Superstorm art, Key West Fantasy Fest, pine cone plan: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Birmingham: Work is beginning on a business park that promoters say could mean about 1,200 jobs east of downtown. Officials held a groundbreaking Thursday for Grand River Technology Park, which will be located off Interstate 20 beside Barber Motorsports Park near Leeds. The project is planned as a regional site for research, development and light manufacturing. It’s also being billed for tourism, as the race track is nearby, and the Southern Museum of Flight plans to relocate there. Al.com reports the park is being funded in part by a $6 million grant from an Alabama Labor Department program to use abandoned mine sites. The park will reclaim about 105 acres of undeveloped land surrounding several old coal mining areas in eastern Jefferson County.

Alaska

Anchorage: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended its deadline to review numerous comments submitted for a draft environmental review of the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. Assistant Secretary of the Army R.D. James extended Thursday’s deadline to Feb. 28 to consider comments, including those from the Environmental Protection Agency, and to draft a preliminary final environmental impact statement. In a letter to the EPA, James says the Corps, the EPA and others will meet soon to resolve outstanding issues related to the proposed gold and copper mine. The new deadline reflects EPA’s 30-day request to review the draft statements and to consult with the Corps as they develop final versions.

Arizona

Scottsdale: A woman who teaches third graders from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is the first Native American to be named the Arizona Education Foundation’s teacher of the year. Lynette Stant teaches at Salt River Elementary, a Bureau of Indian Education school located in the community near Scottsdale. Stant’s recognition as Arizona’s top teacher was announced Thursday. A member of the Navajo Nation, she’s the first Native American to receive the recognition in the award’s 37-year history. The teacher says she attended a small reservation school in New Mexico during her primary years. Stant has been teaching at the Salt River school for 16 years. It has 19 teachers and about 330 students.

Arkansas

Yellville: Officials say a hunter died after he was attacked by a deer that he’d shot and believed to be dead. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens says 66-year-old Thomas Alexander shot a buck with a muzzleloader while hunting Tuesday near Yellville, an area in the Ozark Mountains about 105 miles north of Little Rock. Stephens tells Springfield, Missouri, television station KY3 the buck attacked Alexander when the hunter approached the animal to see if it was dead. He says Alexander, who suffered multiple puncture wounds, later died at a hospital. Stephens says it’s not clear how long Alexander waited before checking on the deer, but that the agency recommends waiting at least 30 minutes before approaching.

California

Westminster: The remains of 81 South Vietnamese soldiers shot down over Vietnam in 1965 have been interred at Southern California’s Westminster Memorial Park. Richard Spencer, secretary of the U.S. Navy, joined local officials for a procession and ceremony Saturday just outside Little Saigon in Orange County. The airborne soldiers of the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam were shot down in a remote area along with four American service members. The remains, which were commingled, were recovered in 1974 and eventually shipped to the U.S. The Americans were identified thanks to DNA technology. Efforts to return the other remains to Vietnam failed, so officials decided to give the unknown South Vietnamese soldiers a final resting place in the U.S. Orange County is home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside Vietnam.

Colorado

Denver: A doctor fired by a Christian hospital company after trying to help a terminally ill man obtain drugs to hasten his death has a new job with a community health center. The Denver Post reports Dr. Barbara Morris, a geriatrician, has accepted a job with Stride Community Health Center in Lakewood. Stride officials say she will start in February. Morris was fired from St. Anthony Hospital in August after she and a patient filed a legal case challenging Centura Health’s policy against physician aid-in-dying. Centura was formed by Catholic and Seventh-day Adventist health care ministries. Colorado voters legalized physician aid-in-dying in 2016. The law forbids limiting a physican’s medical judgment on the issue, but the hospitals argue Colorado law can’t interfere with a religious organization carrying out its mission.

Connecticut

Hartford: The city is considering turning five residential streets into what it’s calling “bicycle boulevards.” The Hartford Courant reports the city will hold public meetings Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss repurposing the roads for use mostly by bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Vehicle traffic would not be blocked on the streets but would be discouraged through signage. Similar streets have been set up in more than 10 states across the country and are sometimes referred to as “neighborways” or “neighborhood greenways.” The “bike boulevards” would be paid for with a $100,000, private Made to Move grant, an initiative between Degree Deodorant and Blue Zones LLC, founded by author Dan Buettner.

Delaware

Wilmington: The City Council violated state law when it barred a man from speaking at one of its public meetings last month, the Delaware Department of Justice announced Friday in an opinion. Dion Wilson was banned from speaking at the Sept. 19 meeting after being accused by City Council President Hanifa Shabazz of disrupting two meetings by yelling after she prevented him from speaking during the public comment portion, noting the use of profanity. Shabazz said she will ensure that City Council meetings comply with all regulations. The Justice Department’s decision did not touch on Wilson’s Oct. 2 arrest, in which he was charged with harassment and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.

District of Columbia

Washington: President Donald Trump’s company is exploring the sale of its Pennsylvania Avenue hotel, which has been at the center of three years of ethics complaints and lawsuits accusing him of trying to profit off the presidency. The Trump Organization said in a statement Friday that it will consider offers to buy it out of a 60-year lease of the building partly because “people are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel.” The Trump International Hotel has been a magnet for lobbyists and diplomats looking to curry favor with the Trump administration. In Trump’s latest financial disclosure, the opulent hotel built from the Old Post Office building just steps from the White House generated nearly $41 million, up less than half a million from last year.

Florida

Key West: The often-decadent Fantasy Fest wrapped up over the weekend, bringing flair to this island town. At Wednesday evening’s family friendly Pet Masquerade, entrants included costumed dogs, cats and a tortoise carrying a plush rabbit themed “The Tortoise and the Hare,” drawing inspiration from the fable of the same name. The overall winner was Diana Benton of Titusville, Florida, who dressed her two cats as country artists Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, subscribing to the festival’s musical theme of “In Tune But ... Off Key.” Other highlights included Friday afternoon’s masquerade march and a parade with floats and flamboyantly costumed marching groups. Saturday night’s parade was expected to draw some 60,000 revelers. The 10-day festival ended Sunday after a children’s carnival and an afternoon dance party.

Georgia

Atlanta: Overall grades for the state’s schools fell in the 2018-2019 school year, with two state leaders repeating their call to overhaul grading methods. The typical school statewide scored 75.9 points on a 100-point scale, down from 76.6 points last year. Performance rose in high schools but fell slightly in elementary schools and more broadly in middle schools. Georgia’s system seeks to grade schools on student content mastery, academic progress and readiness, whether underperforming groups are closing gaps, and whether high school students graduate on time. State officials say scores fell because of lower scores on progress and closing gaps. State Superintendent Richard Woods and Gov. Brian Kemp say they want changes, with Woods calling for less reliance on standardized test scores.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A judge says a 93-year-old Native Hawaiian heiress doesn’t need a guardian to take care of her but is ordering a hearing to determine whether she needs a conservator to manage her $215 million trust. Abigail Kawananakoa’s wealth has been tied up in a legal battle since her 2017 stroke. She’s considered a princess because she’s a descendant of the family that ruled Hawaii before the kingdom’s 1893 overthrow. Board members of her foundation and ex-employees say her wife is manipulating her. Lawyers for the couple dispute that. Native Hawaiians have been watching the case because they’re concerned about the fate of the foundation she set up to benefit Hawaiians. The couple’s lawyers said Friday that Kawananakoa should be able to do what she wants with her money.

Idaho

Challis: Officials say they plan to use a helicopter to capture 365 wild horses in central Idaho in early November to reduce the number of horses to about 185. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in a news release Friday says the roundup in the Challis Herd Management Area near the town of Challis will begin on or about Nov. 5 and take up to nine days. The agency says balancing herd size with what the 260-square-mile management area can support will help protect habitat for wildlife species such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, mule deer and elk. The agency says mares released back into the management area will be treated with fertility control. About 240 horses not released back into the wild will be transported to the Bruneau Wild Horse Off-Range Corral facility southeast of Boise for adoption.

Illinois

Springfield: The Illinois State Museum has returned 42 culturally significant items to representatives of two Aboriginal communities in Australia. A University of Chicago anthropologist who worked in Australia to record indigenous languages collected the items between 1929 and 1931. They were transferred to the museum in 1942. The State Journal-Register reports that an Australian delegation received the artifacts Wednesday during a ceremony at the Illinois State Museum’s Research and Collections Center in Springfield. Brooke Morgan, the museum’s curator of anthropology, said the items returned include secret, sacred, secular and ceremonial objects. They will be returned to Aranda and Bardi Jawi communities in Australia. Morgan said the items will be used in Australia to “revitalize cultural practices” to teach young generations how to make these traditional artifacts.

Indiana

Elkhart: A northern Indiana airport’s parking ramp for aircraft will undergo a half-million-dollar repaving job after two jets sank into the asphalt over the summer. City attorney Lawrence Meteiver says the ramp was installed at the Elkhart Municipal Airport last year by the city at a cost of about $50,000. Indiana Flight Center President Brett Zierle says a 30,000-pound Bombardier Challenger and a 15,500-pound Cessna Citation XLS sank into the asphalt ramp in June on days when the temperature reached only into the 70s. He says the asphalt is soft and not capable of supporting the weight of those aircraft. The Elkhart Truth reports that Meteiver says an asphalt mix recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration will be installed after this winter at a cost of about $565,000.

Iowa

Knoxville: A woman has died after an explosion at a gender reveal party created debris that hit her. The Marion County Sheriff’s office says the explosion happened at a home in central Iowa about 4 p.m. Saturday during a party to announce the gender of a baby a couple is expecting. Deputies arrived at the home in Knoxville, about 40 miles southeast of Des Moines, to find a 56-year-old woman dead. Investigators determined an explosion during the gender reveal announcement caused the woman’s death. No other details about the explosion were available.

Kansas

Topeka: State legislators went too far by criminalizing violent language not backed up by an intent to act, the state’s highest court ruled Friday in striking down part of a law that it says violates free speech rights. The Kansas Supreme Court kept in place portions of the 2010 law banning “true threats” but struck down the provision making it a felony for someone to be “reckless” in using threatening language that makes others afraid, even if the person making the comments doesn’t intend violence. The justices said that part of the law is so broad that it might apply to the speech of political protesters, violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The court said the state still can prosecute people who intentionally threaten of violence.

Kentucky

Burgin: The Federal Aviation Administration says a mysterious object that seemingly dropped from the sky and damaged a man’s mobile home didn’t come from an airplane. Tommy Woosley says a heavy, nearly footlong canister-type object hit his home in Burgin, about 75 miles southeast of Louisville, two weeks ago. But the FAA and Norfolk Southern Railway say their transportation units have nothing to do with the object that lodged into the siding of his home. The National Guard and nearby Fort Campbell military base have also denied responsibility. Authorities initially believed the canister may have fallen from a plane, but an FAA spokeswoman says their investigation ruled it out. She says the agency is turning the object over to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.

Louisiana

New Orleans: Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu is tackling the race issue, starting with a report called “Divided by Design.” The report released Friday is based on surveys and interviews with people in in 28 communities in 13 Southern states. It touts efforts to bridge racial gaps. But it also says segregation and inequality remain major barriers to advancement for many. And it notes widespread, conflicting views on racism among African Americans, Latinos and whites. When Landrieu was mayor, he removed four Jim Crow-era monuments from the New Orleans landscape, including statues of three Confederate icons. This report is the first project of the E Pluribus Unum Fund, which Landrieu launched after leaving office in May 2018. It calls for cultivating courageous leaders who can build common ground.

Maine

West Gardiner: Democratic Gov. Janet Mills says a new, fast-charging station for electric cars and incentives for more of them will help break fossil fuel companies’ “stranglehold” over Mainers’ wallets. Mills on Friday unveiled the new charging station at the Maine Turnpike plaza in West Gardiner, saying it was funded through federal Volkswagen settlement money awarded to the state’s Department of Transportation. Mills also says 23 municipalities will receive incentives to install 47 new charging stations across the state for public use. It’s part of a larger effort to boost the charging infrastructure for electric cars. Mills says charging stations make electric cars a reality for more people, help people save money on fuel and protect the environment. She calls it a “hat-trick for Maine.”

Maryland

Berlin: A 14-year-old girl has adopted all 75 ponies from the Maryland herd of Assateague Island ponies. Zoe Newman this month became the first person ever to foster every horse in the herd. The adoptions, which have cost Zoe and her mother more than $3,000 so far, are symbolic and provide the Assateague Island National Seashore with education and herd management funds. Zoe and her mother, Sam Newman, often get up at 4 a.m. to make the three-hour drive from their Lexington Park home to get to the park by sunrise. They’ve visited about 30 times over the past few years. Zoe first adopted an Assateague pony when she was 10 years old and used her savings on a chestnut pinto named Annie Laurie.

Massachusetts

Boston: A new study is recommending state officials address gambling addiction in Asian American communities. Researchers with the University of Massachusetts-Boston presented to the state’s Gaming Commission last week the results of a state-funded study in Boston’s Chinatown. The study found Chinatown residents who frequently visited casinos in the region did so to relieve stress from their low-wage jobs or in the hopes of escaping poverty. Researchers also found study participants were drawn to casinos because of gambling coupons, meal deals, bus rides and other casino promotions targeting Asian communities. The researchers recommend the state develop “culturally tailored” public health campaigns and gambling counseling services. They also recommend launching a broader study encompassing Vietnamese, Cambodian and Chinese communities in Quincy, Lowell, Malden and Worcester.

Michigan

Lansing: A study has found few of the state’s residents are taking advantage of a legal option that allows people to erase their criminal convictions, even though an expungement can open doors to housing, student loans and employment. A University of Michigan law school study estimates just 6.5% of people who meet the requirements end up having their convictions set aside within five years of becoming eligible. Attorneys and law students volunteered their time last week at a free clinic in Lansing to educate more than 100 people on how to clear their records. The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is using a $20,000 grant from the Michigan State Bar Foundation to host a series of free clinics around the state.

Minnesota

Duluth: A homeless man who pleaded guilty to starting a fire that destroyed a 117-year-old synagogue has been sentenced to three months in jail and 192 hours of community service. KTTC-TV reports 36-year-old Matthew Amiot was sentenced Friday. He pleaded guilty last month to negligent fire charges. Amiot received credit for the 36 days he has already served in jail. The fire destroyed the Adas Israel Synagogue in Duluth on Sept. 9. Authorities say Amiot used a lighter to ignite combustible materials outside the main building, near a separate religious structure called a sukkah. Amiot told police he tried to spit on the fire to put it out and walked away when that didn’t work. Police don’t believe the fire was a hate crime.

Mississippi

Taylor: The site of an elementary school that served black children during segregation is set to become a park. The Oxford Eagle reports the plans for the park at the site of Weems Elementary were approved last week by the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. The supervisors approved demolition of the school in May 2018 after a fire damaged most of the structure. A $1-per-year lease was approved with the newly formed nonprofit group Taylor Park Recreation, which will raise money for park construction. Throughout the 1960s, Weems taught black students between first and eighth grades. The state’s public schools were officially integrated in 1970, leading many such schools to shutter.

Missouri

Sparta: The mayor of this tiny town says its hand-activated tornado warning siren needs to be retired. Mayor Jenni Davis is the only person in the town of 1,900 residents authorized to activate the tornado siren. The problem with the odd and antiquated system became evident early Monday when a twister was approaching town. Davis wanted to get downtown to flip the switch activating the siren, but a tree blocked her path. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Some towns are turning away from tornado warning sirens because cellphone apps and other technology that alert to approaching storms are increasingly common. But some experts say outdoor sirens still serve a purpose. Davis would like to replace the old siren, but the cost of up to $50,000 is more than the city can afford. A congressman’s office is seeking grant money to help.

Montana

West Glacier: Crews have completed the two-year, nearly $9 million effort of reconstructing the historic Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park after it was gutted by a wildfire. Project Manager Travis Neil of Dick Anderson Construction tells the Hungry Horse News that the crews will return next year to finish some minor tasks to help the National Park Service to get the chalet opened for next summer. The 105-year-old wood and stone dormitory located in a remote area of the park burned when embers from a wildfire rained down on it Aug. 31, 2017. All that remained was the building’s stone shell. Kevin Warrington of Belton Chalets, which operates the chalet, said Sperry Chalet will take reservations on Jan. 13, 2020, for the summer season.

Nebraska

Lincoln: A career military man and former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy was chosen Friday as the top candidate to become the next president of the University of Nebraska system. The university Board of Regents voted unanimously to nominate Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. as their priority candidate. Carter is a retired Navy vice admiral and served as superintendent of his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy, from 2014 until this year. “Ted’s character and integrity are second to none,” said University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen, of Columbus, who led the search. “He has a proven focus on the success and well-being of students, faculty and staff. He has a deep appreciation for the role and mission of higher education. And is a public servant in every sense of the word.”

Nevada

Las Vegas: Police say a woman who was angered when she was kicked out of an area casino intentionally drove her motorhome into the building, injuring a custodian. North Las Vegas Police spokesman Eric Leavitt says the 50-year-old woman was ejected from the Cannery casino Friday morning and drove her Winnebago into the building. Leavitt says the woman hit a 66-year-old custodial worker outside the building. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the worker was critically injured but is expected to survive. Leavitt told KVVU-TV the woman kept hitting the gas, and her vehicle was stuck in the building’s entrance. Employees had to remove the woman to get her to stop. Leavitt says police who were already at the casino arrested the woman. Her identity was not immediately released.

New Hampshire

Hampstead: Parents and other visitors to schools in the town are no longer allowed to bring guns onto school property. The Eagle Tribune reports the School Board unanimously approved a policy prohibiting anyone other than law enforcement and school resource officers from bringing guns on campus during school hours and during school-sponsored activities. The district already had rules against students and staff carrying firearms. School board member Karen Yasenka said the policy protects students and staff without infringing on anyone’s rights. The Legislature passed a bill this year that would have banned most guns from school grounds statewide, but Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed it.

New Jersey

West Long Branch: The personal stories of people who survived Superstorm Sandy are an integral part of a new art exhibit remembering the deadly storm and the devastation it caused seven years ago. The Monmouth University exhibit also includes an obelisk made from slices from trees that fell during the storm, with each inch representing 2,703 lost housing units. There are hanging posters resembling beach towels that present Sandy-related data in easy-to-grasp visual terms. A “climate shelter,” for which all the trappings of a home that would normally be on the inside are on the outside, symbolizes the huge mounds of sodden possessions that became garbage.

New Mexico

Along the Burnt Mesa Trail: Conservationists and forestry experts are scouring the American Southwest, hoping to gather as many ponderosa pine cones as possible to give nature a hand in restoring fire-scarred landscapes. The goal: 1 million seeds. It might sound lofty, but those helping with the project are looking to take advantage of a rare bumper crop this fall that has resulted from back-to-back summer and winter seasons of much-needed rain and snow. It takes time to find the patches of trees that will yield the most seeds. One spot is a mesa in northern New Mexico that overlooks vast expanses of rugged terrain that has seen its share of fire over the last two decades. With drought and the severity of wildfires on the rise, scientists say seed collection and reforestation are becoming more important across the West.

New York

New York: New Yorkers are flocking to greet a new arrival to the city – Wegmans grocery store. The popular regional chain officially opened its first New York City outpost Sunday, a 74,000-square-foot store at the Brooklyn Navy Yard with more than 500 employees. Despite the rain, crowds turned out Sunday to take a look at a selection the company says includes almost 50,000 items. Aside from groceries, the store offers a range of food options, including sushi, pizza and buffet bars, and has a bar serving alcohol in the cafe. The new Brooklyn outpost is the 101st store for Wegmans, which was founded over a century ago in Rochester, New York, and is still family-owned.

North Carolina

Rodanthe: Researchers say they’re seeing a growing number of great white sharks off the coast of the state’s Outer Banks. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that four sharks with tracking devices have “pinged” in recent days. The sharks are being tracked by researchers with the organization Ocearch, which said on Twitter that a shark named Ironbound was among the sharks that were traveling near the Outer Banks community of Corolla and moving down the coast toward Rodanthe. Ironbound is a 12-foot, 4-inch male great white who weighs about 1,000 pounds. The organization is tracking three other male great white sharks between 10 and 12 feet in length. Great white sharks are known to swim off the southeastern United States coast in the winter.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Democrats in the state Senate have joined the call for a senator to resign his leadership position in the wake of his Facebook posts targeting a Muslim U.S. congresswoman from Minnesota. The Bismarck Tribune reports Democratic senators wrote a letter Thursday to Sen. Oley Larsen, a Minot Republican, asking that he relinquish his position as president pro tempore. Their letter came a day after Larsen sent an email to his fellow senators, asking to “gauge each of your stance” on his leadership role. Last week Larsen posted a long-debunked photo that purports to show Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., holding a weapon at an al-Qaida training camp. The image actually shows a female Somali army recruit at a Mogadishu military training campus in 1978, four years before Omar was born in 1982.

Ohio

Columbus: Thousands of acres in eastern Ohio that the state says it’s buying to promote recreation and conservation may be drilled for oil and natural gas. The Columbus Dispatch reports a draft purchase agreement obtained by the newspaper shows American Electric Power will retain subsurface rights to more than 31,000 acres it’s selling to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for $47 million. The document states AEP will have the continuing right to drill. AEP spokesman Scott Blake says no active fracking is underway on the land. He says the power company will work with the state to coordinate that activity if the situation changes. Natural Resources Department spokeswoman Sarah Wickham says the state is “reasonably certain” the property includes active wells.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A second police officer has testified that an unarmed man wasn’t a threat when a fellow officer fatally shot him after the victim called 911 threatening suicide. Keith Sweeney is charged with murder in the 2017 killing of 29-year-old Dustin Pigeon, who was apparently trying to set himself on fire with lighter fluid when police arrived. The Oklahoman reports that Officer Troy Nitzky testified Friday that he didn’t see Pigeon as a threat. Sgt. Erik Howell testified Thursday that Pigeon didn’t have a gun or a knife and that he didn’t “observe any threatening acts.” Defense attorney Gary James has said that Sweeney didn’t know Pigeon was unarmed because the other officers didn’t notify him by radio and that Sweeney made the proper decision “based on the information he was given.”

Oregon

Portland: The state’s LGBTQ community has updated rights to equal treatment under an executive order signed by Gov. Kate Brown. America’s first openly bisexual governor said a 1987 executive order needed to be updated to reflect current law and understandings about sexual orientation and gender identity. The executive order, signed Friday, prohibits state agencies from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It directs state agencies to treat everyone consistent with their gender identity and to modify forms to add a third option – “nonbinary/other” – in addition to “male” and “female.” A state agency must also adopt statewide policies to expand access to appropriate restrooms and to accommodate state employees and the public who are transgender, nonbinary or gender nonconforming.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: An internal review of the state’s parole system spurred by five parolees getting charged in quick succession with homicide is, in theory, acknowledging a long-standing complaint of parole agents. It asks lawmakers to update a 2012 law and add a trigger for an automatic six-month to one-year jail sentence for a parolee who continually ignores parole conditions, such as going to treatment or counseling. The 2012 law already has five such triggers, including threatening behavior or possession of a weapon. Law enforcement groups largely welcomed the acknowledgement from the state Department of Corrections. The county district attorneys association calls it a “significant recognition.” Parole agents, however, were skeptical it’ll change a system they say has stripped them of discretion to pull a potentially dangerous parolee off the street.

Rhode Island

Exeter: A memorial was dedicated over the weekend for 97 firefighters who have died in the line of duty in the state since the 1800s. North Kingstown Fire Chief Scott Kettelle says firefighters raised more than $300,000 for the memorial dedicated Saturday at the state Fire Training Academy. Construction has taken about a year. The Providence Journal reports firefighters who have died since recordkeeping began in the 1800s are being commemorated for their sacrifice. Kettelle says he and other organizers hope the event can become an annual tradition. The fire department plans to continue adding more names with fundraising through the sale of engraved paving bricks. The memorial is open to the public.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state is again requiring all sex offenders to stay inside with their outside lights off and not give out trick-or-treat candy on Halloween. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services spokesman Pete O’Boyle said the requirement to stay inside runs from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. statewide Oct. 31. O’Boyle says some counties will require all sex offenders to go to a central location to be supervised for several hours on Halloween. O’Boyle said in a statement that agents will be checking on offenders in all 46 South Carolina counties. Last year, agents checked more than 350 homes and made more than 150 phone calls.

South Dakota

Pierre: The state Transportation Commission has passed rules for truck platooning. The practice links two or more trucks in a convoy, using connected technology and automated driving support systems. Drivers are still behind the wheel of the trucks, but when synced, the vehicles behind the leader adapt to changes in movement with little or no action from the drivers. KELO-TV reports truck companies need special permits from the Department of Public Safety to platoon. The commission is allowing the practice only on South Dakota’s interstates, except in certain weather conditions and during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The Legislature’s Rules Review Committee will consider the rules Nov. 4. Twenty-nine states now allow truck platooning, including all of South Dakota’s neighbors.

Tennessee

Erwin: The town is preparing to auction off a herd of brightly painted elephant statues that recall a dark day in local history. The Johnson City Press reports the auction is part of a community initiative called the Erwin Elephant Revival. It honors a circus elephant named Mary who was hanged from a derrick in Erwin’s railyard in 1916 after she killed her trainer. The Elephant Revival lets residents reflect on the past while raising money for the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald. The statues are getting added attention this year after local high school students won a National Public Radio competition for their podcast on the initiative. The silent auction takes place Monday through Friday at Erwin Town Hall. More information is available online.

Texas

College Station: A charity that trains service dogs for disabled veterans has commissioned a statue of the late George H.W. Bush’s service dog for the 41st president’s library. America’s VetDogs has commissioned sculptor Susan Bahary to create the bronze statue of Sully for placement in the east wing of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University. VetDogs President John Miller says the statue will depict Sully sitting with his leash in his mouth, the “retrieve” task VetDogs trains its dogs to perform. It will show Sully wearing his America’s VetDogs vest with the Great Seal of the United States on its back. The yellow Labrador golden retriever assisted the former president for the last six months of his life before Bush’s death last November at age 94.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A rule that would have allowed ATVs on certain roads in the five national parks in the state has been rescinded by the National Park Service. The agency said in a news release Friday that it changed its mind after further consultation with Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt, whose agency includes the National Park Service. The agency didn’t provide reasons for the reversal. The rule would have gone into effect Nov. 1 to conform to a state law that allows any “street-legal” vehicle on state and county roads. Instead, a long-standing ban on ATVs in parks will remain. Ashley Korenblat, an advocate for preserving public lands and CEO of Western Spirit Cycling in Moab, Utah, applauded a move she said will ensure ATVs aren’t crammed into already congested national parks.

Vermont

Norwich: The town lost almost $250,000 in an email scam. A report released by Norwich details how town Finance Director Donna Flies ignored instructions to stop unauthorized payments from municipal accounts. Town Treasurer Cheryl Lindberg says she confronted Flies, telling her that payments from Norwich accounts require select board approval. Authorities say Flies assumed emails requesting large sums of money were from her boss, Town Manager Herb Durfee. Flies told investigators the only thing she did wrong was to make “stupid mistakes.” Valley News reports the report blames both Flies for failing to detect the scam and town officials for failing to confront her. No one’s been charged with a crime. Officials say $79,765 was returned by Comerica Bank.

Virginia

Lynchburg: A poet and civil rights activist from the city will be honored in the U.S. Postal Service’s 2020 Forever stamp series. Anne Spencer, who died in 1975, is included in the recently unveiled “Voices of the Harlem Renaissance” series. In a news release, the USPS says the set of 20 stamps pays homage to “one of the great artistic and literary movements in American history.” The News & Advance reports that Spencer enrolled at what’s now the Virginia University of Lynchburg at 11 years old when she was barely literate and graduated six years later as valedictorian. She went on to become a poet, librarian, and contemporary of African-American artists and political leaders. Spencer also helped found the Lynchburg chapter of the NAACP in 1918.

Washington

Seattle: Sound Transit board members have abandoned ideas for a $450 million tunnel into the city’s historic central Ballard, a $200 million bored tunnel through West Seattle’s Pigeon Point neighborhood, and a fully elevated trackway in Sodo that would have blocked light-rail travel during construction. The Seattle Times reports cheaper options that serve the same number of passengers and will still cost hundreds of millions of dollars will now gain momentum during environmental studies. Politicians on the 18-member board have entertained dozens of alignment concepts since 2016, when voters passed the $54 billion ST3 tax measure to expand regional rail and bus services. The agency promised West Seattle stations in 2030 and stations from south downtown to Seattle Center and Ballard by 2035.

West Virginia

Charleston: Inmates in state prisons now have access to specially designed tablet computers. The Register-Herald reports the tablets are provided at no cost to taxpayers by Global Tel Link through its inmate banking services contract with the prison system. The tablets give the prisoners access to email, video visitation, electronic books, music, games and movies. They lack a normal internet browser but do allow access to select websites, including educational and career sites. All apps and websites are approved by the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The devices will soon help inmates submit requests, file grievances and order from the facility commissary. West Virginia’s tablet program began as a pilot at the Saint Mary’s Correctional Center last year. Then-Superintendent Patrick Mirandy said he saw the tablets improve facility safety.

Wisconsin

Madison: University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross is retiring. The 71-year-old Cross said Friday that he plans to retire once a new president is selected. Cross has served as UW’s president since February 2014. He previously served three years as chancellor of UW Colleges and UW-Extension and has spent more than four decades in higher education, previously working in Minnesota and Michigan. He served three years in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. Cross says serving as UW president has been the most rewarding work of his life. UW Board of Regents President Andrew Petersen says in a statement that Cross has been tireless in leading the system with vision and integrity. He says Cross stabilized the system at a time of legislative skepticism and financial challenges.

Wyoming

Jackson: The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation reports 28 moose were killed on roads in Teton County from May 2018 through April 2019. It’s the highest moose toll since 33 were killed from May 2010 through April 2011. Eight were killed along Moose-Wilson Road. The foundation’s executive director, Jon Mobeck, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide on Friday that the overall wildlife toll of 267 animals reported hit was the fifth-highest since the foundation started keeping tabs in 1990. Elk collisions totaled 34 in the most recent report, down from the 40s in the previous two years. The foundation’s report does not include animals found dead and reported hit in Grand Teton National Park, where elk and moose collisions increased from 2017 to 2018.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Superstorm art, Key West Fantasy Fest: News from around our 50 states