Texas, Arkansas governors declare disasters after deadly tornadoes
VAN, Texas/LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) – The governors of Texas and Arkansas declared disasters on Monday in parts of their states hit by tornadoes and floods in a storm series that slammed central states, leaving at least five people dead, injuring mo…
Oregon governor signs gun background check bill
(Reuters) – Oregon Governor Kate Brown on Monday signed into law a bill that will require background checks on nearly all gun buyers in the state.
U.S. offers over $35 million for hard-hit coal communities
PIKEVILLE, Kentucky (Reuters) – The United States has released $35.5 million to help communities hit hard by the decline in coal mining to diversify their economies and retrain displaced miners, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said on Monday.
Illinois languishes as lowest ranked state by credit: survey
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Illinois has the worst ranking among the U.S. states in terms of credit quality, according to a report by Conning, an investment manager for the insurance industry, as options for the embattled Midwestern state to fix its finances …
Washington state man shot after pointing phone like a gun: police
(Reuters) – An unarmed Washington state man who was fatally shot by officers at a lumber yard outside of Seattle last month had pointed a cellphone at them like a gun before he was killed, police said.
Los Angeles homelessness rises 12 percent amid slow economic recovery
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles County’s homeless population has grown by 12 percent during the past two years amid a sluggish economic recovery that has left the poorest residents of the second-largest U.S. metropolitan area falling farther behind…
Washington state schools seek waiver from U.S. test-result penalties
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Washington state, which already lost an exemption from some requirements of U.S. education law, is asking not to be penalized for lower test scores this year as districts switch to a standardized exam tethered to tougher standards, …
Boston bomber told nun ‘no one’ should suffer as his victims did
BOSTON (Reuters) – Lawyers for the Boston Marathon bomber on Monday wrapped up the case to spare Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s life with testimony from a Roman Catholic nun and death-penalty opponent who said Tsarnaev told her “no one deserves to suffer” as his …
NFL suspends Brady four games for ‘Deflategate,’ fines Patriots
(Reuters) – The National Football League came down hard on the New England Patriots on Monday for their role in Deflategate, suspending star quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of next season and fining the franchise $1 million.
Senator Warren hits back at Obama in Pacific Rim trade fight
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren hit back at President Barack Obama in their tussle over “fast-track” authorization to negotiate a Pacific Rim trade treaty, a power she says could be used in the future to weaken Wall Street reforms….
