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50 States

‘Riverdale,’ Swastika Acres, Hells Angels: News from around our 50 states

Scorpion nearly scuttles state senator’s chances in milking contest in Arizona, dad’s app helps neighborhoods keep tabs on kids in Michigan, and more
  • Montgomery

    The state House of Representatives approved legislation this week requiring the Alabama Department of Corrections and local sheriffs to provide feminine hygiene products to female inmates. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, passed 101 to 0 after a brief debate. It goes to the Alabama Senate. Hollis said after the vote that she had heard from families of women incarcerated at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka and in county jails, who all said they were having difficulties obtaining their supplies. “What I’m hearing is they were not receiving their products in a timely manner, which was causing women to start making their own products,” Hollis said after the vote. “Due to that, they started getting infected. If a woman was thrown into the hole, she didn’t have access to those products.”

  • Anchorage
    Health and wildlife officials are taking steps to track undesirable parasites showing up in the state. Researchers plan field work this summer to sample non-native ticks that could gain a foothold because of the warming climate. University of Alaska Anchorage assistant professor Micah Hahn says non-native ticks can carry and transmit Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other diseases. She says it’s important to establish what ticks are in the state so officials can monitor changes as the environment changes. A grant awarded last year will help sample ticks and prepare a model to forecast where ticks could thrive. Researchers are encouraging Alaskans to collect and turn over ticks at Alaska Department of Fish and Game offices as part of a new “Submit-a-Tick” program.
  • Phoenix

    When organizers of a state employee cow milking contest needed a senator to compete, Sine Kerr was the natural choice. “The pressure’s on because I am a dairy farmer,” she said. But her chances at winning the State Employees Charitable Campaign’s second annual milking contest were thrust into jeopardy just days before Thursday’s competition when a scorpion stung her just below her left thumb – her milking thumb. For Kerr, who’s lived in Arizona since 1964, the scorpion sting couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. She had made a speedy recovery by Wednesday, but the sting wasn’t her only obstacle: Kerr may be a dairy farmer, but she’s never actually milked a cow with her own two hands. They have machines for that now. Even so, Kerr rose to the top in Thursday’s charitable challenge.

  • Little Rock
    Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed legislation that increases the state’s marriage age to 17. Under the previous law, 16-year-old girls and 17-year-old boys could get married with the consent of their parents. If the girl was pregnant, a judge could approve a marriage regardless of her age. The legislation signed Wednesday raises the marriage age to 17 regardless of circumstances, and parental consent is still required. Democratic Rep. Vivian Flowers of Pine Bluff sponsored the bill. She says Department of Health statistics show that more than 8,200 girls and 1,300 boys who were 17 or younger have been married in Arkansas since 1999.
  • San Francisco
    The campy “Beach Blanket Babylon” musical revue that has been a must-see for tourists for 45 years is coming to an end. Producer Jo Schuman Silver announced the show’s final performances will be on New Year’s Eve. The show spoofs political and pop culture and has characters in colorful costumes with massive hats, including one with San Francisco’s skyline. The story follows Snow White around the world as she searches for her Prince Charming. Along the way she encounters a lineup of political and pop culture characters. Recent highlights include Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Oprah Winfrey. Silver says the show is ending because she felt it was the right time and not for financial reasons. When the show started in 1974, it was scheduled to run for only six weeks. But then it became an international phenomenon and “the quintessential San Francisco experience,” she said.
  • Cherry Hills Village
    The city has voted to drop the name “Swastika Acres” from a subdivision. KDVR-TV reports the Cherry Hills Village City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a name change to “Old Cherry Hills” to prevent future controversy. The neighborhood in the Denver suburb was named Swastika Acres decades before the symbol was adopted by the Nazis. Councilman Dan Sheldon spearheaded the change and says the name comes from the Denver Land Swastika Company that divided area land into plots near the turn of the 20th century. While the name cannot be found on road signs, it still appeared on real estate closing documents. Sheldon says one woman opposed the change to preserve the historical value of the symbol, despite having lost family in the Holocaust.
  • Hartford
    It could soon become easier for men to change a baby’s diaper. The state Senate on Wednesday voted 34-2 in favor of a bill that requires newly constructed or substantially renovated public or commercial buildings to have an infant changing table available to men, as well as women. The bill now awaits action in the House of Representatives. Democratic Sen. Dennis Bradley of Bridgeport says that “men also have the responsibility to change the diapers of our children” in today’s world. Democratic Sen. Will Haskell of New Canaan notes the law change is important for same-sex parents. Haskell says his brother and husband too often “have to resort to a floor or counter” to change their daughter’s diaper because there isn’t a changing table in many men’s rooms.
  • Wilmington

    The city is humming again with the roar of revved dirt bikes as the weather warms. For some it’s an escape, and to others it’s a nuisance, but police call it a public safety threat. Last summer, the city passed an ordinance to fine riders and impound bikes. But so far it hasn’t ended bikers’ enthusiasm. Spring had barely sprung before tarps were pulled off dirt bikes stored for the winter and two-wheeled daredevils were riding again. They mount up and ride alone or in groups. Now police are vowing to crack down on the scofflaws. “The Wilmington Police Department will do its part to enforce these laws and work to ensure public safety for all of our residents,” Chief Robert Tracy said in a news release reminding riders about the new law.

  • Washington

    D.C. area ride-sharing drivers are paid using wage calculations so hard to pinpoint that many are being driven into debt without even knowing it, according to a new report by Georgetown University. The survey interviewed 40 local ride-sharing drivers over a two-year period, WUSA-TV reports. Researchers found that every driver “experienced difficulties with, or barriers to, calculating their actual compensation.” The survey found that one driver made less than $5 an hour after expenses. “The Uber workplace involves a complex and difficult-to-track set of earnings and expenses, which we call a ‘slippery wage,’ ” said the report, released Thursday. Researcher Katie Wells said ride-sharing companies keep wage algorithms guarded, and no wage data is available through public records requests.

  • Orlando
    Cities in central Florida were some of the fastest-growing in the nation last year. The U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday that metro Orlando grew by 60,000 people from mid-2017 to mid-2018, giving it the fifth-biggest increase in pure numbers of any metro area in the nation. Metro Tampa grew by 51,000 residents, placing its numeric increase at No. 9. Midway between Tampa and Orlando, the Lakeland-Winter Haven area had the nation’s fourth-largest growth rate at 3.2%. All are in the Interstate 4 corridor. Only Texas grew by more people than Florida last year. That explosive growth also helps Florida’s chances of getting additional congressional seats – and presidential electors – after the 2020 census. South Florida remained Florida’s largest metro area and one of the most populous in the nation with 6.2 million people.
  • Atlanta
    Some patients in the state will soon be allowed to legally buy the marijuana they are already allowed to possess. Because of a legal quirk, patients and families have regularly broken the law to obtain low-potency medical marijuana oil. Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed a bill that would fix that problem, calling the new law a “carefully crafted, balanced” measure that would expand access for patients in need without opening the door to recreational drug use. The legislation closes a loophole in a 2015 law that banned growing, buying and selling the drug but allowed certain patients to possess it. Current state law allows people with 16 specific conditions, including cancer, seizure disorders and Parkinson’s disease, to possess cannabis oil with less than 5% THC , the chemical that gets users high.
  • Honolulu
    Lawmakers are considering a resolution calling for the creation of legal protections for Native Hawaiian cultural intellectual property. The move comes after a Chicago restaurant chain owner shocked the island state by trademarking the moniker “Aloha Poke.” The owner sent cease-and-desist letters to similarly titled cubed fish shops around the country demanding that they change their names, including a downtown Honolulu restaurant and a Native Hawaiian-operated restaurant in Anchorage. The resolution calls on state agencies and Native Hawaiian organizations to form a task force to develop a legal system to “recognize and protect” Native Hawaiian cultural intellectual property and traditional cultural expressions. It notes native cultures elsewhere in the world have adopted protections that might be models for Hawaii.
  • Moscow
    Students attending any of the state’s four-year colleges or universities will pay several hundred dollars more next year under a newly approved tuition hike. The Lewiston Tribune reports the Idaho State Board of Education approved the tuition increases Wednesday in a 5-3 vote. University of Idaho will have a 5.6% increase for in-state undergraduate students, for a total cost of about $8,300 for full-time students. Boise State University full-time resident undergrads will see an increase of 4.9% for a total cost of just over $8,000. Idaho State University full-time resident students will pay 6.1% more for a total cost of nearly $7,900. Lewis-Clark State College is increasing tuition by 5.5% for a total cost of just under $7,000 for full-time undergrads. The increases will go toward staffing and other costs.
  • Crystal Lake
    It’s no secret that pay phones may someday be part of the distant past. But for this city, the device has been an unexpected moneymaker – barely – in a nondescript corner of City Hall, the Northwest Herald reports. More than a decade ago, city officials remodeled the building. The pay phone, in a corner across from the police department, had already been installed, but the city decided to buy the device and integrate it into its phone system. “We own it,” said George Koczwara, Crystal Lake’s director of finance. “There is no cost to the city to keep the pay phone.” That means whatever coins a caller pumps into the machine yield a little extra cash for the city. A phone call on the pay phone costs a quarter for three minutes. “Looking at our collection history, we average about $4 per month,” Koczwara said.
  • Seymour
    Workers installing sewer lines across a southern Indiana farm have unearthed the fossilized bones of a mastodon that likely stood about 9 feet tall. The bones include most of a tusk, parts of a skull and a jawbone with teeth. They were recently dug up on a farm in Seymour, about 60 miles south of Indianapolis. Joe Schepman (above), who owns the farm with his family, tells The Seymour Tribune that “it’s amazing to think about something this large roaming around this area.” Ron Richards, senior research curator of paleobiology at the Indiana State Museum, says the mastodon would have stood between 9 and 9 1/2 feet tall. He says the fossil’s age will be determined using radiocarbon dating.
  • Sioux City

    A bronze statue depicting a classical goddess has been returned to the Sioux City Art Center after being stolen for the second time in June 2017. Shelly Reichert, who’s currently homeless, discovered the statue in the garage of an old friend in Des Moines this past Christmas. Reichert immediately recognized the beauty of the statue, which her friend had received in a trade, and persuaded him to let her take it, even though he warned her he had discovered the statue was stolen after researching the artist’s stamp. The “Goddess of Grapes,” depicting the mythological goddess Ariadne, wife to the revelry god Dionysus, was the work of artist Deb Zeller. “I mean, you just can’t take stuff like that,” Reichert said of her determination to return the stolen artwork. “It’s art ... if everyone did something like that, what are our kids or our grandkids going to have? Nothing but a bunch of concrete.”

  • Wichita
    A new law gives counties the option of letting voters cast ballots at any polling site within their county. But election officials say spotty internet service and aging voting equipment will mean that many counties can’t immediately take advantage of the new flexibility. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill this week that gives local election officials discretion to allow voters to cast ballots at any county polling place, rather than only at an assigned polling site. Some rural counties have remote voting sites, and some still rely primarily on paper ballots. Counties with old equipment might not be able to offer different ballots tailored to local races at all locations. It is unclear how many counties will take advantage of the new law.
  • Lexington

    Jim Beam bourbon plans to donate $5 million to the University of Kentucky to create a new institute designed to teach the next wave of distillers the skills they need to succeed in the spirits industry. The James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits will educate students at the undergraduate, graduate and professional level, UK announced Wednesday. “When we envisioned ways to prepare our workforce to meet the changing needs of our rapidly growing bourbon industry, a partnership with Jim Beam was a natural fit,” UK President Eli Capilouto said in a news release. The new institute will offer classes on a variety of subjects, including chemistry, engineering and food science, to address the spirits industry’s needs when it comes to things like research and development and sustainable agriculture.

  • Baton Rouge
    A proposal to ban the creation of most new free-standing emergency rooms has won support from state senators. Backers of the proposal say the ERs threaten the survival of Louisiana’s fragile rural hospitals. Senate Health and Welfare Chairman Fred Mills, a St. Martin Parish Republican, says stand-alone emergency departments cherry-pick services that generate the most money. Senators voted 36-1 for Mills’ bill. The move Wednesday sent the measure to the House, where a committee will next debate it. Mills’ proposal would prohibit the creation of free-standing emergency departments in Louisiana that are not licensed as part of the main campus of a hospital or as a hospital’s off-site campus. In addition, no hospitals would be able to create an off-site ER within the primary service area of a rural hospital.
  • Augusta
    Officials are granting a public hearing to a group of lobstermen and others who are concerned about the growth of aquaculture in the state. The group has said an increase in the number of new aquaculture licenses could make it difficult for lobstermen to lay their traps. The group submitted 189 signatures to the Maine Department of Marine Resources calling for a rulemaking process about the issue. Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher sent the group a letter April 10 saying the department will consider proposed rule changes about aquaculture and hold a public hearing on the subject before June 1. Lobsterman John Powers of Brunswick says the state needs to ensure “aquaculture can grow, but not at the expense of the $500 million dollar lobster industry.”
  • Baltimore
    The embattled mayor and five of her staffers are now on paid leave amid a scandal over children’s book sales. Mayor Catherine Pugh went on leave April 1, saying she needed time off to recover from pneumonia. She’s also facing intense scrutiny over the sale of her children’s books to entities that do business with the city. Five members of her staff also have been placed on leave recently. The city isn’t saying why. The Baltimore Sun reports their annual salaries add up to at least $622,000. Acting Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young told the newspaper he hasn’t fired anyone. He also said can’t discuss personnel decisions but wants to “provide stability and continuity of government.” Staff on leave include Pugh’s chief of staff and director of government relations.
  • Boston
    The nation’s longest-running multigenerational study of cardiovascular disease has received a $38 million grant that will help researchers explore the biology of aging. The six-year grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to the Framingham Heart Study was announced Tuesday. Boston University, which has administered the 71-year-old study since 1971, said in a statement the grant will be used to study liver fat, platelet function, arterial stiffness, the heart and great vessels, and patterns of thousands of circulating blood proteins in the participants. The study, which dates to 1948, has been responsible for numerous breakthroughs, including smoking’s contribution to heart disease risk, the benefit of physical activity and the risk posed by obesity.
  • Howell

    Chris Pagett wanted to create an app that would promote child safety and keep track of where his children went in the neighborhood. The father of two, along with friend and business partner Chris Ross, launched SafeSubs in February, allowing parents to create a private or public “neighborhood” or group to receive alerts when their children are arriving and leaving a friend’s home. The app, which had been downloaded by 2,000 people by Thursday, also includes a hangout section where parents can set up “play dates.” The child’s profile is composed of their first name only, curfew and any allergies. It is only shared in the group. Pagett said the app allows parents to block anyone from the group if needed and does not share location data.

  • Minneapolis
    A man is accused of bilking the Minnesota Vikings out of about $70,000 in a luxury suite scam. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says 39-year-old Daniel Escamilla, of San Francisco, signed a contract to rent a suite for the Sept. 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers, which he attended. When his check for $37,000 bounced a few days later, Escamilla told the Vikings he would send checks for that game as well as for a Sept. 23 game against the Buffalo Bills. Those checks, for $35,000 and $190,000, also bounced. The investigation found that Escamilla used a similar scheme to lease a Minneapolis luxury apartment, where he hosted a party before the 49ers game. Authorities say his whereabouts are unknown, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
  • Jackson

    Apparently people in the Magnolia State care more about Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica than Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. According to a recent survey by Geek.com, the most binge-watched television show in Mississippi is “Riverdale.” HBO’s fantasy behemoth “Games of Thrones” was the No. 1 favorite show to binge-watch nationwide. “The Office” and “Ozark” came in second and third nationwide. But in Mississippi the No. 2 and No. 3 choices were “Victoria” and “Veronica Mars.” Geek.Com conducted a Google survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers between Feb. 19 and Feb. 22. “Riverdale,” the dark and quirky teen drama based on characters from the Archie comics, has been on since 2017. Mississippi was the only state that ranked “Riverdale” as reisdents’ favorite to binge-watch.

  • Springfield

    Gypsy Blanchard is asking for people to urge Gov. Mike Parson and the state parole board to give her an early release from prison. “I am respectfully asking all who wish me an early release to please aid my father in his efforts for my freedom,” Blanchard wrote in an email released Tuesday. The 27-year-old is serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2015 death of her mother, 48-year-old Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, who forced her daughter to undergo unnecessary medical procedures as part of a fraud scheme. Her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, was convicted last year of stabbing Blanchard to death. Gypsy Blanchard testified at his trial that she talked him into coming from his home in Wisconsin to Springfield to commit the killing because she thought that was the only way out.

  • Butte
    Officials say a proposed solar project development north of Dillon would be the largest commercial solar facility in the state if approved. The Montana Standard reports that Boise-based Clenera LLC is proposing to build a 160-megawatt solar-panel facility on about 1,300 acres of leased state land about 10 miles north of Dillon off Interstate 15. Clenera director of business development Jared McKee says the project is expected to bring anywhere from 300 to 400 jobs during construction. McKee says if all goes well, the project would take about a year to construct and would happen in either 2020 or 2021. The state Land Board will have to approve the proposal.
  • Lincoln
    The city is eliminating human workers from city parking garages. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that a new, bigger command center is being created at a former day care center at the Center Park Garage downtown, replacing an office in the Haymarket Garage and the current command center in the Larson Building. The city has a $250,000 contract for an upgrade to its camera system, replacing old garage cameras with digital cameras and installing more cameras in new locations. City parking staffers monitor the garages and can assist customers having trouble paying or getting in or out. Parking manager Wayne Mixdorf said the drive of technology and payment methods makes it seem “like there is less need for that live cashier’s presence.”
  • Sparks

    Marnell Gaming is looking for a few good men and women to staff its Nugget Event Center once it opens this summer. Positions being eyed for the event center include on-call and part-time ticket scanners, ushers, security staff, bartenders and barbacks, says Randy Kennedy, marketing communications director for the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks. The Nugget will hold a job fair May 1, he says. The event center already has four major concerts booked: Toby Keith on June 15, Chris Young on July 6, Hank Williams on Aug. 3 and Lady Antebellum on Aug. 17. In addition to its paid concerts, the Nugget Event Center will also free events, including Ruthie Foster during Artown and Chubby Checker and former Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder during Hot August Nights. More details are available online.

  • Concord
    More than a dozen wild bee species critical to pollinating everything from blueberries to apples in New England are on the decline, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of New Hampshire wanted to understand if the documented declines hitting honeybees and bumblebees were also taking a toll on the lesser studied bee species in New Hampshire. So they examined 119 species in the state from a museum collection at the college dating back 125 years. Writing in the peer-reviewed journal Insect and Conservation Diversity this month, Sandra Rehan and Minna Mathiasson concluded 14 species found across New England were on the decline by as much as 90%. Several of them are leafcutter and mining bees, which, unlike honeybees, nest in the ground.
  • Trenton

    Regulators voted Thursday to approve $300 million in customer-funded subsidies for the state’s nuclear industry despite finding that the plants are financially viable. The decision means that utility customers will see their bills go up by about $40 a year under some estimates. Large businesses have said their bills could go up by about 50%. In return for the bailout, the state’s biggest utility, Public Service Enterprise Group, is expected to keep the three southern New Jersey nuclear plants that supply an estimated two-fifths of the state’s electricity supply in operation. The plants provide carbon-free energy and employ up to 2,000, the company says. The Board of Public Utilities voted 4-1 to approve the bailout during a meeting packed with supporters and opponents at the statehouse annex.

  • Albuquerque
    A powerful regulatory authority is requiring the state’s largest utility to bill Facebook $39 million for a new transmission line construction for its data center – a move the social media giant says it was not expecting. The Public Regulation Commission ordered the Public Service Company of New Mexico to charge Facebook for nearly half the cost of the $85 million transmission project for its data center that opened this year in the state, the Albuquerque Journal reports. Commission members contend the utility cannot bill ratepayers for the transmission project because the line will not benefit retail customers. It only helps Facebook and wholesale electric operators, the commission said. But Facebook said the ruling puts in doubt its plans to use 100% renewable energy to run the facility.
  • New York
    Officials say Netflix will expand its operations in the city, adding 127 jobs in its Manhattan marketing and development office and building six sound stages in Brooklyn. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the video-streaming service will invest up to $100 million in the city. The state’s main economic development agency offered Netflix up to $4 million in tax credits over 10 years if it reaches its goal of creating 127 Manhattan jobs and retaining the other 32 by 2024. Cuomo, a Democrat, says the company has leased about 160,000 square feet to build the sound stages in the Williamsburg neighborhood, where thousands of production jobs are expected within five years.
  • Raleigh
    Charities that hold casino nights would no longer be scofflaws if a bill allowing occasional betting clears the General Assembly. The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday for legislation that lays out how nonprofit groups and some employers and trade associations can legally hold occasional “game nights” with alcoholic drinks and prizes awarded by raffle. State law enforcement agents would regulate games and vendors and issue permits. The legislation makes legal what some charities already have been doing. It applies east of Interstate 26 to comply with Cherokee casino agreements. Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a similar measure in 2017, worried it could attract video poker. Sen. Rick Gunn told colleagues Thursday he believes that concern is now addressed.
  • Bismarck
    The Legislature has passed a bill that would waive burial fees for a veteran’s spouse and dependents at the state Veterans Cemetery south of Mandan. The House passed the legislation Wednesday that sets aside $175,000 in the next two-year budget cycle to fund the burials. The legislation would become effective in March 2020. Belcourt Democratic Sen. Richard Marcellais pushed the legislation that waives the $550 fee for spouses and dependents. Veterans may be buried there at no cost. That original bill was killed by the House but was reconsidered and passed 69-21. The Senate gave unanimous support to the bill in February.
  • Cincinnati

    Duke, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s California sea lion, passed away Thursday. The 30-year-old sea lion was one of the oldest of his kind in any zoo in North America. The median life expectancy for this species is 23, according to the zoo. “He was special … so laid back, smart and sweet,” says senior keeper Lisa Potter. According to the zoo, Duke’s care team – which included five veterinary staff members, a nutritionist and five marine mammal specialists – had been monitoring his health and doing everything possible to keep him comfortable. The zoo credits Duke’s longevity “to the exceptional care, including a special senior diet, regular vet checks and TLC,” he received at the Cincinnati Zoo.

  • Edmond
    A First Amendment conference is planned by the University of Central Oklahoma next week to coincide with the start of the 50th year of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. The April 25 conference will feature national and state speakers in a discussion of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and to petition the government with grievances. The day will also feature induction of the 49th class into the Hall of Fame. Highlights of the conference will include discussion of teachers’ First Amendment rights, press freedoms, freedom of expression on the college campus, the First Amendment and satire, and dedication of a display featuring the First Amendment.
  • Salem

    More than 25,000 women in the state are military veterans, making up about 9% of the veteran population, according to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. And yet women face service barriers and lack of recognition unlike their male counterparts, say Felita Singleton and Elizabeth Estabrooks, who curated a campaign to increase awareness of women as veterans in 2017. “I Am Not Invisible,” which features 20 portraits of women around Oregon, is being displayed in Salem at the Oregon Public Safety Academy through Monday. The hope is that an increase in dialogue and awareness will come from learning about the contributions, needs and experiences of female veterans. It debuted at the Portland Art Museum and has since traveled around Oregon and the nation, Estabrooks says.

  • Philadelphia
    A sprinkler system check at a church that was frequented by George Washington and Benjamin Franklin drew a crowd Wednesday, with dozens of people watching as sheets of water poured from the 196-foot steeple. Christ Church leaders breathed a sigh of relief at the sight: The system check showed that the church founded in 1695 has done all it can do to protect itself from a fire similar to the one that tore through Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this week. “One reason we did this was to show symbolic solidarity with Notre Dame,” said Barbara Hogue, executive director of the Christ Church preservation fund. “But it’s also because we’re about to start renovations here, too, and we thought it was really prudent to start by testing our fire system, to be sure that, in the event something happens, we were prepared.”
  • Providence
    Some lawmakers are backing legislation that would allow them to post their photos on official state websites and social media accounts during their re-election campaigns. Existing law says elected officials running for office may not use public funds to publish or broadcast their likenesses on official government platforms for the 120 days preceding an election. The Providence Journal reports that lawmakers want to amend the law with an exemption. The proposed amendment would clarify that the ban does not apply to likenesses of elected politicians published on government sites as long as they are for the purpose of transparency or sharing general information. Opponents say the amendment needs to specify that government-run platforms cannot be used to promote incumbents.
  • Clemson

    An estimated 600 to 700 members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club are set to ride into town from July 29 to Aug. 2 for their national gathering. “It is almost like a family reunion for them,” says Kade Herrick, tourism director for the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce. He says the local Hells Angels club originally approached the tourism office in 2016 about having the event in Clemson, but the club voted to hold it in Missouri instead for 2017. The local group has “traveled the country going to other areas” and “wanted to show off the Upstate,” Herrick says. News of the event, originally shared by the Seneca Journal, sparked mixed responses on social media, with some residents upset that the city had not told citizens about the event and others excited about potential revenue.

  • Pierre

    State officials are denying that a recently passed law would cause people to fear prosecution if they protest the Keystone XL pipeline. Gov. Kristi Noem, Attorney General Jason Ravsnborg and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom are wholly denying a lawsuit’s allegations that three state protest laws chill free speech, according to their response filed in federal court on Tuesday. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the federal lawsuit last month to challenge the laws, which include South Dakota’s new law allowing the state to sue any person or organization for “riot boosting” or encouraging a protest where acts of violence occur. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of Dakota Rural Action, Indigenous Environmental Network, NDN Collective, the Sierra Club and two individuals.

  • Memphis

    Kids in neighborhoods without a YMCA will soon be able to enjoy much of what the organization has to offer with the launch of its new “Y on the Fly” program. On Thursday, officials with the YMCA, United Healthcare, city and county government, and the school system met at Graceland for a ribbon-cutting for two vans that will deliver programs and services to young people who don’t live near a YMCA. The Y-without-walls concept means the Y will use the vans to deliver books, games, enrichment activities and even swimming lessons from the two portable units. In addition, other nonprofits, health care providers and community organizations will be able to meet up with the “Y on the Fly” vans to deliver additional family and youth services. The new project is funded through a $90,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare.

  • Fort Worth
    Aviation officials say talks are expected to begin this spring on adding a sixth passenger terminal at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the main hub for American Airlines. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that airport authorities say there’s a good chance Terminal F could be built with design standards that allow more airplanes to park in a smaller space. Terminal C, the airport’s busiest terminal, would also likely be part of the project, as it hasn’t had any capital improvements in two decades. DFW Airport official Sean Donohue says no financial projections are available. But it’s likely the new terminal would be a key part of an airport capital improvement project that could cost as much as $4 billion through 2025.
  • Salt Lake City
    Environmental organizations are suing the Trump administration over the approval of a coal-mining project near a national park in the state’s south. A coalition of groups including the National Parks Conservation Association filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Utah. They argue that the approval violated environmental rules by failing to assess the environmental impacts of coal mining. The U.S. Department of the Interior declined to comment on the lawsuit. Interior announced the mining project earlier this year, declaring that “the war on coal is over” and touting new jobs that would be created. Conservation groups say the project on land about 10 miles west of Bryce Canyon National Park could affect air quality and clear night skies.
  • Milton
    The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says thousands of alewives were found dead on the shores of Lake Champlain as the ice clears after the long winter. Alewives are a species of herring native to the Atlantic Ocean that spawn in freshwater tributaries. They were first discovered in Lake Champlain in 2005. On average, they are about 10 inches long. Vermont Fish biologist Shawn Good says alewives are highly susceptible to fluctuations in water temperature. When the ice clears in the spring, thousands of dead fish can wash up on shore. The die-offs are a common spring occurrence. Despite the die-off, Good says alewives are firmly established in Lake Champlain. He says their presence highlights the danger posed by invasive species being introduced into the lake.
  • Charlottesville
    The Muslim gold star father who spoke out against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump will be the featured speaker at Piedmont Virginia Community College’s graduation. News outlets report Khizr Khan will speak at the school’s commencement in May. Frank Friedman, the president of the Charlottesville institution, says in a statement that officials are honored to have Khan give a speech. His son U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004. The University of Virginia alumnus was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Khan became well known for his criticism of Trump during the 2016 Democratic National Convention. He was born in Pakistan and became a U.S. citizen in 1986. The Charlottesville resident has law degrees from Harvard University and the University of Missouri.
  • Bellingham
    State wildlife officials are again setting limits on Nooksack River chinook salmon because of projected low returns. The Bellingham Herald reports a statement issued this week by the Department of Fish and Wildlife says closures of local fisheries for threatened chinook include the San Juan Islands in August and Deception Pass in December and January. Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind says reducing fisheries is not a long-term solution to the dwindling number of chinook salmon. He says the chinook population will continue to decline if the habitat isn’t improved. Susewind says the limits will have an indirect effect on the health of southern resident orcas, whose primary food source is chinook, by reducing boat noise and competition for food.
  • Princeton
    State officials say they hope some new measures will make a dangerous section of Interstate 77 safer to travel. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports West Virginia Parkways Authority said it would lower the speed limit from 70 to 60 by the end of the month, increase patrols, and check tractor-trailers’ equipment more often. Parkway General Manager Greg Barr made the comments this week during a ceremony in which a bridge was dedicated to two Parkways employees who were killed in a crash last year in Mercer County. The crash is one of several that have occurred along a stretch of Interstate 77 that goes down Flat Top Mountain into Mercer County. Barr said officials are trying to take a comprehensive approach to making the roadway there as safe as possible.
  • Madison
    Marijuana advocates have high hopes that a proposal to legalize pot in the state has a better chance of success than ever given growing public support. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Sargent (above) and other supporters on Thursday unveiled the latest proposal to fully legalize marijuana in Wisconsin. It comes after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called for legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing up to 25 grams of pot in his state budget. The biggest hurdle for supporters of any form of legalization is the Republican-controlled Legislature. Republican leader Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said he would be open to a limited form of medical marijuana, but legalizing recreational pot will never happen. But Sargent says she is optimistic because public support for legalization is at “an all-time high.”
  • Yellowstone National Park
    Some roads and services in the park will open for the new season Friday, weather permitting. In celebration of National Park Week, entrance fees will be waived Saturday. The roads opening to vehicles Friday include the West Entrance to Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful via Norris and Norris to Canyon Village. The roads are closed during the winter to wheeled vehicles. About 4 million people visited Yellowstone last year. The vast majority of people visit the park during the summer months.