News from around our 50 States

Among the hurdles Gov. Gavin Newsom will face in his goal to see 3.5 million new homes built across the state over the next seven years is that the state hasn’t set aside enough land for that development, a forthcoming report by UCLA concludes. Cities and counties have zoned land to allow for the construction of 2.8 million homes, according to research from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. Newsom has said his home-building goal – at a rate that would more than quadruple the state’s current annual production – is the key to addressing the lack of housing supply he believes is the underlying cause of California’s affordability problems.

With Girl Scout cookie sales underway in the area, the Fort Collins Coloradoan set out to determine the state’s favorite variety. In 2018, almost 5 million boxes were sold in the Centennial State. According to Girl Scouts of Colorado, the top five sellers (by box) were Thin Mints, with 1,464,208; Samoas, with 1,077,329; Tagalongs, at 696,243; newcomer S’mores, with 461,657; and Do-si-dos, lagging at 385,347. The mints may be thin, but that margin between first and second place is not. Colorado is most definitely a Thin Mint state, and, according to numbers going back to 2014, it’s been that way for a while. Girl Scouts will be out in full force through March 10. To find cookies, you can use the Girl Scouts’ online cookie locator or mobile app.

At a chilly 39 degrees Fahrenheit, the water was not too far above freezing Sunday as thousands of people splashed in the surf at Rehoboth Beach for the 28th annual Lewes Polar Bear Plunge. The event raises money for Special Olympics Delaware, which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than 4,200 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. More than 3,500 people registered for this year’s plunge, according to the nonprofit. They raised more than $906,000. The Plunge, held every year on the first Sunday in February, began in 1992 when 78 plungers raised $7,000. Since its inception, the plunge has raised more than $11 million. Wawa was the event’s lead sponsor for the 13th consecutive year.

Some federal workers furloughed by the 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, have yet to receive back pay promised by the government. WUSA-TV obtained an email sent to employees in the Department of Homeland Security that says the National Finance Center, which handles payroll processing for 130 federal agencies, has had problems correctly processing payroll for thousands of workers. As a result, some employees won’t receive their back pay until sometime this week, and those already paid could be required to return money because of double payments. The shutdown was the result of an impasse over spending billions of dollars to fund President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall.

The state is looking to protect sharks from people. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will consider new regulations this month that would restrict how anglers handle protected shark species when fishing from shore. According to a proposed rule change, anglers must keep protected sharks in the water while removing the hook and releasing the fish – so no more grinning photos on land. FWC commissioners are expected to vote on the issue Feb. 20 in Gainesville. Hauling larger sharks out of water and onto the beach can crush their organs, according to experts. Experts with the Florida Program for Shark Research Program and International Shark Attack File estimate the majority of sharks hauled onto land die soon after being released.

Bud Light’s big Super Bowl commercial made it some enemies in this corn-centric state. The beer maker took aim at its competitors Miller Lite and Coors Light and, with the use of a cartoonish medieval setting, derided them for including ingredients such as corn syrup in their brews. The ad met with considerable backlash from Twitter users and the National Corn Growers Association. Mackenzie Eddie of Altoona was among Iowans who found fault with the tactic. In a video, Eddie remarked that she thought her Bud Light was “missing something” before proceeding to pour corn syrup straight into her can of beer. “The issue is that they are specifically calling corn syrup out, giving the idea that it’s somehow bad or harmful when it is not,” she says.

Looking for the perfect candy to buy your special someone? In Maryland, one candy dethrones the rest, though it may not seem a particularly holiday-centric choice. According to Candystore.com, the most popular Valentine’s Day candy in the state is M&M’s. The website released its most popular Valentine’s Day candy by state in mid-January. The website used “sales data from the past 11 years from our online bulk candy store and industry partners.” In Maryland, conversation hearts were ranked in second place for popular candy and a heart-shaped box of chocolates in third place.

The picturesque Ruby Mountains would be entirely off limits to oil and gas leasing under a bill in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto wrote the bill that would prohibit the secretary of the interior from issuing oil and gas leases throughout the entire 450,000-acre Ruby Mountains Ranger District. The bill would not affect grazing, mining or any other existing use on the land. The bill comes as the U.S. Forest Service is reviewing a proposal that would offer leases on about 50,000 acres, including near popular areas for outdoor recreation such as Lamoille Canyon and Harrison Pass. Masto cited a need to protect outdoor recreation such as hunting and fishing and habitat for wildlife including deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, sage grouse and mountain lions.

After years of rejection by a Republican governor and many months of dispute among Democrats, the state has joined the national movement to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday signed the bill raising the wage, sent to him Thursday by the Legislature, at the Elizabeth headquarters of immigrant advocacy group Make The Road NJ. The building was packed with Democratic leaders and several dozen union workers who frequently broke into chants, giving the ceremony the raucous vibe of a political rally. Murphy’s signature does not trigger an automatic increase. Instead, it puts New Jersey on a timeline, beginning in July, to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for most workers by 2024.

The newest long-nosed pup at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden now has a name. Zoo staff decided on “Mani” for the insect-eating tamandua. Translated from Spanish, Mani means peanut, which interpretive animal keeper Colleen Lawrence says is perfect for the pup, whose sex has yet to be identified, because animal keepers had been watching the creature grow in its mother, Isla, since it was “only a blip on the screen.” The tamandua uses its long snout to sniff out insects including ants and its long claws to dig into nests. It also has a long, sticky tongue that it uses to lick up its prey. The zoo officially welcomed the new tamandua Dec. 24. Now, Mani can be seen clinging to Isla through the windows of the Zoo’s Animal Ambassador Center.

You may not have heard of rappers Chowder, Big D.A.Q. or lil Gordito, but you might spot them at the Grammys. Andrew “Chowder” McMains, David “Big D.A.Q.” Bond and Caleb “lil Gordito” McDonald are three Salem teens rapping their way into the music industry with songs about addiction and mental health. They’ve been recognized for songs they submitted to the national Teens Make Music competition. McMains and Bond’s song won first place, and McDonald’s took third. All three will fly to Los Angeles to attend the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday. As exciting as the festivities will be, the teens said using music to process their past and share that with others is really what it’s all about. The three are part of the adolescent program through Bridgeway Recovery Services, a Salem-based healthcare nonprofit. The outpatient program works with teens overcoming substance use and referred to the program by schools, parents or probation officers.

A National Geographic article is featuring a local couple that spotted a rare bird in their yard – a half-male, half-female cardinal. The gynandromorphic bird was spotted in Erie near the home of Jeffrey and Shirley Caldwell. Also known as “half-siders” among ornithologists, gynandromorphs likely occur in all species of bird but are only noticeable in species in which males and females look distinctively different. Male cardinals are a bright red shade, while females have a more taupe color.

Aspiring singers who still haven’t gotten their big break in Music City should warm up those patriotic vocal cords. The Nashville Sounds are accepting auditions to sing the National Anthem at baseball games at First Tennessee Park this season. Bands, choirs, groups and individuals are invited to participate. All interested performers are asked to submit an a cappella performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and/or “God Bless America.” There’s no submission deadline, but the Sounds say with opening day less than two months away, the sooner people submit their audition tape, the better their chances. Applications will not be accepted if the audition exceeds 1 minute, 30 seconds. Audition files and YouTube links can be sent to anthem@nashvillesounds.com.

The West Virginia Department of Education is looking for partners statewide to help provide meals and activities for children during the summer. The agency says county boards of education, local government agencies and other nonprofit organizations can participate. The Summer Food Service Program is intended to provide free, nutritious meals to children ages 18 and under in lower-income areas. Executive Director Amanda Harrison of the Office of Child Nutrition says 554 sites provided meals to West Virginia children last summer. Interested organizations should contact cboehm@k12.wv.us or snsuffer@k12.wv.us or call Cybele Boehm or Samantha Reeves at (304) 558-3996.