A sign at the Mall in Columbia, a suburban shopping center in central Maryland, requires anyone under 17 to be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult on Friday and Saturday evenings. Public spaces and commercial areas across the country are increasingly imposing curfews and other restrictions on young people. (Photo by Amanda Watford/Stateline) As communities prepare for crowded July Fourth celebrations, cities and towns across the country have revived juvenile curfews and increased police patrols in response to an apparent uptick in large teen gatherings and fights organized through social media. Communities in states including California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have announced or expanded curfews for minors this year, while others have tightened enforcement in downtown entertainment districts, parks and shopping centers where officials say “teen takeovers” have become more common. In Laurel, Maryland, a summer curfew took effect in June...
Merchandise tied to America’s 250th birthday is sold in a stall at Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., on June 30, 2026. (Photo by Sam Gauntt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — What’s more American than apple pie? Capitalism. And an array of merchandise and influence is on sale for the 250th birthday of the United States. An America250 $275 Liberty Lux American Prosperity decorative throw pillow, anyone? How about a $25 Freedom 250 youth tee? America250, a commission created by Congress a decade ago, and Freedom 250, President Donald Trump’s entity formed last year, each operate on their own respective tracks as a nonprofit and as a limited liability company. Both are employing staff, soliciting corporate donors and spending taxpayer funds. That means people, businesses and nonprofits are getting a slice of the semiquincentennial pie, some bigger than others. But there is no clear accounting of which entities are getting the bigger shares and no one asso...