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50 States

News from around our 50 States

An iconic cherub in Indiana, a pop-up roller rink in Michigan and more

  • Montgomery

    On Friday, it’s time to dance the night away to live music and save those leftover turkey sandwiches for another day. The fifth annual Funksgiving Music & Food Festival returns to the Union Station Train Shed downtown from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Jordan Kirkland, founder of Live & Listen, says organizers are hoping to have their biggest turnout yet this year and gearing Funksgiving toward music people know and love, bringing in two tribute bands: Machine Funk (a tribute to Widespread Panic) and The Stolen Faces (a tribute to Grateful Dead). And five official food vendors are locked in: Chris’ Hot Dogs, SaZa Serious Italian, The Cork & Cleaver, Little Donkey and Cahawba House. It’s a family-friendly event, and kids ages 12 and under get in free.

  • Ketchikan
    On the drizzly afternoon of Nov. 2, Bill Hopkins peered into the cylindrical rain gauge in the yard of his home. His wife, Wynn Hopkins, stood by to assist and observe. Bill and Wynn Hopkins have been National Weather Service cooperative observers since 2001. They check NWS gauges installed in their yard daily and report their findings on rainfall, temperature, wind direction, weather changes, unusual weather events, snowfall and snow depth to the organization. NWS meteorologist Wes Adkins tells the Daily News that the coop program, facilitated by NWS Observational Program Leader Kimberly Vaughan, has about 30 participants in Southeast Alaska and is helpful in “supplementing our climate record well beyond a few busy airports.”
  • Phoenix

    Birds of a feather were brought back together in Peoria this week. Olive, a pet pigeon, flew the coop from its home in north Phoenix on Nov. 7, its owners say. It spent several days on its own until it was found in Glendale in its rhinestone-studded vest and turned in to Fallen Feathers rescue center in Peoria. A Fallen Feathers Facebook post and a Reddit thread aimed to help return the bedazzled bird to its nest – the owner had about a month until Olive would be put up for adoption. Luckily, the reunion wasn’t a wild goose chase: On Tuesday, owners Marlette Fernando and her husband, Norman, recovered their bedazzled companion after one of Marlette’s friends notified her through Instagram of Olive’s whereabouts. Yes, Olive also has an Instagram account.

  • Vendor
    An Arkansas environmental regulatory agency has denied a permit for a hog farm because of concerns that pig waste might be contaminating the nearby Buffalo River. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality issued a final decision this week that C&H Hog Farm in Vendor can no longer operate. Its decision followed a period of public comment after the department initially denied the permit for the farm in September. The department first denied the farm’s permit in January, but the farm appealed to the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, which sent the decision back to the department in August. The farm appealed that decision as well, as it may with this one.
  • Palm Springs

    A new project from Andy Samberg, who has starred in the “Saturday Night Live” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” television series, will be filmed in the Palm Springs area for nearly three weeks and could receive about $2.5 million in tax credits. Samberg’s “Palm Springs” comedy was announced this week as one of 15 projects to be shot in California that are on pace to receive an estimated $73 million in tax credits, according to the California Film Commission. “I’m thrilled to be shooting in my home state of California,” Samberg says. “Not only was I born and raised here, but, as everyone knows, the California Raisins were a major creative influence, which I think will definitely rub off on this production.”

  • Fort Collins

    Rejoice, for it is fatberg season. These sewer-dwelling gobs of fats, oils and greases mixed with other delightful things that don’t belong in toilets, like “flushable” wipes, can clog city sewers. The city is taking the opening of the holiday season to remind people that what they put in the kitchen sink has consequences for the labyrinthine network of pipes beneath that drain. The city’s campaign targets fats, oils and grease. That category includes the obvious stuff, like cooking oil and butter, but also covers peanut butter, frosting, poultry skin, mayonnaise, salad dressing, dairy products and pretty much anything that makes Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers taste good.

  • Hartford
    A fifth-grader from a magnet school in Avon has been elected as Connecticut’s newest “kid governor.” Ella Briggs, a student at the Ana Grace Academy of the Arts Elementary Magnet School, was announced Wednesday as the winner of Connecticut’s Kid Governor contest, a civics program that invites schools across the state to nominate candidates. It was created by the Connecticut Democracy Center. Each candidate designed campaign materials focusing on a community issue important to them, and Ella chose LGBTQ youth safety. She will now have the opportunity to promote that issue on the group’s website and participate in programs around the state.
  • Wilmington

    Obsessed with low-digit license plates and surf tags? This is one Black Friday special you won’t want to miss. A new auction for low-digit surf tags opens Friday and ends Dec. 5. These rare tags could make great holiday gifts, Delaware State Parks pointed out on Twitter – you can’t just go to the store and buy one. Surf fishing plates, or “surf tags,” when paired with a sticker or decal, let you take four-wheel-drive vehicles onto the beach in certain designated areas within Delaware’s state parks. The minimum starting bid in the online auction is $250. There’s also a $72 one-time transfer fee, if it’s a gift.

  • Washington

    The end of the Thanksgiving travel rush will be followed by some significant slowdowns for Metro riders. The transit agency is rebuilding its bridge over the Potomac River between Virginia and the District of Columbia, slowing Blue Line trains and effectively stopping Yellow Line service systemwide. Work begins Monday and runs through Dec. 9. The slowdowns could be especially maddening for those planning to take Metro after arriving at Reagan National Airport. Airport officials have encouraged passengers to take Metro while a $1 billion airport improvement project is causing some traffic delays.

  • Tallahassee

    The November Full Moon Climb at the Cape St. George Lighthouse on St. George Island will be held Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The sun will set at 5:41 p.m., and the so-called beaver moon will rise at 6:26 p.m. November’s full moon is called the beaver moon because at this time of year, beavers are preparing for winter, so it’s time to set beaver traps to ensure a supply of warm winter furs before the swamps freeze over. Full moon names are attributable to Native American tribes, most notably the Algonquin, who named the moons to mark the changing seasons. After sunset, attendees are invited to climb to the top of the lighthouse for a breathtaking view of the full moon.

  • Warner Robins
    A former grocery store in Middle Georgia is now serving high-tech aircraft manufacturing for the military. The inside of the brick building – a former Publix store in Warner Robins – is full of gleaming new futuristic machinery. The Air Force Advanced Technology and Training Center is reminiscent of the lab James Bond walks through to pick up his latest spy gadgets, The Telegraph reports. The facility, a satellite operation of Robins Air Force Base, officially opened Oct. 24, the Macon newspaper reported. The center now employs about 30 people and may eventually employ about 100. The lab is the second like it in the Air Force. The first is connected with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
  • Honolulu
    Officials are working on a plan to move a large homeless encampment on Oahu to privately owned land farther inland. The 270-person camp called Puuhonua o Waianae is now situated on state land next to a Waianae boat harbor, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Camp leader Twinkle Borge says many details need to be worked out. State Department of Land and Natural Resources officials have said the camp might be harming a rare red shrimp and contributing to a spike in vandalism and water usage. They claim it could also be damaging ancient burial sites and old rock walls. Borge wants the new location to have fresh water, sewage and trash pickup, which would eliminate some complaints. Officials are also looking to build tiny homes for camp residents.
  • Boise

    On Boise State game day, there is a lot of excitement on the blue, but every week the crowd roars a little extra when one special athlete hits the turf: a 9-year-old field trial Labrador named Kohl, the Boise State Tee Dog. “After kickoff he runs out there and retrieves the tee and brings it back to me,” says Britta Closson, Kohl’s owner and trainer at Positive Pets Dog Training. Much like the BSU football squad, Kohl starts preparing for game day with a rigorous practice schedule. When game day arrives, Kohl works to stay concentrated as he gets ready. But as he trots around the stadium, he always makes time for his fans. “Everyone loves to come say hi to him,” Closson says.

  • Decatur
    Never buy into the idea that your vote doesn’t count. A winner was declared by a single vote in a central Illinois county sheriff’s election. The Macon County clerk’s office certified final results this week giving Democratic candidate Tony Brown 19,655 votes to Republican Jim Root’s 19,654 votes. Preliminary results on Election Night had given Root a 99-vote lead, but mail-in and provisional ballots counted Tuesday favored Brown 191-91. Brown and Root are both lieutenants in the sheriff’s department in the county that includes the city of Decatur. They were seeking to replace Howard Buffett, the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett who became interim sheriff last year when the previous sheriff retired.
  • Indianapolis

    Since 1947, the cherub has kept a watchful eye over holiday shoppers in Indianapolis. On the evening of Thanksgiving, the cherub appears atop the bronze Ayres Clock in Downtown Indianapolis, where it maintains its post until Santa Claus arrives on Christmas Eve. Ayres and cherubs became linked in 1946 when Virginia Holmes, a commercial artist, used whimsical cherubs to fill in the empty pages in the L.S. Ayres catalog when merchandise was still in short supply after World War II. The cherubs were a hit. The following year, Ayres commissioned sculptor and John Herron Art School instructor David K. Rubins to create a bronze cherub to be placed on the store’s iconic clock at Washington and Meridian streets.

  • Fairbank

    Developers who invested $11 million to install three wind turbines in eastern Iowa are tearing them down, after losing a legal battle waged by nearby residents. It’s only the second time nationally a judge has ordered wind turbines to be torn down and a first in Iowa. “It’s great. We love it,” says Cheyney Hershey, whose young family lives near the turbines. “You can’t sit outside on the deck and have a conversation without the constant thumping of the blades going round.” The noise can even be heard inside his home, Hershey says: “There was nowhere to get away from them.” Crews have until Dec. 9 to complete the work.

  • Topeka
    Authorities say a statue of a bison calf has been stolen from a popular nature area north of Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Doug Iliff reported that the statue was broken off at the base and taken from the parking lot at Iliff Commons, a privately owned area that is open to the public. It has several miles of trails for walking, running, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. A replica of Topeka’s original log cabin is situated on the trail. Iliff estimates the statue is worth about $800. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft.
  • Louisville

    Pappy Van Winkle bourbon is iconic and much sought-after – but even in the home state of the American-born whiskey, it can be tough to get your shot. If you’ve ever wanted to snag a bottle of the oft-revered Pappy, you have one chance in your post-turkey haze. You can enter for a chance to purchase your own bottle at any of the 47 Louisville Division Kentucky Kroger Wine & Spirits Shops on Friday. But you have to act fast: Entries will only be accepted for the raffle from 4 to 8 p.m. Customers can enter the lottery once per store and must be 21 years or older. Each Kroger liquor location will draw winners at 9 a.m. Saturday. The winner will have 48 hours to purchase the bottle after receiving a phone call informing them they won.

  • Lafayette

    Country music superstar Shania Twain called Kylie Frey a “kick ass” singer. Wynonna Judd said Frey’s voice was close to being “in my soul.” That’s some of the praise sprinkled on the Opelousas singer during her victorious debut this week on “Real Country,” a new music competition on USA Network. Votes from the studio audience pushed Frey past singer Scooter Brown for the win. As the winner, Frey won $10,000 and a performance at Stagecoach, California’s Country Music Festival. She also advances to the “Real Country” grand finale, which will be broadcast Dec. 12. Frey’s victory comes as her new single, “Ain’t Enough Beer,” is released nationwide Friday. A state champion rodeo competitor and queen, she’s a 2013 graduate of Teurlings Catholic.

  • Presque Isle
    Sick of sweet potatoes smothered in sugar? Maine’s newest kind of potato is now available in stores across New England. The new potato, called the Caribou russet, first went to market in limited supply in fall 2016. The University of Maine developed the spud for cooler climates. The Maine Potato Board says the state’s russet acreage has increased by more than 30 percent since the release of the new potato in part because of growing demand. Potato board executive director Don Flannery says Maine potatoes are popular, and the board hopes the enthusiasm carries over to the rest of New England.
  • Annapolis
    A professor who devised a new model that can estimate the number of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay says the body of water’s market-sized oyster population is about half the amount found in 1999. The Capital reports Mike Wilberg of the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science presented his report to Maryland’s Oyster Advisory Commission and estimated the population at 300 million. He did say there hasn’t been a major mortality event since 2005, and some areas have seen population increases. A peer review of the model on which he’s spent the past 18 months working called it sound.
  • Cambridge
    Harvard University’s student newspaper will be led by a black woman for the first time in its 145-year history. The Crimson announced this week that junior Kristine Guillaume was elected president of the paper and will take over Jan. 1. The 20-year-old Guillaume says she’s honored to be a part of history at Harvard, which she said can feel “like a very white and male-dominated place.” She says she hopes her achievement helps other women of color feel that they belong on the Ivy League campus. The president is the top job at the paper, helping coordinate the news and business operations. It’s elected by the previous year’s staff.
  • Detroit

    A second skating rink is about to open in downtown Detroit – but this one is for wheels, not blades. The whimsical Rainbow City Roller Rink will debut Nov. 30 on the ground floor of 1001 Woodward Avenue, not far from the outdoor ice skating rink in Campus Martius Park. Skaters will glide on a striped floor underneath eight colorful, inflated sculptures that dangle from the ceiling. Anthony Curis, a partner with the Library Street Collective, which conceptualized and produced the rink, says the project aims to make skaters and passers-by smile. Rainbow City Roller Rink will be open to the public 2-9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, from Nov. 30 to Jan. 27. Admission and equipment use are free.

  • Minneapolis
    Few activities are as Minnesotan as ice fishing, and some anglers are already venturing out onto the ice. If that sounds dangerous, it is, especially with a warmup in the forecast this week. Authorities already have had to rescue some anglers. And conversation officers are still urging “extreme caution” on many lakes. The Department of Natural Resources likes to say that ice is never 100 percent safe, and no fish is worth a life. Conservation Officer Adam Block says the holiday weekend is a good time for parents to teach kids about the dangers of ice. He says ice, especially early ice with snow cover, is extremely deceptive because you can’t see dangerous cracks or the ice’s thickness under the snow.
  • Tupelo
    A north Mississippi man is accused of trying to post bail using counterfeit money. Local outlets report 25-year-old Jacob Shane Coleman of New Albany was arrested last week for shoplifting in Tupelo. Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson says Coleman tried to post his bail on the misdemeanor charge using a stack of 11 $100 bills. Johnson says the jailers checked the money, determined it was fake and charged Coleman with false pretense, a felony. The sheriff says the case will be presented to Lee County’s next grand jury for possible indictment in January. Coleman has a prior arrest for burglary of a commercial building and was on probation at the time of his arrest.
  • St. Louis
    The powder-blue uniforms are back for the St. Louis Cardinals, a throwback to the “Whiteyball” era. This week the Cardinals unveiled the new jersey with a blue color similar to what the team wore for away games from 1976 through 1984, perhaps most famously during the World Series-winning 1982 season under manager Whitey Herzog. The difference is the new jersey is button-down rather than pull-over and has the “St. Louis” script of Saturday home games, rather than the traditional “Cardinals” script. The Cardinals will wear the new jersey for Saturday road games.
  • Missoula
    Two conservation groups have purchased an undeveloped subdivision in northwestern Montana to help protect grizzly bear habitat near the confluence of the Kootenai and Yaak rivers. The Vital Ground Foundation and the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative say the property near Troy, along with seven other land purchases made in 2017, combine to protect 42.5 acres of prime habitat for wildlife moving between the Cabinet and Purcell mountains. Wildlife biologists say the Kootenai and Yaak rivers are crucial zones for habitat connection, and new development could fragment the corridor. Grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak recovery area are split into two subgroups of about 25 bears. The project aims to allow those groups to reconnect.
  • Lincoln
    Lincoln-area churches and state human services caseworkers have opened an online portal for people who need a little extra help. The people’s needs are posted on CarePortal, and then the churches see whether their members can meet those needs. The requests might include rent money, beds and blankets for children, bikes, cars, clothes, furniture – things the state can’t provide. The Lincoln-Lancaster County CarePortal program includes 14 churches and was launched Thursday, the Lincoln Journal Star reports. Caseworkers in Kearney, Hastings and North Platte and 24 churches have been partnering through CarePortal for a year and a half. The project has served 260 children with about $100,000 worth of donations, according to the department.
  • Carson City
    State officials say it will cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair damage to the Battle Born Memorial in Carson City caused by bicyclists and skateboarders. Director of Administration Patrick Cates says the cracks to three of the black granite slabs at the memorial outside the State Capitol building were caused by teens on BMX bicycles and Razor Scooters. The Nevada Appeal reports it occurred just three days after Gov. Brian Sandoval dedicated the memorial Nov. 9. Cates says Sandoval wants it restored to its original condition and for the work to be done before he leaves office in January. Cates estimates the granite work will cost nearly $45,000, and some sort of fencing or barrier will have to be designed to prevent further damage.
  • Concord
    Bald eagles are in the midst of record population growth in the northern New England states, where America’s national bird could find itself removed from all state endangered lists. The eagle was once completely gone from New Hampshire. But wildlife officials and conservationists say the bird is repopulating fast. Wildlife officials attributed the bird’s comeback to habitat and environmental protection measures, such as the banning of the pesticide DDT, the elimination of which made it easier for birds of prey like eagles to reproduce successfully.
  • Trenton
    New Jersey lawmakers have unveiled their latest proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and over. A joint Democrat-led Assembly and Senate committee is expected to discuss the package of measures Monday. One bill provides for legalizing an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older, setting up a five-person cannabis commission and taxing the substance at 12 percent. That rate includes the 6.625 percent sales tax. The draft also permits local governments to apply up to a 2 percent tax on cannabis. The legislation calls for expediting expungements for people with marijuana-related criminal backgrounds. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy supports legalization.
  • Albuquerque
    Officials in New Mexico’s most populous city are partnering with the state’s largest electricity provider to build a new solar generating station and boost the amount of renewable energy used to power municipal facilities throughout Albuquerque. Mayor Tim Keller says the goal is to reduce the city’s electricity bill. Right now, about $1.2 million a month is spent to power city buildings. Under the arrangement with Public Service Co. of New Mexico, Albuquerque would commit to purchasing half of the electricity that would be generated by the proposed 50 megawatt solar plant. The remainder would be available to other interested municipalities and tribes.
  • Albany

    Hopefully New Yorkers like NBC’s crime thriller “Blacklist.” Taxpayers have dished out $63.3 million in film-tax breaks for the first three seasons, new state records show. Empire State Development says the payout was worth it. New York provides a rebate of 30 to 40 percent on production costs for films and shows shot in the state, and the agency says the “production injected $189 million into the state’s economy and hired more than 10,000 people, supporting hundreds of local small businesses.” New York’s $420 million-a-year film tax credit program is the largest in the nation.

  • Wilmington
    Stephanie Parker isn’t quite sure how her family of six would have managed the past two months without the help of Michael Jordan and the American Red Cross following Hurricane Florence. So when Parker met Jordan this week, she couldn’t hold back giving the owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets a big hug and a thank you. “It means he hasn’t forgotten,” Parker says. “It means we are important.” Jordan returned to his hometown wearing North Carolina Tar Heels blue and met with some hurricane victims, many of whom have benefited from his $2 million donation in September – $1 million each to the Red Cross and the Foundation for the Carolinas Hurricane Florence Response Fund.
  • Bismarck
    Environmental and landowner advocates aren’t happy with the decision of North Dakota regulators to give the oil industry more flexibility to meet natural gas flaring regulations. The Industrial Commission voted this week to change the goals of the gas capture policy first adopted in 2014 to focus on increasing the volume of captured gas rather than reducing the flared volume. The commission comprised of the governor, agriculture secretary and attorney general cited in part “the staggering pace of gas production.” Sierra Club spokesman Wayde Schafer says the industry has had plenty of time to find ways to reduce flaring, and the state is bowing to the wishes of industry rather than safeguarding the public interest.
  • Cincinnati

    Greater Cincinnati drivers are some of the worst in the nation, in all types of weather. A new study from Allstate puts Greater Cincinnati near the bottom of the 2018 America’s Best Drivers Report. The report ranks the country’s largest 200 cities according to where drivers are safest when precipitation is part of the equation. Cincinnati ranks No. 172 of 200. All the cities around it rank higher. According to Allstate claims data, the average driver in the U.S. will experience one collision every 10 years. In Cincinnati, the average is 6.8 years.

  • Norman
    A new University of Oklahoma program will help cover the school fees of students who receive Oklahoma’s Promise tuition scholarships, school officials say. The new Crimson Commitment program will cover up to $8,000 worth of a student’s fees per year beginning in the fall 2019 semester, The Oklahoman reports. The university plans to invest more than $1.5 million per year in the program through federal, state and institutional aid sources. Crimson Commitment will operate in conjunction with the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship, which covers full tuition at public institutions or partial tuition private ones. Students can enroll between eighth and 10th grades if their family’s income doesn’t exceed $55,000.
  • Portland
    Rampant overproduction in Oregon’s market for legal, recreational marijuana has produced a 50 percent drop in prices, according to state economists. That widely documented collapse has been tough on farmers and retailers – but a boon for consumers. A new state analysis finds the price collapse sparked a big uptick in marijuana purchases and a corresponding increase in associated tax revenue, the Oregonian/OregonLive reports. Recreational marijuana sales in Oregon will be nearly $543 million this year, up 29 percent from 2017 and well above economists’ expectations, forecasts show.
  • York

    The 2019 edition of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, which starts Jan. 5, will offer more competitions, from beer to bunnies, and more kinds of food. Among new features at the nation’s largest indoor agricultural event, now in its 103rd year: More than 150 varieties from craft brewers will vie for top honors in the first-ever statewide competition. Seven new bunny varieties will join the Rabbit Competition. Angorapalooza and the Celebrity Rabbit Hop will feature the fluffy animals in action. Last year’s rendering of Princess Leia from “Star Wars” in kidney beans and rice has led to a contest in which artists will try their hand at creating 3-D art from dry seeds and beans.

  • Providence
    Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo could take on a more national political role. The Providence Journal reports that Raimondo appears to be the likely successor to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to lead the Democratic Governors Association. Association spokesman Jared Leopold says voting will take place at the organization’s winter meeting in New Orleans on Dec. 1. Raimondo currently serves as vice chairwoman. Leopold says her work during this year’s elections, when she won a second term, helped the national party put more women in governor’s offices than ever before. Six out of the 23 Democratic governors elected during the midterms were women.
  • Columbia
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released more than $40 million to help deepen a South Carolina harbor. The Army Corps it was dedicating $41.4 million to deepen the Charleston Harbor to 52 feet, making it the deepest on the East Coast. South Carolina State Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome said earlier this year that the port needs $90 million in federal funds each year for three years to stay on schedule. South Carolina lawmakers already provided the state’s share of $271 million. Even with Wednesday’s announcement, the federal government has only provided $66 million of the $287 million it is supposed to pay.
  • Sioux Falls

    City Hall’s push to legalize electric-assisted bicycles, otherwise known as e-bikes, on the Sioux Falls bike trail system took a major step forward this week. The Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Board unanimously voted in favor of a proposed ordinance that would deviate from a long-standing policy prohibiting all motorized vehicles from the 30-plus miles of trails that span the city. Instead, a specific kind of e-bikes would be permitted under City Hall’s plan.

  • Memphis

    Elvis Presley’s Graceland will host a performance from pop hitmaker Rick Springfield next year. The show, set for Jan. 19 at the Graceland Soundstage, will be the first non-Elvis-related concert at the 1,700-capacity venue. The concert by the Grammy winner represents what will be the first of a regular series; officials plan to announce an additional slate of Graceland Soundstage shows for 2019. Springfield, known for radio smashes like “Jessie’s Girl” and “Human Touch,” has sold more than 25 million albums and scored 17 U.S. Top 40 hits. His new album, “The Snake King,” is a blues-based departure for the singer-songwriter and guitarist.

  • Fort Worth
    A doctor in Texas with a passion for paleontology is challenging the federal government after authorities seized a 70 million-year-old dinosaur skull from his fossil collection. Dr. James Godwin argues that the government waited too long to file a forfeiture claim after it seized the Tyrannosaurus bataar skull that authorities say was among several fossils smuggled illegally out of Mongolia. Federal investigators say the skull was unearthed from the Gobi Desert between 2000 and 2011 and traded hands several times before it ended up at a Wyoming store, where Godwin acquired it.
  • Salt Lake City
    Utah brewers will have to specially test lower alcohol beer before it can go on the shelves of grocery and convenience stores, adding another hurdle to a list of the state’s tight liquor regulators. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the state is mandating that lower alcohol beer must be tested to ensure it isn’t exceeding a threshold of 4 percent alcohol by volume. The testing must be done in a state laboratory before the new beer that is 3.2 percent alcohol by weight hits stores. “It’s not really an inconvenience for the brewers to send a sample,” says Nicole Dicou, executive director of the Utah Brewers Guild, “but it is another hoop to jump through.”
  • Burlington
    An institute founded by relatives of Vermont’s independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is hosting a conference of like-minded thinkers in Burlington that will focus on issues like health care, the climate and workers’ rights. The three-day conference hosted by the Sanders Institute will be held in Burlington from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. Some of the people expected to attend include New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, environmentalist Bill McKibben and Sanders. The institute was co-founded by Bernie Sanders’ wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders. Created last year, it focuses “on progressive solutions to economic, environmental, racial and social justice issues.”
  • Richmond
    Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is giving $5 million to two Virginia charities that help homeless families. Bezos announced he was donating $97.5 million to 24 groups around the country that work to help families in need of shelter. They include a $2.5 million grant to Housing Families First in Henrico County and a $2.5 million gift to Northern Virginia Family Service in Oakton. Bezos said the donations were meant to “shine a light and support” praiseworthy nonprofits.
  • Seattle
    The Seattle Police Department has returned several clay artifacts to Mexico after seizing them last year. The department says it was tipped off in November 2017 that the hollow clay figurines were being sold at an estate sale. Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History verified they were genuine historical artifacts called Nayarit Figures, some of them dating to before Spanish settlement. The police department returned the items during a ceremony at the Mexican consulate in Seattle on Tuesday.
  • Fayetteville

    Historians from West Virginia State University are trying to learn more about the background of the Wolf Creek plateau area. The New River Gorge Trail Alliance is overseeing the study. An Alliance release says the historians are interested in the 1,000-acre area between Fayetteville and Oak Hill in Fayette County, known as Wolf Creek Park. Of interest are stories and information about farm families, agricultural methods and farm organizations, as well as about how the plateau was affected by mining. The area was owned and mined by the Berwind Coal Co. To share information, contact Michael E. Workman at mworkman2@wvstateu.edu or the National Coal Heritage Area Authority at (304) 465-3720.

  • Madison
    A Wisconsin legislator who doubles as a firefighter ripped the state Department of Natural Resources for persuading his department to rescue a deer stranded on a frozen lake, saying the agency put them at risk over a “stupid deer.” Republican Rep. Adam Jarchow tweeted Tuesday that a DNR warden “harassed” Apple River firefighters into rescuing the deer. Jarchow – an outspoken critic of the DNR who is a member of the Apple River Fire Department but didn’t take part in the rescue – said he would fire the warden tomorrow if he could. The DNR posted a glowing news release about the incident on its website Tuesday, praising Warden Jesse Ashton for organizing a team and saying, “Those little hooves are no match for slick surfaces!”
  • Moose
    A deadly disease that affects animals including deer, elk and moose has been detected for the first time in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced it found chronic wasting disease in an adult buck mule deer killed by a vehicle in the park. Chronic wasting disease causes animals to behave oddly and become emaciated. It is similar to mad-cow disease and has spread to at least 23 U.S. states since its discovery over 50 years ago. Humans aren’t known to get chronic wasting disease, but officials encourage hunters to test game meat from areas where the disease occurs.