Baby Health in Winter Massive pumpkin, runaway emu, 38-year-old penguin dies: News from around our 50 states

Baby Health in Winter Alabama

Montgomery: A group of cyclists are traveling across the state to raise awareness of rural poverty and civil rights. The group Civil Rides said in a news release that 20 cyclists took part in the ride on Saturday and Sunday. Civil Rides said the group sees poverty as a modern civil rights issue in America. The cyclists made stops at sites important to the civil rights movement. Riders traveled from Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery and through Selma and Alabama’s Black Belt. The ride ended Sunday in Birmingham at Kelly Ingram Park. The ride also raised money for the Together for Hope program and Out Hunger, a hunger initiative.

Baby Health in Winter Alaska

Juneau: The Juneau School District has introduced a new computer monitoring program prompting concerns over student privacy and data collection. The district installed and launched the Bark program Sept. 13, the Juneau Empire reported. An email was sent Sept. 15 with initial details and that more information would be provided to students, parents, staff and board members. The software monitors for content deemed harmful including school shooters, self-harm, pornography and cyberbullying, school district officials said. The district sent a second email last week to address concerns after a school meeting Oct. 8, district representatives said. Superintendent Bridget Weiss also sat down with students Friday to talk about the program and hear any concerns and comments. There is no opt-out option, which some students said infringes on their rights. Some parents shared concerns about who was viewing the system’s alerts and data. School officials said the software is intended to monitor the words students use on school computers, flag potential harms and send alerts to officials. It could not be used to read emails or documents that haven’t been flagged. Bark is a California-based company that sells monitoring software, the company website said. More than 1,300 school districts nationwide use the program. It is unknown how many Alaska school districts are using it.

Baby Health in Winter Arizona

Phoenix: The Arizona Republic reported that fans and teams were evacuated for an hour from a football game at a high school on Friday after reports of shots being fired nearby. The newspaper said gunshots could be heard as the game was being played about 7: 50 p.m. at Betty Fairfax High School. A freelance writer covering the game for the Republic heard multiple shots and witnessed players ducking and leaving the field, then the stadium being evacuated. By about 8: 50 p.m., players were back on the field and fans were allowed to re-enter the stadium, the Republic reported. Phoenix police Detective Luis Samudio said shots were fired near the school but no one was injured. He said the gunfire did not occur at the school.

Baby Health in Winter Arkansas

Fort Smith: University of Arkansas at Fort Smith students will get a new writing center because of a federal grant from the Department of Education. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the university recently announced that it had received the five-year, $2.25 million grant. The grant is part of the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program and will allow the university to create a dedicated campus writing center, provide accelerated literacy programming through a Summer Bridge Program, and support faculty development in academic literacy teaching strategies. The grant was co-authored by Cammie Sublette, professor of literature and head of the university’s English department, and Monica Luebke, an associate professor of English. Sublette said the writing center will be located on campus in part of the old gym, which will be fully renovated and equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Baby Health in Winter California

Twentynine Palms: A revamped entrance and visitor centers are in the works to help ease crowds after a surge in tourism to Joshua Tree National Park. Annual attendance has nearly doubled in the past five years, leading to hour-long waits to enter the park 140 miles east of Los Angeles and crammed parking lots, The Desert Sun reported Saturday. The Park Service has plans to demolish a fee booth and construct a new one with additional entry and exit lanes and automated fee pay stations. That project is expected to be completed by 2022. There are also plans for new visitors’ centers to accommodate larger crowds. A 5,000-square-foot visitor center in Twentynine Palms – which will replace an existing 600-square-foot space – will include educational exhibits and an outdoor stage for community events. On the other side of the park, the Park Service will replace a trailer that serves as a center for visitor information with a new building with space for sales and exhibits. Officials also have plans to redesign a park campground following an increase in tent camping there. The park is known for crazy-limbed trees with clusters of green spikes.

Baby Health in Winter Colorado

Pueblo: Zookeepers at the Pueblo Zoo have announced the death of Mongo, a penguin believed to be the oldest African penguin in captivity in North America. The Pueblo Chieftain reported Thursday that 38-year-old Mongo died overnight Wednesday while in captivity at the zoo. Scientists said the endangered African penguin lives an average of 20 years. Zoo staff said Mongo faced various health challenges including hormone issues. Zookeepers said Mongo lived at the city’s zoo since it opened its penguin exhibit in 1992. He was transferred from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, where he fathered nine chicks. Staff said Mongo is survived by more than 100 descendants worldwide. Zookeepers said his first partner Tess was the oldest African penguin in captivity in North America before her death in 2015. She was 40 years old.

Baby Health in Winter Connecticut

Storrs: The University of Connecticut’s former mascot is recovering from a health scare. Alpha Phi Omega said Jonathan XIII was stricken by a cluster of seizures last weekend and was taken to a veterinary hospital in Middletown. The service organization said doctors believe Jonathan XIII suffered a stroke earlier this year that went undiagnosed. He is expected to recover. The 12-year-old all-white Husky served as the school’s mascot from 2008 to 2014 but was retired because he became nervous in front of large crowds. He was replaced by Jonathan XIV, a black-and-white Siberian Husky. The organization is raising funds to help pay for the medical treatment, which included an MRI. It had received more than $4,000 by Friday afternoon and said any excess funds will be donated to the hospital.

Baby Health in Winter Delaware

Wilmington: Hundreds of people gathered to mourn three young brothers who died after their car plunged into a canal. The News Journal reported a funeral was held Friday in Wilmington for 18-year-old Willis Lindsey Jr., 16-year-old Kyree Lindsey and 6-year-old Ethan Lindsey. The boys were remembered as lovers of all things outdoors who enjoyed spending time with family. The three died along with a cousin nearly two weeks ago. They were traveling to a youth football game when they took a wrong turn and ended up on a gravel road along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Willis Lindsey Sr. has said the vehicle driven by his eldest son plunged into the canal as they were trying to make their way back to the main road. The newspaper reported a funeral for the fourth victim, 12-year-old Eric Lindsey, was set for Saturday.

Baby Health in Winter District of Columbia

Washington: Police are looking for two teenage sisters missing from Northeast, WUSA-TV reported. Caylynn Blakeney and Carlisa Blakeney were last seen in the 200 block of 45th Street Northeast on Saturday. Police described Caylynn, 13, as a black female with medium brown hair. She’s 4-foot-7, weighs 130 pounds and has brown eyes and blonde hair. She was last seen wearing black pants and a blue sweater with black-and-white Jordan shoes. Fourteen-year-old Carlisa Blakeney is described by police as a black female with a medium complexion. She’s 4-foot-7, weighs 130 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Blakeney was last seen wearing a blue jacket, blue pants and pink, with white-and-black sneakers. Police are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the sisters to call (202) 727-9099.

Baby Health in Winter Florida

Fort Myers Beach: Scientists said a red tide bloom is making its way into southwest Florida bays and killing sea turtles. The Fort Myers News-Press reported turtle conservationists have seen seven dead Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and one dead loggerhead at Bonita Beach and Fort Myers Beach. Boats struck three of the turtles, but it is not clear if they were dead when that happened. Red tide happens because of the presence of nutrients in salt water and also causes respiratory irritation in people. Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s water quality scientists said that conditions are not as bad as in 2018, when the bloom killed hundreds of sea turtles and dolphins.

Baby Health in Winter Georgia

Fort Stewart: Scientists studying the red-cockaded woodpecker in Georgia forests said the rare bird is making a comeback. The bird was likely common long ago, but has been considered endangered in recent years, WABE Radio reported. Habitat loss was the main challenge for the bird. It’s homes – the longleaf pine forests of the South – were rapidly disappearing. Now, the small black-and-white bird could be on the verge of becoming an environmental success story in Georgia and across the South. It is doing well enough that there have been discussions about downgrading its protections. The population at Fort Stewart is so strong that researchers catch red-cockaded woodpeckers on the base and move them to other places that need help building up their populations of the endangered birds, the radio station reported. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bird can be found in nearly a dozen states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.

Baby Health in Winter Hawaii

Kahuku: The energy company that wants to build a wind farm on Oahu’s North Shore said they respect people’s right to oppose the project. Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard said 55 people were arrested for refusing to move out of the way of a convoy bringing equipment to the wind farm construction site. Mark Miller, AES Corp.’s U.S. chief operating officer, said in a statement Friday the project is important for Hawaii’s renewable energy future. He said they will continue to answer questions and address concerns of those in the community. Some opponents said they’re inspired by the success of protesters blocking construction of a giant telescope on the Big Island. Opponents said the turbines pose health risks and are noisy. AES said wind turbines are safe and the noise is comparable to light traffic.

Baby Health in Winter Idaho

Ketchum: Questions are being raised after an Idaho Department of Fish and Game officer killed an orphaned black bear cub in Hailey last week rather than send it to a rehabilitation facility. Terry Thompson of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game told the Idaho Mountain Express that the agency generally doesn’t consider big-game animals for rehabilitation. Thompson said the agency killed the cub rather than send it to a rehabilitation facility because success isn’t guaranteed, and Idaho already has a healthy black bear population. Sally Maughan of Idaho Black Bear Rehab said that facility has had plenty of success raising bear cubs without habituating them to humans and releasing them into the wild. Off 225 cubs, 212 were released into the wild. Only four were euthanized because of human-bear conflicts. She said the public cares about what happens to orphaned and injured cubs.

Baby Health in Winter Illinois

Chicago: Urban farming has become more common in Chicago neighborhoods, and now lawmakers have begun pushing for stricter legislation. The Chicago Tribune reported that an ordinance introduced last month would ban roosters from residential areas in the city and allow no more than six hens and two livestock animals per household. City Council member Raymond Lopez said rather than restricting urban agriculture, he wants the ordinance to start a conversation about it as a positive growth industry for the city. The proposed law would also require a $25 livestock permit from the city’s Health Department that could be rejected if a majority of neighbors within 500 feet protest.

Baby Health in Winter Indiana

Lafayette: A black soldier who was buried in an unmarked grave got proper recognition for his military service in World War I nearly a half-century after his death. The memorial for Leonard Inman, who died in 1973, was Saturday at Spring Vale Cemetery in Lafayette and featured a 21-gun salute, the retiring of colors and taps by the American Legion Post 492, the Journal and Courier reported. Inman, whose name is spelled “Inmon” in the 1919 Tippecanoe County World War I Honor Roll book, served during the war in the 809th Pioneer Infantry, Company C. The General de Lafayette Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has installed a headstone for Inman, which the cemetery paid for in commemoration. Born in 1893 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Inman moved with his family to Lafayette in 1908. He enlisted into service 10 years later. As an African American, he was not permitted to engage in direct combat. Because the American military was not desegregated until 1948, Inman likely served under French command, according to the chapter’s research. Following the war, he returned to Lafayette and worked for the Murdock family, one of the well-known families living in the area at the time. In 1943, he started working for Alcoa to assist with the war effort in producing aluminum, staying there until 1958. He had no children and died Nov. 25, 1973, in his home after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Baby Health in Winter Iowa

Northwood: The owner of a northern Iowa dog breeding operation has been found guilty of animal neglect. The Mason City Globe Gazette reported that 66-year-old Barbara Kavars of Manly was found guilty Friday of 14 counts of misdemeanor animal neglect in connection with the operation of a puppy mill. Prosecutors said Kavars was holding Samoyed dogs in inhumane conditions when officials raided her operation on Nov. 12 and took about 150 dogs. Court records said 17 dogs had fur matted by feces, skin conditions leading to fur loss, painful wounds, intestinal parasites and other maladies. One dog had to be euthanized. Officials said the dogs’ kennels lacked food and had water containers filled with ice. Kavars denied wrongdoing and testified she fed and gave water to the dogs every day.

Baby Health in Winter Kansas

Salina: Officials said an African lion that died at the Rolling Hills Zoo suffered from encephalitis caused by a fungal infection. The lion, named Sahar, died Sept. 27. Zoo officials announced Thursday that a necropsy performed at Kansas State University found the infection caused lesions on the lion’s brain and a lung. It said Sahar had no outward signs of illness until the day before his death. The fungus is not contagious. The Salina Journal reported Sahar was born in January 2010 at the Bronx Zoo/ Wildlife Conservation Society. He was moved to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago in 2012 along with 5-year-old littermates, Kamali and Zalika. The three lions moved to the Salina zoo in June.

Baby Health in Winter Kentucky

Hazard: The remains of a sailor killed at Pearl Harbor have been identified as those of a Kentucky soldier. WYMT-TV reported military officials made the announcement Thursday. Seaman Second Class Hubert Hall, 20, was one of 428 crewmen on the USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, when it was struck by Japanese torpedoes. It took several years to recover and bury the remains. The military identified 35 of them in 1947, but new forensic technology became available in 2015 and medical examiners used DNA analysis, dental records and circumstantial evidence to finally identify Hall. The remains are now being sent to his family. He’s set to be buried next year at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, where his name was recorded on the Walls of the Missing.

Baby Health in Winter Louisiana

Lake Charles: Construction has begun on a Culinary, Gaming and Hospitality building at a community college in southwest Louisiana. SOWELA Technical Community College said in a news release that the $10.2 million development on its Lake Charles campus will cover 28,000 square feet. It will be used to train students for jobs and careers in Louisiana’s $18.8 billion hospitality industry. Citing figures from Louisiana’s Workforce Commission, SOWELA expects the state to see a nearly 15% increase in hospitality jobs by 2026. SOWELA said state funding was approved by Gov. John Bel Edwards last year. Construction of the building is scheduled to be completed in March 2021.

Baby Health in Winter Maine

Portland: A group representing Maine’s lobstermen said it’s now willing to work with the federal government on a plan to protect right whales after withdrawing its support for the plan this summer. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is one of the key stakeholders in an effort to better protect the North Atlantic right whales, which number only about 400 and are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear. A federal plan that’s being developed to help save the whales would remove miles of lobster trap rope from the waters off Maine. The lobstermen’s association issued a public statement on Oct. 11 saying it appreciates that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service has offered a “constructive response” to its concerns about whale protection. However, the statement also said the lobstermen still think the whale plan focuses too much on new restrictions for their industry. The organization said it believes NOAA Fisheries should also consider the impact other fisheries have on the whales. The group hopes its letter sends a message that finding a way to save the whales is still one of its priorities, said Patrice McCarron, its executive director, in a telephone interview.NOAA Fisheries is not commenting on the lobstering group’s statement, agency spokesman Jennifer Goebel said. However, the regulators have also recently expressed desire to work with the lobstermen, who have said the whale protection plan placed too much onus on their business, which is an industry vital to Maine’s economy.

Baby Health in Winter Maryland

Rockville: Discrimination based on hairstyles typically associated with race would be illegal, under a proposal that’s being considered in Montgomery County. News outlets reported the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday heard from people who said they have been told to wear their hair in specific styles to avoid appearing “unprofessional” or “distracting.” Residents said they often feel pressured to abide by “Eurocentric standards of beauty.” The law would bar the suburb from discriminating against hairstyles including braids, locks, Afros, curls and twists. Violators would face a fine of up to $5,000. The director of the county’s human rights office, Jim Stowe, said it hasn’t handled any hair cases this past year. A vote on the bill is set for this fall. New York and California have passed similar legislation.

Baby Health in Winter Massachusetts

Boston: The Boston Public Library, one of the city’s most historic institutions, is giving four lucky couples the chance to exchange marriage vows for free inside its venerable halls. The library’s wedding giveaway announced this week is a celebration of the McKim Building’s 125th anniversary. The wedding package at the Central Library in Copley Square includes a preceremony breakfast, bouquets and boutonnieres, music, photography, an overnight stay at the Westin Copley Place, and ceremonies officiated by a Justice of the Peace. The ceremonies for up to 10 guests will be held Feb. 2 while the library is closed to the public. The online-only registration period for the randomly selected wedding packages has started and ends Nov. 15. The library, founded in 1848, is one of the city’s most sought-after wedding locations.

Baby Health in Winter Michigan

Spring Lake: The National Weather Service said Wednesday’s storm that battered Lake Michigan’s shoreline swept away up to 20 feet of dunes in some of Michigan’s lakeside communities. The weather service said wind-driven waves combined with already near-record high lake levels to create widespread lakeside erosion, threatening some homes in western and northern Michigan. Spring Lake resident Sammie Congleton said the waves damaged part of her home’s deck and further eroded dunes that once extended 300 feet to the water. She told WOOD-TV the home she and her husband bought in the early 1990s has been “a little piece of paradise.” Now, they’re awaiting government approval to install large rocks to hold the remaining dunes in place. Forecasters expect the lake’s high waters to continue into early next year.

Baby Health in Winter Minnesota

Foley: Authorities in central Minnesota are searching for a missing emu described as a “habitual runaway.” The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said the big bird went missing from the Foley area on Saturday. Foley is about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Emus are the second-largest birds in the world by height behind the ostrich. Animal experts said the flightless native Australian birds can sprint at up to 30 mph. The sheriff’s office said there were two emus and a dog that also wandered away, but one of the emus and the dog were located.

Baby Health in Winter Mississippi

Ripley: Tippah Electric Power Association board members voted this month to create a broadband internet subsidiary. The cooperative’s 13,500 members in Tippah, Benton, Union, Prentiss and Alcorn counties are now voting by mail on amending its incorporation charter. At least 10% of members must vote. Of those, at least 60% must favor the change for it to pass. General Manager Tim Smith told The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that if Tippah Electric goes ahead, building a network will take up to three years. Tippah is at least the sixth of Mississippi’s 25 cooperatives to announce internet plans. The moves come months after state legislators allowed rural electric providers to enter the business. Lawmakers cited complaints that current providers weren’t serving rural areas.

Baby Health in Winter Missouri

St. Louis: Doctors were hoping the heart transplanted to Brett Meyers would last 10 years. Instead, the St. Louis man is marking 30 years since he received the new heart as an infant. KMOV-TV reported that Meyers was just a couple of months old when he received a heart transplant in 1989 at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He was, at the time, the youngest patient at the hospital to undergo the procedure. Meyers as born without his left ventricle. At the time, transplants for babies were unusual. Today, Meyers is active and working, along with volunteering. The hospital said that in the past year, transplants were successful in all 41 pediatric patients who received new hearts.

Baby Health in Winter Montana

Missoula: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to name a local post office in honor of Jeannette Rankin. The Missoulian reported Thursday that the approval came Wednesday to rename the building after the Missoula-born Republican known as the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. Officials said the bill was introduced to the House and Senate in March. Rankin was elected to Congress in 1916 and reelected in 1940. Officials said she secured the right to vote for women in Montana in 1914, six years before ratification of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote nationwide. A stretch of Interstate 90, a hall on the University of Montana campus, elementary schools, a park and peace center also carry her name..

Baby Health in Winter Nebraska

Lincoln: State game and wildlife officials are offering tips to motorists to avoid collisions with deer this fall. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said deer are more active now as crops are being harvested and deer breeding season is in full swing. The agency suggested motorists try to anticipate the possibility of a deer on the road and be prepared to stop suddenly – especially around wooded areas and during dawn and dusk, when deer are more active. Avoid braking too sharply or swerving. Motorists are also urged to wear seat belts and to honk their horns and flash their headlights if they spot a deer near the road to try to scare it away.

Baby Health in Winter Nevada

Las Vegas: The U.S. Census Bureau said Clark County has one of the fastest-growing Native American populations in the country. The bureau estimated that between July 2017 and 2018 the number of Native Americans living in the county that includes Las Vegas grew at a faster rate than any other large county in the nation. Experts told the Las Vegas Review-Journal more Native Americans are moving to the county because of its strong economy, employment opportunities and proximity to reservations in Arizona, Utah and Southern California. Today about 50,000 people who self-identify as Native American live in Clark County – about 2% of the county’s population.

Baby Health in Winter New Hampshire

Concord: Four teachers were honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. They are Bryan Smith, who teaches fourth grade at Bethlehem Elementary School; Gregory Snoke, who teaches sixth grade at Captain Samuel Douglass Academy in Brookline; Elise Catalano, who received the award for her work at Rye Junior High School and now teaches seventh grade at Cooperative Middle School in Exeter; and Angela Lennox, who recently retired from Exeter High School. It’s her second time receiving the award. She first won in 2013. Established in 1983, the award is the highest recognition that a kindergarten-through-12th-grade science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teacher can receive for outstanding teaching.

Baby Health in Winter New Jersey

Trenton: Hunters have killed 185 black bears since the hunt began at sunrise on Monday. Most of the bears harvested were in Sussex, Warren and Morris counties. The first three days were restricted to hunters using bows and arrows. However, archers and muzzle-loading rifle hunters were allowed beginning Thursday and they could participate until the hunt ended a half-hour before sunset on Saturday. The bear hunt for firearms only starts Dec. 9. The hunt is restricted to five zones. Gov. Phil Murphy has prohibited hunting on state lands. Hunters killed 225 bears in 2018, the lowest amount since 2003.

Baby Health in Winter New Mexico

Albuquerque: Professors and adjunct teachers at New Mexico’s largest university have voted to unionize. The University of New Mexico announced Friday the adjunct and faculty endorsed two proposals in favor of union representation after two days of voting. Results showed members of the school’s regular faculty voted 500-304 in favor of unionization. Adjunct faculty voted 256-26 in favor of forming their own union. The move comes after a faculty union petition was filed in February. Faculty members have complained that University of New Mexico professors are among the lowest-paid in the country.

Baby Health in Winter New York

Saranac Lake: The site of a sanitarium that made this Adirondack village famous for treating tuberculosis has been sold. The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported the old Trudeau Sanatorium property was sold Thursday for $2.65 million to Cure Cottage Development. The 29-building property had been owned since 1957 by a New York City-based executive training firm. Edward Livingston Trudeau, a New York physician who survived tuberculosis, founded the medical care site in 1885. He’s the great-grandfather of “Doonesbury” comic strip creator Garry Trudeau. Saranac Lake became known for treating TB sufferers, with many staying in what were known as “cure cottages.” One of the buyers told the newspaper they want to stabilize buildings and host weddings and other events related to the chapel by the spring.

Baby Health in Winter North Carolina

Fayetteville: A cemetery has canceled plans for a Halloween-themed movie night after complaints from people with loved ones buried there. WTVD reported the free public event at Lafayette Memorial Park in Fayetteville was going to include snacks and a kid-friendly film. A statement from the owner said the park has “a wonderful green space with plenty of room to hold such an event without infringing on any burial spaces.” But the statement said when families’ concerns became obvious, the event was canceled “out of respect to all.” Sam Simpson, whose daughter is buried at the cemetery, told the station he and his family didn’t like the thought of crowds of people sitting around, possibly mistreating gravestones or leaving trash.

Baby Health in Winter North Dakota

Fargo: Several Kurdish Americans and others took to the streets of downtown Fargo waving signs and flags to protest attacks by Turkey that were ignited by President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. Protest organizer Kawar Karok told KVRR-TV that Saturday’s demonstration was meant to draw attention “to the fact that our people are still being slaughtered, our kids are being massacred, and nothing has changed.” He said Kurdish fighters who worked alongside Americans to battle ISIS terrorists are being left in the cold. Fargo native Shakar Abdulla said “little kids and wives and families” are being killed by a dictator and that goes against American values. He said it’s time to end the senseless violence. Karok said his community has “very president people” and there will likely be more protests until something is done.

Baby Health in Winter Ohio

Cincinnati: The Cincinnati Zoo’s newest baby bearcat is ready to make its debut as the University of Cincinnati’s next live mascot. But first, she needs a name. The zoo showed off the newborn bearcat Friday. Zoo staff is asking visitors to suggest a name for the young bearcat. The new name will be announced at Cincinnati’s homecoming game against Connecticut in early November. Live mascots from the zoo have represented the school for 35 years. Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard said the last one, named Lucy is alive and well but has entered retirement. Her successor was born in Nashville zoo in Nashville, Tennessee, four weeks ago. She weighs 2 pounds.

Baby Health in Winter Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Native American tribes in Oklahoma will meet with state officials to discuss clashing views on the tribes’ gambling agreement. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said the tribes’ 15-year gambling compact will expire on Jan. 1 unless a renewal is negotiated. Tribal officials have countered that stance, saying the agreement should renew automatically. The Oklahoman reported that the sides are meeting on Oct. 28 to iron out their differing interpretations of the agreement. Oklahoma’s Native American tribes pay the state exclusivity fees ranging from 4% to 10% of revenue for the perk of operating certain types of casino games in the state. Stitt said he believes the tribes should pay higher exclusivity fees. Last year, the state collected more than $139 million in fees, which mostly went to support education.

Baby Health in Winter Oregon

Salem: Robb Campbell was thoroughly soaked, shivering, his wet sleeping bag covering him in the only shelter he could find – a pit toilet in a closed campground – after getting lost in a snowstorm in Oregon while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Campbell was saved on Friday by a search team from the local sheriff’s department, who found his footprints in the snow. Heavy snow was forecast through Saturday night in the Cascade Range. Campbell, a native of the Philadelphia area, started hiking the famed Pacific Crest Trail on the U.S.-Mexican border on May 4, determined to make it all the way to the other end, on the Canadian border, 2,650 miles away. Last year, he hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, he said. Those who walk the entire distance of these multistate trails are called thru-hikers. Campbell’s troubles began Wednesday night. Snow was falling, the first winter storm of the season. He stayed awake all night, punching the interior tent walls to knock the accumulating snow off. As he hiked on Thursday, the snow buried the trail. A smartphone app that was supposed to show the way didn’t help. Straying miles off the trail and into a boulder field, he stepped into a crack hidden in the snow, trapping his foot. He struggled for five minutes and had to unlace his shoe before he could free himself, Campbell said.

Baby Health in Winter Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh: Leaders of a synagogue where 11 worshippers were fatally shot last year said they want to renovate the building into what they hope will be a “center for Jewish life in the United States” and a symbol against hatred. Plans unveiled Friday for the Tree of Life synagogue included places for worship; memorial, education and social events; classrooms and exhibitions. Tree of Life Executive Director Barb Feige said returning to the building will honor those killed on Oct. 27, 2018. Federal prosecutors have charged 47-year-old Robert Bowers in the massacre. They are seeking the death penalty. His attorneys said the case would be over by now if prosecutors had accepted his guilty plea in return for a life term without parole.

Baby Health in Winter Rhode Island

Providence: Rhode Island has been awarded federal funding to protect students from lead in school drinking water. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said the state health department will receive a $703,000 federal grant to test for lead in drinking water at local schools and childcare centers. The Rhode Island Democrat said parents, students and teachers have a right to know that water is safe at schools and childcare facilities. The new grant is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It can be used to provide free analytical water testing and help communities implement plans to reduce lead in drinking water. The health department said it will use the grant to expand school testing that began in 2017 and collect up to 20 samples at each public school.

Baby Health in Winter South Carolina

Charleston: Crews are ready to begin construction on a museum chronicling the history of African Americans in the Western Hemisphere. The International African American Museum will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday. The museum is set to open in 2021. The museum sits on the former site of Gadsden Wharf in downtown Charleston, where nearly half the slaves brought to America first arrived. Former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley has been pushing for the museum since 2000 and has helped raise $90 million from governments and more than 2,200 individuals and companies. The museum will tell the story of slavery, but also other struggles and accomplishments by African Americans in the U.S. It will include comprehensive genealogy libraries to help people trace their family history.

Baby Health in Winter South Dakota

Rapid City: Authorities said a lost hunter has been found safe in western South Dakota. Pennington County sheriff’s authorities said the 72-year-old man from Alexandria, South Dakota, was elk hunting with friends when he was reported missing around 9 p.m. Thursday. A sheriff’s deputy found the man about 90 minutes later. The Rapid City Journal reported the man was not injured. The search included the use of a thermal drone. The man is the second hunter reported missing in October in the Black Hills. On Oct.1, 66-year-old Larry Genzlinger of Howard was hunting near Deerfield Lake in western Pennington County when he was reported missing. Searchers were out again Friday looking for Genzlinger.

Baby Health in Winter Tennessee

Nashville: Agriculture officials said an invasive tick that could threaten the health of cattle has been found in eight Tennessee counties. Federal and state officials said in a news release Thursday that invasive Asian longhorned tick has been discovered in Claiborne, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Putnam and Sevier counties. The parasitic arachnids were detected in Roane and Union counties in May. Officials said there are concerns that the tick might transmit Theileriosis in cattle. Experts said heavy infestations can cause blood loss and kill cattle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the statement that there is no evidence that the tick has sickened humans in the U.S. Cattle and dogs are susceptible to tick bites. Livestock producers and dog owners are advised to check their animals for ticks.

Baby Health in Winter Texas

Houston: The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed 14-foot-high natural sand dunes in the latest version of it is up to $32 billion plan for protecting the Houston-Galveston areas from hurricane-related storm surges. The Houston Chronicle reported the plan calls for establishing roughly 44 miles of dunes and floodgates to run from High Island to San Luis Pass, as well as ecosystem restoration farther south. The sand dune field is among a series of revisions the Corps recently made to the draft coastal barrier alignment released last year. The update is more ambitious than the -called “Ike Dike,” proposed by Texas A&M researchers and named for the 2008 hurricane that flooded parts of Galveston. The Corps will submit a final proposal for the coastal barrier to Congress for funding in 2021.

Baby Health in Winter Utah

Springville: Two siblings are continuing their family’s tradition of playing mariachi music by performing the music at weddings, festivals and other parties in a nod to their Mexican heritage. The Deseret News reported Sam Castillo and Karlysue Castillo Pereyra formed a mariachi group in 2016 after moving to Provo to attend Brigham Young University. Their father and grandfather learned how to play mariachi in their native Mexico and encouraged the siblings to continue the tradition. Mariachi music has been experiencing a rebirth in the U.S. Southwest as storytelling and a strong symbol of Mexican culture. Castillo Pereyra said the music is empowering and increasingly popular with non-Latino audiences. Both siblings said they hope to continue playing the music for a long time.

Baby Health in Winter Vermont

Lyndonville: A White River Junction company wants to build a solar energy field in this northern Vermont community. Kevin Davis of Norwich Solar gave a presentation to the select board last week. The Caledonian Record reported that Davis said his company is looking into developing a 500-kilowatt project along the railroad tracks behind the former Kennametal/Tap & Die building on Main Street. He asked the select board if the town of Lyndonville wanted to purchase some of the power produced, saying it could save an estimated $800 annually if it does. But Bill Humphrey, Lyndonville Electric Department’s general manager, said net metering arrangements are draining resources from small electric utilities. He said the department gets no revenue from these arrangements but must deliver the power to net metering customers.

Baby Health in Winter Virginia

Norfolk: A new art exhibit explores Thomas Jefferson’s highly influential architectural ideas and his vision for structures that symbolize liberty and democracy. But the exhibit also strives to spotlight some of the enslaved workers who helped construct many of the buildings that Jefferson designed. The exhibit opens Saturday at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. The show offers another reckoning over the founding father’s legacy and the role of enslaved Americans in U.S. history. Exhibit curator Erik Neil said Jefferson envisioned buildings for a new republic, not old-world kings. The domes and columns in his designs purposefully recalled ancient Greece and Rome. But he said it’s impossible to talk about Jefferson without talking about the issue of slavery and race in America.

Baby Health in Winter Washington

Shelton: The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down Friday night near Shelton. KOMO-TV reported the tornado had winds up to 100 mph. The tornado started on land and traveled more than a half-mile before moving over the waters of Pickering Passage and becoming a waterspout. It dissipated after moving over the water. On land, the tornado cut a path about 90 yards wide. It was on the ground for about five minutes. The twister uprooted trees. Falling trees damaged at least two homes. The tornado was the second in the South Sound this year. A weak tornado touched down Oct. 4 near Tenino.

Baby Health in Winter West Virginia

Charleston: West Virginia’s higher elevations still have the best fall color as warmer temperatures in September delayed this year’s fall foliage display. The West Virginia Tourism Office said the best locations this weekend will be in areas such as Randolph County. Fall colors are peaking along U.S. 250 between Elkins and Durbin. Hillsides in southern counties and lower elevations are beginning to show yellows, oranges and reds. Tourism officials are urging travelers to post photos with the hashtag “Almost Heaven.” User photos are updated daily on the Tourism Office’s live leaf tracker map at wvtourism.com/fall. The Tourism Office and West Virginia Division of Forestry is preparing weekly fall foliage updates.

Baby Health in Winter Wisconsin

Madison: Students at a Madison West High School skipped classes to protest the firing of a black security guard who repeated a racial slur while telling a student not to call him that word. Some students walked out of classes Friday to protest the firing. A livestream of the walkout that showed what appeared to be at least a few dozen students milling around on sidewalks. Marlon Anderson said he was responding to a call on Oct. 9 about a disruptive student. He said the student, who is black, called Anderson obscenities, including the N-word. Anderson said he told the student not to call him the N-word and repeated the slur during the confrontation. Madison schools have a zero-tolerance policy prohibiting employees from uttering racial slurs.

Baby Health in Winter Wyoming

Cheyenne: State officials said a Cheyenne man has grown a pumpkin that weighs state-record 1,491 pounds. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported Thursday that Andy Corbin grew the gourd in his backyard. For perspective, scientists said newborn elephants weigh about 200 pounds on average. Corbin said the pumpkins he grows at his east Cheyenne home require a handmade tripod to move them. He said his pumpkins require yearlong maintenance and can gain dozens of pounds a day during the growing season. Corbin said he hopes to grow three pumpkins weighing more than 4,000 pounds combined.