BP asks U.S. Supreme Court justice to block Gulf spill payments
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – BP Plc on Wednesday asked Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to allow the company to avoid making payments to businesses demanding compensation for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill while litigation continues.
Florida fast-rail line unveils plan for landmark Miami station
MIAMI (Reuters) – Local officials and railway executives unveiled plans on Wednesday for a sprawling 3 million-square-foot Miami train station complex including an 80-story skyscraper, to anchor the state’s first privately owned intercity railway and help redevelop the downtown area.
California killings renew call for police mental health training
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – California lawmakers urged swift action on Wednesday to better train law enforcement officials to recognize and deal with mental illness after last week’s bloody rampage in an idyllic college town near Santa Barbara.
Chicago Mayor Emanuel proposes restrictions on city gun shops
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Declaring gun control “essential” to public safety, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday proposed a gun shop ordinance that would videotape gun purchases and limit sales to one per month per buyer.
Oklahoma enacts new restrictions on abortions, Louisiana to follow
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Oklahoma, soon to be followed by Louisiana, has joined other socially conservative states in adopting laws that place new restrictions on abortions, measures that critics say are aimed at shutting abortion clinics.
California Assembly passes bill mandating porn film condoms
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – A bill requiring pornographic film actors to wear condoms during sex scenes easily passed the California State Assembly on Tuesday despite resistance from most of the adult film industry.
Consumer group sues USDA over drug-resistant salmonella in meat
(Reuters) – A consumer group on Wednesday accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of putting the public’s health at risk by allowing meat with antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella to be sold to consumers, according to a lawsuit filed against t…
Chicago aldermen propose hiking minimum wage to $15 an hour
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A group of Chicago aldermen on Wednesday introduced a proposal to boost the minimum wage in the nation’s third-largest city to $15 an hour, joining officials in other major U.S. cities who also are considering a hike.
Emergency declared in Colorado mudslide area, search halted
DENVER (Reuters) – The Colorado county where a three-mile-wide mudslide roared through the Grand Mesa National Forest declared an emergency on Wednesday, after dangerous conditions prompted authorities to suspend a search for three ranchers presumed de…
Moral Monday protesters arrested at North Carolina legislative offices
RALEIGH N.C. (Reuters) – Fourteen protesters were arrested on Wednesday morning after staging a 10-hour sit-in at the office of one of the leaders of North Carolina’s Republican majority.
