Washington state cannabis retailer opens in defiance of county ban
PARKLAND, Wash. (Reuters) – Sealed bags of marijuana dangle behind a counter, curved glass pipes glimmer on shelves, and a steady trickle of middle-aged customers gleefully buys cannabis strains nicknamed Charlie Sheen and Godzilla.
New Jersey Governor Christie’s office drove favorable Exxon settlement: NYT
(Reuters) – New Jersey’s long legal battle to recover $8.9 billion from Exxon Mobil Corp for environmental damage ended when Governor Chris Christie’s chief counsel, Christopher Porrino, cut a deal to settle for $250 million, the New York Times reporte…
Oregon woman arrives in U.S. after stuck in East Timor for six months
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – An Oregon woman arrested on a drug charge while traveling in East Timor arrived home in Portland on Wednesday to a swarm of national and local media after six months of diplomatic negotiations.
At least two protesters arrested in Ferguson hours after U.S. report
(Reuters) – At least two protesters were arrested outside police headquarters in Ferguson, Missouri on Wednesday, according to police and online video, just hours after the release of a U.S. probe that found racial bias in the department.
Group wants special prosecutor for Washington state slain Mexican case
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A Hispanic advocacy group has called for a special prosecutor to be brought in to handle the fatal police shooting in Washington state of a Mexican farmworker who pelted officers with rocks before trying to flee.
Second Los Angeles hospital identifies ‘superbug’ infections
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A second top Los Angeles hospital has reported an outbreak of drug-resistant “superbug” infections, and dozens more potential exposures, from procedures performed with a fiber-optic instrument called a duodenoscope.
Elizabeth McCracken wins U.S. Story Prize for short fiction
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Author Elizabeth McCracken won the annual Story Prize for short fiction on Wednesday for “Thunderstruck and Other Stories,” her collection of tales about life-altering experiences and loss.
‘It was him’ Boston bomber’s lawyers admit guilt, focus on brother
BOSTON (Reuters) – A lawyer for the accused Boston Marathon bomber said at the start of his trial that their client bore responsibility for the attacks that killed three people and injured 264 with a blunt admission: “It was him.”
U.S. Supreme Court split over Obamacare challenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sharply divided on ideological lines on Wednesday as it tackled a second major challenge to President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, with Justice Anthony Kennedy emerging as a likely swing vote in …
Ferguson policies targeted blacks, created toxic environment: U.S. attorney general
WASHINGTON/KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) – A U.S. probe found systemic racial bias targeted blacks and created a “toxic environment” in Ferguson, Missouri, but cleared a white officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager there, Attorney Gene…
