Supporters of a medical marijuana initiative had two big reasons to cheer last week. But the real good news might not be what you suspect. The group People United for Care, which is leading the drive to get the medical marijuana question on the November ballot, announced last week that it had collected more than 1.1 million signatures, many more than it needed ahead of the Feb. 1 deadline. Thus far, 458,000 petitions have been validated on the way to the nearly 700,000 needed. [continues 407 words]
Living with HIV/AIDS can be a lonely existence. The disease still carries an unmistakable stigma, say those infected with the illness and those who care for them. Thus it would have been a lot easier for Rock Hill's Gregory Doster to suffer in silence. But challenged by his Sunday school teacher that those who undergo adversity have a responsibility to give something back, he spoke up at Gethsemene Church one recent Sunday morning. He felt like telling fellow church members why they hadn't seen him at church much. [continues 651 words]
YORK - The scenario presented to local law enforcement officials was fictional but familiar: A predominantly black neighborhood with an active drug market. The dealers were black, but the motorists driving in and out of the neighborhood to buy drugs were white. After police watched the area for a while, is it legal for police officers to stop and question white motorists leaving that neighborhood? "The answer is yes. Someone would have to be a dummy not to connect the dots," Randy Means, a Nevada-based instructor told a gathering of about 80 members of the Rock Hill Police Department and the York County Sheriff's Office attending a seminar on racial profiling Tuesday. [continues 742 words]
