Leaning Tower of Dallas, John Glenn, blue lobster: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: A bill to allow medical marijuana cleared its first hurdle Wednesday in the Legislature, giving hope to advocates after years of setbacks. Audience members applauded as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-1 for the bill, putting it in line for a Senate floor vote later this session. The bill by Republican Sen. Tim Melson would allow people to be prescribed medical marijuana for 15 conditions – including cancer, anxiety and chronic pain – and to purchase cannabis products at a licensed dispensary. The bill would allow marijuana in forms such as pills, gelatinous cubes, oils, skin patches, gels and creams but not products consumed by smoking or vaping. The bill drew opposition from some law enforcement and conservative groups. They expressed concern about dosing, safety and the potential for abuse.

Alaska

Juneau: The Alaska Democratic Party is preparing to debut a new voting system for its upcoming presidential primary, officials say. The April 4 primary will use a ranked-choice, vote-by-mail system, The Anchorage Daily News reports. The new system will not have the problems that plagued Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, Alaska Democratic Party Executive Director Lindsay Kavanaugh says. A significant change is the decision to drop the caucus system, which the state party used in 2016. “They’re a fairly antiquated method of determining presidential preference,” Kavanaugh says. Presidential primaries are run by the party, rather than the state, and operate under different rules from the Aug. 18 state primary or the Nov. 3 general election. Alaskans complained in 2016 about overcrowding, long waits and the inaccessibility of the existing system for picking presidential candidates.

Arizona

Phoenix: Advocates for overhauling the state’s criminal justice system want to put a proposal on the November ballot that would cut the sentences of non-dangerous offenders for good behavior. A ballot proposal filed Tuesday would allow for the release of non-dangerous offenders after serving 50% of their sentences. Currently, inmates generally must serve 85% of their punishments. The latest measure wouldn’t apply to people convicted of sexual assault, murder or dangerous crimes against children. The proposal also would authorize the use of state revenue from medical marijuana sales to hire more substance abuse counselors for inmates. Proponents say there aren’t enough counselors in state prisons. Organizers have until early July to gather the 237,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot for voters to decide.

Arkansas

Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas and a former student have reached a settlement agreement in a lawsuit alleging school officials acted with “deliberate indifference” after she reported being sexually assaulted by another student on campus. The student will receive $100,000, with another $15,000 going to her attorneys to cover legal expenses. A jury trial had been scheduled for March, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Both sides filed a joint stipulation Monday in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville that the case be dismissed with prejudice, so it cannot be filed again. The student, who was 19 when she reported the attack in October 2014, filed the Title IX lawsuit in 2016. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools receiving federal funding.

California

Los Angeles: Concerned that elephants and other animals have been used as props at Hollywood parties, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban the use of wild, exotic and dangerous animals for entertainment. The council voted 14-0 to make it illegal to require such animals to perform tricks, give rides, or be provided for “the entertainment, amusement, or benefit of a live audience, whether or not a fee is charged.” The issue came up four years ago when “a baby giraffe and elephant were being marched up the Hollywood Hills for a house party,” says David Ryu, the councilman who sponsored the ordinance. He calls such uses barbaric. The law covers a wide variety of animals, from lions, tigers, wolves and bears to gorillas, snakes over 8 feet long and all venomous snakes. State law already banned the use of exotic and wild animals in circuses, but the city law covers a broader range of entertainment, while exempting zoos and filming.

Colorado

Vail: Days after an avalanche killed two motorized snowbike riders near this resort town, large avalanches continue to rain down on the state’s mountains, prompting avalanche experts to urge backcountry recreationists to remain especially cautious despite the lull between storms. Saturday’s avalanche was one of nearly 50 in Colorado over a span of just three days, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. As of Tuesday, the CAIC had reported 344 natural, human-triggered and controlled avalanches in February alone, including 48 from Saturday through Monday. Several storms – each dumping multiple feet of snow – have hammered the central and northern mountains this month, and dangerous avalanches persist in the central and northern mountains, the CAIC said in a Tuesday report.

Connecticut

Hartford: A Connecticut State Police sergeant says in a lawsuit that state public safety Commissioner James Rovella retaliated against him because the sergeant reported the sexually inappropriate conversation of a colleague. Sgt. Timothy Begley says in his suit that he was reassigned from the state police counterterrorism unit to a midnight patrol shift last March in apparent retribution for his role in filing a complaint with the state Equal Employment Opportunity Office on behalf of a female member of the unit who complained of a colleague’s sexually inappropriate remarks, the Hartford Courant reports. At the time, the officer who made the alleged remarks was a Hartford police officer, and Rovella was chief of the Hartford department. Rovella became the head of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which oversees state police, in February 2019. Days later, he was reassigned to a shift designed to punish him, according to the suit.

Delaware

Stanton: Four people were found dead at a homeless camp Tuesday, possibly from carbon monoxide poisoning linked to a heater discovered inside their tent, according to a family member and authorities. An autopsy will determine the four adults’ causes of death, but no foul play was suspected, Delaware State Police confirmed in a statement Tuesday. Bruce Messick, who identified himself as a family member of two of the victims, said he went to check on his brother and nephew that afternoon in the woods off Route 7 in Stanton, where he found the group dead inside a tent equipped with a propane heater. Messick said his family members had been homeless for years, and he often brought food and money to them. The almost-full propane tank being used by the four victims to keep warm had recently been dropped off, he said, and temperatures below freezing had been recorded throughout the week.

District of Columbia

Washington: A control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was evacuated late Wednesday morning, causing brief delays, WUSA-TV reports. The evacuation came after a sprinkler system used to manage fires went off, causing emergency officials at the airport to take action. Planes both in the sky and on the tarmac waited for the control tower to resume operations after a brief delay from the evacuation. According to fire and rescue personnel with Reagan, the tower was evacuated within 30 minutes of the original alarm, and no present danger existed. As of 11:30 a.m, flights and departures resumed back to their normal schedules. People were seen filing back into the control tower.

Florida

Tallahassee: The state cannot, for now, bar felons who served their time from registering to vote simply because they have failed to pay all fines and fees stemming from their cases, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Tallahassee federal judge’s preliminary injunction that a state law implementing Amendment 4 amounted to an unfair poll tax that would disenfranchise many of the released felons. Helen Ferre, chief spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the state would immediately ask the entire 11th Circuit to reconsider the ruling. The case is one of several now before judges amid high-stakes legal skirmishes over Florida elections, which have drawn national scrutiny because of the state’s perennial status as a political battleground and the razor-thin margins deciding some high-profile contests.

Georgia

Atlanta: A former sheriff has been chosen to lead the state Department of Public Safety on an interim basis after its prior chief resigned in the aftermath of a cheating scandal involving state troopers. Former Tift County Sheriff Gary Vowell, who retired from office in 2012, was approved to step in as Georgia’s interim public safety commissioner by the agency’s board Wednesday, Gov. Brian Kemp announced. Vowell will take over for Col. Mark McDonough, who resigned last week at Kemp’s request. The turnover at the top of the agency that oversees the Georgia State Patrol comes after an entire graduating class of the State Patrol’s Trooper School was fired or resigned in January over accusations of cheating on an online exam. Thirty troopers who were August graduates of the school were fired, and another resigned. The exam in question dealt with operating speed detection equipment.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Sightseers will soon have an opportunity to experience history while viewing Oahu when a vintage World War II fighter plane begins passenger flights. A private company has modified a P-51D Mustang to allow space for the pilot and a backseat passenger beginning in March, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Wings Over Pearl is expected to take passengers up in a 1944 Mustang owned by the Erickson Aircraft Collection, which participates in global air shows and operates paid flights from its hangar at Madras Airport in Oregon. A 15-minute tour of Pearl Harbor, Wheeler Army Airfield and the Haleiwa Fighter Strip is expected to cost $2,900. A 30-minute ride that includes flights around Pearl Harbor, Wheeler, Haleiwa, Bellows Airfield, Kahuku Army Airfield, and the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point is scheduled to cost $3,400. The P-51 was regarded as one of the best fighter planes of the European theater in the latter part of WWII.

Idaho

Boise: The state Department of Parks & Recreation has asked residents for donations to combat years of budget cuts for trail maintenance across the state. The department has plans to debut a voluntary, donation-based initiative to secure funds for nonmotorized trails, the Idaho Statesman reports. “The trails are disappearing. They’re just going away,” department coordinator Tom Helmer said. The initiative would use donations to fund trail preservation, mirroring the model used in the state for motorized trails, which are funded by registration fees for off-highway vehicles, Helmer said. The funds could also be used to maintain backcountry trails on Forest Service land to nonmotorized paths on county property, he said. Multiple federal and state land management agencies have faced budget cuts causing trails to become overgrown, blocked by debris, washed out or impassable.

Illinois

Chicago: The city’s streets are now being illuminated by 200,000 LED streetlights that will significantly reduce its electricity bills, transportation officials announced Monday. Chicago’s Department of Transportation is aiming to install 270,000 LED streetlights by 2021, replacing high-pressure sodium lights that officials said are less efficient. The city estimates the change will cut electricity costs by $100 million during the program’s first decade. The department also announced plans for a citywide lighting management system to better detect outages. Residents still are encouraged to report outages to the 311 system via phone call or text messages. More installations are planned this year in communities on the city’s North and South sides.

Indiana

Monticello: The city’s Twin Lakes region was shocked Tuesday when the California-based owner of Indiana Beach told community leaders the amusement park, open for nearly 100 years, would close. “We didn’t see this coming at all,” said Randy Mitchell, White County economic development director. Mitchell had met Tuesday morning with White County commissioners and council members to relay word that things were going well for the amusement park tucked along Lake Shafer, based on reports Mitchell said he received from Gary Fawks, the local manager of Indiana Beach. On Tuesday afternoon, Mitchell said he met with Gregg Borman, senior vice president of operations for Apex, who told him the company was closing Indiana Beach and three other amusement parks it owns across the country for financial reasons. Mitchell said Borman indicated that Indiana Beach – long known for its slogan and jingle, “There’s more than corn in Indiana” – was marginally profitable. But Mitchell said he was told Apex wasn’t in a position to continue to make capital improvements to the rides.

Iowa

Des Moines: A Republican bill that would ban health care providers from administering the widely discredited practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ children, while carving out exemptions tied to religious professionals and family, will not advance this year. But the chairman of the House State Government Committee, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said he’s determined to bring the issue back next session. Kaufmann’s bill includes provisions outlining that the bill would not be interpreted to apply to a clergy member or a religious counselor who is acting in a pastoral or religious capacity, or to a parent or grandparent of a minor who may also be a health care professional but is acting as a parent. Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, said she couldn’t support the religious exemption in the bill. “I feel that that is state-sanctioned child abuse, and why would we as a state believe or condone that in any way, shape or form?” she said.

Kansas

Junction City: Pit bull supporters are calling for this military town to lift its ban of the breed. The Hays Post reports that Kim Bradney of Legalize Bully JC says the ban forces some people in the community near Fort Riley to choose to live in surrounding communities with friendlier pit bull policies. She said the more than 20-year-old ban has left animal shelters flooded with dogs that aren’t adoptable. She said several other cities in the state already have removed their bans. Commissioner Ronna Larson asked city staff to check into different ordinance options. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has long opposed breed-specific legislation, saying there’s no evidence such laws increase safety.

Kentucky

Frankfort: Calling diabetes a health epidemic, Gov. Andy Beshear joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers Tuesday to push for a cap on out-of-pocket costs for many Kentuckians relying on insulin. The bill, co-sponsored by more than 70 lawmakers, has cleared a House committee and is awaiting action in the full House before it could advance to the Senate. House Bill 12 would limit out-of-pocket costs at $100 per prescription for a 30-day insulin supply. That cap would apply to people with commercial health insurance plans. About 500,000 Kentuckians are diagnosed with diabetes. Some can’t afford insulin or ration supplies because of costs, the bill’s supporters said. Hardest-hit families pay more than $1,000 a month for supplies, they said. Insulin is used to keep people’s blood sugar at safe levels. “Insulin is not something diabetics take out of convenience,” Beshear said. “They take it just to stay alive.”

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Gov. John Bel Edwards’ allies have announced the formation of an outside organization to promote his agenda as he readies for the first legislative session of his new term. The political nonprofit, called A Stronger Louisiana, doesn’t have to disclose the donors funding its mission, a type of organization commonly called a “dark money” group. The president of A Stronger Louisiana is listed in documents as Randy Morris, an Edwards campaign contributor and owner of West Carroll Health Systems. The group’s creation was announced Tuesday by Edwards’ reelection campaign manager, Richard Carbo, who said the political nonprofit “is committed to supporting bipartisan solutions that move Louisiana forward.” In a statement, Carbo said the organization also will “work to hold elected officials accountable and promote transparency, ethics and accountability.”

Maine

Augusta: Fishermen are running out of time to apply to participate in a lottery for a license to harvest baby eels, which are among the most valuable resources in the state. Fishermen catch baby eels, called elvers, from rivers and streams in Maine so they can be used by aquaculture companies. The eels are raised to maturity for use as food. Maine is taking entries for the elver license lottery until Friday at 4:30 p.m. There are nine available licenses. The state caps the total number of elver licenses at 425. The elvers were worth more than $2,300 per pound in 2018, which was a record-breaking year for the fishery. They’re typically worth well over $1,000 per pound even in a below-average year. The elvers are subject to strict quotas designed to prevent overfishing.

Maryland

Baltimore: Community groups, civic organizations and resident volunteers can now sign up to participate in a citywide spring cleanup effort and, in exchange, earn credits toward their stormwater fee. The city’s Department of Public Works on Tuesday began registering volunteers for the April 18 event. People interested in participating must call 311 and provide a specific location to be cleaned and the number of volunteers who will assist in the effort. Trash bags will be provided to those registered. The department will collect the debris. Participants have to fill out paperwork to receive the stormwater credit. Registration for the annual event is open through April 9.

Massachusetts

Boston: The New England Aquarium has a new resident: a bright blue lobster. The Boston aquarium was recently gifted the colorful crustacean that was caught in the wild by Patriot Seafoods. It’s on display in the aquarium’s Isle of Shoals exhibit after a 30-day quarantine to ensure it’s healthy. The aquarium says incidence of blue lobsters in the wild is estimated to be about 1 in 2 million. The blue lobster joins other oddly colored lobsters already at the aquarium, including a yellow lobster, a calico lobster and a half-black, half-orange lobster, which the aquarium calls the “Halloween” lobster.

Michigan

Frankfort: An organization responsible for maintaining a historic lighthouse hopes that improving the site’s shoreline protection system will minimize damage from Lake Michigan’s high water levels. High water is causing problems for properties all along Michigan’s shoreline, including the Point Betsie Lighthouse on the northeastern shore of Lake Michigan, the Record-Eagle reports. A crack in the cement barrier intended to prevent erosion in front of the lighthouse is a high priority. The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse began a $1 million fundraising campaign last year to pay for the work. Dick Taylor, president of the group, said a request for engineering study proposals has been issued. The project requires permits from Michigan’s Department of Environment and other state and federal agencies, he said. The lighthouse was established in 1858. The site also includes a restored keeper’s residence and a museum for visitors.

Minnesota

St. Paul: Groups calling for changes in the state’s criminal justice system to make it easier for people to turn their lives around said Wednesday that they’re optimistic some of the proposals they’re promoting may become law this year. The Minnesota Second Chance Coalition held its annual rally at the Capitol. At a news conference beforehand, leaders said they have grounds for hoping that a proposal to stop suspending drivers’ licenses for unpaid traffic tickets will finally get enacted. The bill has significant support in both the GOP-controlled Senate and among Republicans in the Democratic-controlled House, said Anna Odegaard of the Minnesota Asset Building Coalition. She listed its main sponsor, Burnsville Republican Dan Hall, and two key co-sponsors: Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, of Nisswa, and GOP Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, of Alexandria, a retired sheriff.

Mississippi

Columbus: A renewable energy company will build a 200-megawatt solar facility in northeast Mississippi, under a contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA awarded the contract to Florida-based Origis Energy, the Commercial Dispatch reports. Johan Vanhee, chief commercial and procurement officer for Origis, met with landowners of the proposed site last week near Columbus. Construction is tentatively set to begin the second half of 2021. The contract says Origis will begin providing energy to TVA in October 2022. The 200-megawatt site will use the energy produced by 650,000 solar panels, enough power to serve 45,920 homes. Origis, through its subsidiary MS Solar 5, originally planned to build a $200 million, 350-megawatt facility, the maximum amount of energy capacity at TVA’s new substation located at Infinity.

Missouri

St. Louis: State officials are spending $3.6 million to purchase a new helicopter to help fight fires, survey flooding and manage wildlife. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Airbus H125 is expected to be delivered to wildlife officials from a dealer in Texas no later than mid-June. State bidding documents released Tuesday provided details about the purchase. Missouri Department of Conservation spokeswoman Candice Davis said it will allow the agency to monitor the state’s growing bear population and generate wildlife population estimates. After flooding, it also will help officials survey areas that can’t be reached by land. The new helicopter, which can be configured to hold as many as six passengers, replaces a 1995-era chopper that was deemed insufficient for further work.

Montana

Kalispell: A proposal by wildlife managers to extend the wolf hunting and trapping seasons in northwestern Montana was rejected, a wildlife commission said. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks voted last week to maintain the hunting and trapping seasons from Sept. 15 to March 15, the Daily Inter Lake reports. The proposal would have lengthened the hunting season by six weeks, from Aug. 15 to March 31, and increase the individual hunting quota from five to 10 wolves affecting Region One, which covers Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders and Lake counties, commission officials said. The two proposals received about 1,000 comments online and dozens during the meeting Thursday from people as far away as Arizona.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The state’s pardons board refused Tuesday to pardon the murder conviction of the ex-girlfriend of Charles Starkweather, the infamous killer who went on a rampage in the 1950s that was later immortalized in movies, books and two hit songs. The board voted 3-0 to deny the application from Caril Ann Clair, even though some relatives of Starkweather’s victims lobbied in her favor. The board is composed of Gov. Pete Ricketts, Attorney General Doug Peterson and Secretary of State Bob Evnen, all Republicans. Clair, who was known as Caril Ann Fugate at the time, was 14 when Starkweather, then 19, went on a killing spree in 1957-58 that left 11 people dead, including her mother, stepfather and baby half-sister. The murders formed a loose basis for the 1973 movie “Badlands,” with Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen, as well as other films. The killings were the subject of Bruce Springsteen’s song “Nebraska” and referenced in Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Clair spent 17 years in prison on a murder conviction before she was paroled in 1976.

Nevada

Las Vegas: School district officials are investigating allegations that a class was playing a game of “Duck, Duck, Goose” that invoked slavery. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the principal at Rowe Elementary School issued a message to parents about the reported incident. Principal Jeffrey Schaber said no behavior that contradicts having “an inclusive community” would be tolerated. A parent posted on Facebook that her kindergarten-age daughter last week was taught to play “Duck, Duck, Goose,” but as “Hunter Chase the Slave.” It was not clear if this occurred in front of a teacher. Schaber said the incident is being thoroughly investigated.

New Hampshire

Concord: A change in construction development rules in the state puts endangered species at a greater risk of facing harm, according to environmental groups. The state’s Department of Environmental Services changed its construction permit rule in December after it deemed a state Supreme Court interpretation of the previous rule to be unrealistic. For years, the rule mandated that development projects “not result in adverse impacts” to a list of more than 50 animals deemed threatened or endangered by the state, New Hampshire Public Radio reports. Advocates say the change, which the agency wants to make permanent, softens protections for the New England cottontail, golden eagle, frosted elfin butterfly and other animals along with some that are subject to separate federal protections.

New Jersey

Trenton: New Jersey, four other states and New York City are suing the Trump administration again to try to force it to clamp down on upwind states that contribute significantly to poor air quality in the Garden State. The lawsuit, filed by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on behalf of the states, said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to address the issue even after an appeals court ruled last year that it must do so. “We already beat EPA in court and won an order demanding the federal government tackle out-of-state pollution, and yet EPA still did not act,” Grewal said in a statement. “Enough is enough: this is a serious environmental and public health problem, and it demands a serious response from Washington.” Prevailing winds send pollution into New Jersey from states like Pennsylvania and Ohio where there are coal-burning power plants. That causes ozone levels to spike to unhealthy levels in New Jersey several days a year.

New Mexico

Moriarty: Three school districts will be rolling out the state’s first propane-fueled buses for the upcoming school year. Districts that serve schools in Los Lunas, Magdalena and the Moriarty area have purchased propane buses as part of a partnership with the state Public Education Department. Officials say the 17 new buses will help cut costs, since propane prices average 50% less than diesel, and maintenance costs are expected to be less. The buses also emit less pollution. Teresa Salazar, the superintendent of the Moriarty-Edgewood School District, said the district has had to dip into operational funds to supplement transportation costs over the past several years. Other school districts have expressed interest. Officials with Blue Bird, which made the buses, and the engineering company ROUSH CleanTech plan to continue working with districts, transportation contractors and the Public Education Department to bring more propane buses to the state.

New York

Spring Valley: A man stabbed a library security guard to death after she told him to turn his music down, authorities said Wednesday. Blanchard Glaudin, 25, has been charged with second-degree murder in Tuesday’s stabbing of Sandra Wilson inside Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said. Glaudin was tackled by library patrons after the stabbing. Wilson was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. Spring Valley Police Chief Paul Modica said Glaudin stabbed Wilson after she told him to turn his music down. “She was at the computer terminals and told him he had to turn it down,” Modica said. “That was it.” Glaudin was being held without bail, and it was not clear whether he had an attorney who could speak for him.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo has visited North Carolina to push for policies to eliminate chemical pollution from industrial products, like those discharged into the Cape Fear River for years. Ruffalo spoke Wednesday at a Legislative Building news conference in Raleigh to highlight the challenges of communities affected by what are known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” These compounds include GenX, which is used in producing nonstick surfaces. Little research exists about the health effects of chemicals like GenX, which has been used at the Chemours Co. plant near Fayetteville. The event was sponsored by the North Carolina Conservation Network, Clean Cape Fear and the Center for Environmental Health. State legislators and residents also spoke. Ruffalo is known for his roles in the “Avengers” movies, “Thanks for Sharing” and others. He also recently played an environmental defense attorney in “Dark Waters.” Ruffalo participated in an event in Wilmington on Tuesday evening that included a screening of “Dark Waters.” He also spent some time with Attorney General Josh Stein earlier Wednesday.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Transportation officials say the final number is in on traffic fatalities in the state last year. The state Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol say a total of 100 people were killed on North Dakota roadways in 2019. That’s a decrease of five fatalities compared to 2018 and the lowest number of deaths in 15 years, officials said. “Traffic fatalities have been on a downward trend since 2012,” DOT Director Bill Panos says. “Vision Zero continues to work toward the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on North Dakota roads because even one fatality is too many.” Of the 100 fatalities in 2019, 47% were not wearing their seat belt, 42% were alcohol-related, and 24% were speed-related, according to the department’s data. Victims ranged in age from 3 to 93 years old, and 82% were North Dakota residents.

Ohio

Columbus: Fans of the late astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn are working to bring a statue of his likeness to the Statehouse to mark major future milestones, such as his birthday and the anniversary of his famous space flight. Thursday marks 58 years since Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, making him an instant national hero in 1962. He returned to space in 1998, at age 77, as part of NASA research on aging. State Rep. Adam Holmes, a Zanesville Republican, has proposed temporarily placing a statue of Glenn on Statehouse grounds beginning with what would have been his 100th birthday on July 18, 2021. Under his plan, it would return again Feb. 20, 2022, for the 60th anniversary of Glenn’s orbital flight in Friendship 7. The $80,000, 7-foot bronze statue of him that is being eyed by Holmes was crafted by Alan Cottrill, who was born and raised in Zanesville, a short drive from New Concord, where Glenn was born.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: State officials were forced to revise the language on a new state branding website after backlash over its exclusion of Native Americans’ historical roots in the state. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, coming from the state and private groups, were spent on the attempted rebranding of the Sooner State as a place of opportunity that best represents its heritage, history and people, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said. But officials failed to recognize the ties one crucial group has to the state: Native Americans. On the website that provides information on the advertising endeavor, a paragraph described Oklahoma’s history as beginning with the 1889 Land Run,when thousands of Americans took over what the U.S. government at the time called unclaimed territory and what has become known as the Oklahoma Land Rush. But Native American tribes have been living in Oklahoma for hundreds of years, well before the Land Run.

Oregon

Portland: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaed a sheriff’s office in the city’s suburbs Tuesday for information about two Mexican citizens wanted for deportation, a move that is part of a broader escalation of the conflict between federal officials and local government agencies over so-called sanctuary policies. ICE, the Homeland Security agency responsible for arresting and deporting people in the U.S. illegally, served the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro with the subpoenas in an attempt to get more information about two men, including one who has already been released from custody, said ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman. Oregon’s 1987 sanctuary state law, the nation’s first, prevents law enforcement from detaining people who are in the U.S. illegally but have not broken any other law.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: The 1.3 million Roman Catholic parishioners of the archdiocese of Philadelphia have a new spiritual leader. Fifty-eight-year-old Nelson Perez, who spent most of his early pastoral career in the area, assumed the post of archbishop in a ceremony Tuesday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Perez, the former bishop of Cleveland, is the first Hispanic archbishop to lead the five-county archdiocese. He is the 14th Roman Catholic bishop and 10th archbishop of Philadelphia. He succeeds Archbishop Charles Chaput, who stepped down after turning 75 last year, the traditional retirement age for Catholic bishops. The Mass of Installation followed a procession of hundreds of cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons and seminarians to the city’s cathedral church. Perez attended the diocesan seminary in Philadelphia in the 1980s and served in a number of Philadelphia parishes before being named as an auxiliary bishop in Rockville Centre, New York, and then bishop of Cleveland in 2017.

Rhode Island

Pawtucket: A new report on the closure of a hospital two years ago says nearby communities have been left with less access to emergency care and put pressure on other area hospital emergency rooms. The independent report on the January 2018 closure of Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket released this month was compiled by public health research and consulting firm John Snow Inc. and paid for by Care New England, Memorial’s operator. It concluded that Memorial’s closure “removed a nucleus of health care services for communities with high health care need,” including Pawtucket, Central Falls and Cumberland, whose residents have a higher rate of emergency room use than the state as a whole. Also, the dispersion of patients from Memorial resulted in “an immediate system-wide impact,” evidenced by increased wait times at emergency departments at other area hospitals.

South Carolina

Columbia: The first of more than a dozen hearings by the General Assembly on whether South Carolina should sell its state-owned utility had senators on Tuesday questioning the officials who reviewed the proposals. The Department of Administration released a 111-page report Tuesday detailing NextEra Energy of Florida’s bid to buy Santee Cooper, Dominion Energy of Virginia’s offer to manage it and one deal to let Santee Cooper reform itself. The Senate Finance Committee got the first crack at getting more information and spent nearly six hours discussing the plans at an initial meeting. Senators asked about a 42-page bill that NextEra says lawmakers must pass for the deal to go through but that includes allowing NextEra to bypass regulators. Some lawmakers said bypassing regulators is what got Santee Cooper into $4 billion of debt for its minority share in two nuclear plants that were never finished.

South Dakota

Pierre: The state House passed a bill Tuesday pushed by Gov. Kristi Noem that would revamp South Dakota’s riot laws with criminal and civil penalties for those who urge rioting. The push has sparked conflict between Noem and Native American tribal members, who say the law is an attempt to “silence” peaceful protests against the Keystone XL pipeline. The governor argues that the law does not apply to peaceful protests and is intended to enforce the rule of law in the state. Noem has attempted to foster cooperation on other issues in the past week. As the House passed the bill, a protester named Tasina Smith shouted from a balcony overlooking the floor of the House, yelling that law enforcement at Standing Rock had used laws on “incitement to riot” against people who were peacefully protesting. She was escorted out of the room by security. Others demonstrated before the vote in the central hall of the Capitol building. “Kristi Noem, we are not a riot,” nearly a dozen protesters chanted as they danced to a drumbeat and held banners to protest the “riot boosting” bill.

Tennessee

Nashville: A small group of state lawmakers advanced a proposal for a nonbinding resolution Tuesday stating that the state recognizes CNN and The Washington Post as “fake news.” Republican Rep. Micah Van Huss, the sponsor, said the measure is needed because his constituents are “tired of these elitists in the media” and wanted to condemn the news organizations for their coverage of President Donald Trump and his supporters. No other news organizations were listed in the proposed resolution. Four Republicans supported the measure in advancing it out of House Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittee, while one Democratic member opposed. Two Republicans declined to vote. The proposal now goes to the full House Judiciary panel for consideration. Democrats quickly criticized the measure.

Texas

Dallas: A social media sensation dubbed the “Leaning Tower of Dallas” was born when a portion of a building survived an implosion. After the implosion Sunday failed to bring down the core of the 11-story former Affiliated Computer Services building, the online jokes and photos began. Many, inspired by Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, posted photos showing themselves pretending to prop up the lopsided tower. One Twitter user quipped, “Oops, an implosion masterpiece!!” Another asked, “Who needs Pisa? We have the Leaning Tower of Dallas.” An online petition even popped up to “save this landmark from destruction.” Lloyd Nabors, whose company is handling the demolition, said crews will use a wrecking ball to take down the remaining tower, which included the elevator shafts. The building is being demolished to make way for a $2.5 billion mixed-use project.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A proposal to require warning labels on pornography passed the state House on Tuesday, a move an adult-entertainment industry group called a dark day for freedom of expression. GOP state Rep. Brady Brammer, the lawmaker behind the plan to mandate the labels about potential harm to minors, says it’s aimed at catching the “worst of the worst.” The measure would allow private citizens to file complaints and carries a potential penalty of up to $2,500 for each violation. It now moves to the Utah Senate for consideration. Republican lawmakers praised the idea from Brammer, calling it a creative way to deal with the increasing availability of pornography online. It would apply to any material that appears in Utah and would be enforced through civil rather than criminal courts, allowing the state and private groups to file suit against producers.

Vermont

Burlington: Roughly 3 in 4 Vermonters support the legalization and regulation of cannabis sales, according to a recent statewide survey. In anticipation of a major vote by the Vermont House of Representatives on a bill that would regulate and tax the sale of cannabis, nearly 900 residents were surveyed. The poll, commissioned by the nonprofit advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project, was conducted by national Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. The results show support for a commercial market across many demographic groups, including Republicans (58%), residents 65 and older (69%) and Vermont’s most educated residents (84%). Meanwhile, 19% remain opposed. Among other results, the survey found 87% of respondents supported the continuation of medical cannabis.

Virginia

Virginia Beach: An upcoming ad campaign for the city will feature a new song by Grammy-winning hometown superstar Pharrell Williams. The singer, rapper and producer contacted the city last year asking how he could help after the mass shooting at a municipal building in May, Deputy City Manager Ron Williams told The Virginian-Pilot. That led to a a multiyear plan involving the singer in tourism and economic development initiatives, he said. As part of that, Pharrell Williams will narrate two 60-second commercials with his soon-to-be-released song, “Virginia.” The spring tourism campaign will also include window signs as well as items from the singer’s clothing lines emblazoned with a “We’re open” slogan.

Washington

Seattle: The City Council has voted to allow the creation of up to 40 tent cities, tiny house villages, or parking lots where people living in their cars can camp – a sharp increase from the number the city currently allows. The Seattle Times reports the ordinance approved Tuesday reflects a dramatic shift in Seattle’s attitude toward these temporary places for homeless people to live while waiting to get into housing: It allows encampments to exist indefinitely with renewal of a permit once a year and allows them in residential zones. The first city-permitted tent cities opened in 2015. Because of opposition at the time, the city adopted legislation, which expires next month, that applied a built-in sunset to some of the villages. This new ordinance has no such end date.

West Virginia

Charleston: The state may soon require the speedy testing and collection of rape kits under a bill heading to the governor’s office to be signed into law. The House of Delegates gave final passage to the proposal Tuesday after approving a minor Senate amendment. The measure would require the kits to be submitted to the state police’s forensic lab within 30 days or as soon as possible after collection. The kits could also be tracked, and law enforcement would have to get a court order before disposing of the examinations. The bill comes during a national push to clear backlogs of the kits, with more than 20 states approving bills to require submission guidelines or kit audits in the past two years, according to the advocacy group End the Backlog. West Virginia officials in 2015 started an initiative to test nearly 2,400 shelved rape kits, some of the which dated back to the 1980s.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: The count for the 2020 U.S. census will officially begin in less than a month, and as it nears, officials are ramping up recruitment efforts for census takers. “It’s crunch time,” said Sharon Robinson, co-chair of the Greater Milwaukee Complete Count Committee. “Our communications team has really been working hard behind the scenes. You will see massive visibility.” Gina Manley, partnership coordinator for the Chicago Regional Census Committee, said the bureau is trying to hire locally and emphasized the position’s flexible hours and the pay, which ranges from $17 to $24 statewide. “We want it to be neighbors knocking on neighbors’ doors,” she said. A U.S. Census Bureau representative estimated that Milwaukee County is short about 1,000 census takers, while Wisconsin overall is short more than 13,000.

Wyoming

Jackson: Federal officials are allowing a scenic helicopter business to resume flights in Jackson Hole despite opposition. Wind River Air owner Tony Chambers plans to continue flights no later than early summer following a letter from the Federal Aviation Administration. “I was pleased, but I was also expecting exactly that,” Chambers told the Jackson Hole News&Guide. The Jackson Hole Airport board has acknowledged an obligation to accommodate Wind River Air but has also tried to find a way to slow or stop the business venture amid opposition from a variety of groups including the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and National Parks Conservation Association. The commercial airport within Grand Teton National Park is one of the busiest in Wyoming. Opponents worry about helicopter noise in places including the Leidy Highlands and Jedediah Smith Wilderness just west of Grand Teton.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Leaning Tower of Dallas, John Glenn: News from around our 50 states