Phoenix veterans hospital chief put on leave, care delay probed
PHOENIX (Reuters) – The top official at a Phoenix veterans hospital was placed on indefinite leave on Thursday while regulators probe whistleblowers’ claims that delayed care may have led to the deaths of as many as 40 veterans, the head of U.S. vetera…
Trial to begin Friday in murder of missing Virginia girl
LOVINGSTON, Virginia (Reuters) – Opening arguments are set to begin Friday in the murder trial of a 48-year-old handyman accused of abducting and killing a Virginia girl whose body has never been found.
Montana lawmaker vows to repeal self-defense law after German teen’s death
(Reuters) – A Montana legislator said on Thursday she would seek to repeal the state’s so-called “castle doctrine” after attorneys for a man accused of killing an unarmed German teenager said they would use the stand-your-ground style law in his defens…
Worker found dead in dough machine at Texas fortune cookie factory
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A 26-year-old worker at a fortune cookie factor died of multiple blunt trauma injuries after falling into a dough-mixing machine at a factory in Houston over the weekend, a medical examiner’s office said on Thursday.
California, most populous U.S. state, gains 356,000 residents
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California gained 356,000 people in 2013, many attracted to the San Francisco Bay area and its prospering technology industry, a state demographer said on Thursday.
Minnesota teenager charged with planning school massacre: police
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – A southern Minnesota teenager who idolized a gunman from a Colorado high school massacre was charged Thursday with planning to kill his parents and sister and then slaughter students and staff at his school, authorities said.
Customs and Border Protection announces a hiring surge of 2,000
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to hire 2,000 new agents over the next two years to step up security at ports of entry and to decrease wait times for travelers at airports and border crossings, the agenc…
U.S. Jewish coalition rejects lobbying group
NEW YORK (Reuters) – An umbrella organization of major U.S. Jewish groups voted this week to reject a membership bid by the liberal group J Street, prompting a frustrated response on Thursday from the lobby that describes itself as pro-Israel and pro-p…
New York reaches ‘landmark’ agreement with teachers
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City struck a tentative $4 billion nine-year agreement with its teachers that could pave the way for settling a years-old dispute with the city’s workforce by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
California prisoner seeks to vacate terrorism conviction
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Attorneys for a California man serving time in federal prison on a terrorism charge are seeking to vacate his conviction, saying an al Qaeda training camp he was accused of attending had been dismantled by the time he purporte…