Judge: pot use for ptsd ok’d
PHOENIX — A court ruling filed this week has added post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of debilitating conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatment. State Department of Health Services Director Will Humble has until July 9 to accept, modify or reject an administrative law judge’s ruling that PTSD sufferers are eligible for a medical marijuana registration card. Humble said Friday that he would study the order before making a decision.
Donations pour in for campus-shooting hero •SEATTLE — Thousands of dollars are being donated to honor the student credited with thwarting a shooting at a small Seattle university. Jon Meis and other students stopped the gunman Thursday at Seattle Pacific University. Soon after Meis was identified, someone found his wedding registry, and people quickly bought out most of the wish list. A GoFundMe site for Meis and his fiancée’s honeymoon and future quickly went viral. According to the page’s statistics, more than $26,000 has been raised as of Saturday afternoon, and the tally is expected to increase.
Obama to take executive steps on student loans •WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is prepping new executive steps to help Americans struggling to pay off their student debt, and throwing his support behind Senate Democratic legislation with a similar goal but potentially a much more profound impact.
Obama on Monday will announce he’s expanding his “Pay As You Earn” program that lets borrowers pay no more than 10 percent of their monthly income in loan payments, the White House said. Currently, the program is only available to those who started borrowing after October 2007 and kept borrowing after October 2011. Obama plans to start allowing those who borrowed earlier to participate.
Capitol evacuated briefly •WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police say the Capitol and surrounding office buildings were briefly evacuated after a small airplane entered restricted airspace over Washington.
The evacuation was ordered about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. A Capitol Police spokeswoman says the pilot of the aircraft did not immediately communicate after it flew into restricted space, and that’s what led to the evacuation. The alert was lifted about 2 p.m.
Immigration holding center overloaded •PHOENIX — Mattresses, portable toilets and showers were brought in Saturday for 700 unaccompanied minors who spent the night sleeping on plastic cots inside an Arizona warehouse, a federal official said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security started flying immigrants to Arizona from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas last month after the number of immigrants — including more than 48,000 children traveling on their own — overwhelmed the Border Patrol there.
Officer refuses Pride Fest assignment•SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City police officer has been placed on leave after refusing an assignment to work at a gay pride parade. The officer was among about 30 officers assigned to provide traffic control and security for the annual Utah Pride Parade on Sunday in Salt Lake City, said department spokeswoman Lara Jones. Denver Post wire services
