STATE-BY-STATE

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Greenville: This Alabama city has signed a deal to buy its local hospital from Tennessee-based Quorum Health. No price was disclosed for the 72-bed L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital.

ALASKA Anchorage: Police say three people are dead in shootings at a shop that buys and sells precious metals, and a suspect was later taken into custody, KTUU-TV reports.

ARIZONA Tucson: The University of Arizona is pushing early flu vaccinations after nearly 100 cases of flu-like illness were reported since students returned to school. Officials say at least 37 of the reported cases were confirmed as flu.

ARKANSAS Little Rock: Prosecutors say two police officers who fatally shot a man in Little Rock’s downtown entertainment district in March won’t face criminal charges, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Authorities say Michael Hornibrook pointed a handgun at the officers.

CALIFORNIA Anaheim: The city has declared an emergency over a growing homeless population living along a riverbed trail used for biking, jogging and horseback riding, The Orange County Register reports. The goal is to discourage others from settling along the Santa Ana River trail.

COLORADO Colorado Springs: A woman has pleaded guilty to casting a vote in her deceased mother’s name, The Gazette reports. Sairilu Sosa-Sanchez was sentenced to 60 hours of community service.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: The new CEO of the Mohegan Sun’s parent company says the casino will continue expanding its nongambling amenities. The company is owned by the Mohegan Tribe.

DELAWARE Wilmington: A Wilmington couple and a homeimprovement contractor have been engaged in a five-year legal dispute. SC&A Construction claims that City Treasurer Velda Jones-Potter and her husband, state lawmaker Charles Potter Jr., owe the firm money. The Potters allege botched work.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Authorities are investigating two unrelated single-car crashes last weekend in suburban Washington that left three people dead.

FLORIDA Tallahassee: Authorities expect it will take weeks to fully assess damage to Florida’s citrus, sugar cane and vegetable crops from Hurricane Irma. Some big unknowns include how much more people might have to pay for orange juice.

GEORGIA Gainesville: A Georgia inmate remains at large after escaping from a hospital where he was taken for an emergency medical procedure. Steven Smith was being held on multiple felony charges, including firearms and drug charges.

HAWAII Hilo: The family of an 8-year-old Hawaii girl who died in 2012 will get $850,000 to settle a medical malpractice case against Bay Clinic, Hawaii News Now reports. Rienda Supu died after a cut on her leg became infected with staph and strep bacteria.

IDAHO Boise: An osprey tangled in twine atop an Idaho nesting pole was cut loose by utility workers. An angler alerted the utility to the trapped osprey after seeing the young bird’s parents circling overhead.

ILLINOIS Urbana: The University of Illinois flagship campus at Urbana-Champaign has reported record fall enrollment of 47,826 undergraduate and graduate students.

INDIANA Indianapolis: A new

state law that lets some epileptics use a marijuana-derived oil for treatment spurred a temporary crackdown that made it more difficult to get the remedy, The

Indianapolis Star reports.

IOWA Waverly: The Waverly City Council has decided that the replacement for a historic bridge will be designed only for pedestrians, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports. The new Cedar River crossing will cost an estimated $1.4 million.

KANSAS Manhattan: The state has extended the Native Stone Scenic Byway from less than 50 miles to 75 miles and added landmarks in Manhattan and Riley counties, The Manhattan Mercury reports. The road now includes the Underground Railroad history of Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission has recommended higher fees for most hunting and fishing licenses. Under the proposal, hunting licenses would increase by $7 to $27 and fishing licenses would increase by $3 to $23.

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: Louisiana is borrowing $341 million to refill an account that pays for state-financed construction work. The debt will be paid over 20 years with a 2.9% interest rate.

MAINE Augusta: A legislative committee wants to boost Maine’s recreational marijuana sales tax to 20%, allow drive-thru sales and let medical marijuana dispensaries operate for a profit.

MARYLAND Baltimore: The words “Racist Anthem” were painted on a downtown Baltimore monument to Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner, The Baltimore Sun reports.

MASSACHUSETTS Providencetown: A marine rescue team at the Center for Coastal Studies rescued a humpback whale that was stuck in fishing gear off Cape Cod. Authorities say the whale swam away after it was released.

MICHIGAN Pontiac: Police have recovered about 20 of 32 recalled diesel Volkwagens that were stolen from the parking lot of the closed Pontiac Silverdome. Officials say the cars were given fake Michigan titles, shipped to Indiana and sold at auction.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis: The Minnesota Supreme Court says part of a disorderly conduct law that bars people from disturbing

public meetings is unconstitutional. The ruling comes in the case of a Little Falls woman who was escorted from a City Council meeting when she refused to sit in the gallery.

MISSISSIPPI Meridian: Mayor Percy Bland says the City Council may discuss removing the state flag from display on municipal property when it meets next week. Bland tells The Meridian Star that he thinks the flag, which features the Confederate battle emblem, is divisive.

MISSOURI Jefferson City: The state treasurer says Missouri’s employee retirement plan is underfunded by more than $5 billion. Treasurer Eric Schmitt cites unrealistically high expectations of investment earnings and expensive investment fees.

MONTANA Helena: Wildfire smoke and the danger of new fires prompted federal wildlife managers to postpone the annual roundup at the National Bison Range in Montana. The roundup had been set for Oct. 2-3. No new date has been set.

NEBRASKA Waterloo: Mayor Jean Stothert says Omaha is considering the possibility of annexing Waterloo, The Omaha World-Herald reports. But Waterloo Village Board Chairman Travis Harlow says its 850 residents would object to being absorbed by Omaha.

NEVADA Henderson: Clark County authorities are investigating the apparent hacking of a Henderson high school’s official Twitter account. Foothill High School’s Twitter page showed tweets that included anarchist symbols, taunts and offensive messages toward staff.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Nashua: A judge has allowed a New Hampshire law to take effect that requires voters who move to the state within 30 days of an election to provide proof that they intend to stay. But the judge blocked the penalties for fraud as too severe.

NEW JERSEY Newark: Three customs officers at Newark Liberty International Airport are accused of using a “rape table” to haze two of their colleagues. Authorities say senior officers threw newer officers on a table and began grinding against their genital areas.

NEW MEXICO Alamogordo:

Holloman Air Force Base officials say some flight training areas need to be expanded and relocated. The changes would have jets flying over sparsely populated areas that aren’t used now for

that purpose. F-16s are being moved to Holloman from a Utah base that will get F-35s.

NEW YORK Albany: The state says it will distribute $200,000 for six projects to improve water quality and recreational access in the Mohawk River watershed. Projects include stabilizing a 200-foot section of Ninemile Creek and improving a Mohawk River public access site at Aqueduct Park.

NORTH CAROLINA Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina has received its largest single donation for the performing arts. The $12 million endowment from Chapel Hill philanthropist Joan Gillings will go to the university’s PlayMakers Repertory Company and Department of Dramatic Art.

NORTH DAKOTA Fargo: North Dakota State University has broken ground on a $39.5 million residence hall. The six-story,

440-bed dorm will be the first new residence hall at the school since 2008. It’s expected to open in fall

2019.

OHIO New Philadelphia: The Tuscarawas

County Sheriff ’s Office auctioned a

1920s-era

Thompson submachine gun for $90,000, The New Philadelphia Times Reporter reports. The buyer was anonymous. The gun had an appraised value of $37,000.

OKLAHOMA Claremore: The remains of an Air Force officer from Oklahoma who was declared missing in action during the Vietnam War have been identified through DNA analysis, The Claremore Daily Progress reports. Col. Ronald Scott will be honored with a graveside service in Woodlawn Cemetery on Sept. 22.

OREGON Corvallis: A man who seriously injured his 7-year-old son in a lawn-mowing accident was sentenced to probation and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment. Authorities say Peter McManus was intoxicated April 3 when the mower hit something. The boy, sitting on the hood, fell and his foot was severed.

PENNSYLVANIA Phil

adelphia: An arts group installed a sculpture of an

Afro pick near a statue of former Philadelphia Mayor

Frank Rizzo. Mural Arts Philadelphia says the work, featuring a black handle with a clenched fist, highlights “resistance to oppression.” The Rizzo statue has been the subject of protests.

RHODE ISLAND Cranston: Officials plan to assist workers affected by the closing of New England retail chain Benny’s. The company will close all 31 stores by the end of the year, WPRI-TV reports. The state Department of Labor and Training is offering help in seeking unemployment benefits and finding other jobs.

SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston: A riverside restaurant in this South Carolina coastal city is unscathed following flooding and a fire in a storage room. Officials said the fire at the California Dreaming restaurant was likely related to flooding caused by Hurricane Irma. The water came in contact with electrical equipment.

SOUTH DAKOTA Hot Springs: A South Dakota wildfire sparked by lightning on Monday grew to 1,000 acres by midweek. About 85 firefighters were battling the blaze at Wind Cave National Park, The Rapid City Journal reports.

TENNESSEE Gallatin: Three Gallatin High School students were arrested and face school disciplinary action after posting a fake shooting threat on social media. The incident prompted extra security on the campus Tuesday.

TEXAS Port Arthur: Officials say barges outfitted with living quarters will provide temporary homes for up to 600 Port Arthur residents displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Mayor Derrick Freeman says the barge amenities will include three meals a day, plus laundry facilities.

UTAH Logan: Utah State University officials confirm that the school is under Justice Department investigation after a string of sexual assault cases. The Utah Statesman, the university’s student-run newspaper, first reported on the Title IX compliance review on Monday.

VERMONT West Glover: The Andersonville Farm is offering a reward to help find the people responsible for spray painting racist, anti-Semitic graffiti on a barn. The vandalism occurred around Sept. 8. The reward has grown to almost $5,000.

VIRGINIA Lexington: The board of Virginia Military Institute has decided the school will keep its Confederate statues but will consider adding more historical context, such as a plaque honoring the school’s cadets who fought and died for the Union, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. The statues honor Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and VMI cadets who fought and died for the Confederacy.

WASHINGTON Spokane: The county’s Republican commissioners have voted to let Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee fill a vacant seat after they deadlocked. GOP precinct officials in Spokane County nominated three people for the vacancy, but the commissioners opted to let Inslee choose, The Spokesman-Review reports.

WEST VIRGINIA Whitman:

West Virginia lost two of its 22 elk this week in a collision with an ambulance. Authorities say an elk and a calf jumped over the median on U.S. 119 and collided with the ambulance, which wasn’t carrying any patients. The two ambulance personnel weren’t hurt.

WISCONSIN Madison: Gov. Scott Walker, on a trade mission this week to Japan and South Korea, says “the issue of North Korea is on the minds of just about everyone we talk to.” He also says people are concerned about continuing free trade with the Unites States.

WYOMING Buffalo: State lawmakers will consider a bill to levy a 1% tax on all hospitality-related businesses. Under the plan, the revenue will fund the state tourism office, The Casper Star-Tribune reports. The tax would make the Wyoming Office of Tourism self-sufficient.