California inmate dies of unknown causes after 25 years on death row
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) – A California inmate who spent 25 years on death row for the murder of a brain-damaged woman has died of unknown causes, making him the third condemned prisoner to die this year in a state that has not carried out an execu…
Seattle suspends plan to fine residents over food scraps in garbage
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Seattle has suspended plans to fine homeowners who fail to comply with the city’s food waste composting program, which has seen early success but also a lack of awareness over the rules, a public utility official said on Thursday.
SkyWest unclear on why plane passengers lost consciousness
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A day after three passengers lost consciousness on a commercial plane traveling from Chicago to Hartford, Connecticut, airline officials remained unclear on what had caused the travelers to pass out.
Major Florida school district dumps almost all yearend testing
MIAMI (Reuters) – The Miami school district, the nation’s fourth largest, said on Thursday it was eliminating most end-of-course exams, including all those for elementary school students, the latest blow to standardized testing in the state.
Pennsylvania university sends 495 false acceptance-like emails
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Drexel University mistakenly sent emails to 495 non-admitted students indicating they had been accepted to the Philadelphia university, a school spokeswoman said on Thursday. 
Rights group to probe Baltimore man’s death, cites no confidence in police
BALTIMORE (Reuters) – The U.S. Southern Christian Leadership Conference will independently investigate the death of a black Baltimore man in police custody, with the local head of the civil rights group saying it lacked confidence in a police probe int…
U.S. House panel rejects currency changes for fast track trade bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Thursday rejected a push to beef up rules against currency manipulation in a key trade bill.
Nevada boy, 11, held after handgun in his bag goes off in school
(Reuters) – An 11-year-old boy has been arrested after a handgun in his backpack accidentally discharged inside a suburban Las Vegas elementary school classroom, police said on Thursday.
Pentagon says evicted Russian hackers, global cyber threat grows
PALO ALTO, California (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday disclosed a cyber intrusion this year by Russian hackers who accessed an unclassified U.S. military network, in a episode Defense Secretary Ash Carter said showed the growing threat and th…
Boston bombing survivors recall ‘chaos and glass and blood’
BOSTON (Reuters) – Three people who survived the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing on Thursday recalled seeing the first of a pair of explosions but not having enough time to react before the second homemade bomb went off, tearing off their legs.
