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U.S. NEWSThursday 17 September

Texas Muslim teen held over homemade clock Colorado braces
for day of tax-free
Irving MacArthur High School student Ahmed Mohamed, 14, poses for a photo at his home in at MacArthur High School.
Boyd considers the case marijuana sales
Irving, Texas. Mohamed was arrested and interrogated by Irving Police officers on Monday after closed.
In a matter of hours, the KRISTEN WYATT
bringing a homemade clock to school. Police don’t believe the device is dangerous, but say it clock made Ahmed a Associated Press
star on social media, with DENVER (AP) — An ac-
could be mistaken for a fake explosive. He was suspended from school for three days, but he the hashtag #IStandWith- counting error in Colorado
Ahmed tweeted nearly is paying off for marijuana
has not been charged. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News via AP) 600,000 times by Wednes- consumers Wednesday,
day afternoon. when a quirk in a state tax
DAVID WARREN made clock that teach- class Monday and taken In a tweet, President law prompts the state to
Associated Press ers thought resembled a to a detention center after Barack Obama called suspend most taxes on rec-
DALLAS (AP) — A 14-year- bomb. showing the digital clock Ahmed’s clock “cool” and reational pot.
old Muslim boy became a Police declined to seek any to teachers at his suburban said more kids should be in- The one-day pot tax holiday
sensation on social media charges against Ahmed Dallas high school. spired like him to enjoy sci- means Colorado won’t col-
Wednesday after word Mohamed, but that did lit- Irving Police Chief Larry ence, because “it’s what lect 10 percent sales taxes
spread that he had been tle to tamp down criticism Boyd said the clock looked makes America great.” on pot. The state is also sus-
placed in handcuffs and of how authorities handled “suspicious in nature,” but Groups including the pending a 15 percent ex-
suspended for coming the matter. there was no evidence the American Civil Liberties cise tax on marijuana grow-
to school with a home- Mohamed was pulled from boy meant to cause alarm Union rights group con- ers.
demned what they called The tax break is happening
heavy-handed tactics by because Colorado under-
school officials and police. estimated overall state tax
“Instead of encouraging collections last year. Un-
his curiosity, intellect and der the state constitution,
ability, the Irving (school the accounting error trig-
district) saw fit to throw gers an automatic suspen-
handcuffs on a frightened sion of any new taxes — in
14-year-old Muslim boy this case, the recreational
wearing a NASA T-shirt marijuana taxes voters ap-
and then remove him from proved in 2013.
school,” Terri Burke, execu- Retailers are hoping for big
tive director of the ACLU in crowds, rolling out bargains
Texas, said in a statement. to attract shoppers. The
The White House also state had no estimate on
weighed in.q how many shoppers might
turn out.
Oklahoma: The taxes revert to 25 per-
cent on Thursday.
Court halts execution of man who claims innocence Wednesday’s break comes
a day after Colorado made
SEAN MURPHY the Oklahoma City mo- nal Appeals agreed to sented an affidavit from final its accounts for the fis-
Associated Press tel where Glossip worked. reschedule the lethal in- an admitted metham- cal year that ended in June.
McALESTER, Oklahoma Motel handyman Justin jection for Sept. 30. Glos- phetamine dealer who The final tax numbers cov-
(AP) — An appeals court Sneed admitted robbing sip’s lawyers said they ob- said he frequently saw ered the first full fiscal year in
halted the execution of an and beating Van Treese tained a signed affidavit Sneed use the drug and which adults over 21 could
Oklahoma man with just with a baseball bat, but from another inmate, Mi- trade stolen items for it. legally buy both marijuana
hours to spare Wednes- said he did so only after chael Scott, who claims he The court said it granted and alcohol. Alcohol ex-
day after his attorneys said Glossip promised to pay heard Sneed say “he set the last-minute request “in cise tax collections were up
they had uncovered new him $10,000. Richard Glossip up, and order for this court to give 2.4 percent, to about $42
evidence, including a fel- Prosecutors alleged Glos- that Richard Glossip didn’t fair consideration” to Glos- million. Marijuana-specific
low inmate’s claim that he sip was afraid Van Treese do anything.” sip’s new claims. taxes came in at about $70
overheard another man was about to fire him for His attorneys also argued Glossip attorney Don million. The figures don’t in-
convicted in the case ad- embezzling money and that Glossip’s trial attorneys Knight said he was in- clude a statewide 2.9 per-
mit he acted alone. poorly managing the mo- didn’t present enough evi- side the prison speaking cent sales taxes. In other
Richard Eugene Glossip tel. Glossip, 52, was sched- dence to discredit Sneed, to Glossip when a prison words, alcohol likely still
was twice convicted of uled to be executed at 3 who was sentenced to official informed them produces more overall tax
ordering the killing of Barry p.m. Wednesday, but the life in prison and testified the execution had been money than pot, though the
Van Treese, who owned Oklahoma Court of Crimi- against Glossip. They pre- stayed.q state doesn’t keep data on
how much general sales tax
comes from alcohol.q