Around the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Huntsville: Former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott has died at his home at age 88. He flew aboard the early space station Skylab in 1973, spending about 60 days in space. He also was part of the ninth space shuttle mission aboard Columbia in 1983.
ALASKA Nenana: Early ice melt has provided a record-early finish to an annual guessing game. The Anchorage Daily News reports the 2019 Nenana Ice Classic finished Sunday at 12:21 a.m. when a tripod mounted on the frozen Tanana River fell over.
ARIZONA Grand Canyon National
Park: The National Park Service says it will apply cut-stump and occasional spot-spray treatments of herbicide along the Colorado River’s banks in the Grand Canyon to control several invasive plant species.
ARKANSAS Fort Smith: The underconstruction U.S. Marshals Museum has received a $1 million donation after voters refused to earmark public funds to help complete the project.
CALIFORNIA San Francisco: Thousands of tourists could soon have to pay up to $10 to drive down famed Lombard Street. City and state officials announced a bill Monday that would give San Francisco the authority to establish a toll and reservation system for the street that winds down a steep hill, in an effort to reduce crowds and traffic congestion. COLORADO Durango: State wildlife officials are warning residents to take precautions as bears begin to wake up from their winter slumber. CONNECTICUT Hartford: The state Senate’s top Democrat says lawmakers should consider a “mansion tax” or a capital gains tax to offset negative impacts of the new federal tax law on many taxpayers. DELAWARE Dover: The state is about to change how early residents can vote. The Senate has passed legislation that would allow voters to cast ballots up to 10 days ahead of any general, primary or special election.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The Washington Monument, which has been closed to tourists since 2016, is on track to reopen this August, WTOP-FM reports.
FLORIDA Tallahassee: The minimum age to possess tobacco and vaping products that deliver nicotine would rise from 18 to 21 under a bill approved by a state House committee.
GEORGIA Athens: Civil rights leaders say the University of Georgia needs to do more to recognize the school’s history with slavery.
HAWAII Honolulu: The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that a bill approved Friday by the Legislature will license midwives and make it illegal for cultural and traditional practitioners to provide midwifery services after 2023.
IDAHO Idaho Falls: Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center has opened the first burn care center in the state.
ILLINOIS Springfield: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum plans a celebration May 2 to mark the 175th anniversary of Lincoln’s purchase of his home.
INDIANA Bloomington: Indiana University is building a replica of a giant ground sloth’s skeleton that was once a star attraction in its natural history collection but was removed to make room for students during an enrollment surge following World War II.
IOWA Des Moines: The state Senate has sent a bill legalizing the growing of industrial hemp to the House. KANSAS Lawrence: The University of Kansas plans to establish a new professorship focused on military history with a $500,000 gift from a 1972 graduate.
KENTUCKY Lawrenceburg: Four Roses Distillery on Tuesday celebrated the completion of a $55 million expansion that will double production capacity at its plant here.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s office is holding nine meetings in April and May to help choose locations for a new Louisiana Civil Rights Trail.
MAINE Portland: Lawmakers might try to pump some life into the state’s troubled wild blueberry industry by putting more people on the commission that promotes the state’s most important fruit crop.
MASSACHUSETTS Cambridge: A Harvard University residence hall is ending a decades-old tradition of skinning and barbecuing a goat.
MICHIGAN Detroit: Roman Catholics in the area get a reprieve from their obligation to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent – but only to dine on a rodent. The Archdiocese of Detroit says a permission dating to the 1700s allows local Catholics to eat muskrat.
MINNESOTA St. Paul: Gov. Tim Walz has named Tarek Tomes to fill his last open Cabinet position, commissioner of the state’s information technology department.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Republican Gov. Phil Bryant says he has signed a bill to give teachers and assistant teachers a $1,500 pay raise during the year that begins July 1.
MISSOURI Springfield: A food truck park and diner are slated to open later this year on the path of historic Route 66.
MONTANA Helena: Gov. Steve Bullock has signed a bill to clarify that fossils are part of a property’s surface rights, not its mineral rights, unless a contract separating the ownership says otherwise.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: The Game and Parks Commission has announced a statewide challenge in which anglers can win prizes just by sharing their love of fishing. The Take ’Em Fishing Challenge encourages experienced anglers to go fishing with someone who either has never fished or hasn’t fished in years.
NEVADA Las Vegas: A judge says she’ll coordinate the handling of seven lawsuits filed by companies trying to get the state to disclose the criteria officials use to award lucrative marijuana dispensary licenses.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: An organization that works to retain the state’s young workforce is accepting nominations for its 10th round of annual awards. The Rising Star Awards given by the nonprofit Stay Work Play NH recognize young people and businesses that succeed in recruiting and retaining them.
NEW JERSEY Hazlet: A team of sixth-graders from Cove Road School has presented a customized, motorized mini-car to Noah Salkowitz, a 2-year-old with special needs, after six months of work that will become an annual tradition for the school’s LEGO League Club.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: The vibrant hues in Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings will soon be on full display for colorblind visitors. The Santa Fe museum announced Monday that it’s teaming up with California-based EnChroma to expand the gallery experience through special glasses.
NEW YORK Albany: A new poll finds most registered voters in the state support the plastic bag ban recently passed by the Legislature.
NORTH CAROLINA Asheboro: The North Carolina Zoo says a 46-yearold chimpanzee has died after 35 years as the dominant female of her group. Zoo officials said in a news release that the chimp named Maggie was humanely euthanized Friday after health issues including an infection and lung problems.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The Legislature is reworking a plan to commit public money for a Theodore Roosevelt presidential library.
OHIO Columbus: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says the Canada geese population in the state has more than quadrupled since 1979.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Golfers will again be allowed to take beer or wine onto the course. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill last week that updates a law that took effect Oct. 1.
OREGON Salem: As the state’s wolf population continues to grow, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued a draft conservation and management plan establishing a new deadline for when wolves can be killed for preying on livestock.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Despite a challenge from the Wehrle’s salamander, the state is getting an official amphibian, the Eastern hellbender.
RHODE ISLAND Coventry: Lawmakers are considering a bill that would help protect woodlands from being cleared to make way for solar farms.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: A bill to stop local governments from banning plastic bags and foam containers is on its way to the state Senate floor but is unlikely to be picked back up before next year.
SOUTH DAKOTA Rapid City: The Black Hills Alliance, formed to protect the environment from uranium mining, has an eye on a project proposed by company F3 Gold.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Officials with scenic Natchez Trace Parkway are reminding motorists that the roadway is designed for leisurely drives and not interstate-style speeds.
TEXAS San Antonio: Two competing requests to designate the Alamo as a Historical Texas Cemetery could change how the mission is remembered. The San Antonio ExpressNews reports the Texas General Land Office wants to have the Alamo church registered as a historic cemetery, mentioning the names of three people buried there. Another proposal from Native American groups is asking for a larger area to be designated a cemetery at the site.
UTAH Salt Lake City: Police are facing a backlash as they consider whether to discontinue body cameras due to cost concerns. Dozens of people have asked Unified Police of Salt Lake County to keep them.
VERMONT Rutland: The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says hunters who submitted a tooth from a deer killed last year can now see how old it was on a department website.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Concerns about the striped bass population could scuttle the fishing season for largersized fish in parts of the state.
WASHINGTON Spokane: The city’s school district has given notice to school librarians that their jobs will be eliminated next year.
WEST VIRGINIA Lansing: A road construction project will cause delays for some visitors to the New River Gorge National River through July.
WISCONSIN Madison: A new report says the state added nearly 1,800 new clean energy jobs last year despite a slowing in the industry nationwide.
WYOMING Cheyenne: The first golden eagle in Yellowstone National Park fitted with a tracking device has died of lead poisoning, likely after consuming bullet fragments while scavenging, officials say.