Oldest Polar Bear In North American Captivity Dies At 36

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Sept. 28. Let’s catch up with what people are talking about across the states.

• Dozens of Massachusetts State Police officers have resigned over the state’s vaccine mandate.
• The search for Brian Laundrie in Florida continues as it enters its second week.
• R&B singer R. Kelly has been found guilty of racketeering in a sex trafficking trial in New York.
• John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 will be freed with no court supervision nine months from now if he can maintain mental stability, a judge has ruled.
• The oldest polar bear in captivity, Snow Lilly, has died at the Milwaukee County Zoo. She was 36.

'Snow Lilly' Remembered

Snow Lilly had become a Midwest fan favorite at the Milwaukee County Zoo in the 16 years since she arrived in Wisconsin from the Bronx Zoo in New York. The polar bear lived to be the oldest one in captivity in North America before dying a few days ago at age 36.

She lived well longer than the 23.4-year median life expectancy for polar bears in human care, the zoo said in a statement.

A necropsy, or animal autopsy, will be performed on the polar bear to gather information that could help other polar bears living in human care. Read the full story from Milwaukee Patch

Cops Resign Over Vaccine Mandate

State troopers in Massachusetts resigned en masse on Monday in response to the state’s recent COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

Gov. Charlie Baker enacted the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all state employees, and a judge later denied a request to delay the mandate.

The State Police Association of Massachusetts wanted the mandate delayed until details could be worked out or bargained. Read more from Boston Patch

Brian Laundrie Search Enters 2nd Week

The FBI has now taken over the search for Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his fianceé, Gabby Petito. The scaled-down search included a Sunday visit to the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida. Read more from Sarasota, Florida, Patch

Follow all Gabby Petito coverage via Patch

R. Kelly Found Guilty

The R&B singer R. Kelly has been found guilty of racketeering in a sex traffic trial. The Monday verdict in a New York courtroom came after decades of the singer avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children, The Associated Press and others have reported.

Racketeering charges were based on an argument that the entourage of managers and aides who helped the singer meet girls — and keep them obedient and quiet — amounted to a criminal enterprise. Read more from New York City Patch

Reagan Shooter Set To Be Freed

John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, could be freed from all court supervision a year from now.

He’s lived in Virginia for the past five years after he was released from a Washington hospital. Hinckley Jr., who was found not guilty in the Reagan shooting by reason of insanity, will need to show continued mental stability for the next nine months. Read more from Across America Patch

More Than 10K Firefighters Battle Wildfires

Some 10,400 firefighters remained on the front lines of a near dozen major fires across California on Monday, one day after crews responded to and were able to quell 27 fires that cropped up across the state. Read more from San Diego Patch

Cannabis Convictions Tossed

George Gascón, the Los Angeles County district attorney, said nearly 60,000 Los Angeles residents will soon see their cannabis convictions dismissed.

The move is part of ongoing efforts to reverse the injustices of drug laws, the district attorney said.

"Dismissing these convictions means the possibility of a better future to thousands of disenfranchised people who are receiving this long-needed relief," Gascón said in a statement. "It clears the path for them to find jobs, housing and other services that previously were denied to them because of unjust cannabis laws." Read more from Los Angeles Patch

Watch: Cop Shows Off Drum Skills

A police officer in New Jersey returned to his high school alma mater to show he hasn’t missed a beat. Read more from West Orange, New Jersey, Patch

Rays Split Season With Montreal Possible

As Tampa Bay Rays fans gear up for another playoff run, the upcoming 2021 postseason could be bittersweet for the Tropicana Field faithful. The team could soon split its home games between Florida and Montreal, the Canadian city that has been without a baseball club since the Expos left in 2005. Read more from St. Pete, Florida, Patch

ICYMI: Four teenagers have been charged in an alleged Columbine-style school shooting plot.

Today In History

Dedicated to The Splendid Splinter today. Ted Williams became the most recent baseball player to finish a season batting .400 or better on Sept. 28, 1941. The Boston Red Sox great hit his final home run on Sept. 28, 1960.

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