Texas wellhead blast kills two workers, injures nine others
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A wellhead exploded in a hail of shrapnel at a west Texas oil field near the New Mexico border on Wednesday, killing two workers and injuring nine others, a spokesman for the Loving County Sheriff’s Office said.
Texas lawmen sentenced for drug trafficking along Mexican border
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) – Nine former south Texas law officers were sentenced from between nine and 17 years in federal prison for using their badges and police vehicles to move and sell large shipments of drugs, a federal court official said on W…
Takeoffs resume at Southern California airports after glitch halts flights
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Takeoffs at several Southern California airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, were halted for up to two hours on Wednesday after computer problems led a federal air traffic control facility to issue a “ground st…
NBA sets wheels turning for Clippers sale; Oprah in wings
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Several luminaries from sports and show business, Oprah Winfrey among them, signaled interest on Wednesday in buying the Los Angeles Clippers as the NBA set a first meeting to weigh removing Donald Sterling as owner over racist …
Ohio governor commutes death sentence of convicted killer
CLEVELAND (Reuters) – An Ohio man convicted of killing a Cleveland produce vendor will leave death row after more than three decades and less than a month before his scheduled execution, but spend the rest of his life in prison, Governor John Kasich sa…
CSX oil train derails in Virginia, leaks into river
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A CSX Corp train carrying crude oil derailed and burst into flames in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, on Wednesday, spilling oil into the James River and forcing hundreds to evacuate.
Head of leading anti-gun violence group to step down
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The executive director of the gun control group founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which has emerged as a leading counterweight to the National Rifle Association, said on Wednesday he would step down from the organ…
Botched Oklahoma execution comes as alternatives emerge from shadows
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Firing squads, electric chairs and other methods of execution seen as cruel or antiquated could be getting a fresh look after Oklahoma botched a lethal injection, leaving the condemned inmate withering in apparent pain on its …
California golf coach, accused of child abuse, charged in murder plot
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A San Francisco-area boys golf coach who was arrested late last year on suspicion of molesting three of his underage students is now facing charges of plotting to kill his accusers from jail, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
NBA sets wheels turning for Clippers sale; Oprah in wings
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The NBA set in motion on Wednesday an attempt to force a sale of the Los Angeles Clippers, with Oprah Winfrey signaling interest as a potential buyer, after club owner Donald Sterling was banned for life from pro basketball for rac…