News from around our 50 States

From staff and wire reports

The dark side of the lunar eclipse in Florida, a Corvette for a cause in Kentucky, and more

Cullman
Rock the South is moving this year, but fans of the country music festival needn’t worry. Al.com reports the Cullman festival is leaving its usual home in Heritage Park for a larger location about 2 miles away. Organizers say the site will expand from 15 acres to about 140 acres and will allow for camping, RV parking and more on-site parking. More than 65,000 people are expected at this year’s event, set for May 31-June 1. Producers say the 2019 lineup will be released beginning Tuesday. Previous acts have included Eric Church, Little Big Town, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Hank Williams Jr., Luke Bryan and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Kenai
Construction crews working on a remodel of the Kenai Municipal Airport have discovered a mural created by students more than four decades ago. The mural was designed and painted in the spring of 1977 by Kenai Central High School students from an advanced art class, the Peninsula Clarion reports. An airport expansion project in the 1980s had led to the artwork being covered with metal panels. It depicts local icons, including the Russian Orthodox Church, a fishing net with crab, and a dog musher and sled dog team. The discovery is refreshing memories for former students, including Babbi Goodwin, who helped paint the church and was surprised by the discovery. “I know they want to make (the airport) modern, but it’s so neat to see my art and my class’s project,” she said.

Phoenix
The Arizona Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a challenge of Phoenix’s anti-discrimination ordinance that makes it illegal for businesses to refuse service to same-sex couples for religion reasons. Two Christian artists who operate a business that makes wedding invitations argue that the ordinance will violate their religious beliefs by forcing them to custom-make products for same-sex marriage ceremonies. So far, two courts have upheld the ordinance, rejecting the free-speech and exercise-of-religion arguments made on behalf of Joanna Duka and Breanna Kosk, who say they believe a marriage should be between a man and woman. The Court of Appeals previously concluded the ordinance regulates conduct, not speech.

Fayetteville
An art garden, dog park and splash pad are among the features planned for Gulley Park. Not on the list is the Little Free Library that workers removed to make room for a wider trail. Resident Jo Ann Wardein installed the book-exchange station in 2013 – a Mother’s Day gift from her daughter. About a month ago, she went to put in some books, only to find it gone. She says the maintenance supervisor for the Parks Department told her that city administrators had concerns about free speech because the Little Free Library sat on public property. Little Free Libraries are part of a national movement that began in 2009 with Todd Bol, above. There are at least 15 in Fayetteville. Wardein says she took special care in monitoring what went into it. She kept religious texts out, for example.

Los Angeles
Most educators and parents see class size as an indicator of a quality education and have made it a priority in teacher strikes across the United States, but its effectiveness is still up for debate. There’s no universal standard for class sizes, though some states and school districts have instituted policies. While many believe smaller is better, studies are mixed on exactly how much it can improve academic outcomes, considering the cost. The issue is at the heart of a Los Angeles teacher strike in the nation’s second-largest school district. The union is demanding the elimination of a long-standing contract clause that gives the school district broad authority over class sizes. District officials say they need the power to raise class sizes under conditions including a financial emergency.

Denver
The landmark Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy is suffering from leaks and corrosion, so the school has drawn up an ambitious restoration project. But the plans have been on hold for months while officials settle on a contractor. The academy says water has seeped through seams in the aluminum skin for years. Repeated caulk applications to seal the seams have contaminated and degraded the metal. The academy wants to replace the aluminum skin, install an internal drainage system beneath the metal panels and do other work. The school says the fixes could take up to four years and cost between $25 million and $100 million. The repairs were originally scheduled to start last summer but have been postponed twice. The start date is now June 2019.

Fairfield
Sacred Heart University is planning a discussion series to explore the prevalence of hate and violence in the United States. Associate dean Michelle Loris of the school’s College of Arts and Sciences says the goal is to gather for informed discussion in what she calls “this dark time of hatred, bigotry and violence.” The “Heart Challenges Hate” begins Jan. 30 with an event in which Loris and psychology professor Christina Taylor will discuss the psychology of hate. Other events will address “rhetoric of hate in the media” and the question of whether religion is part of the problem or a remedy for hate. The events are open to the public and will take place at a theater on the university’s campus in Fairfield.

Milton
Light beer lovers rejoice! Delaware’s biggest brewery now has something just for you. Dogfish Head has announced that its newest brew is called Slightly Mighty, a 95-calorie IPA that rivals other low-calorie, low-carb beers. Cans of Slightly Mighty, which clocks in at 4 percent ABV, will hit store shelves starting in April. While you will have to wait a few months to get a cold can in your hands, there is one way to get a taste before everyone else: It’s currently on tap at Dogfish’s Tasting Room & Kitchen at its Milton brewery. But you best hurry up. “(It) could go soon with all the interest we’ve seen on social (media),” says Heather Kenton, Dogfish Head’s public relations specialist.

Washington
The creators of a prank edition of The Washington Post proclaiming the resignation of President Donald Trump have the real newspaper “deeply concerned about the confusion it causes,” WUSA reports. Co-creator LA Kauffman, a professional protest organizer, says the fake Post – dated May 6, 2019 – “is directed toward those Americans who have been marching and protesting and who want to see change.” The prank paper, of which 25,000 copies were printed, includes a pull-out section with suggestions for direct actions that the creators believe could end Trump’s presidency. Kauffman was joined by The Yes Men, a group of activist pranksters who in 2008 published a fake edition of The New York Times proclaiming the end of the Iraq War.

West Palm Beach
The police department says an officer ran over two people who were lying in a dark roadway to watch Sunday night’s lunar eclipse. In a statement to The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach Police said the man and woman were treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Police said around 11:30 p.m., at the height of the eclipse, the officer was patrolling in a park and driving about 5 mph when his vehicle struck the pair. The statement said the man and the woman live nearby. Because the park was “extremely dark,” officials believe they were trying to watch the eclipse when they were run over. The officer was placed on administrative leave. Police said the man and the woman were both 24 years old; their names were not released.

Savannah
Officials are reporting a building boom in the state’s oldest city. City Hall issued construction permits in 2018 for $547 million worth of projects. Julie McLean, Savannah’s director for development services, says that’s the second-highest dollar amount for permitted projects on record. WTOC-TV reports Savannah broke its record for commercial construction permits, with total projects valued at $357 million. McLean presented those numbers to the Savannah City Council last week. Asked by a councilman if the city’s permitting process might be too slow, she said an increase in applications for building permits can sometimes make parts of the permitting process move slower, but “staff review times are actually within the benchmarks.”

Hilo
A survey conducted by a wildlife conservation group in the state found the Kilauea volcano eruption did not critically damage sea turtle populations on the Big Island. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports the Hawaii Wildlife Fund concluded this month that lava did not harm turtle populations despite the persistence of unsubstantiated claims warning of turtle deaths during the eruption that began in May. The wildlife organization conducted two helicopter flights above the lava-impacted coastline, observing 50 live turtles and other sea life. The organization’s education coordinator, Kallie Barnes, says turtle experts were consulted for the survey, who agreed that sea turtles were likely able to escape lava en masse.

Nampa
Though education surveys show vaping use is down among Idaho high school students, health officials are concerned about its rising popularity among teens nationwide. The Idaho Press reports that according to the 2017 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted by the Idaho Department of Education, 41 percent of high school students claim to have used vaporized nicotine in their lifetime, while 28 percent claim to have smoked a cigarette. Roughly 14 percent said they’d vaped within the 30 days leading up to the survey date. Vaping and smoking rates among Idaho teens were down from the previous survey in 2015, in which 45 percent of respondents reported having vaped, and 31 percent reportedly smoked a cigarette in their lifetime.

Chicago
The city is inviting residents to weigh in on the lead architect and design for O’Hare Airport’s new global terminal. The city unveiled renderings and models from five architecture finalists. The public is encouraged to view them online, at the airport or at the Chicago Architecture Center and share feedback. People have until Wednesday to vote for their pick. The Chicago Department of Aviation said more than 10,000 votes had been submitted as of late Friday. It’s the first time the city has included public feedback in a design competition at a Chicago airport. Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the architect team “will set the course for O’Hare’s biggest transformation yet.” The new 2.5 million-square-foot terminal will be among the largest in the U.S.

Bloomington
Two Indiana University researchers whose cavity-fighting formula launched Crest toothpaste in the 1950s will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Joseph Muhler and William Nebergall will be inducted May 2 in Washington, along with 17 other inventors and innovators. The Herald-Times reports that Muhler was a dentistry researcher at Indiana University, and Nebergall was a chemistry professor. They’re being honored for their patents in fluoride toothpaste. Their formula did not break down fluoride molecules. When it was tested on children and adults in Bloomington, a dramatic decrease in cavities was detected. Nebergall died in 1978 and Muhler in 1996.

Des Moines
When Republican state lawmakers approved major tax cuts last spring, they celebrated the legislation as historic and beneficial for Iowans and businesses. The state’s only two nonprofit blood centers look at the massive law another way: a financial headache of more than $1 million in new taxes. The organizations – LifeServe Blood Center in Des Moines and Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center in Davenport – said the Republican-led law will force them to pay new taxes on most of the items they use to collect, test and distribute blood, which ends up in nearly all of Iowa’s hospitals. Key lawmakers and Gov. Kim Reynolds say they are aware of the problem and vow to fix it. Staff for the centers say until then, higher fees for processing blood could trickle back to patients.

Galena
A military veteran has purchased a historic Kansas gas station along the old Route 66 with plans to restore the building to its original condition. The Joplin Globe reports that U.S. Army and Coast Guard veteran Aaron Perry is the new owner of a 1939 Texaco gas station in Galena, near Kansas’ borders with Missouri and Oklahoma. The Wakarusa resident stumbled upon the for-sale gas station last year while driving to the Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Missouri. Perry called the opportunity to acquire the building a dream come true. Perry’s renovation plans include placing vintage gas pumps in the parking lot and installing neon lighting. Perry is also an artist and wants to sell gearhead artwork created out of car parts at the station.

Frankfort
Kentucky State Police are raffling a Corvette to raise money for a free summer camp. Trooper Island Camp offers a chance for boys and girls ages 10 to 12 to spend time at Dale Hollow Lake in Clinton County. The camp is operated by state police and financed entirely by donations. The program benefits children whose families cannot afford other camps. Each year, about 700 children attend the camp, which offers recreation, guidance and activities designed to build good citizenship and positive relationships with law enforcement officers. Raffle tickets for a chance to win the 2019 Corvette Stingray Coupe can be purchased for $10 each at any state police post or online. The winning ticket will be drawn Aug. 25 at the Kentucky State Fair.

Ball
When Louisiana voters enacted new restrictions on felons running for office, they inadvertently ensnared this small town in a mayoral feud. Democrat Roy Hebron overwhelmingly won the November mayoral election, ousting Republican Neil Kavanagh. The problem: Hebron won on the same ballot that saw passage of a constitutional provision requiring felons to wait five years after their sentences before seeking office. Hebron, above left, falls short of that standard, as he was under corrections supervision for a hurricane-related fraud conviction through 2017. Now, the decision over who will be Ball’s mayor has moved to court, after Kavanagh sued. A judge stopped Hebron from moving into the mayor’s job, and the town’s waiting to see if it will have to hold another election.

Freeport
The late founder of the Dead Poets Society of America can finally be inducted himself. Walter Skold visited the gravesites of more than 600 poets, and one of his criteria was that the subjects had to be published. Now he’s met that challenge, posthumously, on the one-year anniversary of his death Sunday, thanks to the efforts of two of his children. Simon and Charles Skold curated their father’s poems for the book “The Mirror Is Not Cracked.” They self-published the tome to ensure it would be printed by Jan. 20, a year to the day after their father went from being a chronicler of poets to becoming a dead poet himself. Walter Skold launched the Dead Poets Society in 2008 in Freeport, drawing inspiration for the name from the 1989 Robin Williams movie, and traveled the country in epic graveyard adventures in a colorful cargo van dubbed “Dedgar the Poemobile.”

Annapolis
An audit has found that the Naval Academy has decaying walls, plumbing issues, and condemned offices and balconies. The Capital reported Friday that it obtained the 2018 audit through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Naval Audit Service’s report says the Annapolis college’s infrastructure has degraded to the point of threatening its ability to train midshipmen. The report outlined 13 unfunded maintenance or renovation projects across 15 facilities between March 2017 and April 26, 2018. It says there are failing classrooms and athletic facilities, and the stormwater system has dumped unfiltered water into the Severn River. The Navy didn’t release the costs of all unfunded projects.

Boston
The Institute of Contemporary Art has acquired one of the popular “Infinity Mirror Room” installations that have drawn hordes of selfie-takers to museums worldwide. The institute says it will display one of the 20 fantastical spaces created by 89-year old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama this fall. It says “Love is Calling” features vivid colors, inflatable sculptures and Kusama’s signature polka dots. Museum curator Eva Respini says Kusama shaped some of the 20th century’s most significant art movements over her six-decade career, including minimalism, pop art, and feminist and performance art. The museum says Kusama’s 2013 installation is the largest Infinity Mirror Room held by a North American museum.

Traverse City
An experiment created by high school students in the state will be conducted by astronauts at the International Space Station. The experiment by freshmen Hattie Holmes, Langley Nelson, Kale Cerny and Lainey Wickman is the third by Traverse City West Senior High School students to be chosen for NASA’s international “Student Spaceflight Experiments Program,” WWTV-TV reports. The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports the experiment will look into growing bacteria on silicon to create energy or oxygen that could be used to recycle water and be used in future long-distance space travel. The experiments will be launched into space in late spring or early summer.

St. Paul
The board of managers of the Minnesota State Fair has approved nearly $20 million in improvements and maintenance projects for the fairgrounds. Of that amount, $16 million is earmarked for a major new exhibit complex on the North End of the fairgrounds and $3.4 million for maintenance projects. The centerpiece of construction is a new facility with a 12,000-square-foot exhibit hall. Improvements and maintenance projects approved for the coming year include stall upgrades in the Swine Barn, installation of a new overheard cover for the Exercise Ring in the livestock area, and improvements to the restrooms in the Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum. The board also approved a $1 increase in admission fees for the 2019 fair.

Water Valley
The town is easing its beer regulation in a move that could help save one of its oldest downtown buildings. Water Valley aldermen have voted to let restaurants sell beer even if a customer is not expected to order a meal. The Oxford Eagle reports that businessman Terry Warren requested a permit to demolish a Water Valley building that is more than a century old. He bought the Wagner building in 2017, intending to open a restaurant and bar. Warren says the town’s beer ordinance that required a meal prevented him from using the building as he wanted. The building is an element of Water Valley’s Main Street District. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Louis
Recreational use of marijuana is illegal in Missouri, but for about one-third of the state’s residents, it’s a crime prosecutors won’t pursue. Over the past seven months, prosecutors in St. Louis city, Jackson County and most recently St. Louis County have all announced an end to prosecution of most low-level marijuana possession cases. Missouri’s urban areas join a growing list of places across the U.S. where similar policies have been adopted. A day after taking office this month, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, above, announced the policy change. St. Louis city Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner in June and Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker in November preceded Bell. About 2.1 million of Missouri’s 6.1 million residents live in those jurisdictions.

Missoula
About 500 demonstrators attended a vigil on behalf of missing and murdered indigenous women at the University of Montana over the weekend. The Missoulian reports they walked in silence holding candles. Then they stood in drizzle for hours as they listened to women from throughout Montana speak about long searches for missing women and lack of help from police. Many speakers at the Native American-led event Saturday said they hoped state lawmakers would pass Hanna’s Act, legislation named for Hanna Harris, above, who was found dead in 2013 on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. It would allow the Montana Department of Justice to help with all missing persons investigations. Paula Castro-Stopps, the mother of Henny Scott, who was found dead on the Northern Cheyenne reservation last month, was among those who spoke in favor of the legislation.

Omaha
As cities across the nation struggle with an unexpected influx of electric scooters, Omaha is planning a pilot project for the personal transportation devices that would be available for rental. The city is seeking proposals from companies interested in participating in the test, which will run from late March until mid-November. The scooters would be dockless – no permanent home – so they could be left anywhere. The scooters would have GPS devices so users can see where they are, and the companies that own them can find them and retrieve them to be charged for more use. The scooters, accessed through an app, likely would be barred from sidewalks and major thoroughfares with far higher speed limits than the scooters can scoot: about 15 mph.

Las Vegas
A replica “Old Nevada” mining town outside Las Vegas that started as a wagon train pit stop in 1843 and grew in recent decades into a tourist attraction featuring mock Wild West gunfights could soon be replaced by a high-end housing enclave. Developers have submitted plans to Clark County to divvy up Bonnie Springs Ranch into 20 large residential home sites, a 25-room motel, a restaurant and an outdoor amphitheater. Gone would be equestrian stables, a petting zoo, a train ride and rustic boardwalks. Project partner Randall Jones didn’t provide a sale price, but the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the 60-acre property west of Las Vegas had been offered for $31 million, and Jones and the developer expect to complete the purchase of the site by mid-March.

Concord
An ice sculpture competition, games and refreshments via food trucks will be among highlights of the city’s Winter Fest this weekend. The event is being held in conjunction with the Black Pond Ice Hockey Tournament in Concord and the Winter Fling and Dancing with the Concord Stars. The winter fest is being presented by The Hotel Concord, Red River Theatres, O Steaks and Seafood, Intown Concord, League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, and the city of Concord. For more information, visit www.intownconcord.org and Facebook.

Bloomfield
History buffs and gun collectors will have a rare opportunity to bid on a Gatling gun, the forerunner of the modern machine gun and rotary cannon, invented during the Civil War. The crank-operated, multi-barrel machine gun will be one of the many Americana items featured Wednesday in the Collector’s Passion Auction at Nye & Company in Bloomfield. There is much interest in the 1875 Gatling, mainly because it is very rare, says Nye & Company’s director of business development, Andrew Holter. It’s in its original carriage, and other than some weathering to the barrels, the gun is in great shape, he says. It has the letters “NJ” stamped on its barrel, which may mean it was purchased for a New Jersey militia unit. It could fetch more than $100,000, Holter says.

Santa Fe
State lawmakers are considering whether to legalize medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. It’s the first test of right-to-die legislation since the election last year of a Democratic governor and a larger Democratic House majority. Current law that withstood a Supreme Court challenge in 2017 makes it a felony for a physician to assist a patient in ending their life. Legislative committees on Monday began vetting a variety of major policy reforms Monday. A proposal from Democratic Rep. Deborah Armstrong of Albuquerque and Sen. Liz Stefanics of Santa Fe sets out assisted-suicide protocols that include a two-day waiting period to obtain life-ending drugs. The initiative’s opponents include the Roman Catholic Church.

New York
Will your favorite hot dog stand be getting an “A”? The city’s iconic food carts are starting to get health department letter grades, giving on-the-go workers and tourists alike a quick reference for cleanliness and safety. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene handed out the first batch of grades Friday to about two dozen of the city’s more than 5,000 food carts and trucks. They’re the same style placards that have been commonplace at restaurants, coffee shops and other establishments around the Big Apple for about a decade. The city has always inspected food carts and flagged violations. The new report cards are the result of a law passed last June. The city says it expects to have all carts and trucks graded within two years.

Asheville
The Mountain Sports Festival, a fixture on Asheville’s outdoors calendar since 2000, has held its last competition. While parts of the 2018 festival were successful, a rainy May kept away attendees and forced the cancellation of a cyclocross race. It set up a financial challenge that could not be overcome, executive director Tim Grotenhuis and festival founder Stuart Cowles say. The festival had just expanded in 2018, adding a charity component that yielded a donation to Streets to Peaks to benefit youths who don’t have easy access to the wilderness. Officials encouraged those missing out on the event to look into the Mountain Disc Golf Experience, Downriver Dash SUP race, Collier Lilly Ride for NCOBS and Asheville Ultimate Youth Tournament.

Minot
A North Dakota Department of Health study has found that a high percentage of ticks in the state are carrying potentially deadly diseases. Minot Daily News reports that 37 veterinarians, four zoos, and state and federal wildlife officials contributed to the 2018 study. The state was divided into eight regions for the tick surveillance survey that started in 2017. Pools of up to 20 ticks from each region were inspected for the existence of several diseases. Disease-carrying pathogens were found in 106 of 176 pools of American dog ticks and Rocky Mountain wood ticks, above. Deer ticks, which are known carriers of Lyme disease, were found in 22 of the 25 counties surveyed. Half of those submitted contained pathogens.

Cincinnati
Now a half-ton of fun, the Cincinnati Zoo’s famed prematurely born hippo will soon turn 2 years old. The zoo says a variety of activities will celebrate Fiona’s latest milestone. The hippo was born Jan. 24, 2017, at a dangerously low 29 pounds. Round-the-clock critical care and outside help including from the Smithsonian National Zoo and the Cincinnati Children’s hospital enabled Fiona to not just survive but thrive as a social media sensation. The zoo last month reported she had reached 1,000 pounds. Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley says the weather outlook isn’t good for Fiona to be outside on her birthday, but a behind-the-scenes party is planned that will be shared on social media along with a two-year highlights video.

Oklahoma City
Will Rogers World Airport had a record year for passenger traffic in 2018. The Journal Record reports that 2.17 million passengers boarded planes, up 10 percent from 1.96 million in 2017. Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Services show Will Rogers Airport topping the nation’s average for airline traffic last year, at least up to November. Officials say the progression speaks well of the local economy and increased route options. The Airport Trust recently awarded a $61.9 million contract to Timberlake Construction Co. to build a concourse of four new gates, an observation deck and passenger lobby. Construction is expected to take two years, concluding in early 2021.

Silverton
Over 32,000 used milk cartons were thrown away each year at Silverton Middle School, the equivalent of 25 cubic yards of trash. At Scotts Mills School, about 477 gallons of milk were poured down the drain each year. By replacing milk cartons with milk dispensers and washable cups, the schools in the Silverton School District produce a fraction of the trash they once did. With a $76,000 grant, Marion County will roll out similar waste reduction programs at schools throughout the county over the next two years. In schools where the program is already in place, one immediate impact is students drink more milk. “They say it tastes better,” says Suanne Earle, Silver Falls School District food service director. “It’s got a little thicker consistency.”

Philadelphia
The mayor says city departments and agencies will be offering flexibility in bill payments to federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown. Mayor Jim Kenney, above, said Monday that furloughed federal workers and those employees working without pay can contact the revenue department, water revenue bureau and Philadelphia Gas Works if they need “additional flexibility” in paying current bills or existing payment agreements. Meanwhile, Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia announced plans for an emergency meal preparation day Wednesday and distribution of supermarket gift cards to those affected.

Cranston
Gov. Gina Raimondo has announced a new initiative to fight hunger among the state’s schoolchildren. Raimondo, speaking at Monday’s Rhode Island Ministers Alliance Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast in Cranston, said her “No Student Hungry” plan would maximize federal funds in an effort to provide all eligible students with free or reduced-price meals at school. The plan would require some public schools to begin offering breakfast and others to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students. Raimondo says the state is not taking advantage of all available federal money for school lunch and breakfast programs. The governor says she has included in her budget proposal nearly $300,000 in state funds to support the program.

Charleston
Members of a congregation from a Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 died in a mass shooting by an anti-Semitic gunman last fall traveled to Charleston to worship with members of the church where nine black worshippers died in 2015 at the hands of a white supremacist. The Post and Courier reports that members of the New Light Congregation of the Tree of Life synagogue and members of the Emanuel AME Church worshipped together Friday and Sunday. Rabbi Jonathan Perlman of New Light Congregation stood at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, a local Reform congregation, with Emanuel shooting survivor Polly Sheppard on Friday. On Sunday, he stood in a mass of sorrow at Emanuel’s altar rail hugging its senior pastor, the Rev. Eric S.C. Manning.

Sioux Falls
A group of Catholic nuns in the state is getting new digs in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen. The Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen say they’re building new housing facilities in both communities, with living space better fit to the needs of the nuns. “Our mission, our community and the well-being of the Sisters are key priorities as we make this transition,” Sister Janice Klein said in a statement. Construction is set to begin this summer and is expected to conclude in about one year. Presentation Place will have 16 rooms available and will be located in Aberdeen next to Avera Mother Joseph Manor. The Sioux Falls facility, Presentation Center, will have 20 rooms and will be located south of Walsh Family Village near Avera Health’s central Sioux Falls campus.

Memphis
Ten notable women who have left a mark in health care, education and other endeavors were honored at City Hall on Monday as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities. Meanwhile, large groups came to the National Civil Rights Museum downtown to take part in a wide range of educational and cultural activities related to King’s life and legacy. After the morning’s ceremony, dignitaries cut the ribbon on a new conference room at City Hall. Now renamed the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Conference Room, it serves as the display area for a close-up portrait of King’s face created by local artist Lonnie Robinson. The museum, at the site where King was shot, offered free admission to those bringing canned goods and those who gave blood.

Houston
Restoration work on a historic mural damaged by Hurricane Harvey is soon to be complete after floodwaters seeped into the structure, causing paint to pop off and mold to grow. The Houston Chronicle reports muralist John Biggers’ 1953 artwork, “Contribution of Negro Women to American Life and Education,” is expected to be fully repaired before the end of the month. The Houston Museum of Fine Arts initially treated the mural in the city’s Third Ward after the August 2017 storm. Museum staff covered the damaged roof over the mural, which features images of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, and filled in paint gaps. California-based art conservator Scott Haskins, who is handling the restoration work, says the mural carries significance in storytelling within the art world.

Salt Lake City
The state is rolling out a program to forgive college debt for tech workers who stay and work in Utah. The Deseret News reports lawmakers created the $2.5 million Talent Development Incentive Loan Program last year to retain talented graduates and keep Utah’s tech sector growing. It requires students to have completed one year on an approved academic track for a bachelor’s degree, but after that students could have their last three years paid for if they agree to work in-state for three years after graduation. For a University of Utah student, that could mean about $30,000 in debt relief. Qualifying jobs are software developers, management analysts, computer systems analysts, computer and information system managers, and network and computer systems administrators.

Montpelier
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is offering free guided walks in wildlife management areas to look for wildlife and their tracks. Biologists and naturalists will lead the walks that will center on bird watching and observing other wildlife and signs of them. John Austin, above, the department’s lands and habitat program manager, says it’s a chance for Vermonters to get to the state’s 98 wildlife management areas. He says the department will have offerings all year, from winter tracking walks to summer birding paddles. The events are free. Participants are urged to bring snacks and water and to dress appropriately for the weather. Space is limited to the first 30 people who sign up. More information can be found on the department’s website.

Richmond
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax stopped presiding over the state Senate for the second year in a row in protest when senators again honored a Confederate general. Fairfax left the dais just before Republican state Sen. Richard Stuart spoke in support of Gen. Robert E. Lee and adjourning Friday’s session in Lee’s honor. Lee’s birthday was Saturday. Fairfax is the second African-American elected to statewide office in Virginia history. The Democrat said he wanted to be firm and respectful in his opposition to honoring Lee, pointing to Confederate efforts to preserve slavery. Stuart said his request had nothing to do with slavery but with celebrating a “great Virginian.” Last year, Fairfax stood down when another senator called for adjournment in honor of Gen. Stonewall Jackson.

Spokane
The state is months away from wildfire season, but Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has proposed a plan to strengthen the ways that Washington can prevent and respond to wildfires. Franz released the 10-year plan last week as part of her $55 million budget request to the Legislature to improve the state’s firefighting abilities in the face of climate change and more residents moving into fire-prone areas. The plan would add 30 full-time and 40 seasonal firefighters to the Department of Natural Resources and add two helicopters to the firefighting fleet. It would also create a wildland fire-training academy that different agencies could use.

Morgantown
Dentistry officials at West Virginia University say children ages 1 to 17 can receive free exams, any necessary X-rays and fluoride treatments Feb. 1 in Morgantown. WVU officials say the free dental care will be available from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the university’s Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. The care is being provided as part of WVU Dental Care’s National Children’s Dental Health Month celebrations. Officials say the exams will provide more than $100 worth of services for children. They say children of all needs and levels of care are welcome at the clinic, though appointments are required, and space is limited. To schedule an appointment, call 304-293-0401.

Madison
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress plans to ask outdoor lovers whether the state should again offer bounties for deer infected with chronic wasting disease. The congress plans to put the question to attendees at its statewide spring hearings in April. The outcome will be advisory only but could influence how new Gov. Tony Evers approaches the issue. Landowners and hunters would be paid for each CWD-positive deer they harvest. The congress suggests that payments could ring in at $750 per deer to as much as $1,250 per deer. Funding would have to be included in the state budget. Former Gov. Scott Walker’s administration took a largely hands-off approach to the disease, choosing to monitor its spread rather than undertake any major efforts to curtail it.

Jackson
An anonymous state resident has given more than $100,000 to Teton County Search and Rescue to help purchase a system to assist in finding people lost or injured in remote areas with no cellphone service. The device, Lifeseeker, attaches to a helicopter or plane and allows rescuers to locate people where there is no cell signal as long as their cellphone is turned on, the Jackson Hole News and Guide reports. The device allows rescuers to locate any type of cellphone if the phone is turned on. It won’t work if a cellphone is on “airplane mode.” The phone has to be on and attempting to reach a cell tower. Lifeseeker, developed by Spain-based Centum Research and Technology, has never been used in the U.S., according to former Search and Rescue adviser Tim Ciocarlan.