Nightly Brief

Your Thursday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top CNS stories for today including the Trump administration moving to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans, including opening up federal waters off the coast of California for the first time in more than three decades; Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcing the Justice Department is reversing an Obama-era policy that gave states room to legalize marijuana; a report finds that after several years of strong growth, the renewable energy market is showing signs of slowing down; researchers say climate change has dramatically increased the frequency of coral bleaching events at reefs throughout the tropics; a Tennessee couple has taken an art dealer to court, saying he got their 94-year-old family matriarch to consign a pricey painting they were storing at her house, and more.

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1.) In National news, the Trump administration said Thursday it is moving is to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans, including opening up federal waters off the coast of California for the first time in more than three decades.

2.) Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday that the Trump administration is reversing an Obama-era policy that gave states room to legalize marijuana.

3.) David Yancey, the incumbent Republican, on Thursday won the random drawing for a tied House of Delegates race in Virginia, meaning the GOP will retain control of the chamber.

4.) East Coast states from the Carolinas to Maine are under blizzard watches as a “winter hurricane” bears down on them, forcing cancellation of more than 3,000 flights and closing schools in several states, where a foot or more of snow will be followed by bitter cold and fierce winds.

5.) After several years of strong growth, the renewable energy market is showing signs of slowing down, as the United States revels in cheaper electricity from natural gas. And the slowdown is causing ripples of change across the nation, with some state utility commissions drastically cutting the contract lengths of green energy companies.

6.) In Science news, researchers say climate change has dramatically increased the frequency of coral bleaching events at reefs throughout the tropics over the past 40 years, threatening the continued existence of these ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people.

7.) In Regional news, the St. Louis Zoo touted the birth Wednesday of eight healthy cheetah cubs - a litter more than twice the average size.

8.) From the world of Art comes word a Tennessee couple has taken an art dealer to court, saying he got their 94-year-old family matriarch to consign a pricey painting they were storing at her house.

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