Katie Rucke is a MintPress staff writer and investigative report specializing in the war on drugs, criminal justice, marijuana legislation, education and watchdog investigations as well as whistle-blowers. Her investigations related to the coverage of the 2010 Toyota recall scandal, and coverage of the trials of Anonymous hacker and proclaimed activist Jeremy Hammond as well as Bradley Manning have received international acclaim. Rucke has been recommended by the Wikileaks organization as a trusted journalist in 2013. Rucke has also written pieces for Yahoo! and various community magazines. Follow Katie on Twitter: @katierucke
Not everyone, however, is fully on board.
Inspired by stories from the families of children with epilepsy, a New Jersey state Senate committee passed a bill this week that would make it easier to obtain medical marijuana for young patients. Medical marijuana was legalized in the state in January 2010, and registration for the medical marijuana program first opened in August 2012. However,
Nearly 10 percent of the Philadelphia Public Schools system has been shut down; 81 percent of the students affected are Black.
The Pennsylvania School Reform Commission voted June 1 to close 23 Philadelphia public schools, saying a budget deficit made the move necessary. But while officials blamed the decision on a $304 million debt, others are questioning the state’s decision to simultaneously spend hundreds of millions on corporate tax breaks and a new prison. Students
Deric Lostutter says he thinks the FBI came after him at the encouragement of officials in Steubenville.
Another Anonymous hacktivist has been identified and charged with hacking-related crimes. Deric Lostutter, a 26-year-old corporate cyber-security consultant, said his home in Winchester, Ky., was raided by the FBI after he publicized information about the Steubenville rape case under the name KYAnonymous. The Steubenville case centers around the
A study by a Nebraska human trafficking task force found that the state’s Interstate 80 is a major conduit for the drug and sex trades.
Between 2008 and 2010, 83 percent of all sex trafficking victims in the United States were U.S. citizens. While legislation working to protect human trafficking victims has made its way in states across the U.S. recently, newly proposed legislation in Nebraska has taken protection for human trafficking victims one step further -- giving immunity to
Nearly $99 million that was intended to help survivors was instead spent on projects unrelated to the rebuilding of the tsunami-ravaged region.
Money set aside to help victims of the March 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, which killed almost 20,000 people and resulted in a meltdown at a nuclear power plant, has been spent on projects that have nothing to do with recovery efforts. According to The Guardian, nearly $99 million that was intended to help survivors was instead spent on
Due to a loophole in federal law, law enforcement can seize property — often without an arrest or a court hearing.
Under the Fourth Amendment, Americans are supposed to be protected from unlawful search and seizure. But due to a loophole in federal law, law enforcement can seize property -- often without an arrest or a court hearing. The growing use of administrative forfeiture is causing more problems for average Americans and prompting some to wonder if law
According to a survey in the New England Journal of Medicine, 76 percent of doctors around the world say they approve of medical marijuana use.
Hundreds of New York doctors are urging the state’s governor to let them prescribe marijuana, the latest sign that physicians are increasingly in favor of allowing therapeutic use of the drug. "Denying patients access to a safe, effective medication that can relieve their suffering is cruel and forcing them to break the law is simply wrong,"
