Gay rodeo tests tolerance in Arkansas, hotbed of rights fight
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) – On a clear Arkansas spring afternoon after a day of horse riding, Wade Earp sighed and said, “I wish we didn’t have to have a gay rodeo. I wish we could just rodeo.”
Conservative Nebraska moves toward death penalty repeal
OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) – Conservative Nebraska moved closer on Wednesday to abolishing the death penalty with lawmakers passing a repeal with enough votes to override an expected veto from the state’s governor.
U.S. aims to crack down on ‘novelty’ motorcycle helmets
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. transportation regulators on Wednesday called for stronger rules for motorcycle helmets, proposing additional safety requirements in an effort to crack down on “novelty” helmets that do not meet federal standards.
Atlanta-area teacher accused of permitting students to have sex
ATLANTA (Reuters) – A math teacher and coach at a suburban Atlanta middle school was fired this week and faces charges that he allowed students to have sex in a classroom storage closet, a school district spokesman said.
Connecticut man charged in poisoning five-month-old with alcohol bottle
NORWALK, Conn. (Reuters) – A 22-year-old Connecticut man has been charged with manslaughter after authorities accused him of killing his 5-month-old son last year by feeding the boy a baby bottle filled with a 50-proof cocktail.
Four in Rhode Island charged with stealing $1.6 million in checks
(Reuters) – Four people in Rhode Island, including two post office employees, have been charged with stealing $1.6 million worth of checks from the U.S. government, according to federal prosecutors.
Takata doubling U.S. recall for defective air bags to 34 mln vehicles
WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) – Japanese air bag manufacturer Takata Corp is doubling a recall of potentially deadly air bags to nearly 34 million vehicles, making it the largest automotive recall in American history, U.S. safety regulators said on Tues…
Prostitute pleads guilty in Google executive’s heroin death
(Reuters) – A prostitute charged with killing a Google executive by injecting him with heroin on his yacht off the California coast pleaded guilty on Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter, court officials said.
Los Angeles gives preliminary approval to $15 minimum wage
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Los Angeles City Council voted on Tuesday to increase the minimum wage in the nation’s second-largest city to $15 an hour by 2020 from the current $9, in a victory for labor and community groups that have pushed for similar …
U.S. charges six Chinese nationals with economic espionage
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S government charged six Chinese nationals with economic espionage, saying they stole secrets from two companies that develop technology often used in military systems, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday.
