STATE-BY-STATE

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Hoover:

Teddie Butcher, a Hoover High School teacher who was put on leave for using a racial slur in a classroom, has resigned.

ALASKA Juneau:

House Democrats confirmed Gov. Bill Walker’s appointment of John Lincoln to a western Alaska state House seat. Democratic Rep. Dean Westlake resigned last month after being accused of misconduct by female aides.

ARIZONA Phoenix:

An unsuccessful 12-week landfill search for the remains of a woman believed to be a homicide victim cost $1.5 million.

ARKANSAS Cabot:

A terminally ill police dog received a hero’s salute last week. Officers from Lonoke County and nearby agencies drove in a procession to accompany Pajti to the shelter where he’d be euthanized.

CALIFORNIA West Covina:

Police rounded up the unusual suspects early Thursday in West Covina after a donkey led more than a dozen sheep and goats on a stroll through a suburban neighborhood after escaping.

COLORADO Durango:

The Mancos School Board abandoned plans to arm school staff after residents, teachers and parents expressed opposition, The Durango Herald says.

CONNECTICUT East Haddam:

Goodspeed Musicals has canceled a musical based on the Woody Allen film Bullets Over Broadway, citing sexual misconduct allegations against Allen and the current dialogue about sexual harassment and misconduct.

DELAWARE Dover:

Democratic Gov. John Carney wants to increase the state operating budget by 3.5% next year, with raises for teachers and other state employees, more money for infrastructure and the restoration of cuts in nonprofits’ grant funding.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:

Metro officials don’t know what caused an eight-foot section of rail to fracture and cause a Jan. 15 derailment, but they said the rail did not break until the train was traveling over it, The Washington Post reports.

FLORIDA Miami:

An ex-developer’s possessions will be auctioned Feb. 14 after he lost a court case. Items include stripper poles, a coffin with cherry red lining and a velociraptor.

GEORGIA Acworth:

Two men face trespassing charges after police said they parachuted from a cellphone tower. Officers standing across the street saw one suspect in the air.

HAWAII Honolulu:

Hawaii’s only public means of treatment for divers with decompression sickness has reopened after closing in October due to a physician coverage shortage.

IDAHO Boise:

Legislation before a state House panel would ban state agencies, universities and school districts from hiring lobbyists to influence lawmakers.

ILLINOIS Belleville:

School districts across the state are experiencing substitute teacher shortages, the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools says.

INDIANA Michigan City:

The Michigan City Port Authority voted to let a tour ship operate out of Washington Park Marina on Lake Michigan, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

IOWA Fort Madison:

Wind turbine blade maker Siemens will lay off 202 workers at its plant here, the Des Moines Register reports.

KANSAS Topeka:

Kansas took an ethics database offline after users were given access to financial disclosure forms for hundreds of elected officials and state workers that included the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

KENTUCKY Frankfort:

A legislative panel on Thursday backed a bill to fix an obscure provision of state law that required the victims of abusive spouses to pay their legal fees if they were incarcerated.

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge:

The state health department is offering free flu vaccines at over 55 parish health units from 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

MAINE Eastport:

State regulators have closed a few areas to scallop fishing, including parts of the state’s most fertile scalloping ground.

MARYLAND Baltimore:

Funding for city schools will now be largely influenced by student poverty levels instead of standardized test scores, The Baltimore Sun reports.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston:

Lowincome residents will now be able to use food stamps to buy discounted memberships on Hubway, the metro area’s public bike sharing system.

MICHIGAN Detroit:

The Kresge Foundation has named jazz musician Wendell Harrison the winner of its Eminent Artist award for

2018. The honor includes a $50,000 prize.

MINNESOTA St. Paul:

Most colleges and universities in Minnesota lost money in the 2016-17 school year. Full-time enrollment has fallen 17% since 2010-11, which officials attribute to low jobless rates and fewer young adults.

MISSISSIPPI Vicksburg:

Outdoor lights maker Eaton Corp. is dropping plans to move some production to Mexico, Vicksburg Post reports.

MISSOURI Jefferson City:

A new program would let organizations provide drug users with free needles without violating paraphernalia laws, Springfield News-Leader says.

MONTANA Butte:

The Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement, negotiated in secret, that could conclude the cleanup of mining waste in Butte and remove the area from the Superfund list. The accord was negotiated over a dozen years, the details haven’ been released and it has not been signed, the Montana Standard reports.

NEBRASKA Norfolk:

Police say counterfeiters are distributing bad bills in Norfolk. Police say that so far this year, the department has taken eight reports of counterfeit cash being passed. Many of the bills have the words “COPY” and/or the incorrect president’s name on them. Some are labeled as “Motion Picture Money” to be used on movie sets.

NEVADA Las Vegas:

A Clark County man died after he reentered his burning home late Friday to save his pets, several of which were killed.

NEW HAMPSHIRE North Haverhill:

Two men face charges of stealing an ATV that belonged to Scott Pinson, the police chief in nearby Lisbon.

NEW JERSEY Freehold:

Rather than waiting 45 days for a new marriage license after the groom’s mother had an asthma attack, a couple moved their wedding venue from a judge’s chambers to the courthouse bathroom where she was treated.

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque:

Authorities are trying to figure out how more than 40 pounds of marijuana ended up being dumped at an Albuquerque elementary school.

NEW YORK White Plains:

A Bronx man has been sentenced to jail boot camp for a 2015 crash on the Taconic State Parkway that killed four people, including his daughter, 2.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh:

A state audit found more than half of the state’s 58 community colleges give their workers more paid holidays than the 12 that state and county employees receive. State community college leaders say they will require campuses to meet that standard.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck:

Miss America Cara Mund will attend President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday as the guest of U.S. Sen. John Hoeven.

OHIO Akron:

The University of Akron says it will eliminate nearly all Friday classes starting this fall in an effort to boost work experience, internships and research.

OKLAHOMA Midwest City:

A 17year-old Carl Albert High School student faces obscenity and child pornography charges. Authorities say he posted nude photos of students on a Snapchat page, then tried to blackmail administrators when they turned off the school’s Wi-Fi access.

OREGON Portland:

A man who seemed headed for probation and home detention for digging a trench during the 2016 occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was instead sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison after he tried to fire his public defender and disregarded the authority of the court.

PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg:

Five death row inmates are challenging a mandatory, indefinite solitary confinement policy that keeps convicts isolated most of the time. The prisoners’ lawsuit calls the practice degrading and inhumane.

RHODE ISLAND Newport:

The annual Polar Plunge, canceled on Jan. 1 because it was too cold, will take place at noon Feb. 25 at Easton’s Beach.

SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia:

Officials say they need $51 million to hire more than 250 case workers to deal with child abuse and neglect, which has increased 68% in South Carolina.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls:

A 30year-old day care used by Citibank and Sanford Health employees will close next year as the bank prepares to move into a new campus.

TENNESSEE Memphis:

State officials say the Taylor Brown Garden Healthcare facility is being investigated after the body of a 44-year-old resident was found outside on Jan. 17.

TEXAS Falfurrias:

Authorities blame recent frigid weather in South Texas for the deaths of five immigrants, four of them from Honduras or El Salvador, whose remains were found by hunters near a ranch.

UTAH Salt Lake City:

Gov. Gary Herbert underwent surgery to remove painful kidney stones, briefly putting Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox in charge.

VERMONT Montpelier:

Legislators have introduced a bill to offer victims of sexual harassment in the workplace assistance and protections to encourage them to speak up.

VIRGINIA Richmond:

The state legislature’s Black Caucus has called for a law requiring a special election if a recount ends in a tie — as it did in the state’s 94th House District last fall.

WASHINGTON Bellingham:

A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of about 600 foreign farmworkers hired to pick blueberries but fired after protesting working conditions.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston:

Lawmakers voted to end the state’s film production tax credit Friday after an audit showed the credit produced little economic benefit.

WISCONSIN Madison:

State Ethics Commission Administrator Brian Bell has returned to his old job at the state Department of Safety and Professional Services after Senate Republicans rejected his appointment.

WYOMING Cheyenne:

A 76-year-old Colorado woman led Wyoming police on an interstate highway pursuit that exceeded 100 mph at times before her vehicle was disabled by tire spikes.

Compiled from staff, wire reports.