Food stamps at pot shops banned under Colo. bill

Food stamps at pot shops banned under Colo. bill,  Food stamps for a pot brownie? It's an urban myth in Colorado, but state lawmakers want to make sure that doesn't happen.

A bill proposed this week by several Republicans would add marijuana dispensaries to liquor stores, gun shops and casinos as places where recipients of public assistance payments and food stamps can't use their electronic benefits cards to access cash.

There haven't been any reports of public EBT cards being used at marijuana dispensaries. But lawmakers say pot shops should be added to the law to make clear it's not legal.

"We need this bill, if for nothing else, as a statement," said Rep. Jared Wright, R-Grand Junction.

"We shouldn't be enabling anyone to buy a substance that is banned under federal law. It's not a good use of taxpayer money," he said.

Dispensary owners say they've been debunking rumors about food stamp use in marijuana shops.

Ryan Cook, manager of The Clinic chain of marijuana stores in the Denver area, said there's no substance to fears of public assistance being used for cannabis products.

"I've never heard of it. We've never seen it in any of our locations," Cook said.

The Marijuana Industry Group, a Denver-based business and lobbying organization, hasn't taken a position on the food-stamp bill.

"MIG is focused on addressing issues of public safety, such as access to banking, and working with state and local governments to educate the public about responsible use of marijuana and ensuring this product stays out of the hands of those who shouldn't have it," MIG Director Michael Elliott said.

A hearing for Senate Bill 37 hasn't been set. The bill would also prohibit public EBT use at adult-oriented entertainment establishments, something already banned under federal law.

Electronic cards that contain money for food assistance can't be used to withdraw cash, or for non-eligible items such as tobacco or alcohol. But public EBT cards that contain Social Security Disability benefits or other benefits can be used to withdraw cash, a provision that has led to prohibitions on using public EBT cards at establishments like strip clubs and casinos.

Recreational marijuana sales began Jan. 1 in Colorado. Many of the shops sell marijuana-infused foods and drinks, such as candies, cookies and sodas.

W Virginia chemical spill triggers tap water ban

W Virginia chemical spill triggers tap water ban,  Up to 300,000 West Virginia residents are spending a second night unable to bathe, shower or drink tap water Friday after a chemical spill into the Elk River called the water's safety into question.

"We don't know that the water's not safe, but I can't say it is safe," Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water Co, told a news conference. The company runs the state's largest water treatment plant.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency for nine counties, and President Barack Obama issued an emergency declaration on Friday. The spill forced the closure of schools and businesses in Charleston, the state's capital and largest city.

Tests were being done on the water, McIntyre said, but he could not say when it would be declared safe for normal use.

The spill of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, or Crude MCHM, a chemical used in the coal industry, occurred on Thursday on the Elk River in Charleston, upriver from the plant run by West Virginia American Water.

The spill came from a tank belonging to Freedom Industries, a Charleston company that produces specialty chemicals for the mining, steel and cement industries.

Water carrying this chemical has an odor like licorice or anise, McIntyre said. While the chemical is not highly lethal, the level that could be considered safe has yet to be quantified, he said.

A water company spokeswoman said the chemical could be harmful if swallowed and could cause skin and eye irritation.

By Friday evening, 737 people had called the West Virginia Poison Center to report concerns or symptoms related to the spill, according to Director Elizabeth Scharman.

Those with symptoms reported nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, rashes and/or reddened skin - "varying from very mild to much more bothersome," Scharman said.

Scharman said that the center knows of 70 people who have been seen by an emergency room doctor, though only a handful have been admitted to hospitals.

UP TO 5,000 GALLONS LEAKED

The governor said in an interview with CNN that there were several thousand gallons of the chemical at the plant, and it is estimated that at most about 5,000 gallons leaked out.

"The old tank has been emptied and taken away and as of right now the company is closed down," Tomblin said. The Department of Environmental Protection issued a "cease operations" order against the facility.

The spill was discovered after the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection received a report of a strange odor on Thursday morning and visited the site, where they found a leaking tank, a spokeswoman for Governor Tomblin said.

Tomblin said in a CNN interview that when government officials arrived at the scene, "They had had to convince them they needed to get in to take care of this problem."

According to a Friday letter from the state Department of Environmental Protection to Freedom Industries, upon arriving at the facility, government officials "discovered that no spill containment measures had been initiated and that an accumulating MCHM leak pool was seeping thru a dike wall adjacent to the Elk River and a downriver oil sheen was observed."

Freedom Industries President Gary Southern said the company was still determining how much Crude MCHM had been released. He said the company has been working with local and federal authorities, and apologized at a press conference in Charleston.

"Our friends and our neighbors, this incident is extremely unfortunate, unanticipated and we are very, very sorry for the disruption to everybody's daily life that this incident has caused," Southern said.

Emergency workers and American Water distributed water to centers around the affected area. Residents formed long lines at stores and quickly depleted inventories of bottled water.

"It's just ridiculous," said Jaime Cook of Charleston, who was buying one of the last jugs of water at a Walmart store. "There's nowhere to buy water and everywhere seems to be sold out. This isn't going to last two days."

Tina May, a Charleston resident, even considered heading out of town for the weekend. "I'm not sure how long I can last without a shower. This is unbearable," she said.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on Friday waived size and weight restrictions for trucks to expedite delivery of water, equipment and supplies to West Virginia to help them recover.

$70,000 in donations to Sandy Hook charity missing

$70,000 in donations to Sandy Hook charity missing,  A charity formed after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has been unable to account for more than $70,000 it raised through marathon running, one of its co-founders said Friday.

Ryan Graney, of Nashville, Tenn., said only $30,000 of the $103,000 taken in by the 26.4.26 Foundation was used for the organization's purpose. That money was presented last January by co-founder Robbie Bruce to the nonprofit NYA, a youth sports center in Newtown, where the December 2012 shooting occurred.

Graney said Bruce was in charge of the organization's finances but has cut off contact with her.

Bruce didn't return repeated telephone messages from The Associated Press, including one left with his sister. Public records list Bruce's address as an apartment in a gated complex on the southern outskirts of Nashville. No one answered the door there Friday afternoon.

An online biography lists Bruce, an endurance athlete, as co-founder of Nashville-based X3 Endurance, a fitness training company, which had a link to the foundation on its website. But Eddie Ferrell, another co-founder of that company, said it ended its relationship with Bruce almost a year ago and his whereabouts are unknown.

The idea behind the 26.4.26 Foundation was for runners to participate in marathons, raising money for each of the 26 miles they ran and dedicating each mile to one of the 26 victims of the school shooting — 20 children and six educators. The fundraising effort was featured in Runner's World magazine and was the subject of several local news stories.

The group held its first marathon in Nashville a week after the shooting, with more than 1,000 participants. Another was held in New Hampshire last April. More than 1,400 runners raised about $22,000 for the foundation, organizers said. The charity also received donations from runners in other events, Graney said.

Graney said she noticed something was amiss last spring, when she discovered suspicious charges to the foundation's PayPal account.

"I saw there was $1,200 billed for paddle boards," she said. "I went on (Bruce's) Instagram page, and he had posted a picture of a paddle board in the back of his truck."

Graney said she confronted Bruce and he promised to meet her and go over the organization's finances. She said he never showed up and then cut off contact with her in September.

She said she filed complaints with the FBI and the Tennessee attorney general's office, which said they don't comment on ongoing investigations.

Graney said the foundation, registered as a nonprofit corporation in Tennessee, had virtually no overhead or other expenses that would justify not giving the vast majority of the proceeds to the people of Newtown.

"I am in tears, sick about this," Graney said by telephone Friday.

The attorney general's office in Connecticut, which has been keeping track of charities that sprang up after the shooting, said it had no knowledge of the foundation.

The NYA's executive director, Dorrie Carolan, said her organization "graciously accepted a check in the amount of $30,000, which cleared shortly after it was received."

Leigh Melia, who lives in Lebanon, 70 miles east of Newtown, ran 3 miles of the New Hampshire race as part of a relay team with a group of teachers and her then-7-year-old daughter. She said each mile was dedicated to a different Sandy Hook victim and she explained to her daughter who they were as they ran.

"When I ran, I thought the money was going to those victims and their families," she said, adding she feels someone should be held accountable now that the money has gone missing.

Graney said her hope is publicizing the problem will help get the money to where it belongs.

"If I knew what was going on, I would have stopped it sooner," she said. "I feel terrible. I couldn't sit by and let this happen."

Kym Marsh and Jamie Lomas divorce: Their fiery relationship history

Kym Marsh and Jamie Lomas divorce: Their fiery relationship history, Just minutes after Kym Marsh's divorce came through she told the world she was having "THE best morning" - he ex husband was already in LA with a 23-year-old model.

Perhaps a fitting end to an often fiery relationship with more ups and down than a Lee Ryan popularity meter. The couple started dating in 2008, but were blighted with cheating allegations, rows and sadly, the loss of a child.

Despite rekindling their romance last year, and getting married in September, Corrie actress Kym decided to file for divorce, citing Jamie's erratic behaviour.

Brunette Kym met Jamie began publicly dating Jamie Lomas in December 2009 after her divorce from former EastEnder star Jack Ryder was granted.

When they split they issued a statement which said it was "amicable and they remain friends," and that no one else was involved - although in divorce papers Kym admitted committing adultery during her six year marriage to the actor.

Then in 2010 the couple were thrilled when former Hear’Say singer Kym fell pregnant – but at just 21 weeks she went into labour because of a condition that meant her body was rejecting the baby. Archie died just minutes after being born.

Their relationship became strained when they lost son Archie but they sorted out their problems and welcomed their first child – a daughter named Polly – in March 2011.

In April 2012, Kym was left reeling after Jamie was pictured in a bed with another woman after a night out in Leeds. Just three months later they were reported to have temporarily split and the family home was put up for sale.

The couple then looked to have patched up their differences and married in September 2012. But just a year into their marriage rumours emerged Kym, 37, had been having a five month affair with Corrie co-star Oliver Mellor, 32. An accusation she denies.

The alleged affair was said to have happened earlier this year while Jamie was in America looking for work. It isn't clear if it continued after Jamie landed the role of ex alcoholic cheating husband Jake in BBC hit soap EastEnders.


In October Kym called police after Jamie allegedly flew into a drunken rage after discovering claims his wife cheated.

Kym dialled 999 call as the EastEnders actor turned on her during a late-night bust-up at their home. He called Coronation Street producers and cast on their mobiles into the early hours of Saturday morning demanding they give him the phone number of the actor who quit the Street in April.

The writing was on the wall and Kym filed for divorce - it was granted today in a 60 second uncontested hearing.

Teen stops bomber

Teen stops bomber,  A 14-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero in Pakistan for tackling a suicide bomber -- dying at the main gate of his school and saving schoolmates gathered for their morning assembly.

Ninth-grader Aitazaz Hassan Bangash was on his way to the Ibrahimzai School on Monday in the Hangu district of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when the bomber, dressed in a school uniform, asked him where the school was, the teen's cousin told CNN.

Aitazaz and his cousin, Musadiq Ali Bangash, became suspicious, Musadiq said.

"The other students backed off, but Aitazaz challenged the bomber and tried to catch him. During the scuffle, the bomber panicked and detonated his bomb," he said.

Rajab Ali, who also witnessed the bombing, told CNN that he saw Aitazaz throw a large stone at a boy trying to enter the school. The blast happened when Aitazaz grabbed him, he said.

Aitazaz and the bomber died at the scene. Witnesses say the blast injured two other people.Iftikhar Ahmed, a Hangu district police officer, confirmed the details of the attack to CNN.
Hangu is a troubled district bordering Pakistan's tribal areas. It is rife with sectarian violence, with attacks against Shia and Sunni Muslims.

"It was a great sacrifice to save the lives of hundreds of both Shia and Sunni students, who were in morning assembly," Musadiq said.

Aitazaz is survived by his father, Mujaad Ali Bangash, a laborer; his elder brother, Mustajab Hassan Bangash, a student in Pakistan; and three sisters.

Local residents such as Nawaz Khan are calling for Aitazaz to receive a posthumous award for his bravery. "He saved the lives of hundreds of students. He deserves more recognition than Malala Yousafzai," he said.
Pakistanis are comparing him to Malala, the schoolgirl shot by the Taliban in October 2012 for promoting education for all boys and girls.

Pakistanis on social media are praising Aitazaz's bravery, with people on Twitter asking everyone to use hastags #onemillionaitzazs or simply #aitzaz and calling for his heroism to be recognized with an award.

J.R. Martinez Diana Gonzalez-Jones

J.R. Martinez Diana Gonzalez-Jones, People reports that despite the parting, the former couple’s priority remains in raising their daughter, Lauryn Anabelle.

“Diana and I have ended our relationship. However, we are committed to working together to raise our daughter in a healthy and happy environment,” Martinez told the site.

The break-up officially closes the book on the Iraq war vet’s romantic relationship with Gonzalez-Jones. The pair met when Martinez joined the cast of “All My Children” in 2008. At the time, Gonzalez-Jones was working as an assistant to the daytime soap’s executive producer. Martinez and Gonzalez-Jones initially started out as friends before entering the romantic phase four years ago.

Reflecting on the end of his split from Gonzalez-Jones, Martinez posted a message to his Facebook page Wednesday that addressed the difficulties of accepting change.

“People change [it's] a part of life, but sometimes [it's] easier to hold on to the memories of who they were rather [than] to realize who they have become…” he wrote.

H5N1 virus

H5N1 virus, With confirmation of the first death from H5N1 in Canada, here’s what you need to know about the virus.
What is H5N1?

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian flu virus commonly found in domestic poultry across certain regions of Asia and the Middle East. While human cases of the virus infection are very rare and it is difficult to transmit the infection from person to person, the mortality rate for infected humans is about 60 per cent.
The virus can infect the respiratory tract and lead to serious illnesses such as pneumonia, respiratory failure and death.

How many people have been infected with the virus?
More than 600 people have contracted H5N1 worldwide since 2003, with countries such as Egypt and Vietnam reporting the highest number of cases to date.

According to the World Health Organization, there were 38 known cases of human H5N1 infections in 2013 and 24 reported deaths, mostly in Cambodia.
How is H5N1 contracted?

Most patients infected with the H5N1 virus have come in close contact with sick or dead infected poultry.
Humans may also contract the virus after prolonged exposure to H5N1 environments such as live poultry markets, travelling abroad, or coming in contact with an infected H5N1 patient.

Dr. Neil Rau, an infectious diseases specialist, tells CTV that the exchange of H5N1 from human-to-human contact is very rare.

“You don’t get sustained chains of transmission, where it goes from one person who had contact with the birds to another person, and then again to another wave of people. I think the most that’s ever been seen has been two chains, but most of the time, you don’t actually see close contact giving rise to a sustained spread.”

You cannot contract H5N1 from properly handled and cooked poultry and eggs since the virus is sensitive to heat. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of human H5N1 cases have been linked to home slaughtering and the handling of diseased poultry before cooking, which remains the highest risk to infection.
What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. Some patients may experience abdominal aches, chest pain and diarrhoea. Experts say the virus can progress into severe respiratory illnesses and cause seizures, organ failure and death.

Rau says that while initial H5N1 symptoms may resemble those associated with seasonal flu, H5N1 can progress very rapidly.

“The typical symptoms would be very much like another, typical seasonal flu,” he said.
“But the difference with bird flu is that it actually progresses to pneumonia, the patient becomes breathless and then has respiratory distress.”
How is H5N1 treated in humans?

While candidate vaccines to prevent H5N1 have been developed, they are not ready for widespread public use and none has been approved in Canada.

Seasonal flu vaccines do not provide protection against the H5N1 virus. The World Health Organization warns that any patient showing signs of H5N1 infections should be treated in hospital as they may require intensive care. The antiviral medicine known as ‘Oseltamivir’ has shown to reduce the severity of H5N1 illnesses and should be used in all cases.