Ban on filling swimming pools hits communities in parched California
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The California dream of owning a house with a sparkling swimming pool is drying up for would-be swimmers in communities across the state as some local water districts have banned homeowners from filling empty pools in drought-…
California attorney general appeals ruling on death penalty system
(Reuters) – California’s attorney general said on Thursday she is appealing a federal district court decision last month that found the state’s death penalty system unconstitutional on the grounds it took so long it amounted to cruel and unusual punish…
Federal judge strikes down Florida’s gay marriage ban, stays ruling
TAMPA Fla. (Reuters) – A federal judge in north Florida on Thursday struck down the state’s gay marriage ban as unconstitutional, but stayed the ruling, leaving same-sex couples still unable to marry in the state.
Death of Connecticut boy left in hot car ruled a homicide
MILFORD Conn. (Reuters) – A 15-month-old Connecticut boy’s death in a hot car last month was ruled a homicide Thursday by the chief state medical examiner’s office.
Top architect Hadid files defamation lawsuit over book review
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Zaha Hadid, an award-winning architect known for futuristic designs, sued The New York Review of Books and the architecture critic Martin Filler on Thursday over alleged defamatory statements about her in a recent book review.
Work planned to quell underground fire near Pittsburgh airport
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) – Work will begin next month to extinguish a 10-acre (four-hectare) coal fire that has been burning near Pittsburgh International Airport for years, potentially threatening radar, visibility and a major underground gas pipeline, st…
Friend of Boston bomb suspect may get 7-year term in plea deal
BOSTON (Reuters) – A friend of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of hindering the investigation into the blasts in a deal with prosecutors that calls for a prison sentence of up to seven years.
Judge blocks North Carolina school voucher program
(Reuters) – A North Carolina judge on Thursday blocked the state’s new school voucher program, saying it unconstitutionally diverted money from public education to private schools, many of them religious.
Florida governor vows record education spending in re-election bid
TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) – Governor Rick Scott, under intense criticism by his main opponent for cuts in school spending, on Thursday promised record spending on education next year if he wins a tough re-election campaign.
PETA joins protest against sale of rabbit meat at Whole Foods
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has joined a nationwide protest to stop Whole Foods stores from selling rabbit meat, the animal rights group said Thursday.
