Closing arguments begin in lurid N.H. murder trial
DOVER New Hampshire (Reuters) – Closing arguments began Wednesday in a New Hampshire murder trial that has riveted the New England state with details of the occult, sadomasochism and romantic betrayal.
Jailed American in Cuba is suicidal, wife and lawyer say
HAVANA (Reuters) – A U.S. foreign aid contractor serving a 15-year prison sentence in Cuba for importing banned Internet technology is increasingly suicidal, his wife and lawyer said on Wednesday.
Senator Cochran defeats Tea Party rival in Mississippi Republican runoff
HATTIESBURG Miss. (Reuters) – Veteran U.S. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi narrowly defeated challenger Chris McDaniel on Tuesday in a high-profile runoff election that pitted the Republican party’s old guard against its anti-establishment Tea Part…
Seattle Archdiocese to pay $12 million to settle child sex abuse claims: lawyer
SEATTLE (Reuters) – The Archdiocese of Seattle has agreed to pay about $12.125 million to 30 men who alleged they were sexually abused as children and teens at two Seattle-area schools from the 1950s until 1984, their attorney said.
U.S. high court bucks pro-business trend this term
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With only days remaining in its term, the U.S. Supreme Court is on track to at least partly dispel the impression that it’s pro-business.
Property owners sue Arizona over 2013 wildfire that killed 19 firefighters
PHOENIX (Reuters) – More than 160 property owners affected by an Arizona wildfire that killed 19 firefighters last year have filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming that its mismanagement caused lives to be lost and homes and businesses to be destr…
Federal judge rules U.S. no-fly list violates Constitution
(Reuters) – The U.S. government’s no-fly list banning people accused of links to terrorism from commercial flights violates their constitutional rights because it gives them no meaningful way to contest that decision, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
Ban on inmate sterilizations moves forward in California legislature
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – A bill to ban sterilization surgeries on inmates in California prisons advanced on Tuesday, days after an audit showed officials failed to follow the state’s rules for obtaining consent for the procedures.
Oregon’s would-be Christmas festival bomber denied new trial
PORTLAND Ore. (Reuters) – A Somali-American man convicted of trying to blow up a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Oregon was denied a new trial on Tuesday by a federal judge who rejected the defendant’s claims that his constitutional rights were vio…
Montana health record hackers compromise 1.3 million people
(Reuters) – A data security breach of Montana’s state health records has compromised the Social Security numbers and other personal information of some 1.3 million people, but the full extent of damage from the intrusion is unclear, state officials sai…
