News from around our 50 States

The city’s iconic downtown landmark – Daniel Pratt’s mill complex, dubbed “the gin shop” by locals – took center stage Tuesday for a group from Birmingham. The centerpiece of the sprawling complex is five historic masonry structures, dating to 1848. A group of about 30 from Cahaba Brewing Company made the trip for a little history lesson, with local historian Ann Boutwell serving as tour guide. The brewery is in the Continental Gin Co. complex in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood. Boutwell has sent them photos of the Prattville gin shop buildings for display in the business. The buildings in Birmingham were built from 1926 to 1928 after a change in ownership of the company that was then based in Prattville, Boutwell said.

Bright lights, balloons and bands in downtown Glendale? Must be Glitter & Glow, the culmination of Glendale Glitters, the celebration that has lit up the holiday season in the city for 25 years. This year’s free event runs 4-10 p.m. Saturday. The glitter is provided by the 1.6 million LED lights that have shined throughout the holiday season. The glow comes from 18 hot-air balloons that will be moored downtown. During mass glows, all 18 balloon pilots will fire their aircrafts’ burners at once to create a special atmosphere. In addition to the balloons, Glitter & Glow will present music by nine acts on eight stages and vendors selling a variety of foods and beverages. There will also be inflatable rides to keep the kids busy.

The eagles are ready to take center stage this weekend at Bull Shoals-White River State Park. Arkansas State Parks will host its annual Eagle Awareness weekend at the park Friday and Saturday, offering visitors the chance to enjoy water cruises, guided bird walks, van tours, falconry demonstrations and exhibitions of a live bald eagle. There are believed to be more than 100 nesting pairs of eagles in the Natural State, but that number can double in the wintertime as birds migrate south to Arkansas, park interpreter Julie Lovett says. The number of eagle sightings across the Twin Lakes Area has increased in the past few months. A few motorists have spied them standing along the shoulder of the highway and mistaken them for buzzards.

After a long journey from Holland and weeks of training, Fort Collins Police Services has a new member on its K-9 team. Eleiko, a 1-year-old Dutch shepherd, is the department’s newest addition, a dual-purpose patrol and narcotics detection canine. The pup was imported from Holland before he was selected to join Fort Collins Police, a news release said. He completed 10 weeks of intensive training with his handler, including how to locate and apprehend criminal suspects and how to detect the odor of illegal drugs. Eleiko is part of a six-dog team, including four other dual-purpose canines and one explosives detection canine. Eleiko will live with his handler throughout his police career and after retirement.

Surf fishers in the state could face a fee increase and program cap of 17,000 permits this year, if two proposals by the Parks & Recreation division are passed in January. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation division will hold a public meeting at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 17 at the Dover Public Library to discuss and possibly vote on the changes to the state’s surf fishing program. If passed, those changes will go into effect Feb. 1. Those changes include a $10 increase for Delaware surf fishing permits, totaling $90, and out-of-state users, who account for nearly one-fourth of permit holders, would pay $20 more at $180. Those permits provide access to all Delaware state parks for the year.

Two “Saturday Night Live” alumni, one of the “Original Kings of Comedy” and one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time” will perform at the new Helium Comedy Club downtown. Helium will begin selling tickets for its initial 13 headlining acts at 11 a.m. Friday. Tickets will be available at heliumcomedy.com. Jay Pharoah, a “Saturday Night Live” cast member from 2010 to 2016, will open the Helium venue with performances March 8-10. Helium will feature a 275-capacity showroom and a 70-capacity secondary room in space formerly occupied by a Nordstrom store in Circle Centre mall. It’s the seventh stand-up venue in a national chain owned by sibling partners Marc and Brad Grossman.

Iowans love the smooth, sweet sound of “Tennessee Whiskey.” TouchTunes, a digital jukebox found in roughly 75,000 bars and restaurants worldwide, shared its top-played songs and artists across the Hawkeye State’s watering holes and greasy spoons in 2018 – a list led by Chris Stapleton’s enduring take on country classic “Tennessee Whiskey.” Country, classic rock and hip-hop lead the list, with Garth Brooks, Queen, Cardi B and Drake making an appearance. Country dominates statewide beer halls more than in the capital. Rural and metropolitan Iowans do have a few things in common, though. Both enjoy raising a glass to Eric Church and spinning Queen’s classic “Fat Bottomed Girls.”

Gov.-elect Laura Kelly plans to put a former corrections secretary back in charge of the state prison system and have a military doctor run the health department. The Democrat also plans to temporarily retain the state’s top emergency management official under her Republican predecessors. Kelly says Roger Werholtz will be interim secretary of corrections. He served in that post from 2002 to 2010. She also said Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli will remain as adjutant general to ensure a smooth transition. The adjutant oversees the Emergency Management Division and commands the Kansas National Guard. Kelly said Lt. Col. and Dr. Lee Norman will serve as interim secretary of health and environment. Kelly takes office Monday.

The New Orleans Police Department is inviting members of the city’s LGBTQ community to take part in an anonymous online survey. The department says the survey seeks feedback “as a means to better engage with the community and to assess police activities.” Topics covered in the survey include whether respondents believe police officers stop, search or arrest individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and whether LGBTQ people are treated with dignity and respect. Allegations that police sometimes targeted LGBT community members were part of a 2011 U.S. Justice Department report outlining numerous problems at the department. The report led to ongoing reform efforts, including a 2012 court-backed reform plan.

Plans are in the works to develop Wicomico County’s newest park, the property known as “Pirate’s Wharf,” officials say. The future park is expected to include features including water access, a trail system and a public gathering space, and it will be designed to retain its natural beauty. The Quantico property includes about 340 acres along the Wicomico River. Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver, above, said in a news release that after many years, he is happy this property will be open to the public. “It’s a very versatile space,” he said. The goal is to have a master plan by the end of June, followed by permitting and construction phases. The county wants a completed park in 2021, said Steve Miller, director of Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism.

Nearly three dozen local performers have been enlisted for the latest edition of downtown’s annual winter festival. Blues queen Thornetta Davis, above, soul-rocker Laith Al-Saadi and musicians from a host of genres will play the 2019 Quicken Loans Winter Blast Weekends – the reconfigured version of the fest long known as Winter Blast. The event is expanding to four weekends at Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square, kicking off Jan. 19. Most of Winter Blast’s traditional attractions will return for at least portions of the fest, including the winter slide, zip-line ride and free ice skating.

A search for a missing cat led to the discovery of a 7-foot alligator inside a storm drain in a quiet Pascagoula neighborhood. Brooque Snow told WLOX-TV that she and her stepdaughter walked around their block in search of their missing cat. Snow decided to look down a storm drain, but the animal she found was no cat. “At first were like wait a minute, so we took a second glance ... then I took out my phone, took a picture, and I told the neighbors,” she says. Snow called animal control officers, who responded to the scene. When they saw that the gator was over 4 feet long, they called the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks. State trappers came and wrangled the reptile from the sewer. There is no word on the missing cat.

No, you’re not just imagining it, Nevadans. A lot of people are actually moving into the Silver State. Nevada ranked high in two annual mover studies once again – nabbing the top spot in one of them. Nevada ranked No. 1 in the 2018 Atlas Van Lines Migration Patterns study, two steps up from the third-place finish it earned in 2017. The state also ranked No. 4 in the 2018 National Movers Study by United Van Lines. Nevada earned the top spot in the Atlas study after posting a 68 percent rate for inbound moves, compared to 32 percent of moving activity being represented by outbound movers. It is the second year in a row Nevada had more people moving into the state than residents leaving to move somewhere else.

A charter school named after civil rights leader Dolores Huerta is facing closure over poor performance. The New Mexico Public Education Commission voted last month not to renew the charter for La Academia Dolores Huerta in Las Cruces. State education officials cited declining student achievement, including three consecutive F grades with declining scores under the state’s school grading system. The school’s head administrator, Melissa Miranda, suggested in a statement the school would appeal the decision. The school opened in 2004 as a dual-language charter middle school and took its name after Huerta. The Dawson, New Mexico-born Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with Cesar Chavez in 1962.

It’s a new year, and with it comes the chance to clear up outstanding matters that may be on your criminal record. Buncombe County will offer an Amnesty Day on Jan. 25. District Attorney Todd Williams says it’s a great opportunity to remove barriers that might be creating obstacles to moving forward in your life. Anyone with old warrants or an order for arrest related to an outstanding misdemeanor or traffic citation issued in Buncombe County is eligible to see whether their case can be reset for hearing and possibly dismissed. Felony charges are not eligible. “You won’t be arrested,” Williams says. To participate, visit the first floor of the Buncombe County Judicial Complex in downtown Asheville between 9 a.m. and noon Jan. 25.

Parents in the state can get in trouble with the law if they leave their kids in a parked car or let them play in a park by themselves. But a new bill wants to change that, clarifying the rules to say kids who are old and mature enough don’t always have to have adult supervision. The bill would change the state’s child abuse and neglect statutes, clarifying the rules for law enforcement and the state Department of Social Services, according to the Free Times. State Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Camden, the author of the legislation, says parents can use common sense to give children more freedom and independence. Potentially acceptable activities include walking to school, a nearby store or a park; playing outside; waiting in the car; or staying at home alone.

For the first time in decades, a U.S. Navy ship named for the state is getting ready to join the fleet. The future U.S.S. South Dakota, a 377-foot Virginia-class attack submarine, was featured in recent footage and imagery distributed by the Department of Defense in advance of the vessel’s commissioning Feb. 2. The footage includes a view of a dining area with South Dakota views including images of Sioux Falls, the Corn Palace, Oacoma, Mobridge, the Badlands, Sturgis and Sioux Falls, and a variety of wildlife – pheasants, elk and mountain goat. The room also includes a South Dakota license plate and stickers from Deadwood bars. The Defense Department footage includes numerous portraits of sailors on the $2.6 billion submarine.

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had just assumed command of the Union Army, photography was in its infancy, and the city we now know as St. George was a barren, desert wasteland situated in an area that would not gain statehood for another 34 years. It was 1862, the year St. George was established. Fast forward 157 years. On Jan. 12, Mayor Jon Pike and members of the city council will commemorate the city’s birthday by preparing free root beer floats and cookies at the Social Hall Parlor from noon to 2 p.m. In addition to the refreshments downtown, several other freebies will be available Saturday, including free admission to the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center, St. George Recreation Center and St. George Art Museum and free rides all day on SunTran buses.

A major thoroughfare for commuters along downtown Seattle’s waterfront is set to shut down for good Friday, ushering in what officials say will be one of the most painful traffic periods in the history of the booming Pacific Northwest city. The aging, double-decker, 2.2-mile Alaskan Way Viaduct, which carries about 90,000 vehicles each day, will be replaced by a four-lane tunnel. Officials say tearing down the viaduct, damaged in a 2001 earthquake, will allow Seattle to reimagine its waterfront with new parks, paths and other amenities. But the new tunnel won’t open until about three weeks after the viaduct closes as workers realign the highway into it. Washington’s transportation agency has an online clock counting down to what’s been dubbed the “Seattle Squeeze.”

The State Fair of West Virginia is accepting applications for scholarships to be awarded to young people who have participated in the fair. The scholarships are funded through the State Fair Endowment. Five four-year scholarships of up to $1,000 are awarded to young people who have participated in the fair within the past five years. Those people must plan to pursue a vocational trade or associate’s or bachelor’s degree, have excelled academically and have demonstrated a financial need. The scholarships will go to people who have participated in state fair livestock shows, equine programs or 4-H and FFA youth exhibit. The fair said in a news release that the deadline is Monday.

Demolitions experts on Sunday will finish the work promised by rockers Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones: They’ll blow the roof off the Bradley Center. A ring of explosives will be detonated on the joints that support the massive roof trusses on the 30-year-old arena that closed last summer. The goal is to “lower the trusses down to a lower level, to a much safer level, so the workers aren’t 100 feet off the ground trying to demo the roof structure” in the months ahead, said Mike Abrams of Icon, the company representing the Milwaukee Bucks for the project. The Bucks obtained control over the old arena as part of the agreement that led to the construction of Fiserv Forum, their new $524 million home next door.