Glowing rock fight, Statehouse stash, hometown hero: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Birmingham: The city is giving nearly $150,000 to several community organizations with hopes that they can reduce violence by teaching conflict resolution. Al.com reports that the effort is similar to one last year that involved 900 young people who were mentored and learned character-building through sports, education and volunteer work. It is part of a broader effort to curb violence in the city. Earlier this year, Birmingham officials declared gun violence a public health crisis. The police department has changed its scheduling so that more officers can be on the streets during peak activity. But Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin says putting more officers on the streets isn’t the only solution to making the city safer.

Alaska

Bethel: Record-high temperatures are believed to be the culprit behind salmon deaths in western Alaska. Bethel-based KYUK reports water temperatures near the town broke into the low 70s last week, the highest river temperature ever recorded there. Ben Gray, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game, says what could occur is that salmon metabolism speeds up to the point the fish are having heart attacks. Residents along the lower Kuskokwim River have reported dead salmon floating downstream. Gray and his colleagues counted about 20 dead salmon when they boated between Bethel and Akiak. The warm water temperatures also are suspected to be the cause of parasites infesting salmon in the river. Norton Sound residents have reported large numbers of dead pink salmon.

Arizona

Bisbee: The darkest, most violent chapter in the history of Bisbee was an open secret for decades in the funky old copper town 7 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. But few residents knew the details of how about 1,200 miners, most of them immigrants, were pulled violently from their homes a century ago by a private police force and put on cattle cars for their deportation to a desolate area of New Mexico. The filming of “Bisbee ’17,” a documentary about what happened July 12, 1917, was a history lesson for residents recruited to play historical figures in the production that weds documentary and collective performance. It is, at turns, a Western, a musical and a ghost story. “Bisbee ’17” will be nationally broadcast for the first time Monday night on the PBS documentary series “POV.”

Arkansas

Springdale: A federal appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit filed by four reality show sisters can proceed against the city for releasing confidential information about their alleged sexual abuse by a brother. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that Jill Duggar Dillard, Jessa Duggar Seewald, Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Joy Duggar had an expectation of privacy when officials from the city of Springdale and Washington County investigated allegations that their brother Josh sexually abused them. The sisters sued the officials after the city and county released identifying information about them to InTouch Weekly, a celebrity magazine, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Officials were appealing after a lower court refused to dismiss them from the lawsuit. The Duggar family was on the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting.”

California

Los Angeles: A jury has awarded $23.3 million to a pepper maker in the state in a fiery battle with the manufacturer of world-famous Sriracha hot sauce. The Los Angeles Times says jurors determined Huy Fong Foods breached its contract with Underwood Ranches and also committed fraud. Underwood, based in Camarillo, was the sole supplier of chili peppers for Sriracha for nearly three decades until 2017, when the partnership collapsed following a financial dispute. A lawyer representing Huy Fong Foods says the Irwindale-based company will fight the decision. The company is now sourcing its peppers from various farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico. Craig Underwood says his farm was forced to lay off 45 people, but it’s recovering and has even begun its own line of sauces.

Colorado

Denver: Jared Polis, who last year became the first openly gay man elected a governor in the U.S., made history again Friday by becoming the first Democrat to address the Western Conservative Summit. The liberal governor from Boulder was sandwiched between Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and conservative media critic Brent Bozell on the morning program of the conference, a two-day conclave founded and coordinated by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood. Polis’ speech was relatively unremarkable other than the fact that he gave it. Polis began his 10-minute speech quipping that his staff initially thought he’d be addressing an environmental group. He said the real reason he was delivering the address was that he was invited. “We all share in this great state,” Polis said.

Connecticut

Hartford: The historic home where Mark Twain and his family once lived has received a $1 million gift from bestselling novelist David Baldacci and his wife. The Mark Twain House & Museum says the gift is expected to support new initiatives including writing programs and more appearances by authors. Baldacci, who’s published 38 books, has served on the board of trustees of the Twain House since 2012. Baldacci tells the Hartford Courant that he’s a huge fan of Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, and has read everything he ever wrote. Baldacci says the famed author made a huge impression on him not only through his writing but with how he conducted his life. Clemens lived in the Hartford home from 1874 to 1891.

Delaware

Wilmington: Policing has taken up a greater and greater share of spending in the city over the past three decades and today makes up a larger portion of expenditures than in any of the nation’s 150 largest cities, according to data on local government finances. Out of $516 million spent in 2016 in Wilmington by the municipal and county governments, $67 million, or 13.1%, went to policing – twice what it was in 1990, when policing costs were 6.5%, or $39 million, of $597 million in government spending, with all numbers adjusted for inflation to 2016 dollars. That is also twice the average share of government spending that other big cities spend on policing, according to the Fiscally Standardized Cities database from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

District of Columbia

Washington: President Donald Trump’s July Fourth event has drained a special fund used to provide security and protect the nation’s capital from terrorist threats. The Washington Post reports the celebration cost the District of Columbia about $1.7 million, not including police expenses for related demonstrations. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser wrote Trump last week warning that the fund will have a $6 million deficit by September and reminding the president that the account was never reimbursed for $7.3 million in expenses from his 2017 inauguration. Bowser wants the White House to fully reimburse the fund. She said on CNN on Thursday that D.C. taxpayers shouldn’t “be left holding the bag for federal events.” White House spokesman Judd Deere said officials would respond “in a timely manner.”

Florida

Boca Raton: Ten-year-old Samantha Kohl had never seen a sea turtle hatch. But when she saw adults scooping baby turtles out of a nest at South Beach Park this month, she remembered what she’d learned at summer camp at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in nearby Boca Raton, The Palm Beach Post reports. “Should we call Gumbo Limbo?” she asked. Then, without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her mom’s phone and made the call. Her quick thinking saved 44 of the 68 baby turtles in the nest and gave adults around her a lesson in what to do in the future in that situation. One man, Samantha said, had “put a sea turtle on his flip-flop and carried it to the ocean. It was so weird.” After getting the call, two Gumbo Limbo officials came racing up the beach on ATVs with “sand flying,” Samantha said, and told the lifeguards they should not let people touch the nest.

Georgia

Atlanta: The state aims to encourage more students to seek agriculture jobs by offering new educational courses. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports some of the courses begin as early as kindergarten. The goal is to better acquaint students with one of Georgia’s oldest industries. The program will begin with 20 elementary schools that will roll out the agricultural education courses. Agricultural education is offered in middle and high schools in metro Atlanta, the newspaper reports. But this effort marks the first time it is being offered to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The lessons will largely be tied into everyday instruction, as teachers seek to increase agriculture literacy through real situations, says Billy Hughes, program manager for Georgia Agriculture Education. Students likely will engage with farm animals and build their own gardens, among other things.

Hawaii

Lihue: A transient organization has sterilized more than 1,000 cats in less than a year in the state. The Garden Island reports Animal Balance’s Spay Pod surpassed 1,000 surgeries in June to combat overpopulation on Kauai. Animal Balance says the cats pose problems for bird populations and can carry a parasite known as toxoplasmosis harmful to humans and seals. Representatives say the organization has formed mobile sterilization hospitals since January combined with nearby volunteer groups that average 600 animal sterilizations each week they work in the region. Program director Elsa Kohlbus says they plan to complete 2,000 more procedures when they return in September. Spay Pod says the free Sept. 8-12 event will be split in two locations in Kapaa and Poipu to increase the odds of reaching projected numbers.

Idaho

Idaho Falls: A group of 28 Republican state lawmakers have sent a letter to Boise State University criticizing the school’s efforts to address gender-based violence, aid underrepresented minority students and avoid bias in hiring decisions because the lawmakers say those and other programs increase tuition costs and go against the “Idaho way.” The Post Register reports the letter was written by Idaho Falls Republican Rep. Barbara Ehardt to Boise State University President Marlene Tromp on July 9. The lawmakers called the school’s efforts to create inclusivity, diversity and equality “disconcerting.” They said the programs result in segregation and add unnecessary costs and suggested BSU officials should instead focus on “academic excellence.”

Illinois

Chicago: The Chicago Transit Authority is going to issue buttons to pregnant women to signal that other riders should offer up their seats. CTA spokesman Brian Steele tells the Chicago Sun-Times that the distribution plan and button design are being finalized. The CTA says the program is expected to launch later this year. Erin Fowler says she pitched the button idea to the CTA when she was pregnant in 2013 because she was frustrated that she had to stand on the train. She says she was inspired by a trip to London, where she saw pregnant subway riders sporting “Baby on Board” buttons. Dr. Julie Levitt, a clinical instructor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, says that sitting down while on moving vehicles can alleviate motion sickness for pregnant women.

Indiana

Indianapolis: A steam-fueled clock that sat silent for years outside the Indiana State Museum is whistling a tune again following repairs. The Indiana Steam Clock is linked to a local steam line and designed to whistle the song “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the top of every hour, with shorter verses played every quarter-hour. But the electric device fell silent in 2012 after corrosion and rust accumulated on its metal parts. Chief museum curator Susannah Koerber tells WISH-TV that Smith’s Bell and Clock in Camby, Indiana, repaired the clock, cleaned it and moved its electronics away from the source of its steam power. The clock is whistling again and sporting new colored LED lights in its clock face, but Koerber says it will need consistent maintenance and tuning.

Iowa

Des Moines: Good news for fans of ancient meditation practices and small bovids: Goat yoga is returning to the Iowa State Fair. Fair officials say in a news release that the class, which was introduced to the fair last year, will resume this year at the state fair on Aug. 12, 14 and 17 in the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center. The class will include yoga poses not only with baby goats but also with piglets, ducklings and chicks. New this year will be an exclusive Iowa State Fair Goat Yoga mat for the first 250 registered participants. Tickets, which are $20 and are open to any age, are available online. Fair admission is not included, but advanced admission tickets are on sale at www.iowastatefair.org.

Kansas

Lawrence: Hundreds have rallied to call on officials to declare the city a sanctuary for immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal permission. The Journal-World reports that the Friday night rally was organized by a local coalition of Latino activists. The coalition says more than 300 people signed a petition urging Lawrence leaders to pass ordinances aimed at protecting immigrants, including measures to limit local police cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. State Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, told the crowd the country needed more sanctuary cities. The rally also raised more than $1,600 for a fund to help local immigrants and refugees pay for such things as legal fees, groceries and transportation. In 2017, the City Commission proclaimed Lawrence a “welcoming city,” but proclamations aren’t legally binding.

Kentucky

Golden Pond: A fishing method originally developed in China will be used to remove invasive Asian carp from Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The “unified method” of fishing drives carp through a series of large nets into a containment area, where they can be harvested. The method has been successful at capturing large quantities of Asian carp in Missouri and Illinois. A news release from the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the method will be tried in the two reservoirs on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The release says the Kentucky Republican helped secure a $600,000 increase in federal funds to combat Asian carp in the Mississippi and Ohio River basins. Asian carp is a catchall term for several invasive carp species that are damaging native aquatic populations.

Louisiana

New Orleans: As Tropical Storm Barry bore down, news photographers from across the city could be found together in a church, witnessing the wedding of one of their own. Associated Press photographer Gerald Herbert and Lucy Sikes were supposed to get married Saturday night. But with the impending storm throwing a wrench in wedding plans, the couple decided after some “soul-searching” to move their wedding forward to Friday. New Orleans rhythm and blues musician Deacon John Moore still performed at the ceremony. He was accompanied by his brother and another musician in lieu of the regular church musicians who couldn’t make it. Wedding coordinator Pam Eshleman says Sikes texted her proposing a change of plans that morning itself, and the wedding “just all worked out so well.”

Maine

Portland: Gov. Janet Mills says a federal directive aimed at protecting endangered right whales represents an “absurd federal overreach,” and she’s telling the state to come up with its own proposal with a lesser impact on lobster fishermen. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants Maine to present a plan in September for reducing the lobster industry’s threat to right whales by 60%. The plan would mean reducing by half the number of lobster trap lines that could entangle whales. But the Democratic governor says Maine’s lobster industry isn’t the “primary problem,” and bureaucrats shouldn’t undermine the industry with “foolish, unsupported and ill-advised regulations.” Maine’s congressional delegation, which supports Mills, says a “science-informed and equitable solution” is needed to protect the whales, which number about 400.

Maryland

Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration has announced a total of $5 million in grants to support tourism projects in the state. The governor announced the 109 matching grants Thursday. The funds support tourism projects and activities that draw visitors to the state’s 13 certified heritage areas and expand economic development. Organizations receiving the grants include museums, parks and educational organizations. All of Maryland’s counties and the city of Baltimore have at least part of a state-certified heritage area within their boundaries. Since the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority was formed in 1996, it has awarded more than $41 million in grants and helped leverage more than $1.6 billion in non-state funding for heritage tourism projects in the state.

Massachusetts

Boston: More than 1,600 drivers in the state have had their licenses suspended following a Registry of Motor Vehicles review prompted by a deadly crash that killed seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire. The unprocessed out-of-state violations were discovered in bins at registry headquarters and during a search of the agency’s archives dating to 2011. A Friday memo from top registry and transportation officials also said there’s no evidence that the registry had a consistent practice of sending out mail or electronic notification of violations or suspension actions taken in Massachusetts to other states in real time. Connecticut officials twice alerted Massachusetts about a drunken driving arrest against the driver charged in the June 21 crash, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, but the state failed to act to suspend his license. Zhukovskyy pleaded not guilty.

Michigan

Brimley: Two men are in conflict over recently discovered glowing rocks in the Upper Peninsula. Erik Rintamaki is credited with finding the sodalite-rich syenite rocks in 2017 on a Lake Superior beach near Brimley. He chose to name the fluorescent rocks “Yooperlites” and trademarked the term. But Jason Asselin, a self-described online personality based in the Upper Peninsula, disagrees with his trademark. Both men say Rintamaki’s lawyer sent Asselin a cease-and-desist order after he tried to sell Yooperlites on the website Etsy without first getting Rintamaki’s consent. Asselin asserted in a YouTube video last month that the trademark is disrespectful to Yoopers, as residents of the Upper Peninsula are affectionately known. Rintamaki contends that trademarking the Yooperlites term was simply a business decision.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Doughnuts with a side of syringes have been nixed from the Minnesota State Fair after the offering was roundly criticized. Last month fair officials announced the new foods that would be available at this year’s event, including doughnut holes that came with three syringes of do-it-yourself fillings – Bavarian cream, chocolate custard and lingonberry jam. But the optics of druglike syringes littering the fair grounds and the impact of single-use plastics drew complaints. The Star Tribune says an online petition against the syringes has generated more than 3,000 signatures. Jason Holtz, who launched the petition, says that with the opioid crisis, the message should not be sent that tasty things come from syringes. The Wingwalker Donut Flight will instead be served with a compostable tray so customers can dunk the doughnuts instead.

Mississippi

Natchez: The state is seeing the benefit of reviving an economic incentive program for moviemaking. WLBT-TV reports the movie “Breaking News in Yuba County” started filming in Natchez in early June. Before the Mississippi incentives were brought back, the film was supposed to be shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is directed by Tate Taylor, who lives near Natchez. Gov. Phil Bryant signed legislation in April allowing 25% tax rebates for nonresident cast and crew on films shot in Mississippi. “Breaking News in Yuba County” features Oscar-winner Allison Janney and other well-known actors including Mila Kunis, Awkwafina, Ellen Barkin, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes. Taylor and producer John Norris plan to build a sound stage in Natchez and want to create resources to decrease costs and attract film projects.

Missouri

Jefferson City: Gov. Mike Parson on Friday vetoed a bill that would have allowed some motorcycle riders to drive without helmets, citing opposition to an unrelated provision in the measure. The legislation would have repealed Missouri’s helmet requirement for motorcycle riders who are at least 18 years old and have health insurance. In a letter to lawmakers, Parson wrote that he vetoed the wide-ranging bill because of an unrelated section that dealt with suspending driver’s licenses because of failure to pay court fines. Parson wrote that the legislation would “significantly undermine” another law enacted after protests in Ferguson broke out following black teen Michael Brown’s fatal shooting by a white officer. His death drew attention to concerns about the mostly white police force’s treatment of the predominantly black residents of the St. Louis suburb, including the use of traffic fines and court fees to boost revenue.

Montana

Billings: Developers of a 400-megawatt energy storage system proposed in central Montana say they expect to start construction as soon as next year after inking a financial agreement for the $1 billion project. Absaroka Energy President Carl Borgquist says Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark has agreed to line up financing for the project near Martinsdale. Known as the Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Hydro Project, it’s intended to make wind turbines and other renewable energy sources more reliable by storing the electricity they produce until it’s needed. Described as a “hydro battery,” it would use excess power produced by wind farms or other sources to pump water uphill to a 3,000-foot long reservoir. The water would be released during periods of high electricity demand, turning hydropower turbines to generate power.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The state’s corrections director won’t have to testify before lawmakers about the lethal injection protocol or how prison officials obtained the drugs used in an execution last year. The Nebraska Supreme Court sided Friday with the state corrections department, which sought to block a subpoena from the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee that would have required corrections director Scott Frakes to answer questions about his department’s lethal injection practices. The Judiciary Committee ordered Frakes to appear at a public hearing last year, months before Nebraska executed its first inmate by lethal injection. Committee members issued the subpoena in response to a complaint from state Sen. Ernie Chambers, a death penalty opponent who wanted to question Frakes under oath. The court declared the issue moot because the committee’s membership has since changed.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Recent California earthquakes that rattled Sin City have shaken up arguments by proponents and opponents of a stalled federal plan to entomb nuclear waste at a site in southern Nevada. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso said last week that his legislation to jump-start efforts to open Yucca Mountain is based on studies that take seismic activity into account. Advocates say spent nuclear reactor fuel from 121 sites in 35 states would be safer at Yucca Mountain. Nevada officials disagree, and the earthquakes during the July Fourth holiday appear to have bolstered their arguments. Democratic Rep. Dina Titus of Las Vegas called the quakes a reminder of how dangerous it would be to make Nevada what she calls the nation’s nuclear dumping ground.

New Hampshire

Concord: Sports betting is now legal in the state, though it will take some time to set up. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Friday to allow mobile gambling and wagering at up to 10 retail locations across the state. The state Lottery Commission will supervise and regulate the new industry, which is expected to bring in an estimated $7.5 million in fiscal year 2021 and $13.5 million two years later. Since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year ended Nevada’s monopoly on legal sportsbooks, they’ve opened in eight more states. They’ve also been legalized but have not yet opened in another six plus the District of Columbia, and the issue is going to voters in Colorado this November.

New Jersey

North Wildwood: A judge has ruled that a lifeguard who collided with a woman as he ran to cover a vacated lifeguard stand is protected by state’s Good Samaritan Act. The woman had sued North Wildwood, its beach patrol and lifeguard Zachary Palombo over the September 2015 collision. Palombo heard a call about a distressed swimmer and ran to cover the vacated stand on a busy Labor Day weekend. He soon collided with a woman walking near the water. A 4-pound plastic rescue torpedo Palombo was carrying struck her in the face, breaking her nose. A judge ruled Palombo was protected by the law that grants immunity to emergency responders unless their actions are determined to be negligent. The woman had cited Palombo’s “out of control” conduct, noting he wasn’t running to a rescue or to assist an injured person.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: The state is asking its high school students to take up the gauntlet as part of an academic challenge that aims to answer one question: How will you use science and technology to help with national security? Los Alamos National Laboratory came up with the question and will be partnering with teachers and businesses as the students use what they learn in the classroom next semester to formulate their answers. At stake are stipends for teachers, extra state funding, and cash awards and academic letters for students who make the cut for the special science teams. Bill McCamley, head of the state labor department, announced the challenge Friday and says it comes as the state begins working with new science standards that focus more on real-world problem-solving.

New York

New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo demands that transportation officials tackle what he calls an “egregious” problem in the city’s subway system – the rising number of homeless people. The Democrat sent a letter Friday to the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, noting that homelessness has a direct impact on riders. Cuomo says that in 2018, about 650 trains were delayed because of the presence of homeless people, up from about 420 in 2014. This year, the governor says more than 2,170 homeless New Yorkers were found in stations and subway trains, up from 1,770 last year. In response, MTA Chairman Patrick Foye says he agrees the issue of homelessness must be part of the state agency’s ongoing reorganization plan to provide riders with safe and dependable service.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The numbers are in on the count of Venus flytraps in the Carolinas. From May to July, the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program counted the carnivorous plant in the state and its southern counterpart. Team members explored remote wildlands to find Venus flytraps and map and document the size of each population. They also recorded the overall condition of the habitat and noted threats. The researchers say they estimate more than 302,000 Venus flytrap plants at 21 locations in North Carolina and South Carolina. They actually counted 168,827 plants, and the rest of the count was based on transects through densely populated habitats. Of the total counted, 4,876 plants were in South Carolina. North Carolina law makes it felony to take a Venus flytrap without a permit.

North Dakota

Bismarck: The state’s congressional delegation has introduced legislation to change the name of “Sullys Hill” on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation to its traditional Dakota name, “White Horse Hill.” The federal government named the national game preserve in 1931 after General Alfred Sully, the commander of cavalry troops who killed hundreds of Native Americans, including ancestors of the Spirit Lake Nation. Because the name was made by an act of Congress, it takes another act to change it. Sen. Kevin Cramer introduced the legislation in the U.S. Senate. Rep. Kelly Armstrong introduced an identical bill in the U.S. House. Cramer says the Spirit Lake Tribe does not need a name within its land that reminds its members of the atrocities committed against their ancestors.

Ohio

Wapakoneta: New statues of astronaut Neil Armstrong have been unveiled and an education center has been dedicated in his name as his hometown continues celebrating its native son’s history-making moon mission 50 years ago this week. The Dayton Daily News reports Gov. Mike DeWine and other officials gathered at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta for the unveiling Sunday of a bronze life-sized statue of Armstrong as a test pilot. A statue of him as a boy also was unveiled. A ribbon-cutting dedicated the Armstrong STEM Inspiration Center at the museum. It will promote science, technology, engineering and math learning. Armstrong stepped on the moon’s surface July 20, 1969. A celebration of the moon landing that had already begun continues through July 21 in the western Ohio city.

Oklahoma

Tulsa: The leaders of five of the state’s most powerful tribal nations have approved a resolution denouncing the new Republican governor’s plan to force negotiations for a bigger slice of revenue from Oklahoma’s tribal casinos. The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes approved the resolution Friday during a meeting in Tulsa. The Oklahoma-based Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations represent about 750,000 Native Americans across the country. In an editorial published this week, Gov. Kevin Stitt said the existing compacts should be re-evaluated now that the gambling industry has matured in Oklahoma. In a statement Friday, Stitt said he’s been clear since his campaign that he’d seek a “fair-market deal” from the tribes. Tribal leaders and the governor disagree over what triggers a 15-year renewal of the compacts.

Oregon

Bend: Scientists say a fossilized jawbone misidentified for 50 years turns out to belong to a bone-crushing mammal and is the first to be found in the Northwest. Scientists tell the Bend Bulletin the 40 million-year-old fossil discovered at the John Day Fossil Beds in eastern Oregon is from a Harpagolestes, a hoofed mammal that’s a cross between a pig and a hyena. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Chief Paleontologist Nicholas Famoso says scientists previously thought the fossil was from a polar bear-like creature. He says a University of Oregon paleontology student, Selina Robson, started investigating after becoming convinced the fossil was misidentified. Famoso says he wants to examine other fossils in the University of Oregon collection to see if they’re also misidentified.

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: The just-launched Whiskey Rebellion Trail will connect for booze and history tourists 75-plus cultural sites and craft distilleries from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, with lots of intoxicating views and visits in between. The route is this region’s version of Kentucky’s booming Bourbon Trail, but it aims to share an even older story – the “first chapter of American whiskey,” when Colonial-era settlers in this region turned their rye into whiskey and then rebelled in the early 1790s when the new federal government taxed them on it, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. “This is truly the only region in America that can tell that story,” says Meredith Meyer Grelli, co-owner of Pittsburgh’s Wigle Whiskey, who led the effort to create a trail. Her business, named for a figure convicted of treason in the Whiskey Rebellion, recently helped revive Pennsylvania rye from the dead.

Rhode Island

Pawtucket: The mayor says he’ll announce by the end of September how McCoy Stadium will be reused after the Pawtucket Red Sox leave town. The Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate plans to leave Pawtucket and play its first season in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2021. Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien spoke to WPRI-TV about the timing of the announcement Thursday, as Red Sox executives joined with state and local officials from Massachusetts to break ground on a 10,000-seat stadium for the ballclub in Worcester. The team’s ownership decided to relocate after failing to reach a deal for a new stadium with Rhode Island officials. Six groups have come forward with proposals for the McCoy Stadium property. Many include bringing another minor league sports franchise to the city, either baseball or soccer.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state lottery has posted a record year for revenue. The South Carolina Education Lottery said in a Thursday news release that the lottery set records in the last fiscal year for proceeds raised for education, prizes paid to players and commissions earned by retailers. The lottery raised $487.6 million for education programs during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Players won more than $1.3 billion in prize money during the fiscal year. The lottery organization said the selling of a $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot ticket in October and a sustained interest in instant scratch-off games contributed to the record year.

South Dakota

Pierre: The state’s congressional delegation is leading an effort to repeal old federal laws that discriminate against Native Americans dating back to 1875. The 11 laws in the repeal effort include one directing the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to forcibly remove Native American children from their homes and place them in U.S. government boarding schools. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds on Wednesday introduced the RESPECT Act – for Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes – and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson is co-sponsoring the House’s version of the bill. This is Rounds’ second attempt to pass the RESPECT Act. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed his bill in 2017, but the U.S. House failed to take action on it. Rounds says he’s confident it’ll pass both chambers this time around.

Tennessee

Nashville: Republican Gov. Bill Lee is facing backlash for signing a proclamation ordering a day to honor Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Lee told reporters last week that a 1969 state law required him to sign the proclamation but declined to say whether he believed the law should be repealed. The proclamation designates July 13 as “Nathan Bedford Forrest Day.” Forrest was a Confederate cavalry general who had amassed a fortune as a plantation owner and slave trader in Memphis before the Civil War. By Friday, Lee was receiving pushback from both Republicans and Democrats for signing the proclamation. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted that signing it was wrong and urged Lee to change the law.

Texas

Galveston: A former municipal building that survived the catastrophic 1900 Galveston hurricane and suffered water damage in 2008 during Hurricane Ike will soon serve as a community center. The Galveston County Daily News reports the historic 30th Street Water and Electric Light Station that was built in 1888 is undergoing a $2.9 million overhaul. City spokeswoman Marissa Barnett says rehabilitation of the 6,800-square-foot facility should be completed by late October or early November. The project is funded through federal disaster relief money. Ardent Construction superintendent Calvin Neill says all the outside brick is being reformed, and a damaged exterior cornice will be reconstructed using fiberglass. Barnett says the community center space is meant to complement the city’s latest mixed-income development.

Utah

Tooele: A local man has set a state spearfishing record. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says 39-year-old Jacob Hansen broke the state record for spearfishing a tiger muskie fish June 13 at Fish Lake in southern Utah. Hansen’s record-breaking fish is 51 inches long and weighs 32 pounds. Hansen said he spotted the record-breaking fish while teaching his daughter how to spearfish at a family reunion on Fish Lake. Spearfishing is only allowed in certain areas throughout the state to protect the species. Faith Jolley with the DWR said the previous record was set in 2013 at Fish Lake when someone caught a 46-inch, 28-pound tiger muskie.

Vermont

Montpelier: Almost three dozen cannabis plants have been found growing in the flower beds in front of the Statehouse. Police say a visitor alerted them to the 34 plants this week among the cultivated flowers that line the walkway in front of the building. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Romei says he doesn’t know whether the immature plants were marijuana or hemp. He says officials don’t intend to test the plants to see if they are marijuana or hemp because there is no criminal case. In Vermont, possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use is legal. Farmers can plant hemp as a cash crop. Romei says officials have made similar discoveries in the Statehouse flower gardens in previous years.

Virginia

Wallops Island: Officials cut the ribbon Thursday to officially open a new payload processing facility on Wallops Island. “The new MARS Payload Processing Facility enhances the Wallops complex and is a critical part of our commitment to serve as a world-class center for space research, exploration and commerce,” Gov. Ralph Northam said. The new, $31 million building represents a major expansion in capabilities for the facility, including for commercial ventures. With several cargo bays, the facility on the north end of Wallops Island will enable Virginia Space to serve multiple customers at the same time, including allowing for secure processing for sensitive classified and scientific missions. The added space for payload processing is needed as MARS prepares for an increase in launch and unmanned systems activity over the next few years.

Washington

Olympia: The state Supreme Court says it’s illegal for employers to refuse to hire someone who is obese if they are otherwise qualified for the job. In a 7-2 ruling Thursday, the high court said obesity is covered by state anti-discrimination law. The ruling answered an inquiry from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which asked the court to determine under what circumstances, if any, obesity qualified as an “impairment” under the law. Casey Taylor sued after the BNSF Railway Company withdrew its conditional offer of employment for an electronic technician position after a medical exam found his body mass index to be in the severely obese range. The two dissenting justices said the majority’s ruling was too broad.

West Virginia

Huntington: State officials say West Virginia Turnpike revenue jumped during Fourth of July holiday travel this year after tolls doubled in January. But the number of toll-paying riders slightly declined. According to The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, the West Virginia Parkways Authority says toll revenues from June 27 through July 7 registered at more than $5.6 million. Last year, $3.2 million was generated during a comparable 11-day Fourth of July travel window. Meanwhile, officials said the number of transactions at Turnpike toll booths over the holiday stretch declined by 25,136, or just over 1.7%, from 1,456,781 in 2018 to 1,431,645 this year. State Parkways Authority tolls director Doug Ratcliff says transactions for the year are still up about a half a percent compared to 2018. Tolls increased from $2 to $4.

Wisconsin

Madison: University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross is telling regents he’s disappointed with system funding in the state budget. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers laid out an additional $127 million for the system over the two-year budget. Republicans scaled that back to $58 million, with $45 million contingent on lawmakers approving the system’s plan for spending it. The budget also extends a tuition freeze for another two years. Cross maintains it would take $60 million just to keep up with inflation. He commented on the budget briefly during a regents meeting Friday, saying he remains concerned the money won’t be enough to make what he called “necessary investments.” He didn’t elaborate but said maintaining quality in the face of the tuition freeze requires more money. The regents said nothing.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: The state attorney general’s office has sued an oil refinery, claiming it exceeded emission limits for a number of air pollutants. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports the state filed the lawsuit this month against HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, alleging 17 violations of state and federal environmental regulations. The state is asking for up to $10,000 in penalties for each day the Cheyenne refinery violated regulations. HollyFrontier did not return the newspaper’s call for comment. The state claims the company exceeded limits for sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants. The state sued the company over similar violation claims in February 2018.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

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