Alaskan gay marriage ban to be debated in federal court
JUNEAU Alaska (Reuters) – A federal judge will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging Alaska’s 16-year-old constitutional ban on gay marriage on Friday, following a week of court rulings backing same-sex unions in seven other states.
California golf coach sentenced to 27 years for murder plot, abuse
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A San Francisco-area boys’ golf coach was sentenced to over 27 years in prison on Thursday on charges of molesting three of his underage students and then plotting to kill his accusers from jail, prosecutors said.
Obama to declare Los Angeles-area mountains national monument
(Reuters) – President Barack Obama will declare a swath of the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles as a national monument on Friday, the White House said, following an 11-year effort that got caught up in partisan politics.
Police, protesters clash in St. Louis ahead of weekend of rallies
ST LOUIS Mo (Reuters) – Police clashed with protesters in St. Louis on Thursday for a second night after an officer killed a black teenager, ahead of a weekend of planned rallies in the area over the August killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Bro…
Nevada issues first marriage licenses to gay couples; some states push back
CARSON CITY/LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Nevada began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on Thursday after a district judge removed the final hurdle to same-sex matrimony in the state, hours after a conservative group withdrew a last-ditch effort to blo…
No charges over Palin family drunken Alaska birthday brawl: police
JUNEAU (Reuters) – Anchorage prosecutors declined to file criminal charges over a bloody, booze-fueled brawl involving the family of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at a birthday party, police said on Thursday as they released a report describing th…
Corpse exhumed in Alabama as FBI seeks link to long-missing murder suspect
(Reuters) – The unidentified body of a man dead for 33 years was exhumed on Thursday in Alabama in hopes of linking it to an FBI Top 10 most wanted fugitive suspected in the 1976 bludgeoning deaths of his wife, mother and three sons, federal authoritie…
Oklahoma unveils renovated execution chamber after botched execution
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – Oklahoma prison officials on Thursday unveiled a renovated execution chamber inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, aimed at addressing issues that arose during the state’s last execution.
California man charged in transgender activist’s choking murder
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A man accused of killing a Southern California transgender activist and dumping her body behind a fast-food restaurant was charged with murder on Thursday, but prosecutors said they lacked evidence to prove the case was a hate c…
Gay marriage foes in Nevada drop challenge; some states push back
CARSON CITY Nev./CHARLESTON S.C. (Reuters) – Nevada came a step closer to issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on Thursday when a conservative group withdrew last-ditch motions that sought to block an appeals court decision allowing same-sex matrim…
