Across the nation
News from every state.
ALABAMA Selma: Selma University is holding an event Saturday to raise money that’s needed to pay off a more than $785,000 in debt to the federal government. The school is trying to raise $2 million total.
ALASKA Fairbanks: An accidental release of a smelly nontoxic chemical commonly added to propane and natural gas to give them a fragrance that can be detected caused multiple people to report a gas leak in downtown Fairbanks. The city said there was no gas leak or fire hazard.
ARIZONA Phoenix: The Arizona Republic reported that new downtown nightclub Track Club has closed less than a month after opening, according to a statement posted to its Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon.
ARKANSAS Mountain Home: The city will continue to levy 2.0 mills on real estate and personal property, the City Council decided Monday night.
CALIFORNIA Lake Elsinore: A small earthquake rattled the Lake Elsinore area on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
COLORADO Denver: Most school districts in Denver and Colorado Springs canceled classes Wednesday, a day after many sent home students early because of snow.
CONNECTICUT Stonington: A New England aquarium beloved for its beluga whales is hoping to get five more of the marine mammals as part of a research project.
DELAWARE Slaughter Beach: Officials said three homes near the coast were heavily damaged in an accidental fire.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The U.S. Air Force sent a letter to Balfour-Beatty Communities, one of the private companies that manages military housing, to demand an improvement plan, WUSA-TV reported.
FLORIDA Tampa: A Bengal tiger died at Busch Gardens after getting into an “atypical altercation” with its brother.
GEORGIA Savannah: Wildlife officials used a bulldozer to help rescue a manatee that got stuck in sand near Savannah.
HAWAII Hilo: Federal geologists are examining samples of water from a growing pond in a Hawaii volcano’s crater.
IDAHO Boise: A federal lawsuit challenging Idaho’s ballot initiative process as unconstitutional because it requires signatures from multiple legislative districts has been dismissed.
ILLINOIS Chicago: A 2-year-old Labrador retriever named Hatty was sworn in at the state’s attorney’s office, becoming the office’s first emotional-support dog.
INDIANA Indianapolis: State officials are suspending work requirements for low-income residents who receive their health insurance through Medicaid while a federal lawsuit challenging the plan is sorted out.
IOWA Ames: Some Iowa State students are pressuring the university administration to take action against people who have scrawled anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi slogans on campus.
KANSAS Topeka: Topeka Zoo officials said a 30-year-old Malayan sun bear was euthanized after suffering from several age-related medical conditions.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: The Kentucky Distillers’ Association said distilleries filled more than 2.1 million barrels of bourbon in 2018. The state’s inventory of aging spirits reached 9.1 million barrels, mostly bourbon. The group said both figures are modern-era records.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: A Louisiana appeals court has overruled a judge who said prosecutors could not use the word “rape” during a man’s rape trial.
MAINE Arundel: A report from the Maine Center for Disease Control found PFAS chemical contamination in nearly half of the public water supplies tested.
MARYLAND Frederick: A community service agency has come to the rescue of a deaf Maryland woman who faced a nearly $5,000 water bill because she couldn’t hear her toilet running.
MASSACHUSETTS Springfield: An MGM dealer claimed in U.S. District Court the casino has been paying him less than minimum wage and shorting overtime pay.
MICHIGAN Traverse City: State environmental regulators are promising faster reviews of applications to protect homes or structures threatened by rising Great Lakes levels.
MINNESOTA Bemidji: A plan to dispose of deer carcasses during Minnesota’s upcoming rifle hunting season is unraveling over a waste hauler’s fears of spreading chronic wasting disease.
MISSISSIPPI Gulfport: Construction will begin next year for a veterans’ nursing home near the coast. The 100-bed facility will be in the Tradition development north of Gulfport. MISSOURI Kansas City: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it has signed a lease for permanent office space at a building in downtown Kansas City for two of its research agencies.
MONTANA Billings: With snow on the ground in Montana, fire agencies from across the state are sending 20 engines and 72 firefighters to California to help battle wildfires there.
NEBRASKA Maxwell: The Nebraska State Patrol said troopers have seized 91 pounds of marijuana found in a sport utility vehicle during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Maxwell.
NEVADA Reno: Conservationists are suing the Trump administration to try to block mining exploration in Nevada they said would wipe out the only known population of a desert wildflower.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: A watchdog report based on a review of child fatalities called on New Hampshire’s child protection agency to address systemic problems, including an outdated filing system, strained relationships with other agencies and internal biases among staff members.
NEW JERSEY Newark: Transportation Security Administration agents at Newark Liberty Airport uncovered a gun-shaped toilet paper roller when they checked a passenger’s carry-on.
NEW MEXICO Holloman Air Force
Base: The Air Force said a pilot successfully ejected from an F-16 before the fighter crashed in southern New Mexico during a training flight.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: A gleaming abstract sculpture that’s lit from within will be the centerpiece of a new park honoring the contributions of African Americans to North Carolina that has been in the planning stages for more than a decade.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The state Water Commission has unveiled a new interactive mapping tool that provides information on potential flooding in the state. OHIO Springfield: The 178th Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard is set to get its first female commander. Col. Kimberly Fitzgerald is set to assume duties as commander of the 178th Wing from Col. Gregg Hesterman during a ceremony Sunday at the Springfield Air National Guard Base.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: A judge rejected an attempt by a Democratic state lawmaker and gun safety advocates to block a new law that will allow most people in the state to carry a firearm in public without a background check or training. OREGON Coos Bay: Wildland firefighters worked to contain blazes across western Oregon as windy conditions and low humidity gripped the state.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: A proposal to allow hunting on three Sundays a year in Pennsylvania is on its way to the state Senate for a final vote.
RHODE ISLAND Newport: Public utilities regulators said a natural gas outage that affected more than 7,000 customers during a particularly cold spell last winter was caused by low pressure in a pipeline.
SOUTH CAROLINA Joint Base
Charleston: Melania Trump and Karen Pence visited Wednesday to get briefings about some of the military’s emergency preparedness and humanitarian efforts.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Authorities have been staking out a cornfield in northern Sioux Falls for more than 24 hours, waiting out a loose, recluse moose that has taken shelter in the field.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Country star and Grammy winner Marty Stuart will be the celebrity guest on the annual CSX Santa Train, which visits towns in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia in November to hand out gifts for families.
TEXAS Austin: A woman is accused of spraying blood and urine on security guards and paintings of governors at the state Capitol.
UTAH Brigham City: Officials in a Utah community said they have received “more than a few” complaints over a family’s Halloween display that includes a guillotine chopping off the heads of baby dolls. VERMONT Rutland: Officials said a dam previously deemed a public safety hazard has been demolished.
VIRGINIA Virginia Beach: The Virginian-Pilot reported that a juvenile humpback whale washed up dead on the north end of Virginia Beach. WASHINGTON Olympia: The state Supreme Court said in a split decision that the state cannot be held at fault for an accident that caused the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River to collapse in 2013.
WEST VIRGINIA South Charleston: Officials said a state-record chain pickerel was caught in Preston County on Oct. 13.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: A large storm system moving through the Midwest delivered some early season snow to much of Wisconsin. WYOMING Moose: Wildlife managers have authorized 375 permits for this year’s elk hunt at Grand Teton National Park, which begins Saturday.