Chicago cows, bras for turtles, gold rush: News from around our 50 states
Alabama
Montgomery: The state Department of Corrections is moving along with a plan to build three new prisons. The prison system last week posted a “request for qualifications” from companies interested in building the facilities. The department wrote that it intends to gather qualified companies and then take proposals later this year. The department wrote that its goal is to break ground in mid-2020. The prisons would each house more than 3,000 male inmates. Gov. Kay Ivey in February announced a plan to build three new prisons. She said the state will first gather proposals from companies and then decide how to proceed. Ivey has presented new facilities as part of the solution to prisons beset with violence and overcrowding. Critics have said staffing levels are a more pressing concern.
Alaska
Juneau: U.S. Attorney General William Barr has declared a law enforcement emergency in Alaska, clearing the way for the Justice Department to award more than $10 million to combat crime in rural Alaskan communities. Friday’s announcement follows a trip Barr made in May to meet with Native leaders in the state, who described disproportionately high rates of violence and sexual assault in Native communities. It’s the first time Barr has personally declared a law enforcement emergency since he assumed his role in February. The Justice Department has previously declared similar emergencies after mass shootings and to combat spikes in violent crime. The funding would be available immediately and is meant to help hire additional village and tribal officers and to pay for equipment and training.
Arizona
Scottsdale: There’s an influx of new animals this season at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, a nonprofit rescue organization that rehabilitates the injured, displaced and orphaned. The center releases animals to the wild and gives shelter to those that can’t be released – and right now, it’s up to its ears in wildlife to care for, according to spokeswoman Kim Carr. Some of the animals cared for include bobcats, foxes, skunks, rabbits, black bear cubs, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, javelinas and porcupines. Center director Lisa Searles says workers currently have at least 100 animals going through rehabilitation – double the amount they had this time last year. Carr said raccoons in particular are coming in such huge numbers that the center is building new enclosures just to accommodate them. One raccoon arrived covered in cement, according to the center’s Facebook page.
Arkansas
Dermott: A youth detention center has been closed as part of Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s plan to streamline and improve the state’s juvenile system. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the Dermott Juvenile Treatment Center closed Thursday. A Youth Services Division spokeswoman says the last 10 inmates have been sent home or to other facilities. The most recent closure leaves just five state juvenile lockups in operation. Hutchinson says he wants the state to provide “better quality, individualized treatment” for juvenile offenders. The nonprofit Disability Rights Arkansas, which monitors the treatment of children in state lockups, says the closure represents progress, but more is needed. It wants Arkansas to use diversion tactics to keep youths out of detention and provide effective treatment for those who must be imprisoned.
California
Rancho Mirage: The Betty Ford drug and alcohol treatment center has agreed to make sure its facilities are accessible to the disabled. The U.S. attorney’s office says the agreement was finalized Friday with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. The foundation agreed to remove barriers for easier access to patient rooms, bathrooms and other areas at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage. The center also will make sure new buildings are accessible. The center was investigated for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act that bars discrimination against the disabled. Federal authorities say the foundation cooperated with the investigation. The Betty Ford Center was co-founded in 1982 by former First Lady Betty Ford, who underwent treatment for alcohol and prescription drug abuse.
Colorado
Fort Collins: A bison herd in northern Colorado is growing much faster than expected. The herd at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, north of Fort Collins, began three years ago as 10 genetically pure descendants of bison in Yellowstone National Park. The Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd now numbers 76 animals, including a dozen calves born just this year. The natural area doesn’t have enough room for more than 100 bison. Herd managers expect to reach that number soon. Colorado State University, the city of Fort Collins and Larimer County hope to raise enough genetically pure, disease-free bison to give or trade to American Indian tribes and conservation organizations. Herd managers recently sent two bison bulls to a zoo in Oakland, California.
Connecticut
Hartford: State agriculture officials say time is quickly running out to purchase a locally grown, sweet treat: cherries. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt says Connecticut is fortunate to have farmers who grow the fruit in both sweet and tart varieties, but there is only a short window to purchase them. Available for just two to three weeks, cherries are expected to peak over the Fourth of July weekend. They are considered one of the more challenging fruits to grow in the state. South Glastonbury farmer Don Preli, who owns Belltown Hill Orchards, says despite some issues with pollination and wet weather, the cherry crop has “fared well” this season. Consumers can find local farms on the Connecticut Grown website.
Delaware
Wilmington: A group of Muslim students have returned to a public pool in the city a year after they were asked to leave because of their cotton garments. Darul-Amaanah Academy principal Tahsiyn Ismaa’eel says the place “felt like home again” when the group returned Thursday. The city earlier this year settled with the school and families for $50,000. It didn’t admit wrongdoing but agreed to revise regulations to “expressly accommodate clothing worn for religious reasons or financial hardship.” The school argued city staff discriminated against seven children because of their religion. The then-pool manager said policy prohibited cotton in the pool, but Mayor Mike Purczycki said no such restriction existed. After Purczycki apologized, the school said staffers closed the pool before students could go in.
District of Columbia
Washington: The Interior Department says a Fourth of July celebration featuring President Donald Trump will include a flight demonstration by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. The “Salute to America” event will honor the nation’s five service branches with music, military demonstrations and a fireworks display, as well as a speech by Trump at the Lincoln Memorial. Participants include the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, U.S. Army Band, Armed Forces Chorus, U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team and others. Democrats have voiced concern that Trump could alter the tone of what traditionally is a nonpartisan celebration of America’s founding by delivering an overtly political speech. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt says Trump will use the speech to honor the military.
Florida
Gainesville: An almost 14-foot jawbone believed to be from a right whale is now in a museum after a boater spotted it on a barrier island off Florida’s Atlantic Coast. The Tampa Bay Times reports the bone was taken to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville in May. The jawbone was discovered near Jacksonville. Museum officials say it appears to be a left mandible, which is part of the jawbone. DNA tests are underway to determine if the bone is indeed from a right whale. There are only about 450 right whales left in the world. The museum currently has a right mandible from a right whale, which was found in 1907. Florida Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Michelle Kerr says it was a “rare, unique discovery.”
Georgia
Atlanta: Two dogs, part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “beagle brigade,” sniffed out two giant African snails in the luggage of a passenger arriving at the airport from Nigeria. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the beagles, named Candie and Chipper, were alerted to the passenger’s checked bags at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday. A Customs agriculture specialist found the snails in a suitcase, along with prohibited fruits and vegetables. The snails were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the food was destroyed. The USDA’s website says such snails are illegally imported for classroom exhibits, as pets or for food. They’re also described as “one of the most damaging” in the world because they consume at least 500 types of plants, reproduce quickly and can cause meningitis.
Hawaii
Honolulu: The state will soon provide drivers the option to select “X” as their gender on licenses. Hawaii News Now reports Democratic Gov. David Ige on Wednesday signed the bill intended to reduce discrimination against transgender and gender-fluid people. The gender X option is for drivers who prefer not to identify as male or female. Hawaii will be the ninth state to offer the gender X option on driver’s licenses. Officials say the bill also protects residents from being forced to provide documentation such as a birth certificate or other means of proof when selecting gender X. Supporters say the measure is a major victory for the LGBTQ community.
Idaho
Boise: Gov. Brad Little says a salmon and steelhead recovery workgroup he formed should focus on achievable goals that can bolster the state’s struggling fish populations. Little on Friday also told the nearly two dozen panel members comprised of environmentalists, ranchers, recreationists, power companies and state officials at their first meeting that the workgroup will help define Idaho’s position for federal efforts to save salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin. Billions of dollars have been spent in Idaho, Oregon and Washington to save 13 species of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead protected under the Endangered Species Act. Four of those species are in Idaho. Little, a Republican, says he’s not convinced that breaching four dams on the Snake River in Washington will help the fish rebound, and he advised the group not to get bogged down on that topic.
Illinois
Chicago: A herd of fiberglass cows is returning to the city to mark the 20-year anniversary of a popular display of brightly painted faux bovines that inspired other cities to line their streets with their own statues of everything from lobsters to pigs. The Chicago Tribune reports that for the month of July, the city is commemorating the 1999 “Cows on Parade” exhibit with what it’s calling “Cows Come Home.” Some 20 cows will be on display. They include some of the original exhibit’s most popular cows, a colorful reminder of the original public art exhibit in which well over 300 fiberglass could be spotted downtown. The cows sported baseball caps, Hawaii shirts, sunglasses, ladybug wings and more.
Indiana
Indianapolis: All emergency dispatchers in the state will have a year to complete training in telephone CPR under a new law taking effect Monday. Indiana officials say at least 10% of the nearly 2,400 people working in 911 call centers around the state lack such training. Officials say it’s particularly vital in rural areas where emergency crews face longer trips to arrive. Statewide 911 Board official Ed Reuter says most staff members may know hands-on CPR, but what telephone CPR requires is different. City of Lawrence emergency dispatcher Michael Clark says dispatchers have a set of cards they can read from on such calls, but they often veer off script to calm callers.
Iowa
Des Moines: Iowans will be hard-pressed to find local sweet corn for their backyard barbecues in time for the Fourth of July holiday. Due to the cool, wet spring, harvests will be later, and ears will be smaller. But sweet corn farmers are confident that when things finally get rolling, the sweet corn will be plentiful. The recent spike in temperature will help things along quickly. “We’re not going to have sweet corn ready by July 4 weekend. Maybe the weekend after,” said Ron Deardorff of Deardorff Sweet Corn. “The weather has not been conducive.” Deardorff said once the corn is finally ready, there will be plenty to go around, as he and his crew were able to do later plantings between the rain showers.
Kansas
Topeka: A dispute is escalating between top Republicans and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration over looser rules for people who receive food assistance. The state Department for Children and Families on Friday released an internal analysis defending the legality of a new policy that makes it easier for adults who are not working to keep receiving food assistance. DCF made the change in May. Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature contend that the policy violates a 2015 law setting stricter requirements for food and cash assistance. They have promised that a committee will review the issue later this year. GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt sent DCF Secretary Laura Howard a letter last week saying the policy appeared to violate state law. Howard released the legal analysis in response.
Kentucky
Lexington: KentuckyWired has overcome its squirrel problem – at least for now. Construction on the first ring of the state’s troubled internet project is now complete, Gov. Matt Bevin and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers announced at a joint news conference Friday. That section, initially expected in April but delayed by squirrel damage, circles a region that includes Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky, Bevin said. Also complete is a branch of the network that bridges Lexington and Somerset in Eastern Kentucky, which Rogers represents. By stringing more than 3,000 miles of fiber-optic cable across the state, the project is designed to improve high-speed internet access in Kentucky. But the project, pushed through at the end of Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration, has been plagued by two years of delays.
Louisiana
Baton Rouge: An invasive species of swamp eel has been found in the city, and a state biologist says it’s the first time this species has been found in the United States. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Robert Bourgeois says the Asian swamp eels in Bayou St. John may have been released for food or from an aquarium. Bourgeois said in a news release Thursday that they eat the same things native fish and animals do, but their effect on native species is not known. He says other Asian swamp eel species have been found over the years in New Jersey, Hawaii, Georgia and Florida. The department is asking the public to help it learn how widespread these are by freezing and reporting any they find.
Maine
Augusta: Environmentalists say the removal of a dam on the Kennebec River remains a pivotal moment in the state’s conservation movement 20 years later. The Natural Resources Council of Maine says supporters will gather in Augusta on Monday to celebrate the removal of the Edwards Dam. The group credits the dam removal with allowing fish to return to the river and improving habitat for birds such as bald eagles and ospreys. The Natural Resources Council of Maine says the removal of the dam was also the beginning of a movement toward river restoration around the country. It says 1,200 dams have been removed since. The former dam site is now a park that includes a boat launch. The anniversary event Monday will be held at the park.
Maryland
Annapolis: Journalists honored the five Capital Gazette employees who were shot to death in their newsroom last year by unveiling a plaque Friday with the names of the dead in a garden next to five rose bushes. The plaque in the waterside park acknowledges Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Wendi Winters and Rebecca Smith as “our cherished colleagues.” “This community is very lucky,” said Rick Hutzell, the newspaper’s editor. “It has what a lot of communities have lost, and that is a newsroom. A newsroom is a room full of people who turn up every day to celebrate our successes, to point out what is wrong, and to ask what could be better. That is what journalism is about, so it is extremely fitting that this is where this garden is … it’s a place where people come for a quiet moment to think about things.”
Massachusetts
Boston: The 38th annual Boston Harborfest will kick off Tuesday with patriotic music and a ceremonial cake cutting. The opening ceremony for the multiday festival will be held at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The festival that began in 1982 features hundreds of activities to celebrate American independence, honor Boston’s colonial roots and showcase the city’s harbor. Harborfest will also include historical reenactments, Freedom Trail tours, live entertainment and other activities. The festival runs through Sunday. Tuesday night is the Parade of Lights, when boaters show off festive lights on their vessels in Boston Harbor. The parade will be followed by fireworks.
Michigan
Traverse City: Emmy and Tony award-winning actress Lily Tomlin will receive a lifetime achievement award at the 15th annual Traverse City Film Festival in northern Michigan. Oscar winner and festival founder Michael Moore is expected to present the honor to Tomlin on Aug. 3. The festival runs July 30 to Aug. 4 and will feature more than 200 films and events. Actress and political activist Jane Fonda was last year’s recipient. Tomlin and Fonda star in the comedy “Grace and Frankie,” which airs on Netflix. Tomlin was born in Detroit. Her film credits include “Nashville,” “9 to 5” and “The Incredible Shrinking Woman.”
Minnesota
Byron: About 40 cattle were swept away from their pasture in southern Minnesota as heavy rainfall caused the Zumbro River to swell. Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson says some of the cattle have been located, but it’s going to take some time for authorities to access them due to flooding. Some cattle were still unaccounted for as of noon Friday. Torgerson says the incident happened near Byron. Video posted online shows several cows being swiftly pushed downriver in the current. National Weather Service records show the Rochester International Airport saw about 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period early Friday. Dodge County, to the west, also saw overnight thunderstorms, contributing to flooding of the Zumbro River. Several roads in the area were covered with water Friday morning and were closed.
Mississippi
Ocean Springs: It was built as a hideout for mobster Al Capone and was a hangout for Elvis in the 1950s as he became a star. Now Gulf Hills Hotel is in danger of losing that history and heritage. An investor who wants to buy the 92-year-old resort met last month with the residents of the community that adjoins the 10-acre property, the Sun-Herald reports. Walt Reinhaus shared his vision for a “luxury” RV park near the water to help make the resort profitable, along with restoring the hotel, installing gardens, reopening a restaurant, renewing the swimming pool and adding a fitness center. “There are a lot of good things in your proposal that we really like,” one resident said, but the sticking point was the RV park. Residents said they are most concerned about the traffic on narrow roads and their property values.
Missouri
St. Louis: Two years after a state park employee died from complications from the Bourbon virus, researchers are using a strain of the virus taken from her to try to figure out how to treat the tick-borne disease. Meramec State Park Assistant Superintendent Tamela Wilson died in June 2017 after being bitten by an infected tick near her home outside Sullivan. The Washington Missourian reports Dr. Jacco Boon of Washington University is using lab mice infected with the Bourbon virus to research a possible cure. He is working with Barnes-Jewish Hospital doctors who diagnosed and treated Wilson before her death. Because the disease is rare, researchers are using a strain of Bourbon virus taken from Wilson to create cultures and conduct the testing.
Montana
Helena: The U.S. Supreme Court will consider reviving a program in the state that gives tax credits to people who donate to private-school scholarships. The state’s highest court had struck down the program because it violated the Montana constitution’s ban on state aid to religious organizations. The justices said Friday that they will review the state court ruling, which Montana parents are challenging as a violation of their religious freedom under the U.S. Constitution. The Montana Supreme Court ruled that the program giving tax credits of up to $150 for donations to organizations that give scholarships to private-school students amounts to indirect aid to schools controlled by churches.
Nebraska
Omaha: The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has approved the creation of a new heart and vascular disease research center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The board voted Friday to approve the Center for Heart and Vascular Research, which will bring together scientists from colleges across the University of Nebraska, including medicine, public health, nursing, pharmacy, engineering, arts and sciences, and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In a news release, UNMC says cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and hospitalization in Nebraska, accounting for 1 in 3 deaths. The UNMC College of Medicine and extramural research grants have committed $8 million in startup funding for five years.
Nevada
Las Vegas: The SLS hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is going back to the Sahara name. The iconic hotel that dates to 1952 and over the years hosted the Rat Pack, the Jerry Lewis Telethon and the Beatles came full circle with a Thursday night announcement by new owner Alex Meruelo. SLS General Manager Paul Hobson tells the Las Vegas Sun the idea of changing the name back to Sahara was one of the first things Meruelo began considering when he acquired the property in April 2018. Hotel officials say the change is part of a $150 million renovation expected to take up to three years. The hotel-casino at the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip closed as the Sahara in 2011 and reopened as the SLS in 2014.
New Hampshire
Concord: The state’s environmental agency is proposing drinking water standards that would be among the nation’s strictest when it comes to certain industrial compounds. The Department of Environmental Services on Friday proposed standards for four compounds called per- and polyfluoroalykyl substances, or PFAS. The compounds, used in firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and other products, increasingly have turned up in public water supplies and private wells around the country. The federal government has a nonbinding health threshold of 70 parts per trillion for two forms of the contaminant. New Hampshire is proposing 12 parts per trillion for PFOA and 15 parts per trillion for PFOS. The New Hampshire proposal will be considered by a legislative rules committee this month.
New Jersey
Point Pleasant Beach: A Jersey shore community has moved its weekly beach fireworks show to accommodate endangered birds nesting and hatching there. More than 150 pairs of American oystercatchers, least terns and black skimmers have successively laid eggs near Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach. So officials have moved the weekly summer fireworks shows, which started Thursday, to an area south of where the birds are located. The nesting and hatching area has been roped off, and aquarium employees are monitoring the birds at least twice a day. Some birds have already nested and hatched, while others have just started to nest. Officials estimate the birds will be around for at least another six weeks. Aquarium officials say visitors are encouraged to observe the birds.
New Mexico
Santa Fe: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is launching a new effort to craft legislation that could legalize recreational marijuana sales next year. The first-year Democratic governor announced Friday her recruitment of health, legal and fiscal policy experts to serve in a new discussion group that provides recommendations on state legalization. Members of the group include Democratic and Republican legislators who sponsored unsuccessful legislation this year to authorize and tax recreational marijuana sales at state-run stores. That proposal passed a House vote but stalled in the state Senate. Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis is leading the cannabis legalization task force. Other participants represent a labor union, sheriff’s department, health care business, Native American tribe, medical cannabis business, county government association, commercial bank and hospital company.
New York
New York: The Daughters of the American Revolution is having a milestone moment. On Sunday, the lineage-based group officially installed the first African American woman on its national governing board. Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly, from Queens, and others in the historically white organization have been encouraging women of color to research their family roots to see if they can find a tie to the country’s founding. That’s after a past that’s included Eleanor Roosevelt quitting the Daughters of the American Revolution after it refused to allow black singer Marian Anderson to perform at its Constitution Hall in 1939. Kelly joined in 2004 after discovering she was related to a white Virginian who donated supplies to war efforts.
North Carolina
Indian Trail: An animal rescue group recently asked women not to throw out their old bras but instead to send the clasps to the agency to help turtles with broken shells, but the response was so overwhelming that it’s now suggesting people instead donate what they planned to spend for shipping. News outlets report Carolina Waterfowl Rescue was asking women through social media to remove the eye closures from the fasteners and mail them in. Rescue group worker Keenan Freitas says the eye closures basically help wire the turtle shell back together. The nonprofit has been seeing as many as 40 turtles a week during the past month. It says many of them have been run over by cars, lawnmowers and boats. An animal rehabilitation group in Iowa originally had the idea, saying it uses the fasteners along with small zip ties to help the turtles heal their broken shells.
North Dakota
Bismarck: The National Park Service says the fungus that causes a deadly disease in bats has been discovered in the state. The Bismarck Tribune reports the fungus was discovered after swab testing of a bat captured May 6 at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site near Stanton. The fungus causes white-nose syndrome, which can lead to dehydration or other conditions that kill bats. Thirty-three states have confirmed the disease since it was found in 2006 in New York. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife refuge specialist Catherine Hibbard says four states, including North Dakota, have discovered only the fungus. South Dakota identified the fungus and disease for the first time last year. Humans can transmit the fungus but aren’t affected by it. It is spread easily among bats.
Ohio
Warren: A region of the state steeped in Italian culture is showing off its local cuisine with a new culinary passport. The Italian Food Trail is designed to draw tourists and residents to 15 participating restaurants, markets, pizza shops and wineries throughout Trumbull County, to appreciate the Italian food offerings. Some of the county’s most memorable dishes are rooted in the traditions of Italian families that began arriving in the area in the late 19th century. The Vindicator of Youngstown reports the free passport is available at the county tourism office, the food sites or through the trail’s website while supplies last. Participants purchasing an appetizer, entree or dessert at a participating site get their passport stamped. A completed booklet can be exchanged for 15 chances to win a $50 gift certificate.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: The number of working oil rigs in the state is down more than a quarter from this time last year, amid a nationwide decrease. Oil-field services firm Baker Hughes reported 102 rigs operating in the state Friday. The Journal Record reports this is down 27% from a year ago following a sharp drop in January and gradual decreases through June. The lower count comes as energy companies across the country have prioritized cash flow over increased production amid low oil prices. Houston-based Baker Hughes reports 967 oil and gas rigs operating nationally, 80 fewer than a year ago. The rig count is down even as the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that national refinery capacity rose more than 1% since the beginning of 2018 to hit a record high.
Oregon
Salem: Undocumented immigrants will legally be able to obtain driver’s licenses under a measure sent to the governor’s desk. Senators voted 17-10 Saturday to expand driving privileges to all Oregon residents regardless of their immigration status. Gov. Kate Brown is expected to sign the bill into law. The move will make Oregon the 14th state to allow undocumented immigrants to drive. The bill has been a priority for pro-immigration groups who say that undocumented immigrants often live in rural areas, which requires having a car. Those without proof of residence say they live in fear that they could be deported over a traffic stop. Opponents say that the measure should be sent to the ballot considering that voters shot down a similar proposal in 2016.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: Works by one of the world’s best known video artists are on display at the Barnes Foundation. “I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola” opened Sunday and runs through Sept. 15. The Barnes’ first exhibition devoted to video art brings together a selection of Viola’s major pieces dating from 1976 to 2009, including the rarely seen large-scale installations “He Weeps for You,” created in 1976, and “Ascension,” from 2000. During the 1970s, Viola was a vanguard leader experimenting with the relatively new medium of video. His works are included in major museum collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and London’s Tate Modern.
Rhode Island
Lincoln: The most diverse class of troopers in state history has graduated from the Rhode Island State Police Training Academy. The class of 2019 graduated Friday in Lincoln. According to state police, seven women graduated – a record in the agency’s nearly centurylong history. Of the 37 new troopers, 23 are white, eight are black, and six are Hispanic. Seven of them served in the military, and 10 troopers speak a second language. Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo says graduating such a diverse class ensures the department better reflects the communities it serves. The troopers were selected from about 1,500 applicants and began intensive paramilitary training in January.
South Carolina
Kershaw: Potentially rich deposits of gold in the state are fueling a proposed expansion of a huge mine that has some excited about the prospect of 250 new jobs in a tiny community halfway between Columbia and Charlotte. OceanaGold’s expansion plan says the Australia-based company would increase its existing 4,552-acre Haile Gold Mine site by more than 900 acres near Kershaw. According to plans filed with the state, the company is seeking to dig an underground mine that would extend up to 1,314 feet below the surface. Haile is the largest open-pit gold mining operation in the eastern United States. The South Carolina mine cranked up about three years ago. The State reports the proposed project still needs approval from federal and state environmental regulators.
South Dakota
Pierre: An assessment of the conditions of the state’s highways and byways following spring storms has pegged damage at $7.5 million. South Dakota Department of Transportation engineer Tammy Williams told the state Transportation Commission on Thursday that damage to county roads has reached more than $6 million and $1.5 million to state highways. KELO-TV reports county governments haven’t yet figured out how much work is waiting from snow and ice in May. Crews are still waiting for the water to go down in many places. Williams says counties want special inspections of 261 bridges across South Dakota. Twelve bridges have been closed, and three have traffic confined to single lanes because officials don’t know how much weight the structures can bear.
Tennessee
Nashville: Vanderbilt University is pledging $2 million for the National Museum of African American Music, which is scheduled to open a 56,000-square-foot facility downtown early next year. The university says the gift includes in-kind contributions and direct financial support, and it will help expand the museum’s archives, contribute to innovative programming, support the completion of the facility and more. Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos says the partnership will help build global awareness of the impact of African American composers, performers and supporters. The partnership will include collaboration with the university’s Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries to offer their collection of books, scores, recordings and other materials for loan, display and study at the museum. Vanderbilt and the museum will also team up for a speaker series after the facility opens.
Texas
Dallas: A recent collaboration involving the Texas A&M Forest Service and NASA scientists could help urban planners in the state more quickly coordinate recovery efforts following a natural disaster. The project, which also included the U.S. Forest Service and other groups, used satellite imagery and other remote sensing information to authenticate the number of urban trees killed by drought in 2011 and 2012. The study used aerial imagery and other models to measure urban canopies in two cities, Austin and Houston, from 2010 to 2018 to reveal both the effects of the drought and trends in recovery. Researchers confirmed earlier findings that 5.6 million urban trees were killed statewide. Those are in addition to the more than 300 million trees that died across the rest of Texas.
Utah
St. George: The state’s skin cancer rates have skyrocketed in recent years, and local health officials are urging the public to take preventative measures. Utah has the highest rate of skin cancer in the country, with 41.2 new cases per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent data, compiled by the CDC in 2016, revealed that melanoma was the third most common type of cancer in Utah, trailing only breast cancer and prostate cancer. A recent study by QuoteWizard Insurance News claims residents in Southern states are typically more likely to protect themselves from sun damage – and therefore report lower rates – than residents states with colder climates.
Vermont
Montpelier: The state is expanding a program that hopes to help tourists who enjoy visiting move to the Green Mountain State full time. It’s part of an effort to reverse the declining workforce and boost state revenue. Since the “Stay-to-Stay Weekends” were launched last year, more than a dozen people have moved to the state. The weekends include a reception hosted by a local chamber of commerce or young professional’s network, as well as opportunities to explore the region. The governor’s office says guests also meet with employers who are hiring, tour the area with a real estate agent, or visit an incubator or co-working space to meet with entrepreneurs. This year new communities offering the long weekends include Newport at the end of July and in December and St. Johnsbury in September and October.
Virginia
Richmond: Hundreds of new state laws are going into effect Monday. One of the biggest items that passed during the legislative session earlier this year was a measure that ends the suspension of driver’s licenses of people with unpaid court debt. The Department of Motor Vehicles said it sent 500,000 letters to Virginia residents with suspended licenses advising them how to get their license back starting July 1. Other notable new laws going into effect include an increase in the age limit to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21, looser restrictions on happy hour advertising, and a $4 increase on mandatory car-safety inspections.
Washington
Seattle: The state Department of Ecology says the amount of sewage overflow that forced a beach in the city to close is 10 times more than original estimates. KCPQ-TV reports officials said last week that 16,000 gallons had spilled into Puget Sound at Golden Gardens Park. Officials said Friday that additional samples now show about 165,000 gallons of sewage overflow. Seattle Public Utilities says the overflow was caused by a blockage of tree roots and materials such as wipes in the sewer system north of the park. Signs have been posted, and the public is advised to avoid contact with the water in the affected area until further notice. Heath officials say swimming in the contaminated water can cause gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses.
West Virginia
Huntington: Marshall University is eyeing a fall 2021 start date for new aviation programs. According to The Herald-Dispatch, Marshall’s board of governors voted Friday on an intent to plan two new degrees in aviation sciences to train commercial airplane and helicopter pilots. Marshall plans to partner with Southern Utah University and Yeager Airport to create its new School of Aviation. Southern Utah’s program is already accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration. The courses will be held at Marshall’s South Charleston campus, where a new residential hall is also planned. Yeager Airport will also host classes and will include a new hangar for Marshall’s aircraft, classrooms and a flight simulator. Marshall will initially buy two $500,000 planes and plans to purchase up to seven by 2023.
Wisconsin
Madison: An expert on poverty says the state should raise its minimum wage and provide more help for families who are struggling despite record-low unemployment. University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Timothy Smeeding co-wrote a report that found Wisconsin’s poverty rate has remained stagnant for nearly a decade, fluctuating between 10% and 11% from 2008 to 2017. The federal government considers the poverty level for a family of four to be $25,750. The report’s methodology determined Wisconsin’s poverty threshold for a two-adult, two-child household to be $27,241 because of the state’s low cost of living. Smeeding says work alone isn’t enough to lift some families out of poverty. He suggests raising the minimum wage and boosting state support.
Wyoming
Casper: For the first time in seven years, peregrine falcons at Devils Tower did not have a successful nesting season. The Casper Star-Tribune reports a pair of falcons showed behavior consistent with courtship, but the weather might have put a damper on breeding. Rene Ohms, chief of resource management for the National Park Service, says this year’s late-season snow, colder-than-normal temperatures and frequently heavy rain have made it “very difficult for them.” The species was listed as endangered in 1970 but had a remarkable recovery and was removed from the list in 1999. Falcons returned to Devils Tower in 2013 and successfully nested for the past six years. Ohms says nests sometimes fail, but the population as a whole won’t be affected.
From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago cows, bras for turtles, gold rush: News from around our 50 states
