Human harm to coral reefs and more news from the states

Welcome to Wednesday, readers. This morning, we’re taking a look at new allegations from Charlie Kirk’s family that mark the first time it has publicly blamed the university where he was shot in his death.

Calling Kirk’s death at Utah Valley University “entirely preventable,” his family says he wouldn’t have been shot and killed last year had the university put in place tighter security protocols, according to allegations in a notice of claim from Sept. 9.

Following yesterday’s primary elections in Delaware, well-known incumbents easily prevailed in Democratic races at the top of the primary ticket, but the big story of the night were the wins by statehouse progressives, who knocked out five incumbents and captured an open seat.

And in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Senate moved forward on a sweeping bipartisan bill that would set national standards for college athletes’ compensation. The legislation is the latest congressional push to overhaul the college sports landscape, which continues to wrestle with a patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, among other issues, States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau reports.

Arkansas: Twelve pharmacies sued a pharmacy benefit manager in federal court, alleging the company illegally underpaid them for tens of thousands of prescription medications. 

Maryland: Savings from a sweeping utilities bill this year are on the way, but energy regulators told state lawmakers that they have seen rising rate requests from power companies this year, and expect to see more.

Virginia: Among those in the state who are no longer incarcerated, only those convicted of murder and voluntary or involuntary manslaughter remain disqualified from voting under new guidance from the state elections department. The update comes days before early voting begins in the midterm elections.

Minnesota: Consumers bought more than $150 million worth of recreational cannabis products in the first year of sales at state-licensed stores, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management said in a press release.

Alaska: In August, voters approved a ballot measure to restrict the amount of money that individuals can contribute to campaigns for state office. On Nov. 3, voters will decide on another ballot measure — intended to roll back the state’s election system to what it was in 2020 — that would almost certainly repeal part of August’s ballot measure.

See the rest of the news of the day from all 50 states, plus our D.C. Bureau and Stateline, on News From The States.

An isolated reef off the coast of Louisiana and Texas holds within its corals a record of Earth’s history, and scientists are reading it to understand how nutrients from the Mississippi River are affecting the reef’s health amid rising threats to corals around the globe, Louisiana Illuminator reports.

At 80 to 125 miles off the Gulf Coast lies a little-known, impressively healthy coral reef ecosystem known as Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. It consists of 17 distinct inter-connected reef ecosystems to form a chain over 160 square miles, or more than 3 1/2 times the size of Disney World.

Hundreds of marine species, including manta rays, sharks and sea turtles, live among the sanctuary’s reefs. Boulder corals, some older than the United States, remain huge and healthy despite mass die-offs of reefs elsewhere on the planet driven by disease, nutrient pollution and the rising heat of climate change.

A new study examining nitrogen levels recorded within coral skeletons shows how nutrient pollution from the Mississippi River and underwater heat waves are undermining the health of this otherwise hearty reef.

Concentrations of high nitrogen, when combined with extreme heat, can harm and even kill corals.

One of the most common trucks in Montana’s vehicle fleet — the Department of Natural Resources Type 5 wildland engine — is, in part, built in Missoula by some of the very same people who operate them, Daily Montanan reports.

The trucks, which are often equipped with water tanks and hoses and carrying initial response crews, arrive at the DNRC’s Equipment Development and Communication Center in Missoula as a cab and chassis. They leave as a fully operational wildland fire vehicle. 

This saves the state money and helps them put vehicles into service suited to Montana’s landscape, said A.J. Angelo, a DNRC program manager for the Equipment and Development and Communication Center.

It’s also a key component of the state’s wildfire strategy, which combines county and state resources on larger incidents.

There are currently 257 Type 5 engines associated with the County Co-op program spread throughout the state. The direct work with the counties is important for the DNRC, programming it highlights often, and Angelo calls it the “backbone” of the state’s wildfire program.