Archive for 'Background Checks'

“Canadians may soon be able to refill their prescriptions for medical marijuana at the pharmacy counter. Shoppers Drug Mart, the largest pharmacy chain in Canada, has applied for a license to distribute marijuana.
“We have applied to be a licensed producer strictly for the purposes of distributing medical marijuana,” Tammy Smitham, the vice president of external communication for Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart, said in a statement Tuesday. “We have no intention of producing medical marijuana but we do want the ability to dispense medical marijuana to our patients in conjunction with counselling from a pharmacist and we are hopeful that the Government of Canada will embrace that opportunity for enhanced patient care.”
Stocking medical marijuana at Shoppers Drug Mart’s 1,700 locations would have a significant impact on the culture surrounding medical marijuana in Canada.
Spokesperson Smitham believes that the Government of Canada is ready to revise the current set of regulations that prevent marijuana from being dispensed at a pharmacy. “We believe that allowing medical marijuana to be dispensed through pharmacy would increase access, safety, quality and security for the thousands of Canadians who use the drug as part of their medication therapy,” she told Huffington Post Canada.
Obtaining the coveted status of licensed producer in Canada is no easy feat. The long list of expensive requirements is only financially possible for major Canadian companies. Multiple screenings, inspections and security clearances are the only way to achieve a license to distribute and/or produce marijuana.
Canadian patients can currently only legally obtain their medical marijuana via the mail.
Over 75,000 Canadian patients participate in the nation’s medical marijuana program.
If Health Canada approves the application for Shoppers Drug Mart, it could become Canada’s first coast-to-coast dispensary chain. Canada’s Liberal party plans on introducing the groundwork for cannabis legalization by the spring of 2017.”

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“A Nashville area pastor and his associate have been indicted after TBI agents said they secured state grant money for an addiction treatment program that didn’t exist.
Clinton Lewis, 48, of Hermitage and Aundre Trice, 38, of Antioch are charged with four counts of theft each, according to a news release from TBI.
Agents said between 2011 and 2015, Lewis, a Mt. Hopewell Baptist Church pastor since 2002, and Trice received more than $60,000 in grant money from the Tennessee Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for an addiction recovery program.
TBI said the clients listed in the program never received any treatment. Some clients listed were even in jail, prison or had died. The counselors listed in the program weren’t aware it was in operation, agents said,

Lewis and Trice were booked into Davidson County Jail Friday on $10,000 bonds each.”

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“Security lines at airports in Chicago and across the country are longer than ever. Now airlines are fighting back.

About 450 American Airlines passengers trying to fly out of O’Hare International Airport Sunday night couldn’t get to the gate on time. Airport employees offered them cots to sleep on overnight.

“Got here two and a half hours before my flight and security took two to three (hours) to get through,” said Kevin Revis, a stranded traveler.

“I’d never seen this before. Completely unexpected,” said Adnan Ahmed, who was also stuck in Chicago.

Video shot at 5 a.m. Monday shows hundreds of passengers slowly making their way through an hours-long security line in Terminal 3 at O’Hare.

ABC7 Eyewitness News viewer Kim Adele Serritos shared video of lines at Midway International Airport Monday morning on the ABC7 Chicago Facebook page.

American Airlines spokesperson Leslie Scott said over the next week, the company is deploying its own employees to help TSA workers with non-security functions.

“(They will be) standing in line, telling people to take shoes off, take electronics out and bag of liquids out,” Scott said.

The chronically understaffed Transportation Security Administration promises to hire 800 new screeners next month and offer more overtime opportunities for existing employees.

Until the TSA can get more screeners hired and trained, travelers’ only relief is the paid pre-check program.

Otherwise, airlines are recommending passengers arrive two or three hours before their flights are scheduled to depart.

Revis said he’s taking no chances Monday. He got in line four hours early.

Airlines also asked passengers to tweet about how frustrated they are using the hashtag #ihatethewait to put pressure on the TSA to fix this problem.”

“TV and movies tell us security guards are bumbling fat idiots. They are the butt of a joke. Falling asleep with their feet up, they never pay attention to those security camera monitors while burglars steal gold or priceless paintings or stacks of cash. They’re easily distracted, easily gagged and tied up and — as in Die Hard or The Matrix or countless other action films — easily killed.

In real life, they work long, boring hours strolling the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, waving metal detectors at Mets games, printing sticky visitor passes at commercial buildings, checking IDs at concerts, standing for hours and hours on end at public landmarks, department stores, colleges, pharmacies.

There are more than two times as many security guards than police officers in New York state and roughly 10 times as many guards as firefighters. While a lot of kids grow up itching to join the NYPD or the fire department, it’s hard to find someone who said they wanted to be a security guard when they grew up.

The guard who patrols a corporate plaza with an H&R Block and Chase Bank in Midtown wants to be a train conductor. The guard scanning IDs at a commercial office building near Grand Central dreams of a career as a stand-up comedian. The guard who works at a Duane Reade in the Upper West Side hopes to be a cop. The older guards who aren’t retired police officers, when asked what they think of a career in security, will shrug, as if to say, “It’s a job. It pays the rent.”

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A doctor who leads the Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board says she’s not optimistic about the chances of expanding the state’s marijuana program based on previous decisions by Gov. Rauner’s administration.

Board chair Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple says the advisory board is moving forward and evaluating the 15 health conditions on its agenda. The advisory board is meeting Monday in Springfield.

The meeting could lead to new recommendations from the expert panel. But Rauner’s administration has twice before rejected the board’s suggestions.

Among the new ailments to be considered Monday by the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board are Lyme disease, panic disorders, persistent depressive disorder, and MRSA, a drug-resistant staph infection.

The meeting could lead to new recommendations from the expert panel. But Rauner’s administration has twice before rejected the board’s suggestions.

Among the new ailments to be considered Monday by the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board are Lyme disease, panic disorders, persistent depressive disorder, and MRSA, a drug-resistant staph infection.

Supporters want the med pot program broadened to include painful conditions that don’t respond to conventional treatment, saying the benefits outweigh the risks. But Rauner has called for conservative steps in increasing access to marijuana.

Currently, 39 conditions and diseases can qualify a patient to use medical marijuana in Illinois. The state’s medical marijuana law allows people to suggest new diseases for the program twice annually.

The board, which is made up of doctors, nurses, patients and advocates, has only an advisory role. And Rauner has rejected previous recommendations to expand access, including an effort by veterans that would allow those with post traumatic stress disorder to use medical marijuana.

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CHICAGO (WLS) — Some spring break travelers are learning the hard way that getting through airport security is taking longer than ever.

United warned customers they could stand in line for up to two hours. And American Airlines is publicly criticizing the Transportation Safety Administration for lines that cause passengers to miss flights.

People as far as the eye can see. There’s a line just to get into the line for the security maze at O’Hare.

“This feels like I’m in Disney World!” traveler Rich Frantz laughed.

People are now taking to Twitter and other social media sights to vent.

“The TSA line at Terminal 3 at O’Hare for American Air outside of the roped off lines. EVERYONE will miss their flight,” Stephanie Pratt posted.

The airlines are taking notice.

“The TSA has a duty to screen passengers and bags in an efficient manner, and that’s not being done right now,” said Leslie Scott, American Airlines spokesperson.

During the morning and late afternoon rush, American says wait times have reached an hour and a half at O’Hare.

One recent week saw more than 300 American customers miss their flights due to security delays. The TSA doesn’t release wait times at specific airports.

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“A Hoagland woman who served as the treasurer for the Heritage Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (P.T.O.) was arrested Thursday morning following a four month long investigation into allegations she had been stealing money from the PTO according to state police.

An investigation was initiated, at the request of the Heritage High School PTO, by Indiana State Police Detective Clint Hetrick and Allen County Police Detective Doug Keller in November 2015 following an audit after a large amount of money was discovered to have been missing from the elementary PTO.

Hetrick and Keller’s investigation revealed that between January 2013 and November 2014, 36 year old Genevieve M. Meyer had used the elementary PTO’s credit card and had withdrawn money, which totaled came to excess of $18,000 in theft. As a result of their investigation, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office charged Genevieve M. Meyer with two counts of theft.

Meyer was arrested without incident at her home and incarcerated in the Allen County Jail.”

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” A gold watch chain, necklaces and six tooth fillings are among the more than $25,000-worth of jewelry and personal items police say Howard J. Carey stole from residents of the Albemarle County assisted living facility where he used to work.

Carey, 24, turned himself in to county police Wednesday evening on 20 felony charges related to a 14-week string of thefts from residents of Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, authorities said.
Authorities charged Carey, of Charlottesville, with 10 felony counts of breaking and entering and 10 felony counts of grand larceny, according to court records. A Westminster spokeswoman on Thursday could not say how long Carey worked at the facility on Pantops Mountain Road or whether his position allowed him access to residents’ rooms.
The facility is licensed through the state department of social services and prospective employees submit to background checks as part of the application process, she said. About 380 seniors live in apartments and cottages on Westminster’s 56-acre campus.
“We are deeply disappointed that an associate would commit such acts, but are relieved that this case is nearing closure,” stated Gary Selmeczi, president and CEO of Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge. “We regret that our community has suffered both the criminal and emotional impacts of these thefts and appreciate the dedication and close working relationship with the Albemarle County Police department in resolving this matter.”
Investigators have recovered some of the stolen items, said police spokeswoman Carter Johnson. Police are asking anyone who may have been a victim of theft at the facility to call 972-4038.
Carey declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday. Carey’s family posted his $15,000 bond, according to his attorney, Scott Goodman.”

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Fort Bragg visitors from some states will no longer be allowed to use only their driver’s license to enter the post.

Officials have said the nation’s largest military installation has begun enforcement of the REAL ID Act, a 10-year-old law meant to help lawmakers detect fake identification following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Fewer than half of all states currently comply with the law, but most others, including North Carolina and Virginia, have received an extension to comply by Oct. 10.

Residents of states without an extension – including Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington – will no longer be able to use their state-issued identification “effective immediately,” said Fort Bragg spokeswoman Christina Douglas.

Those visitors will need to use some other form of identification, such as a U.S. passport, or be escorted at all times on the installation.

Fort Bragg officials said the process for gaining access to post is unchanged for the vast majority of visitors.

“If you have a DOD-issued ID card, you can use it at the gates as you always have,” said spokesman Tom McCollum.

The REAL ID Act was born out of recommendations from the 9/11 Commission report in 2004.

That report noted that preventing terrorists from obtaining state-issued identification documents was critical to national security.

The law does not create a national identification card or database of driver’s license information, but instead sets national standards for states to use to help prevent the use of fake IDs, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The law serves as a mandate on federal agencies, and participation by states is voluntary, although federal agencies are prohibited from accepting identification from noncompliant states for many official purposes.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – WKRN –

A busted headlight led police to arrest a man Friday night who was driving in west Nashville on a revoked license. The man also had an additional 197 charges on his record.

According to an affidavit, an officer saw Trenton Harris driving on Dr. D.B. Todd Boulevard with the driver’s side headlight out.

After initiating a traffic stop, a records check revealed that Harris, 52, was driving on a revoked license and had 197 previous charges, including 62 failures to appear, and 13 failures to be booked, according to the report.

Court documents show that Harris was arrested in Davidson County on three other occasions: in 1989, 1991 and 2014. Two of the arrests were for traffic violations.

Harris was taken into custody Friday night and charged with driving on a revoked license.

His bond was set at $2,500.

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