Colorado State

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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 historic marker could be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood nearly a year ago. If approved by the Jacksonville City Council, a marker would be installed at Kings Road and Canal Street on Aug. 25, a day before the first anniversary of the shooting, when a white gunman took the lives of three Black people.

Memorial considered to honor Dollar General victims

Ohio State

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

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

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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

The Denver City Council accepted Monday two grants totaling $24.5 million from the state of Colorado to pay for the homeless navigation campus it opened last year. One council member wants answers as to why wraparound services at the campus aren't up and running.

Denver homeless hotel wins $24.5 million grant, experiences wraparound services delay

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Florida State

Uncovering Florida

With hurricane season posing a consistent threat six months out of the year, who would not like a little help getting their home ready for the harsh weather to come? Senate Bill 7028: My Safe Florida Home Program, approved by Governor DeSantis on April 24, 2024, and effective as of July 1, appropriates a one-time total of $200 million from 2024 to 2025 for the purpose of funding hurricane mitigation grants and inspections, as well as outreach and administration costs, to support homeowners in Florida.

DeSantis Signs New Bill Giving $200 Million To Homeowners

Louisiana State

Natrona County, WY

Houma, LA

WyoFile

A worker died Aug. 5 when the crane he was operating toppled at a wind farm construction site in remote Natrona County, state and local officials say. The victim, John William Hoffpauir, Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was working as a crane operator at the Cedar Springs wind energy construction site north of Casper and Glenrock under the control of Blattner Energy at the time of the accident. Hoffpauir was a Blattner Energy employee, a spokesperson for the company told WyoFile.

Worker killed in accident on wind energy construction site in Natrona County

Georgia State

The Current GA

A state Supreme Court’s decision reversing a lower court’s ruling that a private contractor was exempt from the Georgia Open Records Act is being hailed as a win for open government.

State Supreme Court rules Open Records Act applies to private contractors working for governments

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

Morristown Minute

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

Wyoming State

Cheyenne, WY

WHITE MOUNTAIN—“That’s a lot of horses,” lamented Cheyenne resident Robyn Smith from a high-desert ridgeline. It wasn’t her first exasperated exclamation. “Argh, oh crap,” was her immediate reaction to learning a federal judge had given the Bureau of Land Management the OK to proceed with plans to fully remove two wild horse herds from the landscape in southwest Wyoming.

BLM wins two lawsuits, clearing way for elimination of two Wyoming wild horse herds

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he will consider more DUI patrols if voters legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida. Voters will consider Amendment 3 in November. It would allow adults 21 or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical purposes.

More DUI patrols possible if marijuana issue passes

Thomson, GA

Daily Coffee Press

A Georgia city mayor has been arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation following an investigation and a grand jury indictment. According to GBI officials, the Thomson Police Department requested the agency to investigate an allegation that Thomson City Mayor, 52-year-old Benjamin Cary Cranford, provided alcohol to an inmate on work detail within the city limits on June 4, 2024.

Georgia City Mayor Arrested for Allegedly Giving Alcohol to an Inmate on Work Det

Two Sweetwater County lawmakers seeking re-election filed a defamation suit Thursday against a political action committee affiliated with the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus over mailers that attack them over a vote they say never happened.

Lawmakers sue Wyoming Freedom PAC over Trump-ballot mailers

Aurora, CO

The Aurora Police Department released a statement on Tuesday on social media to clear up misinformation about an incident involving thousands of migrants. “Misinformation has spread on social media regarding the large gathering on Sunday at Gardens on Havana shopping center,” Aurora PD posted on X. “We recognize that Sunday’s incident was disconcerting and alarming for a large number of our residents and citizens. The purpose of this message is to provide the community with accurate information based on what we know right now.”

Law-abiding Venezuelans watch election results in Aurora, leave behind mess

The Denver City Council will vote Monday whether pump about $580,000 into its jail-based RISE, or Recovery in a Secure Environment program. The council will consider contracts for $389,434 and $193,475 through Sept. 30, 2025, with the Mile High Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and The Empowerment Program. Inmates enrolled in the RISE program spend much of their time out of their cells during the day engaging in therapeutic activities. There are group sessions and one on one treatment.

Jail-based drug, mental health recovery program costs Denver $580,000 for a year

An Aurora City Council member has suggested shoplifters in the city should be publicly shamed for stealing. Council member Steve Sundberg, a small business owner, made his remarks during the Planning and Community Development Policy Committee meeting Aug. 14. He did not offer specifics but hinted he and the police department may have something in the works. He likened the shaming to the public humiliation of johns on Colfax Avenue "back in the day."

Shaming shoplifters suggested by Aurora City Council member

New Jersey State

Newark, NJ

NEW JERSEY - Alain Rodrigues, a 49-year-old Middlesex County resident and owner of a construction business in Old Bridge and Newark, New Jersey, has admitted to charges of tax evasion and failure to collect and pay over taxes. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced that Rodrigues entered his guilty plea on August 1, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court.

Construction Business Owner Admits Tax Evasion, Owes $1.35M

NewsBreak

BLM Seeks Public Comment on Infrastructure Assessment for Project West

KEMMERER – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on the environmental assessment of proposed pipelines, powerlines, and transportation routes associated with the proposed...

BLM Seeks Public Comment on Infrastructure Assessment for Project West

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