Maryland Senate votes to ease marijuana penalties
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (Reuters) – The Maryland state Senate voted overwhelmingly on Friday to decriminalize possession of a small amount of marijuana, part of a trend across the United States to ease penalties for pot.
Arizona man gets nine life terms for Buddhist temple murders
PHOENIX (Reuters) – An Arizona man convicted of the execution-style killings of six Buddhist monks and three others at a temple near Phoenix more than two decades ago was sentenced on Friday to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Los Angeles man arrested over Twitter threat to shoot random pedestrian
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A 20-year-old man has been arrested in Los Angeles after writing on Twitter that he would shoot a random pedestrian if people retweeted his message 100 times on the social media website, police said on Friday.
Security push at Boston Marathon bomb anniversary, but risks remain
BOSTON (Reuters) – Even as police prepare for a massive presence at Boston’s first marathon since the 2013 bombing attack that killed three people and injured 264, officials acknowledge the sheer scale of the event poses inevitable security risks.
New York Senate offers to fund signature de Blasio pre-K program
NEW YORK (Reuters) – State senators are offering New York City $540 million to fund universal pre-school and after-school programs in the coming financial year as they try to counter calls by Mayor Bill de Blasio to raise taxes on wealthy city resident…
Metro-North railroad puts speed ahead of safety: regulator
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Metro-North Railroad, the second-largest U.S. commuter rail line serving an estimated 83 million riders annually in the New York metro area, has an “overemphasis of on-time performance” ahead of safety, according to a federal revie…
‘Into the Wild’ hunter fatally shot by police in Alaska
JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) – An Alaskan moose hunter, whose discovery of the corpse of a wanderer two decades ago helped lead to the 2007 movie “Into the Wild,” has been shot and killed by police following a weekend chase through the city of Wasilla, Ala…
Texas couple arrested for suspected $400,000 sorority pin heist
DALLAS (Reuters) – A North Texas woman and her husband have been arrested and charged with stealing thousands of gold, jeweled sorority pins worth an estimated $400,000 from the Delta Delta Delta national headquarters in Arlington, Texas, police said o…
Tufts University offers financial aid for students’ year off
BOSTON (Reuters) – Tufts University will launch a program next autumn to help cash-strapped students take a year off to travel and perform public service before starting their undergraduate classes.
Gay couples challenge Indiana same-sex marriage ban
(Reuters) – Thirteen people filed a lawsuit on Friday urging a federal judge to overturn an Indiana law that bans gay marriage or recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, arguing that it violates their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
