Pothole protest, Ernie Pyle, urine scare: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Tuscaloosa: City officials are considering new curfew laws during school hours to try to discourage students from skipping class. The Tuscaloosa City Council’s public safety committee approved a proposal that would make it illegal for minors to be unaccompanied in public from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. any Monday through Friday that city schools are in session. The Tuscaloosa News reports the full council will consider the curfew next month. If it’s approved, a parent could be cited if a minor is found in violation. City Attorney Glenda Webb says the penalties could include up to a $500 fine and up to six months in jail. The curfew wouldn’t apply to children who are homeschooled or attending other types of school programs.

Alaska

Anchorage: Officials say assessments following an enormous 2018 earthquake showed building damage was worse outside the city’s safety area due to reduced regulation. The Anchorage Daily News reports there was less structure damage in the Anchorage Building Safety Service Area than in the Chugiak-Eagle River area during the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in November 2018. Anchorage municipal officials say 52 red tags indicating severe building damage preventing occupation were issued in Chugiak-Eagle River, while only 17 were issued in Anchorage. Officials say builders outside the safety area can hire private inspectors and do not need to have plans reviewed. Proponents of the independent inspection process say the model is equally effective as the system in the safety area and less expensive for homebuyers.

Arizona

Phoenix: A state lawmaker wants to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but the ACLU claims such a requirement is unconstitutional. Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, has proposed legislation requiring schools to set aside time each day for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of quiet reflection. House Bill 2017 would strike existing law that allows time for “those students who wish” to recite the pledge. Only a parent could excuse a student from the requirement under Fillmore’s proposal. But ACLU Arizona claims that ordering students to recite the pledge unless a parent allows them to refuse is unconstitutional, spokeswoman Marcela Taracena said in a written statement. Similar requirements in other states have led to conflict in the classroom and in the courtroom.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Officials say they may consider revoking medical marijuana licenses for dispensaries that aren’t open by June. Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control officials regulate the state’s budding cannabis industry. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that that those officials say they could begin taking action against inoperable dispensaries at the end of January. But a necessary rule is still being drafted and won’t be ready by then. Officials have said licenses may not be reissued when they are up for renewal in June. Marijuana commissioners have expressed frustration at how long it is taking the 32 dispensaries in the state to open since being licensed this year. Only 11 are operating. Attorney Alex Gray represents several dispensaries. He says cannabis companies have been weighing patient count, product supply and locations of other dispensaries.

California

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department will begin testing a device designed to snare a person from a distance, giving officers an alternative to firing a Taser or a gun. The Los Angeles Times reports department officials told the city Police Commission that officers will start testing the tool for free for 90 days beginning in January. The BolaWrap 100 fires a Kevlar cord that wraps around a person 10 to 25 feet away. The device will be distributed to 200 LAPD officers once they are trained. The Times says dozens of police departments across the United States are testing or have purchased the devices.

Colorado

Fort Collins: The first head shop in this state at the forefront of counterculture and legal marijuana plans to close with the new year. Mellow Yellow, a historic head shop that opened in 1969, will officially close its flagship Fort Collins location Jan. 1, the store’s new owner Jake Myers confirmed Monday. “The Mellow’s 50 years old. It was the first shop of its kind,” says Myers, who has worked as Mellow Yellow’s general manager for the past five years. Myers says the store was the first head shop in Colorado when previous owner Jerry Weintraub opened it. Weintraub maintained ownership of the well-known shop and boutique since it opened before selling it to Myers two weeks ago, Myers says. He says the Fort Collins inventory will be moved to Mellow Yellow’s Greeley location, which opened in the 1980s.

Connecticut

Hartford: It’s unclear whether efforts next year to make the seasonal flu vaccine more accessible to children will get any traction. Given the anticipated debate about whether to end the state’s religious exemption from certain childhood vaccinations, the CEO of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association says his group doesn’t plan to push for a bill in the next regular legislative session that would allow young people to get a flu shot from a pharmacist. Nathan Tinker says concerns raised by parents skeptical about the safety of vaccines could impede efforts to make the flu vaccine more accessible. Groton Sen. Heather Somers, a Republican, says she still plans to resurrect the bill when lawmakers return in February. She says the legislation will save lives. Currently, pharmacists can only administer flu shots to adults.

Delaware

Dover: The state will host events throughout 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the United States. Delaware State News reports the planned celebrations include a march around Legislative Hall that will end with the erection of a monument honoring the women’s suffrage movement. The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Committee also plans to have historical markers installed in each county. A website about the fight for the women’s vote is also up and running.

District of Columbia

Washington: Allan Gerson, a lawyer who pursued Nazi war criminals and pioneered the practice of suing foreign governments in U.S. courts for complicity to terrorism, has died at the age of 74. Gerson died Sunday at his D.C. home from complications of the degenerative brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, said his wife, author Joan Nathan, according to The Washington Post. Gerson wrote an opinion piece for the newspaper in 2017 in which he detailed his lengthy legal career and identified himself as a former “dreamer,” drawing a parallel between his undocumented entry into the United States and those of immigrants currently targeted by the Trump administration. A deputy assistant attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, Gerson was also a child of Jewish refugees who fled Poland during the Holocaust.

Florida

Tallahassee: The state’s Democratic and Republican parties are united in opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that would let all voters cast ballots in primary elections. Lawyers for both parties asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to keep the proposal off the 2020 ballot. The parties said the ballot language is confusing and misleading. A group called All Voters Vote gathered enough signatures to have the item placed on next November’s ballot, but the court has to decide whether that ballot language is clear. If the proposal passes, all voters will be eligible to vote in primary elections for the Legislature, governor and Cabinet. The top two candidates would then move on to the general election, even if they’re from the same party.

Georgia

Atlanta: A man considered the main suspect in a string of killings of black children and young adults in the city in the 1970s and 1980s has been denied parole. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles made the decision last month in the case of 61-year-old Wayne Williams. The more than two dozen killings, mostly of black boys, terrorized Atlanta from 1979 to 1981. Williams was sentenced in 1982 to serve two life prison sentences after being convicted of murder in the killings of two adults. While authorities blamed him for the other killings, he was never charged. A Nov. 20 parole board letter to Williams says he hasn’t served enough time given the “nature and circumstances” of his offenses. The board set his next parole consideration for November 2027.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The on-time graduation rate for University of Hawaii at Manoa students has doubled in the past decade. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the school’s graduation rate now matches the national average for public universities. The University of Hawaii Institutional Research & Analysis Office says the four-year graduation rate reached 36.6% for the class of 2019, up from 17.5% in 2010. The National Center for Education Statistics reports the national rate for public universities was 32.9% in 2010 and 36.9% in 2017. The figures represent first-time, full-time freshmen who graduate from the institution where they originally enrolled. Officials at Hawaii’s flagship campus say the university won an Association of Public and Land Grant Universities national award in 2017 for success in increasing graduation rates, which have continued to climb.

Idaho

Idaho Falls: State lawmakers have announced a new law targeting uninsured drivers by suspending vehicle registration is expected to take effect Jan. 1. The Post Register reports the state Department of Motor Vehicles can now cross-check vehicle identification numbers each month against its database of registered vehicles. Transportation officials say that means drivers who don’t keep insurance on their vehicles could see their registration suspended after a few months. Officials say uninsured drivers would receive a notice after two months saying they have 30 days to get insurance. Officials say it would cost $75 and proof of insurance to reinstate vehicle registration if it’s revoked. Idaho Falls police say officers wrote 609 tickets for failure to provide proof of insurance and 139 tickets for failure to maintain insurance last year.

Illinois

Springfield: A tax on parking places to help finance a $45 billion, statewide construction plan has lawmakers taking a second look. The State Journal-Register reports that the tax, which takes effect Jan. 1, is 9% on spaces that are rented by the month or year. It’s 6% for spaces rented hourly, daily or weekly. It will raise $60 million annually and is part of more than $800 million in new taxes and fees that will finance state construction. But proposed rules would make the tax so broad that even those who rent private property for parking – as dozens in Springfield do annually in August during the Illinois State Fair – would pay the tax. Springfield Republican Rep. Tim Butler suggested reviewing the tax because of difficulty in enforcing it.

Indiana

Dana: Republican U.S. Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun have introduced legislation to rename the post office in Dana after Ernie Pyle, the celebrated war correspondent who was born near the western Indiana town. Pyle was reporting on the U.S. Army’s 305th Infantry Regiment when he was killed April 18, 1945, on the Japanese island of le Shima. Braun said last week that “Ernie Pyle is an American hero who gave his life in World War II, and it’s only fitting to name the post office in Dana, Indiana, after him.” After studying journalism at Indiana University, Pyle won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on World War II. The bill was introduced last week.

Iowa

Ames: In the Labs for Functional Textiles and Protective Clothing at Iowa State University, professor Guowen Song and student researchers are working to improve upon some of the most basic gear for firefighters – heavy-duty gloves intended to protect against searing heat and sharp objects, and as a result too cumbersome for maneuverability. “The current gloves are not really designed to meet the basic elements of protection, comfort and functionality,” Song told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “Firefighters lose more than 50% of their manual dexterity while wearing these gloves, and that can create a risk to their safety.” The three-year project is funded through a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Kansas

Wichita: A man who was banished from the state as a condition of a criminal plea deal could be allowed back under a deal struck Monday, civil rights advocates say. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas says it has agreed to drop a civil lawsuit brought on behalf of Bo Dana Rupert in exchange for an amended Montgomery County plea agreement in a related criminal case against him. Court transcripts show Rupert pleaded no contest in 2017 to three felony counts of making a criminal threat and three misdemeanor counts of filing a false report. He was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, and the judge accepted a plea agreement under which he was banished from the state – two apparently incongruous terms. Under the new settlement, Montgomery County Attorney Larry Markle agreed not to prosecute Rupert for fleeing the state, which Rupert contends he did to comply with the banishment terms.

Kentucky

Golden Pond: Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is offering free cedar Christmas tree permits. The permits are available online through Christmas Eve. Permits, maps and guidelines are available online. The permits are also available in person at the park’s Administrative Office from Monday through Friday during the same period. Permits allow the holder to cut one cedar tree in specific areas of the park. Rules and regulations are available on the reservations page. The park says no matter where you get your tree, be sure it’s fresh and isn’t dry because it could catch fire. Water the tree daily, and place away from heat sources. Be sure lights are in good condition.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The state’s farmers have collected more than $180 million from President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar bailout package for farmers hurt by the United States’ trade war with China. The Advocate reports that U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show more than 75% of that aid went to Louisiana soybean farmers. But some farmers say the program hasn’t been enough to cover their costs. They’re questioning whether they’ll continue to grow soybeans next year because the federal aid package isn’t offsetting all their losses. Soybeans are a major agricultural product in Louisiana, with a farm value of $800 million, second only to sugar cane. China is the biggest buyer of American soy.

Maine

Buxton: The town’s police say they need the public’s help locating feral pigs, if there are any living in the area. Buxton police ask that anyone who sees the pigs lurking in town should immediately contact the animal control officer. The Portland Press Herald reports the federal government has called on communities in Maine and elsewhere to report sightings of feral pigs or escaped domesticated hogs. Feral pigs represent a major invasive species problem around the country, but they haven’t yet been seen in Maine. They cause crop damage and can ruin private and public property. The public can report any sightings by calling Buxton police at 207-629-5178.

Maryland

Annapolis: Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer is now a member of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors. Spicer was sworn in Monday during a board meeting in Annapolis. The board reviews the state of morale and discipline at the academy and its curriculum and fiscal affairs. It includes members of Congress. Spicer holds a master’s degree from the Naval War College in Rhode Island. He served as press secretary for President Donald Trump when he came into office. He resigned from the job in July 2017. The president announced in July that he was nominating Spicer to serve on the board.

Massachusetts

Quincy: The birthplace of the second president of the United States is undergoing restoration work. The Patriot Ledger reports a small historic home in Quincy where John Adams was born in 1735 had been buried under scaffolding as construction workers prepared to replace the south- and west-facing sides of the house. Kevin Kelly, facilities manager for the John Adams Birthplace, says the siding has not been replaced since 1984, and the restoration work is “greatly needed.” The home was built in 1722 by the former president’s father, Deacon John Adams. Kelly says the construction and restoration is expected to be completed before the national park reopens in May. The project is expected to cost $100,000 and will be funded by visitor fees.

Michigan

Hickory Corners: A museum that boasts the largest vintage automobile collection in North America plans to open a new building to display muscle cars. The $5 million project at the Gilmore Car Museum would add more than 25,000 square feet of exhibit space. The groundbreaking is set for next year, with plans to open the new addition by 2021. Stacie Longwell Sadowski, the museum’s development and engagement manager, says the popularity of previous muscle car exhibits sparked the idea for the expansion. The museum in rural southwest Michigan currently has 20 muscle cars on display, which is expected to double. The Gilmore Car Museum says it has more than 500 vehicles, and the oldest car on exhibit is an 1899 Locomobile Steam Car.

Minnesota

St. Peter: Bob and Corrine Johnson got married as teens in southern Minnesota’s farm country and lived together for 68 years. KARE-TV reports they were to be laid to rest Tuesday – after dying 33 hours apart. They lived in their farm home near St. Peter until six months ago. After Bob was hospitalized with cancer, Corrine joined him there with congestive heart failure. He was 88. She was 87. One of their seven children, Dr. Bruce Johnson, says his father went downhill as soon as his mother died Nov. 24 and passed the next day. He says it’s hard to imagine it was a coincidence. Son Brent Johnson says his father always put others first, so it was only fitting that he waited for his mother to go first.

Mississippi

McComb: Residents are protesting a large pothole in their neighborhood by decorating it with holiday cheer. The Enterprise-Journal reports people in the Edgewood neighborhood have topped the pothole and its yellow traffic cone with tinsel, spray-painted pinecones, white leaves and what appear to be holly berries. The newspaper says residents plan to add lights and presents in the hopes of drawing the city’s attention. It’s unclear how long the pothole has gone unattended by the city or what drove residents to start cheerfully protesting it recently.

Missouri

Jefferson City: State officials are buying a piece of equipment that simulates the experience of being in an earthquake to prepare residents for a big tremblor in a region that saw one of the most powerful earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains in the 1800s. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the nearly $200,000 simulator is built into a large cargo trailer decorated like a small house. Special hydraulics shake it violently for 5 to 10 seconds, giving riders the feel of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake. It also illustrates how pictures and other household items can become projectiles if not properly secured. Armed with federal funding, the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency submitted documents last month seeking a no-bid contract to purchase the simulator. The plan is to use a two-person team to take the unit through the Bootheel region, where the New Madrid fault is located.

Montana

Helena: State trust lands produced nearly $100 million in revenue for education and other recipients from July 2018 through June 2019. The $99.2 million in revenue from forestry, minerals, agriculture and real estate was up about $12 million from fiscal year 2018. However, it’s still well below the $188 million brought in in fiscal year 2010. The revenues dipped as low as $86 million in FY2017. The Independent Record reports the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation gave a ceremonial check for $46 million to Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. The amount is about 5.5% of the Office of Public Instruction’s $840 million budget. Other money goes to the university system, the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, the Montana Veterans Home and public buildings.

Nebraska

Lincoln: Nearly 800 Nebraska State Penitentiary inmates – more than half the Lincoln prison’s population – have signed a petition sent to state officials and various news outlets decrying conditions at the prison. The Lincoln Journal Star reports the petition pans administrators for putting the prison in modified lockdown. Because of the lockdown, meetings of self-betterment clubs or organizations have been limited or eliminated, and inmates have seen their use of the prison law library restricted. That restriction, the petition says, impedes prisoners’ access to the courts, attorneys, legislators, judges and other legal sources. The petition also cites multiple changes in policies, procedures, rules, memorandums, protocols and inmate movement as problems.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Environmentalists are warning that a planned geothermal energy plant in northern Nevada could threaten the habitat of a rare toad. The future of a big-eyed, freckled creature known as the Dixie Valley toad is at the center of an expected fight as environmentalists seek federal protection for the amphibian, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The toad, whose existence was unknown until a couple of years ago, lives around the thermal springs on the western edge of the Dixie Valley Playa, east of Reno. Ormat Technologies, the company that plans to build the geothermal energy plant, has proposed mitigation strategies to protect the toad’s habitat. The Dixie Valley toad’s habitat is restricted to fewer than 2.3 square miles, which makes it particularly vulnerable, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

New Hampshire

Lebanon: Some counties in the Granite State are cutting back as demand for Meals on Wheels and other food programs for seniors exceeds funding. As of Sunday, the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council had eliminated dessert to save money after state and federal funding ran out. The nonprofit group has had to dip into its reserves to make up for a $125,000 shortfall. The Valley News reports that seven of the 10 agencies providing home-delivered meals in New Hampshire have faced deficits. Strafford Nutrition & Meals on Wheels eliminated Wednesday deliveries years ago and is looking at other measures as demand grows, such as cutting night meals. The Community Action Program for Belknap and Merrimack counties is also looking at options. It already has stopped delivering breakfast as a way to cut costs.

New Jersey

Fort Lee: The centerpiece of the city’s holiday tree lighting has grown from a Charlie Brown tree to a 35-foot showstopper. The festivities now draw nearly 5,000 people. And employees start to decorate as early as the summer. This year’s tree lighting Thursday is expected to be the biggest yet, with a holiday carnival, bonfires, snow and, of course, Santa. The event takes place at the Fort Lee Community Center from 7 to 9 p.m. Besides the tree lighting, the community center becomes its own attraction, with nearly every inch of the building covered in 400,000 lights. The night will also include hot chocolate, a holiday carnival, a DJ, carnival rides, animated characters, snow machines, and a choreographed light and music show. Santa Claus will arrive on a Fort Lee firetruck.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: A team of researchers is getting federal funding to analyze perishable artifacts to better understand the early inhabitants who lived in and around caves in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. Officials say the region is under-researched, and the $200,000 grant from the Bureau of Land Management will help fund more work in the Guadalupe Mountains. The University of New Mexico is partnering with the Lincoln National Forest, the New Mexico Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and the Carlsbad Museum and Art Center. The team will use existing museum collections to build a chronology of basket and sandal styles used by those who lived in the area centuries ago. They also will re-document two of the area’s rock shelter sites with new technologies, including a drone and photogrammetric mapping.

New York

Albany: A federal judge has barred the state’s prison agency from taking any “adverse action” against correctional officers seeking a religious beard accommodation. The order signed last week is tied to a federal lawsuit filed in August and comes after additional correctional officers accused the prison department of discrimination in its handling of religious beards. Their concerns were outlined in court filings. The lawsuit argues the state prison agency discriminated against two Muslim correctional officers who were suspended over their beards. Attorney Joshua Moskovitz says the judge’s order prevents the agency from retaliating or harassing correctional officers who have a religious accommodation for beards or have applied for one with the agency.

North Carolina

Maggie Valley: An elk has been running around western North Carolina with a shredded hammock on its head, and apparently a love of apples is to blame. News outlets report Jim Beaver told the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office on Thanksgiving that an elk was stuck in his yard with its antlers tangled up in a hammock. The sheriff’s office says on Facebook that Cpl. Ken Stiles climbed onto the roof, cut the hammock and freed the animal. Beaver says elks often eat apples in his yard and play with his hammock. This elk, however, was too playful. Beaver says he didn’t free the elk himself, in case it decided to attack. He told WLOS-TV that the elk, with pieces of the hammock still in its antlers, has returned to the house a few times.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A photo of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at a Native American reservation in the state has been archived at the Library of Congress in Washington. Photographer Shane Balkowitsch preserved the image on a glass plate and titled it “Standing For Us All.” The method known as “wet plate collodion” involves wetting glass with various chemicals before inserting the plate into a camera and developing the photo. Balkowitsch told the Bismarck Tribune it’s his “most important work to date.” The photo shows 16-year-old Thunberg looking into the distance during a visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. She shared it on Twitter when she left North America on Nov. 13. Another image, a close-up of Thunberg’s face, will be featured at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm.

Ohio

Columbus: With the manmade chemicals known as PFAS – used in products including carpeting, cookware, microwave popcorn bags and firefighting foam – turning up in water and some foods across the U.S., Gov. Mike DeWine says the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will coordinate the testing of nearly 1,500 public water systems serving communities, schools, day cares and mobile home parks. If the chemicals are detected, the EPA will work with public systems to reduce their levels. The state Health Department will also work with private water system owners on ways to reduce exposure and install treatment systems. The state hopes to complete sampling of public water systems by the end of next year.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The state’s highest court admonished an Oklahoma County judge who failed to pay her taxes and more than 60 parking tickets, but it narrowly decided against filing a petition for her removal. In its 5-4 ruling Tuesday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court determined the allegations against District Judge Kendra Coleman didn’t warrant a trial to have her removed. In its order, the court admonished Coleman for neglecting to pay dozens of parking tickets and various tax obligations for several years. They also reprimanded her for failing to properly file campaign reports to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Coleman is facing a felony charge for failing to file state income tax returns. Neither Coleman nor her attorney returned telephone messages seeking comment.

Oregon

Corvallis: Experts in this state that’s the nation’s No. 1 supplier of Christmas trees say prices for a holiday evergreen will remain higher this year due to a tight supply. Chal Landgren, with Oregon State University’s College of Forestry, says there are 400 fewer Oregon growers than there were 15 years ago, and land once used for Christmas trees is now being used for less labor-intensive crops. Many tree farms went out of business about a decade ago. On average, consumers paid $78 for a tree in 2018, up $3 from 2017. There are 383 licensed Christmas tree growers in Oregon who sell about 4.6 million trees a year. Most of those trees are sold in the Pacific Northwest, California, Nevada and Arizona. Mexico is the top international importer of Oregon trees.

Pennsylvania

Langhorne: The Neshaminy School District will appeal a state commission’s ruling that it can continue to call its sports teams “Redskins” but must remove logos that “negatively stereotype Native Americans.” The school district board voted 9-0 Monday night to appeal last month’s ruling by the state Human Relations Commission, which also ordered the district to educate students about Native Americans. In a statement, the Bucks County district accused the commission of “unsubstantiated allegations of racism” and ordering actions that could cost nearly $1 million. In 2013, the commission, citing a complaint, accused Neshaminy of violating a state human relations law. The high school’s baseball team hats feature a tomahawk, the basketball team’s logo is a profile of a Native American warrior, and the football team is known as the “Skins.”

Rhode Island

Providence: An anti-abortion group is saying it will appeal a decision by a Superior Court judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s abortion rights law passed this summer. The lawsuit was filed in June on behalf of Catholics for Life and other anti-abortion activists. They argued the law violates the state Constitution, which they said doesn’t guarantee the right to privacy for a woman seeking an abortion. The Providence Journal reports that after Judge Melissa Darigan dismissed the lawsuit Wednesday, an attorney for the anti-abortion activists tweeted that she plans to appeal the decision to the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The Reproductive Privacy Act – signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo in June – codifies the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling into state law.

South Carolina

Columbia: The head of the state’s child welfare agency is asking for $127 million more next year to help turn around an embattled agency criticized for failing children. Department of Social Services Director Michael Leach is asking the General Assembly to boost the budget to pay for staff salary increases and the hiring of more caseworkers. The State newspaper reports those are among several spending hikes Leach sought in his first budget request to lawmakers. State budget writers say they aren’t yet sold on spending millions to fix an agency that has been slow to show results. But legislators say they’re encouraged that Leach has shown an eagerness to change agency culture. The department has struggled for years with heavy caseloads, low morale and high turnover of child welfare workers.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The Minnehaha County Commission has accepted the resignation of the county state’s attorney in the wake of an investigation for workplace misconduct. Aaron McGowan, a Democrat who held the office since 2009, offered his resignation this week, citing his health and reporting about his work absences. The attorney general investigated McGowan in September over his extended work absences and reported that some employees had told investigators of incidents involving McGowan and alcohol. One employee reported that McGowan’s behavior made her feel uncomfortable. The county will pay McGowan $35,000 as part of an agreement not to sue. Commission Chairwoman Jean Bender said she would not comment on personnel issues.

Tennessee

Nashville: The state Capitol building is now lit for the holidays. Gov. Bill Lee and first lady Maria Lee celebrated “Christmas at the Capitol” on Monday night, overseeing the lighting of the large evergreen on display outside the Capitol building. The KIPP Academy choir from Nashville performed holiday songs before the tree lighting. The Lees then read “The Night Before Christmas” inside the Old Supreme Court Chamber inside the Capitol. The tree was donated by the Diane and Fay Hazen family from Maury County, said Laine Arnold, press secretary for Lee.

Texas

Waco: The Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct has issued a public warning to a judge who refuses to perform same-sex marriages. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley has said her “Bible-believing” Christian conscience prohibits her from doing same-sex weddings. She believes she’s entitled to a “religious exemption.” Hensley has continued to perform opposite-sex weddings. In its order, the commission said Hensley is violating the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct by “casting doubt on her capacity to act impartially to persons appearing before her as a judge due to the person’s sexual orientation.” Hensley has 30 days to appeal the sanction. She and her attorney have both declined to comment on the commission’s warning.

Utah

Salt Lake City: The backlog of untested rape kits is growing in the state even after lawmakers passed a law in 2017 to address the issue, in part because of a lack of funding to hire an adequate number of technicians. The state crime lab asked for $2.4 million for 17 technicians but received $1.2 million to hire nine technicians, said Amy Lightfoot, the deputy director of the crime lab, KUTV-TV in Salt Lake City reports. “Unfortunately, what you’re looking at there is the result of a partially funded mandate,” Lightfoot said. The backlog sits at about 1,900 rape kits now. The state crime lab is on target to process an estimated 3,300 kits by July 2020, which would eliminate the backlog. The lab receives about 120 kits each month. She said the number of rape kits sent in has increased by 535% over the past six years.

Vermont

Burlington: The Vermont Health Department is offering a new resource to help people learn about how cannabis affects peoples’ bodies, minds and health. The department announced Monday that it had launched a site called “Let’s Talk Cannabis.” The site offers facts, tips and other resources for audiences that include youth and young adults, people who are breastfeeding, parents and health care professionals. The possession of up to an ounce of cannabis is legal in Vermont for people over age 21. Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says that as with all substance use, consumption of cannabis can be unhealthy. He says the site gives Vermonters the information they need to make safe and informed choices.

Virginia

Fairfax County: Local firefighters are taking part in a study aimed at finding ways to reduce their exposure to carcinogens. WTOP-FM reports that the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is partnering with the National Fire Protection Association Research Foundation on a four-phase study. Part of the focus of the study will be on how chemicals can cling to breathing equipment used by firefighters. Firefighters are exposed to toxic chemicals released into the air by burning buildings and vehicles. According to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study, firefighters are twice as likely to get skin and testicular cancer and mesothelioma.

Washington

North Bend: A movie theater in this small city was evacuated after authorities say a package labeled as containing a “highly contagious human substance” was sent there in error. KOMO reports the package contained a urine sample. Sgt. Paul Graham with Snoqualmie Police says the package arrived at the theater late Friday, and the theater manager found a box with the labeled liquid inside. The theater was evacuated, and local streets were closed as hazmat crews responded. Graham says the package was supposed to have been delivered to a medical clinic in Tacoma. It was unclear how it ended up more than 40 miles away in North Bend. Snoqualmie Police provide police services to North Bend.

West Virginia

Bluefield: The city’s Holiday of Lights festival has officially opened. The annual holiday display in Bluefield City Park went up last week and will run until the end of December. The decorations include more than 1.2 million lights throughout the park’s 40 acres. Hay rides, trolley rides and, of course, Santa are part of the festivities. There’s no cost to see the lights, but certain activities come with a $3 fee.

Wisconsin

Madison: Feminine hygiene products are now available for free in bathrooms at state office buildings. Gov. Tony Evers’ spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said Tuesday that the administration installed or converted menstrual product dispensers in state buildings, including the Capitol. She did not immediately have details on the cost or how many units were installed. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Sargent, of Madison, heralded the move as a win for all women who menstruate. Sargent has introduced bills for years to make tampons and sanitary napkins available for free in women’s bathrooms at state office buildings and schools. The bills have gone nowhere in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Sargent argues making the feminine hygiene products available is no different from having soap or toilet paper in any public bathroom.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says the number of state hunting and fishing licenses sold to women has seen a marked increase over the past decade. KGAB-AM reports that at the same time, men are buying slightly fewer hunting and fishing licenses. The agency says 30.5% more women are hunting in Wyoming compared to 10 years ago. Female anglers increased by 14.5% over that time. Meanwhile, the number of men participating in both activities is down by about 5%. Game and Fish Hunter and Angler Participation Coordinator Kathryn Boswell said the agency has been reaching out to women to get them more involved in outdoor activities, and women are starting to see hunting as an activity that is accessible to them.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

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