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Three more states legalized marijuana for recreational or medical use on Tuesday. The victories in Michigan, Missouri and Utah expand the significant gains in the movement to legalize marijuana. In both Utah and Missouri, voters legalized marijuana for medical purposes ― the 31st and 32nd states to approve medical cannabis. Voters in Michigan legalized recreational marijuana, making it the 10th state in the nation and the first state in the Midwest to do so. North Dakota, voters rejected a measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana. Steve Hawkins, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project said “this is yet another rejected election for the movement to end marijuana prohibition.“ “Voters have once again sent a message loud and clear that it is time to legalize and regulate marijuana. The Michigan victory highlights just how widespread support is for marijuana policy reform. Michigan voters approved Proposal 1, allowing adults 21 and older to buy, grow, use and possess marijuana for recreational purposes. Adults can grow up to 12 marijuana plants in their homes for personal use. Additionally, the initiative legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp, which can be used to make textiles, biofuels and foods. Under the measure, adults can be in possession of 2.5 ounces of marijuana, a provision similar to the state’s medical marijuana law that was approved in 2008.

This issue does not only enjoy strong support on the coasts but also in the Midwest and all throughout the country.”  Voters in Missouri were considering three separate proposals to legalize medical marijuana on their ballot, and all three aimed to legalize the use, purchase and possession of marijuana for medical purposes and would allow the state to set up a regulatory framework for licensed dispensaries. On Tuesday night, just one passed. Amendment 2 legalized medical marijuana and imposes a 4 percent tax on all marijuana sales. That revenue will be used for health care services for veterans. The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, projected that voters would approve Proposition 2, which allows patients to legally use, possess and purchase marijuana for medical purposes for conditions such as HIV, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, autism, cancer and Alzheimer’s. The measure would ban the smoking of marijuana but does allow vaping, marijuana-infused edibles and other means of consumption. During any 14-day period, a state-licensed cardholder could purchase as much as 2 ounces of marijuana. Beginning in 2021, medical marijuana cardholders who live more than 100 miles from a state-licensed dispensary would be allowed to grow as many as six marijuana plants for personal medicinal use. However, access to legal medical marijuana was likely in the state, regardless if the measure passed. In October, Utah medical marijuana advocates and state lawmakers agreed to a compromise bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state but with some differences from the ballot initiative.

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 A small group of British conservationists, The Warwickshire Amphibian and Reptile Team — the memorably acronymed WART – are installing mesh- covered ladders in roadside drains to save trapped amphibians from certain death in hopes that by placing 20 of the rust-resistant aluminum ladders down drains near known breeding pools in England’s West Midlands, they can boost the dwindling amphibian population. “By installing the amphibian ladders, it enables them to get back out of the drains and back to their breeding pools and doing what they should do and making more amphibians,” one frog lover said. “The amphibians are coming to breed and then hitting the road, getting across the roads, hitting the curb, along the curb and into the drains. And then that’s it – end of story for them, game over,” said Tim Jenkins, a ladder fitter at WART. And the issue of trapped toads is not limited to Britain, a 2012 study in the Netherlands estimated that more than half a million small vertebrates like frogs, toads and newts end up trapped in gully pots and drains each year.

It is one of the factors, along with habitat loss, that is blamed for common toad numbers declining by 68 percent in the UK over the past 30 years, according to a 2016 report by the conservation group Froglife. Each of the ladders designed by the British Herpetological Society costs 15 pounds ($20), a large price for a local conservation group. The group hopes their endeavors can inspire other conservation groups in the UK to help the oft-maligned critters. WART says it’s seen a drop in the number of amphibian prisoners since the ladders were installed, but there is a limit to how much they can do. They’re absolutely excellent for gardens because they eat lots of invertebrates – potential pests in your garden,” Jenkins said. “They’re an overlooked species and they have their role in the ecosystem.

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Amethyst Realm, 30, of Bristol, says she has had sex with at least 20 ghosts since she was a teenager but wasn’t looking for a new relationship when she went to Australia on a business trip. A spirited fling with an Australian ghost has ended up in true love for an Englishwoman. However, she says that changed on a nature hike when she came into contact with an apparition and felt sparks like none she’s ever known, something amazing happened on her flight home: She felt the presence of her lover on the plane, and apparently not stowed in cargo. “I couldn’t believe it. I was happy and excited — so excited that we had to do something about it. In fact,  we headed to the plane loo,” she told The Sun. “And, well, I am now a member of the Mile High Club.” In fact, it was so great the ghost has now proposed, and she wants the living world to know.

Realm didn’t think it could amount to anything serious because she says spirits tend to stay in one place but the paranormal proposal reportedly occurred last week when the couple took a road trip to England’s Wookey Hole caves, according to the New York Post. “I could actually hear his voice, and it was beautiful. Deep, sexy and real.” That was nine months ago and things have progressed to the point where Realm discussed her desire to marry and have her ghost’s baby on the British show “ITV This Morning” in August. The couple are now choosing a ring but have not decided what kind it will be. Realm, supernaturally, is hoping her ring will have an amethyst in it, but she’s leaving it to her spirit lover to decide. The couple plans to do a Pagan “handfasting” ceremony, in which their hands are tied together, symbolizing their connection, she said. “It’ll be somewhere in the English countryside. “Ghost lovers tend to be more sensual and adept than the average bloke. There’s always more of a connection, because the sex goes beyond physical. It’s like any other kind of sex. ”if you’re making love to a spirit, gender doesn’t really come into it.” The main difference is I just can’t see them,” she told Gloucester Live.

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church joined lawmakers, the governor and advocates to back a deal Thursday that would legalize medical marijuana in conservative Utah. After months of fierce debate, the compromise comes as people prepare to vote in November on an insurgent medical marijuana ballot initiative that held its ground despite opposition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If it passes, it will be revised under the terms of the deal. It if fails, the Legislature would consider a law under the new framework. Gov. Gary Herbert said he’ll call lawmakers into a special session after the midterm election to pass the compromise into law regardless of how the initiative fares. Medical use now is legal in more than 30 states and also is on the November ballot in Missouri. The agreement in such a conservative state underscores the nation’s changing attitude toward marijuana. So-called recreational marijuana goes before voters in Michigan and North Dakota. If passed, it will be a first for a Midwestern state. The Utah-based faith had opposed the ballot proposal over fears it could lead to more broad use, but ranking global leader Jack Gerard said they’re “thrilled” to be a part of the effort to “alleviate human pain and suffering.” The deal has the key backing of both the church and leaders of the Republican-dominated Legislature, who said the regulations in the hard-won agreement have their seal of approval.

Unlike the ballot initiative, the compromise won’t allow people to grow their own marijuana if they live too far from a dispensary, plus it doesn’t allow certain types of edibles that could appeal to children, like cookies, brownies and candies. Utah Senate president Wayne Niederhauser said, “I will do everything in my power to ensure this compromise passes in the special session.” The two sides agreed to scale back media campaigns supporting and opposing the ballot measure known as Proposition 2. Not all medical-marijuana advocates were convinced: Christine Stenquist with the group Truce said she remains skeptical about the deal and urged continued support for the ballot proposal. The LDS faith had long frowned upon medical marijuana use because of a key church health code called the “Word of Wisdom,” which prohibits coffee as well as alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposed the ballot measure, leaders also made first-ever public statements supporting the use of medical marijuana if prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacy.

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Police in Hartford, Michigan, are currently investigating how a batch of 12 weed-laced desserts were distributed at Hartford High School on Sept. 26. Michael Prince, a Hartford patrolman, who is investigating the incident, told local station WWMT it’s one of the stranger cases he’s seen. A cheerleader’s dream of becoming homecoming queen may have gone to pot, just because of a few marijuana brownies. “We are investigating two things. Number 1, some were put in goody bags for players, Number 2, they were used to obtain votes for the queen contest.” According to WWMT. “You always think you’ve heard it all and seen it all, and there is always something new to surprise you,” Prince told the station. According to a note posted on Facebook by superintendent Andrew Hubbard, an investigation confirmed several students received brownies laced with marijuana.

Michigan State Police heard about the alleged brownie bribes via an anonymous tip, according to CBS Chicago. “All individuals involved are being dealt with according to our District Policies and Student Handbooks. Hubbard wrote, we have notified the Hartford Police Department and are assisting them in their criminal investigation of the matter. High school staff members recovered three of the brownies and sent them to the state police crime lab for testing to confirm the presence of drugs. The desserts have been sent to the state police crime lab for testing. The remaining nine are unaccounted for, and were possibly consumed by students, according to local station WXMI TV. The cheerleader whom he said is the main suspect is currently out of state, reportedly dealing with a family emergency. He told WXMI he hopes to interview her when she comes back to town. Prince says any students who distributed the brownies could face felony charges.

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Experts are trying to determine the cause of flames of up to 12 feet high spontaneously erupting from a pit in Midway, Arkansas. Could it be… Satan? So far, they’ve come up empty. But they know what didn’t cause it. The fire burned for about 40 minutes on Sept. 17 from a hole believed to have been made by animals, the newspaper said. “As far as the spiritual Satan goes, we’ve ruled that out,” “He didn’t come up and stick his pitchfork in the ground and blow that hole out.” Judge Mickey Pendergrass told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “But what caused it? I have no idea. There’s no gas lines nearby and there was no smell of natural gas.” He also ruled out a meteor strike, as the 3.5-foot-deep pit had been there for some time.

“I took a temperature reading of it and it showed 780 degrees inside the hole,” fire Chief Donald Tucker told the Springfield News-Leader. “I can’t think of any geologic situation that would allow that to happen. Not in this area,” Ty Johnson, an Arkansas Geological Survey geologist told KY3. Jim Sierzchula, director of Baxter County Office of Emergency Management, told the News-Leader there used to be a gas station nearby, but there’s no indication that it caused the fire, there were lightning strikes in the area the night before. “What ignited it and what fueled it we still don’t know,” Pendergrass told KY3. “And it may remain forever a mystery.”

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(Reuters) – The Houston City Council on Wednesday prevented what was billed as the first brothel in the United States equipped with sex dolls by altering a local ordinance to block the business and any others like it.  “You cannot engage in sexual activities with any inanimate objects at the business,” Turner said in explaining the change. The Houston Chronicle reported that Toronto-based KinkySdollS had planned to open a Houston location where customers could both buy “adult love dolls” and rent them for use in private rooms.

Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters after the council meeting that the vote amounted to a modification of an existing city ordinance. People will still be able to buy the dolls, he said. The company has opened a similar business in Toronto, according to its website. “We are investigating our options,” he said in a telephone interview. KinkySdollS founder, Yuval Gavriel, said he is talking to lawyers about suing the city over its decision.

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While Hurricane Florence pummeling the Eastern Seaboard, reporters are shooting outdoors in storm-drenched areas to show viewers at home just how serious the storm is. A video of a live segment in North Carolina, shows Weather Channel reporter Mike Seidel making a big splash ― but probably not in the way he’d like. A video segment shows him bracing his feet on where he’s standing, presumably so he won’t be blown over during his segment. There was just one problem: two people walk behind him as though nothing is wrong, ruining the appearance of dire conditions for his segment, while Seidel looks as if he needed to guard against the wind and the rain. Some wondered where the weatherman got his training.

Many Twitter users suspected the shot was just a teensy bit fabricated. I like the Weather Channel. But look at this guy acting like the wind is about to blow him over as he rocks back and forth. Meanwhile, I guess he missed the guys walking behind him casually talking on their phones. OOPS!! I mean it’s windy sure BUT…… The video reminded people of other times weather people tried to cloud the truth with dramatic license. HuffPost reached out to the Weather Channel, which supplied this statement: “It’s important to note that the two individuals in the background are walking on concrete, and Mike Seidel is trying to maintain his footing on wet grass, after reporting on-air until 1:00 a.m. ET this morning and is undoubtedly exhausted.”

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 Officially named 2015 TB145, it”s a different kind of Halloween sequel in the works, and it’s coming soon to the skies near Earth. A skull-like asteroid that passed Earth in October 2015 is coming back for another visit in early November. The asteroid has been called The Great Pumpkin by NASA because of its Halloween flyby three years ago. 2015 TB145 has also been described as a “death comet” because it’s believed to be a dead comet and because of its skull shape, which was picked up on radar images from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico:

Despite the spooky appearance and nicknames, 2015 TB145 will pose no threat to life on Earth. Vishnu Reddy, a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, said “we found that the object reflects about 6 percent of the light it receives from the sun.” Reddy said in a 2015 news release. “That is similar to fresh asphalt, and while here on Earth we think that is pretty dark, it is brighter than a typical comet which reflects only 3 to 5 percent of the light. That suggests it could be cometary in origin ― but as there is no coma evident, the conclusion is it is a dead comet.”

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The Florida high school where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting is getting a therapy dog to help students who need emotional support. A 3-month-old female Bernese mountain dog-poodle mix named River, has been adopted by Ray and Diana Haneski. Mini bernedoodle’s like River averages 30 to 45 pounds (14 to 20 kilograms) fully grown. Haneski helped shelter 50 kids during the deadly shooting at the school on Valentine’s Day. Now she will be bringing River into the school to help those coping with trauma. River will live with and go to work with Haneski. She’ll receive free basic training as well as pet therapy training thanks to Fun Dog Training.

She told NBC 6 after meeting the dog Thursday that “it’s magical.” As she tries to prepare herself to return to the school, she said, “River’s going to help in the future with a lot of struggles and trouble.” In the aftermath of the tragic shooting, friends and family members of the victims, as well as survivors, were showered with condolences and prayers from strangers around the country. After seeing the positive affects the therapy dogs had on the shooting survivors’ healing process, Meryl Berdugo decided she wanted to help extend that support system beyond those first weeks following the deadly massacre, Launching a GoFundMe campaign to get two therapy dogs for the school. For more information and to donate to help support the therapy dogs at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, visit the GoFundMe.

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