Colorado’s second-highest court ruled Thursday that some people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana can ask for those convictions to be thrown out under the law that legalized recreational marijuana in the state.
The Colorado Court of Appeals said people whose cases were under appeal when Amendment 64 took effect in December 2012 are eligible to have their convictions reversed.
A spokeswoman for the Attorney General John Suthers said prosecutors are reviewing the opinion to determine any next steps.
A house overflowing with more than 100 people presumed to be in the U.S. illegally was uncovered just outside Houston on Wednesday, a police spokesman said.
The suspected stash house was found during a search for a 24-year-old woman and her two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy, that were reported missing by relatives late Tuesday after a man failed to meet them as planned at an undisclosed location on the city’s north side, said John Cannon, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department. Many of the people in home that authorities said appeared to be part of a human smuggling operation were dressed only in undergarments and they were sitting in in filthy conditions and surrounded by trash bags full of old clothing, Cannon said.
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Immigration officials believe they uncover a human smuggling ring when they found 100 people inside a Houston home. | KPRC
McDonald’s workers struggling to get by on poverty wages should apply for food stamps and Medicaid.
That’s the advice one activist McDonald’s worker received when she called the company’s “McResource Line,” a service provided to McDonald’s workers who need help with issues like child and health care.
“You can ask about things like food pantries. Are you on SNAP? SNAP is Supplemental Nutritional Assistance [Program] — food stamps … You would most likely be eligible for SNAP benefits,” a McResource representative told 27-year-old Nancy Salgado, who works at a Chicago McDonald’s. “Did you try and get on Medicaid? Medicaid is a federal program. It’s health coverage for low income or no income adults — and children.”
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YouTube
Nancy Salgado has worked at McDonald’s for 10 years, but has trouble getting by on her low wages. In a call to McDonald’s help line, a representative told Salgado she should look into federal programs like food stamps to help make ends meet. (YouTube/Low Pay Is Not OK)
The conundrum has stumped doctors for years. Why do neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s affect only the elderly? Why do some people live to be over 100 with normal brain functioning while others develop dementia decades earlier?
Now, a new study by Harvard scientists points to a possible answer, one that could spark further research that — ultimately — could lead to new drugs and treatments for dementia.
Researchers have found that a protein active during fetal brain development, called REST, switches back on later in life to protect aging neurons from various stresses, including the toxic effects of abnormal proteins. But in those with Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment, the protein — RE1-Silencing Transcription factor — is absent from key brain regions.
The premiere of “Cosmos,” Neil deGrasse Tyson’s new TV series, has a lot of science geeks massively pumped. And that includes the folks at NASA, who welcomed the 13-part series by releasing a stunning new gallery of space photos on Flickr.
From a psychedelic vortex on Saturn to monster solar flares to the beautiful remnants of dying stars, prepare to get seriously psyched about space.
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‘Black Marble’
This image of Asia and Australia at night is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012.
Are science and religion incompatible? That seems like a rational conclusion, especially in the wake of last month’s combative evolution-vs.-creationism debate, which pitted “Science Guy” Bill Nye against evangelist Ken Ham.
But a new survey of more than 10,000 Americans (including scientists and evangelical Protestants) suggests that there may be more common ground between science and religion than is commonly believed.
The “Religious Understandings Of Science” survey showed that only 27 percent of Americans feel that science and religion are in conflict. In addition, it showed that nearly half of scientists and evangelicals believe that “science and religion can work together and support one another,” Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund, the Rice University sociologist who conducted the survey, said in a written statement.
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Detail of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of the Sun and the Moon’ | WIkimedia: Michelangelo Buonarrroti
There’s a lot of stuff floating around our planet, including dangerous space junk as well as working satellites. But scientists are floating some creative ideas for cleaning up all the debris.
Australian scientists have proposed zapping the debris with lasers. And last month, the European Space Agency proposed its e.DeOrbit mission, which would capture debris with a net or harpoon.
No matter what method gets the nod, clean-up crews are facing a huge challenge. Just check out these European Space Agency images showing all of the objects currently in low-Earth orbit:
A South Carolina woman who allegedly operated an unlicensed daycare out of her home faces multiple charges after a child under her care died. But investigators say that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Pamela Clark Wood, 49, was arrested March 6. Police began investigating Wood last month after Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies received a call about an unresponsive 3-month-old baby girl, who later died.
When police went to the house to check on the baby Feb. 21, they allegedly discovered Wood’s teenage daughter hiding in a room with 14 children. Authorities also said they found a child left unsupervised around the house, along with hazards, such as cleaning chemicals and alcoholic beverages, left unsecured.
The Austin Police Department has named Rashad Charjuan Owens, 21, as the suspected driver of a car that crashed into a crowd during the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Two people were killed and dozens were left injured from the incident.
Massive Music, a company with offices in Amsterdam, New York and London, said employee Steven Craenmehr, 35, died suddenly in Austin. Additional information wasn’t available.
The Travis County Medical Examiner identified the other person who died as 27-year-old Jamie Ranae West of Austin. West was on a moped that was struck by the car. Her husband, Evan West, was among those hospitalized.
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AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 13: Flowers lie on the ground near the scene of a deadly car accident at the South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival on March 13, 2014 in Austin, Texas. Two people were killed and 23 injured when a car plowed into people in a blocked of intersection outside a venue called the Mowhawk. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) | Michael Loccisano via Getty Images
Perhaps one of the most persistent struggles when dealing with anxiety is what people get wrong about the disorder.
According to Joseph Bienvenu, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, there are many fallacies when it comes to anxiety disorders, and that can make dealing with it more difficult. These misconceptions are a common reality for those who either have the condition, know someone who is battling it or think they may be on the brink of a diagnosis.
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.