Judge rejects Illinois pension reform law
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A judge ruled on Friday that an Illinois law aimed at easing the state’s huge unfunded pension liability is unconstitutional, handing a victory to labor unions and state retirees who challenged the law.
Florida polo magnate gets 16 years for deadly drunken driving crash
MIAMI Fla. (Reuters) – A Florida polo club founder was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Friday after a jury for a second time found him guilty of killing a recent college graduate in a collision while driving drunk late one night in Palm Beach County…
Former Oregon beauty pageant winner arrested in drug bust
PORTLAND Ore. (Reuters) – A former Oregon beauty pageant winner is facing drug charges after she was arrested in a drug bust at a Salem hotel where police found cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and records of drug sales, authorities said on Friday. 
Mudslide strikes home in California area that saw wildfire this year
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A mudslide slammed into a house in a Southern California suburb on Friday where wildfires had left hilly terrain barren of trees and brush, prompting authorities to warn residents that more such landslides were likely in the nea…
NYC officer’s gun may have discharged accidentally in man’s death
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York City officer shot and killed an unarmed man in a dimly lit stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project, in what may have been an accidental discharge of his weapon, the police commissioner said on Friday.
FBI gets package mailed by gunman killed at Florida university
TALLAHASSEE Fla. (Reuters) – Authorities are investigating mailed packages linked to a gunman who shot three people before he was killed by officers at Florida State University, the FBI said on Friday.
U.S. threatens to cut food stamp funding to Maine in photo ID row
BRUNSWICK Maine (Reuters) – The federal government has threatened to cut funding for Maine’s food stamp program, saying the state may be violating recipients’ civil rights by requiring welfare cards to bear their photograph.
Man charged with murder of Indiana teenage girl
(Reuters) – A prosecutor charged a man with murder on Friday in the death of a teenage girl whose bound and partially burned body was found in an Indianapolis homeowner’s backyard in August.
Pentagon reforms aim to curb predatory sales targeting troops
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Moving to curb predatory sales practices targeting U.S. military personnel, the Pentagon said on Friday it was reforming its payment system for troops to prevent them from using direct salary deductions to buy consumer goods like…
Texas teen arrested in porn sting posed as elementary school student
DALLAS (Reuters) – A 17-year-old Texan arrested in a pornography sting this week allegedly posed as a 12-year-old elementary school student in the Fort Worth area and tried to prey on children for illicit purposes, police said on Friday.
