Exclusive: Iowa bird-flu farms fall short on containment measures
IRETON, IOWA/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Measures to control the worst bird flu outbreak in U.S. history are not being enforced at several farms at its epicenter in northwestern Iowa, potentially increasing the risks that the disease could spread further, spot…
Senate Democrats press for Amtrak funding increase
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats from the Northeast, where the Amtrak rail service is considered essential, vowed on Thursday, in the wake of a deadly train crash, to fight Republican budget cuts for the passenger line, while acknowledging …
Husband gets life for arranging for girlfriend to kill wife in New Jersey
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A man convicted of conspiring to have his wife murdered as the couple walked along a suburban New Jersey street with their toddler in a stroller was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison, prosecutors said.
Suspect in shooting of South Carolina sheriff’s deputy killed
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) – After an 10-hour standoff at a downtown Charleston apartment building on Thursday police said they shot dead a man suspected of last week’s ambush shooting of a South Carolina sheriff’s deputy.
Boy Scouts president says ban on gay leaders needs to end
DALLAS (Reuters) – Boy Scouts of America President Robert Gates said on Thursday the group’s ban on adult gay leaders needs to end, taking a step toward dismantling a policy that has caused deep rifts in the 105-year-old organization.
North Carolina preserves New Years Eve opossum tradition
RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) – North Carolina is poised to adopt its third law in as many years aimed at ensuring a rural community can continue to drop a live opossum to ring in the New Year.
U.S. extends oversight of GM’s handling of safety issues
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators will oversee General Motors Co’s decision-making about potential vehicle safety issues for an additional year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday.
New York’s Westchester County settles U.S. water safety lawsuit, pays record fine
(Reuters) – New York’s Westchester County will spend roughly $12 million to settle a federal government lawsuit alleging that its failure to properly treat drinking water exposed thousands of residents to greater risk of severe gastrointestinal illness…
Suit filed over South Carolina war memorial that separates dead by race
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) – Five veterans have sued South Carolina for the right to replace bronze plaques on a public memorial that separate those who died in the country’s two world wars under the headings of “white” and “colored.”
Illinois lawmakers pass marijuana decriminalization bill
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The Illinois Senate on Thursday passed a bill decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, sending it to the governor for signature.
