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…
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.
