Emoji house, Saharan dust, turtle crossing: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: A new local bookshop coming to downtown is starting with a simple goal – to help people get free. The idea was borne out of a monthly book club for local writers, readers, mothers and teachers of different races, ethnicities and gender identities. Organizers said that living room gathering turned into a healing space grounded in a commitment to resist oppression, a goal that’s now spreading to a community book shop called 1977 Books. Described as “an abolitionist libreria, library and community space,” the shop plans to open next month, featuring poetry, memoirs and children’s books with an emphasis on authors who are queer, transgender, indigenous or people of color. The nonfiction offerings will include books on movement and organizing, progressive education and black feminist books. A community library inside will feature free used books, magazines, art and more.

Alaska

Fairbanks: A group of advocates is petitioning for an end to wolf hunting in a national park boundary area. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the group is concerned about a decrease in the number of wolf sightings in part of Denali National Park. The group sent petitions about the Denali Park Road area to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game commissioner and the state Board of Game. Members say hunting is having an impact on the number of wolves in packs that roam near the road corridor. The National Park Service has submitted its own proposal to the game board requesting a partial closure to wolf hunting. Wolf hunting in the area is scheduled to begin Aug. 10, while trapping season is scheduled to open Nov. 1.

Arizona

Phoenix: Environmental groups have asked a judge to stop a plan to replace existing vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border in southern Arizona. The groups argue the Trump administration unlawfully waived dozens of laws as part of the project that will ultimately damage wildlife habitat. The injunction request filed Tuesday seeks to halt work on 68 miles of replacement barriers at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and San Pedro National Conservation Area before the start of construction Aug. 21. A phone call seeking comment from the Department of Homeland Security on the request wasn’t immediately returned. The injunction request was made in Washington as part of a lawsuit challenging the waivers granted for the Arizona portion of Trump’s border wall efforts.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The state should have harsher penalties for those who commit crimes against others because of their race, ethnicity or religion, the governor said Tuesday, following two mass shootings including one in Texas being investigated as a possible hate crime. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he wants to end Arkansas’ distinction as one of only a handful of states without a hate crimes law. Though he didn’t specifically mention them in his remarks to the Arkansas Sheriffs Association at a meeting in Rogers, Hutchinson later told reporters he would also support the introduction of enhanced penalties for those guilty of targeting someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. “People should not be targeted for who they are,” Hutchinson said. He said he wants to build broad support for the measure before bringing it before the Legislature.

California

Manhattan Beach: A Southern California seaside community is in an uproar after a home was given a new paint job featuring two huge emoji on a bright pink background. Manhattan Beach residents railed against the makeover during a City Council meeting Tuesday night, citing problems with spectators. One speaker called the paint job graffiti, and another said it was an attack on neighbors. Both bright yellow emoji are cross-eyed and have distinctly big eyelashes. One has a goofy expression with its tongue hanging out. The other has its mouth zippered shut. The new paint job appeared after neighbors reported the home was being used for short-term rentals and the homeowner was fined $4,000. Owner Kathryn Kidd told KABC-TV she didn’t realize short-term rentals weren’t allowed and denies the redecoration is retaliation.

Colorado

Denver: Some teenagers in this state where marijuana is legal for adults are shifting away from smoking in favor of edible cannabis products, a study released Monday shows. About 78% of the Colorado high school students who reported consuming marijuana in 2017 said they usually smoked it, down from 87% two years earlier. The number of teens who usually consumed edibles climbed to about 10% from 2% in the same period, while the number of users dabbing increased to about 7.5% from 4%. Research about the way young people consume marijuana products is still limited, and the study’s lead author said the data could provide valuable insight for public health researchers and regulators. The study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics is based on high schoolers’ responses to Colorado’s biennial health survey in 2015 and 2017.

Connecticut

Hamden: Authorities say the person responsible for cutting down a distinctive tree has been arrested. The New Haven-based Regional Water Authority announced the arrest Tuesday. No name was released. The authority said the Door Tree in Hamden, a 200-year-old white oak that grew in a “distinctive doorway-like arch,” had been cut down with a chain saw July 18. The Regional Water Authority owns the land where the tree stood. David Johnson, Hamden’s municipal historian and a member of the Hamden Historical Society, which first discovered the tree had been felled, called it a “terrible act of thoughtless vandalism.” The historical society says the tree was first photographed in 1898 and was featured in works including Ripley’s “Believe It or Not.”

Delaware

Newark: For one year, the University of Delaware reigned as the country’s top party school. But this year, the school known for its “super parties” that often drew complaints from locals has been dethroned. On the Princeton Review’s annual list of the top party schools, UD fell behind top-ranked Syracuse University and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. UD had risen to the top spot on the party school list last year after placing No. 6 in 2017 and No. 12 in 2016. Throughout the school year, some UD students embraced the designation, with the No. 1 moniker becoming an often-heard rallying cry during “dages” – daytime parties – and bar crawls alike. UD’s off-campus party scene has drawn ire from longtime Newark residents in the past, so much so that in March, the City Council passed a law to curb what it called “unruly social gatherings.”

District of Columbia

Washington: Thousands of D.C. residents came out Tuesday night to promote positivity on the same day the city marked a grim milestone. The Metropolitan Police Department announced Tuesday afternoon that D.C. recorded its 100th homicide in 2019 on Monday night, WUSA-TV reports. As some MPD officers worked to solve that case, other members of the department were busy getting to know locals during National Night Out, an annual event that works to improve the relationship between police officers and the communities they serve. MPD celebrated National Night Out at several different locations across the city with music, games and food. So far, D.C. has experienced seven more murders in 2019 than it had this same time last year.

Florida

Naples: In June, a massive plume of Saharan dust made its way from Africa to the Sunshine State, bringing hazy skies and vibrant sunsets while warding off storms. But months after touching down, this dust could have an adverse effect. According to researchers, this year’s iron-rich Saharan dust is setting up the right conditions for the start of a red tide bloom. “It doesn’t necessarily mean there will be one, but the odds are fairly good,” says Cynthia Heil, director of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Red Tide Institute. Saharan dust gets kicked up into the upper atmosphere by storms in the late spring or early summer, Heil says, and the dust rides the trade winds across the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and other places. But it’s the iron in the dust that’s key. When deposited in open water, the iron essentially dissolves off of the dust, she says. And that iron feeds the algae that compose the red tide.

Georgia

Atlanta: A former gubernatorial candidate who campaigned in a “deportation bus” and later pleaded guilty to falsely reporting that computer servers were stolen from his office is apologizing for his chaotic and combative campaign. Republican ex-state Sen. Michael Williams’ Facebook post to supporters Tuesday seemed to lay much of the blame for missteps on unnamed campaign advisers, writing that he was led astray by “pride, ego and bad advice.” Williams’ failed bid was marked by strong loyalty to President Donald Trump and a series of publicity stunts including campaigning in a “deportation bus” in an Atlanta-area community known for welcoming foreign refugees. In his apology, Williams said he let his campaign become “solely about doing whatever needed to be done in order to create headlines to build name ID.”

Hawaii

Honolulu: State officials say a fungal disease local to this island state has been discovered on Oahu for the first time. The Star-Advertiser reports the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources found the disease known as rapid ohia death on a dead ohia tree near schools in Honolulu. Wildlife officials say the type of rapid ohia death found is the less aggressive of two types associated with the disease. Officials say the more aggressive fungus was responsible for killing 90% of the trees on the Big Island. Officials say the department has plans to use air and ground surveys to determine how widespread it is. Wildlife officials say there is no known cure for the fungus, and it can be spread in soil that sticks to footwear, gear and tires.

Idaho

Boise: Concerns about security at fairs and festivals across the state have been heightened in the wake of three recent mass shootings elsewhere that left 34 people dead and dozens more wounded. Idaho law says no city or county can stop people from carrying guns on public property, which includes county-owned fairgrounds. Elizabeth Duncan with Ada County says there will be no signs prohibiting firearms from being carried during the Western Idaho Fair, which starts this month. Last month Canyon County Fair officials initially tried to stop Idaho Second Amendment Alliance President Greg Pruett from bringing a handgun into that fair, but they eventually relented after an argument.

Illinois

Springfield: A Southern rock band whose logo features the Confederate flag was booked for the DuQuoin State Fair for two months before Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s staff learned of the gig and abruptly canceled it. Emails and text messages obtained by the Associated Press show that Confederate Railroad’s Aug. 27 appearance was canceled by the Agriculture Department just a day after the fair’s lineup was announced June 17. Pritzker’s office says it has an unwritten policy against using tax money to support emblems representing hate or racism. A $7,500 contract was signed in mid-April. A political blogger asked a Pritzker spokeswoman June 17 whether it was appropriate. The contract was voided the next day. Confederate Railroad frontman Danny Shirley said in an email that the name was never intended “as a political or racial statement.”

Indiana

West Lafayette: A second-grader’s plea to Mayor John Dennis has yielded a benefit for area turtles. After Jack Wietbrock, 8, and brother Teddy helped a turtle find its way from the middle of Cherry Lane to the side of the road last month, Jack became concerned about the plight of other such reptiles. “We were able to save that baby, but we had a couple of times that were some not-so-great moments of seeing turtles on the side of the road,” mom Michelle Wietbrock says. “Jack said, ‘Maybe we should send a letter to the mayor.’ ” That night, he wrote: “Dear Mayor Dennis, There are turtles crossing the road and they need our help. Can you please put up a turtle crossing sign?” On Tuesday morning, Dennis summoned Jack and his family to West Lafayette’s weekly board of works meeting and announced that he’d had the street department make the warnings “to help our turtle population.”

Iowa

Orange City: A religious activist accused of burning four LGBTQ children’s books that he checked out of a library has been convicted of criminal mischief and fined. Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle says 63-year-old Paul Robert Dorr, of Ocheyedan, was found guilty of the misdemeanor Tuesday and ordered to pay $125 in fines and court costs. Dorr posted a video to Facebook in October in which he denounced the Orange City library for having the books and threw them into a burning barrel. Dorr had fought to have the charge dismissed, saying he was singled out for prosecution because of his anti-gay message. A judge rejected his argument in July, saying the only message being sent to him was “that he cannot burn books that do not belong to him.”

Kansas

Topeka: Officials with the Topeka Rescue Mission say the organization could close next month if new funding isn’t found. Leaders said in a statement Monday that the mission is facing a $180,000 shortfall each month. It will close all its shelters and end all services if new funding isn’t found by Sept. 15. WIBW reports Mission leaders say they’ve already made money-saving moves, including announcing last week that the TRM Thrift Store would close soon. The mission provides shelter for an average of 250 people each night and provides hundreds of meals every day. TRM started in 1953 as a small room providing shelter and food to homeless men. It has expanded over the years to include shelters for women and families and to provide education, care and programs for children.

Kentucky

Elizabethtown: A memorial is being planned in central Kentucky to honor veterans of the Revolutionary War. John Humphries, president of the Colonel John Hardin chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, told The News Enterprise that his group is working with the Daughters of the American Revolution and the City of Elizabethtown on the idea for an 8-foot-tall granite obelisk that would honor about 140 Revolutionary War veterans who settled in Hardin County. He says about $25,000 will need to be raised for the memorial, which is proposed to be at Elizabethtown’s Freeman Lake Park near the Vietnam War monument. He said he got the idea after seeing such memorials in other communities, which made him think Hardin County should have one too.

Louisiana

New Orleans: A second ex-police officer in the city has taken a plea deal in a case where the officers allegedly beat a Hispanic man and called him a “fake American.” WDSU-TV reports Spencer Sutton pleaded no contest Wednesday to disturbing the peace. He had originally been charged with battery. He received a suspended 10-day sentence and agreed to pay $5,000 to the victim, Jorge Gomez, who was beaten unconscious. John Galman, the other officer in the case, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery in February. Galman received a 30-day suspended sentence and a year’s probation. Gomez, who was born in the United States, raised in Honduras and served in the U.S. Army, is suing the city. A police report says Galman claimed Gomez was “stealing valor” by wearing a military camouflage-style outfit.

Maine

Bangor: Acadia National Park is saddled with hundreds of deferred maintenance projects that officials say will cost an estimated $65.8 million the park doesn’t have. The Bangor Daily News reports that advocates and supporters have long been concerned that deteriorating roads and buildings at the park could result in fewer visitors. Surrounding communities rely heavily on tourist dollars from parkgoers. The National Park Service reports that Acadia reached its highest visitation levels ever last year, with more than 3.5 million visitors who spent an estimated $387 million in area towns. Maine representatives are supporting two congressional bills that would provide additional funding for $11 billion worth of backlogged maintenance projects at parks across the country.

Maryland

Ocean City: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is dredging the city’s inlet. Rep. Andy Harris announced that a dredge vessel arrived Tuesday. The vessel was scheduled to dredge for five days over the coming week, starting Wednesday. The dredging is being done to address sediment accumulation in an important navigation channel used by commercial fisherman and recreational boaters. Harris said the fishing and maritime industry is critical to the local economy and community, and the dredging is a high priority.

Massachusetts

Boston: Three local hospitals have teamed up to pledge $3 million over three years to help low-income families stay in their homes. Officials at Boston Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital say the Innovative Stable Housing Initiative’s first $1.5 million is slated for families struggling with unstable housing, including those behind on rent and at risk of eviction. The hospitals are required to devote money to community initiatives as a condition of state approval for large construction projects at their campuses. The hospitals decided to focus on housing. Dr. Megan Sandel, a pediatrician at Boston Medical Center’s Grow Clinic, which treats children, tells The Boston Globe research has shown that children, in particular, face health issues and developmental delays if they lack a safe and stable home.

Michigan

Manistee: A federal grant of $700,000 will help a Native American tribe based in the state to build a new food distribution center. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the grant to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. The structure will be located next to the tribe’s existing food building in Manistee. Tribal leader Larry Romanelli tells WWTV/WWUP-TV the project will help increase the number of people served. The program already has seen a big jump in demand over the past year. The target date for completion is August 2020. The funding was included in $63 million divided among 85 Native American communities around the U.S. to improve housing conditions and stimulate community development.

Minnesota

Redwood Falls: Gov. Tim Walz says he wants farmers to know his administration is taking steps to ease their financial worries during the U.S. trade war with China. Walz headed to the annual FarmFest near Redwood Falls on Tuesday. The Democratic governor intends to use the giant farm expo to get a better idea of the challenges facing Minnesota’s farmers. But Walz cautions that trade policy “comes through the executive branch through the president.” President Donald Trump recently escalated the trade war with China. Minnesota Public Radio News reports Walz told an audience at FarmFest that he wants the state’s two dozen state agencies to work together to meet the needs of rural Minnesota. Walz is planning for a likely trade trip to Japan in September with the Midwest Governors Association.

Mississippi

Morton: U.S. immigration officials raided several food processing plants in the state Wednesday, part of a large-scale operation carried out by President Donald Trump’s administration. The raids came hours before Trump was to visit El Paso, Texas, to offer sympathy to the majority-Latino border city where a man linked to an online screed about a “Hispanic invasion” was charged in a shooting that left 22 people dead. Workers filled three buses at a Koch Foods Inc. plant in tiny Morton. About 70 family, friends and residents waved goodbye and shouted, “Let them go! Let them go!” Later, two more buses arrived. A tearful 13-year-old boy whose parents are from Guatemala waved goodbye to his mother, a Koch worker, as he stood beside his father. Some employees tried to flee but were captured in the parking lot. Workers who were confirmed to have legal status were allowed to leave the plant after having their trunks searched.

Missouri

Springfield: The new-and-improved History Museum on the Square opens this week after five years of planning and an investment of over $12 million. Doors open to the public at 9 a.m. Thursday. And with its grand opening just around the corner, the museum recently announced it had received a special donation: the neon sign that hung outside Graham’s Rib Station. The sign was donated by Elaine Graham Estes, the daughter of James and Zelma Graham, who opened the iconic diner in 1932. They went to the bank and cleaned out their savings to purchase food and supplies for the opening. A few days later, the stock market crashed, and the banks closed, leaving most everyone else broke but allowing them to survive the Great Depression. “They were just lucky,” Estes said in 2018. “They didn’t know the banks were going to close.”

Montana

Superior: A man is facing an assault charge after authorities say someone saw him throw a 13-year-old boy to the ground because the teenager didn’t remove his hat when the national anthem was played at a rodeo. The boy was taken to a hospital, but details about his condition were not released. The witness, Taylor Hennick, told the Missoulian she was at the rodeo Saturday when she heard a “pop” and saw the boy on the ground, bleeding from his ears. The assailant justified his actions by saying the boy “was disrespecting the national anthem, so he had every right to do that,” Hennick said. Curt James Brockway, 39, of Superior, Montana, made an initial court appearance Monday on a charge of assault on a minor. Prosecutors recommended his bail be set at $100,000. Brockway is a registered violent offender after being convicted of a 2010 charge of assault with a weapon.

Nebraska

Omaha: Construction has begun on a free lodging facility for families of sick or injured Nebraska and western Iowa veterans being treated at the veterans hospital in Omaha. The Omaha World-Herald reports the $8 million Fisher House will include 16 hotel-style suites at a site near the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It is funded by the Fisher House Foundation with local donations and will be given to the VA when complete to operate as a federal building. It is expected to open in late 2020. There are more than 80 Fisher Houses at military and veterans hospitals around the United States, as well as two in Europe. The program was begun in 1990 by philanthropist and real estate developer Zachary Fisher.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Facebook has relaunched the globe-grabbing event called “Storm Area 51” that gathered more than 2 million RSVPs to “see them aliens” after it was taken down over the weekend. “This was a mistake and the event page is now available again,” a Facebook spokesperson wrote in an email to the USA TODAY Network. The event now includes a link to an official #StormArea51 website – complete with a merchandise page offering clothing and accessories themed around the Sept. 20 event in the Nevada desert. “Something big is coming,” the site reads. And it even appears the mysterious event now has its own theme song. Facebook first removed the page Aug. 3 for violating community standards, according to CNET.

New Hampshire

Concord: To highlight the state’s tax-free status and thank out-of-state customers, the state liquor commission is offering them discounts at its liquor and wine outlet stores. The “No Taxation on Our Libations” sale is providing customers from Massachusetts a 13% discount, Vermont a 12% discount and Maine an 11% discount, double each state’s sales tax rate. Customers from New Hampshire and all other states will be eligible for a 13% discount. A similar promotion last year drew more than 43,100 customers from 46 states. Eligible customers can receive one-time coupons valid from Thursday through Aug. 25. To take part, customers must submit their email addresses and select their home states at www.liquorandwineoutlets.com/notax.

New Jersey

Barnegat Township: The Republican mayor of this small town is urging residents to oppose a state law that requires middle and high schools to instruct students on the contributions of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. Mayor Alfonso Cirulli on Tuesday called the LGBT political movement “an affront to almighty God.” The 60-year-old former assistant principal opened the township committee’s meeting by urging residents to pressure Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the Legislature to reverse the law that was signed Jan. 31. Cirulli said the government “has no right to teach our kids morality.” Cirulli said that “we’ve crossed over the line into absurdity.” The law applies to the 2020-21 school year.

New Mexico

Las Cruces: The city will be able to digitize its permanent museum collection with the help of a $50,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation American Art Program. The city of Las Cruces announced the funding Monday. The city’s museum collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs and more. Officials say the project will increase the accessibility of the permanent collection, as digital images and updated information about each piece will be made available online. Some objects also will be mapped and reproduced using three-dimensional printing technology. Visitors seeking a hands-on experience will be able to handle the reproductions. Funding from the grant will be used to hire four contract employees to complete the work.

New York

New York: The city’s waters have welcomed a rare visitor – a beaver. The New York Times reports the animal was seen in the Hudson River on Monday. Beavers used to be plentiful in the area a few hundred years ago but were practically made extinct as they were hunted for their pelts and driven out as the city developed and their habitat was lost. The Times says in 2007, a beaver was seen in the Bronx River, the first time one of the animals had been seen in the city in 200 years. New York adopted the beaver as its state animal in 1975, and it’s also on New York City’s seal.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The state health department is barred from allowing public funds to pay for conversion therapy for minors, a controversial practice aimed at changing young LGBT people’s sexual orientations, under an order signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. Advocacy groups praised the Democratic governor’s executive order as a pioneering step to restrict the therapy in the U.S. South. Cooper’s order forbids funds controlled by executive branch agencies from paying for such therapy for minors. That includes state and federal money for the state’s Medicaid program and NC Health Choice insurance for children in low- and middle-income families. The governor’s order defines conversion therapy as practices meant to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to stifle certain behaviors or reduce romantic feelings toward the same sex.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A state audit shows Dickinson State University has lost money on its bookstore since its operations were turned over to a private company. State Auditor Joshua Gallion says the audit released Tuesday found the school reported no revenue during fiscal 2018, which was the first year of an eight-year contract with Follett Higher Education Group. Gallion says before the contract was awarded to the private company, the university reported net revenue of up to $350,000 a year. The audit says the university failed to properly review the contract when it was awarded in 2017. The school says it will work to ensure “all required provisions are included and the contract reflects the proposal.”

Ohio

Put-in-Bay: The director of the state’s Department of Natural Resources has designated the Lake Erie Islands Water Trail as Ohio’s 12th state water trail. A department release says the trail consists of five separate sections totaling more than 50 miles around North Bass, Middle Bass and South Bass islands, Kelleys Island, and along the mainland shorelines of Catawba Island and East Harbor State Park. Department Director Mary Mertz made the designation at a ceremony Tuesday in the village of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island. She said the state’s water trails help bring communities together, encourage environmental awareness, and provide opportunities for people to be active and get outdoors. The Put-in-Bay Township Park District led efforts to create the trail, with assistance from various federal and state agencies.

Oklahoma

Okmulgee: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has received a federal disaster designation to help it recover from damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in May and June. The declaration was announced by the White House on Wednesday and makes federal funding available to the tribe and various nonprofit organizations to recover from damage caused by severe weather between May 7 and June 9. Funds will be available on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged during the storms. The tribe is also eligible for federal funds for hazard mitigation measures. Federal officials say additional designations may be made later if they are sought by the tribe and warranted by further damage assessments.

Oregon

Salem: Railroad crossing crashes in the state have nearly doubled since 2013. But because such accidents are relatively rare compared to highway crashes, the increase has largely flown under the radar outside transportation circles. Oregon had 19 rail crossing accidents in 2018, up from 10 in 2013. And Marion County had the most among Oregon counties, logging 28 railroad crossing crashes since 2008. That’s 18% of the state’s 154 railroad crashes since 2008. They unfold in a variety of circumstances: drivers attempting to get around closing gates, pedestrians walking across tracks, bicyclists failing to yield. The annual statistics may not sound like much, but the number of victims since 2008 adds up, with 35 killed and 36 injured.

Pennsylvania

Bethlehem: Bethlehem Steel’s former world headquarters is gone, but fans of the defunct steelmaker can now get their hands on a piece of the demolished landmark. The National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem is selling commemorative bricks from Martin Tower. The 21-story building was imploded in May to make way for a $200 million mixed-use development. Workers saved nearly 1,000 bricks from the building’s loading dock and parking deck. The museum has attached a plaque to each brick and is selling them for $25 each. All proceeds benefit the museum. The museum’s president and CEO, Kara Mohsinger, calls it a “unique opportunity to own a small part of one of the most historic events to occur in the Lehigh Valley.”

Rhode Island

Providence: A city employee who says she was compelled to resign from her previous position after years of reporting coworkers’ fraudulent credit card spending is suing the city. The Providence Journal reports that Charlene Oliver previously worked as a purchasing agent for the Providence Water Supply Board. Oliver says in 2015 she began reporting to superiors that agency credit cards were being used for personal purchases, including clothes, makeup and household goods. She says she was repeatedly reprimanded and later transferred to a lower-paying municipal job. Oliver says the water board failed to investigate her reports and violated Rhode Island’s Whistleblowers’ Protection Act. An agency supervisor was charged in May with making $13,000 in fraudulent credit card purchases. The city says it doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.

South Carolina

Charleston: The National Park Service says people can no longer stop by Fort Sumter for free, unregulated visits. The Post and Courier reports rangers have now limited access to the historic fort, blocking people and boaters from using a nearby sandbar beach to pop in for an unregulated visit. Park Superintendent J. Tracy Stakely announced the closure in a letter saying that “security in the era of the active shooter requires a change from previous times.” He says the beach attracts partiers instead of people hoping for a historical visit. The park service says it needs to increase security and the management of erosion and artifact looting. The nearly 200-year-old fort was the target of the bombardment that launched the Civil War.

South Dakota

Rapid City: The state Supreme Court will be asked to decide whether police investigating a possible statutory rape need a warrant to seize a placenta discarded after an abortion. The Rapid City Journal reports that a Rapid City girl mentioned while getting an abortion in Denver in May 2018 that she had been 15 when she became pregnant by her 25-year-old boyfriend. South Dakota’s age of consent is 16. The clinic told Denver police, who turned over a placenta sample to a Rapid City detective. DNA testing showed that the boyfriend, Nathan Hankins, couldn’t be excluded as the father. He was charged in September with fourth-degree rape. A judge last week rejected a defense motion to throw out the placenta evidence. The defense is appealing to South Dakota’s high court.

Tennessee

Nashville: A new report from the state’s tourism department shows that tourists spent an average of $60 million per day last year. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development announced that 119 million domestic visitors swung by the Volunteer State in 2018, up from 113 million the year before. Gov. Bill Lee and Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell unveiled the numbers at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Tuesday. The agency says travel in Tennessee generated roughly 189,700 jobs and $1.81 billion in state and local tax revenue. All 95 counties in Tennessee saw an increase in domestic travel spending. Overall, Tennessee is outpacing the nation in all areas of travel, including tax revenue and expenditures.

Texas

Houston: State transportation officials are considering a plan that would earmark $390 million to help reduce highway deaths by straightening roads, improving lighting and adding guardrails. The Houston Chronicle reports the Texas Transportation Commission on May 30 ordered Texas Department of Transportation officials to identify strategies to cut the state’s roadway fatalities – typically about 3,900 annually – in half by 2035. Commissioners this month are expected to approve details of the safety plan that would dedicate $600 million over two years to address the issue. Commission member Laura Ryan says Texas had a confirmed 1,857 roadway fatalities for the first half of 2019, about 50 less than that same period last year. The newspaper’s investigation last year revealed the Houston region leads the nation’s major metro areas in avoidable roadway deaths.

Utah

Ogden: Thousands of dead fish have washed ashore at Pineview Reservoir this summer. The Standard-Examiner reports biologists with the state Division of Wildlife Resources have noticed a massive die-off at the Weber County site. Many of the fish were young black crappies, freshwater fish that like to live in flooded vegetation. DWR aquatic biologist Chris Penne said the fish have likely died from overpopulation, hotter temperatures and receding water levels. He said dropping water levels have forced the fish into shallow water along the shoreline where they become “stressed and crowded.” There was a similar die-off of fish at Pineview last year that had affected hundreds of fish. Penne said the fish will likely continue to die if temperatures stay hot in Utah.

Vermont

Montpelier: A study suggests that the city install traffic circles at certain intersections to improve traffic flow and safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The findings of the yearlong street scoping study were presented this week at a second public meeting. The aim is to find walking and bicycling improvements on Main and Barre streets. The report proposed safety related changes to roadways, intersections, sidewalks and shared-use recreational paths. The Times Argus reports the study was paid for by a $20,000 grant from the VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and a matching grant from Montpelier. The findings come as the imminent completion of a shared-use path between Taylor and Main streets will bring more cyclists and walkers into conflict with traffic.

Virginia

Fort Monroe: Gov. Ralph Northam is praising the state’s removal of Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ name from an archway at the site where the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia 400 years ago. Northam said at a news conference Tuesday that removing the letters from a 1950s-era archway reading “Jefferson Davis Memorial Park” at Fort Monroe will make the state more “welcoming and reflective of our values.” The letters were removed Friday. They will be placed in a museum at the former military base, which overlooks Chesapeake Bay and was the site of the 1619 arrival of the state’s first Africans. Davis was imprisoned at the fort after the Civil War. Northam pledged to work toward racial reconciliation earlier this year after a racist yearbook photo almost forced him from office.

Washington

Olympia: A measure that seeks to repeal an initiative to restore affirmative action in the state will be on the November ballot. The secretary of state’s office said Wednesday that it certified Referendum 88 for the general election. The opponents of Initiative 1000, which passed the Legislature in April, had 90 days to gather 129,811 valid signatures to force a public vote. The referendum campaign submitted more than 213,000 signatures. Affirmative action has been illegal in Washington since Initiative 200 was approved by voters in 1998. I-1000 prohibits using factors such as race as the sole qualifier for an otherwise less-qualified applicant, and it bans mandatory quotas. It permits state agencies to establish diversity goals and timelines and consider being part of a minority group – also including age, disability or military status – as a contributing factor for an applicant.

West Virginia

Charleston: The mayor of the capital city wants to try out new ways to deal with vacant and abandoned properties that have drawn the ire of residents. Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin on Monday announced the introduction of two bills that would increase fines on vacant properties and create an agency to help manage the buildings. She says residents complain to her office every day about the vacant properties. City Attorney Kevin Baker says the increase in fees will help the city deal with the properties, and the Land Reuse Agency will encourage redevelopment.

Wisconsin

Madison: The state Department of Natural Resources is investigating a spill at a Jackson County frac sand mine. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the spill occurred Saturday at the 670-acre Wisconsin Proppants Hixton mine in the town of Curran northwest of Black River Falls. Town Chairman Dwight Swenson says he saw signs of a spill Saturday morning on Curran Coulee Creek and notified the DNR. He took photos of orange-colored water in the creek and about 2 miles downstream where the creek enters the Trempealeau River. DNR spokesman Andrew Savagian says it’s unclear what sort of material was released or how much. Investigators took water samples Tuesday. Plant manager Hamilton White referred questions to the DNR, saying he wasn’t at liberty to comment.

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park: Yellowstone National Park officials have confirmed that a lightning strike sparked a fire that destroyed a historic lookout tower during a severe thunderstorm. Park staff have cleaned up the site and repaired a radio repeater at the burned-out Mount Holmes Fire Lookout, but there are no plans to restore the building. An employee manning the lookout on top of Wyoming’s Mount Washburn reported the fire July 16. The tower, which was burned to the ground, was built in 1931 at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. Park officials have reopened the summit and the Mount Holmes Trail.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: News from around our 50 states