College-entrance SAT exam set for major overhaul in 2016
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – An obligatory essay, arcane vocabulary words and penalties for wrong answers will be gone from the widely used SAT exam as of 2016 as administrators try to make the standardized test more reflective of a student’s readiness fo…
Massachusetts shares blame for crime lab scandal, court says
BOSTON (Reuters) – Massachusetts’ top court ruled on Wednesday that the state shares blame for thousands of drug convictions tainted by crime lab chemist Annie Dookhan, who admitted to faking test results over nearly a decade.
Death threats made to official in U.S. IRS scandal: lawyer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Several death threats have been made against a former U.S. Internal Revenue Service officer who played a key role in last year’s ‘Tea Party’ scandal at the IRS, the officer’s lawyer said on Wednesday after a brief but dramatic co…
No legitimate claim to $10 million California gold find, firm says
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The currency firm representing a California couple who found $10 million worth of rare Gold Rush-era coins buried on their property says no valid claim to the collection has emerged, despite rumors that the stash was swiped in…
Pittsburgh man charged with killing Iowa lawmaker’s sisters
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) – A Pittsburgh man was arrested on Wednesday and charged with killing his neighbors, two sisters of an Iowa lawmaker, during a robbery at their home last month, police said.
Lawsuit challenges Arizona’s limits on use of abortion drug
PHOENIX (Reuters) – Two women’s healthcare providers have filed a federal lawsuit in Arizona to block new regulations that would limit the use of the most popular abortion-inducing drug in the state, officials disclosed on Wednesday.
Florida legislature joins southern push for marijuana reform
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) – Acknowledging a major shift in societal attitudes toward marijuana, a key committee of the Florida legislature voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve medical use of a “non-euphoric” marijuana extract that has show…
U.S. judge in Army general’s trial rules no porn in prosecution’s opening statement
FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) – Prosecutors of a U.S. Army general on criminal charges, including sexual assault, will not be allowed in their opening statement to show pornographic images they say he possessed, a military judge ruled on Wednesd…
Three children rescued from van caught in waves at Florida beach
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Rescuers pulled three children from a minivan tossing in the surf at a Florida beach after their mother drove them into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. patent office appoints AOL lawyer to top general counsel job
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has appointed a top lawyer at AOL Inc as its general counsel, the agency confirmed Wednesday.
