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Hochul signs legislation to curb illicit cannabis market in NYS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WETM) — "Sticker shops" and other unlicensed cannabis facilities might soon face penalties after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation aimed at illegal weed sales. The measure makes it a crime to sell cannabis and cannabis products without a license. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Part of the 2024 budget, the legislation would increase civil and tax penalties by empowering the Office of Cannabis Management and the Department of Taxation and Finance to take on unlicensed storefronts and trucks. OCM would assess civil fines for unlicensed weed businesses up to $20,000 a day for the worst offenders. According to the Governor's Office, this legislation will let the OCM inspections weed products and businesses like "sticker shops" that sell and give away cannabis as gifts. It would let the OCM seize untested cannabis and cannabis products from unlicensed businesses and seek court orders, closing orders, and removal...

Albany drag queens host "Drag Away the Stigma" event to stop suicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

ALBANY N.Y. (NEWS10) — Over a dozen Capital Region drag queens have partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for the upcoming "Drag Away the Stigma" fundraiser. Across the country, drag queens have been in the spotlight as conservative lawmakers and advocacy groups push for legislation to restrict drag performances. Tennessee approved a bill to ban "adult cabaret performances" within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, or places of worship on March 2, 2023. "It really does hurt your heart," Thomas Nolan, known in the Albany drag community as Sister Alphena Omega, said. "We love to do [drag]. And these people are being told if you do it, you're a criminal." Musicians fight threat of Tennessee anti-LGBTQ, drag bills Lawmakers in at least 15 states have proposed some form of legislation to restrict drag shows. In recent months, protesters have rallied at adult drag shows and book readings for children. Some believe the performers are inappropriate...

Judge extends suspension of Missouri AG's transgender rule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A judge has extended her order barring enforcement of a unique rule pushed by Missouri's Republican attorney general that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.Attorney General Andrew Bailey initially sought to implement the rule effective April 27, prompting a lawsuit on behalf of transgender people. St. Louis County Judge Ellen Ribaudo on Monday granted a temporary restraining order and originally scheduled a May 11 hearing on the lawsuit. Prosecutor from Kim Gardner’s office dies on I-270 A posting Thursday on Missouri's online court system shows that Ribaudo pushed back the hearing to July 20, following a joint request from both sides. The posting said the order will remain in effect until July 24 or until the judge rules on whether to grant a preliminary injunction.A spokeswoman for Ba...

What to know for the Cinco de Mayo Festival on Cherokee Street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS - One of the city’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations returns this weekend.St. Louis’ Cinco de Mayo festival on Cherokee Street is set for Saturday, one day after the observed holiday. The celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Cherokee Street between Nebraska Avenue and Jefferson Avenue. Organizers shared the following map, noting several blocks of Cherokee Street will be closed during Saturday's festival. More than 100 vendors will set up along six blocks of Cherokee Street, offering food, drinks and family-friendly activities in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The festival also includes artists, a mechanical bull, Lucha Libre wrestling, and two entertainment stages. Around 1 p.m., there will be a "People's Joy Parade" that runs down the street. At 3:30 p.m., there will be a "Battle de Bandas" event in which solo artists and bands play a variety of music styles. Grand stands are set up near the Nebraska Avenue and Jefferson Avenue entrances. As legal b...

Man involved in fatal Edgewater Tesla charging station fight released after questioning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

The man involved in a fight that escalated into a fatal shooting at a Tesla electric vehicle charging station in west metro Denver has been released and no charges have been filed, police said Thursday.Edgewater police were continuing a homicide investigation focused on the altercation Wednesday.A 33-year-old man who drove a Tesla was shot around 9:40 a.m. in one of the six or so Tesla charging stations at the parking lot of the Edgewater Public Market, in the 5500 block of West 20th Avenue in Edgewater. He died less than an hour later after he was taken to a hospital.The other man, who left the scene, later called 911 to report his involvement in the fight. He was detained and questioned at his residence in Denver. Edgewater Police Sgt. Bob Brink on Thursday said the man was released.“He did call and said he was involved. He was detained. He was released. We are continuing the investigation,” Brink said. “We do not have conclusions on anything.”Related ArticlesCrime and Publi...

Missing Indigenous Person Alert issued for teenage girl last seen in Denver

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

A Missing Indigenous Person Alert has been issued for a teenage girl last seen in Denver.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 14-year-old girl missing from Denver found safe Crime and Public Safety | Missing Indigenous Person Alert canceled after teenage girl found safe Crime and Public Safety | Missing 6-year-old Firestone girl last seen in Northglenn is found safe, authorities say Crime and Public Safety | A missing Indigenous 16-year-old girl has been found and is safe Crime and Public Safety | Two juveniles missing from Colorado found in Nebraska in I-80 traffic stop CBI is issuing this missing indigenous person alert for our partners at @DenverPolice If you see Jordan Tafoya, please call DPD or 911. pic.twitter.com/r4xVb7S86z— CBI (@CBI_Colorado) May 4, 2023Jordan Tafoya, 13, was last seen on April 24 leaving the 1200 block of South Federal Boulevard, according to a Colorado Bureau of Inv...

Free recycling for every household in Colorado will start in 2026, state officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

Colorado officials are planning to boost the state’s lagging recycling rate by launching free recycling for every household in the state starting in 2026.This recycling overhaul in the works, with capacity assessments scheduled this year followed by system design, will allow statewide recycling at no cost based on a list of materials that can be recycled, according to officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment.CDPHE’s materials management unit chief Wolf Kray on Thursday confirmed the push for free recycling statewide but declined to discuss it pending approval from agency information gatekeepers. It’s unclear whether Colorado residents in cities such as Denver, and local governments, still would have to fund recycling after 2026.A nonprofit nationwide Circular Action Alliance has been tasked with developing a convenient, cost-effective system for Colorado and other states, a CDPHE news release this week said.Related ArticlesColorado News | ...

Colorado Supreme Court hears first-of-its-kind challenge to police’s use of Google search terms to ID murder suspects

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

GRAND JUNCTION — The Colorado Supreme Court on Thursday grappled with privacy and freedom of speech concerns as the justices heard a legal challenge to a controversial new law enforcement technique that Denver police used to identify the three teenagers accused of killing five people in a house fire three years ago.The groundbreaking legal case considers for the first time in Colorado — and, attorneys said, nationally — whether police can legally issue search warrants that require Google to turn over account information for any users who searched particular keywords in a particular time frame.Such “reverse keyword search warrants” require Google to scan through potentially billions of search histories in order to find the keywords sought by law enforcement. Attorneys challenging the warrant said during oral arguments Thursday that the massive scope amounts to an illegal search that violates Google users’ constitutional protections for free speech ...

Brief tornado hits Carson, Compton area, causing damage amid powerful storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

A tornado hit the Carson and Compton area Thursday morning, causing damage to businesses and leaving debris strewn around. The National Weather Service confirmed that a brief EF0 tornado occurred near the border of the two cities. "Based on broadcast media video, there was minor damage to buildings, vehicle damage from debris, and tree damage," the agency tweeted. Damage caused by the weather event suggested that the incident had peak winds of 75 mph, according to a preliminary storm report from the NWS. Around 8:55 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department was called to 169th and Walnut streets for a downed tree amid what was previously described as a strong weather cell went through the area.Aerial video from Sky5 showed other damage, including pieces of torn-off roofs and debris blown around.The roof of a business was damaged when a powerful weather cell hit Carson on May 4, 2023. (KTLA)The roof of a business was damaged when a powerful weather cell hit Carson on May 4, 2023. ...

Carrie Fisher posthumously receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame on 'Star Wars Day'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:53 GMT

May the 4th is a special day for "Star Wars" fans.Not only is it "Star Wars Day" due to the saying "May the fourth be with you," but Princess Leia received a high honor on this day. Carrie Fisher, famously known for the role, received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During the ceremony, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce officially named May 4 "Carrie Fisher Day."Fans flocked to Hollywood Boulevard to watch the momentous occasion firsthand. Mark Hamill speaks at a ceremony honoring the late actress Carrie Fisher, pictured at right, with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 4, 2023, also known as May the Fourth in tribute to the "Star Wars" films. Fisher is best known for her role as Princess Leia and Mark Hamill for his role as Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars." (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)C-3PO, a Storm Trooper and R2-D2 were in attendance along with Fisher's "Star Wars" costar Mark Hamill and her daughter, actress Billie Lourd.T...