There is a website that track the status in each state but it has no info why they are at half staff now.


http://ma.halfstaff.org/


United States Marine Lance Corporal Sean Michael Dougan of Springfield who died on July 2, 2014.

BETTER Website

http://dailyflagstatus.com/14.html

Upcoming Half-Staff: Monday, July 14, 2014

Please be advised that Governor Deval L. Patrick has ordered that the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Monday, July 14, 2014 in honor of Lance Corporal Sean Michael Dougan, 20, U.S. Marine Corps, of Springfield who died July 2, 2014.

This gubernatorial order applies to:

1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls

2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings

3. All state military installations

http://www.mass.gov/anf/property-mgmt-and-construction/oversight-agencies/bsb/flag-status.html

Massachusetts Governor Patrick has ordered the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise to sunset on Monday, July 14, 2014 in honor of United States Marine Lance Corporal Sean Michael Dougan of Springfield who died on July 2, 2014.
http://www.dailyflagstatus.com/

Is the double dot accent mark still called an umlaut if it's not on a German (or Germanic language) word? Or do the romance languages call it something else?

and I just went with it.

It is called dieresis in non-Germanic languages and is used to indicated that two adjacent vowels are pronounced separately.

Live and learn.