Weapons used in South Carolina mall incident likely replicas: police
(Reuters) – Reports of gunfire that cleared a South Carolina mall last weekend may have been made by airsoft guns, not weapons with actual bullets, police said on Monday.
Illinois governor eyes blocking Chicago school debt
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner said on Monday the state has the power to block any debt offerings by financially distressed school districts, including the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which has been dependent on borr…
Alabama man killed after tracking stolen cell phone with app
(Reuters) – An Alabama man who used a computer app to track down his stolen cell phone was shot and killed when he tried to retrieve it from the suspected thief, police said on Monday.
Maryland mom found not responsible in boy’s death in swing
(Reuters) – A Maryland woman charged with pushing her 3-year-old son in a park swing until he died was found not criminally responsible by a judge on Monday, a prosecutor said.
New York agency offers help to undocumented trafficking and crime victims
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Enriqueta Luna was an undocumented worker when her employer, a New York City restaurant owner, pulled down his pants and threatened her, and she knew that reporting the crime could get her deported to Mexico.
Two Pennsylvania families who say fracking fouled water take case to trial
SCRANTON, Pa. (Reuters) – Jury selection began on Monday in a federal lawsuit in which two northeastern Pennsylvania families allege that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp contaminated their well water with methane when it began fracking for natural gas near their homes.
Jury considers case against Colorado woman who cut out stranger’s fetus
BOULDER, Colo. (Reuters) – Jurors on Monday were weighing the case of a Colorado woman accused of luring a pregnant stranger to her home with a Craigslist ad, attacking her and removing her fetus because she wanted to pass the baby off as her own.
Thirteen bald eagles found dead in Maryland
(Reuters) – Authorities are investigating the deaths of 13 bald eagles discovered on a Maryland farm in the state’s largest die-off of the national bird in 30 years, officials said on Monday.
Colorado can enforce its ‘Amazon tax’ law: U.S. appeals court
(Reuters) – A federal appeals court endorsed a Colorado law designed to make it easier for the state to collect sales taxes on out-of-state purchases made over the Internet.
Atlantic City mayor terms N.J. takeover plan ‘fascist dictatorship’
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Reuters) – Atlantic City’s mayor has called a state plan to cede control of the fiscally distressed gambling hub a “fascist dictatorship,” a sharp reversal of his previous position on the proposed takeover.
