New York has amended a series of state laws to remove the word “inmate” and replace it with “incarcerated person” when referring to people serving prison time. The changes, signed into law Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, are intended to reduce the stigma of being in jail. Prison reform advocates have said the term “inmate” has a dehumanizing effect. Republicans ridiculed the measure as coddling criminals. The change is the latest in the state legislature's history of amending terms in state law seen as outdated or offensive. Last month, Hochul signed legislation replacing the term “mentally retarded,” with “developmentally disabled” in state law.

A spokesperson for Anne Heche says the actor is on life support after suffering a brain injury in a fiery crash a week ago and isn't expected to survive. The statement released on behalf of her family said she is being kept on life support to determine if she is a viable organ donor. Earlier Thursday, police said they are investigating Heche for driving under the influence of drugs. Heche crashed her car into a Los Angeles area house on Aug. 5. A police spokesman said Thursday that detectives with a search warrant took a blood sample from Heche, and it showed narcotics in her system. A spokeswoman for Heche declined comment on the investigation.

Authorities are investigating the motives of an armed man who they say tried to breach the FBI’s Cincinnati office, fled, and was shot and died hours later in a rural standoff with law enforcement. The case Thursday unfolded as the FBI warns its agents to take extra precautions amid an increase in social media threats to bureau personnel and facilities following a search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. A law enforcement official briefed on the Cincinnati matter says federal investigators are examining whether the suspect in that case, identified as 42-year-old Ricky Shiffer, may have had ties to far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys.

Organizations in Alaska have gotten creative in trying to help voters understand how to cast their ballot in the state's first ranked voting election on Aug. 16. Those efforts have included mock elections featuring drag performers and videos detailing how the system works. Leaders of various outreach efforts see their work as critical to getting voters comfortable with ranked voting and to helping them avoid errors in casting their ballots. The first ranked voting election under a suite of elections changes approved by Alaska voters in 2020 will be the Aug. 16 special U.S. House election featuring Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich and Democrat Mary Peltola.