Winning lottery ticket, stray cat feeding trial, booby-trapped political signs: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Wetumpka: The trials for two women facing misdemeanor charges for feeding stray cats in the city have been delayed. The trials for Beverly Roberts, 85, and Mary Alston, 60, were set in Wetumpka Municipal Court for Thursday. The trials have been continued and a new date has not been set, said Terry Luck, one of the women’s defense attorneys. Luck and the women’s other attorney, retired Montgomery County Circuit Judge William Shashy, have scheduling conflicts, he said. The defense also asked city prosecutor Kenny James to recuse himself; he has a potential conflict of interest since he represented Roberts in a divorce case, Luck said. James has recused himself. Roberts faces charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct, and Alston faces charges of criminal trespassing and interfering with governmental operations, records show. In June both women were arrested on public property in downtown Wetumpka while they were attempting to feed and trap stray cats. Once the cats are trapped, the women pay to have them neutered and either work to get them adopted to return them to the stray colony. Officers arrived and arrested them, saying they had been previously trespassed and were told not to feed animals. Wetumpka Police Chief Greg Benton says the feeding of the animals created a nuisance because it attracts more cats to the area. Benton said both women were “repeatedly” warned not to feed the cats and could have prevented the arrests by heeding those warnings. Luck says the arrests are baseless and that the women were performing a service by working to neuter the animals and prevent the stay cat population from growing.

Alaska

Juneau: U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola reported raising $2.3 million in just over three weeks in September, leaving the Democrat with a large cash advantage over Republican rivals Sarah Palin and Nick Begich heading into the Nov. 8 election. Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Kelly Tshibaka, a Republican challenger backed by former President Donald Trump, each raised just over $1 million from late July to Sept. 30, though Murkowski had about three times more cash available at the end of the period. The filings Saturday with the Federal Election Commission for the House race cover Sept. 6 through Sept. 30. Filings in the Senate race covered July 28 through Sept. 30. Peltola on Aug. 31 won a special election to fill Alaska’s House seat until January in a race that also included Palin and Begich. Next month’s election will decide who holds the seat for a two-year term, starting in January. Peltola, in the latest filings, reported having nearly $2.3 million available at the end of September. Palin, a former Alaska governor and the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, reported bringing in about $230,000 during the latest period and having about $195,000 available. Begich reported raising about $57,500 and having just over $545,000 available. Begich loaned his campaign $650,000 earlier in the cycle.

Arizona

Sun City West: A father’s quick reaction kept a 12-year-old girl breathing after she was struck by lightning. Her father performed CPR three times after she was struck during Saturday’s storms in Sun City West. The girl, Ella, had stepped outside of her grandparent’s house to play with a friend when her father Steven Jorgensen heard loud thunder, saw a bright flash and saw her collapse. Jorgensen said he saw his daughter fall and immediately started performing CPR, which he learned while serving in the Marine Corps. “I got her heart back going, I got her breathing, and it was only for a short amount of time until I lost her again,” Jorgensen said. Jorgensen restarted CPR, got her heart to beat again and brought her inside the home while his parents were calling 911. While he was talking to the dispatcher, Ella’s heart stopped again. As Jorgensen started performing CPR for a third time, he said he was trying to remain calm and remembered a scene from the TV show “The Office” where they learn how to perform CPR. “You could hear me singing the Bee Gee’s ‘Staying Alive’ as I was giving her a resuscitation and then finally I got her going,” Jorgensen said. About three minutes later, emergency responders showed up and took over. Ella was taken to Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, and then she was flown to Valleywise Health Medical Center where she has been recovering “very well,” said Dr. Kevin Foster, Director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health.

Arkansas

Van Buren: A man who had been booked into the Crawford County Jail on Friday died in custody Saturday, an attorney representing his family said. Jacob Allen Jones, 26, was booked at the jail by Van Buren police on a complaint of failure to appear on prior drug charges at 4:12 p.m. Friday, jail records show. Attorney David Powell of Fort Smith said Jones died Saturday. He said Jones overdosed at the jail. He said Jones was in a cell for several hours without medical care. “I’m trying to get all of the information I can,” Powell said Sunday night. Efforts to reach Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante Sunday were unsuccessful. Jones’ body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Little Rock where the cause and the manner of death will be determined, the Crawford County Coroner’s office reported Monday. Powell said Jones suffered a medical episode at the jail. Other inmates stated they called for help from detention officers. Four detention officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation, Powell said.

California

Sacramento: California’s coronavirus emergency will officially end in February, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday, nearly three years after the state’s first confirmed death from the disease prompted a raft of restrictions that upended public life. The decision will have little practical impact on most people’s lives, as most of the nearly 600 pandemic-related orders Newsom has issued since the start of the pandemic have already been lifted. And it won’t affect public health orders – including a pending statewide vaccine mandate for schoolchildren that could take effect next summer. But it does signal a symbolic end for some of the most restrictive elements of the pandemic, as it will dissolve Newsom’s authority to alter or change laws to make it easier for the government to quickly respond to the public health crisis. “The State of Emergency was an effective and necessary tool that we utilized to protect our state, and we wouldn’t have gotten to this point without it,” Newsom said in a news release, adding that the declaration will formally end on Feb. 28. Newsom declared a state of emergency for the coronavirus on March 4, 2020, shortly after an elderly patient was the first confirmed death from the disease in California. At the time, there were just 53 cases of COVID-19 in California, and state officials were holding a cruise ship off the coast so it could test passengers before allowing them to disembark in the state.

Colorado

Pueblo County: Nearly 110,000 voters in a southern Colorado county will be receiving general election ballots that were mistakenly labeled as primary election ballots, a blunder that has led the state’s secretary of state to appoint a supervisor to oversee November’s vote in a county that also had issues with ballots in its primary election. The misprint on ballots that are being sent out to voters in Pueblo County was on a tear-off tab and does not effect the “legal validity” or accuracy of the rest of the ballot, Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s office said in a news release Monday. For that reason and because of the short time frame before the ballots were mailed, they will not be reprinted. It is the second time this year that the county has had problems with ballots.

Connecticut

Waterbury: A commuter train struck a tractor trailer in Connecticut on Monday, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said a Metro-North train headed to Bridgeport hit a tractor trailer at a railroad crossing in Waterbury shortly before 11 a.m. The MTA did not provide any information about injuries, but Lt. Ryan Bessette of the Waturbury police said the tractor driver and at least two train passengers were treated for injuries that appeared to be minor. Train service in the area was halted while police and the MTA investigated the crash.

Delaware

Dover: A 29-year-old man who was fatally shot early Sunday in Dover has been identified by police. Jesse Holley marks the city’s first homicide this year. Police were dispatched to the 100 block of S. Bradford St. just after 1:10 a.m. Sunday after receiving a call for a shooting. Arriving officers found Holley there. Dover Police Master Cpl. Ryan Schmid said Holley had a gunshot wound to his lower body. Holley was taken to an area hospital, where he died. This is Dover’s first homicide since June 30, 2021, when 19-year-old Tysean Nelson was one of four people shot in the capital city’s 100 block of S. New St. So far this year, 14 people have been shot in Dover – one fatally. Last year at the same time, 36 people had been shot in Dover – three of them fatally. Holley’s fatal shooting investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should contact the Dover police.

District of Columbia

Washington: Authorities said a maintenance worker brought a registered gun into a high school, WUSA-TV reports. The worker showed up to Anacostia High School with the gun in his bag after the school requested a worker for repairs, and the man was arrested. Police didn’t say if the gun was loaded, according to the news outlet. Having a firearm on school property is not allowed at any D.C. Public Schools campus. No injuries were reported. “Please be assured that no one was harmed, and the incident was promptly handled according to our security procedures,” DCPS Press Secretary Deborah Isaac said. “All students and staff remained safe and supervised during this incident.”

Florida

Fort Myers: A winning lottery ticket worth a share of a $494 million Mega Millions jackpot was purchased in a city hammered by Hurricane Ian late last month. State lottery officials on Monday said one of the two winning tickets was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Fort Myers. The other winning ticket was bought in California. Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28 and has been blamed for more than 100 fatalities in the state. It was the third-deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland this century. More than half of the storm-related deaths in Florida were reported in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers. Lottery winners in the state have 180 days to claim their prize. Under a new state law, lottery winners can remain anonymous for 90 days from the day they claim the winnings, if their prize is worth $250,000 or more. Past winners have also set up legal trusts as a way to keep their identities anonymous.

Georgia

Town: A college student died after being struck by the propeller of a small plane as he disembarked at an airport in southeast Georgia, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Board are investigating the death Sunday night at Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport, FAA spokesman Steve Kulm said. Sani Aliyu, of Atlanta, and a young woman had flown on the single-engine Cessna to nearby Savannah and back on a date, Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch told the Statesboro Herald. He said the plane landed safely on the return trip to Statesboro. The woman “got off the plane and walked toward the back of the plane,” Futch said, “and he got off the airplane and walked toward the front of the plane, and when he did, the propeller hit him.” Aliyu was a sophomore enrolled at Georgia Southern University, school spokeswoman Melanie Simon said. A pilot and co-pilot had flown the couple, said Capt. Todd Hutchens of the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office. He said deputies were sharing information they gathered with the FAA and NTSB. “Nobody is really at fault or anything,” Hutchens said. “It was an accident.”

Hawaii

Honolulu: A former building plans examiner pleaded guilty Monday to all charges in an indictment accusing him of participating in a scheme to take bribes in exchange for expediting projects. Wayne Inouye pleaded guilty to six counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of making a false statement. He did not have an agreement with U.S. prosecutors about what sentence they will seek. Prosecutors say Inouye took at least $89,000 in bribes from an architect and several thousand dollars from others to approve and expedite their projects ahead of others. Inouye lied to an FBI agent and federal prosecutor when he told them an architect loaned him $100,000, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan said. When asked by the judge at Monday’s hearing to describe what he did, Inouye didn’t use the words bribe or bribery. He said an architect offered to compensate him to review plans before submitting them so that he could ensure they were code-compliant. “These plans would have been approved anyway,” he said, but added that they were expedited. He also said he received compensation from a signage contractor to help them submit their application to the department. He said he made a misleading statement to an FBI agent and a federal prosecutor when he told them the compensation was a loan. Honest services wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the false statement charge has a maximum sentences of up to five years.

Idaho

Boise: State revenue from tax collections was $50 million below expectations for the first three months of the current fiscal year, but the state still has a $1.5 billion budget surplus, officials said Monday. The Legislative Services Office said September’s revenue was down about $11 million, with sales and corporate income taxes below predictions. That follows similar misses by small amounts on projections for July and August. Despite the $50 million drop, about 3.6%, in projected revenue for the first three months of this fiscal year, the state is still seeing revenue growth and bringing in more money compared to the same period last year – about $94 million more, or 7.5%. The Division of Financial Management also released a report earlier this month providing a snapshot of the state’s finances. Both reports include a $500 million income tax rebate this year approved by lawmakers in a special session in September, as well as an ongoing income and corporate tax cut that takes effect Jan. 1. The ongoing cut comes from creating a 5.8% flat tax that is expected to cut more than $100 million from revenue for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Those tax cuts came out of a budget surplus then estimated at about $2 billion.

Illinois

Sycamore: A mountain lion that was struck and killed last weekend along a highway will be analyzed by biologists seeking to uncover the rare animal’s origins, state wildlife officials said. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said Monday the mountain lion died Sunday after being hit by a vehicle along Interstate 88 in DeKalb County. Illinois State Police recovered the carcass, which will undergo a necropsy and DNA analysis at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. The DNR said that analysis will provide insight “about the animal, its place of origin, and exploratory movements across the Midwest.” DNR experts believe the mountain lion may be the same one recorded in late September by a trail camera on private property in northwestern Illinois’ Whiteside County, which abuts Iowa. Mountain lions were eliminated from Illinois prior to the 1870s due to habitat loss and hunting. They have been a protected species in Illinois since 2015.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing cold-like symptoms on Monday, according to her office. Crouch said in a Twitter post that she had “mild symptoms and will continue to work for Hoosiers from home while following all of Indiana’s COVID guidelines.” Crouch was at her home in Evansville after testing positive with the COVID-19 virus for the first time, said her office spokesman, Ron Green. Crouch, 70, received two initial doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021 and has since gotten a booster shot, Green said. Crouch has been lieutenant governor since 2017 as Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s running mate in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. She previously was state auditor for three years after serving nine years as a state legislator from Evansville.

Iowa

Cedar Rapids: U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson was released Tuesday morning from a Cedar Rapids hospital where she was being treated for a kidney infection, her office said. Hinson spent two nights in UnityPoint St. Luke’s Hospital after being admitted Sunday evening, according to her office. “I am feeling much better, will continue resting at home, and look forward to getting out on the road to be with Iowans soon,” Hinson said in a statement Tuesday morning. A debate scheduled for Tuesday night between Hinson, a Republican, and her Democratic challenger, Liz Mathis, was canceled in light of Hinson’s medical emergency. Iowa PBS, which was hosting the debate, said there are no plans to reschedule the debate.

Kansas

Fairway: The grounds of a former Native American boarding school will be searched to determine if any Indigenous children were buried there, state officials said. The Kansas Historical Society, which owns the site in Fairway, is contracting with the University of Kansas Center for Research to conduct a ground-penetrating radar survey of the 12 acres to search for unmarked graves, The Kansas City Star reported. The current Shawnee Indian Mission historical site was one of hundreds of schools run by the government and religious groups in the 1800s and 1900s. Thousands of Native American children were forcibly taken from their homes and placed in such schools, with a goal of assimilating them into white American culture and Christianity. Leaders of the Shawnee Tribe and other tribes had requested a search of the Fairway site. But tribal officials said in a statement that they were not consulted about the Historical Society’s project proposal before it was announced. “We have requested formal consultation to address serious concerns about the motives of this project, potential deficiencies in the process that may render incomplete findings, and what plans may be for utilizing any results from the project,” the tribe said. Patrick Zollner, executive director of the historical society, responded that the Shawnee Tribe was the “first to know” about the project proposal. He said the society also contacted other tribes, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, Kaw Nation, Osage Nation and others. Zollner and Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, a spokeswoman with the University of Kansas, emphasized that consultation with the tribes is ongoing and that work will not proceed until that process is completed.

Kentucky

Frankfort: Education in Kentucky faces its own difficult recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a grim fact revealed Tuesday by statewide test scores showing that many students from elementary to high school struggled across a span of core subjects. Fewer than half of students tested statewide were reading at grade level, with even lower across-the-board scores posted in math, science and social studies. Education Commissioner Jason Glass acknowledged there’s “no quick fix” to overcome challenges caused by the pandemic, when schools shifted to virtual learning and staff shortages were common. The recovery in education will take “time and resources,” he stressed. “As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our students and our schools as they continue to recover from the interrupted learning that occurred over the past two years,” Glass said in a news release. “These assessment results will serve as the baseline from which we will move forward as we look to new and innovative learning opportunities for all of Kentucky’s students.” Kentucky has received more than $2 billion in federal funding through the Democratic-backed American Rescue Plan passed by Congress last year. The funding aims to help accelerate learning and provide additional support to districts and the students who need it the most. Kentucky’s results are consistent with what many other states are experiencing, Glass said.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: A shipwreck has emerged along the banks of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge as water levels plummet – threatening to reach record lows in some areas. The ship, which archaeologists believe to be a ferry that sunk in the late 1800s to early 1900s, was spotted by a Baton Rouge resident walking along the shore earlier this month. The discovery is the latest to surface from ebbing waters caused by drought. During the summer, receding waters in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area revealed several skeletal remains, countless desiccated fish, a graveyard of forgotten boats and even a sunken World War II-era craft that once surveyed the lake. “Eventually the river will come back up and (the ship) will go back underwater,” said Chip McGimsey, the Louisiana state archeologist, who has been surveying the wreck during the past two weeks. “That’s part of the reason for making the big effort to document it this time – cause she may not be there the next time.” McGimsey believes that the ship may be the Brookhill Ferry, which likely carried people and horse-drawn wagons from one-side of the river to the other – before major bridges spanned the mighty Mississippi. Newspaper archives indicate that the ship sank in 1915 during a major storm. But this is not the first time the low water levels have revealed the ship. McGimsey said that tiny parts of the vessel were exposed in 1990s.

Maine

Bangor: A police officer was justified in shooting a man in Bangor, despite a review of evidence that showed the officer was farther away from the man than previously thought, the state’s attorney general said. Attorney General Aaron Frey conducted a second review of the shooting of Brian Barker, who was shot three times and survived in 2018. Frey said Friday that his office determined that the officer was more than 37 feet away from Barker and not about 15 feet as it initially stated. Frey said Barker’s movements leading up to the shooting still represented enough of a threat to justify the use of deadly force, the Bangor Daily News reported. Bangor police officers were checking on Barker and saw that he had a knife, which they repeatedly asked him to put down. Frey said Barker’s movements before the shooting made it unclear if he was going to attempt to attack one of the officers on the scene, the Daily News reported. The 21-foot distance marker between officers and a suspect is sometimes referred to as “kill zone” because officers are taught that at that distance an armed person can quickly close the distance.

Maryland

Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan announced an investment of $77 million on Monday for realignment and upgrades to the state’s section of U.S. 219 in Garrett County. Hogan said Monday that the plan advances his pledge to address Maryland’s portion of the U.S. 219 corridor between Interstate 68 and Meyerdale, Pennsylvania, to improve safety, expand economic opportunity, and reinforce the regional supply chain. Hogan also officially dedicated the portion of U.S. 219 in Maryland to retiring state Sen. George Edwards. He cited the senator’s support for improvements that benefit the region. The latest improvements to Maryland’s portion of U.S. 219 will renovate and expand the 1-mile segment between Old Salisbury Road and the Pennsylvania state line. In 2021, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration completed the first phase, which included nearly $65 million of upgrades along U.S. 219 between I-68 and Old Salisbury Road. Finishing the second phase has been identified as Garrett County’s top transportation priority.

Massachusetts

Plympton: Striking truckers used tractor-trailers to block the exits at New England’s largest wholesale food distributor Monday and prevented some employees from leaving, resulting in as many as 20 arrests, police said. More than 400 Teamster union members arrived at the Sysco facility in Plympton, Massachusetts, in the early morning and stopped about 100 employees from leaving, Police Chief Matthew Ahl said in a statement. Police spent two hours negotiating with picketers. “After the attempted negotiation to move union members out of the roadway to create a safe passable environment, unfortunately we had to respond by removing members of the crowd who were inciting a hostile picket line,” the chief said. Sixteen to 20 people were arrested on charges including disorderly conduct and assault and battery, he said. After the arrests, traffic started to flow safely. About 300 Sysco drivers represented by the Teamsters Local 653 started their strike Oct. 1 seeking better pay and benefits. Voicemails seeking comment were left with union representatives.

Michigan

Sturgis: The U.S. Supreme Court has said it would hear arguments brought by a deaf Michigan man who wants to sue his former school district for failing to provide him a suitable teacher who knew sign language for more than a decade and inflating his grades when he could neither read nor write. Miguel Perez, an immigrant who moved to the U.S. with his family as a child and is now in his 20s, has been trying for years to press a claim for compensatory damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against the Sturgis Public School District in southwest Michigan. But lower courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati, have rejected that claim, saying Perez never exhausted the administrative review required first under another federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). No date has been set for oral arguments before the Supreme Court.

Minnesota

St. Paul: Enbridge Energy, the owner and operator of the Line 3 pipeline project in northern Minnesota, will pay more than $11 million after investigations identified water quality violations and three aquifer breaches related to the pipeline’s construction, state regulators said Monday. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources announced the results from investigations of water quality violations and aquifer breaches related to the construction project. Combined with the previous DNR actions, and in partnership with Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the investigations have resulted in more than $11 million in payments, environmental projects, and financial assurances from Enbridge, according to the state agencies. The Minnesota agency investigation found that Enbridge violated regulations when it discharged construction storm water into wetlands and inadvertently releasing drilling mud into surface water at 12 locations in June and August of 2021. The DNR also finalized agreements with Enbridge to address three aquifer breaches related to Line 3 construction.

Mississippi

Jackson: Congress is investigating the crisis that left 150,000 people in the capital city without running water for several days in late summer, according to a letter sent to Gov. Tate Reeves by two Democratic officials. Reps. Bennie Thompson, of Mississippi, and Carolyn Maloney, of New York, sent the letter Monday requesting information on how Mississippi plans to spend $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act and from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and $429 million “specifically allotted to enhance the state’s water infrastructure.” The letter indicates “the start of a joint investigation” by the House Homeland Security and the Oversight and Reform committees into a crisis that deprived Jackson’s 150,000 residents of running water for several days in late August and early September, Adam Comis, a staffer for the committee, told The Associated Press. Thompson’s district includes most of Jackson, and he chairs the Homeland Security Committee. Maloney chairs the Oversight and Reform Committee. Jackson has had water problems for years, and the latest troubles began in late August after heavy rainfall exacerbated problems in the city’s main treatment plant, leaving many customers without running water. Jackson had already been under a boil-water notice since late July because the state health department found cloudy water that could make people ill. Running water was restored within days, and a boil-water notice was lifted in mid-September, but the letter to Reeves says “water plant infrastructure in the city remains precarious, and risks to Jackson’s residents persist.”

Missouri

Springfield: Libraries receiving state funds would be required to determine what material is “age-appropriate” and restrict minors from accessing some books under a proposed rule submitted by the secretary of state Monday. The proposed rule, submitted by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, would also allow parents to challenge a library’s “age-appropriate” designation, and ban state funds from being used to “purchase or acquire materials in any form that appeal to the prurient interest of any minor.” Libraries that receive state funds could see them cut off if they violate the proposed rule. “When state dollars are involved, we want to bring back local control and parental involvement in determining what children are exposed to,” Ashcroft, a Republican, said in a statement. “Foremost, we want to protect our children.” After the rule is formally published in the state register on Nov. 15, residents will be able to submit public comment on it for 30 days. Ashcroft cited state laws that gives his office authority for rulemaking over library funds when he filed the rule. Under the rule, libraries will have to adopt a “written, publicly-accessible” policy determining “how selections are made in considering the appropriateness for the age and maturity level of any minor ... who accesses any material in any form.” That policy will also allow parents and guardians to know what materials are available, and bans library employees from allowing minors to access those materials without a parent or guardian’s permission.

Montana

Helena: A federal administrative law judge has denied a request to block permits that expand bison grazing in north-central Montana while several parties challenge them. Gov. Greg Gianforte, Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the Montana Stockgrowers Association asked the U.S. Interior Department’s hearing division in August to reverse the the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s granting of the permits. Administrative Law Judge Veronica Larvie ruled on Oct. 13 that while there were several concerns about the permits, the parties failed to show that the expanded bison grazing would cause immediate and irreparable harm and she declined to block them while the case moves forward. The Stockgrowers argue additional bison grazing will harm the cattle industry and the local economy. The conservation group American Prairie sought the 10-year permits to remove some fences so bison could roam more freely in Phillips County south of Malta. The grazing area in dispute covers about 108 square miles. It will allow American Prairie to increase the size of its bison herd from about 800 animals to 1,000 bison by 2025, the group said.

Nebraska

Grand Island: The body of a Texas woman found in the trunk of a car that crashed in south-central Nebraska during a police chase was the mother of the teenage driver, police have confirmed. The crash happened Friday along Interstate 80 near Grand Island, shortly after authorities were alerted to be on the lookout for a vehicle out of Texas believed to be involved in a possible homicide there, the Nebraska State Patrol said. A trooper spotted the car minutes later and attempted to stop it, but the driver refused to pull over and a chase ensued reaching speeds of more than 110 mph, the patrol said. The car soon crashed, and the 17-year-old driver suffered serious but non-lethal injuries, police said. Police also found the body of a woman in the car’s trunk. The following day, the patrol identified the woman as 49-year-old Michelle Roenz, of Harris County, Texas. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday she is the mother of the 17-year-old boy who was driving the car. No charges against the teen appeared Monday in Nebraska online court records.

Nevada

Reno: A 47-year-old man will spend up to 15 years in prison for sending death threats to a half-dozen Nevada elected officials in messages citing false conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen. Matthew Carter was found guilty in September of three felony counts of aggravated talking and one count of misdemeanor harassment. Washoe County District Judge Egan Walker sentenced him last week to two to five years for each felony, to be served consecutively. Walker also sentenced Carter to six months for the misdemeanor but said it can be served concurrently, meaning at the same time as the other sentences. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said Monday that Carter sent multiple racist and threatening messages to U.S. Attorney Jason Frierson, state Treasurer Zach Conine, three members of the Nevada Assembly and Gov. Steve Sisolak’s chief of staff Yvanna Cancela. Frierson previously served as speaker of the Assembly and Cancela previously served as a state senator. The others targeted were Assembly members Steve Yeager, Lesley Cohen and Brittney Miller. Ford said the threats, which included racial slurs and references toward lynching, cited passage of expanded mail-in voting ahead of the election as a reason for his promised violence toward the officials.

New Hampshire

Atkinson: A laboratory equipment distributor has been fined $140,000 on 14 felony counts of failing to file export information on shipments to Russia and Ukraine between 2015 and 2019. Intertech Trading Corporation, in Atkinson, pleaded guilty to falsely describing the nature and value of the exported items on commercial invoices and shipping forms, the U.S. attorney’s office in New Hampshire said. In its plea agreement filed in July, Intertech said that it used false descriptions such as “lamp for aquarium” or “spares for welding system,” rather than accurately identifying the sophisticated scientific equipment actually contained in the shipments. Intertech, which was sentenced in federal court Monday, admitted that it drastically undervalued the shipments, thereby evading the requirement to file Electronic Export Information, which would have been reported to the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, the U.S. attorney’s office said. The company’s actions jeopardized national security, said Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. Intertech “had an unblemished record in the industry for more than 30 years and has been devastated financially” by the government’s investigation and the resulting plea agreement, its attorney said in a court document.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state Supreme Court got two new members Monday. The Democrat-led state Senate confirmed Rachel Wainer Apter and Douglas Fasciale to fill two of three vacancies on the state’s highest court. Wainer Apter is currently the head of the civil rights division within the state attorney general’s office and previously served as counsel to the attorney general. Fasciale has been serving a temporary assignment on the high court since mandatory retirements left openings. He served as a judge on the Appellate Division since 2010 and was a state Superior Court judge from 2004 to 2010. Murphy appointed Wainer Apter, a Democrat, in 2021, but her nomination was held up as state senators vetted her appointment. Murphy appointed Fasciale, a Republican, last month. Their appointments track with a New Jersey tradition of governors appointing no more than four members from their own party. “This prevents the Court from lurching too far in one direction or the other. It forces Governors to select nominees from among the best lawyers and judges in the state, regardless of party,” Murphy said when he appointed Fasciale. The seven-member court still has one more vacancy, which Murphy must fill and the Senate confirm.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: The New Mexico Civil Guard has been barred from publicly acting as a military unit without authorization or assuming the role of law enforcement by using organized force at public protests or gathering, according to a newspaper. The Albuquerque Journal reported Tuesday that District Court Judge Elaine Lujan also has banned such activity by the group’s directors, officers, agents, employees, members and any of their successor organizations and members. Lujan granting a motion by Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez, who told the Journal that the decision, “fundamentally represents a victory for the rule of law….We’re trying to prevent violent extremism.”A lawsuit alleged members of the New Mexico Civil Guard violated state law by exercising or attempting to exercise the functions of a peace officer without authority and have organized and operated as a military unit without having been called to military service by the governor, according to the Journal. The newspaper said the governor has exclusive authority under the state Constitution to call on the militia to keep the public peace.

New York

New York City: Thieves stole 20 cars from a dealership and will likely use the vechicles to commit other crimes, a top police official said. The car thieves hit a Mistubishi dealership over the weekend, broke open a lock box that held keys and drove off with late-model cars, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Monday. While some stolen cars are sold overseas, Essig said investigators believe the cars stolen from the Mitsubishi lot will be used to carry out other crimes. “Our feeling is just based on the way crime is going, people taking these cars, they will use these 20 cars in multiple robberies and burglaries throughout the city, switching plates on and off and on and off,” Essig told reporters. Employees did not realize the cars were gone until they came in Monday morning, the chief said. One of the stolen cars was recovered in Brooklyn, he said.

North Carolina

Raleigh: With abortions in the state and the number of out-of-state clinic patients soaring after Roe v. Wade was struck down, judges should permit more trained health professionals to prescribe pills for medication-induced abortions, plaintiffs in a lawsuit wrote on Monday. Abortion providers, medical workers and an abortion-rights group awaiting trial next year in their 2020 lawsuit challenging many state abortion rules asked a three-judge panel to act now and block a law limiting who can provide such medication from just certain licensed physicians. Allowing physician assistants, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives who work at certified abortion clinics to prescribe these pills would immediately expand access to abortion in North Carolina, the plaintiffs said. These “advanced practice clinicians” already can prescribe the same two medicines used in medication-induced abortions for managing a patient’s miscarriage, according to a memo describing the legal grounds for a preliminary injunction. The court should remove “an unnecessary barrier to care so that more North Carolinians can access a full range of reproductive health services, including time-sensitive abortion care, in their own state,” Anne Logan Bass, a nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and a plaintiff, said in a news release. North Carolina abortion clinic operators have said they’ve seen a marked increase in the number of women coming from other states that now have more severe abortion limitations following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June.

North Dakota

Almont: A UPS driver came to the rescue of two people who crashed their vehicle in a rural area of Morton County, the Bismarck Tribune reports. According to the shipping company, Ken Oakes was making deliveries Sept. 20 when he came upon a crashed car on a bridge east of Almont. Oakes, an Army veteran with medical training, helped a female passenger and a male passenger out of the vehicle and continued to help when paramedics arrived, according to the news outlet. “He was amazingly helpful,” said Frank Melchior, an emergency medical technician with the Almont Ambulance Service.

Ohio

Columbus: Patrol Superintendent Charles Jones announced Friday that the Ohio State Highway Patrol would permit troopers to have tattoos on their arms but they’ll have to wear long-sleeve uniforms − even in the heat of summer − to cover the ink. The patrol’s policy still prohibits tattoos above the neckline or below the wrist. Exceptions may be allowed for “a conservative wedding band/civil union tattoo, brand or body art” on the ring finger, the policy states. Police departments across the state and the nation are relaxing their grooming rules in an effort to recruit employees. Columbus, Akron and Cleveland police departments recently announced new policies. Patrol Academy Commandant Major John Altman, who declined to disclose whether he has tattoos, said the new tattoo policy means the patrol can reach out to several hundred potential recruits who expressed interest but also said they have visible tattoos. Altman noted that there are no current plans to change the patrol’s policy that prohibits facial hair.

Oklahoma

Pauls Valley: A politically connected attorney who served as Gov. Kevin Stitt’s hospital surge plan adviser during the pandemic was accused Monday in a drug trafficking charge of illegal involvement in marijuana businesses. Matt Stacy, 43, became the latest attorney to be accused of helping out-of-state clients establish marijuana grow operations by finding them “ghost” owners in Oklahoma. Stitt on Monday said he will be donating Stacy’s contribution to his reelection campaign to charity. Stacy, a lieutenant colonel in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, donated $2,900 to Stitt last year. Stacy was charged Monday in Garvin County District Court with 13 felony counts after being indicted last month by the state’s multicounty grand jury. Stacy “has acted as a consigliere to international drug trafficking organizations engaged in industrial-scale black-market marijuana manufacturing and trafficking,” a state narcotics investigator alleged in an affidavit filed with the charge. The illegal conduct included “structuring fraudulent ‘straw’ ownership schemes to circumvent Oklahoma ownership disclosure and structure requirements for medical marijuana businesses,” the agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control alleged. State law requires a licensed grow operation to be at least 75% owned by Oklahoma residents. “On multiple occasions, Stacy created and/or facilitated the creation of business entities through the use or recruitment of Oklahoma residents to operate as ‘straw owners’ to facially satisfy the Oklahoma residency requirements.” the agent alleged. One grower reported paying Stacy $60,000, according to the affidavit.

Oregon

Portland: Two people have together been awarded $10.4 million at trial after a jury found they suffered hearing loss and emotional trauma when they narrowly escaped a natural gas explosion in Portland. Lawyers for gas leak investigator Eric Rader and stylist Kristen Prentice said both suffered life-altering changes, including post-traumatic stress disorder, after an excavator hit a buried gas pipeline Oct. 19, 2016. Rader had found high levels of gas inside a corner bagel shop and warned firefighters to flee shortly before the blast obliterated the three-story commercial building and gutted a neighboring structure. “The reading on his gas meter indicated extreme risk,” said Greg Kafoury, the attorney for Rader and Prentice. “Rader notified nearby first responders, saving many.” Prentice was about to enter the salon next door when firefighters alerted her to the danger. Both took shelter nearby. Rader and Prentice are now permanently afflicted with hearing loss and painful sensitivity to loud noises, Kafoury said. Their lawsuits were tried jointly in Multnomah County Circuit Court. On Thursday, a jury awarded $6.5 million to Prentice and $3.9 million to Rader – the largest payout to date over the blast. Jurors found contractor Loy Clark Pipeline Co. liable for both of the workers’ medical expenses and lost earnings. Each award included $2.3 million in punitive damages, though about 70% of that money will be directed to a state crime victims fund under Oregon law.

Pennsylvania

Newtown: Political signs in southeastern Pennsylvania have been found booby-trapped with razor blades, which resulted in sliced fingers for one resident, police said. Upper Makefield Township police said Sunday that a campaign sign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro was placed without permission on someone’s property, and while trying to remove it the resident found that razor blades had been “placed around the perimeter of the sign.” “Obviously, this was designed to inflict punishment on anyone who attempted to remove the sign,” police said in a social media post. Police said they inspected all campaign signs and found razor blades placed around the perimeter of signs for two other Democratic candidates, John Fetterman and Ashley Ehasz. Fetterman is running for U.S. Senate and Ehasz for U.S. House. Police said their investigation continues and warned residents to exercise caution in removing signs placed on their property without permission, and to call them if “any implements” have been installed on the signs.

Rhode Island

Providence: A lawsuit brought by Rhode Island’s cities and towns against consulting giant McKinsey & Company over its alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis through deceptive marketing practices will be heard in federal court in Northern California. Towns across the state joined their brethren in Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin and elsewhere in accusing McKinsey of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy by advising Purdue Pharma how to downplay the dangers of Oxycontin while maximizing sales of the prescription painkiller. The communities charge that McKinsey’s misconduct has perpetuated a serious public-health crisis that brought about significant economic damages, including spiking costs related to public health, opioid-related crimes, emergencies and public-safety challenges.

South Carolina

Anderson: Eight Starbucks employees, three of whom were fired by the company, have filed a defamation lawsuit against Starbucks and a former manager, Melissa Morris, who accused the employees of kidnapping and assault prior to the start of a shift in early August. A summons for the lawsuit was filed on Oct. 17 after the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office found that Morris’ criminal accusation was false, according to the summons. On Aug. 1, eight employees at a Starbucks in Anderson surrounded a store manager and presented a list of demands that included better pay, equipment upgrades and better staffing, according to Mya Ourada, a store barista at the time. On Aug. 3, Morris, the Starbucks store manager, in coordination with Starbucks management reported to police that the workers had assaulted and kidnapped the manager on Aug. 1, according to the summons. According to the summons, the Sheriff’s Office told a reporter, “None of the allegations were true... The employees did not stop her from leaving and did not put their hands on her, which is what the boss reported had happened.” “Starbucks knew exactly what they were doing when it smeared our reputation, painting us as criminals,” Aneil Tripathi, a former employee who was fired, said in a press release. “They abused the law enforcement process to intimidate us and keep us terrified that a knock on the door would be the Anderson police coming to take us away.” Starbucks and Morris have 30 days to answer the claims in the summons. “We are reviewing the details of this matter and look forward to defending the company against the allegations made,” a Starbucks spokesperson wrote in an email to the Independent Mail. “No Starbucks partner has been or will be disciplined for supporting or engaging in lawful union activity – but interests in a union does not exempt partners from following policies and procedures that apply to all partners.”

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The City Council passed a group of ordinances and resolutions Tuesday, approving a TIF district that a local developer hopes will aid in creating an affordable housing development in eastern Sioux Falls. The $2.14 million TIF agreement passed the council 7-1 at their meeting, alongside resolutions that formally set the boundaries of the district, as well as approving the project plan for the development.Developer Kelly Nielson told councilors last month he’d been trying to work on a project like this for years, and that his staff had recently “started designing the least expensive house we could come up with.” Each of the 65 homes in the 9.7-acre development must be priced at or below $340,000, with two-bedroom, one-bathroom houses set at a price goal of $232,000 or below, and two-bedroom, two-bathroom units in a twin home with an unfinished basement set at a price goal of $323,000 or below. All of the homes would all need to be constructed by May 1, 2028, Business Development Coordinator Dustin Powers told councilors at the meeting.

Tennessee

Brentwood: A small plane crashed Tuesday on a road in a Nashville suburb, killing one person, authorities said. The pilot was the only person on board the single-engine plane that crashed in Brentwood at 7:30 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Brentwood police confirmed one fatality but didn’t immediately indicate whether the person who died was on the plane. Police said on Twitter that the two-lane road in the community just south of Nashville was closed afterward. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

Texas

Houston: A man was convicted of capital murder on Monday in the 2019 shooting death of a law enforcement officer who was the first Sikh deputy in his agency. A jury took less than 30 minutes before finding Robert Solis, 50, guilty in the killing of Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal during a September 2019 traffic stop in a residential cul-de-sac 18 miles northwest of Houston. Authorities say the 42-year-old deputy was shot multiple times from behind after he stopped Solis and was walking back to his patrol car. The same jury in Houston that convicted Solis began hearing evidence late Monday afternoon in the trial’s punishment phase. Prosecutors are seeking a death sentence. Just before his trial began last week, Solis fired his court appointed attorneys and chose to represent himself. Solis testified in his own defense and told jurors he had accidentally shot Dhaliwal. Prosecutors argued Solis deliberately shot Dhaliwal because he didn’t want to go back to jail. At the time of the traffic stop, Solis had a warrant for violating parole. Dhaliwal was described by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez as “a trailblazer” because he was the first Sikh deputy with the sheriff’s office when he joined the force around 2009. Gonzalez’s predecessor as sheriff, Adrian Garcia, implemented a religious accommodation policy that allowed Dhaliwal to wear the traditional turban and beard of the Sikh religion.

Utah

Orem: U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah worked to distinguish himself from former President Donald Trump in a contentious debate Monday evening. “I stood against my party time and time again to oppose reckless spending. I will do it again and again and again. We need people who say no,” the second-term Republican said. Lee repeatedly pointed to his voting record and twice told the audience at Utah Valley University that he voted less in line with Trump than all but two Republican senators – Rand Paul and Susan Collins. “To suggest that I’m beholden to either party, that I’ve been a bootlicker for either party is folly. And it’s contradicted by the plain facts,” Lee said. Lee faces a challenge from Evan McMullin, a former Republican known most for his long-shot bid for president six years ago, when as an independent he won 21.5% of voters in Utah, including Lee. McMullin has remained a pillar of the anti-Trump movement, attacking the former president as an authoritarian who poses a threat to democracy. Lee’s last minute efforts to put space between his voting record and Trump’s stances depart from his past messaging as Election Day nears.

Vermont

Brattleboro: A plan is being developed to turn part of the Winston Prouty Center for Child Family Development campus into as many as 300 housing units, the Brattleboro Reformer reports. “We’re pushing forward with it,” said Chloe Learey, executive director at the center. “Master planning is really that process of going through what are all the things we would want and what fits and what’s on the landscape and where are the wetlands and how much is it going to cost?” They hope to complete the plan in April, according to the news outlet. The design is intended “to build a neighborhood essentially,” Learey said. The planning process is estimated to cost $200,000. Grants and donations are being sought to assist with the project, the news outlet reports.

Virginia

Woodbridge: A couple, their 19-year-old daughter and a 36-year-old man were found dead in their home after a fellow resident, who is now charged with murder, called 911 to report a shooting, police said Tuesday. Prince William County Police officers responded to a Woodbridge home on Monday afternoon after a 911 caller reported that someone shot into the residence and people might be dead inside, Police Chief Peter Newsham said at a news conference near the home. When officers arrived, they found the door open and two men and two women dead in different parts of the home. “This is horrific,” Newsham said. “Every adjective that you can use to describe a tragedy, you can use to describe what happened here last night.” The evidence found on the scene didn’t match the details from the 911 caller, who turned out to be the suspect in the case, Newsham said. The caller – David Maine, 24, of Woodbridge – was found nearby. On Tuesday morning, Maine was charged with four counts of second-degree murder, Newsham said. Maine is being held without bond. The police chief identified the dead as Miguel Duran Flores, 44; Kelly Victoria Sotelo, 42; their daughter Karrie Ayline Sotelo, 19; and Richard Julio Jesus Revollar Corrales, 36, who lived in the basement of the home. Maine had a relationship with another resident, who was not at the home, Newsham said. That person has cooperated with police, providing valuable information, and is also upset about what happened at his home, he said.

Washington

Bremerton: Bremerton Municipal Court has shut down some public access to the court through the end of the month and cases may be continued, citing employee turnover and the COVID-19 pandemic for the court's inability to keep regular hours. The restrictions for Bremerton’s court make it the only court of limited jurisdiction in Kitsap County to institute new public access restrictions. The city courthouse was closed to the public starting on Monday, with all court hearings being held on Zoom. Court hearings will be limited, and cases will be continued as courtroom staffing allows, according to the emergency administrative order. The new restrictions could be updated or amended. Judge Tracy Flood, who took office in January, issued the emergency administrative order Sunday, citing “constantly changing issues” starting with the onset of pandemic restrictions and accommodations in March 2020.

West Virginia

Charleston: The Appalachian Regional Commission is granting $47 million to 52 projects aimed at economic diversification in communities affected by job losses in the coal industry. The funding, which comes from the commission’s POWER Initiative, will reach 181 counties. The funding is the largest to date since the initiative was launched in 2015, the commission said Monday in a statement. It is aimed at creating jobs, expanding skills training and attracting private investments to support industries such as agriculture, food and tourism. “Our coal-impacted communities are a vital part of Appalachia’s 13 states and 423 counties – when our coal communities thrive, our entire region is uplifted,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. The POWER Initiative is funded by Congress and has invested $367 million in 447 projects throughout Appalachia, according to the commission. Hundreds of coal-fired power plants have shuttered over the last decade.

Wisconsin

Maple Grove: Sheriff’s investigators are willing to forgo any possible underage drinking violations in order to get more information about a bonfire explosion that injured more than a dozen people, including some critically, officials said Tuesday. The Shawano County Sheriff’s Office says as many as 40 current and former Pulaski High School students were at the bonfire Friday night in the Town of Maple Grove, which is about 25 miles south of Green Bay. The sheriff’s office believes the explosion was triggered when someone pushed a 55-gallon drum containing diesel fuel into the fire. Investigators say 17 people injured were privately transported to hospitals after the explosion. Seven of those were transferred to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee to have their burns treated, WLUK-TV reported. Authorities say a number of the injured remain hospitalized, some in critical condition. “We understand there may be some apprehension for some to meet with us based on the evidence of underage drinking, and although underage drinking is something law enforcement agencies take seriously, we can assure those who were there, that our detectives do not have intentions on issuing citations for this, as our main focus and concern is gathering the facts of this tragic event,” the sheriff’s office said. A number of people have come forward with information, investigators said, but there are other witnesses to the explosion who have not.

Wyoming

Shoshone National Forest: A grizzly bear attacked and injured two men who apparently surprised the bruin while they were recreating in northwestern Wyoming, state wildlife officials said Monday. The encounter happened Saturday while the men were off a trail and searching for antlers shed by deer and elk in the forest southeast of Yellowstone National Park, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said. The antlers can be sold for taxidermy and craft purposes and for dog chews. The men were able to call 911 from near the scene and other recreationists in the area were able to get them to the trailhead, where they met search and rescue teams. One man was flown to the hospital by helicopter while the other was taken by ambulance. Their conditions were not known on Monday, wildlife officials said. Game and Fish personnel were still investigating the attack. Reports from hunters and landowners in the area where the attack occurred indicate there may be six to 10 bears moving between agricultural fields and low elevation slopes, Dan Smith, a regional wildlife supervisor, said in a statement. The agency will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety, Smith said. Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

From Paste BN Network and wire reports