorists with an agenda” in a statement sent to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. HAWAII Hilo: A fundraiser is under way to repair the King Kamehameha statue here after its bronze spear was stolen, Hawaii News Now reported. IDAHO Nampa: State police are investigating after a Canyon County sheriff ’s deputy was involved in a rollover crash while responding to a call, KTVB-TV reported.
ILLINOIS Chicago: Motorola Solutions, a leading supplier of public safety communication devices, is relocating its corporate headquarters — and 800 jobs — here from Schaumburg, the Tri
bune reported.
INDIANA Muncie: Software developer Ontario Systems has been acquired by Arlington Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C.based equity firm, the Star Press reported. IOWA Iowa City: The city was ranked among the top 10 cities in the country in which to live, work and play, according to a new ranking by website, Liveability.com. Ranked No. 9 on the list, the city was praised for its health care options, infrastructure, transit, parks and co-working opportunities, the Press-Citizen reported. KANSAS Hutchinson: A pumpkin weighing in at 1,034 pounds set the Kansas State Fair record.
The Wichita Eagle reported that Donovan Mader grew the monster in his abandoned horse pen. The pumpkin was 57.8 pounds heavier than the one that set the state record in 2007. KENTUCKY Lyon County: Audio from chase that led to fatal shooting of a trooper revealed the dangerous nature behind the car chase as well as an unexpected hero, WHAS-TV reported. Kentucky State Police Trooper Joseph Ponder was fatally shot after the car chase. A stranger came to his aid after the suspected gunman fled the scene. LOUISIANA New Orleans: The Chet Baker biopic Born to Be Blue will get the 2015 New Orleans Film Festival off to a musical start when the nine-day event kicks off Oct. 14, The Times-Picayune reported.
MAINE Gray: A new park and ride is planned here with nearly twice as many parking spots as the current structure. WMTWTV reported that it is being constructed off Exit 63 on Interstate 95. MARYLAND Berlin: The town’s 23rd annual Fiddler’s Convention is scheduled for this weekend. It will feature musicians Bob Perilla and Such Fools, the Daily Times reported.
MASSACHUSETTS East Brook
field: A 37-year-old man has pleaded not guilty after police said he led them on a chase in a stolen pickup with a 3-year-old child inside, the Telegram & Ga
zette reported. MICHIGAN Detroit: The 15bedroom Alfred J. Fisher mansion in Palmer Woods was bought by General Motors President Daniel Ammann and his wife, Pernilla Ammann, for $1.55 million, one of the highest prices ever paid for a Detroit residence,
Detroit Free Press reported. MINNESOTA Winona: Four of 56 cattle seized from a local farm had to be euthanized, but the others are being treated by a veterinarian and improving, KAGE radio reported. MISSISSIPPI Port Gibson: Investigators are working to learn what started a fire that burned down two historic buildings here.
The Vicksburg Post reported that one was a vacant hotel that was on the Mississippi Blues Trail. MISSOURI Cape Girardeau: A 59-year-old woman was jailed after being accused of hitting an 18-year-old female on the head with a baseball bat, the Southeast
Missourian reported. MONTANA Missoula: Exotic animals will be banned from shows here under a new city ordinance. The Missoulian reported that elephants, white tigers, snow leopards and African lions are covered by the ban. Rodeos and educational displays are exempt. NEBRASKA Omaha: The former chairman of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska was given two years of probation in connection with the theft of money from the tribe, the
Sioux City Journal reported. NEVADA Las Vegas: Nevada’s health care exchange will not operate brick-and-mortar enrollment stores this year during the sign-up period for governmentsubsidized health insurance because of costs, the Las Vegas
Sun reported. NEW HAMPSHIRE Hampton: The “Guest List,” a 75-foot ship that washed up along the Hampton marsh after its owners ran out of money, is being moved after two years, WMUR-TV reported. The so-called ghost boat broke away from a mooring twice and became stuck on the side of the marsh in 2013. NEW JERSEY Asbury Park: The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to a 30-day extension for policyholders who filed a flood insurance claim after superstorm Sandy but didn’t get the payout they were expecting,
Asbury Park Press reported. NEW MEXICO Hobbs: State officials fined a local day care center after a crying child was found unattended outside, the
Hobbs News-Sun reported. NEW YORK West Nyack: Ten baby turtles were released into the Hackensack River this week,
The Journal News reported. Earlier in the summer, a female snapping turtle was taken to an animal hospital with severe injuries from a car. The hospital couldn’t save the mother turtle but managed to incubate its eggs. NORTH CAROLINA Durham: Police Chief Jose Lopez, whose department weathered criticism for alleged racal bias and several officer-involved shootings, will retire at the end of the year, The
News & Observer reported. NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Marlan Haakenson, a former mayor of Bismarck, has registered trade names for three of the five options for a new nickname for the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, in an attempt to disrupt the selection process. UND officials don’t expect the ploy to succeed, The Bismarck
Tribune reported. OHIO Mount Lookout: A crane being used to remove a downed tree collapsed onto the roof of a home, causing at least $100,000 in damages, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. No one was injured. OKLAHOMA Woodward: County Sheriff Kevin Mitchell said he’s temporarily suspending the department’s deputy reserve program, the Woodward News reported. OREGON Salem: State hazelnut growers saw this year’s crop fetch the second-highest minimum price ever, the Capital Press reported. This season’s initial minimum price was $1.22 a pound. Last year’s starting price was $1.70 a pound. PENNSYLVANIA Carlisle: A 23-year-old man admitted abducting his estranged wife and their two young children in 2014, Pennlive.com reported.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Lawyers for the city asked a judge to dismiss a firefighter union’s lawsuit, the Providence Journal reported. SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville: More women are murdered by men in South Carolina than in any other state in the USA, according to a new study released by the Violence Policy Center. Women are murdered by men in the state at a rate of 2.32 per 100,000 females, The Greenville
News reported. SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Warm, dry weather has advanced the maturity of crops, including corn and soybeans. Also, the barley harvest is 99% complete. TENNESSEE Jackson: Madison County Sheriff ’s Office deputies are being trained on new Glock 19 9-mm pistols — the first department-issued weapons in more than 20 years. Standardizing its weapons will allow the department to save money on ammunition, The Jackson Sun reported. TEXAS Austin: Attorneys for a man convicted in the fatal stabbing and beating of Linda Jo Edwards in 1977 filed documents to declare their client innocent.
The Dallas Morning News reported lawyers for Kerry Max Cook filed documents arguing that six rounds of DNA testing from 1999 through 2015 failed to identify any evidence he was at the scene of the crime. UTAH Salt Lake City: Gov. Herbert, a Republican, will travel to Washington next month to deliver a speech at the National Press Club. He will speak on Oct. 2. VERMONT Burlington: Three statewide heroin-trafficking investigations involving federal, state and local law enforcement ended Tuesday with 12 people charged and seizure of 20,000 bags of heroin valued at $200,000, Burlington Free Press reported. VIRGINIA Charlottesville: The city was ranked No. 21 on a list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com, The Daily Progress reported.
WASHINGTON Seattle: The region is seeing another population boom as technology companies increase hiring in the area.
The Seattle Times reported that since Amazon consolidated operations in South Lake Union in 2010, U.S. Census Data shows Seattle has gained more than 14,500 people per year on average. From 2012 to 2013 Seattle was the fastest-growing big city in the USA, adding about 18,000 residents. WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Autumn is shaping up to be a busy couple of months. Upcoming city events range from the Light Opera Guild’s production of
Mary Poppins to a televised football game at the University of Charleston and several returning festivals, the Gazette-Mail reported. WISCONSIN Madison: One of the first students to exercise a new state law that allows homeschooled children to join public school sports teams is a nephew of the law’s author. Dylan Kulp, nephew of Rep. Bob Kulp of Stratford, is playing running back and defensive back this fall for the Stratford High School varsity football team about 20 miles southwest of Wausau, Gannett Wisconsin Media reported. WYOMING Rock Springs: Two Rock Springs Junior High School students were arrested in connection to threatening posts about the school made on Instagram. The Rocket-Miner reported that police learned of posts on the social media platform.