Oregon says will not defend state ban on gay marriage
(Reuters) – Oregon will not defend a ban on gay marriage in the state, which was sued by four same-sex couples who argue the prohibition violates equality guarantees enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the state’s top law enforcement official said on T…
Lottery officials wait for winner of $425 million Powerball to step up
MILPITAS, California (Reuters) – Lottery officials in California were waiting on Thursday to hear from the holder of the single winning ticket of a $425.3 million national Powerball prize, a day after announcing the sixth highest jackpot drawing in U.S…
Maryland mulls repealing Civil War pro-slavery amendment
(Reuters) – More than 150 years after Maryland adopted a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution barring the abolition of slavery, state lawmakers are considering repealing the Civil War-era ratification.
Latest shoe bomb threat linked to al-Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The latest warning to airlines about shoe-bomb threats is a product of heightened U.S. concern about al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based affiliate, whose leaders include a technically-savvy bombmaker, U.S. security sources said on Thursday.
Two men plead guilty in 2011 Dodger Stadium beating
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Two men were sentenced to prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the severe beating of a San Francisco Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on opening day of the baseball season in 2011.
Saudi relation of 9/11 attacker pleads guilty to tanker bomb plots
FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) – The brother-in-law of a September 11, 2001, aircraft hijacker pleaded guilty in a U.S. military court on Thursday to plotting with al Qaeda to blow up oil tankers in the Middle East.
U.S. takes steps to bolster patent system, cut frivolous lawsuits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House announced steps on Thursday designed to reduce frivolous patent lawsuits by trying to make it easier to identify who owns patents and by updating review processes to ensure that fewer weak patents are granted.
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author, museum settle lawsuit over book
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – A federal lawsuit that pitted “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee against the Alabama museum she accused of illegally profiting from her Pulitzer prize-winning book has been dismissed after the two sides reached a …
Father of suspected Craigslist killer calls daughter a liar
(Reuters) – The father of a woman charged with murdering a man she lured via the Craigslist classified ad website has described his daughter as a manipulative liar and said he could accept her execution if a jury deems it just, a Pennsylvania newspaper…
Fire in chemical storage shed forces evacuation of Iowa town
(Reuters) – A fire in a storage shed for sulfuric acid forced the evacuation of an entire northern Iowa town of about 2,000 people Thursday, officials said.
