Youthful contestants at U.S. Bee not just whizzes at spelling
OXON HILL, Md. (Reuters) – The youthful contestants at the U.S. Scripps National Spelling Bee boast a lot of interests in their lives besides spelling, with athletes, musicians, actors and writers among the almost 300 competitors.
Dream of adopting child from Africa becomes nightmare for couple
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When Emily and Matt Knudsen began the lengthy process of adopting a child from Africa, they believed they would be saving an orphan in distress.
FCA, Honda, BMW expand recalls of vehicles with Takata air bags
DETROIT (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda Motor Co and BMW on Thursday expanded recalls of vehicles with potentially deadly air bags made by Takata Corp, after the Japanese manufacturer last week boosted the number of vehicles affected to 53…
Detroit suburb to pay $1.4 million to settle police beating suit
INKSTER, Mich. (Reuters) – A black Detroit man testified in criminal court on Thursday against the white police officer charged with beating him during a traffic stop, a day after he reached a $1.4 million settlement in his civil lawsuit against the ci…
Historic red Pegasus flies again in Dallas, complete with oil rig
DALLAS (Reuters) – A 1934 red neon Pegasus, a familiar emblem of Mobil Oil, has been lit up once again in Dallas, restoring a symbol of a city known for its close association with the oil business that had been locked away for a decade and a half.
U.S. President Obama visits family of journalist slain by ISIS
MIAMI (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama met on Thursday with the family of American journalist Steven Sotloff, who was beheaded last year by Islamic State militants.
FBI launches probe into theft of U.S. taxpayer information
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The FBI said on Thursday it had begun looking into the illegal access of the tax-return information of about 100,000 people disclosed by the Internal Revenue Service earlier this week.
U.S. charges 15 Chinese nationals in college exam fraud scheme
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fifteen Chinese nationals have been charged with developing a fraud scheme in which they paid impostors to take entrance exams, including the SAT, and gained acceptance to elite American colleges and universities, the U.S. Depart…
University of North Carolina to remove Ku Klux Klan leader’s name from building
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) – A post-Civil War era Ku Klux Klan leader’s name will be stripped from a campus building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after a vote by the school’s board of trustees on Thursday.
U.S. FCC looks to expand phone subsidy to cover Internet access
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. communications regulator wants to expand a government phone subsidy program to include helping low-income Americans pay for Internet access, according to a proposal disclosed on Thursday.




