Around the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Enterprise: Giant replicas of boll weevils will soon invade this town that celebrates the insect. The Dothan Eagle reports that colorfully decorated replicas of the bugs are part of a planned art exhibit.
ALASKA Anchorage: Officials have proposed giving a 12-year property tax break to developers that build housing downtown.
ARIZONA Flagstaff: Reservations open Feb. 1 for tourists eager to snag a camping spot in a gorge known for its blue-green waterfalls. The Havasupai Tribe decided against issuing licenses to outfitters this year. That means anyone who wants to visit the tribe’s land must bring their own food and gear.
ARKANSAS Mountain Home: Fines collected by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for fiscal year 2019 are going to allow area students opportunities to enjoy great outdoors and to promote wildlife education.
CALIFORNIA Palm Springs: Get ready to hunt for more art in the California desert. The lineup of artists has been announced for Desert X, taking place Feb. 9 to April 21. The works of art will span 50 miles across the Coachella Valley and, new this year, expand south to the Salton Sea and Mexico.
COLORADO Westminster: Front Range Community College graphic design students are working to create movie posters that will be auctioned off at the W.O.L.F. Sanctuary’s annual gala this spring.
CONNECTICUT Newtown: A youth triathlon program founded by the family of a child killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting is expanding. The Race4Chase training program is a free camp designed to promote healthy lifestyles.
DELAWARE Pike Creek: After a man’s rottweiler went through ice at Carousel Park, he fell in, too. It was the second time in less than two weeks that someone has gone through the ice at Carousel Park, officials say.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing
ton: Former Secretary of State and Army Gen. Colin Powell got some help changing a flat tire from a man who lost a leg in Afghanistan while both were en route to appointments at Walter Reed Military Hospital.
FLORIDA Panama City: The Bay County school district, hit hard by Hurricane Michael, stands to lose up to $51 million because so many students were displaced by the storm.
GEORGIA Decatur: DeKalb County leaders are planning a historical marker in remembrance of lynching victims near the town square.
HAWAII Honolulu: Japan-based All Nippon Airways has begun taking reservations for flights between Tokyo and Honolulu on an Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner.
IDAHO Boise: The Idaho Commission on the Arts might get a little less snooty. The Senate State Affairs Committee on Friday unanimously approved a rule change requested by the commission that will give folk artists such as cowboy poets, saddle makers, ethnic artists and others a better shot at $5,000 fellowships.
ILLINOIS Springfield: State officials are ordering a study of the Capitol dome after workers found that small pieces of concrete fell from the inner portion of the outer dome.
INDIANA Gary: The city’s cashstrapped school district has sold a model of Chicago’s famous downtown Picasso statue for $20,000.
IOWA New London: A conference room at an elementary school has been turned into a food pantry for students and their families.
KANSAS Wichita: Local police are getting upgraded body cameras and new cameras for supervisors.
KENTUCKY Cave City: Mammoth Cave National Park has reopened to the public following the end of the federal government shutdown.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: The state ranks among the most dangerous areas for pedestrians in a new national report.
MAINE Norridgewock: New Balance in New England is producing Madein-the-USA running shoes for military recruits, a big victory for workers at a plant in this quiet town.
MARYLAND Annapolis: The state’s 2018 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment results show incoming students are continuing to improve across the state.
MASSACHUSETTS Nantucket: The federal government says there is a large aggregation of endangered right whales south of Nantucket, and mariners should avoid it for the safety of the animals.
MICHIGAN Traverse City: Scientists are rushing to salvage a study of wolves and moose at Isle Royale National Park now that the government shutdown is over.
MINNESOTA St. Paul: Two state lawmakers have proposed legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The corrections commissioner says part of one state-run prison is on lockdown because of a staffing shortage.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: The number of female state lawmakers is up slightly this year but still trails the national average. The share of female lawmakers in Missouri rose from nearly 23 percent last year to more than 25 percent this year.
MONTANA Helena: If two bills in the state Legislature aimed at reducing plastic waste become law, diners would need to request a plastic straw at a restaurant, and shoppers would have to pay 4 cents for a plastic bag at retail stores.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: The director of the University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History says it will soon show how Nebraska got to be “an amazing state.” The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Morrill Hall will reopen the fourth-floor museum space Feb. 16 as a new permanent exhibit telling the story of Nebraska’s natural past.
NEVADA Carson City: A state board has approved $84,000 for the Department of Motor Vehicles to begin implementing a new program intended to bolster voter registration.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The governor proclaimed a day in tribute to Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died in the NASA space shuttle Challenger disaster 33 years ago.
NEW JERSEY Englewood: A resident walked out Monday morning and heard what sounded like a cat crying near their car, says Fire Capt. Michael Marino. When firefighters arrived, they found a cat wedged deep in the engine compartment. They pulled the cat, named Stanley, from within the engine, unscathed, dirty and probably grumpy. “No injuries, but he was covered in grease,” Marino says.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: The median home price in this capital city hit a record last year of $370,000.
NEW YORK New York: The U.S. Postal Service is honoring entertainer Gregory Hines with a Black Heritage Series stamp. NORTH CAROLINA Morganton: Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and North Carolina State Parks have completed the first land purchase, about 1,500 acres, for the new Bobs Creek State Natural Area.
NORTH DAKOTA Fargo: An agriculture support center at North Dakota State University is beefing up its marketing plans. Northern Crops Institute officials say Grant Chris- tian has been hired to fill a newly created position as communications and marketing manager.
OHIO Cincinnati: Rishi Sharma, who investigators say has ties to Florida and the Czech Republic, was indicted in federal court last week. The FBI says Sharma owes Time Warner Cable $927,318.79.
OREGON Salem: The Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority have created an online tool to help families learn more about sexual violence happening in their area, as well as available resources to prevent and respond to these incidents. PENNSYLVANIA Dauphin County: Amid dozens of mysterious deer deaths, preliminary test results for three deer show they had one or more types of pneumonia.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: A state lawmaker has introduced a bill to require signs at pharmacies to warn people about the risks of taking opioids.
SOUTH CAROLINA Orangeburg: After years of battling the Confederate flag, a restaurant owner has surrendered. Tommy Daras says he’s selling his Edisto River Creamery because he’s been unable to remove the rebel banner flown by the Sons of Confederate Veterans on a tiny piece of property in front of his business.
SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: A federal judge is allowing a longtime lobbyist, Yvonne Taylor, to again conduct business on the state House floor.
TENNESSEE Nashville: The city enjoyed another record-setting year for tourism in 2018, drawing 15.2 million visitors, show data released Monday from the city’s marketing firm.
TEXAS Brownsville: Donors have helped save an artificial reef project off South Texas that uses materials including concrete pyramids and old railroad ties to increase fish habitat.
UTAH Salt Lake City: Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, is sponsoring legislation that would designate the Gila monster as Utah’s state reptile.
VERMONT Essex: The annual Vermont Farm Show is returning to the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction this week.
VIRGINIA Emporia: Officials have poured about $25 million into the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center in the hope of attracting a factory but haven’t succeeded.
WASHINGTON Seattle: A Washington state baker is apologizing for a politically charged Valentine’s Day cookie that generated an uproar on social media. KING-TV reports that Ken Bellingham, who owns Edmonds Bakery, has gotten phone calls from frustrated customers about the heartshaped cookie with “Build that Wall” in frosting letters.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is looking for original art for its 2020 wildlife calendar.
WISCONSIN Superior: Some sports anglers have expressed frustration after state officials and two tribes settled a new agreement for managing Lake Superior’s fishery.
WYOMING Cheyenne: A bill to increase the state’s tax on a pack of cigarettes by a dollar has been rejected by the House Revenue Committee.