Last Wednesday, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to pass a new version of a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state. The vote follows a pledge made one day earlier by Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., to veto the bill due to concerns that drug use after the bill's passing, though the new version of the bill passed with a veto-proof majority, according to WMUR. Because the bill involves budget issues, it will now be sent to the House Finance Committee before returning to the Senate. The veto-proof majority vote is encouraging to the bill's supporters, who have been pushing for the bill to be passed even without Lynch's signature, WMUR reported. House members hope that the vote will send a message to the governor that both legislators and constituents are behind the bill, according to WMUR.
The cause of death for Harvard College senior Wendy Chang was ruled suicide a by the Massachusetts medical examiner's office, The Boston Globe reported. Chang's death marks the fifth reported suicide this academic year among Boston-area college students, according to The Globe. Two Massachusetts Institute of Technology students, a Suffolk University senior and a Boston University graduate student all committed suicide within the past year, according to The Globe. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention estimates that each year, 1,100 college students take their own lives and that of these, 85 percent do not seek help prior to their deaths, The Globe reported. Factors such as the poor job market and the stress of transitioning from college to life after graduation can put students at greater risk as graduation nears, according to the The Globe.
Louisiana State University President John Lombardi was fired from his post on Friday, which has caused suspicions that his dismissal was due to political reasons, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The system's Board of Supervisors fired Lombardi, who was previously forced out of both his position as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and president of the University of Florida due to his confrontational style, according to The Chronicle. Lombardi has actively opposed several initiatives of Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., who appointed half of the Board's members, The Chronicle reported. The governor's staff previously attempted to strengthen its control of the Louisiana system by urging Lombardi to fire several system officials who did not fully support Jindal's agenda, according to The Chronicle. Lombardi declined to fire the officials and continued to fight many of Jindal's proposals prior to his removal, The Chronicle reported.
