50 ★ States

ALABAMA Montgomery: The U.S. Department of Justice won’t help defend Republican U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama against a civil lawsuit that claims he helped to incite the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol.

ALASKA Perryville: A powerful earthquake that struck just off Alaska’s southern coast caused prolonged shaking and prompted tsunami warnings.

ARIZONA Tucson: Drought conditions still exist across Arizona but recent monsoon rain has had a significant impact for the better.

ARKANSAS Little Rock: The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved a plan to keep a statue of the late Democratic Sen. J. William Fulbright on its flagship campus, despite calls to remove it because of his support of segregation.

CALIFORNIA San Diego: Jose Sanchez Villalobos, the architect of a tunnel that shuttled tons of marijuana from Mexico to the U.S. for drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was sentenced in San Diego federal court to 10 years and one month.

COLORADO Boulder: Boulder County has suspended consideration of a permit needed for a long-sought reservoir expansion by Denver Water until a federal court hears a lawsuit filed by the utility.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: A federal appeals court overturned a lower court order issued that required Connecticut to resume fingerprinting for gun permit applicants despite the state’s suspension of those services because of the pandemic.

DELAWARE Wilmington: The city is granting some parking violators amnesty as it returns to normal operations.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The White House Historical Association unveiled three new historical markers at the northern end of Lafayette Park.

FLORIDA Miami: A Florida man was discovered inside a giant floating contraption shaped like a hamster wheel on a beach, according to the Flagler County Sheriff ’s Office.

GEORGIA Atlanta: Georgia is asking a judge to toss out a Department of Justice lawsuit challenging the state’s sweeping new election law.

HAWAII Honolulu: The Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the nomination of Daniel Gluckto serve on the Intermediate Court of Appeals.

IDAHO Boise: Officials at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said a Boeing 737 from Australia arrived at the center last weekend to help fight wildfires.

ILLINOIS Chicago: Severe thunderstorms swept through the Chicago area and northern Illinois early Thursday with high winds that left thousands without power.

INDIANA Bloomington: Indiana University and the city of Bloomington plan to rename Jordan Avenue after local residents who rose to prominence after escaping slavery.

IOWA Iowa City: A hog dealer sanctioned twice for defrauding pork producers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars said it has fired employees responsible for its latest violations and paid restitution to affected sellers.

KANSAS Leawood: A physician has surrendered his medical license after admitting that he told a drug company he would not sell one of their products unless he was hired for more speaking engagements.

KENTUCKY Paducah: A ferry carrying vehicles across the Mississippi River between Kentucky and Missouri is reopening after a one-day closure for engine maintenance.

LOUISIANA New Orleans: A judge is allowing some being sentenced to probation in his court to get a COVID-19 vaccination to reduce their community service requirement.

MAINE Portland: A Maine church that sued over coronavirus restrictions last year is taking a preemptive legal strike against future restrictions.

MARYLAND Ocean City: Peter Schultz, aboard the boat the Reel One, caught a 301-pound swordfish at the Big Fish Classic Tournament on July 23, setting a state record.

MASSACHUSETTS Greenfield: Magician Penn Jillette is urging people to support a fundraising effort by the agricultural fair in his hometown he credits with inspiring his show business career.

MICHIGAN Detroit: City Council member Andre Spivey has been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and accused of accepting $1,000 from an undercover law enforcement agent.

MINNESOTA Red Lake: A man was charged in the killing of a Red Lake Nation police officer who was fatally shot while responding to a call to a residence on the tribe’s reservation.

MISSISSIPPI Philadelphia: Cases of COVID-19 are surging in Mississippi, but Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said a federal recommendation for people to wear masks indoors is “foolish.”

MISSOURI St. Louis: St. Louis County Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan said he was called racial slurs and physically assaulted after defending a new mask mandate.

MONTANA Billings: A prosecutor for the Crow Tribe accused a federal officer of assault, criminal endangerment and negligent endangerment after the officer’s police dog allegedly caused extensive injuries to a suspect during a traffic stop.

NEBRASKA Lincoln: Police arrested a 31-year-old man who jumped the fence surrounding the Governor’s Mansion in Lincoln and sat down in the backyard.

NEVADA Las Vegas: Casinos rode a robust economic rebound from coronavirus restrictions in June, taking in more than $1 billion in winnings for the fourth straight month.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Salem: Gov. Chris Sununu signed three bills aimed at protecting not just canines but cats and wild critters, as well.

NEW JERSEY Camden: A former teacher and child protective services worker who admitted to producing child pornography images of a young boy who was in his care has been sentenced to nearly 21 years in federal prison.

NEW MEXICO Las Cruces: The New Mexico Freedoms Alliance will be holding statewide protests against mask-wearing requirements in schools on Saturday.

NEW YORK New York City: People in communities most affected by stop-and-frisk tactics said they have been shut out of the legal process to end them.

NORTH CAROLINA Fayetteville: State officials are for the second time in slightly more than a year trying to determine the source of potentially harmful compounds found in foam floating on a creek.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: A Minnesota electric company that wants to sell its financially troubled coalfueled power plant in North Dakota expects to know Friday if its member utility cooperatives will endorse the deal.

OHIO Sandusky: Amusement park operator Cedar Fair Entertainment plans to add esports to its lineup of roller coasters and water parks.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The number of initial unemployment claims and the less volatile moving four-week average of initial claims are down in Oklahoma.

OREGON Portland: The city has banned homeless people from camping in forested parks both to protect them from potential wildfires and prevent them from accidentally starting blazes.

PENNSYLVANIA Gettysburg: Authorities have announced the arrest of a new suspect in a rape and murder more than three decades ago for which another man served 16 years in prison before he was exonerated by DNA evidence.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: Mayor Jorge Elorza had to be held back from Gov. Dan McKee during a disagreement over a proposed contract for the city’s public school teachers.

SOUTH CAROLINA Laurens: Malouf Companies, which warehouses and distributes home furnishings and other consumer products, is investing $47.2 million in a project in Laurens County and will create 240 new jobs.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem barred the state’s Department of Education from applying for federal grants in history or civics over concerns about how certain teachings on systemic racism would be tied to the grants.

TENNESSEE Nashville: Seven unemployed Tennessee residents have filed a lawsuit over Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to opt out of the federal unemployment benefits programs.

TEXAS Austin: The city announced that Lou Neff Road and all associated parking along the loop around the Zilker Park Great Lawn will remain closed through Aug. 7.

UTAH Hurricane: A missing 4-yearold boy who was found dead in his toy chest died accidentally of positional asphyxiation, police said.

VERMONT South Burlington: A bridge will be closed for repairs for the next three months between South Burlington and Williston.

VIRGINIA Richmond: Health officials are warning people and pets to avoid swimming or wading in the James River after hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage spilled from a Goochland County sewer line into a tributary of the river.

WASHINGTON Seattle: Three schoolteachers in the state who sued chemical company Monsanto over exposure to materials in fluorescent lights have been awarded $185 million.

WEST VIRGINIA Point Pleasant: Workers began repairs this week on West Virginia 2 in Mason County on a slip believed to have been caused by heavy rains earlier this month.

WYOMING Cheyenne: A man was run over and killed by a pickup truck during Cheyenne Frontier Days.