Around the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Montgomery: Ida B. Wells’ legacy as a civil rights activist and journalist has been celebrated at Alabama State University for nearly two decades. But this year, instead of hosting speakers, student performers remembered her message through song last week at the 2019 Ida B. Wells Storyteller’s Series: The Sounds and Stories of Social Justice.
ALASKA Kodiak: Officials say the Baranov Museum will have a new name, the Kodiak History Museum, once an extensive renovation of its permanent exhibit space is complete.
ARIZONA Page: For the first time in its relatively short history as an international tourism destination, Horseshoe Bend now has an entry fee. Visitors must pay $10 per vehicle to park. Motorcyclists will pay $5.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: A federal suit filed by death row inmates has renewed a fight over whether the sedative the state uses for lethal injections causes torturous executions.
CALIFORNIA San Francisco: A large, new homeless shelter is on track to go up along a scenic waterfront area dotted with high-rise luxury condos, prompting outrage from some residents, who say they were blindsided.
COLORADO Boulder: State agencies overseeing a road construction project west of Boulder that includes blasting are taking care not to disturb golden eagles that nest in the area.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Advocates for reinstating the state’s full motorcycle helmet law after 43 years still hope they can pass legislation this year, despite a recent setback, by amending an existing bill.
DELAWARE New Castle: A state panel is updating Delaware’s official government revenue forecast, which lawmakers will use in considering a proposed $4.4 billion operating budget for next year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: President Donald Trump blew a whistle and sent spoon-wielding kids into a frenzy Monday as they used the wooden utensils to coax hardboiled eggs to the finish line during the annual Easter Egg Roll.
FLORIDA Southwest Ranches: A dog found abandoned in Colorado has been returned to its Florida family, nearly two years after it was stolen as a puppy. The German shepherd named Cedar was stolen from the Petersons’ backyard north of Miami.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Morehouse College’s 135th annual commencement exercises Sunday featured a keynote address by investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith. Academy Award-nominated actor Angela Bassett was among the honorary degree recipients.
IDAHO Fruitland: Two female plaintiffs have filed legal documents against a western Idaho school district contending that a high school principal sexually harassed them at the school while they were students and that district officials failed to act.
ILLINOIS Chicago: More colleges in the state are offering classes in growing and handling marijuana to match demand from growers and dispensaries, The Chicago Tribune reports.
INDIANA Portage: Two teens are being credited with helping to rescue more than three dozen rabbits that were apparently dumped in the woods near the Little Calumet River.
IOWA Des Moines: The state has been sued again in federal court by animal rights groups for passing a law designed to prosecute people who get hired at farms in order to work undercover to report on animal living conditions. KANSAS Topeka: Officials say a zookeeper attacked by a Sumatran tiger is out of intensive care. KENTUCKY Bowling Green: The 21st annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest runs Friday and Saturday at the Knicely Conference Center. LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University’s first medical marijuana-related research dollars are paying for work aimed at treating epilepsy.
MAINE Caribou: A Mainer who’s headed to the International Space Station says she’s always dreamed of being in space and “seeing this giant blue ball below me.” NASA astronaut Jessica Meir is scheduled to launch in September.
MARYLAND Salisbury: The National Association of Music Merchants says Wicomico County Public Schools and Worcester County Public Schools are being named Best Communities for Music Education.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Stop & Shop supermarket workers and company officials reached a tentative contract agreement Sunday that includes wage increases for all associates and maintains health coverage, dual news releases say.
MICHIGAN Germfask: An animal rarely seen in the state has been released in the wild in the Upper Peninsula. The Canada lynx was captured in Sanilac County.
MINNESOTA Rochester: Officials are hoping new, energy-efficient buildings taking shape downtown will become the standard for construction as the city continues to grow under its taxpayer-subsidized economic development plan.
MISSISSIPPI Greenwood: A mobile app is being developed to explain places and events connected to Emmett Till’s killing, which galvanized the civil rights movement.
MISSOURI Cape Girardeau: The Missouri Department of Conservation says some landowners are seeing less damage from feral hogs as the state focuses on trapping rather than hunting the invasive animals.
MONTANA Helena: The Montana Department of Justice’s Motor Vehicle Division has been notified by the Department of Homeland Security that the Treasure State is now in full compliance with the Real ID Act and regulations, state officials say.
NEBRASKA Offutt Air Force Base: A retired colonel and an army of airmen reportedly saved irreplaceable artifacts from floodwater that covered much of the base in March.
NEVADA Las Vegas: A judge says she’ll hear arguments next month on a bid by dozens of companies to freeze a second wave of licenses for the state’s lucrative marijuana sales market.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Turkey hunters across the state are preparing for what biologists expect to be a good harvest during the spring season, running throughout May.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: Environmental groups say Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy needs to do more to make good on promises to help the environment.
NEW MEXICO Las Cruces: Officials say the city has accepted almost 1,600 asylum-seekers dropped off by U.S. Border Patrol since April 12.
NEW YORK New York: Outbreaks in the state continue to be the primary driver of the nation’s measles cases, which are approaching levels not seen in 25 years.
NORTH CAROLINA Wilmington: The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office could assume control of the Wilmington Police Department’s troubled crime lab.
NORTH DAKOTA Mandan: The owners of a local bar say they’re prepared to take legal action to fight the city’s demands that they paint over their Western-themed mural. City officials argue that the Lonesome Dove doesn’t have a permit for the outdoor artwork.
OHIO Columbus: Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed budget seeks to require tattoo artists and body piercers to register and pay a $250 fee.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed legislation that increases speed limits on turnpikes and some state highways.
OREGON Salem: Three months in, Oregonians have embraced a new law that lets them claim for food deer and elk killed along highways. More than 200 permits were issued by March 31.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state’s unemployment rate dropped in March to a record-low 3.9%.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: The developers of an offshore wind farm say they’re investing $4.5 million to advance the industry in the state.
SOUTH CAROLINA Sassafras Mountain: The state’s highest point now has a $1 million observation tower. The state Department of Natural Resources opened the tower Monday atop Sassafras Mountain.
SOUTH DAKOTA Rapid City: The state wants to purchase part of an abandoned mine site at the Black Hills National Forest where the Environmental Protection Agency has been conducting a cleanup for nearly two decades.
TENNESSEE Knoxville: A land conservation organization has acquired 100,000 acres on the state’s northern border. News outlets report The Nature Conservancy says the area will link the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and Kentucky Ridge State Forest.
TEXAS Austin: A review finds that while a record-setting number of Hispanics are seated in the Legislature, the racial breakdown there does not accurately reflect the diversity of the state’s general population.
UTAH Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ iconic temple here will close for four years to complete a major renovation.
VERMONT Montpelier: The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking residents to remove any potential food sources from their property that would attract hungry bears this spring as the mammals start to stir.
VIRGINIA Charlottesville: The University of Virginia is reversing course on a planned increase in in-state tuition for undergraduates.
WASHINGTON Olympia: A state lawmaker has angered nurses and spawned a flurry of viral hashtags and memes on social media by saying that some nurses may spend a lot of time sitting around and playing cards in small, rural hospitals.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Scaffolding is going up outside the state Capitol dome as part of a $13.5 million project.
WISCONSIN Madison: City police want to reduce fights and criminal activity at campus-area bars by limiting the number of establishments that allow customers in after 1:30 a.m.
WYOMING Jackson: Bear No. 399 became one of the most well-known grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park about a decade ago. The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports the sow bruin was spotted Wednesday for the first time this year.