U.S. police slayings raise pressure on officers at time of tension
(Reuters) – The officers’ deaths came within a span of less than a week, but more than 1,000 miles apart: One was fatally shot while filling his police cruiser’s gas tank outside Houston, Texas, the other was killed in pursuit of three suspects in rura…
Obama heads to remote reaches of Alaska on last day of tour
DILLINGHAM, Alaska (Reuters) – President Barack Obama headed to remote fly-in native villages of Alaska on Wednesday on a trek the White House hopes will bring attention to how climate change is affecting Americans.
Pennsylvania judge rejects parents’ move to stop gender change surgery
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) – A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday rejected an effort by the parents of a 48-year-old transgender woman to block her gender reassignment surgery after they said she is incompetent.
Oregon resident could face fines for lawnmower-sparked wildfire
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – Fire investigators say a lawnmower sparked a costly 26,000-acre (10,520-hectare) blaze in Oregon, one of dozens that have roared across the state in recent weeks, and the home owner accused of cutting grass during restricted …
Texas teen killed by police had psychedelic drugs in system: report
DALLAS (Reuters) – The unarmed black Texas teenager fatally shot by a white police officer in August at a Dallas-area car dealership had synthetic psychedelic drugs and marijuana in his system when he died, according to an autopsy report released on We…
Washington state patrolman will not face charges in shooting of two black men
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A police officer in Olympia, Washington, will not face criminal charges after shooting two unarmed black men suspected of trying to steal beer from a supermarket, a local prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.
South Carolina commission okays cost overruns for nuclear plants
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) – Construction costs for two new nuclear reactors in South Carolina will go up almost $700 million in 2007 dollars and completion of the plants will be delayed three years, according to a settlement agreement approv…
Washington state sues U.S. over toxic vapors at nuclear waste site
SEATTLE (Reuters) – The U.S. government has failed to adequately safeguard crews involved in the decades-long cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state, leaving workers sickened by exposure to toxic vapors, the state said in a laws…
Florida officials propose bear hunt limit of 320 kills
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – Florida would allow hunters to kill up to a total of 320 bears in October during the state’s first bear hunt season in 20 years, according to a recommendation from the state’s wildlife agency presented at a public hearing on Wednesday.
NASA vehicles maintenance contractors in federal fraud lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – Two contractors hired to manage NASA’s vehicle fleet at the Kennedy Space Center defrauded the agency of at least $387,000 for unnecessary tire replacements, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by federal prosecutors in Flo…
