Debt-laden Detroit schools need state help: study
(Reuters) – Detroit’s public school district is drowning under $3.5 billion of debt and needs to be rescued by the state of Michigan, according to a report by a nonprofit public affairs group released on Wednesday.
Chipotle hit with federal subpoena over California norovirus outbreak
(Reuters) – Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc , under scrutiny for months over outbreaks of foodborne illness across several U.S. states, said on Wednesday it was served with a subpoena in a federal criminal probe linked to a norovirus case in California last…
Oregon native tribe uneasy with armed standoff over land rights
BURNS, Ore. (Reuters) – When armed men first took over a U.S. government wildlife refuge in Oregon this weekend, the leader of the area’s Native American tribal council could relate to their land-right dispute – but disagreed with their gun-toting appr…
Mother of Florida serial killer’s victim braces for his execution
(Reuters) – When Kathleen Reeves reserved a hotel room near the Florida prison where she expects to witness the execution of her daughter’s killer on Thursday, she had one question: What’s the cancellation policy?
California prison reforms have reduced inmate numbers, not costs
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – In 2012, under court order to reduce prison overcrowding, California announced an ambitious criminal justice reform plan that promised not only to meet the court mandate but also to improve criminal sentencing and “save billions of dollars.”
Seven N.Y. National Guard members arrested over recruiting bonus schemes
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Seven New York Army National Guard members were arrested on Wednesday on charges they schemed to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars in referral bonuses for recruiting dozens of new soldiers.
Magnitude 4.5 quake shakes California town, no damage reported
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck on Wednesday near a small Southern California city about 85 miles (140 km) east of Los Angeles, setting off burglar alarms, but authorities said there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Wisconsin governor: no pardon in ‘Making a Murderer’ case
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will not pardon a man convicted with his nephew in a case dramatized in the television documentary “Making a Murderer,” despite online petitions seeking their release, his office said on Wednesday.
Florida university ousts professor who called U.S. massacres hoaxes
MIAMI (Reuters) – Florida Atlantic University has dismissed a professor who said massacres at a Connecticut elementary school and a county office building in San Bernardino, California, were staged, the university said.
U.S. December weather-related insurance payouts may top $2 billion: report
LONDON (Reuters) – Extreme weather in the United States during the last 10 days of December could bring insured losses for the month to more than $2 billion, reinsurance broker Aon Benfield said on Wednesday.
