In America’s South, black church fires fan racial fears
(Reuters) – Some were deliberately lit. Others were caused by an electrical fault or lightning. But regardless of the origins, a spike in fires at black churches is fraying nerves at a time of heightened racial tensions across the United States.
Attorneys seek to challenge California’s new school vaccination law
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) – Opponents of California’s new law tightening school vaccination rules said on Wednesday they had put together a team of attorneys to challenge the measure, which was prompted by a measles outbreak at Disneyland that sicke…
Obama pushes state Medicaid expansion in healthcare hub Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – Fresh from another Supreme Court validation of his landmark healthcare law, President Barack Obama visited healthcare hub Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday to push state governments to expand the Medicaid health program for…
Protecting dementia sufferers from scammers gains ground in U.S
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two years after New York socialite Brooke Astor died in 2007, her son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of bilking her of millions of dollars. The heiress suffered from dementia, and did not know that her son, charged with her care,…
New York City reviewing contracts with Donald Trump, mayor says
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City is reviewing its contracts with Donald Trump following comments by the developer and U.S. presidential candidate insulting Mexicans, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday.
Former University of Illinois women basketball players file suit against school
(Reuters) – Seven former players from the University of Illinois women’s basketball team on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit that accuses the school’s head coach and a former assistant of creating a racially hostile environment.
Amtrak seeks to combine lawsuits over fatal Philadelphia derailment
(Reuters) – Amtrak has asked a U.S. judicial panel to consolidate lawsuits before a single judge in Philadelphia over the May 12 train derailment that killed eight people and injured more than 200.
Mormon leaders reaffirm faith’s exclusive commitment to heterosexual marriage
(Reuters) – Mormon leaders are reaffirming their faith’s belief that only heterosexual marriage is ordained by God, in a letter to be read to congregations this holiday weekend following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized gay nuptials.
Man badly bitten by shark in latest North Carolina attack
(Reuters) – A shark attacked a 68-year-old man swimming off a North Carolina beach on Wednesday and bit him repeatedly, causing injuries to his torso, hip, leg and hands, authorities said.
Human cause suspected in destructive Washington state grass fire
(Reuters) – Investigators suspect human activity, rather than lightning, sparked a grassland fire that has destroyed at least 29 homes near the eastern slopes of the Cascades in central Washington, officials said on Wednesday.
