Around the nation

News from every state.

ALABAMA Cullman: Rock the South is moving this year. Al.com reports the country music festival is leaving its usual home in Heritage Park for a larger location about 2 miles away. Organizers say the far-larger site will allow for camping, RV parking and more on-site parking.

ALASKA Kenai: Construction crews working on a remodel of the Kenai Municipal Airport have discovered a mural created by students more than four decades ago. An airport expansion project in the 1980s had led to the artwork being covered with metal panels. It depicts local icons, including the Russian Orthodox Church, a fishing net with crab, and a dog musher and sled dog team.

ARIZONA Phoenix: The Arizona Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a challenge of the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance that makes it illegal for businesses to refuse service to same-sex couples for religion reasons.

ARKANSAS Fayetteville: Jo Ann Wardein installed a Little Free Library in Gulley Park in 2013. About a month ago, she went to put in some books, only to find it gone. She says the maintenance supervisor for the Parks Department told her that city administrators had concerns about free speech because the Little Free Library sat on public property.

CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: The issue of class size is at the heart of a teacher strike here in the nation’s secondlargest school district. The union is demanding the elimination of a longstanding contract clause that gives the school district broad authority over class sizes.

COLORADO Denver: The landmark Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy is suffering from leaks and corrosion, so the school has drawn up an ambitious restoration project. But the plans have been on hold for months while officials settle on a contractor.

CONNECTICUT Fairfield: Sacred Heart University is planning a discussion series to explore the prevalence of hate and violence in the U.S.

DELAWARE Milton: Delaware’s biggest brewery, Dogfish Head, has announced that its newest brew is Slightly Mighty, a 95-calorie IPA that rivals other low-carb beers. Cans will hit store shelves starting in April, but it’s on tap at Dogfish’s Tasting Room & Kitchen while supplies last.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The creators of a prank edition of The Washington Post proclaiming the resignation of President Donald Trump have the real newspaper “deeply concerned about the confusion it causes,” WUSA reports.

FLORIDA West Palm Beach: The police department says an officer ran over two people who were lying in a dark roadway in a park to watch Sunday night’s lunar eclipse.

GEORGIA Savannah: Officials are reporting a building boom in the state’s oldest city.

HAWAII Hilo: A survey conducted by a wildlife conservation group found the Kilauea volcano’s eruption last year did not critically damage sea turtle populations on the Big Island.

IDAHO Nampa: Though education surveys show vaping use is down among Idaho high school students, health officials are concerned about its rising popularity nationwide.

ILLINOIS Chicago: The city is inviting residents to weigh in on the lead architect and design for O’Hare Airport’s new global terminal. It’s the first time the city has included public feedback in a design competition at an airport.

INDIANA Bloomington: Two Indiana University researchers whose cavity-fighting formula launched Crest toothpaste in the 1950s will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Joseph Muhler and William Nebergall are set to be inducted May 2.

IOWA Des Moines: When Republican state lawmakers approved major tax cuts last spring, they celebrated the legislation as beneficial for Iowans and businesses. The state’s only two nonprofit blood centers look at the massive law another way: a financial headache of more than $1 million in new taxes. Staff for the centers say higher fees for processing blood could trickle back to patients.

KANSAS Galena: A military veteran has purchased a historic gas station along the old Route 66 with plans to restore the building to its original condition. The Joplin Globe reports U.S. Army and Coast Guard veteran Aaron Perry is the new owner of a 1939 Texaco gas station in Galena. Perry’s renovation plans include placing vintage gas pumps in the parking lot and installing neon lighting. Perry is also an artist and wants to sell gearhead artwork created out of car parts at the station.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: Kentucky State Police are raffling a Corvette to raise money for a free summer camp. Raffle tickets for a chance to win the 2019 Corvette Stingray Coupe can be purchased for $10 at any state police post or online. The winning ticket will be drawn Aug. 25 at the Kentucky State Fair.

LOUISIANA Ball: When Louisiana voters enacted new restrictions on felons running for office, they inadvertently ensnared this small town in a mayoral feud. Democrat Roy Hebron overwhelmingly won the November mayoral election, ousting Republican Neil Kavanagh. The problem: Hebron was under corrections supervision for a hurricane-related fraud conviction through 2017. A judge stopped Hebron from moving into the mayor’s job, and the town’s waiting to see if it will have to hold another election.

MARYLAND Annapolis: An audit has found that the Naval Academy has decaying walls, plumbing issues, and condemned offices and balconies.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The Institute of Contemporary Art has acquired one of the popular “Infinity Mirror Room” installations that have drawn hordes of selfie-takers to museums worldwide. The institute says 89-year old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s “Love is Calling” features vivid colors, inflatable sculptures and Kusama’s signature polka dots.

MICHIGAN Traverse City: An experiment created by high school students in the state will be conducted by astronauts at the International Space Station. The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports the experiment will look into growing bacteria on silicon to create energy or oxygen that could be used to recycle water and be used in future long-distance space travel.

MINNESOTA St. Paul: The board of managers of the Minnesota State Fair has approved nearly $20 million in improvements and maintenance projects for the fairgrounds.

MISSISSIPPI Water Valley: The town is easing its beer regulation in a move that could help save one of its oldest downtown buildings from likely demolition. Water Valley aldermen have voted to let restaurants sell beer even if a customer is not expected to order a meal.

MISSOURI St. Louis: Over the past seven months, prosecutors in the city, Jackson County and most recently St. Louis County have all announced an end to prosecution of most low-level marijuana possession cases.

MONTANA Missoula: About 500 demonstrators attended a vigil on behalf of missing and murdered indigenous women at the University of Montana. Many speakers at the Native American-led event Saturday said they hoped state lawmakers would pass Hanna’s Act, legislation named for Hanna Harris, who was found dead in 2013 on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. It would allow the Montana Department of Justice to help with all missing persons investigations.

NEBRASKA Omaha: As cities across the nation struggle with an unexpected, ill-planned influx of electric scooters, Omaha is planning a pilot project for the personal transportation devices that would be available for rental.

NEVADA Las Vegas: A replica “Old Nevada” mining town outside the city that started as a wagon train pit stop in 1843 and grew in recent decades into a tourist attraction featuring mock Wild West gunfights could soon be replaced by a high-end housing enclave. Developers have submitted plans to Clark County to divvy up Bonnie Springs Ranch into

20 large residential home sites, a

25-room motel, a restaurant and an outdoor amphitheater.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: An ice sculpture competition, games and refreshments via food trucks will be among highlights of the city’s Winter Fest this weekend.

NEW JERSEY Bloomfield: History buffs and gun collectors will have a rare opportunity to bid on a Gatling gun, the forerunner of the modern machine gun and rotary cannon, invented during the Civil War. The crank-operated, multi-barrel machine gun will be one of the many Americana items featured Wednesday in the Collector’s Passion Auction at Nye & Company.

NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: State lawmakers are considering whether to legalize medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.

NEW YORK New York: Will your favorite hot dog stand be getting an “A”? The city’s iconic food carts are starting to get health department letter grades, giving on-the-go workers and tourists alike a quick reference for cleanliness and safety.

NORTH CAROLINA Asheville: The Mountain Sports Festival, a fixture on Asheville’s outdoors calendar since 2000, has held its last competition. While parts of the 2018 festival were successful, a rainy May kept away attendees and forced the cancellation of a cyclocross race. It set up a financial challenge that could not be overcome, executive director Tim Grotenhuis and festival founder Stuart Cowles say.

NORTH DAKOTA Minot: A North Dakota Department of Health study has found that a high percentage of ticks in the state are carrying potentially deadly diseases.

OHIO Cincinnati: Now a half-ton of fun, the Cincinnati Zoo’s famed prematurely born hippo will soon turn 2 years old. The zoo says a variety of activities will celebrate Fiona’s latest milestone Thursday.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Will Rogers World Airport had a record year for passenger traffic in 2018. The Journal Record reports that 2.17 million passengers boarded planes, up 10 percent from 1.96 million in 2017.

OREGON Silverton: By replacing milk cartons with milk dispensers and washable cups, two schools in the Silverton School District produce a fraction of the trash they once did. With a $76,000 grant, Marion County will roll out similar waste reduction programs at schools throughout the county.

PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: The mayor says city departments and agencies will be offering flexibility in bill payments to federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown. RHODE ISLAND Cranston: Gov. Gina Raimondo has announced a new initiative to fight hunger among the state’s schoolchildren. Raimondo said her “No Student Hungry” plan would maximize federal funds in an effort to provide all eligible students with free or reduced-price meals at school.

SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston: Members of a congregation from a Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 died in a mass shooting by an anti-Semitic gunman last fall traveled to Charleston to worship with members of the church where nine black churchgoers died in 2015 at the hands of a white supremacist. The Post and Courier reports that members of the New Light Congregation of the Tree of Life synagogue and members of the Emanuel AME Church worshipped together Friday and Sunday.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: A group of Catholic nuns in the state is getting new digs in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen. The Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen say they’re building new housing facilities in both communities, with living space better fit to the needs of the nuns.

TENNESSEE Memphis: Ten notable women who have left a mark in health care, education and other endeavors were honored at City Hall on Monday as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities.

TEXAS Houston: Restoration work on a historic mural damaged by Hurricane Harvey is soon to be complete after floodwaters seeped into the structure, causing paint to pop off and mold to grow. The Houston Chronicle reports muralist John Biggers’ 1953 artwork, “Contribution of Negro Women to American Life and Education,” is expected to be fully repaired before the end of the month.

UTAH Salt Lake City: The state is rolling out a program to forgive college debt for tech workers who stay and work in Utah.

VERMONT Montpelier: The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is offering free guided walks all year in wildlife management areas to look for wildlife and their tracks.

VIRGINIA Richmond: Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, the sole black statewide officer, stopped presiding over the state Senate for the second year in a row in protest when senators again honored a Confederate general. Fairfax left the dais just before Republican state Sen. Richard Stuart spoke in support of Gen. Robert E. Lee and adjourning Friday’s session in Lee’s honor.

WASHINGTON Spokane: The state is months away from wildfire season, but Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has proposed a plan to strengthen the ways that Washington can prevent and respond to wildfires. The plan would add 30 full-time and 40 seasonal firefighters to the Department of Natural Resources and add two helicopters to the firefighting fleet. It would also create a wildland fire-training academy.

WEST VIRGINIA Morgantown: Dentistry officials at West Virginia University say children ages 1 to 17 can receive free exams, any necessary X-rays and fluoride treatments Feb. 1.

WISCONSIN Madison: The Wisconsin Conservation Congress plans to ask outdoor lovers if the state should again offer bounties for deer infected with chronic wasting disease.

WYOMING Jackson: An anonymous state resident has given more than $100,000 to Teton County Search and Rescue to help purchase a system to assist in finding people lost or injured in remote areas with no cell service.