Louisiana State

New Orleans, LA

Columbus, OH

Ohio State

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A permanent marker will be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting nearly a year ago at a Dollar General store in the New Town community. City Council approved the marker 17-0 on Tuesday night.

Marker will honor victims of racist Dollar General shooting

Denver, CO

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Georgia State

Winder, GA

Daily Coffee Press

A 50-year-old former jailer has been charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) with cruelty to inmates and violation of oath of office. On Sunday, July 21, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to investigate an incident involving one of their jailers, Lolita Lightner of Winder, Georgia.

Former Jailer at Georgia County Jail Arrested

Floyd County, GA

According to officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), three former officers from the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), one GDC investigator, and a former Floyd County deputy have been charged for the aggravated assault of an inmate at the Floyd County Jail.

Five Former Georgia Law Enforcement Officers Charged With Aggravated Assault Against Inmate

According to officials with the Southern District of Georgia, two recently unsealed federal indictments have charged 23 defendants in a series of broad conspiracies involving the use of drones to smuggle methamphetamine, marijuana, and cell phones into state prisons in Georgia.

23 Defendants Charged in Federal Indictments for Drone-Smuggling Drug Operation in Georgia

Salem, OH

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Every day, 8-year-old Emma sits in a small garden outside her grandmother’s home in Salem, Ohio, writing letters to her mom and sometimes singing songs her mother used to sing to her.

Thousands of parents die of overdoses; advocates say their kids need more help

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

Kentucky State

Pinehurst, NC

Town Talks

Choosing the right place to retire involves balancing affordability, access to healthcare, and proximity to loved ones. But safety is also crucial, especially for older adults.

Lovely North Carolina City Was Just Crowned America’s Safest Place To Retire

Florida State

Uncovering Florida

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

New Jersey State

Jersey City, NJ

Morristown Minute

MORRISTOWN, NJ - Two members of a Jersey City gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in multiple shootings and other gang-related crimes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Gang Members Sentenced: 31 Years for Violent Crimes

During my childhood, when my family visited relatives “across the river,” in Bayou Plaquemine, Bayou Goula, Caddo, the Pointe, and White Castle, my siblings and I would sometimes race up and down the levees, some distance away from the cows grazing there. At the summit of the hill, you could see the Mississippi River waters through stands of trees and brush. It never occurred to me that our “playground” was the living testimony of Black men, prisoners of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola whom the state of Louisiana had re-enslaved in the convict leasing system.

No longer ‘half slave, half free’

Wyoming State

Pinedale, WY

WyoFile

PINEDALE—Rep. Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) lost to a political newcomer in a close-fought contest for a state Senate seat Tuesday, an upset that ousts one of the most influential figures in Wyoming politics in recent years.

Speaker of the House Sommers loses bid for Senate seat

Cypress, TX

Sparta Township, NJ

NEW JERSEY - Diana Valteri, 42, and Edmond Haxhillari, 43, who have residences in both Sparta, New Jersey, and Cypress, Texas, pleaded guilty on August 20, 2024, to charges of wire fraud and money laundering in a federal court in Trenton. U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch presided over the case.

NJ Couple Guilty in $790k COVID Loan Fraud

New Brunswick, NJ

NEWARK, N.J. -A Middlesex County man, Kenneth Strickland, 57Kenneth Strickland, 57, from New Brunswick, has been convicted of his involvement in a large-scale conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and heroin. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced that Strickland was found guilty on July 29, 2024, of all six counts in a superseding indictment.

NJ Man Convicted in Large-Scale Fentanyl & Heroin Trafficking

Gloucester County, NJ

Greenwich, NJ

NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey State Police trooper from Gloucester County has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after punching a handcuffed woman in the face with a metal flashlight. The incident occurred on September 7, 2022, while the woman was detained in the backseat of a police vehicle awaiting a medical evaluation.

NJ State Trooper Admits to Punching Handcuffed Woman in the Face

Idaho State

Jackson, WY

The widow of a Wyoming man who died in 2022 is suing St. John’s Health and some of the Jackson hospital’s contractors and doctors, alleging the treatment he received was grossly inadequate due to his uninsured and undocumented status.

Suit alleges Jackson hospital caused man’s death due to his immigration, uninsured status

Morristown, NJ

NEWARK, N.J. – Sixteen individuals have been charged in connection with a widespread "grandparent scam" that defrauded elderly Americans out of millions of dollars. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

16 Charged in Nationwide 'Grandparent Scam'; Millions Stolen

Aurora, CO

In a moving show of support, the entire Aurora City Council present at Monday’s meeting stood when asked if they thought Kilyn Lewis, a Black man shot dead by police, should still be alive. Council member Alison Coombs was absent.

Aurora council rises from seats for man shot dead by police

Gretna, LA

Arabi, LA

Metairie, LA

Harvey, LA

Marrero, LA

Chalmette, LA

NewsBreak

Just 2 out of 7 Orleans Parish School Board seats are contested. Here's who is running

The Orleans Parish School Board election in November will mark the return of several familiar faces, with five current board members returning to their posts without...

Just 2 out of 7 Orleans Parish School Board seats are contested. Here's who is running

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