Ostriches, conch music, New Kids on the Block: News from around our 50 states

From staff and wire reports

Governor looks to cut off pipeline protests in South Dakota, parents go to court for late son’s sperm in New York, and more

Parrish
Alabama Power says its customers will repay about $740 million in costs related to one of its coal-burning power plants that’s scheduled to close in April. Al.com reports the electric utility’s parent company, Southern Company, disclosed in a recent regulatory document plans to recover investment costs from William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant through customers’ electric bills. Alabama Power has blamed the plant’s retirement on “federally driven environmental mandates.” It says it spent more than $400 million since 2010 on upgrades aimed at keeping the plant in compliance. John Wilson of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy says Plant Gorgas should have been retired years earlier to avoid the expense of trying to it open.

Anchorage
Climate scientists say the waters of the Bering Sea off the state are seeing unprecedented low sea ice for the second straight year. Rick Thoman of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy says winter storms have obliterated thin ice that had formed since December. He says there’s open water all the way from north of the Aleutians to beyond the Bering Strait. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oceanographer Phyllis Stabeno says winds during ice season typically blow out of the northwest. This year, warm winds in a series of storms blew out of the southwest in mid-January and especially February, broke up the ice, and pushed it north. She says sea ice is now similar to coverage last year, the lowest ever observed.

Chandler
More than 100 years ago, Dr. A.J. Chandler got the idea that he could make a fortune raising ostriches in the desert. He didn’t exactly strike it rich with that idea, but the city that bears his name embraced that part of its heritage. The 31st Chandler Ostrich Festival takes place Friday through Sunday at Tumbleweed Park. There are no ostrich races on the schedule this year, after controversy arose last year after a zebra escaped. But there will be plenty of family fun all weekend. The musical headliners are hip-hop hitmaker Flo Rida on Friday, R&B/funk group the Commodores on Saturday and Andy Grammer on Sunday. The festival includes plenty of animals, as well as carnival staples like a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and giant slide, plus some more daring thrill rides.

Little Rock
The state House has approved a plan to raise taxes and tap into expected casino revenue to generate $300 million a year for the state’s highways, with a top Republican lawmaker calling the package the last chance to enact permanent fixes for roads. The majority-Republican House passed legislation to impose a new wholesale tax on fuel that will raise gasoline prices by 3 cents a gallon and diesel by 6 cents a gallon. The proposal includes increased registration fees for hybrid and electric vehicles. The House also voted 67-30 to ask voters next year to permanently extend a half-cent sales tax for highways. The proposals are aimed at helping close the $478 million in extra annual funding state highway officials say they need for maintenance.

Benbow
Two young girls who were lost in a dense Northern California forest for nearly two days say they survived frigid nights by huddling together under a tree branch and a huckleberry bush and by thinking “happy thoughts.” Eight-year-old Leia Carrico and 5-year-old Caroline Carrico told ABC News in an interview that they went on a hike last Friday because they wanted an adventure but lost their way home. Leia says her sister cried the entire first night, and she told her to think happy thoughts. Leia says she kept watch both nights and thought about a family vacation. Two volunteer firefighters found the girls Sunday in a wooded area about 1 1/2 miles from their home in the small community of Benbow, about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Craig
A new superintendent is taking over at Dinosaur National Monument. The Craig Daily Press reports Paul Scolari will begin work March 31. Scolari has worked for the National Park Service for 24 years, most recently as the chief of resource management and planning for a group of national parks near San Francisco. The Dinosaur National Monument covers more than 200,000 acres along the Colorado-Utah border. The site includes scenic canyon property with overlooks of the Yampa and Green rivers and a visitor center containing a cliff face that holds hundreds of dinosaur bones. The site’s previous superintendent left in 2018 for a similar role at Buffalo National River in Arkansas.

Hartford
Four communities will be honored for their impressive Election Day voter turnouts. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill will present the 2018 Democracy Cup in four categories, based on town size, in a series of events this month. The winner in the small-town category is Washington; in the midsize-town category, Granby; in the large-town category, Guilford; and in the city category, West Hartford. Merrill says that “record-breaking voter registration was followed by record-breaking voter turnout” in Connecticut’s November election. Statewide turnout was 65.19 percent. The town of Washington had the highest overall voter turnout of 87.66 percent. The Democracy Cup competition is co-sponsored by the East Haddam Civic Association.

Wilmington
In the nation’s lowest-lying state, where sea level rise is occurring nearly twice as fast as the global average, real estate agents marketing high-dollar waterfront properties have been thrilled to see prices skyrocketing in recent years. But that good news may be masking a far different trend. Flooding from rising sea levels means some homes are not worth as much as they should be. Researchers with First Street Foundation recently released the latest in a series of studies examining how flooding from sea level rise has affected the value of coastal homes. They evaluated 160,000 real estate transactions in coastal Delaware from 2005 to 2017 and found properties could be worth another $300 million in value lost to flooding caused by sea level rise.

Washington
A city councilman is under investigation for pitching proposals to lobbyists and leveraging his influence as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority chair and city’s longest-serving lawmaker. WMATA spokesman Dan Stessel tells The Washington Post the agency’s board directed its ethics officer on Monday to investigate Councilman Jack Evans. Records say Evans emailed law firms that lobby district officials and argued they should employ him for his ability to cross-market his relationships and influence. A federal grand jury is also investigating Evans and legislation that he promoted in 2016 that would’ve benefited a company. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson says using council resources for personal gain is inappropriate.

Key West
A man who flies air ambulances can also honk the 1958 song “Tequila” using a pink-lined conch shell. David Masterson’s unique music skills earned him this year’s best honker among men in the Conch Shell Blowing Contest in Key West. An aviation director for the Monroe County sheriff, Masterson says he began blowing the shell for fun when he lived on a boat. Conch shells have been used as signaling devices in the Florida Keys for centuries. Native-born islanders are called Conchs, and the Keys are nicknamed the Conch Republic. Judges evaluated more than 50 contestants of all ages on the quality, novelty, duration and loudness of their playing. Another winning performance came from 6-year-old Audrey Van Aken, whose sturdy blast drew loud cheers.

Atlanta
New laws being considered at the Capitol would regulate electric bikes and scooters in the state. The machines are also the focus of new rules in some local communities, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. One bill would ban users from parking the devices on sidewalks and in other places where they could obstruct pedestrians, cars and trucks. A separate proposal would allow electric bikes capable of traveling no more than 20 mph to use bike paths, but it would ban faster ones from those paths. Critics say the devices are endangering the people who ride them, as well as pedestrians. Supporters say they’re useful for short trips. Bird, Lime, Lyft and Uber are among companies that have deployed the devices. Customers rent them through phone apps.

Haena
State officials say Haena State Park on Kauai has a new boardwalk and freshly paved parking lot. But visitors won’t get to use them until flood-damaged Kuhio Highway reopens and road access is restored. That could happen by end of next month. The Garden Island newspaper reports the Division of State Parks is also setting up a system to cut the number of daily park visitors to 900 from 2,000, in hopes of alleviating congestion at the popular park. The state hopes to do this by requiring people to pay for parking spots and shuttle bus seats online. Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter says some details are still being worked out. A boardwalk and pathway to Kee Beach and the Kalalau trailhead are being built through restored taro fields.

Boise
College students are searching for the remains of inmates buried at a penitentiary decades ago. KBOI-TV reports the Idaho Historical Society asked the geophysics club at Boise State University for help with filling in some gaps in cemetery records. The society has records for 55 people buried in the cemetery but believes there are unrecorded burials. KREM-TV reports the Old Idaho Penitentiary operated from 1872 to 1973. The earliest grave marker is from 1880, and the last known man buried there was in 1967. The students are using data from ground-penetrating radar to determine if there are any unmarked graves. Associate Professor Dylan Mikesell says they’re looking for anything that isn’t naturally occurring in the soil, such as a coffin.

Springfield
A lawmaker has proposed legislation that aims to provide a more comprehensive definition of consent for sex education classes in the state. The State Journal-Register reports that the bill defines consent as “a freely given agreement to sexual activity.” The bill directs schools to use the definition when discussing consent, as current state law doesn’t offer a specific definition. The bill also states that the way a person is dressed doesn’t imply consent, that consent for a past sexual activity doesn’t apply to future activities and that consent can be withdrawn at any time. Democratic Rep. Ann Williams says she’s sponsoring the measure because she saw a lack of discussion regarding consent as officials looked to address sexual assault.

Munster
Data from the state show more public high school students are taking Advanced Placement exams. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the Indiana Department of Education announced last month that about 1,200 more students in the class of 2018 took AP exams than in the previous year’s graduating class. Data also show the rate of students earning a passing grade or higher increased 12.6 percent in the past three years. Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers says the trend is encouraging because “early college credit leads to higher success rates and cost savings for students and the state.” AP courses are modeled from comparable college courses. Students who earn high scores can receive college credit.

Dubuque
Dubuque Community Schools leaders are proposing that staffers be equipped with a panic button app on their smartphones that could alert co-workers and 911 dispatchers to an emergency. Mike Cyze, district director of school and community relations, told school board members at a committee meeting Monday that time is of the essence in an emergency. The Telegraph Herald reports that a $30,000-a-year contract for use of the app is expected to be considered at a school board meeting. The app lets users press a button for the type of emergency such as an active intruder, a fire, a medical issue or an incident requiring police response. The app would call 911 and send an automatic alert to all relevant staff members.

Topeka
Several universities in the state say a decline in the number of international students hurts cultural diversity on campus and school finances. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Kansas Higher Education Statistics show the number of international students enrolled in Kansas Board of Regents colleges has declined by more than 11 percent since 2015, or roughly 1,560 students. Many of the affected schools are already facing limited state funding and declining enrollments. Data from the nonprofit NAFSA: Association of International Educators show international students have a $260 million economic impact on Kansas and support 2,500 jobs. International students pay out-of-state tuition and often live on campus.

Frankfort
The state Senate’s budget-writing panel has unanimously rejected a request from Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration to borrow $50 million to fix up the state’s park system. House bill 268 would have allowed the Cabinet for Tourism, Arts and Heritage to borrow up to $50 million in the budget year that begins July 1. The bill also included a pledge to borrow an extra $100 million over the next three years for park system improvements. The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee amended the bill Tuesday to remove the money. Kentucky lawmakers pass a two-year spending plan in even-numbered years. Chairman Sen. Chris McDaniel said lawmakers should not approve spending in non-budget years.

New Orleans
As the city marked the last day of Carnival on Fat Tuesday, Saints fans hammered home that they aren’t over the NFC Championship game and the “no-call” that kept their team out of the Super Bowl. Blind referee costumes and yellow penalty flag costumes were all the rage at Mardi Gras parades. Nancy Halbert of Baton Rouge dressed up as a blind referee as she and friends walked through the French Quarter with canes. She says they’ll probably never be over the game, but they have been having a “ball.” This year’s Mardi Gras culmination was marked by chilly weather for the Gulf Coast city, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s on Tuesday morning, when the Northside Skull and Bone Gang walked through the Treme neighborhood before the sun came up, waking people up to celebrate the day.

Bar Harbor
The state’s two U.S. senators say a laboratory in the town is receiving a federal grant to advance its research of drug addiction and the role genetics play in it. Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King say Jackson Laboratory is getting $255,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Jackson Laboratory Vice President LuAnn Ballesteros says the grant is “an important step in propelling our work forward to help Mainers and people around the world impacted by addiction.” The senators say researchers at the lab are working on projects to improve understanding of genetic factors that play a role in vulnerability to substance use disorders. The federal money was awarded via the DHHS National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Annapolis
Maryland’s Senate has voted to make the state the first in the nation to ban foam containers for food and drink to fight pollution. The Senate voted 34-13 on Tuesday for the measure, which now goes to the House of Delegates. Sen. Cheryl Kagan, a Democrat who’s sponsoring the bill, says more than half of the state’s residents already live in places where foam containers are banned for food and drink containers. She says a statewide ban would be a step forward in fighting pollution and helping to clean the Chesapeake Bay. But opponents say the bill only covers a small amount of foam material and will hurt small businesses. Sen. Justin Ready, a Republican, says it’s an unnecessary burden that won’t do anything for the environment.

Boston
A city councilman is renewing his push for an optional 13th year of school for high school graduates. The Boston Globe reports that researchers say nearly half of Boston students who enter college do not graduate within six years. City Councilor Michael Flaherty says his proposal would help students better prepare for the rigors of college and make Boston’s students more competitive. Flaherty has floated the optional school year idea for the past three years. Flaherty says the extra year of school would be voluntary and offered to students who have earned their high school diplomas. School officials say they are reviewing the idea and look forward to discussing it with the City Council. Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh says he will review the idea.

Traverse City
Four Canadian wolves have been relocated to Isle Royale National Park as part of an ongoing effort to restore the predator species on the Lake Superior island chain, officials say. All four were sedated and examined by veterinarians before being flown to snowbound Isle Royale, where they were given another checkup and released, the National Park Service says. Like others brought to the island last fall, they were fitted with radio transmission collars enabling scientists to track their movements. “I am … blown away by the resilience of these wolves, who within hours after undergoing capture and handling and arriving on Isle Royale immediately got on the trail of their pack mates,” says Mark Romanski, the park’s natural resources division chief.

Minneapolis
Schools in the North Star State are replacing pizza and chicken tenders at lunch with fresher, locally grown foods as education leaders and nutritionists rethink the school meal system. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that more than half of the state’s school districts now have a farm-to-school program. It’s becoming more common for schools to prep food on-site and have local chefs give input. Advocates are recognizing Minneapolis as a national leader for its school food reform efforts. Over half of the district’s schools have on-site kitchens, and the rest receive food from its central kitchen. The district’s farm-to-school coordinator, Kate Seybold, says sourcing locally saves money and brings learning to the lunchroom.

Jackson
Officials report an invasive aquatic plant has been found in another lake in the state. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks said Monday that giant salvinia has now been found in Lake Okhissa in southwest Mississippi. The plant had previously been found in Pickwick, Bay Springs, Columbus and Aberdeen lakes, Ross Barnett Reservoir, and the Pascagoula River marsh. The fast-growing aquatic fern is native to Brazil. It can form thick mats that choke aquatic life and hamper swimming and boating. Dennis Riecke, a fisheries biologist with the department, says officials believe the plant is sticking to boat trailers and being introduced to new lakes. Riecke again urges people to inspect and clean their boats and trailers.

Jefferson City
The founder of the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City is supporting legislation that would move the attraction to Jefferson City. The current museum houses a collection from a steamboat that David Hawley helped excavate in 1987 from a field in Kansas. Hawley testified before the Legislature last week that the current museum is too small. KCUR reports the issue comes as Hawley is planning the excavation of a new steamboat. Sen. Mike Bernskoetter and Rep. Dave Griffith, both Republicans from Jefferson City, are sponsoring the bill. They want to raise revenue for the museum by increasing the entrance fees riverboat casinos licensees pay the state from $2 per person to $3 per person. The museum’s lease in Kansas City expires in 2026.

Butte
The thermometer hit minus 46 degrees Monday morning at Elk Park in southwest Montana, and a National Weather Service official says it could be the lowest temperature recorded in state history during the month of March. Meteorologist Dave Bernhardt tells The Montana Standard that the bone-chilling temperature was recorded at 5:14 a.m. Monday. But Bernhardt says the Elk Park temperature won’t become an official record until it is reviewed by the extremes committee of the National Centers for Environmental Information. The group, among other things, evaluates the scientific legitimacy of extreme weather observations. For now, the current record-holding lows in Montana for March are two minus 45-degree readings in 1897 and 1906.

Omaha
Figures show the city’s economy is shifting, and the area’s historically low cost of living is on the rise. The Omaha World-Herald reports that much of the increase in cost of living can be attributed to the high demand and low supply of housing, which is driving up home prices and rent costs. David Drozd, a researcher at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says the low cost of living now gives local residents a salary boost of $2,000 to $2,500, compared to $5,000 to $6,000 in 2013. Omaha’s cost of living still remains at 95 percent of the typical rate across the country. But it’s no longer as competitive when compared to other Midwestern cities, such as Oklahoma City, which is at 85 percent of the national average.

Reno
Northern Nevada’s biggest school district is abandoning a new policy that required students to do assignments online from home when classes were canceled because of snow or other inclement weather. The Washoe County School District announced it is discontinuing the use of so-called Digital School Days for the rest of the school year. The district includes Reno, Sparks and parts of nearby Lake Tahoe, where an unusually harsh winter already has dropped more than 40 feet of snow at the top of area ski resorts. District Superintendent Traci Davis said state education officials told school district officials at a meeting Friday that students will not be required to make up any days missed due to snow so far. For the rest of the year, students will not have assignments to complete at home on snow days.

Milford
It may still be winter, but the latest fishing and outdoor gear is going to be on display soon at the New Hampshire Outdoor Expo. The event is scheduled for Friday through Sunday at the Hampshire Dome in Milford. Dozens of hunting and fishing seminars are being offered, along with trout pond and boat displays and a chance to buy 2019 New Hampshire fishing and hunting licenses. On Saturday, Conservation Officer Shawn MacFadzen from “North Woods Law” will be available. On Sunday, the Loon Preservation Committee will cover the admission fee of the first 200 conservationists who turn in one ounce or more of banned lead fishing sinkers and jigs.

Cedar Grove
Cedar Grove High School returned to the days of boy bands when New Kids on the Block filmed its new music video there. The group, which rose to popularity in the mid-1980s, released its video for “Boys in the Band” on Friday. Superintendent Michael Fetherman says the video was filmed Jan. 26-27, after the band’s scouting agent toured the school and determined the classrooms and hallways were just what they were looking for. Montclair University’s cheer team was also featured in the music video. Fetherman said funds generated from the video shoot will go back to students and staff in the form of equipment purchases, fees for student assemblies, school banners, new classroom furniture and other instructional materials.

Las Cruces
The city is the third-best travel destination in the U.S., according to Money magazine’s “20 Best Places to Go in 2019.” Money said it set out to find vacations that offer the best value. The ranking cites as attractions the Museum of Nature & Science and the Branigan Cultural Center. “Populated by single-story adobe-style buildings and mission-inspired architecture, Las Cruces’ city center is home to a biweekly market with local food, crafts, and music,” the list says. It also named Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces (above) as the best place to stay. The cost of visiting a location was factored heavily into the rankings. For Las Cruces, Money calculated an average airfare cost of $367, an average hotel night cost of $113 and the cost of a three-day trip for two at $1,578.

West Point
The parents of a 21-year-old West Point cadet fatally injured in a skiing accident raced the clock to get a judge’s permission to retrieve his sperm for “the possibility of preserving some piece of our child that might live on.” U.S. Military Academy Cadet Peter Zhu was declared brain dead Wednesday, four days after he was involved in a skiing accident at West Point that fractured his spine and cut off oxygen to his brain. Monica and Yongmin Zhu of Concord, California, said in a court petition that they saw a brief window to fulfill at least part of Peter’s oft-stated desire to one day raise five children. Such a request typically comes from a surviving spouse. The parents told the court that Peter is the only male child of the Zhu family, and they worried that “our family name will die.”

Raleigh
The world’s largest pork producer is making a donation to a program that helps veterans make the transition from military service to agriculture. The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, announced Monday that it has presented a $200,000 donation to North Carolina State University’s Soldier to Agriculture Program. A news release from the foundation said the donation will help the school expand the program. According to the foundation, the contribution also will add to Smithfield’s history of supporting military families and veterans, including Operation 4000, the company’s mission to employ 4,000 veterans by 2020.

Fargo
Food pantry operators in the area say there is an increase in the number of people seeking help with groceries. The Emergency Food Pantry says the number of people needing help usually drops after December, but the past few months have been busy. KVRR-TV reports the program’s executive director, Stacie Loegering, says more than 100 families came in to get food on three separate days in February. The Great Plains Food Bank says that it served a million more meals last year than it did in 2017 and that demand continues to increase. Becker County’s Food Pantry says it has seen a surge in the number of people requesting its services. Officials say the program provides food for 1 out of 11 families in the county.

Columbus
The state is offering grant money to help human trafficking victims get rid of tattoos or brands that were used to identify them as someone’s property. The Dayton Daily News reports Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said trafficking survivors have enough problems recovering from slavery and trauma without “a permanent reminder” on their skin. Yost’s statement said his office’s Crime Victim Services division will award the $10,000 grants to local nonprofits that focus on human trafficking. The grant program will be named after Jennifer Kempton, a human trafficking survivor who founded the nonprofit Survivor’s Ink to help victims cover tattoos and markings.

Tulsa
Organizers of a project by a local billionaire to offer $10,000 to eligible workers who agree to move to Oklahoma’s second-largest city say they’ve received an overwhelming response. Officials with the George Kaiser Family Foundation announced Monday that they’ve selected more than 100 workers to participate in the project in which applicants agree to move to and work remotely from Tulsa for at least a year. Foundation officials say the program attracted more than 10,000 applications from every U.S. state and more than 150 countries. The 100 participants selected for the program come from more than two dozen U.S. states. They will have access to a range of benefits, including free workspace at a Tulsa office for entrepreneurs.

Salem
The state’s natural resource agencies have spent millions of dollars regulating, policing and helping grow Oregon’s emerging cannabis industry – without additional staff or funding. That’s taken a toll on regular duties at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy and Water Resources Department. A bill pending in the Legislature would reimburse the agencies for those costs, using some of the pot tax money that currently goes to education, cities and counties, and drug and alcohol prevention and treatment services. Without reimbursement, the agencies will need to increase fees on conventional customers or face backlogs on other work, Caleb Hayes, a spokesman for Rep. Brad Witt, said at a legislative hearing on the bill.

Glenside
A decades-old agreement between Arcadia University and a retired chemist has led to $8.6 million for the Philadelphia-area school. Chemist Ellington Beavers was forced into mandatory retirement at age 65 in 1981 but wished to continue his work. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Beavers wrote to several universities, and Arcadia University’s president at the time agreed to let him work in the school’s labs. Beavers conducted research at Arcadia’s Boyer Hall for over two decades, later founding medical device coating company Biocoat and promising to Arcadia a percentage of proceeds from the eventual sale of his company. Biocoat was sold to 1315 Capital in December, and Arcadia received a check for the college’s largest single gift ever.

Providence
The state is offering $270,000 in grant funding to help food and farming businesses start or expand their operations in Rhode Island. The state Department of Environmental Management says Friday is the application deadline. The agency says the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act and Farm Viability grant programs, combined, have invested more than $3 million to accelerate growth of the Ocean State’s green economy. Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo says the investments aim to boost the vibrant food economy and support Rhode Island-grown agricultural products and local seafood. Grants of up to $20,000 are available through the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act program. Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 are available in the Farm Viability program.

Greenville
The city is the 10th best place to live in the U.S., according to Livability.com. The website released its sixth annual ranking of the 100 Best Places to Live, saying: “There’s no getting around it: Greenville is having a moment.” It goes on to tout Greenville’s variety of outdoor recreation options, the Greenville Zoo and Greenville Drive, and it calls Greenville a “major foodie city.” The rankings recommend exploring Greenville’s West End, taking a walk on the Liberty Bridge and enjoying a meal at Passarelle Bistro. Livability’s list also names Birds Fly South, Joe’s Place bookstore and the Swamp Rabbit Trail as must-visit spots. More than 1,000 cities with populations between 20,000 and 1,000,000 were ranked on 40 data points.

Pierre
Gov. Kristi Noem says she’s proposing legislation before construction begins on the Keystone XL oil pipeline that would create a way to go after out-of-state money that funds pipeline protests. The legislation would let the state follow such money and “cut it off at the source,” the Republican governor said in a statement. Noem would also set up a fund to cover extraordinary law enforcement costs that could come with intense pipeline opposition. Noem’s bills come after opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline staged large protests that resulted in 761 arrests in six months. The state spent tens of millions of dollars policing the protests. The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said the legislation could infringe on free speech rights.

Nashville
For the first time in nearly seven decades, Music City’s legendary locomotive No. 576 will roll down the tracks this weekend into Union Station. The recently restored engine dubbed “The Stripe” will stop at the former passenger terminal for a grand reunion Saturday, says Nashville Steam Communications Manager Joey Bryan. “Thanks to the extreme generosity of CSX Transportation, No. 576 will be stopping at the former passenger terminal for a grand reunion of the two Nashville landmarks,” Bryan says. Last month the out-of-service train was moved out of Centennial Park to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum. Officials say there, the train will undergo full restoration. The public is invited from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Dallas
A commission has approved a plan to remove the city’s 123-year-old Confederate War Memorial, which officials determined was a racist relic rather than a historic landmark. The Landmark Commission voted Monday in favor of bringing down the 65-foot obelisk that’s stood over Pioneer Park Cemetery since 1961, the Dallas Morning News reports. Commissioners decided the obelisk and surrounding statues of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Albert Johnston don’t contribute to the historic character of the district. The City Council voted to remove the memorial last month but needed the landmark commission’s approval to take the structures down. The move came about 18 months after city officials authorized removal of monuments dedicated to the Confederacy.

Mendon
State wildlife officials have corralled more than 500 wild turkeys this winter in Cache County that are a nuisance to homeowners and moved them to a rural area known as the Book Cliffs near Vernal. KSL-TV reports the wild turkeys leave waste and sometimes destroy property. In the small northern Utah town of Mendon outside Logan, Randall McBride of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says hundreds of turkeys come at a time looking for food. The city left grazing areas near town in hopes of keeping them out, but they still come. The wild turkeys who are caught and relocated are given GPS backpacks so scientists can track their behavior and hopefully better manage the herds.

Bennington
Officials say Southern Vermont College will close at the end of the spring semester because of a decline in enrollment and related debt issues that also face other small schools in the Northeast. The Bennington Banner reports that college officials held a series of meetings Monday to announce the closure. President David R. Evans says the board of trustees voted Friday to close the school. The newspaper reports that the vote came a day after a show-cause hearing before the New England Commission of Higher Education to determine whether the school should be placed on probation for failing to meet the financial resources standard for continued accreditation. Green Mountain College in Poultney also plans to close in the spring.

Salem
Olde Salem Brewing Company has apologized for a beer that shares its name with a Hindu deity. The brewery said in a statement to WSLS-TV that it was making a musical reference when it named its Spanish milk stout “Hanuman.” The brewery said it was unaware of the religious connotation and would work to find a solution. Universal Society of Hinduism President Rajan Zed had drawn attention to the name, saying linking alcohol with Lord Hanuman was disrespectful. As a central character in the Ramayana epic, Hanuman is known for his strength and appearance as a monkey. Olde Salem’s website says the stout is meant to evoke “flamenco on the radio.” Mexican flamenco fusion duo Rodrigo y Gabriela has a song, “Hanuman,” dedicated to Carlos Santana.

Seattle
A lean year for orcas and fishermen alike is expected, with poor salmon returns forecast for many species all over the state. Fisheries professionals are working to set fishing seasons for the coming year. So far the news is grim, with salmon forecast to return at just fractions of 10-year averages. Below-average returns are predicted from the Fraser River to the Columbia River, as well as smaller body sizes for most species, according to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Returns of spring chinook to the Columbia are predicted to be down 14 percent from last year, and at just half the 10-year average. The news isn’t better in Puget Sound: Only 29,800 wild chinook are predicted to come back.

Charleston
Facebook says it’s going to help expand broadband internet in the Mountain State. The social media company announced a plan Monday to build a high-capacity fiber optic cable network in the state that telecommunication companies will be able to access. Work on the roughly 275-mile cable route is scheduled to start this year and expected to take about 18 to 24 months to finish. The plan is for the cable to stretch from Virginia to Ohio through the Kanawha Valley. West Virginia officials are cheering the deal as a way to move the state’s economy forward. The Federal Communications Commission says 82 percent of West Virginians have access to fixed broadband internet speeds.

Green Bay
More cheese, butter and yogurt makers than ever before have entered the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. The three-day event that started Tuesday in Green Bay is considered the largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the country. Organizers say there were 2,555 entries this year, an 11 percent increase compared to 2017, the last year the biennial event was held. There were also 29 new entrants this year, a record high. The categories with the most entries are Cheddars, Brick and Muenster; and Latin American Style Melting cheeses. Entries came in from 35 states. They’re judged on flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish and packaging.

Devils Tower
The first national monument in the U.S. is getting a new superintendent. National Park Service officials announced Monday that Amnesty Kochanowski will begin the top job at Devils Tower National Monument on March 17. Kochanowski has been serving as interim superintendent since July. She will succeed Tim Reid as superintendent. Kochanowski has been the safety, health and wellness manager for Cedar Breaks National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument and Zion National Park in Utah and Arizona since 2011. Devils Tower is a more than 1,250-foot-tall volcanic formation in the Bear Lodge Mountains. Covering more than 2 square miles, it is one of two national monuments in Wyoming.