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Alaska Cannabis Club CEO Charlo Greene smokes a joint at the medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage on Feb. 20.(Photo: Mark Thiessen, AP)
1. Marijuana becomes legal in Alaska
Smoking, growing and possessing marijuana becomes legal in America's wildest state Tuesday, thanks to a voter initiative aimed at clearing away 40 years of conflicting laws and court rulings. Making Alaska the third state to legalize recreational marijuana was the goal of a coalition including libertarians, rugged individualists and small-government Republicans who prize the privacy rights enshrined in the state's constitution. But when they voted 52% to 48% last November to legalize marijuana use by adults in private places, they left many of the details to lawmakers and regulators to sort out.
Alaska Cannabis Club CEO Charlo Greene with some marijuana.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Mark Thiessen, AP)
2. You're less likely to get audited by the IRS
The number of IRS audits for individual taxpayers fell in the last five years, new data USA TODAY obtained from the nation's tax agency shows. After rising steadily from fiscal years 2005-2010, the number of IRS audits for individual taxpayers fell 21.4% between 2010 and 2015. The audit declines coincide with recent drops in IRS funding and a steady falloff in revenue agents.
A taxpayer mails a return to the IRS.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: 2008 photo by Paul Sakuma, AP)
3. Rahm Emanuel fights to secure his re-election
Chicago's mayor Rahm Emanuel finds himself scratching and clawing to win re-election after a difficult four years in office. The latest polls by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times show Emanuel is within striking distance of the 50%-plus-one vote he needs in Tuesday's five-candidate primary to avoid a runoff election in April. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Emanuel earned a reputation as one of Washington's toughest political operators before returning to Chicago to launch his first successful bid for City Hall.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduces President Barack Obama at the Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy on Feb. 19, 2015, in Chicago. Obama used the event to designate Chicago's historic Pullman district a national monument.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
4. Report: Women embrace more effective birth control
The most effective methods of reversible birth control are rapidly gaining popularity among U.S. girls and women, a new report shows. More than 7% of girls and women ages 15 to 44 used intrauterine devices (IUDs) and hormone implants in 2011-2013, up from 1.5% in 2002, says the report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While birth control pills remain the most popular option, used by 16%, the growth of so-called long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) "is a pretty significant change in the contraceptive world," says study co-author Amy Branum.
This is a product photograph of the ParaGard IUD contraceptive. Women who got free IUDs, birth control pills and other contraceptives in a new study did not adopt riskier sexual practices as a result.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc)
5. Grab your free Krispy Kreme doughnut on the way to work
You may want to make time for one extra-sweet stop on your way into work on Tuesday: Krispy Kreme. The indulgent doughnut chain has picked a very consumer-friendly way to celebrate the opening of its 1,000th store — free doughnuts. Specifically, one free, Original Glazed doughnut to the first 1,000 guests at every participating store. (The promotion is not available at Krispy Kreme grocery or wholesale locations.)
Krispy Kreme commemorates 1000th store with free doughnuts.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: PRNewsFoto/Krispy Kreme)
And, the essentials:
Weather: A messy winter storm will pelt the Southeast on Tuesday while bitter cold continues in the northeastern U.S.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures made gains Tuesday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Agent Carter and the Parks and Recreation finale.
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