Ohio judge sentences man to death in sledgehammer slayings
CLEVELAND (Reuters) – An Ohio judge on Monday sentenced a 20-year-old man to death for the April 2013 sledgehammer murder of his girlfriend’s mother and also gave him a life sentence for killing her father, the Summit County prosecutor’s office said.
Sixteen states sue EPA over clean water rule
(Reuters) – Sixteen states on Monday filed lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, contesting a rule that expands the definition of bodies of water subject to federal pollution controls.
Baltimore prosecutors release witness list in Gray case
BALTIMORE (Reuters) – Baltimore prosecutors have listed more than 30 potential witnesses, including an expert on forensic pathology and a DNA expert, in the trial of police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray in April.
Obama signs trade bills into law, says tough battle still ahead
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law legislation that gives him “fast-track” power to push ahead on a Pacific Rim trade deal that has been the subject of intense debate in Congress and across the nation.
Nashville boy, 12, killed in fireworks incident: police
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – A Nashville, Tennessee, boy was killed when an apparently damaged “exploding artillery” firework malfunctioned as he held it skyward for a friend to light, police said on Monday.
Colorado Supreme Court rules against school voucher program
DENVER (Reuters) – Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a controversial school voucher program in a Denver suburb violates the state’s constitution because it provides funding for students to attend religious schools.
L.A. County’s top prosecutor creates wrongful conviction review unit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor has created a unit, headed by three experienced prosecutors, to review credible claims of wrongful convictions by criminal defendants.
Divided U.S. Supreme Court upholds Oklahoma lethal injection process
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court on Monday found that a lethal injection drug used by Oklahoma does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, a ruling that provoked a caustic debate among the justices about the de…
Texas farmer killed by swarm of bees
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A Texas farmer who disturbed an underground bee colony while plowing a field died after he was stung hundreds of times by a swarm that attacked him, a fire official said on Monday.
Chicago mayor turns down state cash advance to schools
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday turned down an offer by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to advance a fiscal 2016 state payment to the city’s cash-strapped school system to help make a pension payment.
