Across the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Florence: A new facility has opened with the aim of reducing poverty and its effects on families. The Shoals Dream Center is envisioned as a hub for an array of services to aid the area’s families, The TimesDaily reports.
ALASKA Fairbanks: The state agency overseeing air quality has agreed to submit a cleanup plan by mid-December for this city that has some of the nation’s most polluted winter air.
ARIZONA Tucson: The University of Arizona has announced it is changing its abbreviation from UA to U Arizona in an effort to increase search engine optimization results for the college.
ARKANSAS Jonesboro: Raccoons have been spotted hanging out on the third floor of Arkansas State University’s Dean B. Ellis Library.
CALIFORNIA Sacramento: Major ride-sharing companies proposed a state law Tuesday that would let them continue to treat drivers as independent contractors while also guaranteeing them a minimum wage and money for health insurance.
COLORADO Denver: Hundreds of state employees have prepared to have their emails eliminated to remove access to government records that would otherwise be public. The Denver Post reports the affected employees work for the Department of Regulatory Agencies.
CONNECTICUT Waterbury: Gov. Ned Lamont has signed an executive order that creates an entity charged with coming up with a plan for better coordination between state agencies and the business community.
DELAWARE Dover: A federal magistrate is recommending dismissal of a lawsuit against Delaware State University officials by a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a fellow student.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The 33rd Annual 17th Street High Heel Race took off Tuesday evening with a parade and race near Dupont Circle, WUSA-TV reports. The event is the district’s second-largest annual LGBTQ community event.
FLORIDA Orlando: A memorial to the survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre will have a reflecting pool with rainbow-colored lines radiating from it, and a nearby museum will resemble a spirograph. Design concepts were announced Wednesday.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Officials are moving forward with plans for two new parks. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports the City Council has approved the purchase of land for a park in the Home Park neighborhood. They also approved funding to buy two properties for the $40 million Rodney Cook Sr. Park being built in the Vine City neighborhood.
HAWAII Hilo: Residents of the Leilani Estates neighborhood, who consider visitors trying to get a look at damage from a volcanic eruption last year a nuisance, are relieved to see interest beginning to wane, the Hawaii Tribune Herald reports.
IDAHO Boise: Latino students make up 18% of the enrollment in the state’s public schools, but their achievement scores continue to lag state averages.
ILLINOIS Chicago: A teacher strike has canceled classes for a 10th day in the city’s school district. Contract talks resumed Wednesday.
INDIANA Seymour: John Mellencamp, the subject of a new mural in his hometown, endorsed the project by adding a few brushstrokes Tuesday. The rock star painted his initials on the exterior of a music store in Seymour, which he immortalized in 1985 hit “Small Town.”
IOWA Waukee: Authorities are investigating another gender-reveal party explosion a day after a blast at a similar gathering killed a woman in a nearby town. They say no one was hurt Sunday, but a neighbor’s windows may have been broken.
KANSAS Dodge City: A monkey that was injured last month trying to protect his offspring during an apparent break-in at a zoo has died. Officials at Wright Park Zoo say the tufted capuchin monkey, Vern, 32, was found unresponsive Tuesday.
KENTUCKY Murray: Murray State University students are using GPS devices to track box turtles.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: A
$2.1 million research project at Tulane University is aimed at helping members of the United Houma Nation cope with climate change and economic inequality.
MAINE Gardiner: University of Maine Advanced Structure and Composites Center lab manager Paul Bussiere plans to create a prosthetic leg for a duck attacked by a fox, the Bangor Daily News reports.
MARYLAND Annapolis: Exelon Corp., the energy company that runs the Conowingo Dam, will invest more than $200 million in environmental projects, according to an agreement announced Tuesday.
MASSACHUSETTS Carver: The cranberry industry is looking to solar power for relief from plummeting fruit prices. Cranberry farmers in the state are proposing to build solar panels above their bogs.
MICHIGAN Detroit: The funeral for John Conyers, who served more than 50 years in Congress, will be held Monday at Greater Grace Temple. The public will get a chance to pay respects Saturday and Sunday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Data show the University of Minnesota’s 2019 freshmen class is the biggest in 50 years and has the most students of color in the school’s history.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: With the nationwide closure of Fred’s Pharmacy, Kemper County residents find themselves without a pharmacy and must drive about 30 minutes away.
MISSOURI Kansas City: The mayor is proposing an ordinance to help police keep firearms from those with a history of domestic violence.
MONTANA Helena: The state has spent over $2 million on snow plowing so far this year, far surpassing costs by this date for 2017 or 2018.
NEBRASKA North Platte: Officials have begun the process to get the city’s downtown placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
NEVADA Las Vegas: The state’s casinos took in nearly $1.06 billion in winnings last month – a high for 2019 and a record for September.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Durham: The University System of New Hampshire says tuition for in-state students will be frozen in place for the 2020-2021 academic year.
NEW JERSEY Woodbridge: A small plane crashed through the roof of a home Tuesday, killing the pilot and causing an explosion that set two houses ablaze.
NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park would be off limits to oil and gas development under legislation pending before Congress.
NEW YORK New York: The sale of foie gras is likely to become illegal under a move by the City Council.
NORTH CAROLINA Spencer: The state has received a federal grant to renovate a 1920s rail car that was built to comply with the racist Jim Crow laws of the 20th century.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The state auditor is retracting an audit critical of the city of Williston after officials provided more information to the state.
OHIO Cleveland: A federal civil rights lawsuit says a 10-year-old Muslim boy was questioned about his patriotism and religious beliefs by a student teacher at a school in the Lakeview Local School District and was ordered to undress to determine whether his parents had abused him.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Health officials say the frequency of congenital syphilis cases has risen sharply in the state during the past five years and continues to increase.
OREGON Salem: State biologists tallied a minimum of 124 wolves statewide last year, according to the annual wolf report released on Wednesday. The number represented an 11% increase over the previous year, but only a growth of 14 animals since 2015.
PENNSYLVANIA Bethlehem: A prosecutor says he will recommend dismissal of charges against a woman who authorities say handed her 1month-old baby to a bus driver and walked away in tears.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: The city has come up with what it calls a “climate justice plan” to reduce its carbon footprint while accounting for the needs of low-income and minority neighborhoods.
SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston: Environmental groups are taking steps toward suing Frontier Logistics, a company they say is responsible for polluting the state’s waters with tiny plastic beads.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: University leaders tell state lawmakers they’re working to implement a new law aimed at ensuring free speech and intellectual diversity on campus.
TEXAS Harlingen: The critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle had an offseason for nesting this year along beaches in the state, with 190 nests recorded.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A state liquor commission has announced it is running out of bar licenses for potential business owners again after a similar shortage two years ago.
VERMONT Montpelier: The state has a new poet laureate. Republican Gov. Phil Scott appointed Mary Ruefle to the honorary position this week.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Democrats hoping to seize control of the Legislature in next month’s elections say passing the long-stalled Equal Rights Amendment will be a top priority next year.
WASHINGTON Yakima: Yakima County officials have announced a proposal to turn a jail into a homeless shelter and use an additional 0.3% sales tax for funding.
WEST VIRGINIA Richwood: An 11-foot python that was on the loose was found Tuesday, about a month after it got out of its tank, broke through a window screen and slithered outside.
WISCONSIN Madison: The state has the widest achievement gap between black and white students of any state based on results of a test known as the nation’s report card. Overall, Wisconsin’s scores were higher than the national average.
WYOMING Cody: Farmers are wrapping up a difficult year for sugar beets. A cold snap followed by a week of mild temperatures is threatening the harvest in the Bighorn Basin.