Philadelphia using ‘robo-calls’ as weapon in war on illegal signs
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Philadelphia is taking on businesses that blanket its neighborhoods with illegal paper and plastic signs by using automated phone calls to disrupt the operations of people who post them along with contact numbers.
Wisconsin passes law to curb private custody transfers of children
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wisconsin has adopted a law to limit private custody transfers of children, the first law of its kind in the United States, responding to a Reuters investigation that exposed the dangers of the unregulated practice.
Jury begins deliberating in murder trial of Iraqi-American man
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – Jurors began deliberating on Wednesday in the trial of an Iraqi-American man charged with murdering his wife in a case first investigated as a hate crime, following closing arguments in which prosecutors urged the panel to find hi…
California city ex-manager gets 12 years in prison for corruption
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The former city administrator of Bell, California, who became a symbol of local government corruption when news surfaced of his annual salary of about $800,000, was sentenced on Wednesday to 12 years in prison, officials said.
Rhode Island loses bid to have pension reform lawsuit tossed
(Reuters) – A lawsuit by retired Rhode Island public employees over the state’s sweeping 2011 pension system overhaul will continue after a judge on Wednesday rejected a move by state officials to have the case thrown out.
Family is key to understanding accused Boston bomber: attorney
BOSTON (Reuters) – The accused Boston Marathon bomber’s relationship with family, and particularly with his slain older brother who prosecutors contend helped plan the attack, is key to understanding his case, defense lawyers argued on Wednesday.
Alabama’s Auburn University cancels classes over rampage threat
(Reuters) – Alabama’s Auburn University said it found no immediate safety threat after canceling classes on Wednesday because of a message posted in a campus restroom that reportedly warned of a “rampage of biblical proportion.”
Georgia school evacuated after pranksters release pepper spray
ATLANTA (Reuters) – As many as 100 students at a suburban Atlanta high school were exposed to pepper spray on Wednesday after the material was released in a school hallway in an apparent prank, police and school officials said.
Two more suspects sought in kidnapping of N.C. prosecutor’s father
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) – Authorities searching for two additional suspects charged in the gang-related abduction of a North Carolina prosecutor’s father offered a reward of up to $25,000 on Wednesday for tips leading to their arrest.
U.S. court: Companies can’t litigate secretly to protect image
(Reuters) – In a victory for consumers, a federal appeals court on Wednesday directed that litigation about a product linked to the death of an infant be made public, saying the manufacturer could not keep the details secret to protect its image.
