Santa Cruz becomes first California county to ban fracking
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Santa Cruz on Tuesday became the first California county to ban fracking, the latest in a string of moves by local governments in the state to take a stand against the controversial oil and gas producing method.
Family of man who killed sons in Washington state blast to get insurance payout: judge
OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) – The family of a Washington state man who killed himself and his two young sons in a fiery explosion in 2012 is entitled to a share of a life insurance payout from the boys’ deaths, a federal judge has ruled.
Ex-Arizona deputy suspected of targeting illegal immigrants: court papers
PHOENIX (Reuters) – Investigators found 900 hours of videotaped traffic stops at the home of an Arizona sheriff’s deputy who committed suicide after his arrest on drug charges and are trying to determine if he was “shaking down” illegal immigrant drive…
NBA commissioner signals willingness for deal with Clippers owner
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver said on Tuesday he would prefer to let Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling sell his team “on a reasonable timetable” rather than proceed with trying to forcibly ter…
Florida jury acquits man accused of brokering uranium sale to Iran
MIAMI (Reuters) – A Florida jury has acquitted a Sierra Leonean man arrested at a New York airport last year and accused of trying to broker a deal to sell uranium ore to Iran.
NYC jail guard indicted in death of inmate who ate disinfectant
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal grand jury indicted a former senior guard at New York City’s main jail complex on a civil rights charge, accusing him of denying medical aid to a mentally ill inmate who had swallowed disinfectant, a prosecutor said on Tu…
U.S. Navy petty officer pleads guilty in corruption scandal
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – A U.S. Navy petty officer charged in a wide-ranging corruption investigation of a Singapore-based defense contractor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to commit bribery in a case in federal court in California, prosecutors s…
Consumer bureau slow to fix age, minority bias: union leader
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. consumer bureau officials were slow to fix performance reviews that were unfair to minority and older employees, despite complaints, a union leader will tell lawmakers on Wednesday.
New Mexico court upholds insurance coverage for medical pot
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) – An injured mechanic who uses medical marijuana as pain treatment can have his former employer and the company’s insurer reimburse him for the drug, a New Mexico appeals court ruled.
U.S. appeals court halts execution of inmate with rare health defect
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday halted the planned execution of a Missouri death row inmate whose lawyers have said suffers from a rare health condition that could lead to pain and suffocation during a lethal injection…
