Washington state judge rules against florist who refused gay wedding
(Reuters) – A judge in Washington state on Wednesday ruled that a florist who refused to sell flower arrangements for a gay couple’s wedding violated state anti-discrimination law, court records show.
Two smugglers who left pregnant woman to die in California sentenced
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – Two men who left a pregnant woman to die in an isolated mountain region of southern California after they smuggled her across the U.S.-Mexico border were sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday, officials said.
Budget of Atlantic City in New Jersey to shrink 11 percent, mayor says
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Reuters) – The mayor of Atlantic City on Wednesday provided a glimpse of his budget plans for 2015, saying he will propose a $235 million spending plan for this year, down 11 percent from 2014.
Blast at Exxon refinery in California could hike gasoline prices
TORRANCE, Calif. (Reuters) – An explosion and fire ripped through a gasoline processing unit at an Exxon Mobil Corp refinery near Los Angeles on Wednesday, leaving California with the threat of higher gasoline prices.
Washington state protests spread over police shooting of Mexican man
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Protests over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Mexican immigrant in southeastern Washington spread to the state’s largest city, Seattle, on Wednesday, with demonstrators renewing calls for change in policing tactics in the Un…
Philadelphia approves five new charter schools
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Philadelphia’s financially distressed school district, one of the country’s biggest battlegrounds over the expansion of charter schools, approved five new charters on Wednesday in a contentious meeting marked by protests, shout…
Australian held at Guantanamo says he was tortured for five years
SYDNEY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Australian former Guantanamo Bay detainee said on Thursday after a U.S. military appeals court threw out his conviction on a terrorism charge that he wants his government to pay for treatment of ailments resulting from …
U.S. refinery strike passes 18th day but talks resume
HOUSTON (Reuters) – The largest U.S refinery workers strike since 1980 passed its 18th day on Wednesday but talks between union and oil company representatives over safety and pay restarted after a gap of a week and went into the night, according to a …
Hundreds possibly exposed to ‘superbug’ at UCLA Medical Center
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Seven patients were infected with a potentially deadly, drug-resistant bacteria at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center and more than 100 may have been exposed to the so-called superbug, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesda…
Pressure mounts on shippers, union to settle U.S. West Coast ports dispute
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Two U.S. Cabinet secretaries joined congressional leaders, three governors and a big-city mayor on Wednesday in pushing shipping lines and the dockworkers’ union to settle a contract dispute that has led to months of turmoil and…
