Bei Bei goes bye-bye, human compost company, Confederate statue whisked away: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Mobile: The U.S. Coast Guard is no longer using Mobile Bay for certain types of exercises after rescue swimmers reported falling ill during training. News outlets reported training has been moved from Mobile Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Capt. William Sasser with the Mobile training station told news outlets that rescue swimmers noted symptoms of “illness and irritation” after working in the bay. He said weekly water testing showed levels of the Enterococci bacteria within acceptable ranges but said the training was moved as a precautionary measure. Sasser said the health of rescue swimmers has improved since the move, and added that the agency has adopted new cleaning and hygiene measures.

Alaska

Anchorage: The Alaska Railroad has launched repairs for an embankment damaged by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in November 2018. KTVA-TV reported the work is along the mainline track in south Anchorage near the Oceanview neighborhood. Railroad spokesman Tim Sullivan said workers are moving in tons of rock and fill to stabilize the slope. He said about 20,000 tons of rock will be used to shore up the embankment. Sullivan said fixing drainage above the tracks could benefit the neighborhood, as well as the tracks, and could prevent flooding. The work is estimated to cost $2.4 million. Sullivan said the railroad is paying for repairs but will seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Major work is expected to be completed by Christmas with landscaping planned for springtime.

Arizona

Phoenix:The remnants of a tropical storm that moved across Arizona brought another round of rain to the Phoenix metro area Wednesday and it is expected to continue Thursday. A flash flood watch was in effect for portions of south-central Arizona through Wednesday night. Significant weather advisories were in effect for portions of the Valley throughout the day. The National Weather Service said rain is expected to continue before easing by Friday. Air traffic at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was seeing weather-related delays Wednesday night. General departures were delayed between 15 to 30 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. General arrivals were being delayed by 15 minutes, the agency said.

Arkansas

Bentonville: Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren has sentenced a television reporter to three days in jail for recording a hearing in a homicide case. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Karren sentenced KNWA reporter Nkirurka Omeronge on Tuesday. Karren found her in contempt of court during Mauricio Torres’ capital murder proceedings last month. Omeronge said she recorded the proceedings to take notes to ensure accuracy. Omeronge also testified that she has worked at stations in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Phoenix, where reporters could make audio recordings in courtrooms. The Arkansas Supreme Court bars any recordings without the judge’s consent. Omeronge’s attorney contends his client did not intend to defy the court’s ruling. Omeronge was set to start serving her sentence on Wednesday.

California

Oakland: A child cracked a glass-viewing window at the Oakland Zoo’s bear exhibit, and officials said there’s no need to fear the bears will get out. Oakland Zoo spokeswoman Erin Harrison said in a statement Tuesday that a child hit a rock against the glass several times, “shattering the laminate layer.” She said the bulletproof-strength glass at the enclosure where four grizzly bears live is made of six separate panes, each an inch thick. She said another zoo visitor reported the child to the staff, but they couldn’t find the family. Harrison said a replacement glass pane will cost $67,000 and require special equipment to install next month.

Colorado

Grand Junction: Next year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will come from western Colorado. U.S. Forest Service officials said Monday a tree will be cut from Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre or Gunnison national forest to adorn the Capitol building’s West Lawn in 2020. Spokeswoman Kim Phillips told The Daily Sentinel that a formal announcement will be made Friday, and she declined to provide further details. Each year, a national forest is chosen to provide a tree for the Capitol building in Washington. This year’s tree is a 60-foot-all blue spruce cut from the Carson National Forest outside of Taos, New Mexico. The Capitol tree last came from western Colorado in 2012, a 73-foot-tall Engelmann spruce from the White River National Forest east of Meeker.

Connecticut

Hartford: Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives suggested Gov. Ned Lamont reconsider tolling just big trucks, a concept the Democrat campaigned on during last year’s election but discarded in favor of tolling all vehicles. House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, in a joint statement, announced “tolling cars is off the table” and called on Lamont to support truck-only tolls on 12 of the 14 bridges identified in his new 10-year, $21.3 billion CT2030 transportation improvement plan. The leaders estimate truck-only tolls could raise about $150 million annually, less than half of the revenue projected from 14 tolls on all drivers under Lamont’s latest plan. Ritter suggested a transportation plan that includes tolls only on trucks could have a better chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Lamont and lawmakers have been unable for months to come up with proposal that’s politically palatable to enough legislators. Lamont said he appreciated the proposal, noting how a “guiding principle” of his plan is a dedicated revenue stream where a large part comes from out-of-state drivers. He urged Democrats and Republicans to bring their plans to a meeting in his office as soon as possible, noting “this discussion should be had with all caucuses dedicated to creating a solution.”

Delaware

Wilmington:Authorities said two women were injured when a fire broke out in a rowhouse. The Delaware News Journal reported that the women escaped Monday afternoon’s fire by jumping from a second-floor window at the rear of the home. Battalion Chief John Looney of the Wilmington Fire Department said one of the women was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center to be treated for burns on her hands and legs, and the other woman was taken to Christiana Hospital for evaluation. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The Wilmington Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.

District of Columbia

Washington: A specially equipped Boeing 777 jet took off from Dulles International Airport on Tuesday carrying Bei Bei, a 4-year-old giant panda, to China. Under terms of the zoo’s agreement with the Chinese government, any panda born in the U.S. must be sent to China when they reach age 4. When he reaches sexual maturity after age 6, Bei Bei will be entered into China’s government-run breeding program, seeking to expand the vulnerable panda population. Bei Bei was born at the zoo on Aug. 22, 2015, the cub (via artificial insemination) of National Zoo pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. His name, which translates as “treasure” or “precious” in Mandarin, was jointly selected by former first lady Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan, the first lady of the People’s Republic of China. Zoo Director Steve Monfort called the occasion “bittersweet.” He said zoo staff and visitors had grown to love the bear but that his return was important to the future of the species. The giant panda was once classified as an endangered species. Efforts to save the animal have been successful enough that the International Union for Conservation of Nature changed their status from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in 2016. There are an estimated 1,800 giant pandas in the wild, all of them in southwestern China.

Florida

Auburndale: Online retailer Amazon has said it will open a distribution center in central Florida, creating about 500 full-time jobs. The retailer said in a statement Wednesday that employees will pick, pack and ship large items such as patio furniture, kayaks, bicycles, fishing rods and pet food at a 1 million-square-foot facility in Auburndale. Pay will start at $15 an hour with benefits. Amazon employs more than 13,500 full-time workers in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the new distribution center was a “big win” for Polk County. The county is part of Orlando’s metro area, which had the nation’s fifth-largest increase for metropolises from mid-2017 to mid-2018. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans moved to the Orlando area after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.

Georgia

Atlanta: A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said a small airplane broke up in flight before crashing into a townhouse last month. WSB-TV said the preliminary report doesn’t identify the cause of the Oct. 30 crash but includes information investigators will use to determine it. The single-engine Piper-28 slammed into the top floor of a townhouse killing 59-year-old pilot Leslie Csanyi Jr and 60-year-old Scott Lowrie, both of North Carolina. The agency said shortly after takeoff from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, the pilot reported losing the vacuum gauge. WSB-TV engineer and pilot Cliff Rogers said the vacuum gauge controls instruments in the cockpit that tell the pilot things such as direction, altitude and pitching direction. The final report from the agency is expected to take several months.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A police officer is expected to plead guilty to depriving a homeless man of his civil rights by forcing him to lick a public urinal. John Rabago plans to plead guilty to an indictment because he wants to accept responsibility, his attorney, Megan Kau, told the Associated Press. Court records show a change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16. Rabago’s co-defendant pleaded guilty in September to failing to report that Rabago forced the man to lick the urinal in January and that it wasn’t the first time. Rabago, who remains on restricted duty, and Reginald Ramones, who left the department in August, were arrested and charged earlier this year with conspiring to deprive a man of his civil rights. As part of a deal with prosecutors, Ramones in September pleaded guilty to a lesser charge that he knew Rabago committed a civil rights violation but didn’t inform authorities about it. The homeless man feared he would be arrested and reluctantly obeyed Rabago’s orders, according to Ramones’ plea agreement. Rabago had previously threatened another man he was questioning by saying he wouldn’t be arrested if he stuck his head in a toilet, the document said. Ramones said in court that Rabago persuaded him not to tell authorities what happened in the public bathroom and to delete their text messages about it. Rabago told him to say he was joking when he talked about making the man lick the urinal, Ramones said.

Idaho

Boise: Gov. Brad Little has issued an executive order aligning Idaho law enforcement activities with federal law to allow the transport of hemp across the state. The Republican governor issued the order Tuesday in the wake of a U.S. Department of Agriculture interim rule published in late October. Little said Idaho is likely in conflict with federal law. Little said the executive order is needed to temporarily resolve the conflict until state lawmakers find a permanent solution. Federal law prevents states from prohibiting the transportation of legal hemp. But Idaho’s anti-marijuana laws are so broadly written that they include hemp. In January, Idaho authorities arrested a truck driver and seized nearly 7,000 pounds of what they believed to be marijuana, even though the company shipping the material said accompanying paperwork made clear it was industrial hemp.

Illinois

Leland: Parents of students at a northern Illinois elementary school are angry after an older student led an experiment that asked their children to open child-proof medicine bottles. Parents were not told in advance about Friday’s project at Leland Elementary School in LaSalle County. On Sunday, the principal and Leland School District Superintendent Jodi Moore sent parents a letter saying that a junior high school student had worked with some kindergartners and first-graders “to gather data for a science fair project.” But Moore later told the Chicago Tribune that the older student “may have” shown some students how to open a bottle. She said the older student was not acting maliciously. Moore said she learned the student was being supervised while modeling the experiment on online sample science fair experiments that examines if child-proof containers are authentic. The first-grade teacher also told Moore she had to remind the older student, “no coaching,” Moore said. However, parents expressed concern that the project could happen without their consent and about the school’s communication methods. Moore said the school will begin requiring that permission slips be sent out for students who participate in science experiments.

Indiana

Indianapolis:The longest-serving leader of the Indiana House has decided to retire after the 2020 legislative session. Republican Speaker Brian Bosma told lawmakers Tuesday that he would continue in the powerful position that largely controls which proposals are considered until the upcoming session ends in March. Bosma said he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2020 after 34 years in the House. Bosma presided over the House as Republicans took major steps such as creating the state’s private school voucher program, leasing the Indiana Toll Road to a private operator and adopting statewide daylight saving time. The 62-year-old Indianapolis resident has been speaker since 2011 and also held the post in 2005-06. He said he will become chairman of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee and continue working at an Indianapolis law firm.

Iowa

Des Moines:Warren County is the epicenter of a disease that has killed at least 1,800 whitetail deer in Iowa this year. Brought on by a virus, the epizootic hemorrhagic disease causes heart and lung tissue in infected deer to weaken and burst. In Warren County, it has killed at least 773 deer, and likely many more, officials said. EHD is not a threat to humans – the virus cannot be transmitted by eating infected deer meat – but it threatens to thin herds and affect hunting in central Iowa. “I’m definitely concerned,” said Jim Priebe, director of the Warren County Conservation Board. An avid hunter, Priebe usually buys three or four doe tags each year. This year, he said he is only buying one. Deer tag sales are down across the state, Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer Richard Smith said. The DNR has sold 130,487 so far, compared to 143,966 at the same time last year. Doe tag sales are down, too. Each year, the DNR releases a set number of doe tags in each county to help control the state’s deer population. There are about 600 doe tags still remaining from the 2,700 that were available in Warren County. Last year, the county’s doe tags were sold out by October.

Kansas

Wichita: Authorities said a runaway police dog bit a teenager on the face and chest. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that the German shepherd, named Bocephus, disappeared Monday night. Someone found the dog, put him on a leash and walked around a neighborhood in an unsuccessful search for his owner. The person then returned home, and Bocephus was placed in the bedroom of a 14-year-old boy. The teen took the dog for a walk the next morning and was bit while removing the leash. The post said the boy was treated at a clinic for minor injuries. Lt. Tim Myers said the dog will return to service after a 10-day quarantine, which is standard after a bite. Police don’t know how the dog got out.

Kentucky

Frankfort: A Kentucky transportation official said the state plans to set up 12 regional offices to issue special driver’s licenses that will be needed in less than a year to board domestic airline flights. Media outlets reported that the transportation official, Matt Henderson, told state lawmakers on Monday that the state would like to have 28 to 30 regional offices. Henderson is vehicle regulation commissioner in the state Transportation Cabinet. The state faces an Oct. 1, 2020, federal deadline to start issuing Real ID driver’s licenses. Henderson said the cost to operate and staff 28 regional offices would be about $16 million a year, but the sale of the special licenses would help defray the expenses. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported licenses will cost $24 for four years and $48 for eight years

Louisiana

Lafayette:U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins said the Lafayette Regional Airport will be receiving  $5.5 million in supplemental federal funding for new terminal construction. The $90 million terminal construction project will replace the existing terminal with a 120,000-square-foot facility that will include open space for concessions and services. The current terminal was built in 1930. The money comes from U.S. Department of Transportation as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. In August, the airport received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to rehabilitate the parking facilities, which would be matched $3.38 million in local investment and will create 82 jobs, according to the office of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. That money is being used to build or repair parking lots that will be needed for the airport's new passenger terminal, scheduled to be completed near the end of 2022.

Maine

Portland: New England shrimp are still in bad shape despite a fishing shutdown that is unlikely to end soon, new data showed. The region’s shrimp fishing industry, long based mostly in Maine, has been shut down since 2013 because of concerns about the health of the population. Recent surveys off Maine and New Hampshire said signs are still poor, scientists with the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said. A big part of the problem is that shrimp thrive in cold water and the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than most of the world’s oceans. The mean average summer sea bottom temperature was about 42 degrees from the mid-1980s to the early ’90s, and it rose to 45 degrees this year, said Dustin Colson Leaning, a fishery management plan coordinator for the Atlantic States. That small difference makes it harder for young shrimp to thrive and join the population, he said. The fishery for the shrimp is shut down until at least 2021 because of a previous action by an Atlantic States regulatory panel. The panel could vote to change that on Dec. 6, but it’s unlikely given the negative trends, Leaning said.

Maryland

Baltimore: The state health department is investigating a cluster of E. coli after seven people who fell ill from the bacteria reported eating the same prepackaged salad. The health department said in a statement Monday that those who contracted the bacteria said they ate the same Caesar salad purchased at Sam’s Clubs throughout the state. One person has been hospitalized with the illness. The department confirmed tests of one of the salads identified E. coli in the romaine lettuce. The statement advised others not to eat any Ready Pac Bistro Bowl Chicken Caesar Salads with an Oct. 31 expiration date. The salad is also sold at other stores. Health officials said E. coli causes severe stomach cramps, fevers and vomiting, and can be life-threatening in extreme cases.

Massachusetts

Boston: Massachusetts drivers would no longer be able to use hand-held cellphones behind the wheel under a bill heading for final approval by state lawmakers. The bill would allow hands-free cellphones. Massachusetts already bans texting while driving. The bill would impose fines of $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and $500 for a subsequent offense. The bill was approved in the House on Tuesday and is coming up for a vote in the Senate before heading to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk. The bill also requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to collect data from every traffic citation, including the driver’s age, race and gender without identifying the driver. The information would help identify police agencies that may be engaging in racial or gender profiling

Michigan

Grand Rapids: Attorneys for a Latino American war veteran who was wrongfully detained by immigration agents in Michigan have filed a $1 million claim against the U.S. government for his three days in custody. Jilmar Ramos-Gomez is a Michigan-born U.S. citizen. Yet he was taken into custody after his release a year ago from a Kent County jail for an alleged crime. The American Civil Liberties Union said Ramos-Gomez’s “shocking mistreatment” only exacerbated his post-traumatic stress disorder from his service as a Marine in Afghanistan. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to comment Wednesday. The city of Grand Rapids recently agreed to pay $190,000 to Ramos-Gomez. A Grand Rapids police officer played a key role in notifying ICE about the man. Separately, the ACLU filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking documents about Ramos-Gomez’ detention

Minnesota

Duluth: Damaged Torah scrolls and prayer books that were salvaged from a Duluth synagogue fire in September have burned again in a garage fire. Officials of Adas Israel Synagogue said the items were being kept in the garage and were to be buried in keeping with Jewish tradition. The garage fire broke out Sunday in Duluth’s Central Hillside. Fire officials said the garage fire is not suspicious, but the cause is under investigation. Former synagogue president Phillip Sher told WDIO-TV the damaged scrolls still will be buried. A homeless man admitted starting the fire that destroyed the 117-year-old synagogue. Matthew Amiot told police he tried to spit on the fire to put it out, but walked away when that didn’t work. Police don’t believe the synagogue fire was a hate crime.

Mississippi

Jackson:A hotel that was a gathering spot for Mississippi lawmakers and lobbyists might be saved if it can become a historic landmark. Trustees for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History have put downtown Jackson’s Sun-N-Sand Motor Hotel on consideration for a state landmark designation. WAPT-TV reported that a 30-day public comment period began Nov. 5. After that ends, trustees will decide on the designation. The Sun-N-Sand opened in the 1960s near the state Capitol. It closed in 2001, and the buildings have been deteriorating. On July 10, the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration announced its intent to tear down the building but keep its iconic midcentury sign.

Missouri

Kansas City: An investigation has found that the Kansas City School District falsified attendance data and will be forced to repay money to the state. The Kansas City Star reported that the district released the findings publicly Wednesday morning after reporting them to state education officials earlier this month. The investigation found that at least seven officials were involved in falsifying the data from 2013 to 2016 before Superintendent Mark Bedell was hired. Three of the employees are no longer with the district and the other four have been placed on paid administrative leave. Because the state funds schools in part based on student attendance, the manipulation led to the district being overpaid. The amount it will be required to pay back hasn’t been determined. Bedell said steps have been taken to ensure it never happens again.

Montana

Stevensville: About 30 bison escaped a western Montana ranch and ended up on a highway near Stevensville, where two suffered fatal injuries after being struck by a pickup truck. Bitterroot Bison owner Troy Westre told the Ravalli Republic someone apparently opened a gate on the north end of the ranch property Monday night. The Montana Highway Patrol received a report of bison on the Eastside Highway at 8:50 p.m. Patrol Sgt. Scott Bennett said one bison was killed by the collision with the pickup truck and another had a broken leg and was euthanized. The pickup was totaled. The patrol’s incident report does not indicate whether the driver was injured. Family, friends and neighbors helped Westre round up the rest of the herd and they were back at the ranch by midnight.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The Nebraska corrections department has asked more than 600 inmates to say if they would prefer to serve their sentences in facilities in their home states, opening the door to transfers that could help ease overcrowding in Nebraska’s prisons. The Correctional Services Department said in letters to the prisoners last week that the department understands that transfers to their home states would place some inmates closer to family and friends. Transfers would be carried out through Nebraska state statutes and the Interstate Corrections Compact Act, said Laura Strimple, department chief of staff. She told the Lincoln Journal Star that it would be up to the receiving state to approve the transfer. If transfers are approved, housing costs will fall to those states.

Nevada

Boulder City: The remains of 17 U.S. military service members who went unclaimed by relatives after their deaths in the Las Vegas area since 1992 have been laid to rest with an honor guard salute in Boulder City. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that a Tuesday ceremony sponsored by Women Veterans of Nevada at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery followed two similar salutes in 2018 for the unclaimed remains of 47 veterans. Retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Bobi Oates told the newspaper the deaths of 248 veterans have been similarly commemorated since 2009 in northern Nevada. Officials said the veterans had returned home alive following World Wars I and II, the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Their bodies had been stored in area funeral homes.

New Hampshire

Londonderry: A steel section of the World Trade Center has been given to a New Hampshire fire station through a foundation named in memory of a fallen 9/11 firefighter. The Eagle Tribune reports a motorcade delivered it to the Central Fire Station in Londonderry on Friday. Fire and police officials gathered to witness the 3-foot, 60-pound section being brought into the station and placed on a display. Inscribed with the words “WTC 9/11” and “Never Forget,” the steel section will become part of a permanent 9/11 memorial at the front of the fire station. It will be completed in June. Fire Chief Darren O’Brien said the piece “represents resilience, a piece of remembering.” The donation of the steel section was made possible by the Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

New Jersey

West Windsor: A police dashcam video showed an Amtrak train smashing into a car on tracks in New Jersey. Police in West Windsor Township said the collision occurred late Tuesday, just north of the Princeton Junction train station. The 2012 Toyota Camry was disabled on the tracks and relatives of the driver were off to the side when an Amtrak train heading south hit the car, destroying it and sending it into a police car. The video showed people running for cover as the train approaches. No injuries were reported. Amtrak said 59 passengers were on the train and that no equipment damage was reported. Train service was disrupted for about three hours. Police said the driver has been charged with DUI.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: A cat that had been missing for five years in Portland, Oregon, has been found in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Animal Shelter announced this week that Sasha the black cat was recently found wandering the streets of New Mexico’s capital. Officials said a scan of the cat’s microchip revealed that the kitty had traveled more than 1,200 miles from Oregon. American Airlines offered to fly the cat to Portland, along with a member of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter. Officials will present the animal to Viktor Usov, the cat’s original owner. Usov said the family thought they would never see the cat again.

New York

Syracuse: A janitor who removed racist graffiti at Syracuse University has started a campaign of kindness. Syracuse.com reported that Keri Courtwright has been taping inspirational notes on doors, mirrors and paper towel dispensers during her rounds. Courtwright said she wants to spread “good energy.” One message said: “Kindness changes everything.” The notes are an extension of the positive messages she had been posting in the Facebook group Pay it Forward CNY. Some co-workers have joined her effort. One quote urges onlookers: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Authorities have fielded about 10 recent reports of racist vandalism, graffiti and shouted slurs targeting Jews, Asians and black students at the private upstate New York university. Officials are also investigating a white supremacist manifesto that was circulated electronically on campus.

North Carolina

Pittsboro: A Confederate statue has been removed overnight from a historic courthouse. Chatham County officials issued a news release late Tuesday night saying work had begun to take down the soldier that stood in front of the courthouse in Pittsboro since 1907. News outlets reported that a subdued crowd of several dozen watched the work. Even the base of the statue was gone before dawn. It has been rare for public officials to take down Confederate statues in North Carolina since the enactment of a 2015 state historic monuments law restricting the removal of public monuments. But county officials argued in court that the monument was private property, owned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and a judge hearing the group’s challenge declined to block the removal.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State regulators said oil production in September was down slightly from the record set a month earlier. The Department of Mineral Resources said the state produced an average of 1.44 million barrels of oil daily in September. That’s down from the record of 1.48 million barrels a day in set in August. North Dakota also produced a 2.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in September, down from a record 3 billion cubic feet in August. Statewide, companies flared 18% of all gas produced in September, above the 12% target. A record 16,099 wells were producing in September, up from 15,964 in August. The September totals are the latest figures available. There were 55 drill rigs operating Tuesday, down six from the September average.

Ohio

Alger: The remains of a soldier killed in the Korean War have been identified as Army Pfc. Wilbur T. Tackett of Alger. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said the remains of Tackett were accounted for on Aug. 9. That followed an analysis that took place after North Korea turned over 55 boxes of remains following a 2018 summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un. The agency said Tackett, 18, was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division in late 1950. He was reported missing on Dec. 6, 1950, when enemy forces attacked his unit near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Tackett will be buried in his Ohio hometown. No date has been set.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A Tishomingo attorney who is also a Chickasaw Nation district judge has been appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday announced the appointment of Dustin Rowe to the court to fill the vacancy left when Judge Patrick Wyrick was appointed a federal judge. Lowe is a former mayor of Tishomingo, having been elected at age 18 in 1994 and serving two terms. He has practiced law in Tishomingo since 2001 and is a district judge on the Chickasaw Nation District Court. Lowe is Stitt’s second appointment to the state Supreme Court after he selected Judge John Kane in September to replace retiring Justice John Reif. Rowe was chosen from among three candidates recommended to Stitt by the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission.

Oregon

Crater Lake: Officials said the Army Corps of Engineers Road System at Crater Lake National Park is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Park officials said Tuesday that the National Park Service accepted the nomination Aug. 12. The nomination centered on a previously seldom-known effort by the Army Corps of Engineers in highway engineering and construction that happened from 1910 to 1919 in the park. The Army Corps of Engineers Road System, a precursor to the historic Rim Drive, is significant for its association with the earliest period of highway engineering in Oregon. The road system was the first federally funded and supervised highway project in Oregon and is the only road project in Oregon attributed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The road system is the fourth historic district listed at Crater Lake National Park, with others at Rim Village, Park Headquarters and along Rim Drive.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: A moderate Democrat in the state Senate from an area that shifted decisively to support Donald Trump in 2016’s presidential election is switching his registration to become an independent and said Tuesday that he will caucus with the Republican majority. In a news conference in his Capitol office, Sen. John Yudichak of Luzerne County said that he had found a growing disconnect with an increasingly liberal Democratic caucus and party and that some issues that are important to him will find a better home in the Republican caucus. A pro-labor descendant of coal miners in a historic coal region, Yudichak maintained that his move wasn’t personal or about a single event. His stances on issues won’t change, such as backing some of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s signature issues, and his alliances with Democratic allies such as labor unions and trial lawyers won’t change, he said. Adding to the tightrope Yudichak will walk, he said he would continue to support and raise funds for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 race for president, as well as Democratic candidates whose interests align with his. Republicans hold 27 seats in the 50-seat chamber, with one solidly Republican district temporarily vacant until the winner of a Jan. 14 special election is sworn in. Counting Yudichak and the vacant seat, Republicans will likely have an effective 29-21 majority next year.

Rhode Island

Providence: The state Democratic Party has approved new bylaws that ban its Women’s Caucus from endorsing candidates on its own, spending money it raises and making public statements without the party’s approval. The Providence Journal reported the bylaws were approved Monday on a vote of 120-37, after an acrimonious debate, failed motions and angry chants. Party Chairman Joseph McNamara said Democrats want a unified message going into the election. Women leading the caucus said it’s a way to silence them. They announced Tuesday that they’ve established the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus, which is no longer affiliated with the state party. They said the new caucus will work to ensure all voices are heard and heeded in government, especially those of women and minority groups.

South Carolina

Charleston: Mayor John Tecklenburg has been elected to a second term. Tecklenburg received 61% of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff, defeating Charleston City Councilmember Mike Seekings. The men ended up in a runoff after a five-candidate race where Tecklenburg received 48% of the vote. In 2016, Tecklenburg replaced Joe Riley, who was Charleston’s mayor for 40 years. Tecklenburg said he will spend the next four years working with everyone – including his opponents in this race – to make Charleston a better place. City Council members spent several months reviewing an audit of Tecklenburg’s spending.

South Dakota

Rapid City: A Rapid City mall has banned a Native American cultural practice following health complaints. Rushmore Mall security recently gave the I Am Legacy youth outreach center a letter saying it could no longer burn sage because it was jeopardizing people’s health. The center’s founder, Erik Bringswhite, called the order “a bit hurtful” and said they didn’t mean to harm anyone by burning about a nickel-sized amount of sage twice a day. KOTA-TV reported the mall’s general manager, Sandy Brockhouse, said the burning smell has sickened some people. Both parties agreed to sage burning before the center moved in, but only when there is proper ventilation. And so far, that ventilation system has not been installed. Brockhouse said the center could burn it outside.

Tennessee

Nashville: Officials said they’re committing not to halt or limit coverage under a revised proposal to become the first state to receive funding in a lump sum for its Medicaid program, TennCare. The block grant plan heading for federal consideration Wednesday was amended to say the state “would not be permitted to use this authority to make reductions to its benefits package.” Although Republican Gov. Bill Lee assured that patients wouldn’t risk losing benefits or eligibility, the first draft elicited overwhelming concern about possible cuts to those areas. The submitted version also said possible state savings could be used to expand TennCare eligibility. The federal government will now consider the $7.9 billion plan. If the parties negotiate an agreement, state lawmakers get a final vote. Legal challenges likely will follow.

Texas

Houston: A private group that wants to build its own southern border wall next to the Rio Grande in Texas won’t begin construction until the U.S. government certifies the project won’t worsen flooding. The agency that oversees the river under treaties signed with Mexico has asked the group We Build the Wall to halt construction until it submits more information about the project so the commission could study it. We Build the Wall’s founder, Brian Kolfage, said Tuesday that the group won’t build until it has the approval of the agency, the International Boundary and Water Commission. The group had announced on Facebook that it was starting to build a barrier on 3.5 miles of private land in South Texas.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A legislative audit said Utah’s oil and gas division has not carried out state-mandated oversight allowing more than 100 noncompliance cases to go unresolved and lack of environmental contamination cleanup at waste disposal sites. The audit released Tuesday said the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining failed to prioritize inspections or keep records according to agency policy. Officials said the division has also left taxpayers on the hook for about $1 million in reclamation costs for abandoned wells. Officials say the division falls under the Department of Natural Resources and is tasked with maintaining regulatory oversight of 193 oil and gas operators at over 16,000 wells and 29 waste disposal facilities. Division executives said changes are already underway including reducing the unresolved cases backlog from 105 to 33 cases.

Vermont

Ascutney: The state is postponing plans to cut down an old maple tree that once shaded a farm that was seized to make for the construction of Interstate 91. The state and people in the Ascutney neighborhood are looking for a way to commemorate the legacy of Romaine Tenney, who refused to sell his farm to the state as the interstate was being built in the 1960s. Some have called for preserving the tree. After his farm was seized, Tenney barricaded himself inside his farmhouse and burned it, and his barns, taking his life. The Valley News reported officials agreed Monday night to seek a second opinion on the tree. The state also said it will work with the town on a historical marker for Tenney

Virginia

Chatham: The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted to designate its county as a Second Amendment sanctuary. The Danville Register & Bee reported the board voted unanimously on Tuesday night to adopt the designation. Nearly all of the audience of 150 attending the meeting stood up to cheer and applaud the vote. The resolution is not legally binding, but expresses the county’s intent that its public funds not be used to restrict Second Amendment rights. The vote was sparked by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed gun-regulation bills in a Democrat-controlled General Assembly starting next year. On Monday, the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors voted to declare itself a Second Amendment sanctuary. Charlotte, Campbell and Carroll counties also have passed similar resolutions.

Washington

Seattle: A new company has announced plans to bring an alternative to human burial and cremation to Washington state called human-composting. The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that Recompose founder Katrina Spade hosted a gathering last week to celebrate the company’s first location in Sodo. Officials said Spade partnered with a soil scientist who led a successful research trial and convinced legislators to change state law about the disposition of the dead. Company officials said Recompose is expected to open in 2021 and cost $5,500 each customer, more than basic cremation, but less than most funerals. Officials said each body would produce about 1 cubic yard of soil. Officials said excess soil is expected to be sent to land intended to become an ecologically sustainable village.

West Virginia

Snowshoe: The state’s ski and snowboard season is set to begin Friday, when the first resort opens its lifts and trails for the winter. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Pocahontas County will power up three of its lifts and open 11 trails and a terrain park at its Snowshoe Basin area at the end of this week. Canaan Valley Resort in Tucker County will follow less than a month later by opening its four lifts and dozens of trails for skiing and snowboarding on Dec. 14. Others are expected to follow throughout December, but could open sooner if they’re able to make enough snow. West Virginia Ski Areas Association spokesman Joe Stevens said recent cold weather has been beneficial for the resorts’ snowmaking processes.

Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers signed into law a measure that changes how electric bikes, or e-bikes, are regulated in a move designed to increase rider safety. The bikes with small rechargeable electric motors are gaining in popularity, creating some conflicts because current law treats them the same as gas-powered motorbikes. Under current law, e-bikes are banned from bike paths and operators must carry a valid driver’s license. The increased popularity of e-bikes led to the effort to bring regulations into line with their use. The bill signed by Evers on Wednesday treats e-bikes like regular bikes, and also giving local governments the ability to restrict their use on some bike paths. Evers said he was happy to sign the bipartisan bill to support the use of e-bikes, which he called a “more sustainable and accessible transportation option.”

Wyoming

Jackson: A survey asking middle school students about their sexual orientation is angering some parents. The survey went out to Jackson Hole Middle School students in October. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported it was part of an effort to determine if the school should have a gay-straight alliance or other support for LGBTQ students. Parent Mike Mielke said the questions were inappropriate and school officials at least should have told parents about the survey. Principal Matt Hoelscher said he pulled the survey after he found out about it. Hoelscher said there are better ways to get such information. Hoelscher said the survey originated in the school counseling office, which sought to identify and reach out to marginalized students.