Howdy there, internet people? It's D again, and welcome to The Interstate with D.

Today is Saturday, December 28, 2024, and as y'all can probably tell, I'm a bit under the weather.

But with that being said, welcome back to our trip on the interstate.

What we do here is present news from the state level that will end up having

national importance later or news that made it into the national news cycle but was overshadowed.

Then we answer some questions from y'all. On this date, December 28th in 1973, President Richard

Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law.

The law currently protects more than 1,600 plants and animals.

Okay, and on to the news.

In Alaska, a bird called the Common Mirror is suffering the largest known die-off in history.

It is due to warming ocean temperatures.

Arkansas's attempt to basically criminalize being a librarian was struck down in a large part by a federal judge who said it was unconstitutional.

The state's attorney general has promised to appeal. So at least for the moment, librarians won't be

charged under the law. California is set to make it easier to build accessible dwelling units.

That's what we call mother-in-law houses in the south.

The idea is to use this to help address the housing shortage.

In Guam, a number of Chinese citizens were detained near a military installation.

The military was testing a missile system at the time.

In Bangor, Maine, a local businessman stepped up to save Stephen King's radio station. Massachusetts governor spoke up about Trump's proposed tariffs, saying they would devastate

the economy in the state.

Montana has become the focal point of plans for the U.S. to obtain critical minerals as

China imposes an export ban and the U.S.-Canadian

...