In the news

• Sergey Lavrov, foreign minister of Russia, was the intended target when Germany's foreign ministry tweeted that he wasn't touring Africa looking for leopards, employing an emoji of the big cat, but an African Union official complained of stereotyping and an apology was forthcoming.

• Julia Lawson of California's wildlife department called it "really exciting to find not only that they're still here, but ... in many more places than we initially thought" as the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was repeatedly detected near Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.

• Ken Newburger of Mississippi's Medical Marijuana Association said "it's surreal to see it finally come to fruition" as patients started buying the product in Brookhaven and Oxford a year after the state legalized it.

• Sid Johnson of Georgia's Access to Medical Cannabis Commission called it a milestone as the panel unanimously approved rules for testing, inspecting and selling marijuana oil, meaning the product could be just months away from customers.

• Julie Frye-Mueller, a state senator in South Dakota who was stripped of her committee assignments, called it punishment for her opposition to vaccination requirements in schools, though a Senate leader cited an unspecified personnel issue.

• Markenzy Lapointe, a U.S. attorney in Florida, said "a fraud scheme like this erodes public trust in our health care system" as 25 people were charged with selling 7,600 fake nursing diplomas and transcripts to access the national nursing board exam.

• Megan Hawthorne of the Detroit Institute of Arts said the museum gets the picture and will comply after a federal appeals court ordered it to hold onto an 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh amid a Brazilian collector's ownership litigation.

• Melissa Haynes of the public employees union in Nebraska promised to work with management, "but we will never hesitate to defend our rights," after the state Supreme Court upheld a ruling siding with state employees resisting a ban on casual wear such as bluejeans.

• Nicole Roddy said it's a first for Minnesota's gambling enforcement agency as it probes allegations that two men have been running a scheme in state casinos in which they play slots on behalf of others watching via TikTok, charging a $5.99 subscription fee and $25 for each $100 wagered.

Upcoming Events