50 STATES OHIO Columbus: Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday presented the state’s highest non-combat decoration for service to a retired fighter pilot and astronaut, Col. Guion Bluford, who in 1983 became the first black astronaut to fly in space on a shuttle

ALABAMA Montgomery: Transgender students would be required to play sports under their “gender assignment at birth” instead of how they live under a bill approved Wednesday by a committee in the state House of Representatives.

ALASKA Anchorage: The state Department of Fish and Game will conduct its fourth survey of moose in the Anchorage area this weekend with the help of citizen scientists.

ARIZONA Tucson: The City Council has voted to oppose controversial state legislation to seek voter approval to enshrine a ban on sanctuary cities in the Arizona Constitution.

ARKANSAS Little Rock: The state Supreme Court says it won’t reconsider its ruling rejecting a death row inmate’s request for new DNA testing of evidence that his attorneys say could exonerate him.

CALIFORNIA Little Rock: The state’s attorney general has sued a Hot Springs woman, accusing her of taking part in a multimillion-dollar scheme that defrauded people who were falsely told they’d won a lottery.

COLORADO Colorado Springs: Graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy are expected to cross-commission into the Space Force this spring, military officials said.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: Gov. Ned Lamont says he is dropping his plan for highway tolls for trucks, expressing frustration with legislative leaders who have delayed a vote.

DELAWARE Dover: Some lawmakers want the state to start compensating people who were put in prison and later found to be not guilty. A bill waiting on a vote in the state House would compensate people as much as $50,000 per year they were incarcerated, as well as some attorney’s fees.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed a bill designating go-go the official music of D.C., WUSA-TV reports.

FLORIDA Melbourne: An algae toxin 1,000 times deadlier than cyanide lingers at trace levels in the livers of bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon, a new study shows, remaining there even when the algae is not blooming.

GEORGIA Atlanta: Lawmakers are considering raising the state’s minimum dropout age from 16 to 17.

HAWAII Wailuku: A paddleboarder has been honored for fighting off an attack by a tiger shark to protect members of a tour group he was leading. The Maui Police Department awarded its Civilian Medal of Valor to Triston Kahookele-Santos on Tuesday, The Maui News reports.

IDAHO Boise: A bill that would reduce the number of people legally required to report suspected child abuse narrowly won approval from a panel of state lawmakers.

ILLINOIS Chicago: The city’s former police chief has been receiving a pension of more than $15,800 a month since the mayor fired him in December for allegedly lying about a night he was found asleep in his cityissued SUV, according to a newspaper report.

INDIANA Indianapolis: The governor has told state agencies to calculate the damage along the Lake Michigan shoreline that’s been caused by high water ahead of possibly seeking federal assistance.

IOWA Dyersville: Those hoping to visit the “Field of Dreams” movie site the week of Major League Baseball’s August game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox will need a ticket. But there will be plenty of other activities around town before the game, including exhibits, games, a Fan Fest and a movie showing.

KANSAS Topeka: The Legislature’s auditing division says state agencies have significant information technology security weaknesses and haven’t made progress since previous reports on the problems.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear spoke at an LGBTQ-rights rally in the Capitol on Wednesday, advocating for a statewide fairness law and a bill banning “conversion therapy.”

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: The state’s higher education policymaking board voted Wednesday to bolster its minimum admission standards for public universities by adding the threat of financial penalties for campuses that disobey the requirements.

MARYLAND Annapolis: The state would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, under ambitious legislation outlined Wednesday as the coastal state grapples with concerns about sea-level rise.

MASSACHUSETTS Chicopee: A former police sergeant accused of lying about his role in sharing pictures of a homicide victim has been reinstated to the department.

MICHIGAN Lansing: Marijuana will have to carry labels warning pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers about the health risks for their fetuses and infants under newly enacted state laws.

MINNESOTA Becker: Firefighters battled a stubborn fire at a metal recycling plant for a third consecutive day Thursday. MISSISSIPPI Biloxi: Replicas of Christopher Columbus’ Nina and Pinta have arrived along the Gulf Coast, sailing into a Biloxi harbor Wednesday as spectators aimed their phones out to the horizon.

MISSOURI St. Louis: The St. Louis Zoo has a new resident in Teak, a black and white colobus monkey.

MONTANA Great Falls: Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame officials say they are saddling up with the C.M. Russell Museum on an inaugural exhibit that’ll add to the museum’s celebration of the American West.

NEBRASKA Lincoln: A state senator who’s pushing the Legislature’s main bill to lower property taxes says she hopes to reach a deal with opponents trying to derail it out of concern it could hurt schools.

NEVADA Las Vegas: Virgin Trains Las Vegas has released plans to build a proposed train station linking the city to Southern California.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Croydon: The town’s longtime police chief took it literally when he was stripped of his duties at a local board meeting, disrobing to his underwear and walking out into a snowstorm.

NEW JERSEY Egg Harbor Township: A Superior Court judge has denied the Seaview Harbor neighborhood’s attempt to leave the township and join another borough.

NEW MEXICO Los Alamos: A conservation group is calling on members of the state’s congressional delegation to rethink proposed legislation that would change the designation of Bandelier National Monument to a national park.

NEW YORK New York: Animal rights advocates lost a bid to get a Bronx Zoo elephant declared to have human-like rights and moved to a sanctuary, but a judge said the case was “extremely persuasive.”

NORTH CAROLINA Asheville: LEAF Downtown AVL, a free downtown music and arts festival that organizers say draws 30,000 locals and tourists, may be canceled this summer amid logistical concerns.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State regulators on Wednesday unanimously approved expanded capacity for the Dakota Access pipeline, saying they believed the project had met exhaustive state and federal requirements.