New York moves to raise state minimum wage to $15 for fast-food workers
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York moved on Wednesday to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour by the end of 2018 in New York City and by mid-2021 in the rest of the state.
California police rescue woman forced to live in closet for year
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A Nicaraguan woman who was held captive in a closet for about a year, suffering daily physical and sexual abuse, has been rescued and two suspects arrested, police in the San Francisco Bay Area community of Richmond said.
Counselors being indicted for spanking troubled youths in Boston
BOSTON (Reuters) – Eight former youth workers were being indicted on charges they routinely spanked young men in custody last year at a Boston residential facility to punish them, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Life or death for Colorado movie gunman? Trial enters new phase
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) – Jurors deciding whether Colorado movie massacre gunman James Holmes should be executed began the punishment phase of his trial on Wednesday, considering aggravating factors including his murder of a six-year-old girl.
University of California to raise worker minimum wage to $15
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The University of California said on Wednesday it will raise the minimum wage for its workforce to $15 an hour by 2017, mirroring similar actions in several of the state’s biggest cities and becoming the first public system of…
Washington Post takes case of jailed Tehran reporter to the U.N.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Washington Post stepped up a campaign for the release of its jailed reporter in Iran, Jason Rezaian, on Wednesday, appealing to the U.N. Human Rights Council to help secure his release after a year of what it called “arbitrar…
Powerful New York state senator convicted of lying to FBI agents
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A powerful New York state senator was convicted on Wednesday of lying to FBI agents during a public corruption investigation, federal prosecutors said.
Washington state to appeal order to pay lawyers of inmates $1.3 million
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Washington state health officials will appeal a federal judge’s order that they pay $1.3 million in litigation costs and fees to lawyers of inmates who sued the state over the time they spent in jail without mental competency exams …
Rate of U.S. teens having sex has dropped in past 25 years: federal data
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The percentage of U.S. teenagers who have had sex has dropped significantly over the past quarter-century, with less than half of 15- to 19-year-olds reporting they had a sexual experience, according to U.S. data released on Wednes…
IKEA offers repairs for dressers after two children die
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – IKEA North America is offering repairs for 27 million chests of drawers after two children were killed when the dressers tipped over on them, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Wednesday.