Montgomery faces fine, lawsuit

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s capital city last month removed the Confederate president’s name from an avenue and renamed it after a lawyer known for his work during the civil rights movement. Now the state attorney general says the city must pay a fine or face a lawsuit for violating a state law protecting Confederate monuments and other longstanding memorials. Montgomery last month changed the name of Jeff Davis Avenue to Fred D. Gray Avenue. Gray, who grew up on that same street, represented Rosa Parks and others in cases that fought Deep South segregation practices and was dubbed by Martin Luther King Jr. as “the chief counsel for the protest movement.” The Alabama attorney general’s office sent a Nov. 5 letter to Montgomery officials saying the city must pay a $25,000 fine by Dec. 8, “otherwise, the attorney general will file suit on behalf of the state.” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said changing the name was the right thing to do.

$1K offered for Harding’s stolen dog collar

MARION, Ohio (AP) — A radio station serving U.S. President Warren G. Harding’s Ohio hometown says a reward offered by one of its listeners is providing new hope of finding a long lost dog collar stolen from his historic home. Scott Spears, host of a morning radio show on WWGH-FM in Marion, near the 29th president’s birthplace, said the donor of the $1,000 reward asked to remain anonymous. Spears told listeners of the offer on “Now With Scott Spears” last week. He said the station has deposited the money in a local bank and will act as an intermediary on any tips offered to solve the mystery. The antique collar belonged to Harding’s Airedale terrier. It was the only thing stolen from his home on a Tuesday in 2012. A groundskeeper found a ladder propped against a second-story window. That prompted speculation that the thief had visited the home before and knew where to look for the collar.

Polyp in Biden’s colon was benign

WASHINGTON (AP) — The polyp removed from President Joe Biden’s colon last week was a benign, slow-growing but potentially pre-cancerous lesion that required no further action, his doctor said in a follow-up memo. The specimen, a tubular adenoma, was similar to one removed from Biden in 2008, Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor, physician to the president, wrote in a memo released Wednesday by the White House. Routine surveillance, which normally calls for another colonoscopy in seven to 10 years, was recommended, he wrote. The Mayo Clinic defines a colon polyp as a small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon. Most colon polyps are harmless, according to Mayo’s website, but some colon polyps can develop into colon cancer over time. “The best prevention for colon cancer is regular screening for and removal of polyps,” the clinic advises. Biden, who turned 79 last week and is the nation’s oldest president, remains “healthy” and “vigorous” and fit for duty, O’Connor said in his initial report after Biden’s first routine physical in office.