Author: Gene Johnson
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US agents arrest tourist after video shows a rock hurled at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal’s head
SEATTLE (AP) — A tourist from Washington state is facing federal charges after a witness recorded what prosecutors say was a video of him hurling a coconut-sized rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal just off a Maui beach last week. Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, made arrangements to surrender in the Seattle area on Wednesday…
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Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government. The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for…
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Judge orders changes to Columbia and Snake river dam operations to help ‘disappearing’ salmon
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon has ordered narrow changes to hydropower dam operations on the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest in order to help salmon, saying the Trump administration’s plans for the massive structures would harm salmon runs that are “disappearing from the landscape.” The ruling late Wednesday…
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Here’s what to know about the federal ban threatening the market for THC-infused drinks and snacks
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The production lines at Indeed Brewing moved quickly, the cans filling not with beer, but with THC-infused seltzer. The product, which features the compound that gets cannabis users high, has been a lifeline at Indeed and other craft breweries as alcohol sales have fallen in recent years. But that boom looks set…
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U.S. judge in Texas strikes down Biden loan-forgiveness plan
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HOUSTON • A U.S. judge in Texas on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to provide millions of borrowers with up to $20,000 apiece in federal student-loan forgiveness — a program that was already on hold as a federal appeals court in St. Louis considers a separate lawsuit by six states challenging it. District Court…
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Rolling blackouts for parts of US Northwest amid heat wave
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SPOKANE, Wash. • The unprecedented Northwest U.S. heat wave that slammed Seattle and Portland, Ore., moved inland Tuesday — prompting a electrical utility in Spokane, Wash., to resume rolling blackouts amid heavy power demand. Officials said several deaths in Washington and Oregon may be tied to the intense heat that began late last week. The…
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U.S. judge blocks Postal Service changes that slowed mail
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SEATTLE • A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election. Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Wash., said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the…
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Judge plans to dismiss case on wages of immigrant detainees
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SEATTLE • A U.S. judge who previously ruled that Washington state could pursue its claim that immigration detainees must be paid minimum wage for work at a privately run, for-profit immigration jail said Tuesday he intends to reverse himself at the urging of the Trump administration. U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan issued a proposed order…
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Washington is 1st state to allow composting of human bodies
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SEATTLE (AP) — Ashes to ashes, guts to dirt. Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to burying or cremating human remains. It allows licensed facilities to offer “natural organic reduction,” which turns a body, mixed with substances such as wood chips and straw, into…
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Pioneering legal pot states Colorado and Washington aim to ease rules on industry
SEATTLE • When Colorado and Washington launched their pioneering marijuana industries, they imposed strict rules in hopes of keeping the U.S. Justice Department at bay. Five years later, the industry says it has been over-regulated — and lawmakers in both states aim to ease the rules. “There’s a saying in the business world: Pioneers get…