Ex-Vanderbilt football players set for retrial on rape charges
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – Two former Vanderbilt University football players will face a retrial later in 2015 on charges that they raped an unconscious female student two years ago, a judge said on Wednesday.
Big Yosemite rock fall alters climbing route on Half Dome
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A 2,400-ton chunk of granite broke loose last week from the towering Half Dome formation in Yosemite National Park, altering one of North America’s most popular rock-climbing routes, but no one was hurt and casual visitors will …
Prosecutor grills Colorado movie massacre trial defense expert
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) – The lead prosecutor in Colorado’s movie massacre trial attacked the testimony of the defense’s star witness on Wednesday, challenging her diagnosis that the gunman, James Holmes, suffers schizophrenia and could not tell ri…
United, NYSE technical troubles not caused by ‘nefarious’ actor: U.S. Homeland Security chief
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said technical problems reported on Wednesday by United Airlines and the New York Stock Exchange were apparently not related to “nefarious” activity.
Federal workers union sues U.S. agency over data breach
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said on Wednesday it has sued a federal government hiring agency over recent cyberattacks, alleging it violated constitutional privacy rights of NTEU members by failing to keep their p…
New York City creates bail alternative for low-risk defendants
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New Yorkers who are charged with low-level crimes but cannot afford bail could avoid jail time under an $18 million program being launched by the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday.
Tom Selleck accused of taking water for California ranch: report
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Tom Selleck has been accused by a California agency of unlawfully taking water from a public hydrant to supply his ranch, even as the state reels from a four-year drought, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
Texas man dies after setting off firework from chest
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A 30-year-old postal worker in Texas has died after shooting a firework off his chest during a night out with friends, officials said on Wednesday.
Suburban Detroit police hope squirrel mug shot helps crack nut theft case
DETROIT (Reuters) – Police in the Detroit suburb of Shelby Township are hoping a social media post about a felonious squirrel will help authorities locate some 28,000 pounds of stolen snack nuts.
Three gunned down near college as killings surge in Baltimore
(Reuters) – Gunmen killed three people and wounded one overnight near the University of Maryland, Baltimore, police said on Wednesday, the latest killings in a city that has seen an upturn in homicides following the death of Freddie Gray in April.
