R.I. May Soon Own Captain Cook’s Ship; Chicago Mayor vs. Ill. Governor

NEWPORT HARBOR, RHODE ISLAND
SHIPWRECKS | Historic British explorer Capt. James Cook’s ship the Endeavour, which he sailed around the world in, might be at the bottom of Newport Harbor. And if it is, the vessel belongs to Rhode Island because in 1999 the state “arrested” all the harbor’s shipwrecks in federal court. Cook claimed Australia for the British on his famed 1768-71 voyage, but the Endeavour may have been one of the 13 ships scuttled by the Brits in 1778, during the Revolutionary War, to blockade the French. In those days, if a ship owed money to a port and the owner couldn’t found, a claimant would secure the ship in court before it sailed out of its jurisdiction. The state used the centuries-old maritime practice to ensure ownership if the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, which says it’s closing in on the Endeavour, finds the ship. Rhode Island’s move protected the Endeavour from commercial salvagers and makes it near impossible for the English or Australian governments to stake a claim. [The Associated Press]

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
PENSIONS | Lawmakers voted Monday to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill that will allow Chicago to make lower payments to police and firefighter pension funds in the coming years. Both pension systems are substantially underfunded. The legislation had sparked heated debate between Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The governor, a Republican, characterized the legislation as “kicking the can down the road.” Emanuel had said that, without the bill, Chicago taxpayers would have been hit with higher property taxes. Chicago’s city council recently approved a $543 million phased-in property tax increase to help pay contributions to the two public safety retirement funds. [Chicago Sun-Times]

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
METRO | Can the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia create a regional tax plan to reliably fund the Metrorail system? Business and government groups are now campaigning for dedicated funding, but lawmakers will be a hard sell. “I feel like my constituents have paid and paid and paid. It’s almost like when I was in college and ran out of beer money,” said Virginia Del. David Albo, a Republican from Fairfax County. “I called my dad, but eventually he said, ‘No, you pay for your own beer.’” [The Washington Post]

SEWARD, ALASKA
WHALES | When a 50-foot-long fin whale carcass was discovered slung over the bow of a cruise ship arriving in Seward, officials had to move fast to figure out what to do with it. One thing was certain, the quickly decomposing whale couldn’t stay in the middle of the busy harbor. The carcass was eventually moved to a quiet, undisclosed beach, where it is undergoing an extensive necropsy to determine the cause of its death. Scientists hope to discover more than just whether the whale died when it was struck by the ship; they also hope to use this as an opportunity to understand more about how whales like this one might have been affected by harmful algal blooms. [Alaska Dispatch News]

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
ADVERTISEMENTS | A tourism agency has apologized for a video advertisement meant to draw people to South Bend, after a Utah-based communications firm claimed that the ad copied a video they’d previously produced promoting Salt Lake City. The Indiana advertisement, produced by Visit South Bend Mishawaka, featured the catchphrase “There’s Nothing To Do in South Bend”—just like the video for Salt Lake City. “The real reason I’m writing is to tell you that the campaign YOU guys did for South Bend looks exactly like the campaign WE did for Salt Lake!” wrote Chip Haskell, creative director for Love Communications, in a letter to Visit South Bend Mishawaka. [South Bend Tribune]

PATERSON, NEW JERSEY
MEDICAID | Several New Jersey counties overpaid $37.3 million to Medicaid implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the recession and will be reimbursed, according to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services determination. Passaic County alone will receive $12 million in repayments. “As we continue to cut costs while maintaining vital services like those provided at the Preakness Healthcare Center, every dollar counts,” said county Freeholder Pat Lepore. [Politicker Network]

HARFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND
BUSES | The bus stop at Aberdeen train station, the county’s busiest, saw 6,737 passengers use it in one month’s time, but until now they’ve had to brave the elements to do so. Harford only recently received a $130,000 federal grant, 10 percent of which the county will match, to install shelters at Transit LINK stops. Aberdeen may get two it’s so crowded. "The whole point behind this is to increase customer service and ridership," said a county spokeswoman. "Folks are standing out in all kinds of weather waiting for a bus." [The Baltimore Sun]

ORLANDO, FLORIDA
CRAFT BEER | A planning board recently approved zoning changes designed to be friendlier to craft beer establishments, as well as distilleries and wineries. The changes, which still need approval from Orlando’s city council, were modeled on rules already in place in Asheville, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon, and other cities known as hubs for craft beer. Existing zoning rules in Orlando have pushed local breweries into industrial areas and limited the size of their retail spaces and tasting rooms. “I think that Orlando is [being] very, very progressive in this," said John Cheek, president of Orlando Brewing. [Orlando Sentinel]

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
HOMELESSNESS | The county appointed Susan Price, former Long Beach homelessness services coordinator, to address the issue by establishing a system of care with rehabilitation out of an abandoned bus terminal. A second homeless shelter was authorized in Anaheim. “It’s about income and housing,” Price said. [Voice of OC]