Oregon bakery pays damages in lesbian wedding cake case
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – The owners of a Portland-area bakery who refused on religious grounds to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple have paid about $144,000 in damages despite their ongoing appeal of the discrimination case, a state official s…
Texas law sharply curbs access to abortion, clinics tell Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Texas abortion regulations do not improve medical safety and reduce access to the procedure, women’s healthcare providers told the U.S. Supreme Court as part of their appeal challenging a 2013 state law that imposed new requirements on abortion clinics.
Small plane crashes into office building in Anchorage, Alaska
(Reuters) – A single-engine airplane slammed into an office building in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, and burst into flames on Tuesday, killing the pilot, but no other casualties were immediately reported, police and fire officials said.
Pennsylvania governor rejects Republican budget, says it’s ‘garbage’
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) – Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday rejected a budget proposed by Republican-led lawmakers, calling it ‘garbage,’ but allowed spending on education and some services to be funded to avoid a threatened closure of school…
Backroad Anthem lead singer missing, friend’s body recovered
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – Craig Strickland, lead singer of the country-rock band Backroad Anthem, was missing after the boat he was in capsized while he was duck hunting on a northern Oklahoma lake, officials said on Tuesday.
Coast Guard closes Mississippi River to vessel traffic near St. Louis
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday closed a 5-mile (8 km) section of the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri, to all vessel traffic as rising river levels created “hazardous conditions,” the agency said in a release.
Database of 191 million U.S. voters exposed on Internet: researcher
(Reuters) – An independent computer security researcher uncovered a database of information on 191 million voters that is exposed on the open Internet due to an incorrectly configured database, he said on Monday.
Storms snarl U.S. travel, threaten rare winter tornadoes
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Snow, sleet and hail snarled transportation across swaths of the United States on Monday during one of the busiest travel weeks, after dozens died in U.S. storms that were part of a wild worldwide weather system seen over the Christ…
U.S. gay sex slave trial exposes dilemmas faced by male trafficking victims
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Three young Hungarian men have helped dismantle a U.S. gay prostitution ring that enslaved them, marking a victory for local prosecutors but highlighting the difficulty in reaching and helping male trafficking vi…
Chicago mayor cutting short Cuba vacation after police shooting
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has decided to come home early from his vacation in Cuba to address the fatal shooting of two more black residents by a city police department already under federal investigation over its use of deadly for…
