News from around our 50 States

From staff and wire reports

A sacrifice to an unexpected god in Utah, an elephant star is born at a zoo in Ohio, and more

Auburn
A program to help spread healthy eating habits in rural Alabama has established or supported nearly 40 community gardens in outlying areas so far. The ALProHealth program, being led by Alabama Extension officials in Auburn, received a $4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014. The lack of healthy food is acute in places like the town of Geiger in impoverished Sumter County near the Mississippi line. Residents have to drive more than 20 miles to a grocery store. A statement from Alabama Extension says a community garden established in the area is now providing fresh fruit and vegetables that are otherwise hard to come by. The program has worked on 16 school-based gardens and 22 more in communities.

Anchorage
A moose used the doorbell to awaken a couple in Alaska. The couple thought maybe it was an aftershock or some kids playing a prank when the doorbell rang in their Anchorage home early Wednesday. Kyle Stultz tells KTVA-TV he looked out the door and found nothing. He assumed it was kids playing “ding dong ditch.” Stultz decided to check his security camera. The video showed a large moose backing its caboose right into the doorbell. The family was relieved it was nothing else.

Lake Havasu City
The $3.3 million projected price tag for a Lake Havasu City erosion-control project may grow by $100,000 because of expenses largely resulting from a need to remove an underground nesting area of a protected species of owls. Today’s News-Herald reports that the City Council will vote Wednesday whether to pay the money, most as compensation to the contractor for wash-stabilization work delayed for months by the nest’s discovery and by a need to replace a utility pole not buried deep enough. State and federal regulations require pausing construction near burrows of western burrowing owls until a licensed relocator moves the owls, which was done.

Little Rock
Some pediatricians in Arkansas are going beyond immunizations and checkups, passing out books to their tiny patients. Dr. Chad Rodgers is co-founder, along with Bentonville-based pediatrician Dr. James Scherer, of the Arkansas coalition of Reach Out and Read, a national organization founded nearly 30 years ago to help pediatricians get books into the hands of children and families. “During the first five years of life is when most kids come to the doctor the most, and that’s where Reach Out and Read is a great complement to well-child visits,” Rodgers says. In Arkansas, according to Reach Out and Read, 50 percent of 5-year-olds are not ready for kindergarten. Regularly sharing a book with a child can go a long way to remedy that.

San Francisco
California regulators say marijuana deliveries can be made anywhere in the state, even in locales that ban cannabis. Law enforcement groups and the California League of Cities opposed the move, arguing that allowing pot deliveries to places that ban cannabis erodes local government control and will increase crime in those areas. The matter has been one of the most debated issues as state regulators hammer out permanent rules for how marijuana is grown, tested, packaged and delivered. The delivery issue was included in regulations drafted by the Bureau of Cannabis Control. The rules will become law in 30 days unless California’s Office of Administrative Law objects. The dispute could end up in court.

Fort Collins
Bridger Fry, an Eagle Scout candidate with Boy Scout Troop 90, was inspired to take on the task of building medical training tools after participating in the “stop the bleed” training. Fry made silicone rubber molds to be used for training others in medical wound treatment. The kits put together by Fry and other Boy Scouts will be sent to rural Colorado hospitals who might otherwise be unable to afford such training tools. The project will help Fry achieve the Eagle Scout designation. Visit coloradoan.com to see a video of the mold-making project.

Newtown
An organization formed by the parents of children killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School is coming out with a public service announcement designed to help identify individuals planning mass shootings. Officials with Sandy Hook Promise say many such shootings followed warning signs that were either ignored or misunderstood. The PSA was shot by some big-name Hollywood filmmakers, including director Rupert Sanders. The group says the short piece will “bring to life the mind of a school shooter as he plans an attack.” Its release is scheduled to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting in Newtown, which took the lives of 20 children and six educators.

Dover
Now it’s official. Delaware State University formally elevated Wilma Mishoe to the school’s presidency in an investiture ceremony Saturday. Mishoe, a daughter of the school’s seventh president, was named interim president in January and became its 11th president effective July 1. Delaware State University’s first female president had been an administrator in several leadership roles over a 30-year career at Delaware Technical Community College as well as a board of trustee member at Wilberforce University and interim president there before joining the Delaware State board of trustees in 2015 and becoming its chairwoman in 2017.

Washington
Christmas is coming early for the more than 1,700 children and family members of fallen U.S. military heroes who boarded the “Snowball Express” to Orlando, Florida. The holiday season can be tough for families who have lost a parent or spouse, so Gary Sinise Foundation’s Snowball Express, along with sponsor American Airlines, provides charter flights to pick up the families as they head to an all-expense-paid retreat to “the most magical place on Earth,” Walt Disney World. Before D.C.-area families took off Saturday, they enjoyed an “Incredibles”-themed send-off. Children were also able to make Christmas ornaments, try out glitter tattoos and get balloon animals before their flight.

Sanford
A lemur surprised a Florida Highway Patrol trooper when it crawled from a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck that had been stopped for driving erratically and hitting other cars. Dashcam video shows the lemur peeking out of the trailer before hopping to the ground and leaping around the trooper, who was talking to the driver. The video shows the trooper doing a double-take as the lemur runs around and stands on its hind legs. Driver Shane Taylor warned troopers that the lemur named Miko “bites.” Taylor was arrested on several charges including DUI. State wildlife officers took custody of the lemur and other exotic animals including a tortoise, a goat, a parrot and a wallaby.

Savannah
Some of the suggestions were serious, and some were silly. In the end, the Savannah City Council decided to go with a straightforward name for a new public building: The Savannah Cultural Arts Center. The Savannah Morning News reports that the council had received a variety of suggestions from the community. Some suggested names honoring Savannah-linked artists, writers and musicians. Among the sillier suggestions was the “Googly Eyed Center for the Arts.” That was a reference to pranksters who placed “googly eyes” on a likeness of Revolutionary War figure Nathanael Greene at his monument in October.

Honolulu
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii has filed a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of two female high school athletes, claiming they are being unequally treated based on their gender. The lawsuit against the state Department of Education and the Oahu Interscholastic Association says James Campbell High School on Oahu does not have a locker room facility for female athletes, so the girls must find alternative places to change into uniforms, like teachers’ closets, fast-food restrooms or on the field. To use the restroom, they must run back to the campus gym, use “decrepit Porta-Potties” or go behind the bushes. The state Department of Education was informed decades ago that it was not in compliance with Title IX, the federal law barring gender discrimination.

Boise
Guitar case slung over his shoulder, Tanner Faris sets up a music stand and tapes up his cardboard signs. Neatly hand-lettered, they say: “Not homeless. Just a high school teacher.” Faris, 25, is a math teacher in Centennial High School’s English as a New Language department. He helps refugee kids, ages 14 to 20 years old, learn math – and English – through immersion in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Faris is a brand-new teacher, and his salary is at the bottom of the pay grade. He isn’t cynical about his salary, because he loves what he does, but playing for tips certainly helps the budget. “(Busking) has become an awesome source of extra income for me. But my heart really is with the kids. I wouldn’t be (busking) if it wasn’t for them,” he says.

Chicago
The National Rifle Association says it will remove an image of Chicago’s famous bean-shaped sculpture from a video advertisement, ending a legal dispute after the artist sued for copyright infringement. The Chicago Tribune reports that British artist Anish Kapoor says he’s “pleased to declare victory over the NRA.” Kapoor filed a lawsuit in June over the NRA’s use of a picture of the Cloud Gate sculpture in a video released in April 2017. He alleged that the NRA didn’t have permission to use the image commercially and sought to have the image removed, along with damages for copyright infringement. NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam characterized the lawsuit as “baseless.” He says the NRA didn’t pay Kapoor any of the damages his lawsuit sought.

Gary
A plan to turn the ruins of a historic Indiana church into a tourist attraction can’t move forward until asbestos and other potential health hazards are removed from the property. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and Gary Redevelopment Commission are seeking public comment through Jan. 4 on three environmental cleanup proposals for the dilapidated City Methodist Church in Gary, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports. The Gothic-style church, built in the 1920s, closed in 1975 after years of declining membership. Gary officials plan to transform the site into a European-style ruins garden and tourist attraction.

Des Moines
When the howl of Pixies lead singer Black Francis filled the chambers of Hoyt Sherman Place last July, a rabid, sold-out crowd of roughly 1,200 greeted the band, which unleashed its marquee soft-loud guitar noise through the nearly 100-year-old auditorium, shaking the walls that once hosted presidents and Nobel Prize winners. A superb show for audiophiles waxing nostalgic for 1980s East Coast riffs, yes, but probably not what the Des Moines Women’s Club had in mind when post-World War II construction began on the theater. And the transformation from lecture hall to concert venue is in part why Hoyt Sherman Place leadership launched in October a $3.5 million capital fundraising campaign to build a 9,000 square-foot, three-story addition to the building’s north side. Called the Artists and Education Center at Hoyt Sherman Place, the space would add a rehearsal and education theater, meet-and-greet lounge and backstage green room.

Roeland Park
Officers in suburban Kansas City have made a gift of the work boots that a teen was attempting to steal. Police Chief John Morris says the responding officers to a shoplifting call at a Walmart learned the teen was a displaced juvenile and wanted the boots so he could get work, KMBC-TV reports. Instead of punishment, the officers headed to the cash register. After some words of encouragement to find a job, finish school and stay out of trouble, the teen was gifted the same pair of boots he had attempted to steal. Morris says the teen had tears in his eyes after he was given the boots. He says the story “almost made me cry, too.”

Mammoth Cave National Park
Scientists at Mammoth Cave National Park are taking part in two studies regarding white-nose syndrome. WNS is caused by a fungus growing on bats’ muzzles, wings and tails, and while it is not harmful to humans, it is known to have killed millions of bats across the country. It apparently came to the United States from Eurasia sometime around 2005. It was first found in caves in upstate New York and was detected at Mammoth Cave in 2013. One possible preventive measure is the use of bacteria to stop the growth of WNS, though the scientists have been afraid the bacteria could harm cave crickets, cave beetles and other creatures found inside Mammoth Cave. The other study is looking into how ultraviolet light might affect cave organisms.

New Orleans
Not too many lawyers really know what their clients behind bars are going through, but Theo Shaw does. In 2006 he was one of six black students arrested in the small Louisiana town of Jena in the beating of a white high school student. The six were initially charged with attempted murder, but five eventually plead no-contest to a misdemeanor simple battery charge. Unable to post bond, Shaw spent about seven months in jail. He’s always maintained his innocence. He’s since made the law and helping marginalized people his life’s work. He’s interned and worked for various legal aid organizations and attended law school. Shaw says he often thinks about his time in the legal system when he’s visiting clients or writing motions in cases.

Freeport
The new owners of a desert attraction located on the coast of Maine say they are planning big changes. Mela and Doug Heestand of Freeport say they purchased the 40-acre property in Freeport from Gary and Ginger Currens last week. Mela Heestand says they moved to Freeport about 18 months ago and want to continue the legacy of the landmark attraction, which is not a true desert but resembles one. When the Desert of Maine reopens May 15, Freeport residents will be able to get in for free. The admission fee waiver will expire after the season ends Oct. 15.

Baltimore
There’s a potentially powerful new tool to help reunite pet owners with their lost cats and dogs – facial recognition technology. The Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter says it’s the first organization locally to use sophisticated computer algorithms that can let pet owners know almost instantly whether their missing friend is at the shelter or in its network of foster homes. John Polimeno, who founded the free service Finding Rover, says he spent a year working with specialists at the University of Utah to develop software to analyze the faces of dogs and cats, which are more difficult to identify than human faces. When a front facial photo of a pet was analyzed during the testing process, Polimeno says, the software picked the correct animal out of a database of 25,000 other pets 98 percent of the time.

Cambridge
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been chosen to give Harvard University’s commencement speech May 30. Harvard officials announced the selection Friday, calling Merkel “one of the world’s most influential leaders” since she was elected her country’s first female chancellor in 2005. Merkel was elected to her fourth term in 2017 but has said she won’t seek re-election when it expires in 2021. Harvard President Larry Bacow described Merkel as “one of the most widely admired and broadly influential statespeople of our time,” adding that she “continues to play a central role in confronting some of the great challenges of our era.”

Detroit
A 12-year-old boy is working odd jobs to raise money for a special Christmas gift: a gravestone for his best friend. Kaleb Klakulak and Kenneth “K.J.” Gross had been friends since second grade before K.J. died in May of congestive heart failure after years of chemotherapy to fight leukemia, The Detroit News reports. K.J. was buried in a family plot at Detroit’s Elmwood Cemetery. But K.J.’s mom couldn’t afford a grave marker, so Kaleb has been raking leaves, collecting bottles and soliciting PayPal donations on social media to help raise $2,500. He’s raised $900 so far and given the money to K.J.’s mother, LaSondra “San” Singleton.

Bemidji
A northern Minnesota man who is an expert in European mount taxidermy says demand for his work is increasing. Minnesota Public Radio reports Tony Petrie works as a sergeant in the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office but practices taxidermy in his spare time. Petrie’s European mount taxidermy approach involves stripping an animal to its core to clean its skull. He uses maceration tanks filled with hot water that allows bacteria to bloom and eat away at the meat and tallow. The skulls are then scrubbed clean and treated with chemicals. Petrie says he charges $130 per skull and averages 400 skulls a year. He says that while demand is rising, he remains the only taxidermist within a few hundred miles of Bemidji.

Canton
People in Canton say for years they’ve heard tales of dirty politics worthy of a movie script. But it wasn’t until this past week that they realized how deep the problems might go. Seven people – including the former fire and police chiefs – have been arrested on voter fraud charges stemming from a 2017 election. The small town of just under 13,000 people in central Mississippi calls itself the Hollywood of Mississippi because parts of “A Time to Kill” and “O, Brother, Where Art Thou?” were filmed there. One resident, 21-year-old Laselven Harris, says there’s always been a bit of “fishy business” dealing with elections in the town. She worked on a city campaign in 2017 for a Republican who lost the mayor’s race.

Uranus
The Uranus Examiner, a small newspaper whose name inspired chuckles and groans when it launched a few months ago, is closing. Its editors announced the end of publication Friday, after publishing just five editions since September. In statements on Facebook, Managing Editor Natalie Sanders and Louie Keen, the paper’s owner and publisher, blamed a judgmental “Fuddy Duddy Squad” for the Examiner’s demise. They said many people supported the paper, but banks declined to loan it money, and many businesses wouldn’t advertise in it, in part because Keen once owned a strip club. Uranus is an unincorporated tourist spot along historic Route 66 that’s known for quirky attractions, including a fudge shop and the world’s largest belt buckle. The decision leaves Pulaski County with no newspaper.

Missoula
A paw print in the snow contains enough genetic clues to identify the animal that made it, even if the track has been buried for five months. That discovery may revolutionize and simplify wildlife monitoring in remote places. Instead of days of dangerous searching in winter conditions, anyone with a sharp eye, a little training and a clean water jug can confirm the presence of a wolverine or Canada lynx with courtroom precision. That matters when especially rare critters appear in places they’re not expected. Past practice had biologists finding a track in the snow, doing a best-guess visual identification, and then backtracking the trail in hopes of finding a tuft of hair or a scat that could provide a definite DNA marker.

Lincoln
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park near Ashland has conjured some of its own winter and holiday magic: magic shows. The Denman and Mary Mallory Kountze Memorial Theatre is hosting two magic shows running through February, “Winter Wonderland” and “Midwinter’s Night Dream.” Both shows, performed by Ryan Chandler, are interactive and run 45-50 minutes. Shows are held on alternating Saturdays. “Winter Wonderland” began this past Saturday and will also run Dec. 22, Jan. 5 and 19, and Feb. 2 and 16. “Midwinter’s Night Dream” is scheduled for Dec. 15 and 29, Jan. 12 and 26, and Feb. 9 and 23. The Jan. 19 and 26 shows are at 2 p.m.; all other show times are 7 p.m. A park entry permit is required for each vehicle entering the park.

Tonopah
The general manager of a local utility company has been appointed to fill a district seat on the Nevada State Assembly that was won posthumously by a well-known brothel owner the month after he died. The district spans Nye, Lincoln and Clark counties. Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly says the county commissions for all three held a joint meeting Friday and chose Gregory Hafen II of Pahrump Utility Co. Inc. to fill the vacancy for District 36. Hafen will fill the seat won posthumously last month by pimp and reality TV star Dennis Hof, above. Although Hof died in October, his attention-winning fame led to his Nov. 6 win in a heavily Republican state legislative district.

Atkinson
Police say two elementary school students came to the rescue after their bus driver collapsed behind the wheel. Authorities say 8-year-old Nolan Barry and 9-year-old Thomas MacKeen were among the five students onboard when their bus driver collapsed while slowly approaching a stop in Atkinson on Tuesday. Both boys ran to the front of the bus and tried to revive the driver. When she didn’t respond, Nolan says he searched the bus controls and found the emergency brake. The boys then banged on the windows of the bus and caught the attention of a parent, who called 911. The bus driver was hospitalized in stable condition. The boys tell WCVB-TV they feel like heroes but “not Superman-like heroes.”

Cedar Grove
Millions of real Christmas trees are sold every holiday season. But what happens to the ones that never find a home after they’ve been chopped down? Rocco Malanga, owner of Cedar Grove Trees, says some are turned into mulch, but some unsold trees take a trip to the beach. In coastal areas that get ravaged by hurricanes and erosion, leftover Christmas trees can be fastened together, staked down and used to trap sand. “A dry Christmas tree is a perfect foundation for the creation of sand dunes. Over time, the tree will break down, but it gives time for plants around them to take root,” Malanga says.

Carlsbad
One of the state’s last drive-in theaters has closed. The owner of the Fiesta Drive-In Theater in Carlsbad announced last week that he was shutting down the decades-old landmark Sunday after selling the property. Owner Sidney Light says it was time to move on after keeping the theater open following the 2010 death of his father, Brad Light. He says his father started the drive-in as a hobby. The Fiesta Drive-In was just one of two drive-ins still in operation in New Mexico. The Fort Union Drive-In theater in Las Vegas, New Mexico, is still operating. That theater closed its screening season last month.

New York
The private treasures of Frank Sinatra and his wife, Barbara, were a multimillion-dollar hit at auction. Sotheby’s reported Friday that the couple’s entertainment memorabilia, art, jewelry, books and other personal items sold for $9.2 million – about twice their pre-sale estimates. Nine paintings by the legendary crooner went for more than $850,000, against a high estimate of $120,000. The 20-carat diamond engagement ring Sinatra presented to his fiancee in a glass of champagne fetched nearly $1.7 million, surpassing a top $1.5 million estimate. And a Jewish skullcap with Frank’s name embroidered on it shot past a high estimate of $500, selling for more than $9,000.

Asheville
Western North Carolina will see more hiking trails, added land for the Blue Ridge Parkway and state natural areas, and better water quality thanks to $20.7 million in grants awarded recently through the state’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The grants awarded to municipalities, state agencies and conservation groups will fund 54 projects relating to land conservation, stream restoration, innovative stormwater management and conservation planning from the mountains to the coast. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund was established in 1996 by the General Assembly to protect the state’s drinking water sources but today is also tasked with conserving and protecting the state’s natural resources, cultural heritage and military installations, says Will Summer, deputy director of the grant program.

Bismarck
When tourism spokesmen for two top ice fishing destinations in the Upper Midwest go head to head in January, there could be a lot on the line – their fishing lines, anyway. Tanner Cherney at North Dakota’s Devils Lake and Joe Henry at Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods are facing off in a walleye fishing competition Jan. 3 that will be carried live on Facebook. There’s nothing fishy about it. The goal of the Walleye War is to have a little fun and to highlight the two lakes that are popular destinations for anglers. Henry says ice fishing is part of the regional culture, and he and Cherney plan to have fun showcasing the sport and the lakes. The Facebook fish-off should all be fun and games … until someone loses a walleye.

Powell
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has announced the birth of a baby elephant. The zoo says the Asian elephant, born Thursday, appears strong. Its sex has not yet been determined because the zoo is giving it time to bond with its mother, Phoebe. It is the first elephant born at the zoo in almost 10 years and joins a herd of six at the zoo. The zoo says Phoebe had the opportunity to breed with a male, Hank, but the attempts were not successful. She was artificially inseminated with sperm from Hank and a male at another zoo. DNA tests will determine who the father is. The public will have an opportunity to name the calf.

Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is investigating how more than a dozen barrels were illegally dumped in Oklahoma City. The agency says 16 55-gallon drums containing unidentified liquids were dropped off in a field near an industrial area last month. Investigators are trying to determine what’s inside the barrels, and samples have been sent to the state environmental laboratory for analysis. DEQ criminal investigator Michael Freeman says one barrel contained a black tarry substance that leaked onto the ground with the consistency of road tar. Freeman says one contained a material with the consistency of thick glue, and another contained a material that was almost like water. Freeman says nearby drinking water is safe.

Salem
Gov. Kate Brown’s proposed budget includes more than $247 million for rural infrastructure projects in Oregon and other increased spending to benefit rural residents. The Daily Astorian reports there is enthusiasm from observers about Brown’s spending plans for rural Oregon, from dams to housing to high-speed internet. But some advocates and lawmakers worry about other parts of her budget that cut fire protection on forestland, hold steady money for community colleges and increase taxes by $2 billion.

Philadelphia
Alexander Hamilton’s tax records, the blueprints for the largest municipal building in the United States and police logs of horse thieves all have a new home now that the Philadelphia City Archives has opened its state-of-the art facility. The new 65,000-square-foot building houses documents going back over 300 years, and it officially opened to the public Thursday. It also features an interactive new mural by Talia Greene, above. The sprawling work incorporates a 1930s-era map that banks once used to highlight black neighborhoods to restrict access to mortgages. Greene has virtually incorporated documents showing abolitionist and civil rights efforts within those neighborhoods.

Wakefield
A piece of a battleship destroyed during the Pearl Harbor attack is coming to Rhode Island. The Providence Journal reports the World War II Foundation is set to receive salvaged steel from the USS Arizona. The battleship sunk during the Japanese attack on a U.S. naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, and is now a national memorial. More than 2,400 servicemen and civilians were killed in the surprise attack that thrust the U.S. into World War II. The newspaper reports that the 5-by-4-foot piece from the USS Arizona’s superstructure will be displayed at the entrance of the foundation’s center in Wakefield when it arrives in a few weeks. At least two people from Rhode Island died when the battleship sunk.

Greenville
A parking lot in South Carolina is being used to test a new type of concrete infused with microscopic particles of wood. The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities owns the parking lot in Greenville and is partnering with federal officials, Oregon State University and Purdue University to test the material. In a process similar to papermaking, scientists reduce pieces of wood to nanoparticles more than 15,000 times smaller than the head of a pin. The tiny particles are then mixed into concrete. The endowment says the wood nanoparticles should make concrete stronger. Early tests show a 15 percent gain in product strength. The parking lot will be built later this month and tested side-by-side with a parking lot of regular concrete.

Spearfish
A South Dakota man received a grant to further research his alternative method of preserving beer. Spearfish native Steve Polley obtained a $15,000 grant from the U.S. Agriculture Department to examine the effect of quick-freezing hops as an alternative method to extend an ale’s lifespan, the Rapid City Journal reported. Brewers use hops, pale-green buds filled with amino acids, as a chief bittering agent to balance the sweetness of grain. Most American hops come from the Northwest region, and they are traditionally kiln-dried swiftly after harvest. Polley has applied for specialty-crop grants to help keep his research going since launching Dakota Hops of Spearfish in 2008. He plans to use the latest grant to pay for a local brewmaster to work part time, testing different varieties of his frozen hops.

Nashville
If you have been meaning to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, your lucky day is coming up. Thanks to the Ford Motor Company Fund, admission will be free Sunday, Dec. 16, when you can spend the day exploring this downtown Nashville museum, which tells the story of country music from its 19th-century roots through today. The Country Music Hall of Fame has been around since 1967 and in its present location since 2001. About a million people have visited it annually in recent years, and it was listed by TripAdvisor as one of the top 20 U.S. museums to visit for 2018. Its wonderful collection of unique artifacts and personal items includes Elvis’ gold Cadillac, Nelson’s bandanna and Kris Kristofferson’s U.S. Army uniform.

Austin
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has denied a Confederate group’s latest attempt to create a specialty license plate celebrating Confederate soldiers. The department’s board voted 5-3 to reject the license plate design proposed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which features a rebel soldier carrying a Texas regiment’s special flag at a Civil War battle. The plate was backed by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who said that “there’s no profit in hiding our history.” The decision marks the second time the board has rejected the group’s specialty plate (an earlier attempt is above). The recent design was criticized as looking similar to an existing plate that raises money for the Texas Bicycle Coalition Education Fund.

Brian Head
For more than 30 years, Brian Head Resort has sacrificed skis and snowboards to Ullr, the Norse god of snow. The burned equipment isn’t just an excuse for a party, says Mark Wilder, public relations coordinator for the resort. He believes it works. “We do it every year, and it pays off every year,” he said Saturday. “We believe in it. We burn skis, snowboards and items like that to ensure a bountiful snow season for us.” Ullr was worshipped by Vikings and pre-Christian Germanic groups, but in the late 1960s, American skiers started the snow ceremonies. Saturday’s festival included a drum circle, fire dancers, live music and the ceremony itself.

Burlington
Police have arrested two people in the vandalism of a downtown mural that critics say doesn’t properly represent the city’s diversity. Burlington police say 32-year-old Eric Maier is accused of vandalizing the “Everyone Loves a Parade” mural twice in October, causing between $5,000 and $10,000 in damage. Margaux Higgins is accused of being an accessory to the crime. Police say Maier posted photos of the damage on social media. Neither Maier nor Higgins could not be reached for comment. They did not have phone listings in their names. In October, the City Council approved a resolution requesting the city’s arts committee consider moving the mural by 2022.

Virginia Beach
Virginia’s largest city will study an idea it hopes will control flooding on its southern side. The Virginian-Pilot reports Virginia Beach Councilwoman Barbara Henley is leading an effort to examine how forests could help prevent flooding and where those trees would provide the most benefits. The study will identify which existing forests are integral to prevent flooding and where strategic reforestation would provide the most benefits. City leaders say more foliage won’t eliminate the issue, but it could be part of the solution. Last summer, southern Virginia Beach faced two major flooding events, which longtime residents said was the worst they’d ever seen.

Seattle
Prospective homebuyers in Seattle as late as last year faced the prospect of entering bidding wars or getting edged out by competitors with cash. That’s not the case anymore. At one point in 2017, 92 percent of homes sold in the city featured multiple bidders, the Seattle Times reports. Since then, there’s been a cooling of the market. Just 21 percent of homes sold in Seattle in November had multiple bidders, according to the Redfin real estate brokerage firm. It’s the lowest rate since the firm began tracking in 2011. Seattle now has the lowest rate of bidding wars among cities tracked by Redfin, the company says.

Charleston
Teachers are watching closely as a task force studying fixes to a health insurance program for West Virginia public employees prepares to finalize its recommendations. American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia President Fred Albert told the Charleston Gazette-Mail that state officials made a promise, and teachers want to see they keep it. Gov. Jim Justice created the Public Employees Insurance Agency task force at the height of the statewide teachers’ walkout in February. The panel was charged with finding ways to reduce costs and improve benefits and to resolve ongoing funding shortfalls. The full PEIA task force is scheduled to meet Monday with the goal of giving recommendations to the Legislature by Tuesday.

Madison
Great Dane brewpubs will launch CBD-infused beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages starting Thursday at all five of the brewpub’s locations, in Madison, Fitchburg and Wausau. It’s likely the first brewer in Wisconsin to add cannabidiol to beer. The launch includes a celebration hosted by The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. and its CBD partner, Madison-based GreenRX, at the The Great Dane Pub on Doty Street in Madison. CBD is cannabidiol, which is extracted from the flowers of hemp plants and is considered non-psychoactive. Marijuana, hemp and hops are related agriculture products.

Jackson
An environmental group wants federal wildlife managers to quickly produce an overdue plan to reduce the amount of supplemental feed given to wild elk on the National Elk Refuge in northwest Wyoming. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that Earthjustice told refuge officials the plan is urgently needed now that chronic wasting disease has been detected in the adjacent Grand Teton National Park. The disease is fatal to elk, deer and moose. Earthjustice says it could spread easily among elk that bunch together to eat the alfalfa pellets provided to supplement natural grass. Earthjustice says a plan to cut back supplemental feeding was supposed to be released in 2008.