Widespread flooding hits U.S. Midwest, rivers still rising
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Rain-swollen rivers in the U.S. Midwest forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, threatened crops and livestock and left scores of buildings underwater on Wednesday after days of extreme weather in which 24 people died.
Attack owl returns in Oregon, targeting government workers
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – An owl that achieved notoriety last winter for attacking joggers in an Oregon park has returned and is now turning its talons on government workers, state officials said on Wednesday.
San Bernardino shooter’s visa file raised no red flags: U.S. government sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – State Department visa officers conducted all required security checks on Tashfeen Malik, one of two shooters in the San Bernardino massacre early this month, but found no “derogatory” information before granting her a visa to ent…
Chicago mayor plots changes to police policy after deadly shootings
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago police will get new equipment and training to help them defuse tense situations and limit their use of lethal force, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on Wednesday, following weeks of protests calling for him to resign over his handli…
Cleveland activists oppose re-election of prosecutor in Tamir Rice shooting
CLEVELAND (Reuters) – African-American leaders in Cleveland on Wednesday called for voters to reject the county prosecutor’s bid for re-election next year after he recommended that police officers face no charges in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Ta…
Texas ‘affluenza’ teen and his mother block extradition from Mexico
FORT WORTH/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A Texas teenager, scorned for his “affluenza” defense in a deadly car crash, and his mother won a delay in extradition from Mexico on Wednesday where they fled as U.S. authorities investigated whether he had violated …
No charges for Colorado police officer who fatally shot fugitive
DENVER (Reuters) – A grand jury in Colorado has declined to bring charges against a white Denver-area police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black fugitive parolee who was wanted on suspicion of kidnapping and assault, prosecutors said on Wednesday…
Man arrested on suspicion of setting fire to Houston mosque
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A 37-year-old man has been taken into custody and charged with arson for starting a fire on Christmas day at a Houston mosque at which he has been a member, officials said on Wednesday.
Woman who plowed car into Las Vegas crowd had used marijuana: prosecutor
(Reuters) – An Oregon woman charged with murder for plowing her car into a crowd on a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk, killing one person and injuring dozens of others, had marijuana in her system following the incident, county officials said on Wednesday.
Puerto Rico to default on some debts, will pay GO debt
NEW YORK/SAN JUAN (Reuters) – Puerto Rico will skip payments on some of its debt due Jan. 4, the island’s second default this year, but will remain current on its most important debt, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said on Wednesday.
