California governor orders 25 percent reduction in water usage statewide
PHILLIPS, Calif. (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown, acting in the face of a devastating multiyear drought, ordered the first statewide mandatory water restrictions on Wednesday, directing cities and communities to reduce usage by 25 percent.
Getty oil heir’s death seen as likely accidental or natural
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Andrew Getty, the grandson of billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, died from what appears to have been accidental or natural causes, but an autopsy is not expected to be performed before Thursday, according to the Los Angeles C…
FBI confirms death of militant with DNA from severed finger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday it has confirmed that Zulkifli bin Hir, one of its “most wanted terrorists,” was killed in a raid in the Philippines in January.
McDonald’s raising average worker wage to about $10 an hour
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp plans to raise the average pay of about 90,000 U.S. workers to around $10 an hour, but the increase will not benefit workers at the vast majority of the restaurants, because they are operated by franchisees, who …
New York teen gets 15 months probation in beating caught on viral video
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A teenage girl was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months’ probation for her part in a group beating of a young woman at a McDonald’s restaurant in Brooklyn that was captured on video and went viral, her lawyer said.
Indiana pizza place faces social media heat over gay wedding comments
(Reuters) – A small-town, family-owned pizza restaurant in Indiana has aroused social media outrage after telling a local TV station it would support the state’s recently passed religion law by refusing to cater gay weddings.
North Dakota governor declares fire emergency
(Reuters) – North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple declared a fire emergency in the state on Wednesday as the second-largest U.S. oil producer grapples with incendiary conditions amid little precipitation and high winds.
Coroner rules post-Katrina New Orleans police killing a homicide
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – The New Orleans-based coroner on Wednesday reclassified as a homicide the 2005 police shooting death of a man whose body was found in a burned-out car in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Pennsylvania man uses chain saw to slay wife, then himself
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) – A suburban Philadelphia man killed his wife with a chain saw and then turned the machine on himself in a grisly murder-suicide, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Strippers at N.Y. club get $15 mln settlement for unpaid wages
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Exotic dancers at a Midtown Manhattan strip club will receive up to $15 million in a settlement announced on Wednesday resolving a lawsuit claiming they were employees unfairly classified as independent contractors.
