A train stoppage in Utah, a hefty appetite in Tennessee and more
- Montgomery
The Mighty Marching Hornets, Alabama State University’s nationally known marching band, will lead the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day with grand marshal Chaka Khan. The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Gerald Freeny, president of the Tournament of Roses, reached out to the school to apply. Alumni and fans will help cover the $350,000 cost of the trip.
- Juneau
Alaska’s capital stopped fluoridating its tap water about 12 years ago, and a new study says Juneau’s children are paying a price. Studying Medicaid claims, public health researcher Jennifer Meyer found that children under 6 averaged one additional cavity-related procedure a year, at a cost of about $300.
- WinslowCity Manager Steve Pauken will not be standing on a street corner after he retires Friday. Instead, Pauken says he plans to travel and stargaze in his backyard and at Homolovi State Park. Pauken is a co-founder of the park’s observatory and has spent 35 years working for local governments, including eight years as the city manager in Bisbee.
- El DoradoThe El Dorado School district has completed its first three podcasts, thanks to Chelsey Turner, librarian and parent involvement coordinator at Washington Middle School. They cover the El Dorado Promise, student behavior and the standards-based reporting grading system, which will end up being a two-part episode.
- SacramentoCalifornia would likely lose money and face insurmountable federal hurdles if it tried to create a state-backed bank for the marijuana industry, according to a new report. State Treasurer John Chiang used the report to blast the Trump administration for cracking down on marijuana even though 33 states have legalized it for recreational or medicinal purposes.
- GreeleyEntry fees at all of Colorado’s 41 state parks are increasing on Tuesday. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says daily passes for vehicles, individuals and off-leash dogs will increase by $1. The 2019 charges are up to $10 per vehicle, depending on the park; $4 for an individual and $3 for an off-leash dog. Annual vehicle passes are increasing from $70 to $80. The money will be used to address increased operating costs, provide adequate staffing and maintenance and continue to offer quality programs and services.
- BoltonA new 3-mile section of the East Coast Greenway has opened in eastern Connecticut. The stretch, which includes two major bridges, connects the Hop River State Park Trail in Bolton to the existing section of the Charter Oak Greenway in Manchester. Connecticut now has more than 90 miles of protected trail completed on its more than 200-mile portion of the East Coast Greenway, a system of trails for bicycles and pedestrians that is planned to stretch from Maine to Florida.
- Wilmington
After police in Delaware and New Jersey received complaints about mysterious music from towns along the Delaware River, Penns Grove Police Chief John Stranahan drove from New Jersey to Wilmington to find the source himself. Every few blocks, he got out of the car and listened for heavy bass. At the confluence of the Christiana River and Brandywine Creek, he found a skatepark with four men and a van with a massive sound system. Stranahan says they fled, but he just wanted to let them know the music was disturbing people.
- WashingtonAre you a Trump supporter tired of running into “If you voted for Trump, swipe left” on dating profiles? Christy Edwards Lawton has a solution for you: a new app called Righter. In a city where just 4 percent of residents voted for the president, the app gives lonely hearts a chance to find others with “conservative, Christian and American values.”
- IslamoradaA loggerhead sea turtle that required surgery to remove a 2-foot-long dead eel from its body cavity has been released back into the waters off the Florida Keys. Veterinarians said the eel had eaten through the turtle’s intestinal tract to get to the body cavity before dying. Turtle Hospital veterinarian Brooke Burkhalter performed a three-hour procedure to remove the dead goldspotted eel from the critically ill turtle, dubbed Shelmore.
- SavannahSavannah has seen three local movie theaters close in recent months, decreasing the number of big screens in the city by more than 20. Lawyer Charles “Bo” Bowen helped found the Savannah Film Alliance, a local industry group. He says the theaters that have closed are older and less technologically advanced.
- HonoluluAhi prices are uncertain in Honolulu as demand rises leading up to the new year. The fish is a traditional food for the holiday for many island residents. A pound of ahi was running from $14.95 to $39.95 at Tamashiro Market on Thursday, but no one could say what would happen when new fish begins hitting stores.
- BoiseDespite legal challenges, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is moving ahead with a voter-approved Medicaid expansion effort. Health and Welfare spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr says the agency expects to submit its amended state Medicaid plan to the federal government for approval by Feb. 15. Voters authorized the move in November after years of legislative inaction.
- SpringfieldState residents will wake up New Year’s Day with 253 new laws on the books. Among them: A 72-hour waiting period for purchases of firearms takes effect, the youngest children in cars will be required to ride in rear-facing seats, and blaze pink will be acceptable for hunters’ wardrobes.
- Carmel
Six major school construction projects costing tens of millions of dollars apiece are in the works in Hamilton County, including the Carmel Clay district’s plan to replace two existing elementary schools and Westfield Washington Schools’ expansion and renovation of its intermediate, middle and high schools. Carmel is spending $65 million on its elementary school projects, while the Hamilton Southeastern district in Fishers is building its 13th elementary school for $22 million. Officials expect all the projects will be completed between 2019 and 2021.
- Iowa City
A former shelter dog has retired after eight years of comforting patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Maggie, a certified therapy dog, has been part of the hospital’s Furry Friends program. Her owner, Sue Braverman, says Maggie, 13, seems to have a gift for making people feel better— patients and hospital staffers alike. Maggie’s hospital friends said goodbye to her at a retirement gathering last week.
- Kansas CityU.S. Sen. Pat Roberts was in session briefly by himself in an otherwise empty Senate chamber during the federal government’s partial shutdown last week. The session lasted only three minutes. The 82-year-old, four-term Republican hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election in 2020.
- LexingtonA larger-than-life bronze memorial to the famous racehorse Secretariat is coming to Lexington this fall. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports sculptor Jocelyn Russell is constructing the statue of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. He’ll be posed in full stride winning the Kentucky Derby with jockey Ron Turcotte in the saddle.
- Lafayette
A cute, comfy outfit can make all the difference, families at Women’s and Children’s Hospital discovered after 240 Brave Gowns were delivered to pediatric patients. The gowns offer the fun of a costume and the comfort of a T-shirt while providing access for IVs, chest ports and heart monitors. “I think the gowns are definitely going to give the kids something extra to look forward to because it’s horrible being in here, not knowing what to expect and all,” said Meika Guidry. Her daughter Sadie’s cancer, diagnosed in January, has been in remission for a few weeks.
- BangorSpring is months away, but pothole season is already here in New England. The boomerang weather in which temperatures plummet and then rise again is wreaking havoc on roads across the region. In Bangor, Public Works Director Eric Willett says his staff is fielding plenty of calls from frustrated motorists. Crews are working to fill the potholes.
- BaltimoreSix people were injured after a “partial equipment failure” involving a jet bridge at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Southwest Airlines says it requested paramedics to help with a medical situation involving a passenger on a flight from the Dominican Republic. The airport’s jet bridge, which connects the plane to the terminal, failed while medics were helping the passenger outside the aircraft.
- BostonThe state’s minimum wage is going up from $11 to $12, the income tax rate is coming down and it will be illegal everywhere in Massachusetts to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. Those are among the new and updated laws taking effect when the new year arrives on Tuesday. A new fee on rental cars also goes into effect, as do certain new rules concerning the treatment and placement of state prison inmates.
- Norton Shores
A 20-year-old Grant man has been charged in the fatal crossbow shooting of an acquaintance outside his western Michigan home. Nyoky Steven Bull was arraigned on an open murder charge and ordered jailed. Matt Roberts of the prosecutor’s office says Bull’s girlfriend’s Instagram account was used to “lure” Marcus Olmstead outside. Roberts says Olmstead thought he was meeting with the girlfriend.
- MilanThe Opjorden family in Milan is marking 125 years measuring the temperature and taking precipitation readings for the National Weather Service, which officials say is the longest-running record for a weather observing family in the state. “It’s basically the gold standard of a climate record,” said Michelle Margraf, who leads the National Weather Service’s observing program in the Twin Cities. Only about eight weather observation sites in the U.S. have operated for so long, she says. The family was awarded the Family Heritage Award by the National Weather Service on Dec. 11.
- SandhillEven speeding Mississippi drivers will note one of the fastest women in the world. Officials recently unveiled a highway sign on Mississippi 25 in Rankin County honoring sprinter Tori Bowie. Bowie, 28, won gold with the American team in women’s 4x100 meter relay in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She also won a silver medal that year in the 100-meter and a bronze medal in the 200-meter.
- Kansas CityA new study finds that Missouri and Kansas are spending only a fraction of their tobacco settlement proceeds on smoking cessation efforts, despite recommendations from federal health officials. Missouri is the worst among states that spent any money on tobacco prevention programs, amounting to a fraction of a percent of the $72 million that the Centers for Disease Control recommended, The Kansas City Star reports.
- BozemanWhile no one’s working at Yellowstone National Park’s entrance stations or visitor centers due to the partial government shutdown, snowmobile and snow coach guides are still taking tourists into the park’s interior. And they’re packing in toilet paper and packing out trash. Travis Watt, general manager of Three Bear Lodge and See Yellowstone Alpen Guides in West Yellowstone, says his guides and those at other companies are pitching in to handle some of the basic duties.
- LincolnUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln entomologist Brett Ratcliffe has named three of his eight newest beetle discoveries after the dragons from the HBO series “Game of Thrones” and the George R.R. Martin book series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Ratcliffe named the new scarab beetle species drogoni, rhaegali and viserioni, Latinized versions of Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion, three dragons owned by Daenerys Targaryen’s character in the fictional work. “One of every four living things on Earth is a beetle,” Ratcliffe notes. “We haven’t discovered them all. We’re not even close.”
- Las VegasGov.-elect Steve Sisolak and fiancee Kathy Ong have tied the knot in – where else? – Las Vegas. The governor-elect said he and Ong married at Guardian Angel Cathedral and that his wife “will make Nevada proud” as first lady. Ong is an Ely native and a Las Vegas financial consultant. The couple announced their engagement in November.
- ConcordA new law raising the state’s marriage age was a victory for one incoming state representative before she even considered running for office. Starting Tuesday, the state’s minimum marriage age will be 16, up from 13 for girls and 14 for boys. The bill was championed by Cassie Levesque, who was a senior in high school in 2017 when she began her push to raise the marriage age as part of a Girl Scouts project. She succeeded in 2018, and won House seat in November.
- WantageA cow bound for a slaughterhouse that led authorities on an hourlong chase along Interstate 80 before being captured is recuperating at the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue. The cow suffered cuts and scrapes from falling from the second floor of the trailer near Paterson. The cow has been named Brianna in honor of the police officer named Brian who alerted the sanctuary to the animal’s escape.
- Santa FeEducation officials say 73 percent of state high school students are earning diplomas, the highest rate in history. Gov. Susana Martinez says students have made improvements even as the state has raised academic standards and graduation requirements. The Republican says they’re better prepared to enter the workforce and college.
- West SayvillePolice and passers-by teamed up to rescue a dog that was clinging to floating debris off Long Island. Suffolk County police say the hound mix, Wilbur, wandered out of his West Sayville yard. Passer-by Ary McCarthy spotted him and went into the 41-degree waters of Great South Bay with onlooker Beth Higbie to get him. Wilbur is expected to make a full recovery.
- Pittsboro
Amid one of North Carolina’s rainiest years on record, residents of one neighborhood have had to resort to boats to reach their homes. Although Jeremiah Drive is about a half-mile from Jordan Lake, it crosses a connecting creek. Resident Faye Stanley says the road floods when the lake is above 225 feet, which has happened three times in three months. Jeremiah Drive is home to about 30 people who have to row 400 feet across the water.
- MandanCody Stern and Allan Miller are city natives and good friends who plan to bring a new family-friendly dining experience to their hometown. “In a town of 20-something-thousand, people should have more options,” Stern told The Bismarck Tribune. The two are teaming up with a couple of longtime restaurant operators to open Old Ten Bar and Grill.
- DelawareThe city is preparing to welcome a statue it hopes will revive interest in the nation’s 19th president. Rutherford B. Hayes was the third of eight presidents from Ohio. His 197th birthday on Oct. 4 will be marked by the dedication of a lifelike statue in the center of town. It will be close to Hayes’ birthplace, which is now a gas station marked with a plaque.
- Oklahoma City
Newly elected state Treasurer Randy McDaniel is getting an early jump on his new job. Gov. Mary Fallin is appointing McDaniel to the post effective Tuesday. The former legislator, a Republican, will be sworn into office on Wednesday and finish the remaining two weeks of outgoing Treasurer Ken Miller’s term.
- AstoriaFishery managers say commercial fisherman in parts of Oregon and Washington state will finally be able to set their Dungeoness crab gear on Tuesday. The Daily Astorian reports fisherman can begin pulling their gear on Friday. The lucrative commercial fishery traditionally starts Dec. 1. But the fishery was delayed this year after tests showed crabs had not filled out enough.
- PhiladelphiaA seriously injured Philadelphia police officer who was pulled from his wrecked cruiser moments before it burst into flames is expected to fully recover. Matthew Smyth, 31, who had suffered cervical spine and hip fractures and was stuck in the vehicle, was freed by other officers.
- ProvidenceDemocratic Gov. Gina Raimondo has decided she’ll let the news media into her inaugural gala on Saturday after all. She had previously said the black-tie optional affair was a closed, invite-only event. The Providence Journal reports the press had been invited to cover previous inaugural galas. Raimondo is being sworn in Tuesday for her second four-year term after defeating Republican challenger Allan Fung in November.
- CharlestonThe Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority has bought a $216,000 bus washer so the entire fleet can be cleaned in one night. Before, the bus authority’s crew could only wash about a sixth of the fleet’s buses in a day. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports the Westmatic machine is similar to a car wash. The water is reclaimed to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. The authority also has a new sanitizing system that can kill germs like the flu inside buses.
- ChelseaA swine feedlot proposed for north-central South Dakota could house more than 8,500 pigs. The feedlot application is pending approval from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Barry Kerkaert of Wesley Farm in Pipestone, Minnesota, is planning the operation southwest of Chelsea in Faulk County.
- JacksonRandy Santel won the giant burger challenge at KC Finn’s and lived to tell about it, received a roaring ovation from the packed crowd at the food truck’s South Highland location. “I expected Randy to beat it,” KC Finn’s co-owner Charlie Finn said. “He does this professionally, and I knew he’d be able to eat it, plus we needed someone to win.” The six-pound meal includes a pound of fries and a burger with 16 slices of cheese, eight beef patties, a 5-inch bun, lettuce and tomatoes, plus a 20-ounce drink.
- DallasThe editorial board of The Dallas Morning News has picked former first lady Laura Bush as the newspaper’s “Texan of the Year,” in part for speaking out against child separation at the border. The newspaper on Sunday said Bush wrote “one of the most consequential op-eds of the year” when she published a Father’s Day column calling the Trump’s administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy “cruel” and “immoral.” The policy led to nearly 3,000 children being separated from their families.
- Salt Lake CityAn annual northern Utah event honoring American West railroad history was canceled due to the government shutdown. The Winter Steam Festival at the Golden Spike National Monument northwest of Ogden draws train enthusiasts and photographers to watch as steam billows in the wintery air as the old trains move along the tracks.
- Montpelier
Vermont will not be able to run its own background checks for gun sales, according to a new report. The Department of Public Safety says that because only licensed dealers can access the federal database system, the state will not be able to offer an alternative to running background checks through gun shops, Vermont Public Radio reports.
- Chincoteague
Authorities have euthanized the last four wild Chincoteague ponies that were diagnosed with a fungus-like disease known as “swamp cancer.” Seven wild ponies have died since October. Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company spokeswoman Denise Bowden said in a Facebook post that the ponies “received the very best care money could buy” before their caretakers decided to end their suffering. “Swamp cancer” isn’t cancer, but is actually pythiosis, caused by an organism similar to fungus.
- RentonIconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix will now have a post office near his hometown named after him. The Seattle Times reports a bill was signed into law re-christening the Renton Highlands Post Office the James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix Post Office. The Renton post office is less than a mile from the Jimi Hendrix Memorial in the Greenwood Memorial Park cemetery, where he is buried.
- CharlestonDrivers who frequently use the West Virginia Turnpike have a little extra time to enroll in the state’s E-Z Pass discount program. Gov. Jim Justice says the West Virginia Parkways Authority voted to extend the deadline to enroll to Jan. 11. Justice said the move came due to a high volume of enrollment as well as technical challenges.
- FennimoreA family-owned variety store chain in southwestern Wisconsin has closed, marking the end of an era. Friday was the last day for World of Variety in Fennimore, Boscobel, Mt. Horeb and Cross Plains. It was a 47-year run for the chain. Owners Mike and Alice Mudler say the long hours and a challenging retail environment led them to a decision to close the stores.
- SheridanA small ski area in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains has opened for the first time in 14 years. Skiers returned Friday to Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area, about 60 miles west of Sheridan. The resort was open from 1961 until 2004, when the family-run business that operated the area closed it. The not-for-profit Antelope Butte Foundation formed in Sheridan in 2011 and has been working to reopen it.