Exclusive: Bankrupt San Bernardino has paid $6 million legal fees, millions more expected
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – San Bernardino, California, has run up legal costs of over $6 million since it declared bankruptcy in 2012, according to a senior city official. Millions more in fees are expected before it exits Chapter 9 protection, underscori…
New York prepares for protests as grand jury mulls police choke-hold death
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York officials were preparing for likely protests as a grand jury decides whether to charge police in the death of a black man subjected to a banned choke hold, but aimed to avoid the kind of violence that engulfed a St. Louis …
American Alan Gross completes fifth year in Cuban prison
HAVANA (Reuters) – U.S. foreign aid worker Alan Gross completed his fifth year in a Cuban prison on Wednesday with his wife warning he is in terrible condition, while any hopes for improving hostile U.S.-Cuban relations hinge largely on his fate.
Former Cake drummer gets prison for child molestation
(Reuters) – A former drummer in U.S. alternative rock band Cake has been sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison for molesting a three-year-old girl in 2009, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Bill would cap Russian engines on U.S. satellite launches
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A compromise defense policy bill in Congress would bar the purchase of more Russian-made rocket engines to launch U.S. military satellites, clearing the way for competitive bids for 14 future launches, senior congressional aides …
Bill Cosby accused in lawsuit of molesting girl in 1974
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bill Cosby was sued on Tuesday by a woman alleging he molested her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles when she was 15, in what is believed to be the first court case arising from a recent wave of sexual misconduct acc…
FBI seizes data from Los Angeles school district over iPad program
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – FBI agents investigating the purchasing process for the Los Angeles school district’s $1.3 billion effort to supply students with iPads have seized 20 boxes of documents, the district’s superintendent said on Tuesday.
Massachusetts hospital says treating possible Ebola patient
BOSTON (Reuters) – Massachusetts General Hospital admitted a patient possibly exposed to the Ebola virus on Tuesday, the hospital said in a statement.
Cut scholarships but halt tuition hike at California universities: lawmakers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) – A group of California lawmakers has proposed gutting a much-touted middle-class scholarship program for students at California’s two public university systems, the latest salvo in tense negotiations over funding.
Suspected Texas robber killed after getaway car slams into Starbucks
HOUSTON (Reuters) – A man fleeing police pursuit after robbing a Houston video game store was killed on Tuesday when he slammed his Chevrolet Impala into a Starbucks coffee shop and flipped the car onto its roof, police said.