Derby goats, Aubrey Plaza, penguin protest: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: A nonprofit organization has been formed to help support the state’s parks. Officials say the Alabama State Parks Foundation will raise money through donations to help improve park facilities and programs. The group’s website promotes contributions to help build cabins and trails, plus provide scholarships for youth campers. Most of the $40 million budget for the 22-park system comes from visitor fees, and donations will supplement funding for improvements. Voters three years ago approved a constitutional amendment to protect funding for the park system after money was shifted to other state agencies. Some parks had closed, and maintenance projects were delayed. Dan Hendricks of Florence is serving as president of the foundation.

Alaska

Anchorage: Residents of the Aleutian Islands are planning to bring home indigenous remains removed from burial sites nearly a century ago. The Anchorage Daily News reports officials on the remote chain of islands stretching out from southwest Alaska are working on a three-year plan to recover the remains, held by the Smithsonian Institution, of more than 175 people from 11 islands. Researchers say some of the remains are up to 3,000 years old. Mark Snigaroff, president of the tribe on Atka, says officials plan to bury the first group of remains on Shemya this summer. They plan to bury the rest in 2020 and 2021. University of Kansas researchers also will collect genetic material from the bones before the remains are returned.

Arizona

Phoenix: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport set a new passenger-traffic record in March. The month is always extremely busy at Sky Harbor, as warm weather and spring training lure visitors to the Valley of the Sun. But more than 4.5 million passengers arrived at and departed from Sky Harbor this March, breaking the record set just a year ago. That figure represented growth of 3.3% over last year’s number of travelers. The airport reports it typically sees about 120,000 passengers daily. That number grew to 146,000 daily in March 2019. The increase also means that passenger traffic is up 3% year over year in the first three months of 2019. In a statement, Mayor Kate Gallego said the figures show the strong demand for travel to and from Phoenix.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Nearly three decades after the state became one of the first to cap how long someone can serve in the Legislature, lawmakers may find out next year just how far voters are willing to go to limit their time in office. Arkansas legislators are sending voters a proposal that would rework the term limits on House and Senate members for the second time in the past several years. It’s a pre-emptive strike against another proposal a group is trying to put on the 2020 ballot that would impose the strictest term limits in the U.S. Arkansas currently caps lawmakers’ time in office at 16 years under an amendment that voters approved in 2014 loosening limits that were imposed in the 1990s. It’s one of 15 states with legislative term limits.

California

Los Angeles: Former first lady Michelle Obama and a host of celebrities will join thousands of students to celebrate college signing day at UCLA this year. Obama, Conan O’Brien, Kelly Rowland, Bebe Rexha, Jesse Williams, Usher, Pentatonix, La La Anthony, Don Cheadle, and other entertainers and athletes are slated to gather on the UCLA campus Wednesday to commemorate the day that high school students choose to pursue higher education. This will mark Obama’s sixth college signing day that she has celebrated with Reach Higher. As first lady, Obama used the Reach Higher initiative to inspire high school students to continue their education by attending college or a training program or by joining the military.

Colorado

Granada: A University of Denver team is using drone images to create a 3D reconstruction of a World War II-era Japanese internment camp in southern Colorado. Researchers last week used the drone from the Switzerland-based company senseFly as part of a mapping project to help future restoration work at Camp Amache in Granada. From 1942 to 1945, more than 7,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants were forcibly relocated to Camp Amache. They were among the 110,000 Japanese-Americans ordered to camps throughout the U.S. The Amache effort is part of a growing movement to identify and preserve U.S. historical sites connected to people of color.

Connecticut

Hartford: The entity overseeing distribution of state funds to help homeowners with crumbling foundations has ceased authorizing new foundation construction work until it receives a payment from the state Department of Housing. Michael Maglaras, superintendent of the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company Inc., announced the suspension Monday. Maglaras said the captive insurance company determined it “cannot in good faith approve any new Participation Agreements” without the funds, given its commitments. There are 80 homes in the construction pipeline. The State Bond Commission, chaired by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, released $20 million to the housing agency April 2.

Delaware

Wilmington: When Aubrey Plaza served lunch to those in need at Emmanuel Dining Room on Monday afternoon, none of the hungry men, women or children recognized the actress from her starring television and film roles. However, they clearly recognized her efforts, along with a team of 10 youth from Delaware 4-H, who served plates of baked ziti, string beans and cookies to 169 people seeking a hot meal. The “Parks and Rec” star, who was in town visiting her family over the weekend, is the national Service Ambassador for youth organization 4-H. As a young girl, she volunteered at the Ministry of Caring’s nearby child care center and the Mary Campbell Center, a home for adults and children with disabilities. “I really wanted to come back to the places where I used to go,” Plaza said, recalling dressing up as the Easter Bunny some years and taking photos with children.

District of Columbia

Washington: The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the district and a police officer over the search of a yard belonging to a woman who made negative comments about police. The Washington Post reports the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the District of Columbia and Officer Joseph Gupton. The lawsuit accuses officers of unlawfully searching Denise Price’s yard last May as retaliation for her critical comments about police. Price’s son was killed in a crash with a police car earlier that month. Police have said the officers were chasing a man and thought he threw a gun into Price’s yard, which they then searched without a warrant. Video shows them finding nothing. Police say the officers didn’t know Price owned the yard.

Florida

Tallahassee: A bill that expands state anti-hazing law has been sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis by the Legislature on a unanimous vote. The House voted 114-0 on Tuesday for the measure making people who organize hazing culpable if someone is seriously injured or dies, even if the organizer didn’t participate in the event. It also prohibits hazing of former members of fraternities or other organizations. Current law addresses pledges and active members. The vote came after the parents of Andrew Coffey made a tearful plea in support of the bill. The 20-year-old Florida State University student died of alcohol poisoning in November 2017 at an off-campus fraternity party. The bill provides immunity for the first person who calls 911 to get help for a hazing victim or provides immediate aid.

Georgia

Savannah: A new historic marker honors a woman who helped maintain peace and fair trade between the Creek Indian nation and what was then the new colony of Georgia. The Savannah Morning News reports that the marker describes Mary Musgrove, interpreter for Gen. James Oglethorpe from 1733 to 1743. Musgrove’s mother was Creek and her father English. She established a trading post after marrying John Musgrove in 1717. The marker in Lafayette Square was dedicated Friday. Joy Daniel Schwartz of the Colonial Dames of America says Musgrove was a colony founder but until now didn’t have a marker in Savannah’s historic district. One erected in 1961 on Savannah Sugar Refining Co. grounds is about a mile from Musgrove’s trading post and notes that her Indian name was “Cousaponakeesa.”

Hawaii

Kahului: Hybrid electric planes will be put to the test by a Hawaii airline hoping to use them for short-haul commercial flights. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Mokulele Airlines and Los Angeles-based aircraft design firm Ampaire plan to test a model hybrid on Mokulele’s Maui route in September or October. The companies say a hybrid plane would provide lower operational costs as well as additional routes and more frequent flights. Hawaii is a good fit for the service because communities rely on short-haul flights to travel between islands. The collaboration will include the loan of Mokulele’s pilots and hangar space at Kahului Airport on Maui to Ampaire. Officials say Mokulele was acquired in February by Southern Airways, but the partnership with Ampaire will continue.

Idaho

Boise: The state is seeking to intervene on the side of the federal government after four conservation groups asked a judge to immediately halt drilling, mining and other activities to protect sage grouse habitat in seven Western states. Idaho and Utah filed documents in U.S. District Court late last week seeking to defend a plan put forward by President Donald Trump earlier this year. The conservation groups in a lawsuit filed in March say the plan weakens an earlier version put forward by the Barack Obama administration in 2015. The conservation groups early last week asked a judge to block the Trump administration plan altogether in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California and Oregon. Idaho Gov. Brad Little says preserving sage grouse is best accomplished with a collaborative process.

Illinois

Chicago: The nation’s capital may be famous for its cherry blossom season, but the Windy City will have one of its own this year too. The Chicago Tribune reports about 160 young flowering cherry trees planted near the Museum of Science and Industry are mature enough to put on a show this spring. The trees were planted in 2013 in honor of the 120th anniversary of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The blooms are expected to be at their peak during the first or second week of May. The Chicago Park District plans to offer status updates on its website. Chicago Park District Operations Support Manager Karen Szyjka says the cherry trees in Jackson Park are the largest collection in the Chicago area and were planted for the Japanese practice of cherry blossom viewing.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state’s court system has reached a new milestone with the creation of Indiana’s 100th problem-solving court. The recent certification of a veterans’ treatment court in Pulaski County means the state now has 100 courts that specialize in handling issues that include drug treatment, veterans, mental health and domestic violence. Pulaski County Judge Crystal Kocher says she’s proud that the new veterans’ court has been certified for her rural county. She says its creation “highlights the need and possibilities for rural communities around the state to provide comprehensive services.” Fifty Indiana counties are now served by a problem-solving court, and several more such courts are in the planning stages.

Iowa

Des Moines: Half a dozen people dressed as penguins to ask Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang about climate change Sunday at a Franklin Junior High town hall event. The costumed questioners were there on behalf of Bold Iowa, a Democratic group founded by former state lawmaker Ed Fallon that organizes around climate change and environmental protection. The penguin outfits were a response to a Yang quote from another campaign event where he said that “people with financial struggles have the attitude that the penguins can wait in line.” Activists asked Yang to make climate change his top priority. Yang responded that climate change is important but that helping people with financial needs, through his plan to give all citizens a basic income, is the way to start fixing it.

Kansas

Topeka: Lawmakers have tightened the financial requirements for a license to operate nursing homes. The move comes after state regulators were forced to take over 22 struggling nursing homes last year. Officials with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services told The Kansas City Star they had no choice to step in because nursing home managers had fallen behind on bills for basics like food and utilities, putting the health and safety of residents at risk. The Legislature passed a bill requested by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration requiring much more financial information from people applying for nursing home licenses. Under the new law, applicants must show they have enough working capital for the first 12 months of operations.

Kentucky

Louisville: All eyes are on the racehorses during Kentucky Derby Week. But in barns on the backside of Churchill Downs, you might find a behind-the-scenes animal napping in a horse’s stall – goats. There’s Lily, who gets in trouble for eating flowers and is known for head-butting people who stop scratching her. And there’s her pal Roxanne, whose horns get painted pink for the Kentucky Oaks and who has a sixth sense for knowing which horses are running. You might see Trevor, the ornery, one-horned goat, who some say likes to eat Doritos. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot Oliver and Max, the baby goat duo, sprinting around – maybe even with a stuffed jockey on one of their backs. Goats, their owners say, can serve as companions for a nervous thoroughbred, making for a soothing presence in the stall.

Louisiana

New Orleans: The Army Corps of Engineers says the rising Mississippi River could result in the unprecedented reopening of a historic flood control structure. Spokesman Rickey Boyett tells WVUE-TV there’s a real chance the Corps might have to reopen the Bonnet Carre Spillway, which was closed April 11. Boyett says it’s never been opened twice in one year. The National Weather Service says the river is expected to reach 16.9 feet May 11 at a New Orleans gauge where 17 feet generally corresponds with a spillway opening. The spillway is opened to relieve stress on New Orleans levees when the Mississippi flows at 1.25 million cubic feet per second, fast enough to fill the Superdome in less than two minutes.

Maine

Portland: Fishing managers on the East Coast are beginning the daunting process of implementing new restrictions on lobster fishing that are designed to protect a vanishing species of whale. A team organization by the federal government recommended last week that the number of vertical trap lines in the water be reduced by about half. The lines can entrap and drown the North Atlantic right whale, which number a little more than 400 and have declined by dozens this decade. The interstate Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met on Monday to discuss the implementation of the new rules, which are designed to reduce serious injuries and deaths for whales by 60%. Colleen Coogan, who coordinates the federal government team designed to protect the whales, says cooperating with Canadian authorities will be key.

Maryland

Salisbury: The first black woman to serve as American University’s student government president is seeking more than $1.5 million in court-ordered damages against a neo-Nazi website operator who orchestrated an online harassment campaign against her. In a court filing Monday, Salisbury native Taylor Dumpson’s attorneys asked a federal judge in Washington for a default judgment against The Daily Stormer founder Andrew Anglin and a follower who racially harassed Dumpson on Twitter. Dumpson sued Anglin and the internet troll last April, but neither responded. Dumpson graduated from Wicomico High School. She seeks a total of more than $1.8 million in damages, including $1.5 million in punitive damages against Anglin and his company.

Massachusetts

Cambridge: Student pranksters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have struck again, drawing inspiration from America’s hottest movie. MIT students over the weekend draped the university’s signature Great Dome with a giant cloth version of Captain America’s red, white and blue shield. Their efforts drew a Twitter “Very cool!” from actor Chris Evans, the Massachusetts native who plays Captain America in Marvel films including current smash hit “Avengers: Endgame.” The shield went up Saturday night and was taken down Monday morning. MIT students have for generations centered similar pranks, which they call “hacks,” on the dome. A realistic police cruiser was placed on the dome in 1994. In 1999, it was decked out to look like R2D2, the robot from “Star Wars.”

Michigan

Traverse City: Moose are thriving at Isle Royale National Park, but the trees on which they feast are paying a heavy price, scientists say. An estimated 2,060 of the lumbering beasts roam the island wilderness, according to a report by Michigan Technological University researchers who spend weeks there each winter observing the relationship between moose and the wolves that prey on them. The moose number is believed to be the highest since 1995, when the total exceeded 2,400, only to plummet to about 500 within two years because of harsh winters, a shortage of food and a drop-off of wolves that previously had culled the herd. Conditions are similar now, although it’s uncertain how the moose population will respond, scientists said. Its growth is likely to slow at least somewhat in the coming year, says Sarah Hoy, an assistant research professor.

Minnesota

St. Paul: A proposal to rename a state park on the St. Croix River after former Vice President Walter Mondale has been dropped after strong opposition from local residents. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler proposed renaming Interstate Park after Mondale, who helped preserve the St. Croix and other waterways as a U.S. senator in the 1960s by sponsoring the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. When residents in the area pushed back, Winkler turned to St. Croix Park. But more than 1,800 people signed a petition opposing the name change. Rep. Nathan Nelson says many of his constituents admire and respect Mondale but don’t want to change the St. Croix name that was given in the 1930s. The Star Tribune says Winkler will instead focus on naming a trail, scenic overlook or visitor center in the parks after Mondale.

Mississippi

Jackson: If you’re over 50 and looking for love in the Magnolia State, you’re probably in the worst place possible. A recent study by TheSeniorList has ranked Mississippi dead last on “The Best States for Finding Love After 50” list using the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau on marital status and income. Baby boomers only have about a 44.5% chance of finding love here, according to the study. The ranking was determined based on three factors: How many 50+ singles exist in each state, including those divorced, widowed or never married? How many of those singles have a median income of at least $50,000, giving them financial means to date? And which way is the senior single scene trending – up or down? Mississippi only has 13.7% singles over 50; 43% have income over $50,000; and the change in singlehood has only increased 2% since 2012.

Missouri

Jefferson City: Hoax alert: The Missouri Department of Conservation says it is not planning to ban mushroom hunting on public lands and is not considering implementing a license for the activity. The department is responding to a social media post that includes the agency’s logo. It shows a fake statement attributed to the agency that claims the state is banning mushroom hunting on public hunting grounds, including those around lakes. And it says it’s legal to hunt for mushrooms on private land without a permit. It also says the state is considering implementing a $50 license for mushroom hunting, beginning Jan. 1. None of that is true. The wildlife department says the post is a hoax. In a post on Facebook, the agency asks the public to help dispel the rumor.

Montana

Great Falls: This year’s state paddlefish season kicks off Wednesday with the opening of the Upper Missouri River section from Fort Benton downstream to Fort Peck Dam. Substantial flooding occurred around the Fred Robinson Bridge and in James Kipp Recreation Area this spring, so camping will be considered “primitive” for most of the paddlefish season as crews clean up and fix damaged infrastructure. The access road and public boat ramp at the James Kipp Recreation Area is fully operational. Access and camping areas on the north side of the river, including Slippery Ann, Jones Island and Rock Creek campground, are reportedly in good shape. The Rock Creek boat ramp is also fully functional. Anglers who did not participate in the paddlefish harvest tag drawing can still purchase an Upper Missouri River Paddlefish Snag and Release License online, at an FWP office or at any license provider.

Nebraska

Omaha: Native American education advocates say the state’s proposed social studies standards fall short of teaching a comprehensive history of Native Americans. The Omaha World-Herald reports the newly formed Nebraska Indian Education Association is raising concerns about the statewide standards unveiled last month. The Nebraska Department of Education is seeking public input on the drafted education guidelines. The group wants the standards to better disprove misconceptions and emphasize local tribes. They say schools should teach about tribal sovereignty and Indian science and horticulture. They also want the state to teach about the centuries before European settlement when their civilization thrived. State Board of Education President John Witzel acknowledges the proposed approach to Native American topics is “pretty general” and says there’s time to make changes.

Nevada

Carson City: Some Clark County commissioners have voiced general support for considering firearm restrictions on the Las Vegas Strip if state lawmakers give them the power to create stricter gun laws. The county would be given such power under an omnibus gun bill moving through the Democrat-controlled Legislature despite widespread opposition from Republicans and gun rights groups. Some commissioners say state law prevented the body from enacting gun regulations following the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The gunman attacked a 2017 Las Vegas music festival and used bump stocks to mimic the firing rate of an automatic firearm. Nevada is one of the few states in which the Legislature meets every other year, so the move under consideration could extend the window for conversation about firearm issues.

New Hampshire

Hopkinton: The 130-year-old Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge, believed to be the oldest surviving bridge of its type, is getting a face-lift. The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources said the bridge was to be stained and receive minor repairs starting Tuesday. The bridge spans the Contoocook River at the junction of Routes 103 and 127. The project is expected to last several weeks but not affect vehicle traffic. It was built for the Concord and Claremont railroad and served rail traffic until 1960. It was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The project is funded through the Conservation and Heritage License Plate Program.

New Jersey

Millburn: The Millburn High School robotics team didn’t start off strong, but after four days of competing, with a robot that shot balls at targets, the 11-member team took the top prize in the VEX Robotics World Championship. Bryan Levine, the senior captain of the Essex County school team, said his group lost the first two of the 11 rounds of competition but rallied to win eight of the next nine for the top spot. It’s the first New Jersey team to win the international competition. The 7405P Millburn Phreak Show team paired with a team from a school in Shanghai, China, to win two of three matches over a joint team composed of Shanghai and Beijing competitors. More than 30,000 competitors in 1,650 teams converged in Louisville, Kentucky, for the contest.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has halted further oil and natural gas development on New Mexico trust lands near the Chaco Cultural National Historic Park that are considered sacred by many Native Americans. Confirmed Monday, the executive order places a drilling moratorium within a buffer zone surrounding Chaco Canyon and its ancient dwelling. The moratorium does not directly affect federal and private holdings. Garcia Richard visited the Navajo Nation to sign the moratorium. She calls it a huge step forward in safeguarding archaeological and cultural resources. Oil industry representatives say robust protections already are in place within the national park at Chaco Canyon and surrounding areas where archaeological surveys are required.

New York

New York: Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a ban of alcohol advertising on city property. The ban, which takes effect immediately, applies to bus shelters, newsstands, Wi-Fi kiosks and recycling kiosks. Venues currently permitted to sell alcohol, such as restaurants, stadiums and concerts halls, are exempt. Existing ads will also be allowed to remain until their contracts end. The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, says there are “far too many deaths related to alcohol.” The deputy mayor for health and human services, Dr. Herminia Palacio, says ads can influence how much people drink and how young they are when they start. A Metropolitan Transportation Authority ban on advertising alcohol beverages on all New York City buses and subway cars and in stations took effect in January 2018.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A bill heading to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk makes clear charities aren’t breaking the law by holding occasional casino “game nights” as fundraisers as long as they follow new restrictions. The House agreed 95-17 on Monday to changes the Senate made on legislation making legal what some nonprofits already have been doing. Bill supporters say enforcement of the current ban on these events has been uneven, and it would be better to allow nonprofits and some employers and trade associations to hold them, with alcoholic drinks permitted and prizes awarded by raffle. The bill still only applies east of Interstate 26 to comply with Cherokee casino agreements. Cooper vetoed a casino night measure in 2017, worried it could attract video poker. Lawmakers say those concerns have been addressed.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a complex energy bill dealing with empty pockets in underground rock formations, though property rights advocates are likely to keep fighting. The cavities or voids are known as “pore space.” They belong to the surface owner, not the mineral owner. The Bismarck Tribune reports that certain landowners will no longer get compensated for the injection of oil-field wastewater into their pore spaces. Landowners also are barred from making claims that oil-field wastewater injected into a disposal well on adjacent land is migrating into their pore space. Burgum says the bill clarifies legal issues related to underground injection, which should boost the state’s energy industry. Opponents say it’s an unconstitutional taking of private property rights and will lead to lawsuits or a referral to voters.

Ohio

Columbus: The state’s Department of Natural Resources says land that it’s purchasing to expand a nature preserve near Lake Erie will help protect more than 700,000 plants of the endangered Lakeside daisy species. The department says the purchase of 118 acres for $1,075,860 will increase Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve on the Marblehead Peninsula in Ottawa County to 137 acres. State officials say the preserve is home to the only natural population of the plant left in the state. The Lakeside daisy was listed as endangered in Ohio in 1980. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed it as federally threatened in 1988. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant will cover 75% of the cost, with the remainder coming from Ohioans’ donations from their state income tax refunds to state nature preserves.

Oklahoma

Eagletown: State alcohol regulators used modern technology in a recent investigation of an old-school illicit job: moonshining. The Oklahoman reports agents with Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission and the McCurtain County sheriff’s deputies busted a moonshine operation in Eagleton. Authorities say a man turned himself in last week on a felony charge of operating a whiskey still without a distiller’s license. ABLE Special Agent-in-charge Joe Daniels says the investigation started with a tip that an Eagleton-area convenience store was selling moonshine. Daniels said agents flew a drone over some nearby wooded property, where they spotted the illegal operation. Daniels says the Discovery Channel TV show “Moonshiners” has sparked a resurgence of the illegal enterprise.

Oregon

Salem: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in the city is plagued with long wait times for new patients. The average delay to see a primary care doctor is 67 days, according to agency data. It’s the second-worst in Oregon and much longer than most Portland-area VA clinics, where wait times average less than a month. For veterans who move to the Salem area after starting VA treatment elsewhere, the wait is far worse. It’s not uncommon for them to wait years for an appointment. More than 1,100 veterans are caught in this limbo – living in or near Salem and still waiting to see a Salem VA physician because they were assigned doctors elsewhere in the Northwest. VA officials acknowledge the long waits are embarrassing and attribute it to difficulty in recruiting doctors to the Salem clinic.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The state is getting an unexpected windfall, as internet sales tax revenues are coming in nearly four times above what had been projected for the current fiscal year. Revenue Department officials say the state estimated to collect $50 million from the tax on online transactions, but it’s looking like about $200 million will be remitted. The state two years ago imposed sales taxes on people who use online marketplaces to sell their wares. Pennsylvania is requiring businesses that don’t have a physical presence in the state to pay online sales taxes, under a divided U.S. Supreme Court decision issued last June. That ruling was considered a win for large retailers that maintain a presence in many states, as they generally had been collecting sales taxes on online purchases before the decision.

Rhode Island

Providence: A report by the general treasurer finds that the state’s 35 locally run pension plans have close to $2.5 billion in unfunded obligations. The Providence Journal reports General Treasurer Seth Magaziner’s report found that almost two-thirds of the plans that provide retirement benefits to police, firefighters and other municipal employees are in “critical status,” meaning they have less than 60% of what they need to cover their liabilities. Providence leads the way with a $1 billion gap between its assets and its accumulated liabilities. The report also expresses concern about how much of some communities’ tax revenue is going to payments to pension plans, leading to the potential underfunding of other important budget priorities.

South Carolina

Columbia: More than 4,000 educators and their supporters are planning to rally at the Statehouse on Wednesday under the banner of education reform. The event, organized by the network of teacher activists known as SC for Ed, is expected to be one of the largest teacher protests in South Carolina history. Teachers involved say the rally is necessary because their demands for a 10% salary increase, smaller class sizes and uninterrupted planning time have fallen on deaf ears. SC for Ed organized the protest after a 2019 education overhaul bill that would have provided better working conditions for teachers stalled last week in the state Senate. At least four school districts have canceled classes because so many teachers have requested to take the day off.

South Dakota

Rapid City: Students at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology have won two awards totaling $10,000 in prize money for an invention they say may improve vehicle fuel efficiency by up to 10%. The Rapid City Journal reports that sophomores Mark Rotert and John Parker Chandler IV won a combined $5,000 Friday after pitching their vortex generator, TwisTech, in the governor’s Giant Vision competition. They also won another $5,000 prize from the college last month for the invention to reduce drag on vehicles. The students used a 3D printer to manufacture prototypes of the pocket-sized device. They say they’ve tested it on their personal cars and used simulation software to test a digital model. They say the invention yielded a 10% improvement in fuel consumption on sedan-style cars and a 7% improvement on semi-trucks.

Tennessee

Nashville: Kid Rock is quite literally raising a middle finger in Music City. Rock, who lives in the White’s Creek neighborhood, commissioned an artist to install a giant middle finger sculpture on his property, Taste of Country reports. The outlet points to Ted Pelkey of Westford, Vermont, who installed a wooden sculpture shaped like a hand flipping the bird on his property. The finger caught the attention of Rock, who reportedly contacted Pelkey to see if he could help Rock get a similar statue. In turn, Pelkey reached out to the artist who made his, and the artist agreed to make a second. Rock also recently made headlines when the sign for his new Lower Broadway steakhouse and bar was approved in January. The soaring 20-foot-tall neon sign is a giant guitar, the base of which is intentionally shaped like a woman’s buttocks.

Texas

Austin: State prison officials say the last written words of condemned inmates will no longer be shared publicly, marking another fresh change to execution day procedures in the nation’s busiest death chamber. The new policy Tuesday follows outrage by a state lawmaker who in 2011 also put a halt to Texas death row inmates choosing their final meals. State Sen. John Whitmire had chastised prison officials for reading an avowed racist’s final written statement after he was executed last week for the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a black man. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice now says the agency will only publicly relay verbal statements made in the execution chamber. Texas prison officials last month also stopped allowing clergy in the death chamber.

Utah

Duchesne: A state park in east-central Utah has been renamed in honor of a former director of the Division of Parks and Recreation. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held May 7 at Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation, formerly Starvation State Park. After beginning his career with Parks and Recreation in 1982 as a seasonal ranger, Hayes rose through the ranks and served as division director from 2012 until 2018, the year he died. The park in Duchesne is named after 3,495-acre Starvation Reservoir. According to the park’s website, the origin of the previous name has been attributed to various legends, two involving a food cache stolen either by mountain men or by American Indians and another about livestock that perished due to hunger.

Vermont

Montpelier: It appears unlikely that testing of water at the state’s schools and day care centers for lead will happen this academic year. Vermont Public Radio reports lawmakers are having a difficult time deciding what lead level triggers remediation and how much state money should go toward the work. The Vermont Department of Health tested water in 16 schools last year and found all had traces of lead, with five schools showing levels high enough to require immediate action. A bill was introduced early in the session in the House to set up a water testing protocol for all schools and day care centers. The Senate later passed legislation that requires any school with lead levels above three parts per billion to switch out pipes or fixtures to remove the lead.

Virginia

Croaker: Howard Hankins was disappointed when he realized one of the presidential busts was missing from the collection on his farm, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. The crumbling, oversized busts of 42 presidents – and a much smaller bust of Barack Obama – are all that remains of Presidents Park, the defunct open-air museum near Williamsburg where visitors once walked among the presidential heads. The park closed in 2010, and Hankins, who helped build it, offered to take the 18- to 20-foot heads and move them to his farm about 12 miles away. After a recent tour, he discovered the 2-foot-tall bust of Obama was missing. After a public appeal for its return, a mysterious caller arranged to return Obama. “He didn’t know what it meant to everybody,” Hankins says. “There is hope for people in this country. ... Here we go. Let’s unite. Maybe the whole world can do this.” Reservations for tours can be made via Facebook, by visiting the “Presidents Heads Walking Tour” page.

Washington

Seattle: The state budget approved this week includes $750,000 to study the impacts of the possible breaching of four Snake River dams to help salmon recovery. The Seattle Times reports the legislation calls for a neutral third party to develop a process for local, state, tribal, federal and other stakeholders to weigh in on issues that would surround a decision to breach the four federal dams. Chinook salmon are prime food for the endangered orcas that frequent Puget Sound, and a statewide dialogue had been proposed last year by a task force that Gov. Jay Inslee established. The two Republican members of Congress from eastern Washington, where the dams are located, oppose the state-financed effort as wasteful, saying the decision to remove the dams is up to the federal government.

West Virginia

Huntington: An annual fundraiser involving Marshall University ceramics students has raised a record $18,000 to help feed needy families. Marshall says in a news release that bowls made by students and other volunteers brought in more than $15,000 at the Empty Bowls event last month, while nearly $2,500 was raised at a silent auction. The fundraiser benefited the Facing Hunger Foodbank. The purchase of each bowl covered the cost of more than 100 meals. The Facing Hunger Foodbank serves more than 115,000 people annually in 17 counties in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: This Is It! is the longest-running gay bar in the state, and it’s paying homage to the important role it has played by becoming home to the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project’s first permanent public display since the project began 25 years ago. In doing so, This Is It! will also be able to open its doors to an 18-and-older crowd on select nights. “My late business partner, my current business partner and myself are dedicated to our history,” says This Is It! co-owner George Schneider. “It’s a win-win. We’re able not only to showcase this fantastic exhibit of LGBT history, and we can open the doors on select nights to our 18- to 21-year-old LGBT community.” The venue can admit people under 21 with a permanent visual art display that has cultural or historical significance, according to city law.

Wyoming

Casper: A U.S. Department of Justice report shows the state’s prison population grew the third fastest in the country in 2017. The Casper Star-Tribune reports the government figures released last week show the population in state prisons increased by 4.2% by the end of 2017. Wyoming’s prison growth was outpaced by Utah at 4.3% and Idaho at 5.1%. In Wyoming, 429 people per 100,000 were incarcerated that year. The national rate of state prison incarceration was 390 per 100,000 people. According to the report, Wyoming had about seven times more men than women in prisons. State prisons across the country had about 12 times more men than women. Prison populations in 29 states decreased by the end of 2017.

From staff and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Derby goats, Aubrey Plaza, penguin protest: News from around our 50 states