Shorts (right)
DENVER — A Colorado law that allows adults to legally possess and use marijuana may now allow some people found guilty of minor marijuana crimes to challenge their convictions in court, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.
Eric Holder endorses proposal to reduce drug sentences
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is endorsing a proposal that would reduce prison sentences for people convicted of dealing drugs, the latest sign of the Obama administration’s retrenchment in the war on drugs.
Normal temperatures make a return this weekend
Over the next two days, we will see a slow return to slightly warmer conditions. Following Thursday’s storm, Boston had a fresh dusting of snow and temperatures were 10-20 degrees below normal. Yesterday night, this low pressure system moved off the Canadian coast. Slightly warmer air has moved over us in its place: today’s highs will be in the 30s, and highs on Saturday will be in the 40s and 50s.
General Motors air bag failures linked to 303 deaths
As lawmakers press General Motors and regulators over their decadelong failure to correct a defective ignition switch, a new accounting of federal crash data shows that 303 people died after the air bags failed to deploy on two of the models that were recalled last month.
Premier of Ukraine makes plea at the United Nations
UNITED NATIONS — Ukraine’s interim prime minister, seeking to rally support for a Security Council resolution criticizing the Russian takeover of Crimea, took pains on Thursday to say that his country wanted a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
McDonald’s workers in three states sue, claim underpayment
McDonald’s workers in California, Michigan
Shorts (right)
TOKYO — One of the authors of a study that was claimed to have discovered a simple way to make stem cells said Monday that he was no longer sure of his team’s conclusions, and he called for the study to be retracted.
Speculation widens over missing jet’s fate as search area expands
WASHINGTON — Watching a seat-back display with a plane-shaped icon gliding across the map, it is easy to forget that in true scale, the airplane is very small and the route very large. As the hours and days drag by with no trace of the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared over the Gulf of Thailand early Saturday, the world is getting a reminder that if something goes wrong on a jet five miles up in the sky, traveling at 10 miles a minute, it can cover a lot of ground — or water — before it comes down to earth.
Obama’s new approach takes a humorous turn
WASHINGTON — In “Between Two Ferns,” an off-color online parody of celebrity interview shows, comedian Zach Galifianakis has spanked Justin Bieber with his belt, discussed Charlize Theron’s thighs
U.S. and Russia hit roadblock trying to start Crimea talks
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s effort to solicit Russia’s help to defuse the crisis in Ukraine appeared to hit a dead end on Monday when Secretary of State John Kerry delayed an anticipated trip to Russia and the two sides issued dueling accounts of their recent diplomacy.
Snowden tries to rally tech conference to buttress privacy shields
AUSTIN, Texas — Edward J. Snowden wants the technology industry to get serious about protecting the privacy of its users and customers.
Rollercoaster weather this week
Strong swings in the weather conditions will occur this week. Today, the high temperature is expected to reach into the 50°Fs, but over the next two days temperatures will plummet in association with a winter storm and Thursday temperatures will only reach the mid 20°Fs.
Shorts (left)
CONCORD, N.H. — The state’s Republican-dominated Senate voted Thursday to expand health care coverage to an estimated 50,000 adults using Medicaid funding made available through the Affordable Care Act.
Crimea approves secession vote as tensions rise
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — The volatile confrontation over the future of Ukraine took another tense turn Thursday as Russian allies here in Crimea sought annexation by Moscow and the United States imposed its first sanctions on Russian officials involved in the military occupation of the strategic peninsula.
Abortion law pushes Texas clinics to close doors
McALLEN, Texas — Shortly before a candlelight vigil on the sidewalk outside, employees of the last abortion clinic in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas shut the doors Thursday evening, making legal abortion unavailable in the poorest part of the state in the wake of tough new restrictions passed last year by the Texas Legislature.
Decades after racial killing, inquiry shows police spied on victim’s parents
LONDON — More than 20 years after the murder of a young black man became a symbol of Britain’s troubled race relations, an inquiry published Thursday disclosed that undercover officers spied on the victim’s parents as they campaigned for a thorough investigation into their son’s killing.
Shorts (right)
LOS ANGELES — An explosion during a training exercise that killed four Marines at Camp Pendleton last year was most likely caused by a dropped or kicked grenade, and two Marines have been relieved of duty as a result, military officials announced Thursday.
Weekend provides a break from winter
It is the first week of March, and that typically means spring is just around the proverbial corner. The signs are everywhere: Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, duck boats have been spotted driving around town, the vernal equinox and Spring Break are just two weeks away. However, although the amount of sunlight has been increasing, the weather has remained staunchly entrenched in the season of winter. Although the normal high temperatures for this time of year are around 43°F (6°C), Boston hasn’t experienced a day above 40°F since February 24. This morning’s low temperature, expected to be in the single digits, will provide little relief.