Ladybug storm, a riot going on, sweaty Sparty: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Birmingham: The Russian protest band Pussy Riot is planning a July 11 concert in Birmingham to benefit Planned Parenthood after the state passed the nation’s toughest anti-abortion law. A tweet by the band says the show will benefit both Planned Parenthood and the Yellowhammer Fund, which says it provides funding for anyone seeking care at one of the state’s three abortion clinics.

Alaska

Anchorage: Nine state lawmakers have sent a letter to Anchorage saying that city officials have failed to use their authority to clear illegal homeless encampments on public land. It asks the city to immediately start cleaning up camps and disposing of waste, the Anchorage Daily News reports. City officials say the letter fails to offer realistic solutions to a complex issue and did not acknowledge work already occurring.

Arizona

Phoenix: Arizona farmers will soon begin planting commercial hemp under a 2018 state law that just took effect. The state law allowing industrial hemp farming and processing was to take effect in August after state agriculture officials set up a licensing and certification program. But state lawmakers moved it up after the federal farm bill passed in December and legalized industrial hemp nationwide. Brian McGrew runs the program for the department and said it expects to begin issuing licenses this week.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The Arkansas Supreme Court has revived part of Monsanto Co.’s lawsuit stemming from the state’s ban of an herbicide that farmers said had drifted onto their crops and caused widespread damage. The court reversed a Pulaski County judge’s decision to dismiss parts of the company’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Plant Board’s composition and a requirement that pesticide registrants must submit research conducted by University of Arkansas researchers.

California

Los Angeles: A huge blob that appeared on the National Weather Service’s radar wasn’t a rain cloud, but a swarm of ladybugs over Southern California. Meteorologist Joe Dandrea says the array of bugs appeared to be about 80 miles wide as it flew over San Diego on Tuesday. But Dandrea tells the Los Angeles Times that the ladybugs are actually spread throughout the sky.

Colorado

Leadville: A grand jury says a central Colorado sheriff’s department wrongly billed inmates more than $16,000 to cover the costs of jailing them. But the grand jury’s report says members did not have enough evidence to indict former Lake County sheriff Rodney Fenske or jail supervisors. Prosecutors say all the involved officials have left the sheriff’s office. The new sheriff, Amy Reyes, closed the jail this year.

Connecticut

Danbury: A battery-powered glider crashed into the roof of a Danbury home, injuring the pilot and scaring a woman and her two children who were watching TV. Neighbors described hearing a small explosion when the aircraft ran out of power and became partially embedded in the attic. Mayor Mark Boughton tells The News-Times that neighbors found the pilot walking around looking for his glasses. Boughton says the pilot thought he had 20 minutes of power left and was headed for the airport.

Delaware

Wilmington: Authorities have closed five local mini-markets amid an investigation into organized shoplifting targeting major drugstore chains. Wilmington police say stolen merchandise bearing Walgreens or CVS labels was found at each of the five businesses. An investigation found that the store owners would pay the shoplifters about $1 per item, then resell the stolen goods at higher prices.

District of Columbia

Washington: The D.C. Dyke March will return to the streets of the capital Friday after a 12-year hiatus. The Washington Post reports the gay rights march, first held in 1993, is billed as a more radical and inclusive protest ahead of Saturday’s Pride celebration. March organizers say the event’s return was prompted by the erosion of LGBTQ community services, legal protections and establishments. This year’s theme is displacement.

Florida

Pinellas Park: A man faces a misdemeanor domestic battery charge after police say he poured ketchup on his girlfriend of 11 years as she slept. According to an arrest report, Heather King told investigators she woke up in the middle of the night to find Peter Wagman pouring ketchup on her and cursing at her after a quarrel. Wagman was ordered to have no contact with King.

Georgia

Atlanta: Emory University received its largest one-time research grant with a $180 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund research and analyses on high child mortality rates in impoverished communities. The grant will go the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance network. CHAMPS operates in Bangladesh and six African counties where the child mortality rate is about eight times that of the U.S., Emory officials say.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Hundreds of homeless people in Hawaii died over the last five years, according to Honolulu Chief Medical Examiner Christopher Happy. He found 373 people were considered homeless at the time of their deaths on Oahu from 2014 to 2018, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Causes of death varied, although disease and narcotics use were common, Happy said.

Idaho

Lewiston: Health officials say the first case of measles since 2001 in Idaho has been confirmed. The Idaho North Central District health department says a Latah County patient tested positive for the virus. The department says people who were in the Gritman Medical Center’s lab and imaging waiting area in Moscow might have been exposed to the virus during the afternoon of May 31.

Illinois

Rockford: Visitors to Rockford’s Midway Village Museum will have the opportunity Saturday to take a virtual trip along the Oregon Trail, following the path of settlers in 1848 – and possibly experiencing death by dysentery or a broken leg. The interactive version of the Oregon Trail computer game that launched in 1971 puts players in the shoes of a settler moving a family of five from Missouri to Oregon in a covered wagon.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Indiana University is increasing tuition by 2.5% for in-state undergraduate students at its campuses each of the next two school years. IU trustees also increased out-of-state undergraduate tuition by 3% on the Bloomington campus the coming two years. The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports this year’s IU in-state tuition and fees cost of $10,680 was less than seven of the 14 Big Ten schools.

Iowa

Des Moines: Just months after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a new campus free-speech measure, the conservative student group Turning Point USA has applied for official recognition from Southeastern Community College that could give it access to school resources and funding. The group most recently drew attention in Iowa when it brought white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes to Iowa State University in March. SCC President Michael Ash and the board of trustees delayed a decision on the application while they consult with legal advisers to develop a policy on what kind of organizations should be allowed while preventing hate group and discriminatory activities.

Kansas

Abilene: Veterans traveled to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential museum to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in the place where the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II was raised. Among them was 96-year-old Louis Graziano, who said he was present in the little red school house where Germany surrendered.

Kentucky

Paducah: An Ohio River bridge connecting Kentucky and Illinois will remain closed for about five more months. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says inspectors determined additional repairs are needed to maintain the Brookport Bridge in Paducah. The bridge has been closed since May 8.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: State lawmakers have agreed to prohibit the creation of most new freestanding emergency rooms in a bid to protect the state’s fragile rural hospitals. Sen. Fred Mills, a St. Martin Parish Republican, says stand-alone emergency departments drain profitable services from rural hospitals that operate on narrow margins.

Maine

Augusta: Two Maine brothers whose canoes capsized on remote Umsaskis Lake say fast-thinking Boy Scouts from New Hampshire helped save their lives. Michael Fiori, 67, of Brunswick, said he was shivering after more than an hour in the 50-degree water when the Scouts, who were camping nearby, found him on the shoreline and warmed him with heated stones wrapped in towels. The Scouts contacted a ranger who found Larry Fiori, 70, of Kennebunk. He was in the water about three hours and was found clinging to a floating gas tank and his shredded life jacket. He was hospitalized with hypothermia. “If it wasn’t for the Scouts, I don’t think either one of us would have survived,” Michael Fiori said Wednesday.

Maryland

Cannon: A Maryland appeals court says a known Baltimore gang member must reimburse a family he scared away when he threatened to blow up their house. The Daily Record reports that the court upheld an order for Teddy Shannon of the Black Guerrilla Family to reimburse the family $2,400 for their lost security deposit and first month’s rent.

Massachusetts

Boston: Democrat Salvatore DiMasi, a former state House speaker who served five years in prison on federal corruption charges, is appealing a state attorney general’s decision that bars him from registering as a Beacon Hill lobbyist. An administrative judge is scheduled to hear DiMasi’s appeal next week.

Michigan

East Lansing: Michigan State University says its Sparty mascot will no longer participate in most parades due to concerns about heat stroke or other health issues for those wearing the costume. School spokeswoman Emily Guerrant says the policy is expected to be reevaluated later this year. She says there have been no near-death experiences for students who have worn the Sparty suit at parades, but there were concerns some “pushed themselves too hard” in hot weather.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Prosecutors have charged a Minneapolis man with carelessly disposing of embers from a hookah and accidentally causing the fire that destroyed a historic pavilion on a city lake. Nouh Elmi, 23, is charged by summons with negligent fires, a felony. The complaint says Elmi dumped hot coals from the water-cooled tobacco pipe behind garbage cans at the building on Bde Maka Ska, also known as Lake Calhoun. The May 16 fire destroyed the pavilion’s Lola on the Lake restaurant concession. The building was later razed.

Mississippi

Jackson: The Mississippi Supreme Court has changed the rules to say a person seeking to become a lawyer who fails the bar exam three times must return to law school for at least 12 semester hours before retaking it. The passage rate has dropped from 79% in 2014 to 48% last year. The order will take effect with the February 2020 bar exam. Some justices disagreed, arguing instead for a three-failure limit. Justice Josiah Coleman wrote that the court had no data on whether candidates who fail three times would be competent to practice law after 12 additional hours of law school.

Missouri

Kansas City: An animal rescue has named a litter of puppies born during an outbreak of severe weather after Kansas City TV meteorologists. Midwest Animal ResQ of Raytown says the puppies were born May 24, when tornado warnings were issued. One day earlier, storms injured about two dozen people in Jefferson City and killed three others elsewhere in the state.

Montana

Helena: A judge says Montana’s secretary of state does not have the authority to unilaterally override Gov. Steve Bullock’s veto of a bison bill. District Judge Mike McMahon on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking Secretary of State Corey Stapleton from beginning the process of publishing the vetoed bill in state law. The dispute threatens the efforts of a conservation group that is acquiring land to try to create the nation’s largest private wildlife reserve, which could one day be home to 10,000 bison.

Nebraska

Lincoln: Homeowners with major flood damage to their property may be able to get a tax break using a state Department of Revenue form. Lawmakers passed a measure this year that allows damaged properties to get reassessed for property tax purposes. The reassessed value of a destroyed property will become the value of the property for the whole tax year. The property owner may file the form with the county assessor and county clerk by July 15.

Nevada

Carson City: Sierra Pacific Power Co. plans to lower rates for customers in northern Nevada by $5 million, The Nevada Appeal reports. NV Energy President and CEO Doug Cannon says this proposed rate reduction marks the third time in six years the utility has filed to lower or keep rates the same.

New Hampshire

Concord: High up on Mount Washington, renowned for its bad weather, a legal storm is brewing over passenger fees and 19th century property rights. In a lawsuit, the Mount Washington Observatory alleges that since 2017, the Mount Washington Cog Railway hasn’t honored an agreement to pay the observatory $1 per ticketed passenger. Railway owner Wayne Presby said he hadn’t seen the lawsuit but added the observatory wasn’t honoring the agreement because it allowed all visitors to enter the observatory’s museum for free.

New Jersey

Montvale: Residents near Upper Saddle River Road have a noisy new neighbor: a black bear that has been making regular appearances on suburban roads. Eric Ramm says he and neighbors called the police and the state Division of Fish and Wildlife to see if it could be tranquilized and relocated. Ramm says they hadn’t heard back from the Division of Fish and Wildlife. As for the police, Lt. Alisha Foley says animal control officers determined the bear and a smaller one roaming other parts of town have shown no sign of aggression. “The bear is just minding its own business,” Foley said. “Residents aren’t at risk. They should use safety precautions and go inside if they see it.”

New Mexico

Silver City: Activists hope to use Bob Dylan’s birthday to raise money for Central American migrants seeking asylum. The Silver City Sun-News reports that advocates scheduled the “First Bob Dylan Birthday Concert” for Saturday in Silver City and plan to earmark event proceeds for migrants coming through Deming, New Mexico. Dylan, 78, is not expected to perform but the concert will feature local artists such as Amos Torres.

New York

Kirkwood: A Florida man was jailed after police say he crashed a stolen car and was found naked in a chicken coop after a seven-hour manhunt. State police say John Mehne, 25, of Sarasota faces numerous charges, including criminal possession of stolen property for crashing an Audi A5 reported stolen in Florida and cruelty to animals for killing a dog and some chickens.

North Carolina

Greenville: East Carolina University interim chancellor Dan Gerlach has imposed a hiring freeze because of a $16 million budget shortfall. Gerlach cited a drop in graduate school enrollment along with fewer first-year students and fewer transfer students coming in last fall than expected. Gerlach, who became interim chancellor May 6, has come up with a four-step plan to cut spending.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Workers have begun planting about 8,000 red, white and blue petunia plants on the Capitol grounds, including the large flower bed that spells out “North Dakota” in front of the building. Capitol Facilities Manager John Boyle says the flowers cost about $7,000. He says petunias have been adorning the Capitol grounds for decades, but he’s not sure exactly when the tradition began.

Ohio

Cleveland: A Fort Wayne, Indiana, company called Simple Nature is raising the ire of its neighbors in the Buckeye State with its marketing of an unscented Ohio candle with the description, “Not much to see. Not much to do.” Cleveland.com reports Ohio state tourism agency director Lydia Mihalik took burnt umbrage at the description, coming up with a list of Ohio scents that people might enjoy, including summer breezes at Marblehead on the Lake, wild hyacinth at Hocking Hills State Park and the mustard at Cleveland’s Progressive Field.

Oklahoma

Tulsa: The Department of Justice announced a settlement with Oral Roberts University under which the evangelical school will pay more than $300,000 to resolve whistleblower allegations that it broke federal law in the way it compensated a recruiting company. Federal prosecutors said the school paid Joined Inc. with a share of tuition from students who enrolled, in violation of incentive compensation law on admissions and recruitment.

Oregon

Salem: Oregon is about to become the 15th state to grant its electoral college votes to whoever wins the national popular vote. The state House sent Gov. Kate Brown a measure to join National Vote Interstate Compact, a pledge between states to sidestep the Electoral College and overhaul the way the nation elects presidents. Brown has indicated she will sign the measure. The pact takes effect when enough states join to reach 270 electoral votes. With Oregon’s 7, the movement is now 74 electoral votes short of that goal.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: A $55 million donation has been given to the Philadelphia Orchestra, the largest gift in the orchestra’s history. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a couple wishing to remain anonymous donated the money, which puts $50 million in the orchestra’s endowment and $5 million into the coffers for general operating costs.

Rhode Island

Providence: Thirty-two hour shifts for Rhode Island correctional officers have doubled since 2016, WPRI-TV reports. The contract for the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers union allows members to volunteer for “quads,” which are four consecutive eight-hour shifts. Union head Richard Ferruccio says quads are not desirable and ideally there would be more officers. Officers earn time-and-a-half pay after eight hours and double pay for shifts between 16 and 32 hours.

South Carolina

Lexington: The Lexington County sheriff’s department has been ordered to pay $200,000 to a woman wrongfully charged with shoplifting from a Walmart. A jury ruled that former Deputy Darren Wiseman violated Sabrina Jackson’s civil rights in 2014. Wiseman spoke with someone who claimed to know the shoplifter and said it was her friend “Sabrina Jackson.” Jackson’s lawsuit says Wiseman looked up local black women with that name and charged the wrong woman. Walmart settled with Jackson for an undisclosed amount earlier.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem has been practicing her dance moves. Noem was with the winners of a state debate tournament Tuesday at the governor’s mansion in Pierre when one of them asked her if she could floss – the dance move made famous by “Backpack Kid” Russell Horning, which rocketed in popularity due to its presence in “Fortnite.” The answer, apparently, is yes. And she’s pretty good. Miles Pastian, a 16-year-old from Aberdeen who took a video of Noem dancing, says she didn’t have to be taught the dance move.

Tennessee

Nashville: A district attorney is facing calls for an investigation after saying gay people shouldn’t receive domestic violence protections because such laws are designed to protect the “sanctity of marriage.” More than 300 lawyers from across the state say they want the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility to investigate District Attorney Craig Northcott. His jurisdiction covers Coffee County, home to the popular summer musical festival Bonnaroo.

Texas

Dallas: The Dallas Independent School District is investigating why Conrad High School valedictorian Rooha Haghar had her graduation speech interrupted after she said the names of shooting victims Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice. Haghar told KXAS-TV that principal Temesghen Asmerom ordered her mic to be shut off during her speech. Haghar said she was previously told that her speech shouldn’t be political. She mentioned Martin and Rice because they were of similar age and their deaths are “a reality that black families have to deal with,” Haghar says.

Utah

Pleasant Grove: Chlorine gas sickened dozens of swimmers at Pleasant Grove Veterans Memorial Pool in what police called a freak accident. About 50 people, mostly children, were sickened and ambulances took more than 20 people to hospitals after a pump malfunctioned, Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Britt Smith said.

Vermont

Barre: Dollar General is paying Vermont $1.75 million to settle claims that it overcharged customers at its stores in the state by advertising one price on the shelf and charging more at the register, state Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced.

Virginia

Richmond: Gov. Ralph Northam has announced a new goal to lower the maternal mortality rate for black women, which is twice that of white women. Northam says he’s set a goal of eliminating the racial disparity in mortality rates by 2025 and is directing state agencies to expedite enrollment of eligible pregnant women in Medicaid.

Washington

Belfair: “Senior slow day,” a tradition that angered some in the community, is ending at North Mason High School this year. The 10 mph procession from the school into downtown Belfair following the last day of class has allowed seniors to celebrate their achievement while wearing school colors and face paint and flying flags from their vehicles. Students often exit their vehicles and run, dance or walk alongside in the street. Principal Chad Collins said ambulances were caught in the traffic in 2018, and student body president Lucas Roessel decided to end the tradition after law enforcement advised students to find a new, safer tradition.

West Virginia

Morgantown: HepConnect, a five-year initiative to combat the rise of hepatitis C infections, has launched at West Virginia University. It was created by California-based biotech company Gilead Sciences to improve hepatitis C detection, reduce harm through education and improve health care infrastructure. Derek Spencer of Gilead says 2.4 million people in the U.S. have hepatitis C and half aren’t aware they’re infected – and that the Appalachian region saw a 300% increase in the virus between 2006 and 2012.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: Dozens of Wisconsin schools are participating in a program created by tech giant Microsoft’s philanthropic arm to address a shortage of computer science professionals across the country. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Technology Education and Literacy in Schools program pairs educators with technology professionals to teach computer science in schools that might not have been able to offer the subject. The partnership simultaneously trains teachers in the subject so they can take over instruction in two years.

Wyoming

Laramie: Outgoing University of Wyoming President Laurie Nichols says she’s come to grips with her forced departure and that her new job as interim president at South Dakota’s Black Hills State University will be a great transition for her. The UW Board of Trustees decided in March not to renew Nichols’ contract, providing no specific reason for the decision. Nichols says she’s “honestly quite OK” with what happened but she’s not ready to step out of a leadership role.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ladybug storm, a riot going on, sweaty Sparty: News from around our 50 states