NIKKI HALEY campaigning (Shutterstock).

The first major event of the 2024 presidential campaign season comes on Monday as the Republican Party in Iowa conducts its caucuses.
At the same time that TV political ads are blanketing the airwaves, blizzard conditions have hit this Midwestern state which sometimes has been a bellwether indicating who will be the party’s nominee.

The caucusing will begin at 7 p.m. Central Standard Time at over 1,600 churches, schools, community centers and more. Unlike primaries where voters cast their ballots at a polling place or by mail. a caucus is more of an in-person affair.
In each caucus, a representative from each candidate addresses the groups. The caucus-goers vote privately and the results tabulated and sent to the state party the next day. Delegates to the national convention are assigned based on caucus results.

The three leading candidates – former president Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley – are holding rallies and events across the state this weekend despite the freezing weather.
Latest polling indicates that Trump will finish first by a wide margin, but that Haley is making progress and may have passed DeSantis.

Easing curbs on marijuana?

MARIJUANA plant (Shutterstock).

Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse are recommending that marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule I drug (such as heroin) to a Schedule II status such as ketamine and testosterone.

The scientists have concluded that “weed” is not as risky or dangerous as other “controlled substances.” At present, 29 states have legalized the private possession and use of marijuana. But at the federal level, it’s still illegal, although the U.S. government is not attempting to prosecute people in states where it has been legalized, such as California.

$400,000 in damages in NYT suit

Four hundred thousand dollars in legal fees were awarded Friday to The New York Times and three reporters after former president Donald Trump sued them over a story about his wealth, and lost.

In their Pulitzer Prize-winning articles, the Times’ reporters challenged Trump’s claims of earning his wealth by documenting that his father, Fred Trump, had given him $413 million or more. Additionally, The Times reported that the two Trumps side-stepped taxes by creating a “sham” corporation and undervalued their assets in their tax returns.

Sports: End of an era; Belichick out

The New England Patriots fired legendary coach Bill Belichick and replaced him with Jerod Mayo, a former Pats player who has been linebackers’ coach. At 37, he will be the youngest coach in the NFL.

elichick, 71, is one of the game’s legendary coaches, winning six Super Bowls in 24 seasons of coaching. But things declined after Tom Brady left and the team finished a miserable 4-13 this season.

Weather: More of the same

The West Orange County area isn’t going to get much variety in weather this weekend. Partly cloudy conditions will extend well into next week. Daytime highs will rise from the low- to the mid-60s, while evening lows are in the high 40s and low 50s. Saturday’s high will be 61 with a low of 49. Sunday will be similar at 62 (49).