The Families Are Asking For Answers

Questions about police and community relations in Chicago, as well as the actions and judgment of members of that city's police department, were in the spotlight again this weekend. Bettie Jones, a 55-year-old mother of five and grandmother, was "accidentally struck and tragically killed" by an officer responding to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday, according to police. Quintonio LeGrier, a 19-year-old whom police say was a "combative subject" and whose family says he suffered from a mental illness, was also killed by police in the incident. "I used to watch the news daily and I would grieve for other mothers, other family members, and now today I'm grieving myself," LeGreir's mother, Janet Cooksey, said.

"There are serious questions about yesterday's shootings that must be answered in full by the Independent Police Review Authority's investigation," the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel, said. "While their investigation is underway, we must also make real changes within our police department today and it is clear changes are needed to how officers respond to mental health crises."

"I already know how that will turn out," Jones' brother, Melvin Jones, said of the investigation. "We all know how that will turn out. When is this going to end?”

The incident comes just a month after the release of video of the 2014 shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.

Wild Weather

The season's unpredictable weather continues. While temperatures in the Northeast hit as high as 70 degrees in the last few days, New Mexico's governor declared a state of emergency after a blizzard hit parts of the state over the weekend, with up to two feet of snow falling and drifts as high as ten feet. With other extreme conditions, including a Texas tornado over the weekend which left 11 people dead, severe weather over Christmas week killed at least 43 across the United States.

Relaxed Marijuana Penalties For College Athletes

Major college campuses are not penalizing athletes for marijuana use as severely as they were a decade ago, according to a new report by the Associated Press. Looking at policies for 57 of the 65 schools in the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, as well as Notre Dame, the report found that almost half have reduced penalties or raised the threshold for suspension or dismissal. The NCAA's chief medical officer is reportedly advocating for the organization to stop testing athletes for recreational drugs. Recreational marijuana use is currently legal in four states, and medical marijuana has been legalized in 20.