News from around our 50 States

The times, the music and, yes, the racist horrors of 1963 in the South are weaving together in two connected tales on two stages of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Playwright Christina Ham’s “Four Little Girls” is being brought to life on ASF’s Festival Stage. It’s the story of the lives and dreams of four girls killed in 1963 in a bombing at Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. The cast is made of Montgomery Public Schools students. ASF is presenting another of Ham’s works, a related tale being set in the Octagon Theatre. It takes place in the bombing’s aftermath and is wrapped around the iconic music of a woman it affected deeply. “Nina Simone: Four Women” runs through Feb. 17.

Transportation Security Administration workers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, who worked without pay during the recent government shutdown, were presented with a major donation Wednesday night. The Phoenix Sikh community raised $11,000 worth of grocery and gas cards in a week’s time for local TSA workers. Members of the Sikh community met with TSA leaders at the airport Wednesday evening to present the gift. “Very much in our Sikh community, it talks about giving back and helping those in need,” said Anjleen Kaur Gumer, an advocate for the community. She said now that the federal government has reopened, “we really want to thank them for their hard work and working throughout the shutdown tirelessly and volunteering their efforts.”

The Rotary Club of Mountain Home recently completed its delivery of more than 400 dictionaries to area third-grade students in Mountain Home, Cotter, Norfork and Calico Rock. Club coordinator Scott Copeland said the books are more than just dictionaries – they are mini-encyclopedias, filled with U.S., natural and world history, along with fun facts like the longest word in the English language (1,919 letters!). As Rotarians give out the books, they encourage the third-graders to use them daily, to become students with productive futures and to live a life that makes a difference in the world. Several children said they had older siblings who had the book at home, and some teachers told the Rotarians they have college students who still use theirs.

The city ranked as California’s most affordable housing market in a new HomeArea.com survey looking at cities with populations greater than 60,000. The survey used Census Bureau data and a look at median housing prices divided by median income, as recommended by the World Bank and United Nations. Even so, Visalia’s score is considered unaffordable by the standards used in the study. Clovis and Bakersfield rounded out the state’s top three. The average home price in Visalia is about $280,000 after accounting for new construction and ongoing developments sprawling around the city.

Odell Brewing turns 30 this year and is celebrating with the release of four beers. The Fort Collins-based craft brewery announced it will put new spins on its Wolf Picker IPA, Mountain Standard IPA and 180 Shilling. Odell is also introducing a fresh grind double IPA called Hammer Chain. The new Wolf Picker IPA features an experimental hop called Strata that brings notes of grapefruit, peach and mango. Odell plans to release the new Mountain Standard IPA recipe in March. Though that beer had been a black IPA, it will now be pale in color and tropical in taste. And 180 Shilling also returns in March. The double version of the brewery’s signature 90 Shilling was last released five years ago. Hammer Chain, due in May, will have a tropical fruit flavor.

A retiree has claimed a $1 million Mega Millions prize after first thinking he had won only $1,000, Delaware Lottery officials announced Wednesday. The 66-year-old man, who wishes to remain anonymous, matched five numbers – only missing the Mega Ball – in the Jan. 11 drawing. He bought his ticket using Quick Pick at Atlantic Liquors in Rehoboth Beach and will take home $760,000 after taxes. “I never could have believed this happened,” he said. “I scanned it in the store and thought it was $1,000 at first. I scanned it, and the screen said it was a winner. I gave it to the (cashier), and she couldn’t believe it either.” He told officials he usually buys a few lottery tickets every week. With his winnings, he said, he planned to relax and enjoy life.

Iowans are freezing their pants off. Who cares if schools across the state have been closed due to frigid temperatures or that meteorologists warned about the dangers of being outside for just 10 minutes? Iowans are going to go outside and do absolutely ridiculous stuff anyway. Photos popped up across social media showing frozen pants just hanging out and having a good time in the great outdoors. For Melanie Rasmussen, 25, of Cedar Falls, the minus-33 temperature in her hometown created the perfect conditions for some frozen pants. After she soaked a pair of jeans and set them outside, they turned solid in just 30 minutes. “I was worried it wouldn’t work, but once I stood them up, I couldn’t help but laugh because it looked so funny,” Rasmussen said.

Whiskey makers are used to long waits, but restoring a 19th-century building has taken a distillery here longer than most bourbons need to mature. The wait ended Thursday at Michter’s when the small producer of premium and ultra-premium spirits opened its new Fort Nelson Distillery downtown. Public tours are scheduled to begin Saturday. Michter’s bought the four-story building with its distinctive corner turret in 2012. As years passed, a handful of distilleries opened nearby while Michter’s struggled with renovation setbacks. One section of wall was bowed about 23 inches out of place and led to a massive restabilization effort. About 400,000 pounds of structural steel were needed to shore up the building. Executives at the privately owned spirits company won’t disclose renovation costs.

Officials say the state set a record for attendance at its state parks last year. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands says Maine State Parks logged nearly 3 million visits in 2018. There are 48 state parks and historic sites in Maine. The state says overall visits to parks were up 11 percent from 2017. There were records for camping, day use visits and overall use of state parks last year. The state says revenues generated from the visits also “rose substantially” from previous years. Deputy department commissioner Randy Charette says he’s hopeful a portion of the increased revenues will be used to help maintain the parks system.

The University of Maryland School of Nursing and Wor-Wic Community College have launched an agreement of dual admission to enable seamless academic progression from Wor-Wic’s Associate Degree in Nursing program to the School of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Wor-Wic becomes the 12th community college in the state where students can apply, be admitted and begin taking classes in UMSON’s BSN program while still completing their associate’s degree, according to a news release. In addition, Maryland is currently covering the cost of its BSN courses for students participating in the dual-admission partnership. The partnership further expands opportunities in southeastern Maryland, a predominantly rural and agricultural area.

To spot them is a highlight of any trip to the Jacks Fork or Current rivers. But even longtime photographer Dean Curtis – who’s been seeking out and beautifully documenting the wild horses of Shannon County for more than a decade – doesn’t always find them when he goes looking. The horses can be elusive, like in the summer, when they might be resting in the shade of the trees, seeking respite from the heat and horseflies. “There’s nothing like getting there in the morning and seeing the horses grazing ... acting like a family. They’re just truly, truly gentle animals,” says Curtis, who was photo editor at the Springfield News-Leader from 1992 to 2014. Curtis is showcasing his work in “The Wild Horses of Shannon County,” a photo exhibit debuting Friday at Social on Patton during First Friday Art Walk.

A local Wawa was more crowded than usual Tuesday, and not just because Eagles mascot Swoop and former offensive lineman Barrett Brooks were filling the aisles. Heather Berman of Atco also competed for space with an enormous smile. Berman, 23, was clutching two ceremonial regular-season tickets to the Eagles’ 2019 home games, representing the top prize in a contest sponsored by the Eagles, Wawa and a Philadelphia-area candymaker. The ceremony also drew Wawa’s mascot, an overstuffed goose. Amid Eagles chants and cheers, Berman said she bought 10 to 15 specially marked Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews in an effort to win the prize.

Pat Garrett, an Old West sheriff who is remembered for killing outlaw Billy the Kid, is scheduled to be the focus of a new festival in southern New Mexico. The first Pat Garrett Western Heritage Festival is slated for Friday and Saturday in Las Cruces. Organizers say they plan to unveil a new photograph of Garrett. In addition, organizers say several of Garrett’s descendants will be attending the event. The festival comes as city officials are considering changing the name of Motel Boulevard to Pat Garrett Boulevard. Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in 1881 after the outlaw escaped from the Lincoln County jail in New Mexico. Garrett was later killed following a dispute over a ranch.

You know who doesn’t dislike being out in cold weather? Seneca Park Zoo polar bear Anoki, red pandas Starlight and Blaze, and snow leopards Kaba and Tamila. And throughout February, young children will be able to see them at no charge. All month, with each paid adult admission ($10), up to five children ages 3 to 11 will be admitted for free. Normally, the cost is $7 per child. The zoo says the red pandas and snow leopards are active throughout the day, and Anoki is most active in the morning. This week the facility announced the hatching of two new African penguin chicks. The public will not be able to see them until springtime, but they can check out the zoo’s colony of grown African penguins, who “squabble, are very territorial and live with a lot of drama,” the zoo says on its website.

Tristate residents love their Metallica. Wednesday night’s concert at U.S. Bank Arena set a record for largest single-day event attendance with 16,587. But the band didn’t just show up to rock – it also gave back to the community. While they were here, members also made a $10,000 donation to a local charity, Freestore Foodbank. All Within My Hands, Metallica’s charitable foundation, focuses in part on ending hunger. The charity also gives fans an opportunity to win free tickets to concerts if they volunteer at local food banks: Those who have completed a volunteer shift at the Greater Cleveland food bank from Jan. 7 to Jan. 18 were entered to win tickets to the upcoming conert in February or to get a copy of every studio album the band has released.

Try not to lose your ship, but Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will return to Coos Bay in May. The five-day stay, hosted by the Coos Bay Boat Building Center, marks the only scheduled visit to Oregon in 2019 for the tall ships. Due to popular demand, the adventure and battle sails for the Coos Bay visit have already sold out. But the chance to experience the two ships through self-guided tours by donation, as well as school field trips and private events with reservation, is still available. As seen in movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and ABC’s TV show “Once Upon a Time,” Lady Washington is the official tall ship of Washington state. She travels with her companion vessel, Hawaiian Chieftain, to more than 40 ports each year.

A Simpsonville man hopes the power of petition will cancel an Upstate event involving drag queens reading to children, but the organizer says it won’t. The Drag Queen Story Hour event Feb. 17 at Five Forks Library is not library-sponsored, although it will be held at a Greenville County Library System facility. The reading session, reserved through library protocol, is hosted by a group called Mom’s Liberal Happy Hour SC. Natalie Shaik, its founder, says the event was not intended to be a publicity stunt and is intended for parents who want their kids to be exposed to all kinds of people. “This is a way for us to put out education and a social question for Greenville County people to say, ‘Why am I so upset about this? It’s not going to affect me,’ ” Shaik says.

The extreme cold killed a chunk of emerald ash borer larvae living in the city’s ash trees, but that doesn’t mean the 80,000 or so ash trees in the city won’t eventually die or be cut down as a result of the emerald ash borer infestation discovered in the state last May. John Ball, a forest health specialist with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture, said this week that the subzero temperatures would likely kill off a majority of the emerald ash borer larvae living in local trees. But he also noted the infestation will still eventually spread to every ash tree in the city. That’s why the city won’t let the death of an estimated 80 percent of the larvae in town alter their EAB management plan, which includes removing about 2,100 ash trees from in 2019.

Corpus Christi Animal Care Services captured a trio of javelinas roaming the city’s downtown area Thursday morning. Mike Gillis, a program manager for the department, said animal care services received a call from an eyewitness who spotted the wild animals. A Facebook user also posted a video of the animals in front of All Good Fitness Downtown with the caption, “You know you’re in Texas when javelinas show up downtown.” Gillis said multiple officers were dispatched and were able to capture the javelinas humanely. He said if people ever run across the wild animals, they should not approach them. “Javelinas may be shy, but they are very dangerous,” he said. Gillis said the animals will be taken to a safe area where they will be able to freely roam.

Stargazers and astronomers, have no fear – a new initiative and potential restructuring of an ordinance in the town could help protect and preserve its night sky. The Ivins Night Sky Initiative was created in December by two residents who are passionate about keeping the city “dark-sky friendly.” The initiative aims to “improve, preserve and protect” the night sky by educating the community and providing recommendations to the city on how it can update its current lighting ordinance to be compliant with the International Dark Sky Association’s parameters. The IDA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for protecting the night sky against light pollution, and it rewards cities who adopt its policies with a special designation.

State employees will be allowed to bring infants to the office starting Friday under a new policy announced by Gov. Phil Scott’s administration. Infants must be older than six weeks and younger than six months – and their welcome can be revoked if they cause “prolonged distractions.” The governor’s office suggested the policy about a year ago, state officials say, and the Department of Human Resources created rules based on similar programs in Arizona and Washington. Each employee must receive written permission, including a safety check. Infants will not be allowed to travel in state vehicles or on state business, and parents can’t take a sick baby to work. Each parent or guardian must designate another employee who can step in if needed.

The Natural Bridge Zoo is under fire from a legal defense group for nonprofits for its treatment and conditions of the animals kept there. The American Defense Partnership is asking for immediate inspection for the exhibits of a 36-year-old solitary African elephant named Asha and other wild exotic animals at the zoo. “The current climatic conditions of western Virginia, including snow, ice and freezing temperatures, present a threat to Asha’s health and well-being,” says a statement from the American Defense Partnership, which is asking for welfare check of Asha by organizations including the Virginia Office of Animal Care and Emergency Response and the state veterinarian for violations of the Animal Welfare Act and the Virginia Code, the release says.

It was about a year ago when Cody Schoeni was scrolling through his Instagram feed and came upon an ad for shoe paint. “Me being into art and shoes, I clicked on it,” said the 16-year-old junior at Omro High School. “I was like, ‘Woah, this looks interesting.’ ” That little diversion – a curious click of a sponsored post on social media – set Cody on an unexpected path. Fast-forward about 12 months, and he’s designed and painted about 50 pairs of shoes, including sneakers for NCAA basketball players and a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Some are quite loud, exploding with bright colors. Others are laid back, simple and sharp. But all of Cody’s creations are custom and one of a kind.