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.
Senate confirms new chief of U.S. auto safety agency
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate confirmed Mark Rosekind to lead the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has come under criticism this year for not responding more quickly to evidence of potentially deadly vehicle defects.
Court-appointed panel to monitor Los Angeles county jails
(Reuters) – A court-appointed panel will begin to oversee the Los Angeles County jail system, the American Civil Liberties Union said on Tuesday, as part of a settlement to a 2012 class-action lawsuit that alleged sheriff’s deputies beat inmates.
Obama signs $1.1 trillion government spending bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by Congress last week that lifted the threat of a government shutdown.
New York premiere of North Korea comedy canceled after threats
BOSTON (Reuters) – The New York premiere of “The Interview”, a Sony Pictures comedy about the assassination of North Korean President Kim Jong-Un, has been canceled and a source said one theater chain had scrapped plans to show it, after threats from a…
American Airlines plane diverted to Tokyo after being hit by winter storm, several hurt
TOKYO (Reuters) – A U.S. bound-American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Tokyo on Wednesday after hitting severe turbulence created by a strong winter storm, with several people taken to hospital for minor injuries.
California university bans fraternity over anti-rape march harassment
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – San Diego State University on Tuesday banned a fraternity whose members were accused of harassing people taking part in an anti-rape march, a move that comes amid a renewed debate over the handling of sexual assaults on U.S. col…
Crews to resume pit-digging in Seattle’s stalled tunnel project
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Washington state transportation officials said digging was expected to resume on Tuesday on a pit needed to salvage a $3.1 billion roadway overhaul in Seattle, deciding the excavation effort was not causing buildings and a rickety h…
Colorado inmate who suffered stroke awarded $11 million by jury
DENVER (Reuters) – A federal jury has awarded $11 million to a Colorado jail inmate who was left permanently disabled after he said he was denied treatment for 16 hours after suffering a stroke, court documents showed on Tuesday.
