Explosion at Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, injures four
TORRANCE, Calif. (Reuters) – An explosion and fire ripped through a gasoline processing unit at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles on Wednesday, slightly injuring four workers and shattering windows of surrounding buildin…
Denver policeman critically hurt in Ferguson protest leaves hospital
DENVER (Reuters) – A Denver police officer critically injured when he was struck by a motorist last year during a demonstration over the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Missouri was released from a hospital on Wednesday.
‘American Sniper’ murder suspect battling ‘demons,’ sister testifies
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – The man accused of murdering former U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle went through debilitating bouts of paranoia and had a hair-trigger temper, his relatives and girlfriend told a court on Wednesday, according to media reports…
Controversy flares over making Colorado canyon national monument
DENVER (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to name three sites around the country this week as national monuments, including a canyon in Colorado where critics of the move denounced the plan on Wednesday as a big government land grab.
Florida man gets nine years prison in New Jersey over global poison plot
(Reuters) – A Florida man was sentenced on Wednesday to just over nine years in prison after having pleaded guilty to producing and selling deadly toxins to people outside the United States, and conspiring with a British woman to kill her mother.
Oklahoma House panel OKs bill to punish licensing of gay marriage
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – An Oklahoma bill to punish any local or state employee who issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples will be heading to a vote in the state House of Representatives after a committee approved the legislation this week.
U.S. university backtracks on excluding Iranian engineering students
BOSTON (Reuters) – A U.S. state university said on Wednesday it had reversed a decision to stop admitting Iranian students into its science and engineering programs after consulting with State Department officials and its own attorneys.
U.S. deciding whether to extend Obamacare enrollment
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans who have started enrolling for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act can still sign up, and the U.S. government is weighing whether to open a special enrollment period for those who missed Sunday’s deadline, th…
Oklahoma lawmakers aim to halt Advanced Placement history course
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – Oklahoma lawmakers are trying to block funding for Advanced Placement U.S. history courses, saying the curriculum is not patriotic enough, as they aim to join others in halting a program designed to prepare top students for co…
Farmers disappointed by restrictions in proposed drone rules
CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. farmers hoping to use drones to locate lost livestock or monitor trouble spots in their fields were disappointed by what they say are overly restrictive commercial drone rules proposed Sunday by the Federal Aviation Administration. 
