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Magic Mushrooms, MDMA would be legalized under Republican’s plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

A former law enforcement officer turned Republican state representative has offered three pieces of legislation that would see a broad range of psychedelic drugs made legal for adult use.Mushrooms, as they’re usually referred to, could help those suffering from mental health issues, said state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga.“People are suffering from debilitating mental health issues such as PTSD, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, and depression. These psychedelic compounds and plant medicines are offering hope and healing to those that were once hopeless,” state Boldyga added.According to the Southwick Republican, who calls himself “widely regarded as the most conservative member of the Massachusetts Legislature,” the so-called war on drugs has led to “disastrous consequences” and prevented society benefiting from what prevailing research has demonstrated are medicinally useful substances.“Plant medicines have been used for thousands of years by various cultures around the world,...

Eye of the storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

It was a wild day in Manhattan. When isn’t it? Here’s proof as former President Donald Trump was arraigned.Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court during his arraignment on in New York City. Trump was arraigned during his first court appearance today following an indictment by a grand jury that heard evidence about money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. With the indictment, Trump becomes the first former U.S. president in history to be charged with a criminal offense. (Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (C) arrives at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York City, on April 4, 2023. – Donald Trump will make an unprecedented appearance before a New York judge to answer criminal charges that threaten to throw the 2024 White House race into turmoil. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)Supporters of ...

Funeral held for custodian killed in Nashville attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mike Hill, a 61-year-old custodian who was among the six people killed in last week’s attack at a Nashville elementary school, was remembered Tuesday for his loving nature, his culinary skills and his faith.Hundreds of friends and family members turned out for Hill’s funeral at Stephens Valley Church, where pastor Jim Bachmann said the hearts of the congregation were aching for the man they called “Big Mike.”“He was big, and he was strong, and he was tough,” Bachmann said. “But he was also soft and tender.”“He hugged my kids and he hugged your kids, and he knew them by name,” Bachmann said. “As the first victim — maybe this is a sentimental thought, but it’s a comfort to me to think that Mike was there to welcome the children through the pearly gates.”Hill was among the three adults and three 9-year-old students who were killed in the March 27 mass shooting at The Covenant School. Police shot and killed the 28-year-old former student w...

B.C. nurses contract aims to recruit, retain and increase nurse-to-patient ratio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

VICTORIA — British Columbia will become the first Canadian province to adopt a nurse-to-patient ratio as part of its plan to improve workload standards in public health. The move is a key plank in the tentative contract reached between the province and the Nurses Bargaining Association last week.Health Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday that setting a nurse-to-patient ratio is “the leading international practice” for retaining nurses and delivering quality health care. Dix said the government will also work with the B.C. Nurses’ Union on a “national and international” recruitment plan, backed by $750 million in new funding to support the higher nurse-to-patient ratio over the next three years.Premier David Eby said the new model will transform the way people are cared for and allow nurses to do what they do best. “They want to provide better, more people-focused services and that’s what this tentative agreement allows. It sends a strong messag...

Indigenous anti-mining activist found slain in Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An indigenous anti-mining activist has been killed in a dangerous part of western Mexico, authorities confirmed Tuesday.The killing of Eustacio Alcalá comes just over two months after two other community anti-mining activists disappeared near where Acalá’s body was found. It reinforced Mexico’s reputation as the deadliest place in the world for environmental and land defense activists, according to a report by the nongovernmental group Global Witness, which said Mexico saw 54 activists killed in 2021.Alcalá was found dead days after he disappeared while driving on a highway known for violent incidents.Alcalá had led a largely successful fight to prevent an iron ore mine from opening near his Nahua village of San Juan Huitzontla. Resident argued the proposed mine would pollute waterways and damage the environment.The village is near the townships of Aquila and Coalcoman in the western state of Michoacan. The area has been on the front line of drug cartel turf...

Undercover Los Angeles police file claims in photo backlash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than 300 undercover Los Angeles police officers filed legal claims against the city and police department Tuesday after their names and photographs were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online.The watchdog group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition posted more than 9,300 officers’ information and photographs last month in a searchable online database following a public records request by a reporter for progressive news outlet Knock LA. Hundreds of undercover officers were included in the database, although it’s not clear exactly how many because the database doesn’t specify which officers work undercover.The officers were not given advance notice of the disclosure, and the backlash has roiled the department. The inspector general is investigating Chief Michel Moore and the agency’s constitutional policing director Liz Rhodes after an officers’ union filed a misconduct complaint.While the city attorney’s office determined ...

Strong quake rattles Panama’s coast; no reports of damage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday off Panama’s Pacific coast near the town of Boca Chica. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 5:18 local time (22:18 UTC) and its epicenter was about 44 miles (71 kilometers) south of Boca Chica. The earthquake occurred at a depth of eight miles (13 kilometers).Panama’s civil defense office said there were no immediate reports of damages. But the office said the quake was felt on nearby Coiba Island. National Civil Defense Director Carlos Rumbo told local press that his office had not received reports of damage or injuries, but was continuing to check with people in the provinces along the Pacific coast.The Associated Press

Various weather alerts span southern Ontario as Toronto braces for heavy rain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

While the City of Toronto has avoided weather warnings thus far, a strong storm front with heavy rainfall is expected in the next 24 hours.Whether it’s blizzard-like conditions in Thunder Bay or freezing rain in the Sudbury area, the latest Ontario storm will be wide-ranging in terms of outcomes, depending on the region.For areas spanning southern Ontario, heavy rain and a severe thunderstorm threat will be the story, which will see temperatures rise to as high as 16 C in Toronto on Wednesday.“It’s a Colorado Low that is bringing in some severe weather,” CityNews chief meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai says.“It’s going to be location dependent that will determine what you’re going to get. If you’re in eastern Ontario, like Ottawa, Belleville, or Peterborough, you will be hit with significant ice. Some areas could see upwards of 15 to 25 mm of ice accretion.”A significant freezing rain event/ice storm is setting up Wednesday for part...

FACT FOCUS: Fake Trump mug shots spread in lieu of real one

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump staring directly at the camera in a black T-shirt. Giving a side-eye in a suit and striped tie. Scowling in an orange jumpsuit.A slew of such images claiming to show the former president’s mug shot spread online Tuesday — even though Trump didn’t actually take one during his booking and arraignment in a Manhattan criminal court.The fabricated images, at least some of which were created using artificial intelligence text-to-image generators, fooled some social media users looking to track down the visual symbol of Trump being charged for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.Trump, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, also raised money off his own fake mug shot, which his campaign plastered on a T-shirt in an email to supporters Tuesday.Here’s a look at the facts.CLAIM: Images circulating on social media show mug shots of the former president captured on Tuesday.THE FACTS: These images were created or manipulated to look like booking photograp...

North Carolina lawmaker signals party switch with big impact

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:07 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Speculation is rising in the North Carolina legislature that a Democrat is about to switch parties and give Republicans a complete veto-proof majority in the General Assembly, a move that could affect legislation on immigration, abortion and voting. The GOP scheduled a Wednesday news conference at party headquarters with Rep. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County. House Speaker Tim Moore said Tuesday that Cotham and chamber leaders will “make a major announcement.” If the Democrat does switch parties, it would be a major political setback for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and allies in their attempts to block conservative initiatives during the governor’s final two years in office. It could make it easier for Republicans to enact bills that would force sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration agents and prevent counting absentee ballots received after Election Day. The GOP is also debating if and how to place further restrictions on abortion. While Republ...