UTAH

Students protest BYU stance on same-sex behavior

SALT LAKE CITY – After Brigham Young University in mid-February dropped a section from its strict code of conduct that had prohibited all expressions of homosexual behavior, bisexual music major Caroline McKenzie felt newfound hope that she could stop hiding and be herself. She even went on a date with another woman.

That optimism was pierced this week when administrators at the university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints clarified in a March 4 letter posted online that “same-sex romantic behavior” was still not allowed on campus. The letter said the recent revision to what is known as the “honor code” didn’t change the “moral standards” of the church or the faith’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

McKenzie, 23, was one of several hundred people who protested on March 6 outside church headquarters in Salt Lake City to cap off a week of fury and heartbreak for LGBTQ students and their straight allies. They held signs that read “Love one another,” “Jesus loves everyone” and “Bigotry wrapped in prayer is still bigotry.”

The Utah-based religion of 16-million members worldwide has tried in the last decade to create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ members, while adhering to its doctrinal opposition of gay marriage. The faith, widely known as the Mormon church, teaches that while being gay is not a sin, engaging in same-sex relationships is against God’s commandments.

The letter BYU officials posted this week and an accompanying Q&A posted online don’t provide details about what same-sex romantic behaviors are and aren’t allowed. But it seems to shut the door on the idea that gay and lesbian couples will be allowed to kiss and hold hands on campus like their heterosexual classmates.

State’s 1st medical marijuana dispensary opens

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened March 2 as the state began a slow rollout of a program that will allow residents with certain health conditions to use pot for medicinal purposes.

The online application process for people to get medical marijuana cards started a day earlier.

To get cards, people must first receive a recommendation from one of 60 approved health professionals who received training to approve patient cards.

The first dispensary, Dragonfly Wellness, opened in an old bank building in Salt Lake City, using the original bank vaults and structure, the Deseret News reported.

A second dispensary is expected to open in March and seven more by June. The final five dispensaries, which will be called pharmacies, will open after July, said Rich Oborn, director of the state’s Center for Medical Cannabis.

Patients with qualifying conditions have been able to use marijuana with a doctor’s letter since December 2018, but they had to go to other states to get it. Those letters are valid through the end of 2020, but they don’t allow patients to buy medical marijuana products in Utah.

Utah became the 33rd state to legalize medical marijuana after voters passed a ballot initiative in November 2018 that legalized doctor-approved marijuana treatment for certain health conditions including cancer, chronic pain and epilepsy.

IDAHO

Federal judge cancels oil and gas leases on some sage grouse land

BOISE – A federal judge has cancelled more than $125 million in oil and gas leases on public lands that are home to the declining bird species greater sage grouse, in a ruling that said the Trump administration illegally curtailed public comment.

The ruling doesn’t prevent the administration from selling the leases at a later date. But opponents hope the delay can help them make the case that drilling should not be allowed in areas with sage grouse.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush’s order out of Boise, Idaho, covers leases issued by the federal Bureau of Land Management in 2018 on more than 1,300 square miles in Nevada, Utah and Wyoming,

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said millions of dollars that the state received from the sales already has been incorporated into its budget. He said the cancellation was “‘unworkable” and urged the administration to challenge the order.

The case is part of a broader effort by environmentalists challenging the administration’s oil and gas leasing practices within the habitat of the ground-dwelling greater sage grouse.

The birds that range across 11 Western states have suffered sharp population declines in recent decades because of development, disease, drought and wildfires.

Future leases in greater sage-grouse habitat must allow a 30-day public comment and administrative protest period, Bush ordered. The Trump administration had reduced the protest period to just 10 days, which critics said gave them too little time to meaningfully react to proposed sales.

About half of lease sale proceeds are distributed to the states where the sales occur. That includes more than $44 million received by Wyoming, its attorneys said.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Oglala Sioux Tribe set to vote on legalizing marijuana

SIOUX FALLS – Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe were scheduled to vote in mid-March on legalizing medical and recreational marijuana on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation in an initiative that many hope will bring economic development to one of the most impoverished areas in the country.

Neither South Dakota nor nearby Wyoming and Nebraska have legalized marijuana, and tribal leaders think pot could rake in millions of dollars. If the measure is approved, the Oglala Sioux Tribe would become the only Native American tribe to set up a cannabis market in a state where it’s otherwise illegal.

After witnessing the growth of the pot industry and the success of the Paiute Indian Tribe selling marijuana near the Las Vegas Strip, tribes across the nation – from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa in Minnesota to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma – are considering the economic and medical potential of marijuana. But they also face uncertain policy on marijuana enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Julian Bear Runner declared a “state of emergency” on the reservation in January over meth addiction, homicides related to drug trafficking and a lack of federal funding to address the problems.

Tribal leadership is drawing up plans aimed at appeasing the state, including a prohibition of people taking pot off the reservation.

Meanwhile, South Dakota’s laws could also change, with residents set to vote on whether to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in November.

NEW MEXICO

Neighbor steals skeleton over offensive gesture

CUYAMUNGUE – A New Mexico woman is facing a larceny charge after authorities say she stole a neighbor’s anatomical skeleton model that allegedly was making an offensive gesture toward her.

Court documents filed March 3 show that Diana Hogrebe was charged with one count of larceny in connection with the skeleton heist, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.

Hogrebe of Cuyamungue, New Mexico, told Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies she was offended by the way the skeleton’s hand was posed – with the middle finger pointed up.

Hogrebe told the Santa Fe New Mexican the episode was the culmination of a monthslong feud between her and neighbor Joseph Downs, who she said has hassled her family and other nearby residents.

The skeleton has not been located, authorities said.

According to the deputy’s statement of probable cause, the skeleton was a gift to Downs from a family member and was worth about $1,500.

Hogrebe told the deputy the finger pose had offended and upset her.

“It just put me to the boiling point,” she said in the interview.