LEANDER — Texas veterans are working to protect the state’s hemp market — and push to expand the state’s medical marijuana program — at the state Capitol during this year’s legislative session. The veterans and their supporters say they need access to the hemp product known as delta-8 to treat issues such as chronic pain, traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. Delta-8 is widely available throughout Texas and, like marijuana, can create a feeling of euphoria. “So many veterans are using these products and reporting good results,” said Dave Bass, an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom who is diagnosed with PTSD. He’s also a longtime advocate in the legislative push for accessible, affordable THC products. Most states, including Texas, legalized hemp production following federal changes in 2018 that removed the plant from the list of illegal controlled substances. The hemp plant has a lower amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or … [Read more...] about Texas veterans vow to protect the state’s hemp market as one state lawmaker hopes to crack down
Faena art basel 2018
Dan Haar: A flashy gala raises money — and speculation about a high-profile CT political career
HARTFORD -- In one way of looking at it, a gala fundraiser that drew business and political elites to honor a former elected official in a minor league baseball park on the coldest night of the year was just that, a gathering for a charity, like so many. On the other hand, the firepower at Dunkin’ Donuts Park Friday night to applaud Shawn T. Wooden, who served one, 4-year term as Connecticut’s state treasurer, would impress anyone familiar with politics, business and the civic power structure -- especially in the Black community -- in and beyond Connecticut. And that raised an obvious question. “Shawn Wooden was always committed to Hartford,” said U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Brooklyn, N.Y. Democrat who’s minority leader in the House of Representatives and likely the future House speaker when and if the Dems win back that chamber. Wooden and Jeffries are pals from NYU law school. “He had so many opportunities to practice law across the country including at some of the … [Read more...] about Dan Haar: A flashy gala raises money — and speculation about a high-profile CT political career
Red Bull duo say Ricciardo F1 sim input will be a boost
Listen to this article Ricciardo made his first official reappearance as a Red Bull employee at the team's 2023 livery launch event in New York last Friday, where it also announced an impending engine partnership with Ford. He confirmed he is set to complete a series of tyre tests for Red Bull "in the middle of the year" but said "mainly the sim work is the driving stuff for now". Red Bull has no plans for Ricciardo to appear in any 2023 practice sessions at the events he is scheduled to attend this season, which was estimated late in 2022 to be around half of the 23-race calendar. The first of those events is set to be Ricciardo's home race in Australia, with his efforts in Red Bull's simulator during the preceding Bahrain and Saudi Arabian weekends predicted to be valuable by his teammates. Verstappen, who raced alongside Ricciardo at Red Bull between 2016 and 2018, said the Australian has "always been a professional and a super nice guy to work with, as well as a … [Read more...] about Red Bull duo say Ricciardo F1 sim input will be a boost
Chef Nikki Tran is building a culinary bridge between Houston and Saigon
It's Crawfish Week at Chron! For four days, the food team will be dropping fun stories about Houston's favorite crustacean. Read all our crawfish coverage here. HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM — Freshwater shrimp, more specifically giant river prawns, are the star of the menu at chef Nikki Tran's Kậu Ba Quán . At first glance, it resembles any of the hundreds of quán nhậu, or open-air restaurants meant for plentiful eating and drinking, in Ho Chi Minh City, colloquially referred to as Saigon. A Saigon native, Tran serves the prawns in the quintessential Vietnamese preparation: rang muối, or salt-roasted. Sporting a slight char, these typically come with a dipping ramekin of simply salt, pepper and a whole calamansi. But, as a result of Tran's time in Houston in the early 2000s at the onset of the Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish movement , the hulking crustaceans here also come in a Gulf Coast version: generously slathered in Cajun garlic butter atop potato halves, corn and spiced … [Read more...] about Chef Nikki Tran is building a culinary bridge between Houston and Saigon
After a long search, scandal-plagued National Enquirer finds a buyer
The National Enquirer, the scandal-hunting supermarket tabloid that was embroiled for years in its own scandals, was sold Monday to a joint venture involving an executive who has been the subject of a federal indictment. The buyer, VVIP Ventures, said it will acquire the Enquirer and its tabloid sisters the National Examiner and the Globe from A360 Media of New York. The company described the transactions as an all-cash deal, though terms were not disclosed. The Enquirer's publisher, then known as American Media Inc., admitted in 2018 that it secretly helped Donald Trump's presidential campaign through a journalistically dubious practice known as "catch and kill." It acknowledged paying $150,000 to acquire the exclusive rights to Playboy model Karen McDougal's account of an alleged affair with Trump and then suppressing the story to prevent it from hurting Trump's quest for office. The Federal Election Commission eventually fined A360, the successor to AMI, $187,500 for … [Read more...] about After a long search, scandal-plagued National Enquirer finds a buyer
50 Most Expensive Cars In The World
When it comes to high-end hypercars and super-fast supercars, a few companies should come to mind first: Bugatti, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Rimac, and Pagani, among others. These manufacturers have cemented themselves as the top dogs in the supercar and hypercar space, extending to their wealthiest clientele the fastest, rarest, prettiest – and in this case – most expensive cars on the planet. But in order to find out which of these unattainable-to-most vehicles is the priciest, we've scoured the invoice sheets and uncovered 40 cars all worth $1 million or more. The group includes hybrid Ferrari convertibles, an American speed king , a few electric Hypercars , and two a one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce cars built for royalty. We should note, though: The prices listed here are the price of the vehicles when new. So we’re not counting auction cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO, or overpriced secondhand sales. But don’t worry, there’s still hundreds of millions worth of cars here to whet … [Read more...] about 50 Most Expensive Cars In The World
Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Listen to this article Katsuta will pilot the third points scoring GR Yaris for the first time in his career at Rally Sweden after earning a promotion to the seat for half of the 2023 season. The Japanese driver has been driving a fourth GR Yaris, not eligible for manufacturer points, in the WRC since 2020, having come through Toyota’s WRC Challenge driver development programme. However, Esapekka Lappi ’s decision to leave the team for a full-time drive at Hyundai this year, created an opening for former single seater driver Katsuta to share the third 2023 entry with eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier this season. This weekend marks Katsuta’s first drive in the elevated role, and while both Latvala and driver admit the position comes with extra pressure, there are no added expectations from Toyota. "First time being in the factory team I know there will be a bit more pressure, but we don’t put any more pressure on him and I wish that he doesn’t take more … [Read more...] about Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Will Tonglet earn his second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title?
Listen to this article The kid who won a championship in his 2010 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series rookie season has now won five of the category’s eight 2017 races, earning his fifth victory of the year at the 30th annual Toyota Sonoma Nationals held this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Until this season, it was just LE, brother GT and father Gary Tonglet traveling from race to race by truck. “Last year we were working on the bike, driving to a lot of places… it was a lot of time involved,” Tonglet said. There was a lot of stress involved in making every race and earning his stripes as a firefighter, Tonglet’s weekday job. Toward the end of his 2016 championship season, Jerry Savoie of WAR realized the best way to amplify his NHRA program was to add another motorcycle. “My crew chief suggested it,” Savoie said of Timothy Kulungian, who makes the tuning decision for both motorcycles. “When you look at a lot of teams out here that are making eight runs in qualifying when we … [Read more...] about Will Tonglet earn his second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title?