Prosecutors probe deadly California balcony collapse
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the deadly balcony collapse in Berkeley, California last week that killed five Irish students and an American friend, a district attorney official said on Wednesday.
Fire at North Carolina church ruled as arson
(Reuters) – A fire that engulfed a church with a primarily African-American congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina early on Wednesday morning has been ruled as arson, fire officials said.
Ex-California fire chief convicted of stabbing girlfriend to death: newspaper
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A former California fire chief, who evaded capture for two weeks after his live-in girlfriend was found stabbed to death at their home, was convicted of murder on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Three indicted in black man’s death in Georgia jail cell: newspaper
(Reuters) – Two former sheriff’s deputies and a healthcare worker at a Georgia jail were indicted on Wednesday over the New Year’s Day death of a black inmate who was in restraints, the local Savannah Morning News reported.
Eleven arrested in protest against Hawaii telescope
HONOLULU (Reuters) – Eleven people were arrested on Wednesday in a protest against what would be one of the world’s largest telescopes being built on a dormant Hawaiian volcano, which has sparked a contentious debate over Native Hawaiian rights and sacred lands. 
Confederate symbols of Civil War divide U.S. 150 years on
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Reuters) – More and more voices across the U.S. South called for banishing the banner of the pro-slavery Confederacy on Wednesday in a fast-growing movement that adds new emotion and tensions to a year of soul-searching over race in A…
Federal agency awards Washington state $12.6 million for 2014 mudslide relief
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A federal relief agency will give at least $12.6 million to emergency officials in Washington state for debris removal and to acquire property destroyed during a 2014 mudslide that killed 43 people, a state official said on Wednesda…
Seattle mayor proposes all-gender single-occupant public bathrooms
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Single-occupant public bathrooms in Seattle would be designated for all-gender use, not just for men and women, under legislation proposed by Mayor Ed Murray on Wednesday.
California sheriff’s deputies found guilty of beating jail visitor
(Reuters) – Three Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were found guilty on Wednesday of beating a visitor at a downtown jail and then falsifying reports about the incident, federal officials said.
Man pleads guilty in 2014 attack inside Greyhound bus
PHOENIX (Reuters) – A California man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to assault charges related to his 2014 alleged attack inside a Greyhound bus that forced the vehicle off the road west of Phoenix, injuring more than two dozen passengers, court officials…
