Judge upholds ex-NFL star Hernandez’ murder conviction
BOSTON (Reuters) – A Massachusetts judge on Wednesday rejected a request by lawyers for former National Football League player Aaron Hernandez to overturn his conviction for the 2013 murder of an acquaintance.
Connecticut to pay $50,000 reward to man who testified in murder case
MILFORD, Conn. (Reuters) – Connecticut has agreed to pay a rare $50,000 reward to a man whose testimony led to his cousin’s conviction for the brutal murder of an actress who had appeared on the TV drama “Law & Order,” state officials said Wednesday.
Woman falls 400 feet to death in Colorado’s Royal Gorge
DENVER (Reuters) – A 44-year-old woman plummeted 400 feet (120 meters) to her death from an observation deck overlooking the Royal Gorge canyon in the mountains of south-central Colorado, authorities said on Wednesday.
U.S. campaign highlights stress of fireworks on combat veterans
(Reuters) – Every Independence Day for the past eight years, Shawn Gourley and her family have left their Indiana home for remote campgrounds to escape the fireworks that trigger her veteran husband’s wartime memories.
Ex-N.Y. state senator gets seven years in prison for bribery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A former Democratic state senator in New York was sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in federal prison for a bribery scheme, in one of a series of public corruption cases brought by U.S. prosecutors against state lawmakers.
Pentagon: ‘No anticipation’ U.S. might give up Guantanamo base
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States does not anticipate giving up its naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite Wednesday’s historic agreement by the former Cold War enemies to restore diplomatic ties, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said.
Baltimore to put cameras in police vans, review riot gear
BALTIMORE (Reuters) – Cameras that can record will be installed in Baltimore police vans like the one in which Freddie Gray suffered a fatal injury, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said on Wednesday.
Crowds count down to marijuana legalization in Oregon, then light up
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – Crowds counted down the minutes to midnight then lit up joints as smoking marijuana became legal in Oregon on Wednesday and the legalization movement spread to a fourth U.S. state.
Washington state Girl Scouts return donation over anti-transgender demand
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A Washington state Girl Scouts organization said on Wednesday it has returned a $100,000 gift after the donor told them the money could not be used to the benefit of any transgender participants in the scouts program.
TV Land pulls ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ amid Confederate flag debate
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – TV Land has pulled re-runs of the 1980s sitcom “Dukes of Hazzard,” the U.S. cable network said on Wednesday amid controversy over portrayals of the Confederate flag, which is notably featured on the show’s “General Lee” vehicle….
