Chicago area landlord gets life in prison for deadly arson fire
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A suburban Chicago landlord has been sentenced to life in prison for setting a fire that killed seven people, including four children, in a scheme to cash in on property insurance, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Texas woman convicted of killing child freed from prison on bond
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – A Texas woman convicted of killing her 4-year-old foster child by force-feeding him an overdose of salt has been released on bail after an appeals court said there were sufficient questions in her original prosecution to warrant…
Two-thirds of Americans back higher military spending: poll
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than two thirds of U.S. voters back increased military spending given growing threats to America’s security, and would be more likely to support candidates who agree, the Aerospace Industries Association trade group said Wed…
U.S. charges two pharmacists with 25 murders in meningitis outbreak
BOSTON (Reuters) – Two pharmacists from Massachusetts were charged with second-degree murder in connection with a deadly 2012 meningitis outbreak that killed at least 64 people and injured about 750, according to an indictment made public on Wednesday….
Bird flu found in wild birds in Washington state: USDA
(Reuters) – Two strains of avian influenza have been confirmed in wild birds in Washington state, near the U.S. border with Canada, but there is no immediate cause for public health concerns, U.S. agriculture officials said on Wednesday.
Jefferies banker Sage Kelly resigns amid divorce drama: source
(Reuters) – Jefferies Group LLC’s banker Sage Kelly, whose messy divorce battle became tabloid fodder in October, resigned to spend time with family, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Texas ex-justice of the peace sentenced to death for revenge murder
DALLAS (Reuters) – A Texas jury on Wednesday sentenced to death a former justice of the peace convicted of murdering a suburban Dallas prosecutor’s wife in a revenge plot, with the judge saying he acted like some of the most notorious killers in recent…
Stephen Collins admits sexual contact with young girls: People magazine
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Stephen Collins, who played the family pastor in the television series “7th Heaven,” has admitted to having inappropriate sexual contact with three underage girls decades ago, People magazine reported on Wednesday.
Sentencing reform clouds California’s inmate firefighting corps
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Battling one of California’s first major wildfires of the year, Kevin Black suddenly realized the only way to keep from being engulfed by flames roaring up a hillside toward his team was to finish the buffer line they were hacki…
Tennessee police looking for Christmas tree thief
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – Police in suburban Nashville are looking for a Scrooge who sawed off a live Christmas tree loaded with decorations in a suspected holiday season theft.