Consumer confusion over organic marijuana peaked in Colorado earlier this year, when Denver health authorities seized thousands of marijuana plants from growers suspected of using off-limits chemicals on their plants. Most of the plants were ultimately released, but some were sold with names that suggested the products were natural or organic. "That misleads people," said Larisa Bolivar. "You need to know that when something says organic, it's organic."   read more

A trial judge had denied Freeport’s post-verdict motion for a judgment as a matter of law on the grounds that Hispanic does not constitute a distinct race under antidiscrimination laws. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals found that Hispanic has long been considered a separate race in civil rights cases. The judges pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court has previously held that racial discrimination includes bias based on ancestry or ethnic characteristics.   read more

The Great Plains states led the nation in healthy sleep, buoyed by South Dakota, where 72 percent of those surveyed said they averaged at least 7 hours nightly. The South and Appalachian states got the least sleep as a region. But Hawaii was the worst individual state, where 56 percent of respondents got the recommended amount of sleep. The report also found that while two-thirds of white people nationally got enough sleep, only about half of blacks, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders did.   read more

AMD is entering a partnership with AP to push virtual-reality technology the news organization can use for its reports. AMD will provide high-end computer hardware and its suite of virtual-reality software tools, dubbed "LiquidVR," to help AP create more 360-degree video and virtual-reality reporting. "VR promises to be the next revolution," said AP's Paul Cheung. "It can get the user deep inside the story."   read more

Did you ever buy porn, sniff glue, have sex in junior high? Exactly how many times? White House lawyers are scouring a life's worth of information about President Obama's potential picks for the Supreme Courtl. Prospective justices are put through the nation's most thorough background check, an invasive process where nothing is off-limits. Candidates' taxes, writings, childhoods, business dealings, medical histories and, yes, love lives, are all scrutinized for potential red flags.   read more

The proposed rules are designed to ensure that the more than 46 million Americans who use food stamps have better access to healthy foods although they don't dictate what people buy or eat. A person using food stamp dollars could still purchase as much junk food as they wanted, but they would at least have more options in the store to buy fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats and bread. In all, the rules would require stores to stock at least 168 items that USDA considers healthy.   read more

An international animal advocacy group launched a protest against a New Hampshire winter carnival event billed as a "Greased Pig on Ice," but withdrew it after learning there's no pig in the act — just a man on skates in a pig costume with dollar bills tied to his tail. The carnival's Steve Smith said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched its alert despite his reassurances that no pigs would be harmed during the event. Smith received about 100 emails from concerned animal lovers.   read more

State Rep. Mary Lou Marzian said the bill is symbolic but she is trying to make a point about government intrusion. "My point is to illustrate how intrusive and ridiculous it is for elected officials to be inserting themselves into private and personal medical decisions," she said. Marzian introduced the bill days after Republican Governor Matt Bevin signed an informed consent law that requires women to consult with a doctor before having an abortion.   read more

WTOL-TV reports that a computer malfunction dropped prices at one north Toledo gas station, and another across the street lowered its prices to stay competitive early Sunday. Customer Taylor Kline told the station he filled his empty tank for just 26 cents. The extra-low pricing lasted at least three hours before returning to normal.   read more

Scientists traveled from remote villages in Peru to a large Brazilian city to begin tracking the effects of urbanization on the diversity of bacteria in people’s homes. Researchers found that as people living in the Amazon rainforest become more urbanized, the kinds of bacteria in their homes change from the bugs mostly found in nature to those that typically live on people   read more

A conservative Super PAC that parodied a Paul Anka song to mock U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, faces a federal complaint from the ballad’s composer. Club for Growth Action spent $700,000 in September 2014 to air its 30-second commercial, set to the tune of the 1975 song “Times of Your Life.”   read more

The memorial, HM 417, passed the Florida House and Senate by an overwhelming voice vote. It is part of a national movement led by U.S. Term Limits to fight careerism in Washington. Article V gives state legislators a way to make term limits on Congress a reality without needing congressional approval. For the convention to be called, 34 states must pass similar legislation. If the convention proposes an amendment, 38 states must ratify it for it to be added to the U.S. Constitution.   read more

Computers that control cars of the future can be considered drivers just like humans, the federal government's highway safety agency has decided. The redefinition of "driver" by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an important break for Google, which is developing self-driving cars that get around without steering wheels, pedals — or even the need for a person to be inside. For Google's design, human control would be limited to a start and stop button.   read more

Governments that make money off the products penalize women for their biology, some say. That perspective has picked up momentum, with at least five U.S. states dumping the taxes. Pennsylvania and Minnesota are among states that have eliminated the taxes. A handful of other states, including California, have seen similar proposals before their legislatures this year. In Wisconsin, a Democratic lawmaker has proposed providing free tampons in all public buildings.   read more

Among the items left behind since the memorial was dedicated in 1982 are a custom-built Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a general's stars, eyeglasses, military ribbons and medals, money and flags. The proposed changes call for keeping only personal artifacts of personnel whose names appear on the memorial, Vietnam War military service items, and protest and advocacy materials related to the war. Most of the items left at the site now have no direct connection to Vietnam veterans or the war.   read more

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a legal forum on Monday that the agency passed the milestone last week when it topped 325,000 registered drone owners. There are 320,000 registered manned aircraft. Huerta said the number of small unmanned aircraft is even larger because drone operators often own more than one drone. FAA officials launched a drone registration program just before Christmas, saying it would help them track down operators who violate regulations.   read more