Arkansas governor seeks fix of religion bill seen as targeting gays
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) – Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson told lawmakers on Wednesday to revise a bill that rights activists and U.S. businesses said allowed discrimination against gays, and home-state corporate giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc praised h…
California governor orders statewide water cutbacks to combat drought
PHILLIPS, Calif. (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown, in his most sweeping action to combat a devastating multi-year drought, ordered residents and businesses on Wednesday to cut water use by 25 percent in the first mandatory statewide reductio…
Menendez’s fate could sharpen Republicans’ edge in Senate
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Menendez’s indictment on corruption charges on Wednesday raised the possibility of Republicans gaining a 55th Senate seat to strengthen their hand in policy fights with President Barack Obama.
Phoenix policeman won’t face charges for shooting unarmed black man
PHOENIX (Reuters) – No criminal charges will be filed against a white Phoenix police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man in December during what authorities described as a struggle, county prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Seattle starts phasing in $15 minimum wage amid U.S. pay debate
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Seattle’s new minimum wage law took effect on Wednesday amid mixed reaction from businesses, giving some workers a bump in compensation on the way to a $15 hourly wage, among the highest big-city pay floors in the United States.
Portland bans insecticide to protect declining honey bees
(Reuters) – Oregon’s biggest city on Wednesday banned the use of an insecticide on city lands blamed by conservationists as a factor in the decline of honey bees in recent years.
Judge enters not guilty plea for Detroit man claiming police abuse
DETROIT (Reuters) – A judge on Wednesday entered a not guilty plea for a man charged with drug possession who was dragged from his car, struck several times in the head and Tasered by suburban Detroit police during an arrest recorded on squad car video…
Sperm bank moving next to big Florida university to tap donor pool
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – A leading sperm bank is relocating its headquarters next to a Florida university with the second-highest student enrollment in the United States in hopes of tapping into its large pool of healthy, well-educated potential donor…
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…
