Alabama
Montgomery: A state legislator appears to have lost to a primary challenger by a single vote after provisional ballots were counted Tuesday, setting up a possible recount in the race. Another state representative who was trailing a challenger said he will file an election contest in his GOP primary race after some voters in his district might have gotten the incorrect ballot. Republican state Sen. Tom Whatley of Auburn trailed primary rival Jay Hovey by a single vote after provisional ballots were counted Tuesday, Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl said. Hovey, a member of the Auburn City Council, had initially led by four votes, according to unofficial returns, but his lead shrank to a single vote after eligible provisional ballots were counted. Provisional ballots are votes for which there was initially a question about the voter’s eligibility. The vote is counted once that question is resolved. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said Whatley has 24 hours to request a recount if he chooses. Alabama provides automatic recounts in general elections. In a primary election, a candidate must request and pay for the recount. Meanwhile, unofficial returns showed Rep. Gill Isbell, R-Gadsden losing to Mack Butler, who previously served in the Legislature. But some voters got ballots with the wrong House district.
Alaska
Anchorage: The owner of the largest natural gas utility in the state said it is selling the company to Canada-based TriSummit Utilities Inc. for $800 million. AltaGas Ltd. announced last Thursday that the sale includes Anchorage-based ENSTAR Natural Gas, associated pipelines and ENSTAR’s majority ownership in a gas storage facility, the Anchorage Daily News reports. AltaGas, also based in Canada, acquired Enstar in 2012. TriSummit has about 133,000 customers in Canada. ENSTAR, which has about 150,000 customers in Anchorage and parts of south-central Alaska, has had about 1% annual growth in customers in recent years, according to AltaGas. The company said the sale, in part, will allow it to reduce debt and make “higher growth investments” in other operations, the firm’s president, Randy Crawford, said in a statement. The sale is subject to regulatory approval. The companies expect it to close by early next year. TriSummit in a statement said it plans to “retain all of ENSTAR’s dedicated employees and hire new Alaska employees to perform certain functions currently performed out of state.” ENSTAR Natural Gas has about 200 employees.
Arizona
Phoenix: Minority Democrats in the state Senate used a procedural move Tuesday to force a vote on legislation that would require background checks for any firearm purchase. The effort led to more than an hour of pleas from Democrats and pushback from Republicans, who for years have blocked all gun restrictions. All 16 Senate Republicans voted against the measure, while the 13 Democrats supported it. The bill, which never got a hearing, would have closed the so-called gun show loophole that allows someone to buy a gun without the federal background check that federally licensed firearms dealers are required to perform before a sale is completed. Republicans won’t even assign Democratic gun bills to a committee, meaning they never get hearings or a chance to get a formal floor vote. Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada bypassed that process to bring it right to the floor. “This isn’t a radical idea – this isn’t something that other states aren’t considering or even enacting,” Quezada said. He called requiring background checks for private gun purchases – anything except a transfer to a family member – a commonsense measure supported by overwhelmingly majorities of Americans that won’t prevent anyone legally allowed to have a gun from purchasing one. “We have that loophole built into our public policy,” he said.
Arkansas
Little Rock: In the wake of a mass shooting in a neighboring state, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, said the idea of raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles should be up for discussion. “I think you’ve got to be able to talk about the AR-15 style weapons and whether that’s an 18 or 21 age,” Hutchinson told CNN this week. “You have to at least have a conversation about that.” But Hutchinson, who leaves office in January, isn’t pushing for the limit in his own state. Any proposed gun restrictions are unlikely to find support among Republicans who control the Legislature. Arkansas Republicans are echoing their party’s calls at the national level to focus instead on beefing up school security or addressing mental health. “If we move to 21, and the shooter is 21, then they’ll want to move to 25,” said Republican state Sen. Bart Hester, who will serve as Senate president next year. “We have established that 18 in our society is an adult who can make adult decisions, and I’m good with that.”
California
Sacramento: More than half of substantiated child abuse reports in recent years were not in the state’s database, which could result in child abusers being allowed to care for children, state auditors said Tuesday. The unreliability of the database “puts children at risk,” auditors said. The database is used by state and county social services and welfare departments, adoption agencies, medical workers treating possible victims of child abuse, agencies conducting background investigations of applicants for law enforcement jobs, and agencies conducting background investigations on those who want to work or volunteer in positions that would give them access to children, like day care centers or group homes. But the flaws in the database mean those agencies “cannot depend on the database to help protect children,” acting California State Auditor Michael Tilden said in an opening letter to the governor and legislative leaders. The state’s Child Abuse Central Index, run by the state Department of Justice, contains more than 25,000 reports of sexual and physical abuse and neglect that are backed by county records. But there are more than 52,000 such reports in county records, meaning nearly 27,000 reports – 52% – are in county records but not the state’s database, auditors said.
Colorado
Denver: A Denver-based federal appeals court has agreed with a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit that claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump and had been rigged by Dominion Voting Systems, Facebook (now Meta) and others. Friday’s opinion from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, first reported by Colorado Politics, found that eight plaintiffs from across the U.S. had no standing to assert that the outcome of the election “violated the constitutional rights of every registered voter in the United States.” The lawsuit relied on baseless conspiracy theories spread by Trump and his supporters that the election was stolen in favor of Joe Biden. Among others, it named Facebook and Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, whose election machines remain the focus of some of the most fevered – and continuing – unfounded speculation about voting fraud. U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter dismissed the lawsuit in April 2021, finding the plaintiffs failed to show they had suffered specific injuries due to the election result and thus had no standing to bring the lawsuit. The appeals court agreed and dismissed the plaintiffs’ request to make the lawsuit a class action on behalf of all registered U.S. voters.
Connecticut
Bridgeport: Jury selection began Tuesday for the trial of a state senator and his 2018 campaign treasurer on federal fraud charges alleging they lied in efforts to obtain nearly $180,000 in public funds for his election bid. Bridgeport Democratic Sen. Dennis Bradley and Jessica Martinez, his 2018 campaign treasurer, began picking jurors in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, where their trial could begin as soon as Wednesday. Both deny the allegations and have pleaded not guilty. Federal prosecutors allege Bradley and Martinez improperly received about $84,000 from the Connecticut Citizens’ Election Program for the 2018 Democratic primary for the Senate seat, then improperly sought to obtain another $95,700 for the general election that year. Authorities say in court documents that Bradley and Martinez made “material misrepresentations and omissions to hide prohibited campaign activities” that would have barred them from receiving the public campaign funds. Among the allegations against Bradley, prosecutors say he used about $5,600 in personal funds to pay for a campaign launch party at a Bridgeport restaurant in March 2018 where he announced his candidacy and collected donations. Bradley knew his personal spending was limited to $2,000, prosecutors said.
Delaware
Wilmington: Mayor Mike Purzycki is proposing the city take ownership of the historic Gibraltar mansion and Marian Coffin gardens, nixing a plan to turn the mansion into a boutique hotel and wedding venue but maintaining developers’ plans to build housing on adjacent land. “As there are too many hard feelings over the way Gibraltar has deteriorated to allow the current owners to be part of any ownership plan, I propose that the city or a city subdivision acquire the entire property and take responsibility for care and maintenance of the mansion and grounds,” the mayor wrote to neighbors last week. Gibraltar Preservation Group – a limited liability company of which Drake Cattermole and David Carpenter are principals – has owned the 6-acre property since 2010. The two spent the following years amassing adjacent parcels to propose a financially viable rehabilitation project for the historic property. During that time, the mansion sat vacant and deteriorated. Local developer Robert Snowberger, of 9SDC – a Wilmington-based historic preservation contractor – introduced plans in February to turn the Gibraltar mansion into a boutique hotel, renovate the greenhouse and garage into restaurant and retail space, and build townhomes on vacant land surrounding the property. But that plan was met with community backlash.
District of Columbia
Washington: Community groups came together Tuesday to launch the DC Peace Academy, aimed at training and supporting violence interrupters, WUSA-TV reports. The goal is to harness the expertise of organizers who have been fighting gun violence on their own for years and to give them the resources they’ve been lacking. “This gives us an opportunity to be able to center the voices of the people that are closest to this problem,” said Lashonia Thompson-El, executive director of Peace for DC, which is privately funding the program as it brings together multiple organizations into one academy. The 13-week, 125-hour training program educates activists on conflict-resolution and mediation techniques while offering them mental health support. “It’s a job. It’s a skill set. So we want to make sure you know how to do a proper mediation; you know how to engage an 11-year-old that has a gun, as opposed to a 20-year-old who may have a gun,” said Warees Majeed, who helped develop the curriculum. “We want to make sure that you know where the resources are in your community so that you can help better serve them and their family.”
Florida
St. Petersburg: U.S. wildlife officials have agreed to revise the critical habitat designation for Florida manatees, which have been dying in record numbers because water pollution is killing a main food source. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a court settlement made public Wednesday that it will publish a proposed revision by Sept. 12, 2024. The agreement comes in a long-running court case involving the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Save the Manatee Club. The rule would bring enhanced federal scrutiny to projects that might affect the manatee in waterways in which the marine mammals are known to concentrate. One such area is the Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s east coast, where this winter officials successfully fed manatees tons of lettuce in an unprecedented experiment to prevent more starvation. Last year, more than 1,100 manatees died largely from lack of food, a state record. This year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports 562 manatee deaths as of late May. Dozens more have been rescued and are being cared for at facilities around the country. The manatee critical habitat designation has not been updated since 1976, but advocates have been pushing for a change since 2008. The state wildlife commission estimates there are about 7,500 manatees in the wild in Florida.
Georgia
Stone Mountain: Facing state demands to move forward, as well as public pressure after students produced a viral video showing widespread disrepair, a suburban Atlanta school board on Tuesday voted for a $50 million overhaul at an aging high school after previously voting three times against it. The DeKalb County school board voted unanimously to renovate Druid Hills High School, news outlets report. “I am proud to say today that we’re in unison, that we want what’s good for this district,” board Chair Vickie Turner said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It feels quite refreshing that we’ve made this progress.” The dispute over Druid Hills climaxed after students made a video about poor conditions including raw sewage, crumbling bathrooms and signs warning of possible electrical shock around utilities in one room. But last month the board rejected plans to overhaul the high school, instead voting to make minor repairs at all the district’s schools. Students from at least two other DeKalb high schools have since published similar videos. The dispute dredged up racial and class tensions that often divide the 93,000-student district between a wealthier white minority in its northern end and a poorer, Black majority in the southern end.
Hawaii
Pahoa: Police and federal authorities are investigating after a man building homemade fireworks died following an explosion at his house. Police on the Big Island said Tuesday that the man was severely injured by an explosion early Saturday at his home in the Puna district. The man was flown to a Honolulu hospital, where he died, police said. When police arrived at the home, the 35-year-old man was lying on the floor with a wound to his abdomen area. His wife and children were asleep but woke up because of the explosion shortly after 2 a.m. The man had been making homemade fireworks at the time, police said. Police found materials used to make fireworks, several guns and 214 marijuana plants. The exact cause of the explosion is under investigation.
Idaho
Rigby: A 12-year-old girl who shot three people at an eastern Idaho junior high last year will likely remain in juvenile detention until her 19th birthday, according to newly released court documents. The girl was charged with three counts of attempted murder after she shot two students and a custodian at Rigby Middle School on May 6, 2021, EastIdahoNews.com reports. All three victims have recovered from their gunshot wounds. Though the school shooting was widely reported, the details about the subsequent charges and outcome of the case remained sealed for months. EastIdahoNews.com filed a public records lawsuit seeking access to the investigative documents, and in April a judge ordered that they be released. Last week, Magistrate Judge Stephen J. Clark ordered the release of some of the court documents as well, noting that the shooting was an “exceptional event.” “To state the obvious, the public has a right to access information concerning an exceptional event,” Clark wrote. The court documents show that the girl pleaded guilty to all three charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors. She was committed to the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections until her 19th birthday or until the Custody Review Board deems her rehabilitated. She could be held by the juvenile corrections department until she turns 21.
Illinois
Chicago: A necropsy on a beloved, endangered shorebird named Monty the Piping Plover shows he died of a respiratory infection, experts said Tuesday. The Lincoln Park Zoo said it partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program to determine the bird’s cause of death. The severe fungal respiratory infection included a laryngitis that restricted Monty’s airway, the zoo announced. Additional testing is being conducted to identify the fungus, but it is suspected of being environmental in origin, the zoo said. Further testing concluded Monty did not show any signs of high pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu, that has been spreading in several states, the zoo said. Monty died May 13 at Chicago’s Montrose beach. His remains will be provided to the Field Museum’s avian department to be available for future studies that contribute to the recovery of the Great Lake piping plovers, the zoo said.
Indiana
Salem: A young boy found dead inside a suitcase in a heavily wooded area of southern Indiana was laid to rest Wednesday following a memorial service in which a police chaplain called the unidentified child an “unknown angel.” Mourners gathered at the Weathers Funeral Home in Salem for Wednesday morning’s service. The child’s gray casket was topped by a floral arrangement and stuffed animals. Todd Murphy, the chaplain for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, said donations from local residents and businesses paid for the funeral. The child remains unidentified more than a month and a half after his body was discovered by a mushroom hunter in Washington County. “We’re not here today to answer these questions, even if we could. We’re here to mourn,” Murphy told mourners who filled a room for the service. “This unknown angel has been adopted and beloved by the Washington County community, so Angel is what we will call him for the service today.” The boy was later buried at a cemetery with a gravestone marker bearing the image of an angel and an inscription that reads: “In loving memory of a beloved little boy known but to God.” Investigators believe the child, who was Black, was about 5 years old and had died within the previous week.
Iowa
Des Moines: Residents could face rolling blackouts this summer if extreme heat and spiking demand coincide with insufficient power. A warning by the North American Electric Reliability Corp., a Georgia-based regulatory authority called NERC, prompted state regulators Tuesday to grill utilities on how they would handle controlled outages. Iowa and 14 other states are at high risk of “energy emergencies during peak summer conditions,” NERC said. In April, Midcontinent Independent System Operator told utilities whose power grid it serves, including most of those in Iowa, that it expects summer demand to increase 1.7% over last summer, while generation capacity has declined by 2.3%. MISO said the decline in generation is due to fossil-fueled power plant retirements as the nation shifts to renewable energy. The grid operator expects summer demand to reach 124 gigawatts, though there will be only 119 gigawatts of available energy. It warned that Iowa’s largest utilities, MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy, as well as dozens of municipal and rural electric cooperatives, may be asked to cut power to customers if demand appears on track to exceed available electricity. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting above-average temperature for Iowa through August.
Kansas
Topeka: Presumed Republican gubernatorial nominee Derek Schmidt on Wednesday announced he’s chosen a staffer for one of Kansas’ two U.S. senators as his running mate in his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Schmidt filed the necessary paperwork to get him and Katie Sawyer on the ballot for the Aug. 2 primary, where he faces no major opposition. The 38-year-old Sawyer is state director for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and worked on Marshall’s congressional staff before his election to the Senate in 2020. Schmidt told reporters he expects Sawyer to be a key adviser if he’s elected, helping him stay informed of people’s views on issues. Kansas lieutenant governors have little formal role in state government other than duties assigned to them by governors, such as Lt. Gov. David Toland serving as state commerce secretary. But over the past 20 years, two of the state’s five governors have left office early, elevating their lieutenant governors to the top position. Before working for Marshall, Sawyer worked in marketing and business development at McPherson College in her hometown, as managing editor of the McPherson Sentinel and as a reporter at The Pittsburg Morning Sun. She and her husband operate a farm.
Kentucky
Owensboro: A Confederate statue that stood outside a western Kentucky courthouse for more than a century was removed by county workers with little fanfare. The Soldiers Monument at the Daviess County Courthouse was taken down Tuesday morning and moved to the road department, the county’s top official, Judge-Executive Al Mattingly, told the Messenger-Inquirer. He said it will be kept there while officials decide what to do with it. Mattingly said the statue of a soldier with a gun could be placed elsewhere in the county or sold. The base, reading “To Our Confederate Heroes,” remains in place for now. Daviess County officials voted to remove the statue in 2020, but a lawsuit over its ownership delayed any action. Daviess Circuit Judge Lisa Payne Jones ruled last month that the statue belonged to the county, the newspaper reports. The Rev. Rhondalyn Randolph, president of the Owensboro NAACP, led the charge for removal and said she’s thankful the statue that stood on the courthouse lawn since 1900 is gone. Randolph said her aim was never to erase history but “to promote truth for how things actually happened without romanticizing the antebellum period.”
Louisiana
Baton Rouge: Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed legislation that supporters said would open up loan opportunities for people who need credit but that opponents said enabled predatory lending. The Advocate reports that the bill by state Sen. Rick Ward, R-Port Allen, would have allowed so-called payday lenders to offer installment loans worth up to $1,500, with fees and interest totaling 100% of the amount loaned. In his Tuesday veto message, the Democratic governor noted the arguments that Ward’s bill would have aided people who need loans and have a difficult time getting them from banks. “However, and despite the best efforts of the bill’s author, I do not believe that this bill adequately protects the public from predatory lending practices,” Edwards wrote in his veto message. Payday lenders typically make short-term, high-interest loans to be paid back from the borrower’s next paycheck. Payday loans are currently capped at $350 in Louisiana.
Maine
Old Orchard Beach: Wildlife advocates predict this summer will bring another record-high number of a rare species of bird to the state’s beaches. The piping plover nests in Maine and is listed as threatened along the East Coast by federal authorities. Recent signs, however, are encouraging. Just 10 pairs of the birds were found in Maine in 1981, the first year of monitoring. Last year’s total swelled to 125. Laura Minich Zitske, coastal bird program director for Maine Audubon, told the Portland Press Herald that this year looks likely to yield another record high. There are a couple thousand piping plover pair nests from North Carolina to eastern Canada. They are small shorebirds that are vulnerable to predation from numerous animals, including larger wild birds and feral cats.
Maryland
Ocean City: Peter Wolf Toth, a world-traveling, self-taught sculptor, has returned to the resort town to repair his 20-foot tall Whispering Giant sculpture. Toth, who was initially invited to erect the sculpture in 1976 by former Mayor Harry W. Kelley, said he was pleased to have an excuse to return to Ocean City. Born in Vienna, Austria, Toth moved to the United States at age 11 and began to develop a deep interest in Native American art, culture and history. Although he is a self-taught sculptor, he was often inspired by his father, also an artist. Toth’s first statue was made from stone and on a California cliffside. Since then, he has built a total of 74 statues, at least one in each of the 50 states. He has teased that his next project will be along the Amazon River. Through his work, Toth aims to raise a nation’s conscience to the plight of Indigenous peoples across the globe. His art, primarily abstract expressionism, encompasses the North American continent and beyond. The statue standing in Ocean City, titled Nanticoke, is composed of three materials: oak, steel and concrete. “I believe that wood brings out the living quality of a human being,” said Toth, 74. When he’s not sculpting, passersby will find him playing chess. He invited the public to sit down with him for a friendly game or stop and chat about his work.
Massachusetts
Boston: A memorial to a famed Civil War unit made up of Black soldiers was rededicated Wednesday after a three-year-long restoration with a ceremony filled with song and somber reflection. The Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial – considered the nation’s first honoring Black soldiers – underscores how ending slavery was not just about one man but many, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi said in his remarks. “The Black soldiers of the 54th were as much the great emancipators as Abraham Lincoln,” the author of “How to Be an Antiracist” and founder of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research said. “The 54th are a testament to ‘We freed us.’ There wasn’t a single person that abolished slavery. It was something we did together.” Dr. David Blight, a Yale history professor, said the memorial is considered the country’s greatest work of public art not just because of its beauty but also because of the message it tells. He pointed to the memorial’s Latin inscription, which he said is translated: “He gave up everything to serve the Republic.” The towering bronze relief by American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens captures the stirring call to arms answered by Black soldiers who served in the unit, which was popularized in the 1989 Oscar-winning movie “Glory.”
Michigan
Lansing: The Michigan Supreme Court declared Juneteenth a statewide court holiday Wednesday over the objections of two Republican justices who said taxpayers will be shortchanged. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. It was about 21/2years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Southern states. Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday a year ago. “Juneteenth is an event of profound importance in the history of our nation, and mandatory observance of this holiday by courts statewide sends a message that Michigan’s judiciary values the life experiences of all who seek justice,” said Tom Boyd, state court administrator. Juneteenth will be the 13th paid holiday when Michigan courts are closed. This year it will be observed on June 20, a Monday. “This is far more than observed by the private sector,” Justice Brian Zahra said. “I believe as servants of the people we owe it to them to work diligently and regularly to provide good public service.” Justice David Viviano said courts slogging through a COVID-19 backlog of cases will face another burden.
Minnesota
Buffalo: A man accused in a shooting attack on a medical clinic that killed one staff member and wounded four others last year refused to look at the survivors Tuesday as they described their pain and terror. Gregory Ulrich is being tried on charges of murder, attempted murder and other counts in the Feb. 9, 2021, shooting at the Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo, a small city about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Ulrich sat attentively at the table with his lawyers through the first two weeks of trial. This time he laid his head on a courtroom table and wrapped his arms around it as victims took the stand. He didn’t look up through two hours of testimony, the Star Tribune reports. Before the jury was brought in, Ulrich told Wright County District Judge Catherine McPherson that he was in great pain and would prefer to lie down outside the courtroom. “Pain is the most powerful drug. I might as well be on heroin. I’m all mixed up, and I need some pain medication so I can talk and think about it,” Ulrich said. But McPherson ordered him to remain in the courtroom. Prosecutors say Ulrich was angry about his medical treatment at the clinic. Court records allege he has mental health and substance abuse problems. After the two victims testified, prosecutors played two short videos made by Ulrich in December 2020, about six weeks before the attack. “They’re gonna find out what happens” when they mess with “a good Christian man,” he said in one of the videos. “You picked on the wrong person.”
Mississippi
Jackson: Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove is teaming up with a health care executive to apply for a state license to open a medical marijuana testing facility. The Mississippi State Department of Health started taking applications Wednesday for the state’s new medical marijuana program for patients, medical practitioners, growers, processors, testers, and transportation and waste disposal providers. Musgrove and Quentin Whitwell, who are both attorneys, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that they are applying for a license to open Magnolia Tech Labs in Marshall County. “To me, medical marijuana is … a natural progression of options for health care in Mississippi and in America,” Musgrove said. “I mean, to me, it’s obvious that it will eventually be offered in all 50 states.” A wide majority of Mississippi voters approved a medical marijuana ballot initiative in November 2020, but the state Supreme Court invalidated the results of that election six months later by ruling the initiative was not properly on the ballot. Earlier this year, Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law to create a medical marijuana program. Whitwell is involved at high levels with three rural hospitals in north Mississippi. Musgrove is a Democrat who was governor from 2000 to 2004 after serving one term as lieutenant governor. For nine years, he was chairman of the national Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Whitwell, who now lives in Oxford, served as a Republican on the Jackson City Council from 2011 to 2014.
Missouri
Columbia: Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary Thursday with a time capsule event. The capsule commemorates the anniversary as well as the work that has been done and is continuing to be done since the opening of the medical center in 1972, the hospital announced. “The event is meant to celebrate 50 years of outstanding care that Truman VA staff have provided to our nation’s heroes,” the hospital said. The celebration is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. Thursday. The center is inviting staff, veterans and their families, and other stakeholders, including congressional staff, former employees and veteran service organizations. The center’s vision centers on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ core values, including integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence – “to provide veterans the world-class benefits and services they have earned, and to do so by adhering to the highest standards,” the department’s website says.
Montana
Great Falls: The city is suing the First United Methodist Church to enforce its zoning requirements on campgrounds, a city press release said Tuesday. Unhoused people have taken refuge at the church, stirring fiery debate for months, with some residents wanting the city to do more to provide for the homeless and others framing it as a problem that taxpayers should not be responsible for solving. Pastor Jeff Wakeley said the church had not been served the lawsuit papers and therefore did not have comment on the matter. The church is zoned in the city’s C-4 central business core. That permits emergency shelter with a conditional use permit, which the church has submitted and is being processed by city staff, according to the release. The application will be presented to the Great Falls Zoning Commission within the next few weeks. The C-4 district does not permit campgrounds, which is the basis of the city’s suit in District Court. According to the release, the church was placed on notice regarding the tent and camper encampment violation, and the city said the church did not respond to that notice by removing the tents and camping arrangements as directed. There have been several public nuisance complaints related to the unhoused living on the church’s property.
Nebraska
Omaha: A federal judge threw out a lawsuit against prosecutors filed by the family of a white bar owner who killed himself after being charged in the fatal shooting of a Black man during 2020 protests over racial injustice. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard said in an order Tuesday that there is no legal basis to conclude Douglas County prosecutors are liable for the death of 38-year-old Jake Gardner. His parents accused the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, its top prosecutor and a special prosecutor of violating Gardner’s constitutional rights. The lawsuit also accused special prosecutor Fred Franklin of implying during a news conference that Gardner was a racist, leading Gardner to take his own life Sept. 20, 2020, in Oregon. Gardner was charged with manslaughter and other felonies in the May 30, 2020, shooting death of 22-year-old James Scurlock outside Gardner’s downtown Omaha bar during protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine initially declined to charge Gardner, saying he acted in self-defense after being attacked by Scurlock. Kleine later asked for a grand jury investigation after critics said he hadn’t thoroughly investigated the shooting. Franklin later said additional evidence from Gardner’s phone and his Facebook Messenger account, along with video from inside his bar, shed new light on his intent. Following Gardner’s death, Franklin revealed Gardner had been armed and waiting to ambush people who might break into businesses.
Nevada
Las Vegas: Chapels of love that use Elvis Presley’s likeness could find themselves becoming Heartbreak Hotels. The licensing company that controls the name and image of “The King” is ordering Sin City chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Authentic Brands Group sent cease-and-desist letters in early May to multiple chapels, which are expected to be compliant by now. With Elvis so closely tied to Vegas’ wedding industry, some say the move could decimate their businesses. “We are a family-run business, and now we’re hanging with the big dogs,” said Kayla Collins, who operates LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Little Chapel of Hearts with her husband. “That’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We were just hitting our stride again through COVID, then this happens.” Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for chapels to stop using Elvis couldn’t have come at a worse time for the sector. The city’s wedding industry generates $2 billion a year, and officials say Elvis-themed weddings represent a significant number of the ceremonies performed. “It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry. A number of people might lose their livelihood,” Goya said. One chapel last weekend had its Elvis impersonator change instead into a leather jacket, jeans and a fedora for a “rock ’n’ roll” themed ceremony, the Review-Journal reports.
New Hampshire
Concord: The state Supreme Court adopted a congressional redistricting plan Tuesday, one day before the filing period opened for candidates in the upcoming elections. New Hampshire is one of the last states to adopt a plan as required every 10 years to reflect population changes, although maps in several other states still are being challenged in court. In the end, the new map doesn’t differ drastically from the old. It moves just five towns – Albany, Campton, Jackson, New Hampton and Sandwich – from the 1st District to the 2nd. The court took action after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed two maps approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would have given the GOP an advantage in the 1st District. “It is now undisputed that a demonstrated impasse has occurred,” the court said in its unanimous order. Under both the old and new maps, the 1st District covers the eastern part of the state and some of the south, including Manchester. The 2nd District covers the western, northern and some southern communities, including Nashua. Though Democrats hold both seats, the 1st District seat flipped five times in seven election cycles before Democrat Chris Pappas won his first term in 2018.
New Jersey
Atlantic City: Hundreds of casino workers picketed outside the Tropicana on Wednesday, as the union for employees at nine casinos is pushing for a new contract giving them a share of gambling halls’ post-COVID recovery. The picketing comes at an uncertain time in Atlantic City: The casinos and their online partners are collectively making more money now than before the pandemic hit. But the casinos say those statistics are misleading because they get to keep only about 30% of online and sports betting money, with the rest going to their third-party partners. They say that in-person revenue won from gamblers is the crucial metric, and not all the casinos have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels. The old contract between the casinos and Local 54 of the Unite Here union expired early Wednesday. Union leaders and workers said they will demonstrate as often as necessary to show the casinos they’re serious about their demand that workers are able to make up ground as the casinos are trying to do so. “We are united, we are ready to fight, and we have very specific asks in a new contract, number one of which is a raise that matters,” said union President Bob McDevitt. “Our hope is the individual casinos will recognize that these are really big numbers that they are racking up and that the workers have not had a cost-of-living raise in a while.”
New Mexico
Santa Fe: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office tapped into a taxpayer-funded expense account to pay for a political event at the governor’s mansion in October, prompting her reelection campaign to quietly reimburse the state two months later. Documents obtained under a public records request show New Mexicans for Michelle, the governor’s campaign committee, issued the state a $1,837 check in December to pay for expenses stemming from a Democratic Governors Association party hosted by Lujan Grisham in Santa Fe. At the time, Lujan Grisham was serving as chairwoman of the association, a Washington, D.C.-based political organization dedicated to electing Democratic governors and other candidates. The reimbursement appeared in the governor’s campaign finance reports as a “campaign event.” “The campaign transparently and expeditiously reimbursed the state for an event hosted by the Governor as chair of the Democratic Governors Association,” campaign spokeswoman Kendall Witmer said in a statement Wednesday. Witmer did not provide any other comment or information about the event, and the Democratic Governors Association did not return messages seeking comment.
New York
New York: A woman who was among those injured in a shooting attack on the New York City subway last month filed a lawsuit against gun manufacturer Glock and its parent company Tuesday, accusing the firearm maker of “reckless disregard for human life.” In her lawsuit, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, Ilene Steur said Glock has “endangered the public health and safety” with its marketing, distribution and sales of its guns, one of which was used in the attack. An email seeking comment was sent to Glock. Steur was one of 10 people wounded April 12 when a gunman fired dozens of bullets in a train full of morning commuters. The man charged in the attack, Frank James, has pleaded not guilty to terrorism and other counts. In the lawsuit, Glock is accused of “marketing that emphasizes firearm characteristics such as their high capacity and ease of concealment, that appeal to prospective purchasers with criminal intent.”
North Carolina
Raleigh: Legislation authorizing marijuana for medical use and developing a system to grow, sell and regulate cannabis was recommended by a state Senate committee Wednesday, nine months after it last surfaced. The measure, which now heads to the Senate floor for the first of two required votes Thursday, would allow patients with at least one of the more than a dozen “debilitating medical conditions” to purchase and use marijuana with their physician’s formal approval. Those conditions would include cancer, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill envisions several dozen medical cannabis centers across the state operated by 10 state-licensed growers and vendors. They could sell up to 30-day supplies of pot or cannabis-infused products to patients or their caregivers, who would have to obtain registration cards from the state Department of Health and Human Services. Ten percent of the cannabis suppliers’ monthly revenues would be forwarded to the state. The legislation had been idled in the Senate since last August after advancing through three policy committees. Brunswick County Republican Sen. Bill Rabon, chief bill sponsor and a cancer survivor, said the measure was never on a fast track, adding that he wanted to ensure all of his colleagues’ questions were answered to build bipartisan support.
North Dakota
Bismarck: Police have arrested a woman for allegedly trespassing on the state Capitol grounds near the governor’s residence. The Bismarck Tribune reports the 32-year-old was taken into custody Sunday night. According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the woman was seen near the residence about 9:45 p.m. but left when police asked her to leave. Capitol security spotted her near the residence again about half an hour later. She had entered the grounds when a gate opened to let a vehicle pass. North Dakota Highway Patrol Sgt. Jenna Clawson Huibregste said the woman said she wanted to speak with the governor and give him paperwork about what what the spokeswoman termed “a personal matter.” She didn’t elaborate. She said the woman was under the influence and combative, and it took multiple officers to subdue her. Gov. Doug Burgum and first lady Kathryn Burgum were home at the time, but the woman didn’t enter the residence.
Ohio
Columbus: Legalized sports betting in the state will officially begin Jan. 1, the state Casino Control Commission announced Wednesday. A bill signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in December set Jan. 1 as a deadline, but some groups pushed for starting earlier to allow for betting on football during the fall. The commission had previously predicted it would take months to formulate rules and regulations. The legislation will allow people to place sports bets online, at casinos and racinos, and at stand-alone betting kiosks in bars, restaurants and professional sports facilities. People will be able to place wagers on professional sports teams, motor sports, Olympic events, golf and tennis, and major college sports such as football and basketball. Ohio joins more than 30 states that have passed legislation since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a federal ban on states legalizing sports wagering. Operators will pay a 10% tax on net revenue to help fund K-12 education and problem-gambling programs. The state Legislative Service Commission estimates that sports betting will eventually become a $3.35 billion industry in Ohio.
Oklahoma
Tulsa: President Joe Biden on Wednesday recalled “the hell that was unleashed” 101 years ago when a white mob looted and burned a section of the city known as Black Wall Street, killing hundreds of people. “We remember the hell that was unleashed,” said a statement from Biden, who traveled to Tulsa one year ago to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. “This was not a riot; it was a massacre.” The violence was, for decades afterward, referred to as the Tulsa Race Riot and was largely ignored. An estimated 300 Black people were killed May 31 and June 1, 1921, in the attack on then-prosperous Greenwood District. A search for the graves of massacre victims began last year, with nearly three dozen coffins containing remains of possible victims recovered and researchers urging that the search continue. Biden said his administration has worked to end housing discrimination for Black people and to provide federal contracts to businesses owned by Black and brown people. A lawsuit that includes three known survivors of the massacre and seeks reparations for the violence and financial losses of life, homes and businesses is pending in Tulsa County District Court.
Oregon
Salem: Every public school district in the state last year was given the option to ban guns from their properties, but most have declined to do so, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports. Since a change to Oregon law in September, only 13% of the state’s public school districts have opted to close an exemption that allows holders of a concealed handgun license to carry weapons onto public property where possessing a gun would otherwise be a felony. According to an analysis by OPB, that list includes some districts in the Portland metro area – though not yet Portland Public Schools – along with more rural school systems. Among the 25 that have banned guns are districts in Klamath Falls, Myrtle Point, Tillamook, Pendleton, Tigard-Tualatin, Lake Oswego and Woodburn. The vast majority of the state’s 197 public school districts have, to date, taken no action. Whether to prohibit guns in schools has been a contentious point in Oregon, where one estimate suggests gun ownership is more prevalent than in many other states. After the slaying of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, independent Oregon gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson faced heated questions about her pro-gun stance from a crowd in Portland.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: A suburban Philadelphia man charged in the January 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol after he was turned in by an ex-girlfriend after reportedly insulting her intelligence for not believing the election had been stolen has pleaded guilty to a felony count. Richard Michetti, 29, of Ridley Park, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Washington to a charge of aiding and abetting obstruction of an official proceeding. He was originally also charged with trespassing, violent entry and disorderly conduct. FBI authorities said a former romantic partner of Michetti alerted authorities about his presence a day after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Officials said photos showed him inside the Capitol Rotunda. The affidavit alleged that Michetti said he was there to protest the election results and told the informant in a text message several hours after the siege began: “If you can’t see the election was stolen you’re a moron.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Michetti said little during Tuesday’s hearing. He is to be sentenced Sept. 1, and although the charge carries a maximum 20-year sentence, federal sentencing guidelines call for call for a prison term of 15 to 21 months, the paper reports.
Rhode Island
Pawtucket: High school students walked out of school Wednesday and rallied at City Hall to protest inaction in Congress and at many state capitols on gun control. Organizer Zachary Pinto, 17, said his fellow students told him they were frustrated, angry and in pain after last week’s shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, grade school. That spurred him to lead students out of the Charles E. Shea High School in Pawtucket when the bell rang for lunch Wednesday. They were joined by other local high school students. The group of more than 150 students converged at Pawtucket City Hall. Pinto, a junior, said they feel like politicians nationwide “would rather protect guns than children.” He led a chant to call out the names of the 21 victims of the Uvalde school shooting. Democrats in Congress have been trying to expand background checks and otherwise boost gun control laws since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. Pinto, who supports the proposed bans, said schools like Shea High School need more counselors to help address a wide range of mental health issues, rather than a greater police presence. The students also want local officials to address a “severe lack of resources” and the need for repairs at Shea, Pinto added. “I want them to just care,” he said.
South Carolina
Columbia: Regular early voting began across the state for the first time Tuesday. Legislators passed and the governor signed into law a bill allowing anyone to cast a ballot without an excuse for the two weeks before Election Day in the same way they would by going to the polls. South Carolina’s primaries are June 14, and early voting is available Mondays through Fridays. The procedure to vote is just the same as on election day. For the general election in November, early voting centers will also be open on Saturdays. Counties are required to have at least one polling place open. Some smaller counties like Bamberg, Chester, Hampton and Williamsburg counties will have multiple locations, while some larger counties like Aiken, Charleston, Greenville, Lexington and York only have one site at the county election office. A list of sites is on the South Carolina Election Commission’s website. County officials said early voting does give them flexibility to get more workers or voting machines to a site if it gets busy, which is something impossible to do on election day. Absentee voting is still allowed for people over the age of 65, with mobility issues or illnesses, but those ballots must be cast by mail.
South Dakota
Sioux Falls: A judge has delayed the release of affidavits in the child pornography investigation of banker and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, days after the South Dakota attorney general’s office declined to file charges. Minnehaha County Judge James Power said in an email Tuesday that the affidavits would remain sealed until parties in the case seeking to unseal them have a chance to submit written briefs. Affidavits are submitted by law enforcement officers when they ask judges to issue search warrants. Sanford attorney Stacy Hegge asked Power in an email Monday to keep the affidavits sealed or at least be given additional time in order to seek relief from the South Dakota Supreme Court. The delay comes after the attorney general’s office said in a Friday filing that the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation has determined there are “no prosecutable offenses” under state law. South Dakota investigators in 2019 began searching Sanford’s email account, as well as his cellular and internet service providers, for possible possession of child pornography after his accounts were flagged by a technology firm.
Tennessee
Nashville: The state will celebrate National Trails Day by offering free guided hikes at all 56 state parks starting this weekend. According to a news release, the events come as Tennessee’s state parks agency will celebrate its 85th anniversary. “We’re looking forward to the hikes at each of our parks especially this year because of the anniversaries of our parks and National Trails Day,” Jim Bryson, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said in a statement. “Each hike has its own identity, and we invite everyone to participate.” Radnor Lake State Park, located within Nashville, will hold a kickoff night hike Friday. Following events will include day hikes, history hikes, nature hikes and trail cleanup hikes. Some will host post-hike celebrations. A full schedule can be found online.
Texas
Austin: A week after the state’s deadliest school shooting, several dozen teacher union officials, parents and other education advocates marched Tuesday to the downtown Austin office of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, demanding he support “sensible gun regulation.” Attendees walked from the Texas AFL-CIO building to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, where Cruz’s Central Texas office is located, screaming chants such as “Hey hey, ho ho, these dangerous guns have got to go.” People also held signs that read “Books not guns” and “Protect our students.” The Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers called Cruz’s response to the shooting “abominable,” saying in a statement that the junior Texas senator has been “beating a drum promoting the status quo.” Ken Zarifis, president of Education Austin, the Austin school district’s employee union, said arming teachers is not the answer. Instead, he and other attendees expressed support for universal background checks, a total ban on assault rifles and red flag laws, which would temporarily remove guns from people who pose a risk to themselves or others. “There are things that can be done … that have been proven nationally,” said Zarifis, who attended the march. “Red (flag) laws that have been enacted by far-right Republican legislators. They should be enacted here in Texas.”
Utah
St. George: Two local groups, St. George Races and the St. George Firefighters Association, are joining forces to offer a new way to beat the summer heat, holding the Moonlight 5K on June 10 at 9 p.m. in the Desert Color community. Throughout the course, firefighters will spray runners with water. After the race, registered participants can take part in a glow-in-the-dark pool party from 10 p.m. to midnight. Typically, the newly built lagoon is restricted to residents of Desert Color. “When we started this race seven years ago, we had no idea it would continue to grow into one of the most enjoyable races and family activities of the summer,” said Jake Green, a St. George firefighter. “The firefighters love it, our families love it, and the community loves it. With it taking place during the annual Utah State Firefighters’ Association Convention, we are looking forward to even more participants.” Participants may register online. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit the Utah Burn Center and the St. George Firefighters Association. “After the race, stick around and enjoy an awesome pool party,” Green said. “We can’t wait to see everyone come out and have a blast, get sprayed by the fire hoses, and be involved in our great City of St. George.”
Vermont
Burlington: An app created by a Vermonter will soon serve as a platform for queer friendship in communities nationwide. Anna Harissis, co-founder of the Out App, grew up in Stowe, went to college in Boston and moved around several times, including a stint in Burlington, before landing in Denver. She and other co-founder Jen Farmer, both lesbians, wanted to find queer friends to hang out with in their new home but ran into some barriers. “When we first moved here, it was kind of hard to find queer community,” Harissis said. “We really only have dating apps to find each other.” The dating apps – even versions made for finding platonic friends, like Bumble BFF – were not tailored for finding LGBTQ friends. Harissis saw a need for something more specialized, so she got to work. Out App will launch sometime this month, which is Pride Month, and have three different features to help queer people connect. A “Friend Finder” will let people make profiles and swipe to match with potentially compatible friends. Another section will publicize queer-friendly events in the area, and the third will map businesses and places in the community that are queer-friendly. Harissis described the locations section as a “queer Yelp” that can help families and individuals seeking queer-friendly doctors, restrooms, restaurants, hotels and stores.
Virginia
Richmond: The divided General Assembly passed a compromise state budget Wednesday that would offer nearly $4 billion in tax relief, increase pay for teachers and other public employees, boost K-12 education spending, and fund a wide range of projects from roadwork to school construction. Budget negotiators crafted the measure at a time when Virginia’s tax revenues have been soaring far beyond projections. That allowed for making long-term investments in core government services while also boosting the state’s reserves and enacting tax cuts that are expected to save a family of four an estimated $1,108 a year, Republican House Appropriations Chairman Barry Knight said. “It’s been a long haul, but I believe the result is a fiscally sound, bipartisan budget we can all be proud of,” he said. The proposed spending plan, which covers two fiscal years and would take effect July 1, passed with broad bipartisan support and relatively subdued debate. Lawmakers also passed a bill making adjustments to the current budget. The legislation now goes to GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who can sign it or seek changes. He said in a statement earlier this week that the compromise offered a “good framework” and that he would be reviewing it closely in the days to come.
Washington
Olympia: The Washington State Patrol says drivers are increasingly refusing to stop for troopers, and other law enforcement agencies also say it’s becoming a common occurrence. The Northwest News Network reports that from Jan. 1 to May 17 of this year, the agency logged 934 failure-to-yield incidents. While the patrol didn’t track this in the past, veteran troopers say there’s been a dramatic uptick in drivers fleeing traffic stops. “Something’s changed. People are not stopping right now,” said Sgt. Darren Wright, a WSP spokesperson with 31 years on the job. “It’s happening three to five times a shift on some nights and then a couple times a week on day shift.” Local police departments are also seeing this behavior. The Puyallup Police Department logged 148 instances of drivers fleeing from officers from July 26, 2021, to May 18, 2022. Asked if that represents a significant increase, Chief Scott Engle wrote in an email: “I could 1,000,000% say this is completely absolutely emphatically totally unusual.” In Lakewood, another small city in Pierce County, Chief Mike Zaro said drivers are refusing to stop for his officers on average once a day. “A lot of times they’re stolen cars; sometimes we don’t know what the deal is,” Zaro said.
West Virginia
Charleston: A dashboard with some foster care data collected by the state made its debut Wednesday, more than two months after it was cut by lawmakers from a bill proposal. Advocates have said making the data available to the public could help both policymakers and nonprofit groups interested in assisting children while keeping residents informed. It includes information on Child Protective Service placements by county; types of placements, including homes and placement facilities; workforce information broken down by both district office and county; and out-of-state placements. According to the Department of Health and Human Resources dashboard, which will be updated monthly, there are 6,654 children in the care of the state. One-third of the in-state placements are children living with relatives acting as certified foster parents. Marissa Sanders, who is an adoptive parent and founder of the West Virginia Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents Network, has called the need for the dashboard critical. “As a nonprofit, if I want to do a project in a particular county or region, I have to have data to prove that I need to do that project in order to get funding for it,” Sanders said. “I have pastors calling, saying, ‘We’d love to support all of the foster families in our county.’ ”
Wisconsin
Madison: A circuit court judge ruled Wednesday that it was legal for private grants from a group funded by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg to be sent to the Democratic stronghold of Madison to help it run the 2020 election during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling from Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke affirmed an earlier decision by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission rejecting a complaint challenging the grant money from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life as illegal bribery. It is the latest in a series of court rulings, both in Wisconsin and nationally, upholding the legality of the private grant money. The lawsuit challenging that ruling as it pertained to Madison was brought on behalf of five voters by Erick Kaardal, a former secretary and treasurer for the Republican Party of Minnesota, who is an attorney for the conservative Thomas More Society. Kaardal also filed four nearly identical lawsuits challenging the grant money being awarded in four other heavily Democratic cities: Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and Green Bay. Those cases are all pending. The one targeting the grant money in Madison is the first to have a ruling. President Joe Biden won battleground Wisconsin over Donald Trump by almost 21,000 votes. The victory has been upheld by numerous courts.
Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park: A bison gored a 25-year-old woman in Yellowstone National Park and tossed her 10 feet into the air. The bison was walking near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin, just north of Old Faithful, when the woman approached it Monday, according to a park statement. She got within 10 feet before the animal gored her and threw her high in the air. The woman from Grove City, Ohio, sustained a puncture wound and other injuries. Park emergency medical providers responded and transported her via ambulance to a hospital in Idaho. Park officials say it’s the first reported bison goring this year. The park statement said bison are unpredictable, have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, and can run three times faster than humans. Park regulations require visitors to remain more than 25 yards away from bison. The park statement said two other people were also within 25 yards of the same bison. The incident was under investigation. No additional information was immediately available.
From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
