Oregon decriminalizes drugs

SALEM, Ore. -- Police in Oregon can no longer arrest someone for possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other drugs as a ballot measure that decriminalized them took effect on Monday. Instead, those found in possession would face a $100 fine or a health assessment that could lead to addiction counseling. Backers of the ballot measure, which Oregon voters passed by a wide margin in November, hailed it as a revolutionary move for the United States. "Today, the first domino of our cruel and inhumane war on drugs has fallen, setting off what we expect to be a cascade of other efforts centering health over criminalization," said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which spearheaded the ballot initiative. Ballot Measure 110's backers said treatment needs to be the priority and that criminalizing drug possession was not working. Besides facing the prospect of being locked up, having a criminal record makes it difficult to find housing and jobs and can haunt a person for a lifetime. Under the new system, addiction recovery centers will be tasked with "triaging the acute needs of people who use drugs and assessing and addressing any on-going needs thorough intensive case management and linkage to care and services." The addiction recovery centers will be funded by millions of dollars of tax revenue from Oregon's legalized marijuana industry. That diverts some funds from other programs and entities that already receive it, like schools. The ballot measure capped the amount of pot tax revenue that schools; mental health alcoholism and drug services; the state police; and cities and counties receive at $45 million annually, with the rest going to a "Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund." The fund will be awash in money if the sales trend for marijuana continues as expected. In the 2020 fiscal year, marijuana tax revenues peaked at $133 million, a 30% increase over the previous year, and a 545% increase over 2016, when pot taxes began being collected from legal, registered recreational marijuana enterprises around the state.

Plan to move badger paused

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's beloved badger statue will stay at least two more years outside the governor's state Capitol office after the Navy announced Monday it has paused plans to move it to an East Coast museum. The statue, crafted from melted-down cannons seized from Cuba during the Spanish-American War, was affixed to the first USS Wisconsin prior to World War I. The U.S. Naval Academy loaned it to the state in 1988. It has sat outside the governor's Capitol office since 1989. The academy museum contacted state officials last March seeking the statue's return so it could be loaned to the nonprofit Nauticus Museum in Norfolk, where the second USS Wisconsin is berthed as an exhibit. State historians balked. Academy museum director Claude Berube last week consulted with U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican and former Marine. Gallagher's spokesman, Jordan Dunn, said the academy museum decided to extend the statue's stay at the Wisconsin Capitol for two more years but hadn't made any decisions about its future beyond that.

Lockdown helps cut poaching

JOHANNESBURG -- The number of rhinos killed in South Africa's national parks dropped by 33% last year, with COVID-19 restrictions helping by reducing movements around the country, the country's environmental ministry announced Monday. According to authorities, 394 rhinoceroses were poached for their horns compared to 594 that were killed in 2019. "During the COVID hard lockdown period we had a significant reduction in poacher incursions into Kruger National Park," Minister Barbara Creecy announced in a statement. "However, that changed later in the year as the lockdown levels eased and a significant spike in poaching in Kruger was experienced toward the end of 2020, especially during December," she said. The country's largest national park, Kruger experienced 1,573 poaching activities overall during the period, a 21.9% decrease compared to 2019. This was the sixth consecutive year that a decline in poaching in the country had been recorded. Significant arrests of poachers had also been made, thanks to cooperation between law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, resulting in a 97.8% conviction rate of poachers that have been prosecuted.

Famed presidential stop closing

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- After more than three decades of hosting presidential candidates testing their mettle among voters in the first-in-the-South primary state of South Carolina, the Greenville landmark, Tommy's Country Ham House, is turning off the fryer and shutting its doors. On Sunday, owner Tommy Stevenson announced that his restaurant would close this spring. The proprietor said he is going to slow down a bit to spend time with his grandchildren instead of waking at 4 a.m. six days a week to make fresh sausage, grind beef and slice pork chops. "The Country Ham House has been my life," Stevenson, who turns 80 this year, said in a release. "None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, so I felt now was the time to retire, relax a bit and do some of the things I've not been able to do." The building is being purchased by a Charleston-based restaurant group that plans to reopen it with a "new dining concept" in 2022.

Military coup in Myanmar

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar -- Myanmar's military staged a coup Monday and detained senior politicians including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi -- a sharp reversal of the significant, if uneven, progress toward democracy the Southeast Asian nation has made following five decades of military rule. An announcement read on military-owned Myawaddy TV said Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing (pictured) would be in charge of the country for one year. It said the seizure was necessary because the government had not acted on the military's claims of fraud in November's elections -- in which Suu Kyi's ruling party won a majority of the parliamentary seats up for grabs -- and because it allowed the election to go ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic. The takeover came the morning the country's new parliamentary session was to begin and follows days of concern that a coup was coming. The military maintains its actions are legally justified -- citing a section of the constitution it drafted that allows it to take control in times of national emergency -- though Suu Kyi's party spokesman as well as many international observers have said it amounts to a coup.

Bennett battles Alzheimer's

NEW YORK -- Tony Bennett, 94, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease but it hasn't quieted his legendary voice. The singer's wife and son reveal in the latest edition of AARP The Magazine that Bennett was first diagnosed with the irreversible neurological disorder in 2016. The magazine says he endures "increasingly rarer moments of clarity and awareness." Still, he continues to rehearse and twice a week goes through his 90-minute set with his longtime pianist, Lee Musiker. The magazine says he sings with perfect pitch and apparent ease. A beloved interpreter of American standards, Bennett's chart-topping career spans seven decades. "He's not the old Tony anymore," his wife, Susan, told the magazine. "But when he sings, he's the old Tony."

German beer sales suffer

BERLIN -- Beer sales in Germany were down 5.5% last year, dragged lower by lengthy closures of bars and restaurants in the coronavirus pandemic. German-based breweries and distributors sold 8.7 billion liters (2.3 billion gallons) of beer last year, the Federal Statistical Office said. That figure doesn't include alcohol-free beer or beer imported from outside the European Union. German beer sales have been declining for years as a result of health concerns and other factors. They have now fallen 22.3% since 1993. But last year's drop was unusually sharp, and a month-by-month breakdown pointed to the impact of coronavirus restrictions. Sales were down 17.3% in April compared with a year earlier, and 14.1% in November. Bars and restaurants in Germany were closed from March until May, and have been closed again since the beginning of November as part of the country's current second lockdown. Major events and festivals that would usually consume large amounts of beer also have been canceled. Sales inside Germany -- which made up nearly 83% of the total -- were down 5.5% last year. Exports to other countries in the EU dropped 13.1% to 778.2 million liters (206 million gallons) while those to nations elsewhere were up 3.7% to 725.3 million liters (192 million gallons).

Hit men hit the wrong women

MONTEGUT, La. -- A man facing rape charges tried to have his accuser killed, but two hit men instead ended up killing his sister and her neighbor, authorities said Monday. Neither Hope Nettleton, 37, nor Brittany Cormier, 34, was the person that the hit men had been hired to kill on Jan. 13, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office said. On Friday, authorities arrested Andrew Eskine, 25, of Carencro; Dalvin Wilson, 22, of Rayne; and Beaux Cormier, 35, of Kaplan on charges of first-degree murder. Cormier was previously arrested in Vermillion Parish for third-degree rape and, according to Sheriff Timothy Soginet, hired Eskine and Wilson to kill his accuser so she could not testify against him. When Eskine and Wilson went to a Montegut home and asked for her, investigators said that Cormier's sister claimed to be the woman they requested and was shot and killed. Nettleton, a neighbor, tried to fight off the men but was also shot to death. The woman who had accused Cormier of rape was not at the home.

Tiger gets second new hip

BROOKFIELD, Ill. -- An Amur tiger that underwent hip-replacement surgery only to dislodge the orthopedic implant within hours has been operated on again. A team of veterinary specialists removed the original implant over the weekend and performed an alternative procedure on 10-year-old Malena to allow a fibrous joint to form and let her leg muscles provide stability to the joint, Brookfield Zoo said in a news release. She may not be able to perform the kind of "high energy and high impact activities" of a normal tiger as she recovers under close observation, but severe arthritis was already limiting Malena's movements, the zoo said. "We anticipate Malena will have better use and mobility of her leg than she did before surgery and most importantly, her hip will be free of pain," said Dr. Mike Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo. The need for a second operation did not come as a total surprise to the veterinarians who performed what was believed to be the first full hip replacement surgery with a custom, patient-designed implant to be attempted on a tiger in North America. In fact, they had already planned the second surgery to relieve the tiger's discomfort in the event there were complications.

Jolie sells Churchill painting

LONDON -- A painting by Winston Churchill that is a piece of both political and Hollywood history is coming up for auction. Christie's auction house said Monday that the Moroccan landscape "Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque" -- a gift from Churchill to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt -- is being sold by Angelina Jolie next month with an estimated price of 1.5 million pounds to 2.5 million pounds ($2.1 million to $3.4 million). The image of the 12th-century mosque in Marrakech at sunset, with the Atlas Mountains in the background, is the only painting that Britain's World War II leader completed during the 1939-45 conflict. He painted it after the January 1943 Casablanca Conference, where Churchill and Roosevelt planned the defeat of Nazi Germany. The two leaders visited Marrakech after the conference so that Churchill could show Roosevelt the city's beauty. "Roosevelt was blown away by it and thought it was incredible," said Nick Orchard, head of Christie's modern British art department. He said Churchill captured the view in the "wonderful, evocative painting" and gave it to Roosevelt as a memento of the trip. Churchill was a keen amateur artist who completed some 500 paintings after taking up painting in his 40s. Orchard said that "the light in Morocco and over Marrakech was something that Churchill was passionate about" and painted again and again. "He loved the dry air, the light, the sun and the way it played on the landscapes," he said. "And that's absolutely visible here in this painting. You can see the long shadows and the turning purple of the mountains and the deepening of the sky -- classic sunset time." The painting was sold by Roosevelt's son after the president's death in 1945, and had several owners before Jolie and partner Brad Pitt bought it in 2011.

Spacewalkers complete upgrades

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A pair of spacewalking astronauts completed a four-year effort to modernize the International Space Station's power grid on Monday, installing one last battery. Over the weekend, flight controllers in Houston used the space station's big robot arm to replace the last pair of old-style batteries with a single better-quality one. NASA's Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover put the finishing touches on this newest lithium-ion battery to complete a series of spacewalks that began in 2017. Although the spacewalk got started late, Hopkins and Glover hustled through the battery work in under an hour. They also made quick work of camera installations and squeezed in some extra chores. The astronauts gazed down at Earth and soaked in one last sunset before reentering the space station. "Yeah, enjoy the view. You guys did a great job today. You guys rocked it," Mission Control said as the five-hour spacewalk concluded well ahead of schedule. The space station is now equipped with 24 lithium-ion batteries to store power collected by the solar panels. The big, boxy batteries, surpassing 400 pounds each, provide electricity for the orbiting lab when it's on the night side of Earth. They're so powerful that only half as many are needed as the old nickel-hydrogen batteries they replaced.

Harry gets apology, damages

LONDON -- Prince Harry on Monday accepted an apology and damages from the publisher of British tabloid The Mail on Sunday and its online version, MailOnline, in a libel lawsuit relating to articles about his relationship with the British armed forces. Harry sued Associated Newspapers for libel over two articles published in October which claimed he had snubbed the Royal Marines after stepping down as a senior royal. The articles claimed that Harry had "not been in touch" with the force since his last appearance as an honorary Marine in March, and that military leaders were considering replacing him as Captain General of the Royal Marines. Harry had served for a decade in the British army. His lawyers said in court documents that he was "frustrated and saddened" because the articles would diminish his credibility with veterans. Harry and his wife, Meghan, stepped down as working royals and moved to the U.S. in early 2019. His honorary military titles were put on hold, and they were due to be reviewed in March as part of the monarchy's review of the couple's departure arrangements.

Snowmobiles enjoying boom

PORTLAND, Maine -- The thrill of hurtling along a remote trail, coupled with Americans' ongoing desire to get outside during the pandemic, is creating the biggest boom in more than two decades for the snowmobiling industry. From Maine to Montana, it's becoming difficult to find a new snowmobile for sale. And the rental fleets are booked up. "We've had some good years and some bad years, but we've never had anything quite like this one," said Dave Jones at Jackman Powersports, who expects to sell about 450 snowmobiles this year. Nearly a third of sales were to new riders, Jones said, and he would sell more snowmobiles if he could get more from manufacturers. The U.S. represents the world's biggest market for snowmobiles and Canada isn't far behind, with an economic impact of more than $35 billion, according to the Michigan-based International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association. And this year, the market is red hot just like the market for boats, bicycles and ATVs -- anything that keeps people occupied, outdoors and safe during a pandemic that has pushed families indoors. Snowmobile sales are expected to increase 15% to 20% this winter, the most since the winter of 1995-96.

GameStop bug mutates to silver

NEW YORK -- The erratic trading in shares of underdog companies like GameStop that turned markets combustible last week appears to have migrated to commodities, sending silver prices surging to an eight-year high. Silver futures jumped more than 9% on Monday to $29.42 per ounce with #silversqueeze trending on Twitter. That exuberance spread to companies that mine precious metals, especially silver. Shares of Pan American Silver surged more than 9%, First Majestic Silver rose 18.7%, Hecla Mining spiked 21.8%, and Coeur Mining soared 17.6%. Some analysts called price jump the latest assault by the smaller investors who sent GameStop soaring recently. But many of those same traders instead called it a trap set by hedge funds to divert their attention away from GameStop, as the saga captivating Wall Street gets even more dramatic.

Major snow pummels Northeast

NEW YORK -- A sprawling, lumbering winter storm walloped the Eastern U.S. on Monday, shutting down coronavirus vaccination sites, closing schools and halting transit as snow piled up from the Appalachians to New England, with the heaviest accumulations yet to come in some places. With flakes falling since Sunday evening, the National Weather Service said more than 13 inches of snow had fallen in Manhattan's Central Park as of 1 p.m., and as much as 16 inches was reported in northern New Jersey. Although the heaviest parts of the storm had moved through the metropolitan area by Monday evening, lighter snow showers were expected to continue virtually all day Tuesday, forecaster James Tomasini said. "We're looking at a long two days here," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Parts of New England also braced for a foot or more by the time the snow finally tapers off in the northernmost states by Wednesday evening, the weather service said. At least three deaths that appeared to be related to the storm were reported, in Pennsylvania

Biden meets with Republicans

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden met late Monday with a group of Republican senators who have proposed a slimmed down $618 billion coronavirus aid package -- a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking -- as congressional Democrats vowed to push ahead with or without GOP support. Biden greeted the lawmakers in the Oval Office, joking that he felt like he was "back in the Senate" as they started the private session. He and Vice President Kamala Harris were hearing the Republicans' pitch for a smaller, more targeted COVID relief package that would do away with Democratic priorities but could win GOP support and appeal to his effort to unify the country. The Republican group's proposal taps into bipartisan urgency to shore up the nation's vaccine distribution and vastly expand virus testing with $160 billion in aid, similar to what Biden has proposed. But from there, the two plans drastically diverge. Less focused on economic aid, the GOP's $1,000 direct payments would go to fewer households than the $1,400 Biden has proposed, and the Republicans offer only a fraction of what he wants to re-open schools. They also would give nothing to states, money that Democrats argue is just as important, with $350 billion in Biden's plan to keep police, fire and other workers on the job. Gone are Democratic priorities such as a gradual lifting of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.