Skip to main content
50 States

News from around our 50 States

A now-classic noise rock album gets its due in Tennessee, a bridge explosion may boost eateries in New York, and more
  • Centre
    These chicken tenders aren’t for pick-up. A sheriff’s office is warning people against eating chicken that tumbled onto a rural highway after a truck wreck. An 18-wheeler crashed on Alabama 35 on Sunday, spilling boxes of chicken tenders in Cherokee County near the Georgia line. Motorists began stopping to pick up the food, which authorities say created a traffic hazard. The Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency posted a notice on its Facebook page asking people to quit picking up the chicken. The notice said the food wasn’t safe to eat after hours on the ground. The post also said the situation was creating a traffic hazard and noted that it’s a crime to block traffic. Violators could face charges.
  • Fairbanks
    Two U.S. senators have proposed legislation that would give federal aid to help Alaska residents and others across the country replace inefficient wood stoves. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Delaware Democratic Sen. Tom Carper introduced the bill last month that would create a grant program through the Environmental Protection Agency to help people purchase clean-burning heaters, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports. Air pollution largely caused by fine particulate matter from a wood-burning heat source is an ongoing problem in the Fairbanks area. The measure would authorize $75 million for each fiscal year through 2024 for the grant program, says a statement from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
  • Phoenix
    After a campaign buoyed by a surge in teacher activism, Arizona’s new schools chief took office with a pledge to address the kind of grievances that led to school-shuttering walkouts in several states last spring. Kathy Hoffman, a 33-year-old school speech therapist, is among hundreds of educators being sworn into office following the #RedforEd protests, which were credited with raising awareness of the needs of public schools and inspiring many educators to join the political fray. To take the oath of office at her inauguration Monday, Hoffman placed her hand upon “Too Many Moose,” a book she enjoyed using in her classroom to help children with speech impediments.
  • Little Rock

    Critics say the method used to gauge how much fertilizer farmers can apply to their crops doesn’t factor the potential of manure leaching underground and leaves the state’s waterways inadequately protected. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that farmers use the Arkansas Phosphorus Index to calculate the potential of phosphorus runoff during a rain storm and to determine where to disperse animal waste. Critics say the karst terrain around the Buffalo River is a prime example of the index inadequately accounting for all of the ways phosphorus creeps into waterways. Karst areas, like those above, often feature cracks, fissures and sinkholes that allow substances to trickle down and move underground.

  • Thousand Oaks

    It didn’t take long for REO Speedwagon’s lead singer to buy into the idea of turning the band’s performance this Saturday into a benefit concert – or adding a second night. Kevin Cronin, after all, was on the road when the Woolsey Fire broke out Nov. 8, unable to help his wife evacuate their home. And he has a special tie to the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, where a shooter had killed 12 people the night before: His sons, Shane and Josh, are in a band called Sir, Please, which had played at the Borderline just a few months prior. “I’m a strong supporter of getting help for emotional needs,” Cronin says. So now he hopes the concerts Saturday and Sunday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza will provide some of that help, raising money for victims’ families and for survivors who need counseling.

  • Denver
    Activists say they have collected more than 8,000 ballot petition signatures for an initiative that would make Denver the first U.S. city to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. The Denver Post reports the group Decriminalize Denver turned in ballot petitions Monday, giving the Denver Elections Division nearly a month to verify each signature. The initiative would make the use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms by adults 21 and older the lowest law-enforcement priority and prevent the city from using resources to impose penalties. The group’s strategy echoes the moves in Denver to decriminalize marijuana before it was legalized statewide in 2012. So-called magic mushrooms are federally classified as an illegal drug.
  • Hartford
    Connecticut’s two Democratic senators are reintroducing legislation expanding federal background checks for firearms sales. U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal acknowledge it will be challenging to pass the bill in the Senate, but they’re optimistic there will be political pressure on their colleagues if similar gun control legislation clears the now Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives. The senators appeared Monday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Their bill expands background checks to the sale or transfer of all firearms by private sellers, with certain exceptions. Murphy says the “political pressure is increasingly impossible for our colleagues to ignore.”
  • Dewey Beach

    One of the state’s biggest, baddest beach bars is turning the big 4-0 this year. And if you thought this legendary Dewey Beach spot was going to let an anniversary that large pass without a party, you must have never visited. The Rusty Rudder, with a massive deck overlooking Rehoboth Bay, will host six bands and six DJs on Friday, Aug. 23, for an eight-hour bash. While the birthday is the main draw, this night will also offer a special treat for Dewey’s legion of cover band fans: a major reunion featuring members of Burnt Sienna’s classic late ’90s/’00s lineup. Tickets ($55) go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at ruddertickets.com.

  • Washington
    The Catholic organization Opus Dei paid $977,000 in 2005 to settle a sexual misconduct complaint against a once-prominent Washington-area priest. In a statement, Opus Dei Vicar Monsignor Thomas Bohlin said the group received a complaint of sexual misconduct against the Rev. C. John McCloskey in 2002 from a woman receiving counseling at the Catholic Information Center in downtown D.C. After an investigation, Bohlin said, McCloskey was removed from his job in 2003. He said McCloskey’s actions were “deeply painful for the woman,” and they “are very sorry for all she suffered.” An Opus Dei spokesman said McCloskey was suffering from Alzheimer’s and incapacitated. Bohlin said they’re investigating a possible complaint against him from another woman.
  • Orlando
    Officials at SeaWorld say its Aquatica Orlando park is becoming the world’s first water park credentialed for visitors with autism. Aquatica Orlando has received a designation as a “Certified Autism Center” from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. As part of the credentialing process, the staff at Aquatica is continually trained to assist guests with autism and their families, who also are given specific information about which attractions might be best for them. The park also is planning a quiet room with adjustable lighting and a comfortable seating area for guests to take a break. Last April, a SeaWorld sister park, Sesame Place, became the world’s first theme park designated as a “Certified Autism Center.”
  • Atlanta
    The president of the Georgia Institute of Technology says he plans to retire this summer after a decade of leading the Atlanta university. The University of System of Georgia said in a statement that it will organize a national search for G.P. “Bud” Peterson’s replacement. He’s served as Georgia Tech’s president since 2009. University System Chancellor Steve Wrigley said Peterson’s contributions to Georgia Tech are “unmatched,” and Georgia Tech has flourished under his leadership. Wrigley said Peterson’s emphasis on research led to an increase in total award funds, from $445 million to $851 million. Wrigley said Peterson also boosted student enrollment, including the number of women enrolled in first-year classes.
  • Wailuku
    The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Maui is naming former state Sen. Jill Tokuda as its new executive director. The Maui News reports Tokuda replaces Deidre Tegarden, who has become Mayor Mike Victorino’s chief of staff. The center documents the exploits of second-generation Japanese-American veterans from Maui during World War II. The center shares stories of their valor, values and sacrifice as lessons for others in the community. Tokuda served in the state Senate for 12 years representing Kaneohe and other parts of windward Oahu. She was the chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee for part of the time. She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor last year.
  • Kellogg
    For nearly a century, the Bunker Hill Mine in Kellogg was the source of tremendous wealth. The massive underground mine produced lead for bullets fired in two world wars and zinc for rust-proofing steel. These days, however, the closed mine costs U.S. taxpayers about $1 million annually. Polluted water gushes out at a rate of 1,300 gallons per minute. The federal government spends about $80,000 a month to remove toxic levels of heavy metals from the water. In March, the Trump administration announced a deal that would allow the mine to reopen under new management. While many Silver Valley residents are eager to see Bunker Hill reopen, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe is wary of restarting a historic polluter in the nation’s second-largest Superfund site.
  • Deerfield
    Oreo maker Mondelez International Inc. is moving its headquarters from a Chicago suburb into the city. The snack producer announced it will move about 400 jobs from Deerfield into Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. Mondelez says it signed a 15-year lease on a five-story office building under construction that it expects to occupy in 2020. The building is in the same area as the headquarters for McDonald’s, which also relocated from the suburbs. For 2017, the company reported net income of $2.9 billion, or $1.91 per share. It posted revenue of $25.9 billion for the year. It plans to release 2018 financial results Jan. 30. Other Mondelez brands include Trident gum, Toblerone chocolate, and Ritz and Triscuit crackers.
  • Peru
    State wildlife officials are planning a bald eagle watching event at a northern Indiana reservoir that’s a gathering spot for large numbers of the majestic birds. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says its annual Sunrise Eagle Watch at Mississinewa Lake is set for Saturday. The agency says the reservoir near the city of Peru is home to the largest documented bald eagle roost in the state. Participants can attend a Friday program at the Best Western in Peru to hear eagle watch leaders discuss their experiences. Those joining the eagle watch will meet at Mississinewa Lake’s Miami State Recreation Area boat launch at 6:30 a.m. Saturday to caravan to the roosting area. Those interested should call 260-468-2127 to register.
  • Des Moines

    Ranch dressing is ubiquitous in Iowa. You’ll find it on salads and veggies and alongside French fries and cheese curds – sometimes even on pizza and tacos. Now, the Hawkeye State’s love affair with this tangy, creamy condiment is official. Influenster, a leading product ratings and reviews community, analyzed more than 50,000 reviews across its platform to determine which condiment is the most buzzed-about in each state. And Iowa really, really loves Hidden Valley Original Ranch Buttermilk Dressing, which received 1,819 reviews with a 4.6 out of 5-star rating. Most of those reviews and stars come from Iowa. For true ranch lovers, you can buy it by the gallon for putting on your salad, dipping your vegetables and chicken wings into, or taking a bath in.

  • Kansas City
    Advocates for LGBTQ Kansans say recent decisions by two Johnson County cities to pass anti-discrimination ordinances suggest support for such laws is growing and could spread beyond cities in northeast Kansas. Prairie Village and Mission city councils in December approved ordinances barring discrimination in jobs, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. KCUR reports Merriam has debated a non-discrimination ordinance for sexual orientation and gender identity and could vote this month. Residents in Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee have begun pressing their local governments to take up the issue, says Brett Hoedel, chairman of the Metro Kansas City chapter of Equality Kansas.
  • Frankfort
    Nominations are being sought for the 2019 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award. Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles says the award recognizes farmers and foresters who go above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources while keeping their property productive and sustainable. Sand County Foundation presents the award to private landowners in 14 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In Kentucky, the $10,000 prize is presented with the Kentucky Agricultural Council and the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts. The award is named in honor of conservationist Aldo Leopold, who called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. Applications are due by April 1.
  • Baton Rouge
    Organizers of the Bayou Country Superfest say the festival is leaving behind the Superdome in New Orleans and returning to Baton Rouge next year. News outlets report the organizers say the 10th anniversary show of the Memorial Day weekend country music festival will be held at LSU’s Tiger Stadium. The festival launched at that stadium in 2010 and moved to New Orleans last year while the stadium underwent renovations. Superdome general manager Alan Freeman says the event had two successful years in New Orleans, but it’s the right time for it to return home. The 2017 show marked the festival’s third year of declining attendance, and the event scaled back to a single night this year. The festival will resume its two-night schedule in Baton Rouge.
  • Augusta
    The state’s deer hunters would be able to harvest the animals with crossbows if a legislator’s proposal is approved. Republican state Rep. Tim Theriault of China has submitted a bill that would allow the use of crossbows during the annual deer hunt. The bill specifies that crossbows could be used during the archery portion of the deer hunt, which typically happens in September and October. Theriault’s bill is headed for the state legislative Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. It’s co-sponsored by several state lawmakers who represent mostly rural areas where hunting is popular. Maine’s deer hunt takes place in several phases during the late summer and fall. The archery portion of the season is normally scheduled prior to the firearms portion.
  • Ocean City

    A birthday party took an unexpected turn Saturday when the Ocean City Fire Department showed up. According to the Ocean City Fire Department’s Facebook page, a community resident named Gladys was celebrating her 90th birthday at the Lions Club on Airport Road. But when she tried to blow out all 90 candles on her cake, the fire alarm was set off. Responding to the fire alarm call, Ocean City firefighters arrived on scene, according to the post. After ensuring there were no hazards present, the crews took photos with Gladys, making her 90th birthday an especially memorable one.

  • Boston
    Michael Phelps is picking up more hardware – this time for what he’s been doing outside the pool. The Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation, a leading voice in calling for more opportunities for the disabled, says the 33-year-old Olympic champion is the recipient of its fifth annual Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion. The foundation says it picked the world’s most decorated swimmer of all time to recognize his advocacy for people with disabilities and “his own journey with mental health.” Phelps has gone public about his struggles with depression and thoughts of suicide. Since retiring from competition after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, he’s been working to help people overcome the dark chapters in their lives.
  • Dearborn

    Bandit has travel in his blood. The 2 1/2-year-old tabby cat spent the first weeks of his life on a pontoon boat. And he loves roaming the neighborhood around the home of his owners, the Sanborn family. Bandit recently took his biggest trip yet – to Tampa, Florida, more than 1,100 miles away. The cat had been missing for about two months when Judy Sanborn received a shocking call in mid-December from a pet hospital in Tampa, with news that a local woman had found Bandit as a stray and dropped him off there. The woman told the clinic the cat followed her home. BluePearl staff connected Bandit to the Sanborns by scanning his microchip. How he made the interstate trip remains a mystery.

  • Lake of the Woods County
    A Facebook Live fish-off involving tourism spokesmen for two top ice-fishing destinations in the Upper Midwest turned into a whopper of a competition, but Minnesota came out on top. The friendly daylong contest Thursday involving Tanner Cherney at North Dakota’s Devils Lake and Joe Henry at Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods ended with 85 fish being caught by those two and others. Lake of the Woods, above, came out the winner, with a windfall of 71 fish. The main goal of the Walleye War was to showcase the two lakes that are popular destinations for anglers.
  • Jackson

    Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert once turned down the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. “My second record had just come out. I came out of Mississippi, and everything was new to me, and I was just trying to adjust to everything. I was young and just wanted to concentrate on writing good songs,” Forbert, 64, told the Clarion Ledger recently. Those songs are the reason the magazine sent rock writer Robert Palmer out to interview the Mississippi native on the heels of his 1979 Billboard No. 11 single, “Romeo’s Tune,” an achingly gorgeous slice of catchy American folk-pop. Forbert, compared over the years to John Prine and Bob Dylan, will play Duling Hall in Jackson on Saturday night. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show.

  • Kansas City
    A new exhibit at the National World War I Museum and Memorial documents the destruction during World War I as captured in a series of jarring and sometimes unidentifiable photographs and illustrations. The Kansas City Star reports that the “Devastated Lands” exhibit opened last month. Museum officials say the collection of photographs and illustrations shows battered landscapes along the Western Front akin to an uninhabited planet. One shows a bombed cathedral in Reims, France. An illustration depicts soldiers’ graves. Some of the photos were taken by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, though the origin of many is unknown. Senior curator Doran Cart says oftentimes “photographers didn’t even know where they were, from one village to the next.” The exhibit runs through December.
  • Montana City

    The crunch of a shredding hard drive filled a warehouse as an old computer tower completed another step on its journey from gathering dust to becoming components for a new piece of electronics. When the old computer came into the warehouse, recycling technician Ashley Ellmaker, above, opened up the tower and wrenched out the hard drive. Some parts of the computer might be shredded further in the recycling line, but others might be refurbished. The small crew at the new 406 Recycling stepped in to fill an electronics recycling void left by the closure of Helena Industries after state budget cuts. Owner Matt Elsaesser hopes that as his company grows, he can incorporate some of Helena Industries’ mission of employing people with developmental disabilities.

  • Lincoln
    Local people and entities have joined together to buy the collection of items from a telephone museum in the city. The Lincoln Journal Star reports financial services company Nelnet, real estate company Speedway Properties, Thomas C. Woods IV and the Woods Charitable Fund purchased items from the Frank H. Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum. The total sum wasn’t disclosed. The developers say they want to continue educating residents about the historical significance of Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Co. The artifacts will be displayed in various locations around the Telegraph District, a redevelopment project in downtown Lincoln. The museum opened in 1996, and it accumulated artifacts from the days of Alexander Graham Bell to the Blackberry era.
  • Reno

    Reno’s biggest trade show is back this week as the Safari Club International Annual Convention kicks off Wednesday in the Biggest Little City. The Safari Club’s 47th annual convention will run through Saturday at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The last time the show was held in Northern Nevada was 2013. Reno was supposed to host the event in 2015, but Safari Club pulled out, citing insufficient air service for its attendees. Safari Club described the return to Reno as “going home,” adding that Reno has hosted more conventions for the organization than any other city. This year’s convention will mark the 21st time Reno has been the site of the event. Las Vegas has played host to the convention 16 times.

  • Hanover
    Dartmouth College is kicking off the celebration of its 250th anniversary with nine simultaneous events across campus Thursday. Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate at the celebration location that is most convenient to them. Remarks by President Philip Hanlon and other locations will be broadcast to each location at 4:25 p.m., and each spot will offer refreshments, music and giveaways. The theme of the 250th celebration is “Honoring Our Past, Inspiring Our Future.” Cheryl Bascomb, co-chair of the anniversary events, said she encourages participants to reach out, connect with others, learn something new and think about the way they can make an impact in the world.
  • Hackensack

    Alementary Brewing Co., which opened in 2016, planned to double its production by February, but the federal government shutdown has prevented the company from acquiring the necessary permits to open. Michael Roosevelt and Blake Crawford, the married co-owners, planned to open a second production facility across the street from their Voorhis Lane brewery. That move, they said, would quadruple beer production, double their employee base and expand distribution of their North Jersey brews across state lines. But those plans are currently on hold. The small business, which employs eight full-time employees and several part-time bar staff, has found itself in limbo. It will remain so until the government reopens.

  • Albuquerque
    A Native American community in northern New Mexico will soon get help from solar-powered drones to monitor its vast land holdings from above. Under a new partnership with Santa Fe-based Wildflower International, unmanned aerial systems made by Albuquerque-based Silent Falcon UAS Technologies will assist Pojoaque Pueblo in managing its roaming bison herd, mapping cultural sites, and improving fire control and search-and-rescue efforts. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the flights will begin this month. Since launching in 1991, Wildflower has relied almost exclusively on federal contracts for information technology products and services to grow its business. But the company is now pivoting to the rapidly growing market for drone services.
  • Piermont

    Restaurants with views of the Tappan Zee Bridge are offering blow-up parties Saturday morning, providing picnic breakfasts or letting diners toast the end of an era with a glass of bubbly. The 9:30 a.m. explosion, which is expected to topple the east span of the bridge, promises to bring out spectators on both the Westchester and Rockland shores of the Hudson River. In Piermont, a half-dozen restaurants are getting into the spirit. “Its a demolition party in Piermont; come on out,” said Piermont Mayor Bruce Tucker. Situated south of the bridge, Piermont sports a pier – open to pedestrians only during the blast – that stretches a mile out into the Hudson river and provides plenty of waterfront viewing spots. The village is a foodie haven on the Hudson.

  • Wilmington
    The lingering fallout from North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill” may force a new Netflix series about the state’s Outer Banks to film in South Carolina. Show creator Jonas Pate tells The StarNews of Wilmington that Netflix has picked up “OBX,” with filming slated to begin this spring. He says the streaming service passed on filming in North Carolina because of a clause in HB2’s replacement that halts new local antidiscrimination ordinances until 2020. Pate says that clause is costing Wilmington “70 good, clean, pension-paying jobs.” The production is projected to spend about $60 million where it films. Pate says “OBX” could still film where it’s set if legislators accelerate the clause’s sunset.
  • Bismarck
    The state is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Native American tribe over the state’s voter identification requirements. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in October allowed the state to continue requiring street addresses on voter IDs, as opposed to addresses such as post office boxes on which many Native Americans rely. The lawsuit filed by the Spirit Lake Sioux on behalf of itself and six tribal members seeks to have the residential address requirement ruled unconstitutional as it applies to tribal voters. The attorney general’s office wants the lawsuit dismissed on several grounds, including that tribal members named in the complaint weren’t impeded from voting on Election Day. They and the state reached a deal days before the election.
  • Cincinnati

    One of the most influential and versatile artists in American music will be fighting the power here in the ’Nati on Feb. 7, but it’s not what you think. Public Enemy co-founder and frontman Chuck D will be on stage at the Mercantile Library. The rapper, activist and author is visiting for a discussion and book signing of his most recent book, “This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History.” He will also be discussing the origins of the band and cultural literacy and screening Public Enemy’s music videos while describing his process for writing the music that changed a generation. “The Words and Music Lecture: A Conversation with Chuck D” begins at 6 p.m. The cost is $45, or free for Mercantile members. Reservations are required via mercantilelibrary.com.

  • Oklahoma City
    The National Weather Service says no one was killed in a tornado in Oklahoma in 2018, the first time the state has not recorded a tornado-related death since 2006. The Oklahoman reports just 41 tornadoes were recorded in the state in 2018, down from the state’s average of 56 tornadoes per year. Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Norman office, says the state’s relatively light tornado season likely played a major role in the lack of tornado deaths. Prior to last year, the state had endured a deadly streak of severe weather that included devastating tornados in 2013. A May 20 tornado that struck Moore killed 25 people, and a May 31 tornado and flash flooding inEl Reno killed another 23.
  • Portland
    Environmental groups say they have withdrawn from talks on how to manage the state’s rebounding wolf population because of what they call a “broken” process and concerns that state wildlife officials want to make it easier to kill wolves that eat livestock without trying other alternatives. The announcement this week came after months of negotiations to update rules on how and when wolves can be killed as their numbers increase and they spread farther west and south after re-entering northeastern Oregon from Idaho more than a decade ago. It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen to the talks, although the environmental groups said they would “collectively and actively” oppose the wolf management plan proposed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
  • Morrisville
    A lawyer who held off an angry mob while representing the first black family to move into the all-white development of Levittown, Pennsylvania, has died. Samuel Snipes was 99. His family says Snipes died Dec. 31 at his family farm in Morrisville. In 1957, Snipes represented Daisy and Bill Myers when the couple quietly moved into Levittown. Weeks of harassment, public protest and death threats followed their move. At one point, Snipes held off a mob of enraged white people until police arrived. The governor eventually ordered in state police. The Myers family stood their ground, remaining in the home until 1961. Snipes, who was white, was a Quaker activist and a conscientious objector during World War II. He later worked as a township solicitor and historian.
  • Providence
    A group of business owners has filed a lawsuit against a series of city and state projects meant to improve bus service. The suit argues a bus hub and dedicated bus corridor would erode quality of life and lower property values. The plaintiffs include two entities controlled by former Democratic Mayor Joseph Paolino Jr. The suit names the city, the state Department of Transportation and Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. RIPTA spokeswoman Barbara Polichetti says officials are aware of the lawsuit, and the large number of allegations has made it difficult to review intensively. The bus projects targeted by the lawsuit have been designed independently over many years and are at different stages of development.
  • Columbia

    Student loan debt has quadrupled in South Carolina, growing at a faster rate than any state in the past 10 years, according to a new report from Experian. From 2008 to 2018, student loan debt in the state increased from $5.6 billion to $23.1 billion, the report said. No other state grew by that much. Experian is one of the country’s largest credit reporting companies. The study’s results are consistent with a 2015 report from The Institute of College Access and Success that found student loan debt rates in South Carolina increased faster than all but three states between 2004 and 2014. The average South Carolinian who borrows money for college has $26,535 in debt, according to a 2018 Zippia study.

  • Sioux Falls

    Last year was a tough one for farmers, with net income projected to reach a 12-year low. But Avera Health unveiled a new, free, confidential hotline Tuesday designed to provide support to those in the agricultural industry who are overwhelmed by stress. South Dakota farmers can call 1-800-691-4336 to be connected with a trained mental health counselor. “They feel like they’re responsible to maintain their family, maintain their family farm,” said Dr. Matt Stanley, clinical vice president for Avera Behavioral Health Service Line. The Farmers’ Stress Hotline is available 24/7, and counselors can connect callers with more services as needed. The hope is a confidential phone call will be easier to make for rural South Dakotans who might not be willing to share their struggles.

  • Memphis

    A milestone in rock music, “Daydream Nation” – the fifth album by Sonic Youth – delivered 70 minutes and 47 seconds of New York cool, art-punk attitude and unorthodox electric guitar buzz. Released 30 years ago this October, “Daydream Nation” earned the band critical accolades, an increased audience and a major-label contract with Geffen Records. More important, the album continues to resonate. To that end, Steve Shelley, drummer for Sonic Youth, returns Friday to Memphis for “30 Years of Daydream Nation,” a sort of “mixtape of a movie night,” featuring music videos; excerpts from “Put Blood in the Music,” a 1989 documentary about New York “noise”; highlights from a 2007 concert film, “Daydream Nation”; and other surprises. Joining Shelley will be filmmaker Lance Bangs and Memphis author/filmmaker Robert Gordon, who will more or less moderate a public discussion between the other two men.

  • Corpus Christi

    The Texas State Aquarium will no longer offer Dollar Days to visitors but instead will host a new discounted event. The aquarium announced this week that it will replace the popular event with five “Community Days” throughout the year to decrease the amount of visitors on the discounted days. “We believe that these upcoming Community Days will provide our guests with a more relaxed and family-friendly experience than on Dollar Days in previous years, where attendance often exceeded 10,000 in a single day,” Texas State Aquarium President and CEO Tom Schmid said. Officials said Community Days will continue to provide guests an opportunity to experience the aquarium for $2 per person. The first Community Day will be Monday, Jan. 21.

  • Sale Lake City
    A family that owns land along the northeastern boundary of Zion National Park has agreed to let hikers continue to wade through their section of the narrowest stretch of Zion Canyon. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the Bullochs, who own the piece of The Narrows, still hope to reach a permanent deal with the federal government. Until then, the extension of a temporary agreement, announced last week, will ensure permit-holding hikers can enter the redrock canyon through March. That hinges on the government shutdown ending. The Narrows are closed right now due to the shutdown. The Virgin River runs through The Narrows.
  • Westford

    The Board of Directors of the United Church of Westford faced a difficult, but inevitable, decision last February. They declared the building in service since 1840 would no longer be used regularly as a church after years of declining membership. Meanwhile, the church had found new life as a concert space. Maybe, the board determined, the building at the center of this small community could become a music venue and community gathering place. Last month Vermont quartet Frevo played music ranging from contemporary classical to The Beach Boys there. And Artis Wodehouse, a New York pianist dedicated to the music of George Gershwin, began a four-month residency at the church in June to record dozens of Gershwin’s rare, unrecorded piano rolls on an antique player piano. Wodehouse, in a note to the church board, raved about the space. “This is a recording studio,” she said. “The acoustics are that good.”

  • Kiptopeke State Park

    This park’s unusual breakwater made of concrete ships will be featured on a television show. Discovery’s Science Channel will feature the breakwater Thursday at 9 p.m. on the program “Impossible Engineering.” The ships, each more than 300 feet long, sit offshore from the state park and provide good fishing grounds for visitors, according to Park Manager Forrest Gladden. A crew came to the park in southern Northampton County to film the ships for the television program, he said. Gladden said visitors to Kiptopeke are always curious about the structures. The breakwater makes for a good place to catch flounder in the summer, Gladden said. The ships “were used as supply ships during World War II,” he said.

  • Tacoma
    The main entrance to Mount Rainier National Park has closed as the partial government shutdown enters into a third week. The News Tribune reports the park closed the Nisqually entrance near Ashford following a winter weather advisory, warning of snow-covered roads and limited visibility. Park officials say vehicles will not be allowed in until further notice, citing safety reasons because the park does not have staff working. Park officials say visitors are not allowed to park outside the Nisqually entrance, warning that cars parked on private property or blocking the gates will be towed. Hikers and skiers are still allowed inside the park.
  • Charleston
    State Schools Superintendent Steve Paine says he supports a possible one-time pay incentive for teachers to improve their math education and teaching skills. He tells The Charleston Gazette-Mail that Gov. Jim Justice will provide more information about the idea Wednesday during the State of the State address. Paine says he plans to create a strategy that gives teachers uncertified in math an incentive to increase their skills. Paine says there’s an immediate need for certified math teachers. A state Department of Education report found that “non-fully certified” teachers taught 38 percent of public school math courses for grades seven through 11. Teacher unions have opposed pay rates based on teaching subjects.
  • Milwaukee

    To mark the birthday of the late James Cameron, above, a survivor of one of the nation’s most notorious lynchings and founder of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has personally issued a $100,000 challenge grant to support the reopening of the museum in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Abele, a longtime philanthropist, will match all donations and pledges made by Feb. 25 to support the museum’s educational programming and operations. The original museum was unique in the nation for its emphasis on hard truths, and it shuttered a few years after Cameron’s death in 2006. The new museum hopes to carry on that legacy of sharing under-told stories about racial violence.

  • Gillette
    Health officials say a cat in northern Wyoming has been infected with plague. The Gillette News Record reports the cat from the Kaycee area in Johnson County is the third plague-infected feline identified in northern Wyoming in the past six months. No human cases have been reported. Plague is a serious bacterial infection that can kill pets and people if not treated with antibiotics. The disease can be transmitted to humans from sick animals and by fleas coming from infected animals. Six people have been exposed in Wyoming since 1978, with the last case investigated in 2008. About seven people are infected across the nation each year.