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Black farmer sues to block Florida from issuing set-aside medical marijuana license

Black farmer sues to block Florida from issuing set-aside medical marijuana license

An African American farmer out of Panama City is suing the state to block the issuance of a medical marijuana license set aside for minorities on the grounds that a new law cut him out of the deal. Columbus Smith, 80, says he can’t bid on the Florida Department of Health’s cultivation license reserved for members of the Florida chapter of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association because the private association won’t allow new members to join. He says the association stopped acce…
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Trump pardon pains those who feel like Joe Arpaio’s victims

Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is taking a victory lap now that President Donald Trump has pardoned his recent conviction, giving political speeches, raising money and boasting he’s been vindicated following a politically motivated prosecution. To people like Joe Atencio, the pardon for a misdemeanor contempt-of-court conviction ended the only real accountability for a lawman accused of a range of misconduct over his 24 years as metro Phoenix’s sheriff. Atencio’s son was killed in a 2011 alt…
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Trump weighing options as travel ban nears expiration date

President Donald Trump is weighing the next iteration of his controversial travel ban, which could include new, more tailored restrictions on travelers from additional countries. The Department of Homeland Security has recommended the president impose the new, targeted restrictions on foreign nationals from countries it says refuse to share sufficient information with the U.S. or haven’t taken necessary security precautions. The restrictions could vary by country, officials said. Trump’s ban on…
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Colorado: Some low-level radioactive waste handled illegally

Some types of low-level radioactive waste have been illegally buried in landfills that are not approved to handle them because of a contradiction in state laws, Colorado health officials said Friday. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the Legislature needs to change the laws so the agency has the authority to regulate the waste. The problem was first reported by The Denver Post (http://dpo.st/2xtIiwR). The agency said it did not know how much of the waste is involved …
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Nursing home where eight died claims requests for help were ignored

Nursing home where eight died claims requests for help were ignored

The Hollywood nursing home where eight died in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma claimed Friday that Gov. Scott and several state agencies didn’t respond to pleas for help and that Florida Power & Light failed to show up four times to fix the electricity. FPL refused to confirm or deny the nursing home’s claims. But Gov. Rick Scott’s office released a statement late Friday afternoon disputing the nursing home’s account, saying “at no time did the facility report that conditions had …
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Looking Forward/Raising the Bar

Raul Pinzon has experience in personal injury law, workers’ compensation and immigration cases, particularly for clients from the Latino community. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED BY REICH & MANCINI) To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Reich & Mancini, P.A., a law firm dedicated to the practice of injury and immigration law, welcomes attorney Raul Pinzon to its team. Pinzon holds a Juris Doctorate from Florida International University in M…
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Michigan board may declare LGBT discrimination unlawful

A long-stalled movement to make it illegal to discriminate against LGBT people may gain traction — not in the Legislature but with a Michigan board that is being asked to declare that such discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations is already unlawful under state law. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission will meet Monday to consider the request after two months of receiving public feedback, including roughly 300 comments. The interpretive statement, if issued, would say t…
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Judge: Sessions can’t deny grant money for sanctuary cities

Attorney General Jeff Sessions can’t follow through — at least for now — with his threat to withhold public safety grant money to Chicago and other so-called sanctuary cities for refusing to impose new tough immigration policies, a judge ruled Friday in a legal defeat for the Trump administration. In what is at least a temporary victory for cities that have defied Sessions, U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber ruled that the Justice Department could not impose the requirements. He said …
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Hurricane Irma: Legal action in nursing home deaths

The Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills went on the offensive as at least two families of seniors who died took legal action Friday to preserve all evidence, including video surveillance, in preparation for suing. We’ve sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed. We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your PalmBeachPost.com profile. If you do not receive the verification mes…
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Miami-Dade to unauthorized immigrants: Don't fear hurricane shelters

Miami-Dade to unauthorized immigrants: Don’t fear hurricane shelters

Immigrants in South Florida illegally should not fear deportation if they seek shelter during Hurricane Irma, according to political leaders who urged the undocumented to heed local evacuation orders. “We don’t ask anybody for their identification,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a briefing late Wednesday from the county’s emergency operations center in Doral. “Everybody who needs shelter in Miami-Dade County is welcome, and you should do so without any fear of any repercussi…
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GOP launches campaign pushing Democrats for Menendez ouster

The start of Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s federal corruption trial Wednesday has hung a question mark on the future of his Senate seat, and national Republicans have already begun pushing for his ouster if he’s convicted. The Republican National Committee rolled out a campaign this week aimed at pressuring Democratic senators to call on Menendez to step down if he’s convicted. The campaign includes a Snapchat filter available near the courthouse that has a banner saying “Bye Bye Bob Mene…
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Legal Hurricane Rights

(WSVN) – So many South Floridians are scrambling to get ready in case Irma comes roaring in. You know about the storm, but do you know what rights you have — whether it’s at your job, your condo or with your insurance company. For that, we bring in Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser. The sight of this has South Floridians stressed with the thought of the damage a storm like Irma can do to each of us. All we can do, of course, is prepare and arm yourself with the knowledge of, legall…
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New York sued over voter roll purges

New York is wrongly purging voter rolls to remove the names of supposedly inactive voters, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of a government watchdog group. The legal challenge against state elections officials argues the state’s purging policy violates federal law governing how states can scrub names from their list of registered voters. “New York’s outdated policies disenfranchise tens of thousands of eligible voters in clear violation of the National Voter Registration…
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Delaware task force digs into the details of legalizing pot

From stoned driving to the taxation of marijuana, Delaware would face multiple vexing challenges if lawmakers ever legalize recreational cannabis use, and a state task force is getting ready to dig into those issues. The panel’s first meeting Wednesday came amid a broader national debate, with a bill introduced in Congress last month to legalize cannabis nationwide, at the same time that Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to crack down on the legalized marijuana industry. While eight states a…
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New Miami speed camera lawsuit has cost taxpayers nearly $300000

New Miami speed camera lawsuit has cost taxpayers nearly $300000

The village collected $1.8 million during the 15 months the cameras were rolling. We’ve sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed. We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your Journal-News.com profile. If you do not receive the verification message within a few minutes of signing up, please check your Spam or Junk folder. We look forward to seeing you on Journal-News.com frequent…
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Che Guevara image by Irish artist removed from US airport

The poster was part of the Irish in Latin America exhibition, sponsored by the Irish embassy in the US, to highlight the connection between Latin America and Ireland, and coincide with the opening of a direct route between Dublin and Miami. The Miami Herald reported that the poster had been removed from the airport’s E terminal within hours of being erected. “He was not at the airport for even 12 hours,” said Greg Chin, director of communications at the airport. The Irish emb…
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Madison County helping elderly navigate legal system

Madison County in southern Illinois is making it easier for the elderly to navigate the legal system. In a news release, the county’s chief judge, sheriff and state’s attorney are announcing the Madison County Elder Justice Initiative as a way to assist the county’s growing number of elderly residents. The initiative is designed to help the elderly in the county by doing things like making courtrooms more accessible, providing seniors with later docket times and consolidating cases if possible….
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Washington state threatens legal action if DACA repealed

Washington state’s attorney general is threatening legal action if President Donald Trump ends a program that protects young immigrants brought into the U.S. illegally as children. Trump is expected to announce Tuesday his intentions to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program after a six-month delay. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Monday if Trump follows through on that decision, the Attorney General’s Office will file suit to end what he call…
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Miami Sex Crime Attorneys at Sex Crime Defense Team Launch New Website with Real Sex Crime …

Sex Crime Defense Team 28 West Flagler Street Ste 909 Miami, FL 33130 305-712-6365 MIAMI, FL –(Marketwired – September 03, 2017) – Miami Sex crime lawyers serving all of Florida at Sex Crime Defense Team recommend properly vetting defense attorneys before hiring. Sex Crime Defense Team has launched a new website to help people accused of crimes learn more about the Miami and Florida sex crime laws and potential penalties for people who are convicted of sex related charges. The new website has …
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Legal marijuana sale faces challenges by banks in Uruguay

Legal marijuana sale faces challenges by banks in Uruguay

The legal sale of marijuana in Uruguayan pharmacies is facing challenges as banks refuse to deal with companies linked to the drug in order to follow international financial laws. A government official said Friday that Uruguayan banks risk running afoul of laws that ban receiving money tied to the drug. The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. In July, marijuana went up for sale at 16 pharmacies as part of a 2013 law that made Uruguay first to legalize a pot market covering the entire chain from plants to purchase. But one pharmacy in the capital, Montevideo, has decided not to sell it after a warning by a local branch of Spanish bank Santander. The bank said it has opted to remain out of this line of business. State-owned Banco Republica, Uruguay’s largest bank, also told pot-selling pharmacies that it must close their accounts. Some U.S. marijuana retailers in states that have legalized sales have encountered similar banking difficulties as the drug remains illegal on a federal level. Diego Olivera, secretary-general of Uruguay’s National Drugs Council, said authorities are meeting with the pharmacies to find out how many have been warned by banks. He added that officials are looking at possible solutions, but did not give details. “Without doubt, in these processes of changing paradigms, they run up against moments of difficulty,” Olivera said. “We are working on alternatives.” Sen. Jose Mujica, who was president when legalization passed in 2013, has threatened “gridlock” in parliament if authorities fail to resolve the problem for what was one the signature policy initiatives of his administration. Pharmacy lawyer Pablo Duran told Carve radio that the pharmacies selling marijuana operate within the law in “an activity that is completely regulated, licit … and controlled.” Running a business without being able to bank is tough in Uruguay. Among other things, the law prohibits cash or check payments for employees and requires that salaries be paid by direct deposit.
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Session: Sanctuary cities allow cover for violent gangs

Sessions applauded Miami-Dade’s decision to comply with Trump’s immigration orders by ordering county officials earlier this year to hold people in jail for extra time if immigration authorities requested them. Gimenez distanced himself from Trump hours before the event, which drew no other elected officials and a condemnation from a county commissioner who called the attorney general’s visit “offensive”. Despite Sessions’ praise of Miami-Dade County, earlier in the day the mayor joined other R…
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Law firm serving Navajo Nation closes 3 offices

A law firm that for years has provided free legal services to low-income people in the Southwest and won groundbreaking cases for Native Americans is closing three of its nine offices. The firm called DNA is closing New Mexico offices in Crownpoint and Shiprock, and a Utah office in Monument Valley, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported (http://bit.ly/2whxJ0l ). Santa Fe attorney Richard Hughes, who once worked for the firm, called the loss of the offices huge because DNA has “provided Native peopl…
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Charlottesville mayor calls for swift removal of Lee statue

The mayor of Charlottesville on Friday called for an emergency meeting of state lawmakers to confirm the city’s right to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a request that was swiftly rejected by the state’s governor. Mayor Mike Signer said recent clashes over race and the Confederacy had turned “equestrian statues into lightning rods” and urged Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to convene a special session of the General Assembly. Signer’s statement came nearly a week after white …
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Keidel: Does Ezekiel Elliott Deserve Six Game Suspension?

By Jason Keidel Few things are as ugly as domestic violence. But this escalating tete-a-tete between the NFL and the NFLPA over Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension is growing ugly, rancorous layers, from a basic union dispute to a referendum on domestic violence, appropriate punishment, and the appropriate power a commissioner should have to mete out said punishment. Not to mention accusations of victim-shaming, with all kinds of confidential details from the NFL’s investigation into Ellio…
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Massachusetts gov signs bill making changes to marijuana law

Massachusetts gov signs bill making changes to marijuana law

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday he remained wary of the impact legalized recreational marijuana might have on the state, yet hopeful that revisions made in the voter-approved law would ease some of his biggest concerns. The Republican spoke after signing a compromise bill approved by lawmakers last week that raises taxes on retail pot, establishes stringent requirements for the packaging and labeling of marijuana products, and spells out procedures cities and towns must follow if they wish to ban or restrict pot shops from opening in their communities. Baker also indicated a willingness to provide more funding to marijuana regulators, if they need it, a key concern of the group that sponsored the November ballot question. “I worry terribly about what the consequences over time will be and having spent a lot of time talking to folks in Colorado and in Washington … there are a lot of pitfalls we have to avoid,” said Baker, referring to two of the first U.S. states to legalize recreational marijuana. “But, look, the people voted this and I think it’s important that we put the program in place and deliver a workable, safe, productive recreational marijuana market for them in Massachusetts, the governor added. The revised law sets a maximum 20 percent combined state and local tax rate on recreational pot, up from the maximum 12 percent combined rate in the ballot question. Medical marijuana, which was approved by voters in 2012, would remain untaxed. Under rules for packaging and labeling, all marijuana products, including edibles, would have to be sold in child-resistant packages with the concentration of THC — the psychoactive chemical in marijuana — listed on the package. “We want it to be a responsible industry that sells safe products to consenting adults and doesn’t market products to children and teenagers,” said Democratic Sen. Jason Lewis, who led a delegation of legislators on a fact-finding trip to Colorado last year and later opposed the ballot question. The revamped law would allow local elected officials in municipalities where a majority of voters rejected the ballot question to ban or limit marijuana establishments. But in communities where a majority of voters supported legalization restrictions on pot shops would require a referendum. Some legal experts have suggested the compromise language on local control could leave the law open to a constitutional challenge under the principle of equal protection. The state budget for the fiscal year that started July 1 includes only $2 million for the Cannabis Control Commission, a five-member board that must be formed by Sept. 1 to oversee both recreational and medical marijuana. State treasurer Deb Goldberg, responsible for naming the board’s chairman, has said the commission would need up to $10 million in the first year. Jim Borghesani, spokesman for the ballot question group, found the governor’s pledge reassuring. “Right now a $2 million appropriation doesn’t even cover the software that’s necessary to get this system up and running,” he said.
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FBI, tech company help cops hack iPhone in Miami reality TV star’s “sextortion case”

On Uncle Sam’s dime, an outside tech company helped state investigators finally hack into the iPhone of a Miami reality TV star accused of extorting a Miami socialite over stolen sex videos. Text messages on the phone of Hencha Voigt appear to undermine her defense. They seem to show Voigt and her then-boyfriend actively plotting to get $18,000 from a social-media celebrity known as YesJulz, in exchanging for not releasing the video clips to the Internet. “We on some Bonnie Clyde sh*t I cou…
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More than 1300 Cuban migrants are being held in detention centers across the US

They are teachers, engineers or farmers, all seeking freedom in the United States. But after an unexpected policy change and an end to special treatment that allowed the majority of Cuban migrants to remain legally in the country, more than 1,300 are now being held at detention centers across the country waiting for their fate to be decided by immigration judges. “What I heard were stories of people who felt that they literally could not live in Cuba anymore,” said Wendi Adelson, executive …
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British baby Charlie Gard dies, was center of legal battle

Charlie Gard, the terminally ill British baby at the center of a legal and ethical battle that attracted the attention of Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump, died Friday. He was one week shy of his first birthday. Charlie’s parents fought for the right to take him to the United States for an experimental medical treatment for his rare genetic disease, mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which left him brain damaged and unable to breathe unaided. His case ended up in the courts when doct…
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Regional rights body tells Argentina to free jailed activist

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said Friday that Argentina’s government should release jailed social activist Milagro Sala. The commission said in a statement that there are many risk factors surrounding her detention, including alleged harassment, aggressions and a death threat. It granted a precautionary measure in favor of Sala stating that Argentina is obligated to fulfill a U.N. panel’s resolution last year saying she was arbitrarily detained and asked the government for her …
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Trump fires off volley of angry tweets on Russia probe

Trump fires off volley of angry tweets on Russia probe

Hours before he was to help commission a new aircraft carrier at a patriotic ceremony on the Virginia coast, President Donald Trump fired off a volley of early morning tweets that again showed how furious he remains over multiple investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The tweets were unusual in their breadth and scope, even for Trump, given the wide variety of topics he touched on as Saturday dawned. His 10 tweets, all sent within two hours starting before 6:30 …
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Who’s in charge at Plant Food and Wine? Depends on who you ask

It’s business as usual for customers of Plant Food and Wine, a popular Wynwood restaurant dishing out fine vegan and raw cuisine. But behind the scenes, a nasty legal fight continues to brew. Matthew Kenney brought his brand of plant-based cuisine to Miami and the restaurant, but amid a $1.4 million lawsuit against him, the celebrity chef disputes who now controls Plant Food and Wine. Meanwhile, his legal troubles continue to simmer in Maine, California and even faraway Thailand. Kenney, who …
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Miami lobbyist’s business made $1 million profit on state anti-hazing contract

Already a subscriber, but don’t have a login? A business co-founded by a lobbyist pocketed $1 million profit from state anti-hazing program, made campaign donations, paid lobbyists. To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Educational Management Services claims it spent $660,000 of the $1.7 million it received to produce, “Hazing Solutions,” an online course that only taught 95 students at one university. Arek Sarkissian/Naples MIAMI – A b…
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Another day, another derailment in NYC subway

Another day, another derailment. And another round of finger-pointing on who is to blame for problems with New York City’s troubled transit system. On Friday, a “B” train derailed near the end of the line in Brooklyn, causing no major injuries but briefly gumming up a subway system that has seen its share of horror shows lately. “This derailment is indicative of a creaking mass transit system that needs urgent upgrades to fit the needs of a 21st century city,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams tweeted. Last month, a Harlem subway derailment tossed around riders and forced hundreds to evacuate through darkened tunnels. In another case, riders were trapped for nearly an hour on a sweltering train with no air conditioning. On Wednesday, a Long Island Rail Road train derailed. One rider tweeted Friday: “Glad no one was hurt on the derailment but the ripple effect is … can I get a note for work? Again” The subway problems aren’t even technically part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s aptly named “summer of hell,” which refers instead to summer-long track work and corresponding schedule cutbacks for suburban commuter trains at Penn Station. So far, that hell hasn’t materialized, and both Cuomo and Amtrak officials have said the work to replace aging equipment and track at the nation’s busiest train station is going well. But within the five boroughs, riders haven’t been so lucky. The number of subway delays has tripled in the past five years, to 70,000 per month, and rush hour cancellations and delays on the Long Island Rail Road were at the highest level in 10 years, according to a report last month. About 5.7 million people ride the subway on an average weekday. “The summer of hell is turning into the summer of fear,” said Nick Sifuentes, Deputy Director of the Riders Alliance. And the contentious squabbling between Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio on management of the crisis boiled over again this week, mostly on whether the city or state governments should be paying more. The current five-year MTA capital plan, which covers upkeep for the subways, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, plus other pieces of the transit system, is about $29 billion. The city has pledged $2.5 billion and the state $8.3 billion, plus Cuomo recently pledged an additional $1 billion. “The state has put in more money than ever before in the history of the state, and it’s the city’s legal obligation to be funding it, even though we stepped in on a moral level,” Cuomo told reporters Thursday. His statements prompted a fast rebuke from the mayor’s office. “New Yorkers need serious leadership at a time like this,” city spokesman Austin Finan said. “The city’s unprecedented $2.5 billion commitment in the state-run MTA capital plan is far in excess of any legal obligation. Let’s stop the diversions and obfuscation and start spending the resources the MTA has on the repairs and maintenance that will keep New Yorkers moving.” Their debate prompted a history lesson by Metropolitan Transportation Authority head Joe Lhota on how the messy ownership structure came to be. He said a 1981 law was meant to help the city during a major financial crisis, when it could not pay capital costs and the subways were in much worse shape than they are now. The state picked up the tab, but it was never meant to be permanent, he said. He said the city now has a surplus of about $4 billion, and he’s going to submit an emergency plan to deal with the crisis. And he expects the city to chip in.
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Ex-Prosecutor Goes From Seeing Cases in Black and White to Adding Shades of Gray

At that time he was 33, Harvard-educated and a rising star in the legal … launch his own Miami law firm, Rivero Mestre, with partner Jorge A. Mestre.
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AP Explains: Unrest as Venezuelan constitution rewrite nears

AP Explains: Unrest as Venezuelan constitution rewrite nears

As Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to rewrite the troubled nation’s constitution approaches, the opposition is vowing to intensify near-daily demonstrations to voice dissent. Nearly 7.2 million Venezuelans voted in a symbolic referendum Sunday rejecting Maduro’s push for the July 30 election of a special assembly that could reshape the country’s government and consolidate his power. HOW DID VENEZUELA’S TURMOIL BEGIN? The oil-rich nation was once one of Latin America’s most prosperous…
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Cooper vetoes bill for electronic notices in urban county

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation Monday that would have allowed local governments and attorneys in an urban county to stop posting legal notices in newspapers and put them on government websites instead. The legal notice changes would have applied only to Guilford County, the home of a state senator who for years has led the push for county and municipal governing boards statewide to have the option. Opponents of the current measure, approved in the final days of the General Assembly session, consider it a financial attack on Guilford-area newspapers, which generate advertising revenues from the notices. The Democratic governor said the measure marked another instance of the Republican-controlled legislature using “levers of big government to attack important institutions in our state who may disagree with them from time to time.” “Unfortunately, this legislation is another example of that misguided philosophy meant to specifically threaten and harm the media,” Cooper said in his written veto message. “Legislation that enacts retribution on the media threatens a free and open press, which is fundamental to our democracy.” The measure also could make it harder for newspapers to keep carriers identified as independent contractors, rather than actual employees subject to workers’ compensation benefits, when the designation is formally challenged. Had Guilford County agreed to the pilot program, the law would have created a county website where attorneys could post notices like foreclosures and estate sales for a fee, instead of buying newspaper ad space. Half of the government revenue would have gone to higher teacher salaries in Guilford County. Local governments also could have avoided newspaper filings by agreeing to post public hearing and meeting notices on their own websites. Sen. Trudy Wade, a Guilford County Republican and a top proponent of electronic notices, blasted Cooper for the veto, which “makes it clear his No. 1 priority is brown-nosing those who cover him.” Cooper’s veto, Wade said in a release, is “to the detriment of the newspaper employees being denied workers compensation coverage, the taxpayers currently being forced to subsidize newspapers, the citizens who want to access public information for free and the public school teachers he’s denying raises to.” The veto is Cooper’s eighth since taking office and stands a chance of getting upheld in an override vote. The House passed the bill 60-53 — well short of a veto-proof majority, with more than a dozen Republicans voting no. The General Assembly reconvenes for an override session Aug. 3. Supporters of broad electronic notice legislation argue it would save taxpayers money, but press groups have been worried it could make it hard for small newspapers to survive and for rural residents with poor internet service to access information. North Carolina Press Association attorney John Bussian said in a phone interview the group “wholeheartedly supports the veto … for all the reasons North Carolina newspapers have long argued — that the bill would seriously damage the public’s right to know.” Cooper said he did support a portion of the bill addressing workers’ compensation coverage for prisoners who produce goods and asked lawmakers to pass a separate bill containing the provision. Legislators overrode Cooper’s first five votes, while two more issued after the legislature adjourned June 30 have yet to be reconsidered. More than 80 bills sat on Cooper’s desk as of Monday. He has until July 30 to sign them, veto them or let them become law without his signature.
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Marijuana deal calls for up to 20 percent tax on pot sales

State House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement Monday on a revamped version of Massachusetts’ voter-approved marijuana law that would allow retail pot sales to be taxed at a maximum 20 percent rate. The deal was struck following closed-door negotiations by a six-member conference committee tasked with reconciling sharply different approaches to marijuana regulation and taxation. The talks had dragged on well past the June 30 deadline legislative leaders originally set for crafting a co…
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Marijuana deal calls for up to 20 percent tax on pot sales

State House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement Monday on a revamped version of Massachusetts’ voter-approved marijuana law that would allow retail pot sales to be taxed at a maximum 20 percent rate. The deal was struck following closed-door negotiations by a six-member conference committee tasked with reconciling sharply different approaches to marijuana regulation and taxation. The talks had dragged on well past the June 30 deadline legislative leaders originally set for crafting a co…
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The Leading Music Law Schools of 2017

Behind the success of every artist — from the industry mainstays and chart-toppers to rising stars — is a lawyer fielding the deals and disputes that are a constant part of today’s ever-evolving music business. With the rise of new business models and the growing dependence on brand licensing and streaming, attorneys are more important than ever. The scope of their legal expertise is also wider, moving beyond issues of contract law to questions of intellectual property in the digital age a…
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It's over! Joanna Krupa officially files for divorce from Romain Zago after ending marriage earlier …

It’s over! Joanna Krupa officially files for divorce from Romain Zago after ending marriage earlier …

It was revealed they separated back in May.   And now it appears Joanna Krupa, 38, is moving forward with her divorce from Romain Zago.  The Real Housewives of Miami star filed legal documents claiming the marriage is ‘irretrievably broken,’ according to TMZ.  The couple have already figured out all the details and have signed a marital settlement agreement.  According to the site, both parties have agreed not to seek spousal support from one another and the couple filed the petition togeth…
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Jeffrey Loria nears Marlins sale decision, sues another fan

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is nearing a decision on who he will sell the team to — for real this time, it seems. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday in a town-hall meeting with fans that the three groups bidding for the team are “prepared to meet the Marlins’ price.” “All three of those groups are in the process of doing the legal work, the financing work, the diligence work that I referenced,” Manfred said. “And when that’s complete the Marlins, Mr. Loria, will have t…
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Former North Miami police chief sues to get his job back

Former North Miami Police Chief Gary Eugene, who was initially suspended, then fired last Friday, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, the city manager and a City Council member seeking to get his job back. Eugene’s lawsuit says the city violated due process by forcing him to resign, and later be fired, without giving a clear reason and without allowing him a chance to make a case before the city. He is seeking a jury trial, unspecified financial damages and reinstatement. The compla…
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Correction: Border Jail-Federal Inmates story

In a story July 9 about debate over the Texas border city of El Paso holding hundreds of prisoners on federal charges for entering the country illegally, The Associated Press failed to include the first name and title of El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles. A corrected version of the story is below: Texas border city considers helping US jail immigrants The Texas border city of El Paso supports immigrant rights and opposes measures like a new law targeting so-called sanctuary cities By NOMAAN …
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Low-key FBI director pick would lead agency through tumult

The attorney selected to replace James Comey as FBI director is described by those close to him as admirably low-key, yet he’d be taking over the law enforcement agency at a moment that’s anything but tranquil. Christopher Wray would inherit an FBI that lost its popular leader in an unceremonious firing in May and that has spent the last year investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to win the presidency. During this most consequential probe in decades, he’d be serving u…
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We Robot: Conference on Legal and Policy Issues Relating to Robotics

We Robot: Conference on Legal and Policy Issues Relating to Robotics

Founded by University of Miami School of Law Professor A. Michael Froomkin, We Robot is the most exciting interdisciplinary conference on the legal and policy questions relating to robots.  The increasing sophistication of robots and their widespread deployment everywhere—from the home, to hospitals, to public spaces, and even to the battlefield—disrupts existing legal regimes and requires new thinking on policy issues. (See Miami Law Magazine article from the 2013 conference, “Robots at…
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Holland & Knight Real Estate Attorney Lives for the Deal

But the self-proclaimed deal junkie pushed on, making her mark in a male-dominated legal sector by helping developers etch their mark on Miami’s …
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‘Must black death be broadcast and consumed to be believed?’

I wasn’t going to write this. On this subject, I felt I had already spilled enough outrage onto enough pages to last a lifetime. I needed a break from the emotional carnage. Then I saw the dashcam video that was released last week. Granted, it told me nothing I didn’t already know. I knew how a black man named Philando Castile was pulled over last year in a Minneapolis suburb. I knew how he politely informed the police officer that he had a legal firearm in the car. I knew how the officer p…
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Governor: Opponents hope Mississippi is hurt by LGBT law

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said Friday that opponents are “desperately hoping” Mississippi will be hurt by a law that would let business people and government workers cite religious beliefs to deny some services to same-sex couples. His comments came a day after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction that has blocked the state’s “religious objections” law from taking effect for nearly a year. Speaking of the law’s opponents, Bryant said: “They hope something bad will happen to the state …
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6-member panel named to negotiate on marijuana bill

A six-member House-Senate conference committee has been selected to try and come up with a compromise bill to revamp the voter-approved recreational marijuana law. Legislative leaders assigned the panel Friday after the House formally rejected the Senate version of the bill. The House conferees are Democrats Mark Cusack and Ron Mariano, the House Majority Leader, and Republican Hannah Kane. The Senate negotiators are Democrats Patricia Jehlen and William Brownsberger, and Republican Vinny deMac…
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