Guitar hotel, creepy dolls, slime museum: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Parrish: Alabama Power Company has agreed to pay about $222,000 to settle a chemical spill and fish kill. News outlets reported the amount includes a civil penalty and compensation. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said more than 500 fish were found dead in March, days after about 700 gallons of flame retardant spilled into Baker Creek near the company’s coal-fired plant in Parrish. The state agency said its investigators were ordered by Alabama Power personnel to leave the plant on March 29 because they weren’t carrying official state identification. The investigators said many fish had been removed from the water when they returned a few hours later. AL.com reported Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman said the company removed some dead fish after the spill.

Alaska

Fairbanks: A rule change will allow electronically assisted bikes anywhere that traditional bicycles are permitted in Denali National Park and Reserve. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that the National Park Service issued the e-bike directive at the end of August. The park service said the policy aimed at expanding recreational opportunities and accessibility allows the motorized vehicles on the entire length of the Denali Park Road. An official said that beyond the 92 miles of the road, e-bikes can travel on a single trail of Denali’s front country and into the backcountry via a limited number of access points. The park service maintains a strict definition of an e-bike as a "low-speed electric bicycle” with a motor under 750 watts, which is 1 horsepower.

Arizona

Scottsdale: White Castle is open for business in Arizona. The 98-year-old family run business opened Wednesday near Scottsdale, the first franchise in the state and the largest free-standing one in the world. The excitement among residents was so great that a company official estimated the wait to get the famous mini-burgers and a variety of other menu items was running about 3¹/₂ hours just after 8 p.m. The 4,589-square-foot restaurant, which can accommodate more than 200 guests, has televisions, free WiFi, and a kitchen that’s entirely visible from the dining room. It also pays homage to rock musician Alice Cooper, a longtime White Castle fan and a member of its “Cravers Hall of Fame,” with a large photo of Cooper in a corner of the restaurant. The Scottsdale-area resident attended the groundbreaking of the restaurant in April and was the first to dine with his family in his namesake booth at a preopening event Sunday night. The restaurant will serve alcohol every day from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. There will be beers and wines available on tap, plus White Claw hard seltzer in mango and black cherry flavors.

Arkansas

Mountain Home: Underage vaping took center stage at a roundtable discussion held by state Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Monday at the Donald W. Reynolds Library. Rutledge, who is holding roundtable discussions with local leaders in all 75 counties, spent several hours in Mountain Home after holding a similar meeting earlier Monday for Marion County officials in Yellville. The attorney general also held an afternoon roundtable in Melbourne with Izard County leaders later that day. The Baxter County roundtable touched on the potential impacts of medical marijuana and the state’s involvement in several pending lawsuits filed against opioid manufacturers and distributors, but all avenues of conversation seemed to lead back to underage vaping. Vaping’s low-key nature and whimsical flavors have made the devices a popular target of abuse among children. Forty percent of Mountain Home students in grades 8 through 12 are either vaping or have tried it, Mountain Home Superintendent Dr. Jake Long said. The Attorney General’s Office has sued three online vaping retailers, Rutledge said. Her office has also mailed hundreds of warnings to other online retailers warning that it is illegal to ship tobacco into the state for sale. Parents need as much education about the devices as their children do, Rutledge said. Some devices are manufactured to resemble a more innocuous item in passing, she said.

California

El Centro: The Imperial County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to declare a local state of emergency at the Salton Sea. The measure, which will be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom, will help officials break through 14 years of bureaucratic wrangling and red tape to get dust suppression and habitat projects underway. if the state recognizes the emergency, Newsom can appeal to the Trump administration, and work could begin immediately, rather than waiting until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other entities complete lengthy environmental permitting reviews. Federal and state disaster relief funds could also be freed up. Newsom did not respond to requests for comment. In addition to the action on the state's largest lake, supervisors said they will likely seek another emergency declaration on the badly polluted New River, which flows into the Salton Sea, in two weeks.

Colorado

Denver: A giraffe has died unexpectedly at the Denver Zoo because of complications following a routine medical procedure. KCNC-TV reported the zoo announced on social media that the giraffe named “Kazi” died Tuesday. Zoo officials said the 2-year-old male arrived in Denver from the Milwaukee Zoo in September to become a companion to a female giraffe in its herd. Officials said a castration procedure was successful, but the giraffe experienced trouble breathing while recovering from anesthesia and then stopped breathing completely. The zoo said staff members tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the animal by intubating it and performing CPR. Officials said the castration performed by the zoo’s medical staff is a common procedure used to decrease the competitive, aggressive nature of male giraffes.

Connecticut

Middletown: The president of Wesleyan University said the school has decided not to pursue the proposed idea of opening a college in China. President Michael Roth wrote in a campuswide email Thursday that he met with those involved in the potential venture during a trip to Asia and it became clear that their “respective goals could not be sufficiently aligned.” Roth said there also were unresolved questions around issues of academic freedom. A Chinese corporation, the Hengdian Group, had invited the private liberal arts school to consider teaming up to open a campus in China. Meetings that had been planned for next week with Wesleyan faculty and students to discuss the proposal have been canceled.

Delaware

Townsend: A crash Wednesday night on Del. 1 near the U.S. 13 overpass near Townsend shut down the highway during the overnight hours, an official said. The crash happened just before 9:40 p.m. and involved two tractor-trailers, said an official with the Delaware State Police. One driver sustained nonlife threatening injuries in the crash, the official said. Del. 1 was closed at exit 119 and at exit 114, according to DelDOT's website. Traffic was diverted onto U.S. 13 north, which also was closed for a time, leading to backups. Some of the debris from the wreck ended up on U.S. 13 north, affecting traffic on that road, said an official with DelDOT's Traffic Management Center. All north Del. 1 lanes were reopened at about 6:45 a.m. By 8 a.m., DelDOT tweeted that U.S. 13 was cleared.

District of Columbia

Washington: A judge has denied an injunction request that would have blocked the District of Columbia from moving forward on its $215 million no-bid sports gambling contract. News outlets reported Judge John Campbell denied the request Friday, stating the D.C. Council didn’t act illegally in issuing the single-source contract to Intralot. Sports-betting technology developer Dylan Carragher filed an injunction last month claiming the contract violated the procurement laws. D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said through a spokesperson that his office is pleased with the decision. Carragher’s attorney, Donald Temple, said he plans to appeal. Carragher also filed a lawsuit against the District claiming the contract illegally bars him and other vendors from participating in the “potentially lucrative enterprise.” The lawsuit is pending.

Florida

Hollywood: It looks like a rock ‘n’ roll guitar. But this one is 450 feet tall and is a light-beam hotel that the Seminole Tribe wants to become South Florida’s latest tourist destination. The Guitar Hotel’s grand opening was Thursday on the tribe’s land in Hollywood. It’s the latest step in the Seminole Hard Rock empire, which includes naming rights on the Miami-area stadium where the 2020 Super Bowl will be played. It’s a unique addition to South Florida’s tourist landscape and no hotel is like it in the world. It has more than 600 rooms and at night, beams of light will mimic the strings of the guitar. The $1.5 billion project also has a refurbished venue for concerts and other events, starting with Maroon 5 on Friday.

Georgia

Cordele: A Canadian company said it will lay off 45 workers at a south Georgia wood panel mill as it cuts production. Toronto-based Norbord said it will stop making oriented strand board on one of its two lines at its Cordele plant. The company announced Monday that the cutback will take place in mid-November. Norbord said it’s cutting back because demand is poor, especially in the southeast. The line that’s being closed had been running on a reduced schedule. It will be closed indefinitely, while a second line continues to run a full schedule. The cutback represents 6% of Norbord’s North American capacity. Norbord said it will write down the value of the Cordele mill by $10 million before taxes as part of its third-quarter earnings.

Hawaii

Lahaina: Roads and an airport have reopened as firefighters continue to fight a west Maui brush fire. Maui officials said the fire above Kahana ridge was 45% contained Wednesday. About 1.5-square miles burned, threatening some homes, prompting evacuations, and forcing the closure of the Kapalua Airport. The Hawaii Department of Transportation said the small airport reopened Wednesday morning for normal operations. Maui County spokesman Brian Perry said officials are checking to assess damage and looking into unconfirmed reports of burned or singed roofs. County officials said about six people checked into a shelter at the Lahaina Civic Center on Tuesday, but no one stayed overnight. The shelter was closed Wednesday. There are no reports of injuries.

Idaho

Boise: A black bear cub that was illegally taken from the wild by a Boise man is heading to a rehabilitation sanctuary. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said a “well-meaning” Boise hunter took the cub last Saturday. The department confiscated the bear two days later, and State Veterinarian Dr. Mark Drew has treated the animal for an abscess, infection, abrasions and dehydration. Fish and Game regional supervisor Brad Compton said the bear was not habituated to humans, and it will likely continue to try to avoid humans in the wild. The bear will spend the winter at the Snowdon Wildlife Sanctuary near McCall and will likely be released to the wild next spring, when it is 1, Compton said. Fish and Game spokesperson Evin Oneale said the man who took the bear from the wild thought it was sick and wanted to help it but had no veterinarian training and no authorization from the state. The man kept the bear in a dog kennel in his garage until it was confiscated. Oneale said people who see an injured wild animal can take note of where the animal was seen and then report that location to the state.

Illinois

Chicago: The city’s police oversight agency has recommended only a 30-day suspension for an officer who fatally shot a fleeing teenager in 2011, concluding it missed the five-year deadline for firing him under state law. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability also recommended Macario Chavez be put on desk duty indefinitely. A police spokesman said Tuesday that Chavez already has served the suspension. The office found Chavez showed a “reckless disregard for human life” as he fired 31 times at Calvin Cross with a high-powered rifle. Two other officers fired 14 times at the 19-year-old. The officers reported Cross shot at them. However, records show the only gun found at the scene was so clogged with grime it could not fire. Chavez and the others were initially cleared of wrongdoing in 2013.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Authorities said the man and woman who died when their SUV plunged from the fourth floor of a downtown parking garage came from Illinois. The Marion County Coroner’s Office on Thursday identified the couple as 70-year-old Iristeen Hunt and 73-year-old Charles Hunt of University Park, Illinois. The car plowed through the wall of the Market Square Center Garage just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, tumbling four floors before landing on its roof in an alley behind the City Market. The couple died at the scene and a man who witnessed the plunge was treated for shock. Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith has said the woman was driving.

Iowa

Mason City: Members of a veterans group will dedicate monuments depicting male and female soldiers. The Globe Gazette reported the monuments will be dedicated Saturday at the All Vets Center. They have been added to a display that includes a Howitzer and flagpole. The monuments were obtained and repaired after a fundraising effort that included rummage sales and dances. One statue shows a female soldier who carries her helmet and has an M-4 rifle slung over her shoulder. The other shows an infantryman from the Vietnam War.

Kansas

Topeka: A wayward squirrel is being blamed for a power outage in Topeka. KSNT-TV reported that about 3,000 Evergy customers were without electricity when the power went out around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Crews had the lights back on within about a half-hour. The electric company said a squirrel made contact with equipment, causing the outage. Among those impacted were businesses, Topeka West High School and several traffic lights.

Kentucky

Paducah: The McCracken County Humane Society is struggling after taking in 65 dogs in two days. The Paducah Sun reported it started on Sunday with the report of a pit bull puppy in bad shape. The puppy later died, and on Monday 10 dogs, most of them pit bulls, were removed from the residence. One of them immediately gave birth to a litter of 11. Then on Tuesday, McCracken deputies learned that jail inmate Jennifer Campbell had dogs in her home that had not been taken care of since her arrest the previous Friday. Campbell would not consent to an animal welfare check, so they had to obtain a search warrant. Animal Control found more than 40 Chihuahuas in the home in extremely poor conditions, including some that had died. Forty-four Chihuahuas made it to the shelter on Tuesday. Because all 65 dogs are part of court cases, the shelter cannot immediately put them up for adoption. Vannerson said the situation is difficult. Before this week, the largest number of animals the shelter had taken in at once was 27 cats a few years ago. Despite the difficulty of suddenly caring for so many animals, Vannerson has been heartened by the public’s support. The phones are constantly ringing with people wanting to know when the dogs can be adopted. Donations of food and money have come in, too. Vannerson said she was moved to tears when one man showed up with a $1,000 donation Wednesday.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Louisiana’s farmers could start growing industrial hemp by the spring if federal and state agriculture agencies keep their regulatory work on track, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said. Strain outlined to state lawmakers Monday the regulations his department has drafted for industrial hemp production, rules that will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval. Lawmakers earlier this year agreed to legalize hemp production in Louisiana, saying that would help farmers diversify their crops. The law is in line with what’s allowed under the 2018 federal Farm Bill, which removed hemp from the list of federally controlled substances. Hemp is a member of the cannabis plant family but contains only traces of the THC chemical compound that causes a high for marijuana users. Hemp is used for textiles, fuels, rope and chemical absorbents, among other products. The state law required a hemp growing and production regulatory plan to be submitted to the USDA by Nov. 1. Strain estimated 100 to 200 farmers will plant hemp across as many as 80,000 acres of Louisiana soil in 2020. He warned that the expense from cultivating the plant and the strict regulations could keep some smaller farming operations from producing the plant. Growing hemp for individual use is prohibited.

Maine

Augusta: The University of Maine is getting more federal funding for a floating platform to support up to a 12-megawatt wind turbine. The grant, announced Wednesday, is expected to be worth about $5 million for UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. The center already has developed smaller floating hulls to support 6-megawatt turbines to be placed off the coast of Monhegan Island. That pilot project, dubbed Aqua Ventus, is viewed as a major test for floating wind turbine technology. The new funding announcement was made Wednesday during the American Wind Energy Association Offshore WINDPOWER Conference in Boston. Offshore wind power projects stalled under former Republican Gov. Paul LePage. But Democratic Gov. Janet Mills directed the Maine Public Utilities Commission to approve a contract to get the project back on track.

Maryland

Ocean City: After a 10-month investigation, Cameron Coke of Towson, Maryland, has been charged with theft and fourth-degree burglary in connection with the taking of a baby Jesus statue from an Ocean City church's outdoor nativity, according to police. The theft occurred just after 6 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2018, according to a January Facebook post from the police department. In that post, police also released images of the suspects and their vehicle, which had been captured on surveillance cameras. Charging documents show the break in the case came when a tip was called into the police department after a local news station aired a story about the theft featuring those surveillance images. The police department posted an update on the investigation to Facebook on Wednesday announcing that Coke, the main suspect in the theft, had been identified and charged.

Massachusetts

Framingham: The North Hall dormitory at Framingham State University will soon be renamed in honor of abolitionist and journalist Mary Miles Bibb, the school’s first African American woman to graduate. In 1843, Bibb graduated from the Lexington Normal School, which later became Framingham State University. She then became one of the first African American female teachers in the country. The university’s board of trustees agreed to the plan after receiving a petition from students in 2018. Details of the official renaming ceremony have not been confirmed.

Michigan

Detroit: A 100-year-old World War II veteran from Michigan has been honored for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Jack Eaton is the oldest living sentinel of the monument, which he protected from January 1938 to December 1939. Eaton viewed his plaque for the first time at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Wednesday. The Detroit Free Press reports that Eaton said he has wanted the plaque for a while. His stepdaughter, Brenda Warburton, said Eaton got a little choked up on seeing the plaque, noting that’s unusual for him. The Burton resident realized he didn’t have a plaque after touring the guard barracks of the tomb in 2017, where plaques of every living guard are displayed. A plaque was erected after he inquired about it.

Minnesota

Rochester: The History Center of Olmsted County has posted photos and videos of its miniature dolls on social media, taking votes for the most nightmarish one. Curator Dan Nowakowski told Minnesota Public Radio that for a lot of the dolls, the freakiness is all in the eyes. Some have movable eyelids that snap open when you lift the dolls up. The paint has chipped off the face of another contender, leaving it looking like a mummy. Nowakowski said the dolls weren’t intended to be frightening when they were made, but damage from play and the passage of time have turned them creepy. The winner and runner-up will be displayed over Halloween.

Mississippi

Pascagoula: A retired police chief appointed to act as the temporary city manager of Pascagoula has announced he’s leaving the role after less than a month. The Sun Herald reported Kenny Johnson announced his Oct. 31 retirement less than two weeks after city leaders appointed him to the role. The former Pascagoula police chief said he notified officials about his impending retirement Monday after meeting with the state public employee’s retirement system. Councilwoman-at-large Jennifer Colmer said the city planned to hire a new manager by Oct. 30, so Johnson’s announcement wasn’t surprising. Johnson was appointed after the city’s attorney and manager, Ryan Frederic, abruptly announced he was going on medical leave. Officials have since separated the roles, so Johnson would only serve as the attorney upon his return.

Missouri

St. Louis: The St. Louis Zoo said that Rani, a 23-year-old Asian elephant, is pregnant and due to give birth next summer. The zoo’s bull elephant, 26-year-old Raja, is the father. Raja is among the most popular animals at the zoo. He was the first Asian elephant born there, in 1992. The calf will be his fifth offspring. The zoo said elephant pregnancy lasts about 22 months. A newborn calf weighs up to 350 pounds. The gender of the calf is unknown.

Montana

Helena: The state Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a Missoula city ordinance requiring background checks on all gun sales in the city, ruling that it goes against a state law prohibiting restrictions on gun sales. The five-justice panel ruled unanimously that the ordinance, the first of its kind in Montana, is barred by a law that says local governments are not allowed to exercise any power that “affects the right to keep or bear arms.” The decision overturns a ruling by a district judge who said the ordinance complies with another section of state law that allows local governments to enact rules to keep felons, the mentally ill, minors and people illegally in the U.S. from possessing weapons. The high court ruled the Missoula ordinance went too far by subjecting every private gun sale to a background check. Federal law requires background checks on gun purchases from licensed sellers, such as gun stores, but not on private sales. The ruling upholds a previous opinion by Attorney General Tim Fox, who said in a statement that he was confident his position would be vindicated.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The name of the top candidate for the University of Nebraska system presidency could be publicly disclosed at the Board of Regents’ meeting Friday. The Board of Regents agenda was amended Tuesday to include what the notice said is the “potential designation of a priority candidate” for the position. Hank Bounds announced in March that he was leaving the post and state and has since become a professor at the University of South Alabama. The system president is its overall administrative leader, and the chancellors oversee the operations of the campuses in Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha. A 23-member committee worked with a search firm to identify candidates and forward the names of some to the regents. If regents were to vote for a priority candidate Friday, he or she would then undergo 30 days of vetting by students, faculty, staff and others before the regents could make a final decision.

Nevada

Boulder City: State wildlife officials have ordered a quarantine on a Boulder City horse facility after multiple horses contracted a contagious virus before being euthanized. The state Department of Agriculture said lab results confirmed animals at the Horseman’s Association Property tested positive for horse herpes. Department officials said the quarantine is a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of Equine Herpesvirus-1 among the 500 horses on the southwest Nevada property. Officials said the virus is a highly transferrable disease between horses, or between horses and humans. Horse owners said signs of the disease appear to be fever, cough or runny nose.

New Hampshire

Landaff: A group of friends, family and fellow soldiers recently gathered at the Landaff Cemetery to mark the 15th anniversary of the death of Army Spc. Alan Burgess. Serving with the New Hampshire National Guard in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Burgess was killed when a car bomb detonated near his vehicle on Oct. 15, 2004. He was 24. More than two dozen showed up, many of them soldiers who served alongside Burgess. They spent hours recalling his humor and his humanity, trading stories that often ended with laughter. Serving in the 2nd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Forward, Burgess’ unit was often used for transport assignments, and as a joke, he bought and mounted a taxi light for the top of his Humvee. The fare for his ‘taxi’ was a bottle of nonalcoholic beer.

New Jersey

Atlantic Highlands: A man said he and his hiking companion were rescued after they fell off a cliff because the impact spurred his smartwatch to call 911. James Prudenciano and Paige Paruso were hiking in Hartshorne Woods Park last week when they got lost in the woods. They eventually tumbled down a steep cliff as darkness set in. Prudenciano had bought the watch two days earlier and chose to activate the “fall detection” feature, which alerts the owner’s emergency contacts and calls 911 when it detects that its user has fallen. Rescuers were able to reach the couple, who were taken ashore by a boat. They were treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.

New Mexico

Roswell: City officials have announced plans to sell a $150,000 property the city acquired from the federal government. The Roswell Daily Record reported Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Interior built the industrial site in 1962 or 1963 and used it as a saline water testing plant before its 1984 closure. Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh said the city decided to sell because of maintenance issues and intentions to subject the land to property tax. Officials said the site is leased by Wisconsin-based international manufacturer A.O. Smith for about $9,000 a year. The City Council approved a request to search for bidders Oct. 10. Bids are due by Nov. 26. Officials said a completed sale is expected by March if a bidder comes forward and city and state officials approve the contract.

New York

New York City: An immersive, 8,000-square-foot museum dedicated to all things slime opens Friday for a nearly six-month celebration complete with a sticky barefoot lake walk and DIY bar. There’s also the opportunity to don goggles and a poncho and get doused in the stuff that has a big following but a questionable impact when it comes to disposal and the environment. The brainchild of Karen Robinovitz, Sara Schiller and Toni Ko, the so-called Sloomoo Institute is the latest in Instagram-friendly pop-ups to hit New York and then travel to other locales. The idea, the co-founders said during a preopening tour, is simple: To spread slime’s powers of rejuvenation and relaxation. Technically speaking, slime is a cross-linked polymer scientifically known as a “non-Newtonian fluid.” Its history stretches back to the 1830s, when polymer science originated and Nathaniel Hayward and Friedrich Ludersdorf concluded that adding sulfur to raw, natural rubber prevented it from getting sticky.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A state House panel supports a $660 million fix for cash-flow problems at the Department of Transportation attributed to disaster recovery spending and litigation losses. But the chamber’s top budget-writers aren’t expected to support it. WRAL-TV reported the measure approved on Wednesday by a transportation spending subcommittee would give $360 million to DOT to cover legal awards after courts struck down a law that previously kept land costs for highways low. The state government also would loan $300 million to DOT, with full repayment by 2025 through federal disaster reimbursements. Low cash levels forced DOT this year to suspend hundreds of projects. House budget chairman Rep. Chuck McGrady opposes the measure – especially the cash advance – and expects colleagues will, too. McGrady said a separate proposal is being assembled.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Gov. Doug Burgum has announced his plans to seek reelection in 2020. In a video announcement posted on YouTube on Thursday, Burgum highlights accomplishments since he and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford took office three years ago. Burgum said they are “reinventing government with modern business efficiencies” and have “turned a budget shortfall into a budget surplus and cut government spending without raising taxes.” The 63-year-old Republican said North Dakota is headed in the right direction with increased employment and higher wages. Burgum defeated Democrat Marvin Nelson and Libertarian Marty Riske in the November 2016 gubernatorial election.

Ohio

Columbus: Legislation dubbed Tyler’s Law would place a professional engineer on the Ohio Advisory Council on Amusement Ride Safety. The panel makes recommendations to the state’s agriculture director about safety matters, including monitoring and inspecting rides. The measure is named for Tyler Jarrell, an 18-year-old Marine recruit killed when the “Fireball” ride malfunctioned and broke apart on the opening day of the 2017 Ohio State Fair. Seven others were injured in the accident later blamed on excessive corrosion in a steel support beam. The bill heads to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine after receiving unanimous approval Wednesday in the Senate. It cleared the House in June.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: One of the nation’s top rating agencies is upgrading the state’s economic outlook from “stable” to “positive” in large part because of the 2018 passage of tax hikes that have resulted in budget surpluses and increased reserves. Moody’s Investors Service announced Wednesday it was also affirming the state’s Aa2 rating, the agency’s third-highest rating. The agency’s positive outlook indicates it expects strong fiscal management and a commitment to increasing reserves. The agency also cited the state’s relatively low state debt and pension burden. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has said he wants the state to set aside $2 billion in reserves to help better prepare the state for its next economic downturn.

Oregon

Newport: An invasion of purple sea urchins that destroyed underwater kelp forests off the California coast is now hitting Oregon. Numbers released by Oregon’s wildlife agency show 350 million of the urchins on one reef in southern Oregon alone – a 10,450% increase since 2014. The purple urchins have devoured all the kelp, killing off important fisheries for red abalone and red sea urchins in California and Oregon. A coalition of scientists, ecologists and private business interests is trying to harvest the unwanted urchins and transfer them to sea urchin “ranches.” The urchins are fattened up at the ranches for sale to a global seafood market.

Pennsylvania

Jonestown: The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it rescued 83 cats and 10 dogs from unsafe conditions at a self-proclaimed rescue facility. WHTM-TV reported that the animals were removed from the Jonestown property on Wednesday. Authorities say many of the cats were suffering from respiratory infections and eye conditions and several dogs were very thin. Most of the animals were living in enclosures with feces and urine that had accumulated over several days. Five dead cats were found in one enclosure. One cat’s remains could not be removed because it had decomposed so much. All the rescued animals were given to the SPCA. They are expected to be up for adoption once they receive medical treatment. An investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.

Rhode Island

East Providence: Construction of an artificial reef off the coast of East Providence is expected to take place this week. The Providence Journal reported that the reef will be installed off Sabin Point. The reef is intended to become a habitat for fish that live in Narragansett Bay, including tautog, black sea bass and scup. It will be made of precast concrete balls with holes in them. The $47,000 project is being funded through the federal Sports Fish Restoration Program and a grant from the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association. The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council approved the project in June.

South Carolina

Charleston: An Atlanta-based timber company is ending production at two rural South Carolina wood product plants that employ 240 workers. The Post and Courier reported Tuesday that Georgia-Pacific said declining conditions in the U.S. home building industry are forcing it to idle its McCormick and Allendale sites by the year’s end. The company said all employees will be let go, except for crews needed to manage inventory and maintain the properties. In a written statement obtained by the newspaper, the company said it will continue production for up to 60 days, after which the sites will be closed but maintained in case market conditions improve enough to resume production. The company said it will hold employment fairs to help workers find new jobs. The displaced workers will be eligible for unemployment benefits.

South Dakota

Hot Springs: Some bison cows at Wind Cave National Park are being monitored with collars that communicate with satellites. The Rapid City Journal reported the collars will be affixed on 10 bison during roundups, which occurs every other year. Greg Schoreder, the park’s chief of Resource Management, said the collars will allow park officials to see how the bison use the park’s resources, specifically water resources. It could help officials determine if more watering areas are needed to prevent overuse and damage of existing water supply. Schroeder said collars will transmit daily from four locations and will be sent to park officials’ emails. The nonprofit organization Black Hills Parks & Forests Association raised money for the collars. The park hopes to show the bison’s movements to guests in the visitor center.

Tennessee

Nashville: Nashville’s sheriff said there’s proof that Johnny Cash was granted law enforcement authority four decades ago. At the Johnny Cash Museum this week, Sheriff Daron Hall unveiled a blown-up image of the late musician’s September 1979 deputy sheriff commission card, issued by then-Davidson County Sheriff Fate Thomas, featuring Cash’s headshot, fingerprint and signature. Hall said one of his photographers discovered the card in a box. The card authorized Cash to “execute any and all processes that may come into his hands and to maintain the peace and dignity of the State, and arrest any and all persons violating the Criminal laws of the State of Tennessee.” Hall said he doesn’t have evidence of what the deputy work entailed, but Cash believed in prison reform and criminal justice reform

Texas

Doma: Work crews in South Texas are laying steel along the U.S.-Mexico border in preparation for the installation of new segments of border wall. The U.S. Border Patrol said workers were installing steel rebar at a site south of Donna, a small city in the Rio Grande Valley. The rebar will reinforce concrete panels that will, in turn, be topped with 18-foot steel bollards. Crews will also clear vegetation 150 feet in front of the wall. Environmental advocates and opponents of the wall have warned that construction will destroy critical habitat and require the seizure of land from potentially hundreds of people in South Texas. The Border Patrol said a wall will deter drug and human smuggling. The ongoing construction was funded by Congress last year.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Zions Bancorporation, a Utah-based bank, has announced plans to lay off hundreds of employees and close branches across multiple states in the coming months. Zions Bancorporation started notifying employees Tuesday of a 5% workforce reduction. The company employs about 10,000 people in 11 western states. Executives said about 30% of the layoffs would be employees dealing directly with the public, and the remaining would be in enterprise activities and behind the scenes. Company executives said the cuts are necessary after declining revenue. Executives said banks across the country are losing money because of lower interest rates. Executives said the company would close or relocate a small number of branches, but only one in Utah previously announced would shut down. Some executives said they took a pay cut to trim expenses.

Vermont

Essex Junction: A haunted house in Chittenden County garnered attention for a plotline that some Vermonters considered offensive. Nightmare Vermont changed programming that referenced a school shooting after community members spoke out in protest. The attraction is set to put on performances until Saturday at the Champlain Valley Exposition. The haunted house, in operation since 2004, issued a Facebook apology on Tuesday to the community. The post indicated “any reference to current events or plotlines involving students and weapons” will not factor into the production. The post received a few comments from Facebook users who felt the haunted house’s response was an unnecessary adjustment. The backlash to the storyline came largely from the Slate Valley Unified Union School District, as Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said many felt the opening plot referenced a firearm in a school setting, according to reporting by the Rutland Herald. The performance mentioned Parkland, Florida and included a reference to Fair Haven Union High School, which had a school shooting scare in 2018. The group’s director, Jana Beagley, clarified that the intention of the plot “was against school violence” and assured that the program “cut all references and plotlines entirely out of respect for the feedback we received,” according to the Herald.

Virginia

Roanoke: Roanoke County has reversed a ban on sleeping in cars overnight. The Roanoke Times reported the Wednesday reversal comes after months of backlash over the February ordinance. The newspaper said the ordinance was decried by people who said it infringed on personal liberties and created additional hardships for those without stable housing. Officials have said the ordinance was meant to allow the county to intervene in unsafe situations. Hollins District Supervisor Phil North echoed that Wednesday, adding that authorities never planned to punish offenders with the fine specified in the ordinance. No one was charged under the ordinance. North said there’s no point in defending an ordinance the county didn’t intend to apply. County Attorney Peter Lubeck said the public’s opinion influenced the reversal.

Washington

Olympia: A divided state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that birthdates of state employees are public records that are subject to disclosure. In a 5-4 ruling , the court said there was no statutory or constitutional allowance that would preclude the release of such information. The decision reversed a Court of Appeals ruling and reinstated a lower court ruling that denied a motion to permanently enjoin the release of state employee names, birthdates, and email addresses. The case stems from a 2016 request from the Freedom Foundation, a conservative group that had been seeking disclosure of records of union-represented employees, so it could contact them as part of its effort to reduce the size and influence of public-sector unions. Several unions sought to stop the release of the records.

West Virginia

Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice wants to expand the state’s winemaking industry. The Republican governor on Wednesday said he’s asking officials in the state’s commerce and agricultural agencies to look into growing the wine business in the eastern panhandle. Justice said having more vineyards and wineries in West Virginia will boost tourism and local economies. He noted that Virginia has benefited from promoting its winemaking industry where the state borders West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. Justice said he wants agriculture officials to evaluate winemaking conditions in the eastern panhandle. He wants commerce officials to investigate the market for vineyards.

Wisconsin

Madison: A group from Wisconsin is in South Burlington, Vermont, to learn more about how the area is dealing with the arrival of the F-35 fighter planes being flown by the Vermont Air National Guard. State Rep. Chris Taylor, a Democrat, told MyChamplainValley.com that people in the Madison area are “really struggling to know what this means.” Last month, the first two of what are to be 20 F-35s arrived at the Burlington International Airport. The arrival of the jets, which are louder than their F-16 predecessors, followed years of concern, and opposition from some, about the noise. The Air Force has named Truax Field in Madison a preferred alternative to receive 20 of the jets. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Assembly passed a resolution supporting the F-35s.

Wyoming

Gillette: A pizzeria in Gillette is stocking up ahead of a jump in the cost of Parmesan cheese from Italy. Pizza Carrello usually orders one big wheel of Parmesan at a time but recently bought five. Restaurant co-owner Ariane Jimison told the Gillette News-Record she expects the price of Parmesan to go up because of a 25% tariff on European Union products including wine, olive oil and cheese. President Donald Trump’s administration imposed the tariffs in response to EU subsidies for European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Each Parmesan wheel Jimison orders sells for $900. Jimison said she would have bought more but only five were available. Parmesan cheese comes from northern Italy, where it is aged for two years at room temperature.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 50 states