‘Molly of Denali,’ saloon discourse, ashes by mail: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Carbon Hill: Two city leaders have resigned after their mayor posted a comment on Facebook about “killing out” socialists, “baby killers,” and gay and transgender people. But Mayor Mark Chambers refused to step down and told residents he plans to run for re-election. Protesters staged a die-in and then confronted Chambers at a meeting Monday, where he sat between two empty chairs. Some asked just how he’d like to kill them. One carried a sign saying, “If you kill me, my ghost will haunt you.” The meeting soon ended, with Chambers walking out past people calling for him to resign. He met privately beforehand with a small group of protesters. Resident Rawsy McCollum says the mayor apologized and said his comments shouldn’t have been public. But McCollum says he shouldn’t have voiced hatred at all, and it’s time for him to go.

Alaska

Anchorage: Alaska Natives are sharing their world with a general audience in the nation’s first-ever children’s series featuring indigenous leads. “Molly of Denali” premieres Monday on PBS Kids. The animated show highlights the adventures of a 10-year-old Athabascan girl, Molly Mabray. Her family owns the Denali Trading Post in the fictitious community of Qyah, which has a diverse population. Native Americans voice the indigenous characters. The series is co-produced by Boston-based WGBH and animation partner Atomic Cartoons in collaboration with Alaska Native advisers and script writers. The 30-minute show will run mornings seven days a week. WGBH executive producer Dorothea Gillim says PBS ordered 38 half-hour episodes besides the hourlong premiere. Each episode also includes a short video featuring real Alaska Native children living life in the vast state.

Arizona

Chandler: Dozens of city employees in this Phoenix suburb will use self-driving vehicles at work in partnership with Waymo, an autonomous vehicle company. The partnership will begin this month as Chandler evaluates whether using the autonomous vehicles cuts costs to maintain and operate its vehicles and makes employees more productive. Officials say the program will last at least a year. Chandler has been a leader on testing autonomous vehicles in metro Phoenix. Waymo, formerly known as the Google self-driving car project, has been testing its autonomous vehicles in the area since 2016. The partnership will let employees use the Waymo app to schedule rides to work meetings within the company’s service area.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will visit the city later this year as part of a lecture series put on by the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton School of Public Service. Ginsburg became the second female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993 after then-President Bill Clinton nominated her to the post. She’s to speak Sept. 3 on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Ginsburg missed six days of arguments last term as she recovered from surgery for lung cancer, but she returned to the bench in February. In March, fans marked her 86th birthday by wearing workout gear and exercising in front of the high court in a nod to Ginsburg’s well-known workout routine. The Little Rock event is open to the public.

California

Sacramento: The state Senate on Monday sent legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that will spend $130 million a year over the next decade to improve drinking water for about a million people. Roughly 1 million of California’s nearly 40 million residents don’t have access to clean drinking water because of pollution from humans or natural causes, a fact state lawmakers have called an embarrassment for a state with the fifth-largest economy in the world. The problem is statewide, but it is concentrated in the Central Valley – the capital of the state’s $20 billion agriculture industry. Senators approved the measure 38-1. Newsom had proposed a tax on most residential water bills to address the problem. But state lawmakers were wary of approving a new tax in a year when they had an estimated $21.5 billion surplus. Instead, on Monday the state Senate approved a bill that would authorize spending up to $130 million each year on the state’s distressed water districts, with most of it coming from a fund aimed at fighting climate change.

Colorado

Colorado Springs: A giraffe herd at a local zoo has welcomed its 16th member following the birth of a calf. The 10-year-old reticulated giraffe named Msitu gave birth Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The zoo says the calf was about 6 feet tall at birth and weighed more than 150 pounds. Zoo officials say the mother and calf appear to be doing well. The sex of the calf has not yet been confirmed. The zoo waits 30 days before naming babies. Pregnancies for reticulated giraffes can last up to 15 months. The calf is Msitu’s third. She gave birth to Emy in 2013 and to Rae in 2017. Emy lives at a zoo in Peoria, Illinois. Rae remains with the Colorado Springs herd.

Connecticut

Norwalk: A federal judge has cleared the way for state and federal transportation officials to move forward with a $1.1 billion replacement of a 122-year-old movable railroad bridge in the city. U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill ruled Monday against opponents who had filed a lawsuit that argued there are cheaper alternatives for replacing the Walk Bridge. The Norwalk Harbor Keeper and others say that unlike a century ago, few boats with tall masts currently pass in and out of the Norwalk River. They had suggested replacing the bridge with a fixed bridge that would save taxpayers money and cause less disruption to the environment. In his ruling, Underhill said the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. He also found the government made its decision properly after considering other options.

Delaware

Dover: Leo E. Strine Jr., the state’s witty and sometimes controversial Supreme Court chief justice, is stepping down from the bench with about half his term remaining. Strine delivered his resignation letter to Gov. John Carney on Monday, saying he plans to retire in the fall. A press release from the governor’s office did not detail Strine’s reasons, and the chief justice’s spokesman said he is on vacation and not available for comment. During his tenure, the court invalidated the state’s death penalty, ruled on controversial land use issues and weighed in on billion-dollar business disputes. His stepping down begins a process in which Carney will nominate his successor, a dance that will be watched closely by legal and corporate circles around the world given Delaware’s prominence in business.

District of Columbia

Washington: The National Zoo says the first documented Asian water dragon to be born from the DNA of a single parent has died. The Washington Post reports the zoo says the 2-year-old female lizard died from blood cancer in mid-June. The lizard was born in 2016 through a process known as facultative parthenogenesis, which is when female creatures that can produce sexually instead produce offspring on their own. The lizard was hospitalized after workers found it struggling to breathe. It was later found dead. The zoo says water dragons are native to Southeast Asia and have a life expectancy of up to 15 years. They’re named after their defensive strategy that involves submerging themselves in water and holding their breath for up to 25 minutes.

Florida

Tallahassee: Voting rights advocates have filed suit against the Florida secretary of state over a new law they say makes it impossible to hold early voting on college campuses. They argue that the law disenfranchises young voters. The measure requires early voting locations to have “sufficient non-permitted parking,” which critics say would virtually ban sites on colleges campuses because of their restrictive parking rules. It was part of a broader voting bill signed into law last month by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The lawsuit against Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee. Lee did not have a direct hand in drafting the law but would have to enforce it. The plaintiffs include the League of Women Voters and eight young voters.

Georgia

Atlanta: Scientists are learning more about suicides among the state’s farmers – and they say the aftermath of Hurricane Michael could bring more risks to rural areas. New research shows that relationship issues, health-related problems and financial hardship are among the most common factors. A University of Georgia researcher believes Hurricane Michael could pose an additional threat to Georgia’s farming community. Anna Scheyett, dean of the University of Georgia School of Social Work, says farmers are very resilient – but they’re also vulnerable and need support. WABE Radio reports that Scheyett examined 106 cases of suicide among farmers and agriculture workers, which were recorded in the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System from 2008 to 2015.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A large missile defense radar mounted on a modified floating oil platform has returned to the state. Missile Defense Agency spokeswoman Maria Njoku told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the radar is back at Pearl Harbor for regular maintenance and installation of system upgrades. She says shore personnel will conduct inspections and surveys, and crew members will receive training. The Missile Defense Agency plans to keep the $2 billion Sea-Based X-Band Radar at sea for more than 300 days in the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 to “address the continued missile test activity in North Korea.” The agency plans to have the radar spend 330 days at sea each year between 2021 and 2024. The military is planning to build a series of land-based sensors that will also track ballistic missiles.

Idaho

Boise: Environmental groups say a U.S. Forest Service plan to improve wildlife habitat in eastern Idaho will do the opposite and takes an illegal shortcut around environmental laws. Alliance for the Wild Rockies and two other groups filed a lawsuit in federal court last week seeking to halt the Rowley Canyon Wildlife Enhancement Project in Bannock County. The Forest Service in June approved the project that would remove more than half of the juniper trees on about 1,300 acres and remove shrubs on another 400 acres. Federal officials say that will improve habitat for deer, elk and grouse. The environmental groups say it instead will allow cheatgrass and other invasive plants to move in and destroy good habitat.

Illinois

Springfield: The Illinois State Museum Society is offering day trips for people to explore the state’s history and culture this summer by coach bus. The first trip, scheduled Aug. 10, will feature a visit to the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery and a 90-minute walking tour of the Old Joliet Prison. The facility was Illinois’ second state prison and operated from 1858 to 2002. It was famously featured in the movie “The Blues Brothers.” The second trip, Sept. 14, will focus on African American history. The first stop will be in New Philadelphia, the site of the first town platted and registered by an African American. The group will then visit the Huck Finn Freedom Center in Hannibal, Missouri. Trips range in cost from $114 to $149.

Indiana

Bloomington: Tiles with images of swastikas that were installed more than a century ago have been removed from the walls inside an Indiana University building. The school says the tiles at the Indiana University School of Public Health classroom building were installed before the swastika was adopted as the symbol of the Nazi Party. They’re among tiles that include symbols from different cultures. The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports an explanation of the symbol’s history was posted near the tiles for many years, but some still found the tiles offensive. The school says the swastika tiles will be sanded to remove the symbol and remounted. The tiles were installed during the construction of the original IU Men’s Gymnasium in 1917. It’s now part of the IU School of Public Health classroom building.

Iowa

Des Moines: A southwest Iowa man has won his free speech legal battle with a sheriff’s department and two officers who charged him with harassment for writing a social media post that profanely criticized a deputy. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office will pay Jon Richard Goldsmith $10,000 to settle a federal lawsuit he filed in May alleging violations of his free speech rights, retaliation and false arrest. The sheriff’s office agreed to a court order filed Monday that prohibits it from bringing criminal charges against or threatening to criminally charge citizens on the basis of the lawful comments, posts or other speech protected by the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa represented Goldsmith in the lawsuit against Adams County, Deputy Cory Dorsey and his supervisor.

Kansas

Wichita: A violent crime rate about twice the national average has prompted city law enforcement officials to join a national program that aims to drive down crime. The Wichita Eagle reports the city is among 10 selected this year to participate in the U.S. Department of Justice National Safety Partnership. Wichita cited the latest figures published by the FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in its application for the program. Shootings have climbed steadily since 2014. Murders, rapes and aggravated assaults all ticked up between 2016 and 2018. And domestic violence now accounts for nearly half of all aggravated assaults reported in the city. The partnership will provide training and technical assistance to the department at no cost.

Kentucky

Lexington: The city is ramping up the horseplay with a simple message to prospective visitors: Won’t you be my neighhhbor? As part of an ad campaign, VisitLEX, Lexington’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, dressed up a horse as Fred Rogers, the writer and host of preschool television series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The star of the campaign is Hank, a 21-year-old horse from the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Hank’s outfit was designed by Lexington-based fashion designer Soreyda Benedit Begley. Coincidentally, the horse’s name almost matches that of Tom Hanks, who will portray Rogers in the upcoming film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” set to be released in November. Lexington, surrounded by more than 400 horse farms, claims to be the horse capital of the world.

Louisiana

Covington: A dispute is developing over whether a hotel and conference center should be developed at a state park. A study paid for by the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission says the project should be built at Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports that the proposed lodge and conference center would offer views of Lake Pontchartrain. It is projected to generate $1.8 million in cash flow in 2021, its first year. That’s projected to grow to nearly $2.3 million by 2025. Critics of the plan say it will draw commerce away from existing businesses in Slidell and Covington. They also question the need for more revenue at a park that they said brings in $1.3 million a year, with expenses of $1.2 million.

Maine

Augusta: A new state law is designed to prevent young children from being suspended or expelled from schools. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has signed “An Act to Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development for Young Children” into law. The proposal by Democratic Sen. Cathy Breen of Falmouth is intended to cut down on suspension and expulsion rates by providing a consultation program for teachers and parents of young children. Senate Democrats say the proposal will create a voluntary program that makes consultants with advanced training in mental health and child development available to help “contain the impact of challenging behaviors in the classroom.” The Democrats say Maine has the second-highest rate of preschool student expulsion in the country, and that causes disruptions in the education of the children.

Maryland

Annapolis: An area in the state that’s home to abandoned World War I-era steamships has been designated a new national marine sanctuary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the state of Maryland and Charles County announced the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary on Monday. It contains more than 100 abandoned steamships and vessels that were built as part of the nation’s engagement in World War I. It’s about 40 miles south of Washington, D.C., along an 18-mile stretch of Potomac River coast in Charles County. Maryland nominated the area for sanctuary designation in 2014 to conserve the shipwrecks and increase opportunities for public access, tourism and economic development. The sanctuary designation will take effect following 45 days of congressional session after publication of the action in the Federal Register.

Massachusetts

Boston: A replica of the Mayflower will be sailing to the city as part of commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing in Massachusetts. Organizers say the Mayflower II will be on display at the Charlestown Navy Yard from May 14 to May 19, 2020, and visitors will have an opportunity to board the ship for free. The vessel has been undergoing a $7.5 million restoration at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut since 2016. The original Mayflower was lost to history after returning to England following its famous 1620 voyage to the New World. The full-scape replica ship was built in England in the 1950s and has been berthed in Plymouth Harbor. Plans are to bring it back to Plymouth following the Mayflower Sails 2020 event.

Michigan

Lansing: The governor has signed legislation honoring the late Queen of Soul with a highway designation. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday approved the bill to designate a portion of M-10 in Detroit as the “Aretha L. Franklin Memorial Highway.” Franklin died in the city last year after battling pancreatic cancer. Whitmer, a Democrat, noted in a statement that Franklin’s “creativity and voice contributed to our musical and cultural history in Michigan.” Supporters of the designation say dedicating a portion of the highway is a way to honor the musical and cultural icon, who grew up in Detroit and learned the gospel fundamentals at New Bethel Baptist Church. Some Republicans who opposed the bill, however, have said such designations should only go to fallen first responders and military veterans.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Two University of Minnesota students are launching a prescription drug repository program to redistribute unused medications to people who are struggling to pay for their medicine. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that pharmacy students Rowan Mahon and Hannah Van Ochten were behind the bill to set up the repository, which will begin next year. Gov. Tim Walz approved a state health budget that included the measure this spring. The new law allows care facilities to send unused pills to a central repository, where they’ll undergo safety checks. Mahon says the medicine can’t be expired or show signs of tampering. Once cleared for use, the drugs can be distributed at reduced prices for people in need. Mahon is applying for grants and fundraising to get the program off the ground.

Mississippi

Gulfport: Toxic bacteria are keeping swimmers out of the water on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and it will be weeks before financial information shows whether beach closures are hurting the local economy. The communications director for the tourism agency Coastal Mississippi, Erin Rosetti, says she’s seeing fewer people hanging out on the sand. “We do see people on the beach. However, we don’t see them en masse as we are used to during this month,” Rosetti said Monday. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is warning that people and pets should stay out of saltwater near the mainland beaches. The agency started closing some beaches June 22 and on Sunday closed the last two sections near the Alabama line. While the water is off limits, people can still be on the sand.

Missouri

St. Joseph: Officials say a letter filled with a white, granular substance that spurred an evacuation contained human ashes. St. Joseph spokeswoman Mary Robertson said the city finance department evacuated Monday after a staffer opened the letter and saw a bag filled with a white substance inside. The envelope was addressed to the mayor and had been cut open and re-taped shut. Robertson says once emergency officials were able to safely open the envelope, they found a letter explaining that it contained the ashes of a former resident who died last year and had wanted her ashes to be spread around City Hall. Hazmat officials confirmed the substance was human ashes. Robertson says she’s not sure if the ashes will be spread at City Hall.

Montana

Bozeman: In their quest to develop an improved computer that could one day be used in NASA spacecraft, Montana State University researchers have tinkered with their creation on the laboratory bench, dangled it from high-altitude helium balloons, sent it to the International Space Station and launched it into Earth’s orbit on a bread loaf-sized satellite. Now it will go to the moon. NASA announced that an MSU team led by Brock LaMeres has won a coveted spot on a 2020-2021 lunar mission that will be the biggest trial yet for the radiation-tolerant computing concept LaMeres conceived more than a decade ago. “Talk about a moonshot,” said LaMeres, professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. “The dream has always been to get (this technology, called RadPC) that far out into space.”

Nebraska

Denton: The state Game and Parks Commission is inviting families to experience prairie wildlife and enjoy time together during a bioblitz scheduled for Saturday at Denton Prairie in southeast Nebraska. A bioblitz is an intense survey of species within a designated area. Attendees will count as many living things as possible in three hours, with teams looking for birds, insects, plants and more. The day will begin at 7 a.m. with a bird banding demonstration. Participants will begin looking for species about 9 a.m. and halt at noon. Water and snacks will be available; participants are encouraged to bring their own water bottles. Denton Prairie is a part of the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch, a tallgrass prairie passage that connects Pioneers Park Nature Center to Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center.

Nevada

Ely: Federal officials say they plan to round up as many as 800 wild horses from vast range in eastern Nevada to reduce what land managers call damaging overpopulation. The Bureau of Land Management says the operation was scheduled to begin Tuesday in a public land study area known as the Triple B Complex. The complex covers about 2,500 square miles in the bureau’s Elko and Ely districts. A statement says helicopters will be used, the roundup should last less than four weeks, and the aim is to reduce the number of wild horses from an estimated 3,400 to about 2,600. The bureau says agents will escort public observers at pre-scheduled times, and captured horses will be checked by a veterinarian and offered for adoption or sale through a bureau program in Sparks.

New Hampshire

Concord: The state is increasing its efforts to serve its aging population. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu last week signed a bill to create a commission to advocate for elderly residents. The commission will replace a small committee within the Department of Health and Human Services that was composed mostly of volunteers. The new group will include representatives from seven state agencies and a full-time director. Doug McNutt of AARP New Hampshire told New Hampshire Public Radio the state needs to do a better job of adapting to issues affecting the aging population, including workforce issues and housing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Hampshire is the second-oldest state. Maine has the highest median age, with New Hampshire and Vermont right behind.

New Jersey

Jersey City: Gov. Phil Murphy has signed legislation aimed at helping first responders to the Sept. 11 attacks. The Democrat signed the bills Monday at Liberty State Park, across the Hudson River from the site of the 2001 attacks. One measure permits volunteer first responders to qualify for disability pensions when they retire. It’s aimed at helping those who were not on duty but who helped after the World Trade Center towers fell. A legislative estimate says it’s unclear how much the change would cost. It depends on how many retirees apply, and the estimate doesn’t specify a possible number. The other measure makes it easier for first responders to get workers compensation by removing the burden of proving the cause of an illness in certain cases.

New Mexico

White Oaks: A saloon in this ghost town attracts regulars with diverse backgrounds and opinions with a promise to “have dialogue.” The Albuquerque Journal reports the No Scum Allowed Saloon pulls in people from around the state and sometimes tourists from overseas because of its reputation and catchy name. Saloon owner Karen Haughness, one of nine people who live in White Oaks, says the saloon’s regulars often exceed the town’s population. She says the establishment cultivates civil discourse among visitors. The town was founded after gold was discovered in the region in 1879. Outlaw Billy the Kid is said to have visited White Oaks often looking for a good time. White Oaks is 160 miles southeast of Albuquerque.

New York

Albany: A county clerk in western New York has filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law authorizing driver’s licenses for immigrants who are in the country illegally. Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns filed the federal court challenge late Monday. The suit seeks a court injunction blocking the law while its constitutionality is reviewed by the court. The lawsuit names Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats, as defendants. Kearns says the law forces county clerks to violate their oaths of office by granting licenses to immigrants who have broken immigration law. Supporters of the measure, which passed last month, say they expected a lawsuit and carefully crafted the law to withstand court scrutiny. Twelve states already have similar laws.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Legislation designed to give prosecutors a new tool to convict drug dealers and to require public schools to teach more finance education is now law. The bills are among a dozen Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday that he’s signed into law. One bill makes it a felony to illegally sell drugs that result in an overdose death, punishable by up to 40 years in prison. Supporters say the “death by distribution” law will help fight the opioid epidemic, but critics say it will deter people from calling 911 during an overdose. Another new law requires high school students to pass a personal finance and economics class to graduate. Some teachers worry this will detract from other instruction, but supporters believe financial literacy is critical to real-world success.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State officials are looking for help collecting an insect that attacks an invasive plant. The state departments of Agriculture and Trust Lands as well as several county weed boards are trying to round up flea beetles and disperse them to feed on leafy spurge, one of North Dakota’s worst noxious weeds. They’ve been running collection days at different locations around the state since late June. The next scheduled day is Thursday along Franks Creek Road north of Fryburg in Billings County. Collection efforts are slated for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Collectors should bring sweep nets and coolers with ice packs for transporting the beetles.

Ohio

Wapakoneta: This small city is shooting for the moon in celebrating its native son’s history-making walk 50 years ago this month. The hometown of Neil Armstrong has expanded its usual weekend “summer moon festival” to 10 days of Apollo 11 commemorations, starting this Friday. Tens of thousands of visitors – the biggest crowds here since Armstrong’s post-mission homecoming – are expected. There will be hot air balloons, ’60s-themed evenings, concerts, rocket launches and a visit from five other Ohio astronauts. And “the world’s largest moon pie,” all 50 pounds of it. Event planning began two years ago in this city of about 10,000 that has added nearly 3,000 residents since 1969 but retains that everybody-knows-everybody rural town feel.

Oklahoma

Kingfisher: No injuries or damage have been reported following several small earthquakes in central Oklahoma. The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 3.1 temblor was recorded at 9:44 a.m. Tuesday 7 miles west of Kingfisher, or about 35 miles west of Oklahoma City. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 4 miles. Two other earthquakes, both magnitude 2.6, were recorded in the same area Tuesday. Thousands of earthquakes in Oklahoma in recent years have been linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and gas production. The USGS reports the number of magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes is on pace to decline for the fourth straight year after state regulators began directing producers to close some wells and reduce volumes in others.

Oregon

Salem: A state Senate committee has placed conditions by which Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, must abide if he enters the Capitol building, stemming from threats he made more than two weeks ago against the Senate president and Oregon State Police. Until a full investigation into his comments is complete, Boquist must give 12 hours advance notice to the secretary of the Senate before he intends to be in the Capitol. When he is in the building, State police will bolster their presence. The Senate Committee on Conduct also voted Monday to advise Boquist he cannot retaliate against anyone who raised concerns about safety because of his comments or anyone who is participating in the investigation. During a recent GOP walkout to protest a cap-and-trade bill, Boquist told state police to “send bachelors and come heavily armed” if they came after him.

Pennsylvania

Altoona: A convenience store chain is putting Bitcoin ATMs in six shops around the state, giving customers the ability to buy and sell the cryptocurrency with U.S. dollars. Sheetz, based in Altoona, announced Tuesday that it has teamed up with Coinsource to put the ATMs in the five Pennsylvania stores and a shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Ryan Sheetz, a vice president at the company, says the family-owned chain is always trying to be innovative and give customers what they want. Customers must enroll with Coinsource before they can use the ATMs. Then they’ll be able to make transactions from $5 to $5,000 per day from the machines.

Rhode Island

South Kingston: State officials are telling visitors to a local pond to watch out for jellyfish. The Department of Health says five people have been treated in emergency rooms after being stung by jellyfish at Potter Pond in South Kingston. Experts say the type of creatures involved, known as clinging jellyfish, are small – about the size of a dime – but pack a powerful sting. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe pain and occasionally even respiratory or neurological problems. People wading in the pond are advised to wear protective clothing and take other precautions. Officials say clinging jellyfish typically attach themselves to underwater aquatic vegetation and algae and have been found in other ponds and estuaries. They are not typically found on ocean beaches.

South Carolina

Greenville: Police say a woman stole a vehicle after throwing a snake at the driver, then crashed through barricades set up for a pole-vaulting exhibition. In a statement, Greenville Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Hilmary Moreno-Berrios. They she was hurt in Friday’s crash and released from the hospital Monday. Authorities say Moreno-Berrios demanded a woman’s keys and threw a live black snake at her. They say she then drove the stolen SUV, with the snake still in it, into barriers set up for the Liberty Bridge Jump-Off. Moreno-Berrios is charged with carjacking, malicious damage to property and five traffic violations. It wasn’t known whether she had a lawyer to contact for comment on her behalf. Police say the snake wasn’t venomous and was released in nearby woods.

South Dakota

Fort Pierre: A new proposal would ban transporting deer and elk carcasses in some parts of the state to help slow the spread of chronic wasting disease. The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to the most restrictive options presented to the commissioners for transporting mule deer, whitetail deer and elk carcasses into and around South Dakota. A final decision is expected in September. If approved, the restrictions would go into effect July 1, 2020. Chronic wasting disease has been found in free-ranging deer and elk in southwestern South Dakota. Staff urged the commission to adopt the most restrictive options to slow the disease’s spread to the rest of the state. CWD is a fatal disease that strikes the nervous system in deer, elk and moose.

Tennessee

Pigeon Forge: Laura Mabel Francatelli survived the sinking of the Titanic wearing a life jacket she cherished for the rest of her long life. Now, for the first time in 107 years, Francatelli’s jacket is on public display. It’s one of six on exhibit through December at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge. The six life jackets – two linked to surviving passengers and four others with sadder, less certain pasts – are half of the 12 known to still exist from the Titanic. “It’s very poignant,” says Paul Burns, the museum’s curator. “This was a tragedy for the survivors and the victims.” Francatelli’s life jacket was unveiled Tuesday in a ceremony at the museum. Musicians performed “Nearer My God to Thee” – the last song Titanic musicians played – to begin the event.

Texas

Galveston: A borrowed ship has become the floating summer school home for more than 300 maritime students and staff from Texas A&M University at Galveston. The Galveston County Daily News the Golden Bear departed Saturday from the Port of Galveston as part of Sea Aggies training. The 500-foot vessel is normally operated by the California State University Maritime Academy. The Golden Bear set sail with about 260 members of the Corps of Cadets, plus 70 faculty and staff, for two months in the Gulf of Mexico and ocean experience. Daryn Taylor, a senior, says the voyage combines the stresses of college life and being on a working vessel in the open sea. Texas A&M has a smaller training ship, the General Rudder, which can accommodate 50 students.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Four famous paintings will be showcased in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts beginning this fall. The Smithsonian American Art Museum announced Monday that Utah is one of five states in the West selected to host works from American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and others as part of a new initiative to share art with smaller cities throughout the United States. From Oct. 25 until Oct. 4, 2020 visitors can view paintings from O’Keeffe and fellow American painters Thomas Moran and Alma Thomas. A fourth artwork by Mexican painter Diego Rivera will also be on display in a separate project. The museums will contribute their own artwork to a traveling exhibition that will end at the Smithsonian in 2023.

Vermont

Montpelier: Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan wants state police to have body cameras. WCAX-TV reports the state police say they’d like to supply troopers with body cameras, but they don’t have the approximately $260,000 a year needed to store the information. Donovan says body cameras have limitations, but they still provide the best evidence as to what happened in some situations. He says they are good for the officer and the citizens because they provide “a true and accurate picture of what transpired at the scene.” Currently members of the state police tactical teams wear body cameras, but troopers do not while on routine patrol. State police officials say obtaining body cameras for all troopers is one of the agency’s top priorities.

Virginia

Lynchburg: With about a year left before the prescribed closure of the Central Virginia Training Center, the state has moved most of its patients with intellectual and physical disabilities into community-based care settings. But the state is still struggling to comply with other requirements in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and has not yet determined the fate of the complex. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services told a legislative subcommittee Monday that the state has made “excellent progress” in transitioning patients. A DOJ investigation found that the way Virginia treated disabled people in training centers violated their civil rights. Since then, the number of people living in the large institutions has dropped by 89%, from 1,084 to 116.

Washington

Seattle: The state is suing the Navy over its expansion of jet operations on Whidbey Island. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the federal lawsuit Tuesday, saying the Navy failed to adequately examine the effects that having nearly 50,000 flights per year would have on people or wildlife. The Navy in March authorized the expansion of its Growler program by up to three dozen jets, adding to the 82 already based on Whidbey Island. The jets conduct electronic warfare to jam enemy communications and launch systems. The Navy’s public affairs office said it does not comment on litigation. Ferguson said that while the Navy has an important job, and its crews must be able to train, it must also follow its obligations to avoid unnecessary harm to human health and the environment.

West Virginia

Pineville: Nicole Sadecky, a graduate student at West Liberty University, has spent the past year wading the shallows of two southern West Virginia streams, tracking the movements of Cambarus veteranus, colloquially known as the Guyandotte crayfish. She hopes her research might someday help get the rare crawdad off the federal Endangered Species List. The Guyandotte crayfish, once thought extinct, was rediscovered in 2009 by Sadecky’s mentor, West Liberty professor Zac Loughman. Historically, the creature had been found in eight streams, all tributaries to the upper Guyandotte River in Wyoming and Logan counties. Loughman found it at only one site in only one Wyoming County stream, Pinnacle Creek. Subsequent studies discovered the species’ presence in Clear Fork, another Wyoming County stream a dozen miles to the northwest, but that turned out to be the extent of it.

Wisconsin

East Troy: Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and the Dave Matthews Band will headline Farm Aid 2019 when the music and food festival visits the state’s dairy country this fall. Tickets for the Sept. 21 event at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy go on sale Friday. Farm Aid says the farming economy this year resembles how things were when Nelson founded Farm Aid in 1985. Nelson says devastating weather, low prices, and current federal farm and trade policies pose enormous challenges to family farmers struggling to keep their farms. Other performers include Bonnie Raitt, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Margo Price, Jamey Johnson, Tanya Tucker, Brothers Osborne, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Yola, and Particle Kid. Farm Aid has raised $57 million since 1985.

Wyoming

Casper: State and tribal officials are trying to make it easier for people to use tribal identification to register to vote. The Casper Star-Tribune reports Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan met with leaders of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes last week to talk about how the state could allow tribal IDs to be the only form of identification tribe members would need to register. Tribal IDs can currently be used to register, but a driver’s license, its number or a Social Security number must also be presented. The meetings came after the Wyoming Democratic Party alleged that members of the two Wind River Reservation tribes had difficulties registering to vote for last year’s election. An investigation determined election workers followed the law, and no eligible tribal members were prevented from voting.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports