The new Yacht Britannia | The Week UK

What is being proposed?

In July, the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace formally announced plans for a new national flagship to “promote British businesses around the world”. Commissioned at a cost of £200m to £250m, it would be designed and built in the UK. Boris Johnson said it would reflect “the UK’s burgeoning status as a great, independent maritime trading nation”. The boat is to be a replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia, which reached the end of its working life in 1997. The idea, first proposed in 2001, was taken up by Tory MPs in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, and has received vociferous backing from The Daily Telegraph. It was supported by Johnson after he became PM, and given the go-ahead in May. The Government said it would be used to host trade fairs, ministerial meetings and diplomatic summits. The vessel would be crewed by the Royal Navy, and is expected to be in service for about 30 years.

Why wasn’t the last one renewed?

The Royal Yacht Britannia was in service from 1954 until 1997, a period during which it travelled more than a million nautical miles across the globe. But in 1994, the Government announced its retirement, citing the estimated £17m cost of completing a major re-fit (just seven years after the last one), which would only prolong its life by five years. In January 1997, the Conservatives promised to replace the yacht if re-elected that year, but Tony Blair’s victory spelt the end of the plan. His Labour government declined to spend public money on renewing it, citing the fact that the Queen had “made clear” that a yacht wasn’t needed for royal travel. Today, the ship is a tourist attraction in Leith, Edinburgh, with some 300,000 visitors a year.

What would a new one be like?

The details have yet to be fleshed out: the tendering process for design and construction began in July. However, the brief is to deliver “a vessel which reflects British design expertise and the latest innovations in green technology”. (Wallace said that it might have hybrid engines, or even a sail, like some modern superyachts.) The intention is to start building next year in a British shipyard, to create jobs and “help drive a renaissance in the UK’s shipbuilding industry”; at present, Britain has many top yacht designers and a thriving leisure boat industry, but most superyachts are built abroad. The yacht will have a “national security function”, too; Britannia was designed to double as a hospital ship. The ship’s name has yet to be announced: it was reported that the PM wanted to name it after the Duke of Edinburgh in tribute, but that the proposal was greeted with coolness in royal circles.

What’s the point of it?

Advocates of the ship say it will glide gracefully into ports around the world, where it will be used to wine and dine officials, thereby smoothing the way for trade deals, defence agreements and the like. They cite the example of Britannia, which they say helped bring in an estimated £3bn of trade deals between 1991 and 1995. “The world’s top investors will fall over themselves to visit a new flagship for a new type of commercial diplomacy,” said Johnson. A report last year by the think tank the Henry Jackson Society said the yacht could help “project Britain’s image around the world”; Lord Digby Jones, the former head of the CBI, said it would give the nation a “morale boost” after the pandemic.

Is everybody convinced?

No. Labour leader Keir Starmer labelled it a “vanity yacht” and called on the PM to spend the money tackling antisocial behaviour instead; the former Tory minister Ken Clarke called it “silly populist nonsense”. Many commentators are scathing. “I don’t think the world’s most successful exporting nations – Germany, Japan, China – ever needed a floating gin palace to get the world to buy their cars, steel or smartphones,” said Sean O’Grady in The Independent: quality, price, innovation and reliability, he argued, were more important. The ship doesn’t even enjoy the backing of senior members of the royal family, The Sunday Times reported. “No one wants this vessel at the Palace,” said a royal source. Courtiers, it seems, do not want it to be presented as a new “royal yacht”, which is regarded as “too grand” a symbol for the modern monarchy. They would not use it for their personal travel or holidays – though Wallace hopes it would be used for royal visits, to “showcase the royal family as one of our exports”.

How would it be paid for?

When the idea was originally proposed, the cost was estimated at £100m and was to be covered by private donors, with no burden on the taxpayer. However, the Government has now confirmed that the ship would be paid for out of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget – despite insisting that it would be primarily “a trade ship”. The original invitation to tender in July put the budget at £150m. However, a week after that, it was raised to £200m-£250m. Hugo Andreae, editor of Motor Boat & Yachting, thinks that, knowing the economics of superyachts, the price will rise to around £600m – unless the national flagship is to risk being “overshadowed by a tasteless megayacht belonging to some shady despot”.

Will it actually be built?

The project reportedly drew ire from the MoD, where officials asked No. 10 what they could scrap to pay for it. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is also said to be reluctant to pay for it. Johnson, however – a fan of statement projects – is said to “love the plan”. And Wallace is on board, too. He argues that the cost is a fraction of the MoD’s £42bn annual budget, and has dismissed criticism as “basket-weaving, leftie, Islington nonsense”. He insists construction will begin as soon as next year, and it will be “in the water by 2024 or 2025”.

Britannia: the original national flagship

The Royal Yacht Britannia was a symbol of British prestige, said the FT – a “glamorous nod to a lost age of naval superiority and to a different era of deference”. Built in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, it was used for a combination of “glittering state visits, official receptions, royal honeymoons and relaxing family holidays”, according to its official website.

The ship’s first official engagement was to carry Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta in 1954, where they met their parents at the end of a Commonwealth tour. It was the first of 968 state voyages that the ship carried out over its 44 years of service, during which every conceivable effort was made to ensure it was as comfortable and tranquil as possible for the royals: the crew wore soft-soled plimsolls and communicated using hand signals to reduce noise. An on-board garage housed the Queen’s Rolls-Royce and a 26-strong Royal Marines band was stationed on the ship at all times.

People visiting it in Leith today will see that every clock on board has been stopped at 3.01pm – the time the Queen last disembarked following the ship’s 1997 decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth. The Queen is said to have been at her happiest on the ship, and at that event, she famously shed a tear.

What next for Prince Andrew after sex abuse case settlement? | The ...

Prince Andrew has reportedly agreed to pay millions of pounds to settle the civil case brought against him in the US by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

According to The Mirror, the Duke of York has avoided a “potentially explosive civil trial” with an out-of-court deal totalling £12m, including a “substantial donation” – thought to be about £2m – to Giuffre's charity Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, which supports sex abuse survivors.

In a federal court filing in New York this week, Andrew recognised that Giuffre “suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks”. He made no apology nor admission of liability, and has repeatedly denied allegations that he sexually abused Giuffre on three occasions when she was a teenager.

Public or private purse?

Questions are now being raised about how Andrew is funding the “substantial” payout. A statement included with the letter filed this week to US judge Lewis Kaplan, who has been overseeing the civil sex claim, stated that the total settlement sum was “not being disclosed”.

But amid reports that the deal exceeds £10m, campaigners are demanding to know whether the money will be coming from the public or private purse.

The Duke of York’s finances are “famously opaque”, said the i news site. He receives a £20,000 Royal Navy pension and a £250,000 annual stipend from the Queen’s Duchy of Lancaster income, but his lifestyle has exceeded his expected income over the years.

The Times reported last year that a Conservative Party donor had cleared a £1.5m debt that Andrew owed to a private bank in Luxembourg. Leaked documents showed that in 2015, the royal was “borrowing an average of £125,000 every three months from a credit facility” offered by Banque Havilland, owned by Tory donor David Rowland, who was said to have then cleared the debt “in its entirety”.

“‘Mysterious’ and ‘murky’ are words often used to describe the Duke of York’s financial affairs,” the paper added.

In recent months, Andrew has been completing the sale of his only known asset, a seven-bedroom chalet in the Swiss village of Verbier that he bought with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in 2014. The duke and duchess put the property on the market after being sued by the previous owner, Isabelle de Rouvre, “a French socialite who alleged that they owed her £6.7m from the £16.6m sale”, said The Telegraph.

Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla arrive in USA

Maria Puente

USA TODAY

They're back.

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in Washington, D.C, Tuesday evening for a four-day visit that also includes a day in Louisville, Ky.

They landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 6:30 p.m. and headed to the residence of British Ambassador Peter Westmacott for a reception with embassy staff and British media, according to the pool report.

Charles, wearing a blue suit, and Camilla, wearing an ivory coat and dress outfit, her blond hair whipped by the wind, were greeted by Mark Walsh, the U.S. deputy chief of protocol, Col. Larry Riddick, and Ian Wiggins, a British Embassy official.

Their blue-and-white plane bore the American flag, the British flag and the Royal Standard.

At the ambassador's residence, head chef Craig Harnden showed reporters some of the tiny, tasty hors d'oevres: baby fish and chips, deviled quail eggs, cheese sticks and chicken liver parfait.

Embassy staffers were thrilled at mingling with the prince and duchess, who worked the room separately, shaking hands and talking to people individually, according to the pool report.

"It's wonderful to see how the royal family spends time with staff," said one staff member who like everyone at the event was not allowed to be quoted by name.

Camilla's matching coat and dress was by British designer Bruce Oldfield, embassy officials said.

The couple's jammed schedule over the next two days includes a tête-à-tête with President Obama in the Oval Office, and historical-cultural-themed engagements aimed at the usual royal purpose when in America: Polishing the "special relationship."

Lately, with the U.S. annoyed with Britain's ties to China and its reduction in military spending, the relationship is looking a little worn, analysts say. "Our special relationship hangs by a thread," reported The Telegraph in January.

Time to send in the royals. The Prince of Wales, the next king of the United Kingdom and second only to Queen Elizabeth II in rank, is making this visit at the request of the British government, and to highlight environmental and conservation projects close to his heart.

It's the 20th time Charles has visited the USA in an official capacity, and the third time for his wife. The royal couple, who celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary next month, first visited as a newlywed couple a few months after their controversial, and unprecedented, nuptials in April 2005 in Windsor.

On their first trip, Camilla, 67, was clearly nervous in the media glare, and still fending off her reputation as the "most hated woman in Britain." Charles' first wife, the late Princess Diana, accused Camilla of ruining her marriage and many of her American loyalists agreed, greeting the newlyweds with jeers and nasty signs.

But a decade later, the British public have come around according to polling conducted for CNN, which aired a rare interview of Charles on Saturday night in advance of the trip.

The new poll found that opposition to Camilla eventually being called Queen — once as high as 73% — had dropped to 35%, and nearly one in four Brits said they liked her more now than they did 10 years ago.

Charles spent most of the half-hour special declaring his love and praising her efforts to define her public role. "You can imagine it is a real, real challenge," Charles said. "But she's, I think, been brilliant in the way she's tackled these things."

This trip could provide a sign of whether American royal fans have changed their view of Camilla or remain indifferent to the couple.

Despite their frequent worldwide travels on behalf of the Queen and their prodigious charity work, Charles and Camilla are often overshadowed by Charles' charismatic son and daughter-in-law, Prince William and Duchess Kate, and grandson Prince George, third-in-line to the throne.

Their schedule in Washington includes meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden and also with congressional leaders on Thursday. They will attend multiple receptions and visit the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial, a public charter school, Mount Vernon, the National Archives, the Armed Forces Retirement Home/Lincoln Cottage, the Shakespeare Theatre Company and a police sexual-assault response team.

Charles will get a conservation award, attend a conference on reducing plastic in the oceans, and in Kentucky will give a speech on health and the environment at a health summit. They will attend an African-American cultural festival and also explore a food literacy project at a local farm.

50 States

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Auburn: Gov. Kay Ivey said South Korean auto parts manufacturer Shinhwa Group is investing $42 million in a facility and will create 95 jobs in Auburn, the company’s first manufacturing facility in the United States. Construction is already underway. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be finished by the summer. Shinhwa will initially make driveshafts for vehicles built by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing’s plant in Montgomery, as well as for Kia Motor Manufacturing’s plant, just across the state line in West Point, Georgia. Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said the company is a “welcome addition” to the state’s network of “high-caliber auto suppliers.”

Alaska

Anchorage: Northern fur seals have declined at the world’s largest rookery in Alaska’s Pribilof Islands, but they’re thriving at an unlikely location. Numbers of fur seals continue to grow on Bogoslof Island, a tiny landmass at the tip of an active undersea volcano in the Aleutian Islands. The volcano two years ago spewed ash into the path of jetliners. Hot mud, steam and sulfurous gases continue to spit up from vents on the island. Fur seals give birth and raise pups along the beach of the island that’s only about one-third the size of New York City’s Central Park. Tom Gelatt of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said biologists in 2015 estimated there were 28,000 pups on the island. He said the 2019 estimate likely will be more than 36,000 pups.

Arizona

Phoenix:The Arizona Game and Fish Department is investigating the poaching of a bull elk north of Heber in late August and is asking for the public’s help finding whoever killed the animal. The agency said Tuesday the poacher left the bull elk’s meat to waste west of Forest Road 153 near Point and Javelina water catchments. Agency officials said in a press release they believe someone has information about the case because the poaching incident occurred during a time when many hunters were scouting the area for upcoming hunts. Other recreationists are also believed to have been in the area at the time of the crime, the agency said. Hunting elk and other types of game in Arizona is regulated by the department. Hunters are required to draw permits, which are limited in number and allow them to hunt a limited number of game. Hunting can take place only in designated areas during designated periods. Most elk hunting takes place during the fall season in Arizona, although there are a few locations designated during other times of the year, according to the Game and Fish website. Anyone with information about the poaching incident should call the department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 800-352-0700 or visit www.azgfd.gov and refer to case #19-003199. Callers can remain anonymous upon request and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,500 upon an arrest. The Arizona Elk Society and Arizona Deer Association are each offering an additional $2,500 reward upon the arrest and conviction of the poachers, according to a press release from the department.

Arkansas

Pine Bluff: The Saracen Casino Annex, the largest tourism investment project in Arkansas, opened Tuesday morning. The annex is part of the $350 million Saracen Casino Resort project owned and operated by the Oklahoma-based Quapaw Nation. The casino resort is expected to open next June. About 10,000 guests have visited the 300-slot-machine annex since Friday’s surprise “soft opening.” Quapaw Nation officials said they plan to employ 1,100 people permanently at the Saracen Casino Resort. More than 200 are employed at the annex and a new nearby convenience store and gas station. Most hires came from Pine Bluff. The project is expected to feature 2,000 slot machines and 50 gambling tables, along with a 300-room hotel with a fire safety and an emergency services facility.

California

Los Angeles: Residents had a chance to see a mini-air show as the Royal Air Force Red Arrows aerobatic team tours California. The team flew past the famed Hollywood sign Wednesday afternoon and headed south to the Port of Long Beach to fly over the retired British ocean liner Queen Mary, which is now a tourist attraction and hotel. On Tuesday, the Red Arrows’ jets flew over San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate bridge. This weekend, they will join the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and other performers at the Great Pacific Airshow over the surf at Huntington Beach.

Colorado

Colorado Springs: A falcon that has served as the mascot for the U.S. Air Force Academy for the past 23 years has died. KCNC-TV reported the passing of the falcon named Aurora was announced by the academy on Wednesday. The academy said in a statement that the falcon was the longest-serving live mascot in the school’s 65-year history. Aurora was reported to have recovered after suffering injuries to its wings in November 2018 during a prank abduction before the annual football game against the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The Air Force Academy uses several falcons during home games and Aurora attended most road games to greet fans. The academy described her as a “feisty, spirited bird who commanded respect.”

Connecticut

Groton: The Pentagon said the USS Oregon, the Navy’s newest attack submarine, will be christened Saturday at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican, said he will attend as the keynote speaker. He said the submarine will be christened with water from Crater Lake and wine from Oregon. Oregon, a Virginia-class submarine, is the third U.S. Navy ship to honor the state. Virginia-class submarines are built to conduct anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operation forces support; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. The Pentagon said they have stealth, endurance, mobility and firepower.

Delaware

Fenwick Island:State environmental officials might soon lease public parkland to an offshore wind energy company in exchange for millions of dollars in new amenities at Delaware’s southernmost beach. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has signed an initial memorandum of understanding with Ørsted, an offshore wind company based in Denmark, to discuss leasing up to 1.5 acres at Fenwick Island State Park. Ørsted would use park property to build an interconnection facility that will connect power generated by the yet-to-be-built Skipjack Wind Farm to the electrical grid. In exchange for leasing the public land, the company would fund improvements at the park, with the state now suggesting more than a dozen projects worth upward of $18 million. Those projects could include a two-level parking garage, a pedestrian overpass that allows foot traffic to cross Coastal Highway from the ocean side to the bayside, connections for a trail or sidewalk system, two additional bathrooms, an amphitheater and a new local Chamber of Commerce building that would house the park’s visitors center, a small nature center and more.

District of Columbia

Washington: A museum dedicated to journalism and the First Amendment is set to close its doors near the National Mall by the end of the year. WTOP-FM reported the Newseum announced its impending closure Tuesday, citing yearslong financial issues. A company statement said that despite more than 11 years of service and nearly 10 million visitors, continued operations have proved to be unsustainable. The statement said the museum’s founder and primary funder, the Freedom Forum, remains committed to its mission to champion the five freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment. It said efforts to increase public awareness about the importance of a free press are needed now more than ever. Visitors are welcome through Dec. 31. Tickets purchased online include a 15% discount, with prices now starting at about $12.

Florida

Tallahassee: Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan said Wednesday that he will be the majority investor in the nation’s only 24-hour news network aimed at African American viewers, giving the network a deep pocket as it launches next month. The network has been in the works for years and an announcement about its launch was made earlier this year. But Khan’s backing gives it a substantial boost. He declined to say how much he would invest initially but said it would be enough to keep the network running for a long time. Khan is worth an estimated $8 billion and made his fortune in the auto equipment industry. As well as the Jaguars, he owns Fulham Football Club of the English Football League, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto and All Elite Wrestling. Former Republican U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, who was a star quarterback at the University of Oklahoma in the 1980s, will be chairman of the new network. It will be available via cable and satellite viewers in 33 million households. The network has agreements with Charter Communications, Comcast and DISH and will be carried in major African American markets such as New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago and Los Angeles. The network is to begin broadcasting in November and will be based in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, with bureaus across the country, Watts said.

Georgia

Adel: A hospital and nursing home in south Georgia has moved into a new $40 million facility. The Adel hospital began operating from its new home Tuesday. What had previously been Cook Medical Center is now called Southwell Medical. The 20-bed hospital, 95-bed nursing home and physicians’ offices are operated by Tift Regional Health System. Tift Regional Health System President Christopher Dorman told WALB-TV that the new complex just off Interstate 75 was renamed to help attract patients from beyond Cook County. The new hospital doesn’t have an emergency room but does have a walk-in clinic. The health system borrowed about 70% of construction costs through a U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development loan. Cook County and Adel government agencies provided the remainder. The old hospital’s new use remains undetermined.

Hawaii

Wailuku: A post-mortem examination of two pygmy killer whales that were found stranded on a Maui beach suggested they were fighting an infection. The Maui News reported Wednesday that the adult males had inflamed lymph nodes when they stranded themselves at Sugar Beach last month. The infection was also found in pygmy killer whales that stranded themselves at the same beach in August. An official from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the whales were afflicted elsewhere and there is no indication of an environmental toxin at Sugar Beach. The animals were euthanized after tests indicated little chance for survival at sea. Researchers said unusual food items, including excess plant material found in the animals, indicate they were not feeding normally.

Idaho

Boise: A judge said she agrees that fulfilling public records requests can put a big burden on governmental resources, but she expressed skepticism about the number of completely redacted pages provided to four Boise-area journalists by Ada County officials this year. Fourth District Judge Deborah Bail made the comments during a hearing on a lawsuit between the Idaho Press Club and Ada County Commissioners on Wednesday afternoon. In the lawsuit the Idaho Press Club and the four journalists contend county officials repeatedly violated the state’s Public Records Act by wrongly denying access to some documents, over-redacting others and otherwise mishandling public information requests. In court Wednesday, Ada County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney James Dickinson said the judge has all the evidence she needs in the form of the unredacted documents. Dickinson said some of the redacted documents require context to understand why they should be kept from release but said he can’t discuss it in open court lest he reveal private protected information.

Illinois

Fairview Heights: Planned Parenthood has quietly been building a new abortion clinic in Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, as women concerned about the uncertain future of Missouri’s sole abortion clinic flock across the state line. The 18,000-square-foot in Fairview Heights, 12 miles east of St. Louis, will provide abortion services, as well as family planning, when it opens in mid-October, Planned Parenthood officials said at a news conference Wednesday. Planned Parenthood has been fighting Missouri’s health department for months to try and keep open its St. Louis clinic. The state has refused to renew its license to perform abortions, citing concerns that include “failed abortions” that required additional surgeries. Missouri’s Administrative Hearing Commission is deciding the fate of the St. Louis clinic. During an annual inspection of the St. Louis clinic in March, Missouri health investigators cited numerous concerns, including reports of failed abortions. Planned Parenthood said it has already addressed those concerns and defended its clinic. It claims the state is using the licensing process as an excuse to stop abortions.

Indiana

South Bend: More than 2,200 sets of preserved fetal remains found in the Illinois garage of a late Indiana abortion doctor have been returned to Indiana. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said Thursday that the fetal remains found last month at Dr. Ulrich Klopfer’s Will County, Illinois, home were transferred Wednesday to the St. Joseph County coroner’s office for “safekeeping.” Hill said at a news conference in South Bend that investigators determined the remains came from abortions performed in Indiana in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Authorities are still investigating where the abortions occurred. Klopfer performed abortions at clinics in Fort Wayne, South Bend and Gary. Relatives cleaning out Klopfer’s garage after his Sept. 3 death found the remains. Hill said they will be “given the decency of a burial that they deserve.”

Iowa

Dubuque: The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said it plans to collect as many deer samples in northeastern Iowa as it can this hunting season to test for chronic wasting disease after the first case in Dubuque County was confirmed in January, the Telegraph Herald reported Thursday. Chris Ensminger, the wildlife research section supervisor for the department, said officials want to collect at least 250 samples from an area in which the diseased deer was killed and at least 250 samples from elsewhere in Dubuque County. Samples also will be collected from surrounding eastern Iowa counties. The disease attacks the brains of deer and elk and is always fatal. No human cases have been recorded, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to not eat meat from infected animals. The disease has become increasingly prevalent in parts of the Midwest, including Wisconsin and Minnesota. Nearly 400 of the 1,060 deer that tested positive for the disease in Wisconsin from April 2018 to the end of March were in Iowa County in southwest Wisconsin. Other cases came from surrounding Crawford, Grant and Lafayette counties.

Kansas

Linwood: A plan to build a village of foster care homes in northeast Kansas has gotten the OK, although the project has been scaled down. The Kansas City Star reported that the nonprofit Joy Meadows initially sought to create a development with up to 10 homes that could house large sibling sets on a 23-acre property in the Linwood area. Instead, the Leavenworth County Commission voted Wednesday to limit the first phase of development to four total homes, including one that is located there. The nonprofit would be allowed to add three more in a future phase, upon review from the county. Foster care advocates and the Kansas Department for Children and Families voiced support for the residential development. But the project faced opposition from neighbors.

Kentucky

Ludlow:Fire and police units are at the scene of a barge accident that set several boats adrift or sinking in the Ohio River. The barge hit the Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club on Wednesday morning hard enough to partially submerge the marina’s bar and grill. Steve Hensley, Kenton County’s Director of Homeland Security and Management, told news outlets six boats were knocked loose. Hensley said there was one person on the barge and one person on one of the boats, but neither was injured. Officials said the restaurant and patio of the yacht club were heavily damaged with some of it attached to the barge that struck it. Ludlow Police Chief Scott Smith said the Coast Guard is investigating and the barge operator was being questioned.

Louisiana

Gonzales: The federal government has bought out an entire flood-prone neighborhood in Louisiana, prompting all its residents to move to higher ground. News outlets reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program financed the buyouts on along Silverleaf Street in Gonzales, which was carved out of a wetland in the 1980s and has frequently flooded since. Chief city engineer Jackie Baumann said the federal agency is buying the homes at preflood market value, and Restore Louisiana is offering to make up shortfalls in the purchasing price for some residents, as long as their next home isn’t in a flood zone. The 2017 offer required all 41 residents to agree to the deal, and the last resident agreed last month, enabling the government to restore the wetland.

Maine

Lubec: American fishermen are expected to get a little more fishing quota under terms of an agreement with Canada. The countries are home to fisheries for economically important species that cross international boundaries, such as cod and haddock. They reach an agreement every year about how to divide catch on eastern Georges Bank, a crucial fishing area off New England and Canada. The New England Fishery Management Council said the U.S is scheduled to get 29% of the 1.4 million-pound total allowable catch of cod on eastern Georges Bank in 2020. It’s also set for 54% of the 66 million-pound total allowable catch of haddock in the area. The figures are subject to federal approval. They represent a 2.6 million-pound bump for haddock and about the same figure for cod compared to 2019.

Maryland

Baltimore: A 1,600-pound bull escaped from a truck into the streets of Baltimore for several hours. The Baltimore Sun reported that it took three tranquilizer shots and a crew of zoo officials to recapture the animal on Wednesday. The purebred Angus breeding bull broke out of a truck while it was stopped at a red light. A crowd gathered and watched as the animal was corralled. Baltimore Police spokeswoman Det. Nicole Monroe told the newspaper that the “owner of the bull said he doesn’t have the best disposition.” The bull was from Hedgeapple Farm in Buckeystown. Executive director Scott Barao said the animal was very expensive and thanked the police for not shooting it. He said the bull is “extremely valuable to us and we’re just glad to have him alive.”

Massachusetts

Worcester: State wildlife officials said a moose that was struck by two cars and had a broken leg has been euthanized. Marion Larson, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, told The Boston Globe that Worcester police were called about a bull moose that was hit by a car Monday morning and Monday night. The moose was spotted in a pond Tuesday morning, and the state Environmental Police responded to the scene. Several boats were deployed so the moose did not approach Interstate 290, and to maneuver the animal into a suitable darting area. Larson said the 3 ½-year-old moose would not have survived its injuries. Another moose spotted in a Worcester cemetery Monday was tranquilized and freed at a state park.

Michigan

Battle Creek:A fourth Michigan resident has died from a rare mosquito-borne virus that has been recorded across the southern half of the state. WWMT-TV reported that 79-year-old Stan Zalner of Battle Creek died Wednesday after contracting eastern equine encephalitis. Ronna Bagent told the television station that her father was hospitalized in September with severe flu-like symptoms before doctors were able to confirm the illness through blood tests. Nine cases have been confirmed in six southern or southwestern Michigan counties. More than 30 animals – including 18 horses – in more than a dozen counties also have died from the disease. State health officials say low-flying aircraft were expected to spray pesticides Wednesday in Calhoun and 10 other counties. The pesticides kill adult mosquitoes on contact.

Minnesota

St. Paul: A federal judge has rejected challenges by several environmental groups to a land swap needed for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen dismissed the four lawsuits late Monday, ruling that the groups lacked the necessary legal standing to block the land exchange between PolyMet and the federal government. She said the groups couldn’t establish that they had been harmed. PolyMet traded 6,650 acres of federal land in the Superior National Forest at the mine site near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes for a similar amount of private land last year. Several environmental groups sued to challenge various aspects of the deal, saying it undervalued the federal land and violated other laws, including the Endangered Species Act. PolyMet disputed those claims and persuaded the judge to dismiss the lawsuits. Ericksen dismissed the lawsuits without prejudice, meaning the groups could refile them at some later point. They could also appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Mississippi

Hattiesburg:At least 22 soldiers training at Champ Shelby were injured during a night parachuting exercise. U.S. Army spokesman John Pennell told WDAM-TV that at least 15 people were treated by medics and another seven were hospitalized. Staff Sgt. John Healy said none of the injuries is considered to be life-threatening. Camp Shelby Cmdr. Col. Bobby Ginn said the troopers belong to the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division stationed at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Pennell said about 89 paratroopers were on the plane for the Wednesday night exercise. Ginn said the soldiers jumped from a C-130 aircraft and were blown off-course from their intended landing zone and into a group of pine trees. Several were entangled in the trees and had to be rescued. Healy says about 650 soldiers were involved in the exercise. About 3,000 troops from the Alaska base are at monthlong training at Camp Shelby called “Operation Arctic Anvil.”

Missouri

Kansas City: A compromise has been reached after Kansas City-area defense attorneys complained that their underwire bras were setting off jail metal detectors, forcing them to remove their lingerie for screening if they wanted to meet with their clients face-to-face. KCUR reported that the solution reached last month allows attorneys who set off metal detectors at the Jackson County Jail to be wanded or patted down. Attorneys protested after the jail rolled out a new security protocol in May. Jail officials initially responded by offering to allow attorneys to have noncontact visits, in which they talked to their clients by phones separated by glass, without clearing metal detectors first. But attorneys continued to push for change. Attorney Tracy Spradlin said she is thankful the issue was resolved without a lawsuit.

Montana

Missoula: U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana has announced plans to build a larger veterans affairs clinic in Missoula. The Missoulian reported that Tester, Democrat, announced Tuesday a location was chosen for a new community-based outpatient clinic. Officials said the clinic will be three times larger than the current clinic, which serves more than 6,000 veterans. It will have expanded primary care, mental health and specialty services. Tester said the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act that passed in 2017 set aside about $7 million in federal funding for the project. The clinic is expected to open in 2022. The current clinic will continue to serve patients until the new clinic opens.

Nebraska

Lincoln: A bobcat that wandered into a Lincoln building has been captured and released back into the wild. Staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs campus in south Lincoln called the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on Tuesday to report the animal had been spotted inside one of its buildings. Commission staffers set a cage trap and baited it with raw fish. The estimated 20-pound bobcat bit on the bait and was caught. It was freed outside of town Wednesday. Bobcats are common in Nebraska and can be found at the edge of Lincoln, sometimes coming inside to hunt. Sam Wilson with the commission said bobcats are common but rarely seen.

Nevada

Reno: A firefighter suffered burns and a woman was hospitalized after she jumped from a second-floor window at a motel that was on fire just east of downtown Reno. Police closed part of East Fourth Street for about three hours Tuesday afternoon before firefighters knocked down the blaze at the Lucky Motel. Fire officials told KRNV-TV the blaze destroyed two units at the weekly motel. One firefighter was being treated for burns to his leg. The woman was transported to a local hospital after she jumped from the window onto a car. She also suffered smoke inhalation. There was no immediate information available on their conditions Wednesday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Reno Fire Department chaplain and motel owner were working to relocate displaced residents to a nearby motel.

New Hampshire

Bedford: A young moose that got stuck in a swimming pool has been successfully coaxed out. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department biologists and conservation officers were called to a Bedford home Tuesday to help remove the young bull. He was in the water for several hours. Officers said he was unable to get himself out of the pool, so they put in a set of wooden steps. The department posted a video of the moose looking back and forth as the team held a rope and coaxed him out. He scampered away. Col. Kevin Jordan suggested it had to do with it being moose breeding season. He told television station WMUR that “the younger moose will wander long distances struggling to find a female.”

New Jersey

Forked River: The state has created an oversight panel to evaluate the process of dismantling the former Oyster Creek nuclear plant. Gov. Phil Murphy said it will ensure the “proper protocols” are in place throughout the process. Oyster Creek is being decommissioned after it was permanently shuttered in September 2018. Its spent fuel is also being put into safe storage. The panel’s formation was announced Wednesday. It plans to meet at least twice a year and will allow the public to share their concerns. Its members include the state’s Environmental Protection Commissioner, state police superintendent, homeland security director and the president of the Board of Public Utilities. Oyster Creek is located about 60 miles east of Philadelphia. It produced enough electricity each year to supply about 600,000 typical homes.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: Hundreds of hot air balloons will lift off from the New Mexico desert over nine days as part of one of the world’s largest festivals dedicated to the sport of ballooning. In its 48th year, the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is scheduled to kick off Saturday with a mass ascension. More than 580 balloons are registered, 17 countries are represented and tens of thousands of spectators from around the world are expected to turn out for the opening weekend. Albuquerque has played host to the fiesta since its inception in 1972. Troy Bradley, one of the ballooning world’s most prolific record-setters, said, “There’s just nothing like it in the world, to see that much color going into the sky.”

New York

Albany: Homeowners hurt by record flooding along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River have until the end of this month to seek state funding. People living in Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wayne counties can apply for up to $50,000 to offset damages sustained this year to their primary residences. The window for applications opened Tuesday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said $20 million is available through the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Flood Relief and Recovery Program.

North Carolina

Asheville:State health officials said 116 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease since an outbreak was reported in September. The Asheville Citizen Times reported the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services released the figures Wednesday, adding that there was one death. The department also said 65% of those diagnosed had to be hospitalized. DHHS expected the number of confirmed cases to continue to climb as diagnostic tests are processed. Health officials aren’t sure if the illness originated from last month’s Mountain State Fair. Legionnaires’ disease is bacterial pneumonia that develops when someone breathes in mist or water that contains the bacteria into their lungs.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A pipeline spill has released produced water into a small creek and a stock pond in western North Dakota. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality was notified of the spill, which happened Tuesday in Dunn County. The pipeline is part of a gathering system operated by Marathon Oil. The spill happened about 1.5 miles northeast of Manning. Authorities don’t know what caused the leak. An estimated 21,000 gallons of produced water were released, impacting the creek and stock pond within pastureland. The creek discharges into the Knife River, but no impacts have been detected in the river. Produced water is a by-product of oil and gas development. State inspectors are checking the site and will continue to monitor the investigation and remediation.

Ohio

Oxford: An investigation into alleged hazing by a fraternity at Miami University has led to misdemeanor charges of hazing and assault against more than a dozen fraternity members. A student reported in March that members of the Delta Tau Delta chapter at the university in Oxford hazed him during initiation. The student said he was beaten with a spiked paddle, kicked and forced to drink lots of alcohol. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reported Oxford police confirmed that a Butler County grand jury’s recent indictments of the 18 men stemmed from an investigation into hazing. Miami suspended the fraternity in August for 10 to 15 years after its investigation determined violations of the school’s Code of Student Conduct. Delta Tau Delta’s national headquarters revoked the chapter’s charter in June.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Some of the 44 death row inmates housed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester will soon be moved from the prison’s maximum-security H-Unit to another unit to give them more benefits and access to the outdoors, the state’s new prisons boss said. In a letter released by the agency on Thursday, the Department of Corrections’ Interim Executive Director Scott Crow told officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma that the agency plans to move “qualifying inmates” to its less restrictive A-Unit by the end of October. The ACLU had threatened legal action over what it said are potential constitutional violations of the rights of death row inmates, mostly by confining them to their cells for 23 hours per day. Crow said the agency also plans to begin “contact” visitation for some of the moved death row inmates, who are allowed only noncontact visits behind Plexiglas and over a telephone.

Oregon

Bend: The City Council has agreed to discuss whether to impose a ban on feeding deer and elk that wander city streets. KTVZ-TV reported councilmember Chris Piper, who with Bruce Abernethy proposed considering such a ban Wednesday, said the plans were brought to him and other councilmembers by neighborhood associations. Piper said dozens of collisions involving vehicles and deer were reported in the city last year. Piper said cities including Sunriver and Sisters have seen positive results from similar wildlife feeding regulations. There is a similar ban on feeding geese in Bend that can result in a $372 fine. Although that ban is isolated to Mirror Pond, the potential deer and elk feeding ban would be citywide.

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: Another alligator has turned up in Pittsburgh, the seventh this year. George DeSavage told WTAE-TV he and his girlfriend spotted it along the Allegheny River as the sun was setting on Tuesday. He said he grabbed it and it “went kind of limp and calm.” He said it seemed like it was handled by somebody. Police took it to Humane Animal Rescue, which named the gator Gus. The shelter shared photos on its Facebook page. The shelter believes the reptile was a pet. It’s not illegal to own an alligator in Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island

Providence: The state’s high school students scored significantly lower on the SAT than the national averages. The Providence Journal reported Thursday that the state’s Class of 2019 scored an average of 483 points on the English portion of the standardized college entrance exam; the national average was 531. On the math section of the test, Rhode Islanders scored an average of 474; the national average was 528. The numbers also showed a gap between white students and students of color, with white students scoring about 70 points higher in English and math. The Rhode Island Department of Education said SAT scores were flat statewide. State Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green called on district leaders to develop action plans to increase test participation and overall scores.

South Carolina

Greenwood: A man who set a fire at a Walmart to divert attention as he stole a case of beer has been sentenced to the maximum of 15 years in prison. Solicitor David Stumbo said 34-year-old Russell Geddings pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree arson – the same day his trial was set to start. Stumbo said Geddings set a clothes rack on fire at a Greenwood Walmart on Dec. 5 then stole the beer in the chaos. Stumbo said in a statement no one was injured, but $1.2 million worth of damage was done to the store and merchandise. Stumbo said Geddings deserved the maximum sentence for putting so many people at risk to steal beer. Geddings’ attorneys did not answer an email from a reporter seeking comment.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls:A Delta commercial airplane made an emergency landing in Sioux Falls on Thursday morning for a passenger who had a medical emergency, officials said. The Delta flight, scheduled around 7:30 a.m. from Chicago to Seattle, was diverted when a 63-year-old male passenger started to experience emergency medical symptoms, said Dan Letellier, executive director for the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. The flight was over Pierre when its pilots diverted to Sioux Falls, he said. The airplane landed around 8:30 a.m. and the passenger was transported to a local hospital, Letellier said. The passenger was alert and conscious, but Letellier didn’t comment any further on the man’s condition. “Based on our location in the country, there are thousands of flights that go overhead each year,” Letellier said. “We get at least one or two medical diversions a month. It’s a matter of where we fit in the country.”

Tennessee

Collierville:Dozens gathered Tuesday to welcome home fallen soldier Maj. Trevor Joseph. The 33-year-old died Sept. 26 in an aviation accident at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He is survived by his wife, Erin. “Trevor was the greatest individual who was truly just so humble,” family members said in a text. “He would be so embarrassed by all this heroic attention, but this is exactly what he deserves.” Funeral arrangements are pending. Joseph, a soldier from the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk’s 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment, was killed during a JRTC rotation in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter within the training area, according to a Facebook post from JRTC and Fort Polk. Three other 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment soldiers were injured. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Texas

El Paso:A truck driver from California was killed Wednesday when his semi crashed into an overpass support column on Interstate 10 in downtown El Paso. The fatal crash closed westbound lanes for several hours Wednesday morning. Harjot Singh Goraya, 32, of Riverside, California, was driving when he veered off the road and crashed into a support column shortly before 1 a.m. by the Mesa Street exit ramp. Traffic Police said that the road was wet from an earlier rainstorm but that the Special Traffic Investigations Unit has yet to determine how the driver lost control. The crash closed all westbound lanes early Wednesday. Drivers were urged to find alternative routes into downtown or West El Paso, including Paisano Drive, Montana Avenue and Trans Mountain Road. Traffic was directed off the highway at the downtown exit, police said.

Utah

Salt Lake City: The state Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first human death from West Nile virus this yer. Authorities said Saturday that a central Utah resident at least 65 years old died from the disease carried by mosquitoes sometime between Sept. 21 and Sept. 28. Information about the victim including name and gender have not been released. Utah health officials have confirmed 19 human cases West Nile virus this year. The total is higher than last year, when 11 residents contracted the virus and one person died. State health officials have said a wet spring this year created more standing water habitats for mosquitoes, attracting species that can transmit West Nile virus to Utah. Symptoms include headaches, joint pains and a high fever.

Vermont

Bennington: Residents of a town along the route of the Appalachian Trail have taken the first steps toward filing an application to become a designated Appalachian Trail Community. Local and county officials in Bennington met with state counterparts and community organizers recently to discuss plans to apply for the designation. Officials said the label as an Appalachian Trail Community will bring greater publicity and boost local business. The Appalachian Trail stretches about 2,200 miles, through 14 states and 40 communities. More than 100 miles of the trail runs through Vermont and a portion of it is just east of Bennington. The Bennington Banner reported that in addition to publicity, the move could bring stakeholders together to improve the trail system locally for hikers.

Virginia

Richmond: A popular nature center will soon be closing temporarily for a $2.3 million renovation. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Maymont’s Robins Nature & Visitor Center will close Nov. 1 and open in March. The center houses fish, turtles, otters and other animals found within the James River and Chesapeake Bay. It attracts roughly 45,000 people each year. The animals will have upgraded habitats with lighting and heating systems and will be more visible to guests when the center reopens.

Washington

Spokane: A late cold snap last winter has cut the production of Washington apricots in half. The Washington State Fruit Commission said the state usually produces 5,000 tons of apricots a year. But The Spokesman-Review reported that the yield this year is only about 2,500 tons. Washington produces about 20% of the nation’s apricots. The commission said frost in February, when apricot trees had bloomed, hurt production. Apricots produced in Washington are shipped across the country.

West Virginia

Charleston: Federal officials said drought conditions in West Virginia are worsening as unusually high heat continues to beat down on the region. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday showed large swaths of southern West Virginia in a severe drought, a designation that includes the likely loss of crops and water shortages. The map also classified the entire northern part of the state as abnormally dry. Officials said nearly 50% of the state’s population is now in a drought. The National Weather Service marked last month as one of warmest and driest Septembers on record in multiple West Virginia cities. Less than 1 inch of rain was recorded in the month. Temperatures measured on Oct. 1 also surpassed record highs for the month in five cities.

Wisconsin

Madison: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said during a stop in Wisconsin that he doesn’t know if the family dairy farm can survive as the industry moves toward a factory farm model. Perdue told reporters Tuesday following an appearance at the World Dairy Expo that it’s getting harder for farmers to get by on milking smaller herds. Perdue’s visit comes as Wisconsin dairy farmers are wrestling with a host of problems, including declining milk prices, rising suicide rates, the transition to larger farms with hundreds or thousands of animals and international trade wars. Wisconsin, which touts itself as America’s Dairyland on its license plates, has lost 551 dairy farms in 2019 after losing 638 in 2018 and 465 in 2017, according to data from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The Legislature’s finance committee voted unanimously last month to spend an additional $200,000 to help struggling farmers deal with depression and mental health problems.

Wyoming

Conch contest, golf tree: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: The state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would ban gender therapies such as prescription hormones or gender confirmation surgery for minors. The legislation would make it a felony for medical providers to prescribe puberty-blockers or hormones to anyone under age 19 or to perform gender confirmation surgery on minors. The bill, sponsored by Trussville Republican Sen. Shay Shelnutt, passed 22-3, news outlets report. The legislation now moves to the state’s House of Representatives, where a similar bill was also approved by a health committee last month. Proponents have said it would stop “vulnerable children” from getting medical procedures and medications with uncertain long-term effects. LGBTQ activists and opponents of the bill have countered it is discriminatory and spreads misinformation. The American Academy of Pediatrics advised in 2018 that such treatments can be part of certain care models for children.

Alaska

Kodiak: Shoppers will no longer see a blue-sticker label on Gulf of Alaska cod after its sustainability certification is suspended starting in April. The label designates which fish are sustainably caught. Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the Marine Stewardship Council, which sets standards for sustainable fishing, will suspend the label starting April 5. Gulf of Alaska cod have had the certification for about 10 years. The impacts of losing certification are unclear. An independent audit found there were not enough young cod entering the gulf fishery, which led to the suspension. But auditors blame a climate change-caused heatwave from 2013 to 2016 for reducing gulf cod by more than half and pushing them to near-overfished status last year.

Arizona

Flagstaff: The U.S. Forest Service has given final approval to a project to replace and upgrade a ski lift at the Arizona Snowbowl. The Forest Service’s decision allowing replacement of the current chairlift is based on an environmental assessment published in October. Forest officials concluded that replacing the new lift would not significantly impact the land and environment, despite claims that it would affect Native American cultural values, the Arizona Daily Sun reports. Arizona Snowbowl is located on the Coconino National Forest on the west side of the San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff. Arizona Snowbowl said the current chairlift will be replaced with a high-speed combination version that includes enclosed eight-person gondola cars and open-air six-person chair seats. The new lift will be installed in time for the 2020-21 season, the ski area said.

Arkansas

Bentonville: A film festival co-founded by Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis announced Friday that it’s moving to later in the year because of concerns about the new coronavirus. The Bentonville Film Festival, in northwest Arkansas, announced it will move this year’s festival, originally scheduled for April 29-May 2, to Aug. 5-8. The festival said it will honor passes and badges that have already been purchased for the festival. The official lineup will be announced by June, organizers said. “Our number one concern is the safety of our content creators and our community of attendees,” Davis, who is also the festival’s chairwoman, said in a statement. The Bentonville Film Festival began in 2015 and last year screened 162 films. Arkansas has not had any cases of coronavirus, which causes the illness called COVID-19.

California

Los Angeles: Los Angeles International Airport will experiment with a limited restoration of taxi pickups in the central terminal area beginning later this month. Taxi drivers have been pushing to resume pickups there since taxi and ride-hailing pickups were moved to a lot outside the terminal loop last fall to ease traffic amid major construction. Airport officials said one taxi pickup location will be established in a parking structure near the Tom Bradley International Terminal and adjacent Terminal 3. Another taxi stand will be put back into service for travelers passing through Terminals 7 and 8. Last October, the airport moved all taxi and ride-hailing pickups from curbside to a satellite lot, dubbed LAX-it. Airport officials said the move was necessary to reduce traffic for construction of an automated people-mover train and its stations, as well as redevelopment of every terminal. Passengers can walk there or take constantly circulating shuttles.

Colorado

Denver: The owner-operator of a Denver-area oil refinery will pay $9 million to settle air quality violations dating to 2017, state officials announced Friday. The settlement with Calgary-based Suncor Energy is the biggest leveled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to resolve air pollution violations. The Colorado Sun reports the settlement was announced by John Putnam, the agency’s environmental director, at a news conference. Suncor’s Commerce City refinery produces about a third of gasoline used by motor vehicles in Colorado and most of the jet fuel used at Denver International Airport. It processes about 98,000 barrels of oil daily, most of that from drillers along Colorado’s Front Range. On Dec. 11, the refinery released an ashy substance that blanketed adjacent neighborhoods. Suncor called the clay-like material catalyst and said it wasn’t hazardous.

Connecticut

New Britain: The state’s wine and spirits industry has joined forces with environmentalists to reduce litter, especially mini bottles of wine and spirits known as nips. The anti-litter partnership, known as Three Tiers for Connecticut, plans to launch the retail portion of its “Don’t Trash Connecticut - Nip it in the Bin!” campaign Tuesday. The campaign will focus on signage at retail locations, urging consumers to properly dispose of the bottles. A news conference is planned Tuesday at CT Beverage Mart in New Britain. The partnership has already held two community cleanup events in Norwalk and West Haven. More more cleanups and initiatives are scheduled for the coming year. Wine and spirits companies and organizations in Connecticut formed the partnership last year with the group Live Green CT, a statewide environmental organization that’s dedicated to eradicating land-based litter by 2025.

Delaware

Wilmington: A federal judge has refused to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit against the state’s largest hospital system. The lawsuit filed by former Christiana Care compliance officer Ronald Sherman and backed by the federal government alleges that the hospital system defrauded taxpayers by funneling Medicaid payments to independent doctors as kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals. The judge denied Christiana’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit after holding a hearing Friday. Christiana Care argued that Sherman had no standing to file the lawsuit because he had previously executed a release discharging all causes of action against the hospital system when he was terminated in 2014. Christiana also argued that Sherman, on behalf of Christiana Care, had disclosed the allegations contained in his complaint to the government through compliance disclosure logs submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general’s office.

District of Columbia

Washington: A federal magistrate on Friday excoriated the government for refusing to turn over its investigative file in the death of a Virginia man shot by U.S. Park Police. The files are sought by the family of Bijan Ghaisar, who died in 2017 after he was shot by Park Police officers multiple times at the conclusion of a stop-and-go chase on the George Washington Parkway. Ghaisar’s family is suing the government and the officers who shot Ghaisar. At a hearing Friday, U.S. Magistrate Ivan Davis said the government had no right to withhold the file from the Ghaisar family’s lawyers. He ordered the government to turn over the entire file by next Friday. Government lawyers said they have been delayed in turning over the file because the material in the file is sensitive and voluminous. Judge Davis, though, was unsympathetic. “You’re required to produce, period,” Davis said. “You do not decide unilaterally for yourself” whether material should be turned over.

Florida

Key West: A woman who plays the French Horn in the Royal Canadian Navy took top honors in Key West’s 58th annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest on Saturday. Alliszon Zaichkowski of Victoria, British Columbia, won the women’s title performing excerpts from several melodies including composer Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” She’s such a fan of the quirky “instrument” that she had a large conch shell tattooed on her arm. “I like to think of the conch shell as my travel horn because I can’t bring my French horn everywhere, and you also don’t want to be playing a French horn at the beach,” she said. “So I always just take my conch shell with me, and that’s my vacation instrument.” In the men’s division, Vinnie Marturano of Big Pine Key tooted his way to victory by playing a portion of Aram Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance.” The fluted, pink-lined conch shell, an enduring symbol of the Florida Keys, has been used as a signaling device in the islands for centuries. Today, native-born residents are known as Conchs, and the Keys island chain is often called the Conch Republic.

Georgia

Atlanta: Some students at a private school have been suspended indefinitely after a video surfaced showing them conducting an apparent mock lynching of another student with toilet paper in a school bathroom, officials said. Several boys at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School were seen on video wrapping toilet paper around their heads and cutting holes for their eyes, news outlets report. Some were also seen wrapping what appears to be a toilet paper noose around another boy’s neck as he appears to pull up on a bathroom stall support beam as if being hanged. Officials at the college preparatory school acknowledged the incident Thursday. They said the act was reprehensible and wouldn’t be tolerated. They also said the students were suspended indefinitely while the school investigates. A school statement didn’t say how many youths were suspended, and the races of those involved weren’t immediately disclosed.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A million trees could be planted in the state each year under a proposed program to increase the number of noninvasive trees. The Legislature is considering backing the tree-planting project started by University of Hawaii geography professor Camilo Mora to offset carbon emissions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. The Carbon Neutrality Resources initiative is responsible for planting thousands of trees in Hawaii. The most recent project involved 2,000 volunteers planting 11,000 trees in December, Mora said, adding that he hopes to increase to 100,000 this year and plant a million in 2021. The bill would place the state Department of Land and Natural Resources in charge of a program to plant a million native trees statewide each year. It was approved by the Senate on Tuesday and passed its first reading in the House on Thursday.

Idaho

Boise: The FBI is investigating after hackers stole as much as half a million dollars of state payments that were intended to go to contractors. Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf’s office revealed the theft in a statement late Friday afternoon, saying the hackers posed as state vendors and then changed the vendor’s banking information, diverting the payments into the hackers’ bank accounts. The fraud was first noticed by a controller’s office employee Feb. 26, according to the office. Few details were released about exactly how the thefts occurred, but officials said the hackers were able to change the banking information by “navigating state procedures.” “Regular payments made to those vendors by 20 state agencies were then diverted and stolen,” the release said. “The State has recovered some of the funds to date, however, the total amount of funds diverted is under $550,000.”

Illinois

Chicago: Officials from the city and the NHP Foundation celebrated the opening of a renovated historic housing unit offering affordable single-room occupancy. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday that restoration of the Mark Twain on Chicago’s Near North Side will help keep the city affordable. The city teamed up with the NHP Foundation, a nonprofit real estate organization dedicated to preserving and expanding affordable housing, in a $54 million rehabilitation of the building. It created 148 affordable apartment units with private bathrooms and added private kitchenettes. It has all new plumbing and electrical systems, a rooftop deck, a restored vintage facade and nearly 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The Chicago Housing Authority will provide rental assistance to the Mark Twain’s occupants. Fifty residents who lived there before the renovation have returned; the rest of the units will be leased to people on the authority’s waiting list.

Indiana

West Lafayette: The city will start supplying free feminine hygiene products in all city building restrooms, including men’s and gender-neutral restrooms. The decision came after Purdue University’s move to offer an assortment of menstrual care products for free in campus bathrooms. After the City Council approved a similar resolution, Mayor John Dennis said West Lafayette was ready to start stocking feminine products in all restrooms in city facilities, including the $31.5 million Wellness and Aquatic Center scheduled to open in early 2021. City Council members Shannon King and Kathy Parker sponsored the resolution. “The mayor gave us a thumbs up, and he really had our back,” King said. During a pilot project in restrooms at Purdue, the faculty-led University Senate found the building averaged $27 a month to restock menstrual care products used from seven dispensers.

Iowa

Des Moines: The names of three nominees to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat have been passed to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who now has 30 days to appoint one of them as the high court’s next justice. The Judicial Nominating Commission on Friday afternoon announced the finalists: Mary Chicchelly, District Court Judge in the Sixth Judicial District out of Cedar Rapids; Matt McDermott, an attorney at Belin McCormick, P.C. in Des Moines; and David May, an Iowa Court of Appeals Judge in Polk City. The commission, composed of eight individuals elected by Iowa lawyers and nine commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, interviewed 15 applicants Friday to fill the seat that will be left empty upon former acting chief justice David Wiggins’ retirement in the coming weeks. The finalist will be Reynolds’s fourth appointment to the court since taking office in May 2017.

Kansas

Lawrence: A couple hundred million years ago, an ocean covering Kansas teemed with prehistoric life. Yet for millennia, Kansas has been a dry, sometimes even dusty place. The ocean is long gone, but traces of that long-ago aquatic life were captured for the ages in fossil form. Now, paleontologists from the University of Kansas have an app they hope will help motivate people to go out and find that evidence, reports the Kansas News Service. The Digital Atlas of Ancient Life app was created by a group of paleontologists and researchers led by KU ecology and evolutionary biology professor Bruce Lieberman. The app boasts an extensive database with detailed pictures of fossils common to Kansas. KU owns thousands of fossil specimens, especially trilobites, cephalopods and ancient clams. The app is one way to share all of that information to smartphones around the world. If it motivates people to go out and find some of their own, Lieberman said, all the better.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The state House overwhelmingly passed its version of a new two-year budget Friday, but some lawmakers said the unwillingness to tap into more revenue sources would shortchange many of the state’s pressing funding needs. The GOP-crafted spending plan drew bipartisan support in clearing the House 86-10. The measure now goes to the Republican-dominated Senate, which will put its imprint on the budget. The differences will likely be ironed out by legislative leaders in a conference committee. The House version changed Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s proposed pay raise for teachers to spread it to other school employees. It boosted school-security funding to hire hundreds of counselors. The House plan also scaled back Beshear’s proposal to add more social workers but offered salary enhancements to hire and retain more of them working in child protective services. The only new revenue source to help support the House spending plan would come from new taxes on vaping and tobacco productions, which would raise nearly $50 million over two years.

Louisiana

Lafayette: The opening of an urban park is being delayed because the nonprofit organization behind the project has obtained more money for additional features. Lafayette Central Park Inc. initially hoped to open Moncus Park this spring, but with an extra $5 million in money raised, the organization is planning to open later in the year. Features already completed include a dog park. Features being added this year are an amphitheater and a “family area,” which includes a tree house, splash pad and playground. The nonprofit has received some contributions earlier than expected. For example, plans for the amphitheater were put into motion when Iberia Bank advanced a pledge of $1 million to the park, which wasn’t expected for another three years. With the additional money, the nonprofit and its board had to consider whether to push back the park’s opening date; use sporadic openings of sections; or have construction underway while the park is open.

Maine

Bar Harbor: A historical museum that is part of the state’s popular Acadia National Park will be closed to the public this season as it undergoes rehabilitation work. The Islesford Historical Museum has been in the midst of rehab since November 2019. The National Park Service said the work will “allow for the protection and longevity of a historic building and for the safe exhibition of historical objects.” The museum is on the National Register of Historic Places and opened in the summer of 1928. The rehab work will include replacement of the original slate roof. The park service said money for the $1.1 million rehab is coming from entrance passes purchased at Acadia National Park and the service’s repair and rehabilitation funds. The service said the museum is scheduled to reopen during the following season with an exhibit about the Cranberry Isles.

Maryland

Annapolis: A comprehensive education measure that will cost billions of dollars over the next decade with the goal of making the state’s K-12 schools among the world’s best was approved by the House of Delegates on Friday night. The House voted 96-41 for the bill, which still needs Senate approval. The legislation, known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, is based on the recommendations of a state commission that worked for three years on the proposal. The plan focuses on five policy areas: expanding early childhood education like pre-K; increasing teacher salaries; college and career readiness; aid for struggling schools; and accountability in implementation. The proposal would be phased in over a 10-year period. It would cost an additional $4 billion in fiscal year 2030, with a majority of the cost paid by the state while local governments also contribute.

Massachusetts

Westborough: Fish and wildlife officials have started stocking the state’s ponds, lakes and rivers with more than 500,000 trout raised in five hatcheries. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife stocking program began last week with bodies of water on Cape Cod, as well as in southeastern Massachusetts and areas west of Boston. Some of the places stocked with rainbow trout include Spectacle Pond in Sandwich, Lake Cochituate in Natick and Houghton’s Pond in Milton. Other bodies of water will be stocked with brook, brown and tiger trout raised in hatcheries in Sandwich, Palmer, Belchertown, Sunderland and Montague. These fish, coupled with the more than 60,000 stocked last fall, will provide some excellent fishing in the coming months, the agency says. Most of the trout are longer than 12 inches, with more than 600 brown trout and 500 brook trout over 18 inches.

Michigan

Detroit: Five people who worked in a wildlife disease lab have been diagnosed with a latent form of tuberculosis, a spokesman said Friday. The Department of Natural Resources’ lab processes thousands of deer heads during the annual hunting season to check for chronic wasting disease and bovine TB. An illness caused by bacteria that attack the lungs, TB can be fatal, although a latent form shows no symptoms, doesn’t make people feel sick and is not contagious, according to federal health experts. It typically involves treatment to prevent full-blown TB. The DNR learned about the infections last year, including three people in June and two later in the summer, spokesman Ed Golder said. He said it was the department’s “working assumption” that the workers got TB from infected deer, “but we can’t say for sure.” The lab is located at Michigan State University.

Minnesota

St. Paul: Overall graduation rates for the state’s high school students have hit a historic high. The state Department of Education released data Thursday that shows a graduation rate of 83.7% for the class of 2019. That’s up half a percentage point from the prior year and up nearly 1.5 points over the past five years. Minnesota Public Radio News reports black and Hispanic students made the biggest gains, with improvements of more than 3 percentage points for Hispanics and more than 2 points for black students. Racial and socioeconomic disparities persist, with graduation rates higher for white students than they are for students of color. The data shows the rate for Native American students fell slightly this year. The rate remains the lowest among Minnesota high school students at just over half.

Mississippi

Jackson: State legislators have killed bills that would either ban or regulate kratom, an herbal drug that can be used for pain relief. Kratom is currently unregulated in most parts of the United States but has been outlawed by a few local governments in Mississippi amid concerns that it can be harmful. Kratom is derived from a tree that’s native to Southeast Asia. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says the leaves can be crushed and then smoked, put into capsules, or taken with water or other liquids. The DEA characterizes kratom as one of its “drugs of concern.” The agency says people have used it to relieve muscle strains and as a substitute for opium; the drug has also been used to manage withdrawal symptoms from opioids. Bills to either ban or regulate kratom died Tuesday when committees did not consider them before the first big deadline of the legislative session.

Missouri

Clayton: More than 170 firearms seized or recovered by police during an eight-month period last year were purchased from a single St. Louis-area pawn shop, federal authorities said in announcing charges against three men connected to the shop. Carlos Jones, 31; Robert Thornton, 36; and Steven Johnson, 44, were charged Thursday with unlawful transfer of firearm to a convicted felon and making false statements on firearm records. All three men worked at Piazza Jewelry and Pawn in Overland, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb. The federal complaint said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced 170 seized and recovered guns to sales at the pawn shop, with 102 of those guns recovered in the city of St. Louis. ATF Special Agent Chad Foreman wrote in an affidavit released Thursday that six of the confiscated guns were used in homicides, four in robberies and 20 in weapons offenses and were found in 36 cases in which a prohibited person was in possession of a firearm.

Montana

Billings: A landslide was blocking a BNSF Railway freight line in eastern Montana on Friday. The slide happened about 10 p.m. Wednesday about 10 miles west of Miles City, BNSF Railway spokeswoman Maia LaSalle said. Dirt covered about 800 feet of railway that runs along the Yellowstone River. Crews were still working Friday to clear the tracks, but the slide activity had not been stabilized, LaSalle said. Freight traffic was being rerouted around the blockage on Montana Rail Link tracks. The track that is blocked is part of a path that connects trains from North and South Dakota to southern routes through the Powder River region into Wyoming, The Billings Gazette reports. No trains were in the area at the time of the slide, and no injuries have been reported, BNSF said.

Nebraska

Ogallala: The state game and parks commission will vote March 20 on banning both alcohol possession and consumption at Lake McConaughy and neighboring Lake Ogallala in western Nebraska. The alcohol ban in the state-controlled areas is among several agreements the state worked out with local leaders to avert drastic cuts in access, The North Platte Telegraph reports. The commission had been considering access restrictions following complaints about overcrowding and rowdy behavior last Fourth of July. The proposed changes, which would have taken effect later this year, were meant to address the overcrowding on the lake’s beaches. But the commission delayed action in January after hundreds of people showed up for a hearing on the proposed rules. Most said they wanted more law enforcement and greater attention to checkpoints, not a crackdown to limit access.

Nevada

Reno: Social media comments about protecting bears that were posted by Lake Tahoe activists and referred to a longtime wildlife biologist as a murderer constitute “good faith communications” protected as free speech, the state Supreme Court says. The recent opinion doesn’t end a lawsuit filed in Washoe County District Court in Reno. But it settles a key legal question in the dispute between Carl Lackey, a Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist, and Carolyn Stark, who administers a Facebook page that posts criticism of the state’s bear control tactics. The lawsuit is the latest development in a yearslong legal and public relations battle between the agency and a group of activists who oppose state methods for managing bears. In 2018, a judge issued a protective order to keep Stark away from another state biologist who says Stark stalked her in a dispute over the capture of nuisance bears.

New Hampshire

Concord: Gov. Chris Sununu has written to congressional leaders asking for continued funding of the State Opioid Response Grant program, which helped New Hampshire create a new “hub and spoke” caregiver system. The state used its $45.8 million share of funding to set up its Doorway program of nine regional recovery centers. Sununu, in his letter Friday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said the program served more than 7,300 people in 2019 and provided more than 3,200 clinical evaluations to identify needed services. Of that group, over 2,400 people had opioid-related needs, and more than 5,000 referrals were made to medication-assisted treatment, outpatient, residential and peer recovery services.

New Jersey

Margate: Residents in a Jersey Shore town that hates its new sand dunes will get a chance to say whether they support building a boardwalk. Margate’s government decided late Thursday to authorize a nonbinding referendum during the November general election asking voters whether they support building a boardwalk in the wealthy town south of Atlantic City. The proposal arose from widespread unhappiness with a beach replenishment project completed in 2017. Mayor Michael Becker said Friday that the town is not committing itself to building one if the vote goes that way. Rather, he said, there needs to be a mechanism for the town’s voters to clearly express their preference, and the commission will then weigh the pros and cons before deciding. Margate had a boardwalk in the early 1900s; it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1944.

New Mexico

Magdalena: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is canceling group tours of its Very Large Array to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The observatory said Friday that the visitor center and gift shop will remain open, and self-guided walking tours will continue. But a semi-annual open house, guided tours and special tours for school groups will be put on hold between March 15 and May 31. The move is meant to protect visitors and the workers who keep the facility running, Tony Beasley, the observatory director, said in a news release. “Our first priority is the safety and health of our visitors and our staff, and these cancellations are being done to minimize the risk of exposure to this virus,” Beasley said. Astronomers use the Very Large Array to observe natural radiowaves from distant stars and planets.

New York

New York: Video showing New York City police officers arresting a young black man sparked outrage and elicited questions about the amount of force used to make the arrest in a city where mistrust of police remains high more than five years after Eric Garner’s death from an officer’s chokehold. Fitzroy Gayle, 20, pleads for help in the video, recorded by a woman who then tweeted it, as several officers wrestle him into submission Wednesday evening on a Brooklyn sidewalk. When Gayle asks a lone plainclothes officer why he was being stopped, the officer does not appear to answer before uniformed backup rushes in. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said he was ordering an internal investigation. The man in the video had fled officers who approached him and another man as they were smoking marijuana in a park about 7 p.m., Shea said. The officers were responding to an automated alert to gunshots, Shea said. Both men were later apprehended, but there is no indication they were linked to the gunfire, he said.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The state’s residents are getting more site-specific information this year about the air that they breathe and whether it might make sense to keep inside. The state Division of Air Quality announced last week that daily air-quality forecasts will now be issued for 91 of the state’s 100 counties and two mountain ridge zones. In the past, forecasts have been regional. A website provides real-time air quality index measurements, while next-day and extended forecast products will be posted each afternoon and updated in the morning. Index readings correspond to a color-coded advisory system that describes when the air can be unhealthy for some or many. Last week started what’s considered the ozone season, or when concentrations of the gas can be highest in the air as days get warmer. The division says ozone concentrations have been declining due to emission reductions from power plants, cars and industry.

North Dakota

Fargo: New rules for the state’s presidential caucuses are likely to drive up turnout and could shrink Bernie Sanders’ organizational advantage over Joe Biden when the state’s Democratic voters get their say this week in what has essentially become a two-man race. North Dakota is the smallest prize of the six states holding caucuses or primaries Tuesday, with only 14 pledged delegates at stake. As a result, it hasn’t gotten much attention from either candidate. What’s new for North Dakota voters in 2020 is that the system is more like a primary than a traditional caucus. People are free to vote and leave. Democrats can vote at 14 locations across the state, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST. Republicans will have seven polling places open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time, where voters can express their support for President Donald Trump. And in a boon to rural voters, mail-in ballots will be accepted.

Ohio

Toledo: A tree that appeared overnight during the 1979 U.S. Open to become a part of golf lore has met its end. The Black Hills spruce known as “The Hinkle Tree” was partially uprooted by a gust of wind last week at Inverness Club in Toledo and was cut down. The tree dated to the 79th Open, when a journeyman pro named Lon Hinkle came up with a way to outsmart the course during the first round. Hinkle noticed he could take a shortcut by hitting through a gap of trees near the eighth tee and drive his ball on the adjacent 17th fairway, shaving 75 yards off the dogleg hole. It made for an easy birdie, but U.S. Golf Association officials were not amused. The USGA dispatched the course’s greens chairman to bring in a tree from a nursery and block the shortcut. Overnight, the Black Hill spruce, about 20 feet tall, appeared in the gap. But during the next round, Hinkle and his playing partner, Chi Chi Rodriguez, decided to hit their tee shots over the tree.

Oklahoma

Tulsa: A man who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2018 has been found guilty of assault and battery for shooting a process server trying to give him legal documents. Jurors on Thursday rejected Christopher Jonathan Barnett’s argument that he shot and wounded the man who came to his Tulsa home in July in self defense. On the stand, Barnett asserted the process server presented a threat to him, though he conceded the man never pointed a weapon at him. Jurors recommended Barnett be sentenced to 32 years in prison and fined $10,000. A judge will sentence Barnett in April. The Tulsa World reports video and audio evidence presented to the jury showed the process server just flashed legal documents at Barnett, who kept his front door closed while they spoke. Defense attorney Jason Lollman said he plans to appeal and believes the sentencing recommendation was too harsh.

Oregon

Salem: The state has reached an agreement with private health insurance companies to waive co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles for Oregonians who undergo testing for COVID-19 at a facility that’s within their insurance network, Gov. Kate Brown announced. The agreement also will apply to a vaccine for the virus if one becomes available, she said in a statement Thursday. The state is pursuing the same agreement with self-insured health plans and also seeking clarification from the federal government about exceptions to cost-sharing for Medicare Advantage plans, as well as health savings account-eligible high-deductible health plans, she said. “No one should have to ask if getting a COVID-19 test is something they can afford. I hope this agreement sets a framework that other states can follow nationwide,” Brown said in the statement.

Pennsylvania

Ephrata: A small family-owned pharmacy chain is closing its five central Pennsylvania stores after a 141-year run. Royer Pharmacy in Lancaster County calls itself one of the oldest continuously operating independent pharmacies in the nation. It’s been operated by two families since a young pharmacist named George Royer bought the business in 1879. Company officials cited the age of the owners and decreasing insurance reimbursements that made it difficult to remain in business. “It’s been a great run,” Royer President Donald Sherman said in a news release. Royer said patient files will be transferred to CVS after the stores close by March 18, and employees would be considered for jobs at the nationwide chain. Royer had locations in Ephrata, Lancaster, Akron and Leola.

Rhode Island

Providence: The state’s highest court has refused to hear a strip club’s appeal of a punishment the city had levied against it over allegations of prostitution. The Rhode Island Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the Wild Zebra’s bid to have its adult entertainment license restored. The court did not explain why it would not consider the appeal. The Providence Board of Licenses heard testimony in January from two detectives who said that while undercover at the Wild Zebra Gentlemen’s Club in May dancers offered to have sex with them or perform sexual acts on them in exchange for money. The club denies the allegations of prostitution. An attorney for the club didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Providence Journal. The Providence board stripped the Wild Zebra of its liquor and adult entertainment licenses. A state regulatory department gave the club its liquor license back while it pursues its appeal, but it has remained closed.

South Carolina

Columbia: With spring just around the corner, emergency officials in the state say it’s time to begin preparing for severe weather. Gov. Henry McMaster declared this week South Carolina Severe Weather and Flood Safety week. Emergency officials will work all week with the National Weather Service to give safety and preparation tips for floods, tornadoes and severe storms that became more likely as the weather warms. On Wednesday, there will be a statewide tornado drill as schools and businesses across the state are asked to take shelter under their tornado safety plans and as forecasters test weather radios and other devices programmed to go off when a tornado warning is issued. Emergency officials are also pushing for flood safety. Flash floods after massive rains in October 2015 killed 19 people in South Carolina.

South Dakota

Pierre: State wildlife officials have decided to scale back Gov. Kristi Noem’s program that pays bounties for predators that raid migratory birds’ nests. KELO-TV reports the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission voted 6-2 on Friday to extend the program for a second year. But the commission reduced the spending cap from $500,000 to $250,000. It also reduced the size of the bounty from $10 per tail from a raccoon, striped skunk, opossum, red fox or badger to $5 per tail. Bounties will now be paid regardless of whether the predator is shot or trapped; last year bounties applied only if a predator was trapped. The program starts April 1 and runs through July 1. Only South Dakota residents can participate. Chairman Gary Jensen and Mary Anne Boyd were the only two commissioners who voted against continuing the program. Jensen said science doesn’t support the program, and it’s designed to help trappers, whom he says are doing well anyway.

Tennessee

Memphis: The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to move toxin-laden coal ash from a retired plant in the city to an off-site landfill, at the cost of roughly $300 million, the federal utility said Friday. TVA is considering six landfills in the South after it decided to move 3.5 million cubic yards of coal ash – the byproduct of burning coal for power – from the old Allen Fossil Plant in south Memphis, rather than keep the material in place. The TVA said it prefers taking the coal ash to an offsite landfill rather than moving it to a processing facility because construction and operation of the facility would delay economic development of the Allen site and lead to issues with air and noise emissions, safety risks and public disruption, the TVA said in an environmental impact report. Removal would cost about $300 million and take about seven to 10 years, TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said.

Texas

Santa Fe: A teenager accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a high school in 2018 was able to buy more than 100 rounds of ammunition online because his age was not verified, according to a lawsuit alleging the website involved broke federal law. Dimitrios Pagourtzis was a 17-year-old junior at the time of the May 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School. Federal law prohibits minors from purchasing handgun ammunition and bars licensed gun companies from selling handgun or shotgun ammunition to minors or anyone they have reason to believe is under the age of 21. According to an amended lawsuit filed Thursday, Pagourtzis initially ordered 50 rounds of hollow-point handgun ammunition and 105 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition, the Houston Chronicle reports. Two weeks later, he purchased an additional 35 rounds of shotgun ammunition – both times from the website Luckygunner.com that did not require him to make an account, submit proof of age or set-up a secure two-step authorization, the filing said.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A slimmed-down version of a measure to require warning labels on pornography passed the state Senate on Friday. The proposal would now mandate a one-sentence warning label for online or print material deemed legally obscene, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. A relatively small slice of porn is considered obscene, but that hardcore material has fewer constitutional protections. The label would say that “exposing minors to obscene material may damage or negatively impact minors.” A website could also embed in its metadata the searchable text, “utahobscenitywarning.” The porn industry has objected to the plan, saying it could have constitutional problems and open the floodgates for lawsuits. If it does not appear on a print publication or is not displayed for 15 seconds online, producers could be fined $2,500 for each civil violation.

Vermont

Montpelier: Three out of about a dozen Vermont towns passed resolutions on Town Meeting Day to become Second Amendment “sanctuary” towns, supporting gun rights and opposing more state and federal gun control laws, organizers said. About a half-dozen towns where the resolution was proposed did not take up the measure on Town Meeting Day on Tuesday because officials did not feel it was appropriate for the setting, said Eric Davis, president of Gun Rights Vermont. Lowell, Eden and Whittingham passed the resolution, he said. The town of Barton rejected the proposal. The voice vote Tuesday was close, Town Clerk Kristin Atwood told the Caledonian Record. Select boards in the towns of Holland and Pittsford adopted the resolution to become sanctuary towns earlier this year. The resolutions are not legally binding.

Virginia

Hampton: Three black astronauts joined hundreds of other mourners Saturday at a memorial service for pioneering African American mathematician and NASA researcher Katherine Johnson. Johnson, who calculated rocket trajectories and Earth orbits for NASA’s early space missions and was later portrayed in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures,” about pioneering black female aerospace workers, died Feb. 24 at the age of 101. More than 700 people turned out for Saturday’s memorial service at the Hampton University Convocation Center. “I think about the journey that she’s going on now,” astronaut Leland Melvin said. “We can’t calculate the speed that she’s traveling to get to heaven.” Melvin was joined by fellow astronauts Yvonne Cagle and Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space. Johnson was remembered not just as a pioneering researcher but as a faithful church leader and family matriarch. “Grandma, because of you, our world will forever be unlimited,” grandson Michael Moore said. “And because of you, I have no bounds.”

Washington

Olympia: The state has become the 10th to prohibit homicide defendants from claiming a defense based on panic over a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the measure Thursday. It takes effect in June. Nine other states – California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey New York and Rhode Island – have already banned the use of gay or transgender panic as a legal defense. The Washington state measure is named after Nikki Kuhnhausen, a transgender teen who was killed last year, The Columbian reports. It was approved with bipartisan support in the state House and the Senate, though some lawmakers questioned if the legislation was necessary since a panic defense has never been used in Washington.

West Virginia

Charleston: Foster parents who adopt children with special needs may soon get more money under a wide-ranging proposal passed Friday by the state Senate to reduce the state’s overburdened foster system. Senators voted unanimously to approve the proposal. It now moves back to the House of Delegates for that chamber to approve the Senate’s amendments. The measure directs state officials to expand a tiered system that would give higher payments to people who take in children with emotional, behavioral or intellectual problems. It sets aside $16.9 million for the payment system. The tiered system would have to be up and running by July 2021. Child-placing agencies would also get $1,000 every time they finalize an adoption.

Wisconsin

Spring Green: The school that architect Frank Lloyd Wright started nearly 90 years ago may stay open after all. The board of the School of Architecture at Taliesin announced in January that the school would close in June because the board and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the school’s biggest financial supporter, had failed to come up with a way to keep the school open. The foundation said then that the school lacked a sustainable business model. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the board voted Thursday to keep the school open in light of new funding. The decision to remain open is still subject to approval by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The foundation issued a statement Friday saying it has little information about the new funding sources. Board Chairman Dan Schweiker said new supporters have come forward.

Wyoming

Jackson: Jackson Hole’s largest elk herd is thriving and appears to have grown slightly over the past year after hunters had a historically tough time finding animals and filling tags. Wyoming Game and Fish Department harvest data for 2019 estimates that 794 hunters who targeted zones roamed by the Jackson Elk Herd found success and filled their freezer, according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “That’s about half of what it normally is,” Game and Fish wildlife biologist Aly Courtemanch said. “Usually, there’s more like 1,500 or 1,600 elk harvested, both bulls and cows.” The 30-year average harvest in the Jackson Herd is 2,098 elk, though the kill hasn’t surpassed 2,000 since the early 2000s – when the herd size started shrinking by design. Fall 2019 elk hunts were slow across the board.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Tailgate: Tips for a great tailgating experience

Cheryl V. Jackson

Special for USA TODAY

No matter what a team’s performance is on the field, one way to make sure hordes of folks rolling up to stadiums feel like winners is a solid tailgating experience.

Avid tailgaters like Tim Shanley have these parking-lot parties down to a science. His commitment to the pastime has earned him some serious recognition, including membership in the Tailgating Hall of Fame.

Born and raised in Chicago as a Bears fan, Shanley has missed only a handful of home games since 1984 — all the more impressive when you consider he moved to Austin, Texas, 11 years ago. He flies to Chicago for every home game and keeps his star tailgating status in peak form.

“It’s more than just going out to the parking lot and firing up a grill for me,” says Shanley, 59, a plumbing contractor.. “It becomes a lifestyle when you take it as seriously as I do,” he says, adding that “It's family, it's friends and it's bonding.”

To help the rest of us reach his Pro Bowl level, Shanley offers these tips for a rocking tailgate.

Have a theme

Keep your team colors prominent on canopies, chairs, tablecloths and paper plates; and get opposing teams in the mix.

Is your team playing the Ravens? Grill up chicken wings and call them raven wings.

Think quick and convenient

Shanley strongly recommends finger foods for the party so that guests can stand, hold drinks and munch at the same time.

And keep the food coming in waves, making sure eats are on the table as soon as possible. That’s particularly important for guests who’ve already started drinking.

Be clean

Use rubber gloves when preparing food, and change them after handling raw meats, he urges.

To avoid cross-contamination, cooked foods should be kept on tables separate from raw food. Foods and drinks need their own separate coolers, as well.

“The last thing you want to have is your cans and your bottles in the cooler where the meat is, because if those bags start to leak, you're going to have that raw blood or whatever is in that cooler splashing around on those cans and those bottles,” he says.

Plan for early set-up and break-down

Arrive at the lot before it opens for the best chance of claiming a prime spot. There’s typically only a few hours of tailgating time, from gate opening to kickoff, so unload and set up expeditiously.

The grill should be the last thing packed so that it’s the first thing out of the vehicle and available to be fired up upon arrival. Put it at the front of the party, because the grilling is part of the show.

Canopies and chairs need to be further back to avoid the smoke.

Keep the sounds coming, Shanley advises. Be it music, or sports TV or radio, have something for guests to listen to.

“It just adds a little interesting layer to your party by having some entertainment out there,” he says. “And you never know. It might be so much fun, you'll have dancing out there as well.”

Allow for plenty of time to break down the party and get to the game before kickoff.

Leave the grill out of the car to cool off. Meanwhile, pack your drink cooler in the back so that it’s easily accessible for quick drinks after the game.

Don't overserve

Keep an eye out for guests who have consumed too much alcohol.

“Tell them you're going to take the liquor away and give them water and let them chill out for a little bit,” Shanley says.

Overall, the day should be about hospitality and having fun.

“You're going to do a lot of work. It's a lot of hours,” he says. “But enjoy every moment of it. It's all going to come together for you.”

For more tips on hosting a great tailgate, check out the video.

Follow Cheryl V. Jackson on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.