Federal regulators to assess safety practices at Metro-North
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Federal regulators on Thursday launched a 60-day safety assessment of Metro-North Railroad following the December 1 derailment that killed four people and left 70 others injured, officials said.
Mexico-born detective working in Arizona illegally resigns
PHOENIX (Reuters) – A detective in Arizona resigned this week after it emerged that she was a Mexican citizen and was working in the state illegally, authorities said on Thursday.
U.S. senator’s ex-chief of staff arraigned on child porn charges
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s ex-chief of staff was arraigned on Thursday on federal child pornography charges, a day after being arrested and quickly fired by the Republican from Tennessee.
U.S. transportation head joins debate on in-flight calls
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation waded into the fray on the use of cell phones during airplane flights on Thursday, saying that his department would consider whether such calls should be banned even as the teleco…
Minnesota police charge man with rape, say he scrubbed victim with bleach
(Reuters) – Police in Minnesota said on Thursday they have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping and raping a woman, then scrubbing her body with bleach and giving her bus fare to go home.
Head of U.S. auto safety agency to step down
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – David L. Strickland, who oversaw a massive Toyota recall and helped formulate plans to dramatically boost U.S. fuel efficiency standards as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is stepping down, his office …
Three accused in 1998 U.S. embassy bombings to face joint trial
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal judge on Thursday set a trial date for three militants, including an alleged senior al Qaeda figure, charged in the deadly 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Florida police chief steps down after civil rights lawsuit
MIAMI (Reuters) – An embattled Florida police chief has stepped down after he and more than 75 officers under his command were accused in a federal lawsuit of misconduct and civil rights abuse in a predominantly black Miami suburb.
Probation for drunk Texas teen driver who killed four sparks backlash
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – A decision by a Texas judge this week to give an affluent teenager probation after he killed four people while driving drunk has sparked a backlash and complaints of a miscarriage of justice.
U.S. embassy condemns Romanian broadcast of anti-Semitic carol
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – The U.S. embassy in Romania on Thursday condemned the broadcast of an anti-Semitic Christmas carol by state television, joining a long list of critics.