Obama administration recognizes Utah same-sex marriages
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration said Friday it will recognize same-sex marriages in Utah – even though the state will not do so – and will provide federal benefits to about 1,400 gay couples who wed there before the Supreme Court halted…
U.S. justices agree to hear challenge to Ohio speech law
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal by two conservative groups that assert that an Ohio law that imposes penalties for making knowingly false statements about political candidates violates their right to fre…
Civil suits seek millions from ‘affluenza’ Texas teen’s family
FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) – Five of the six civil lawsuits filed against a Texas teen who killed four people driving drunk were combined this week, with plaintiffs seeking millions of dollars from the parents of the youth, whose lawyers argued he was…
Obama to unveil surveillance decisions in January 17 speech
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has indicated to legislators that he plans to seek little change in a controversial National Security Agency program which collects masses of raw data on the telephone calls of Americans, congressional sour…
West Virginia chemical spill triggers tap water ban
CHARLESTON, W., Virginia (Reuters) – Up to 300,000 West Virginia residents were told not to drink tap water on Friday after a chemical spill called its safety into question, and health officials said water in the affected area should only be used for f…
Virginia’s revenues lag expectations in first half of fiscal year
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Virginia’s revenues are growing more slowly than expected, rising only 0.7 percent in the first half of the fiscal year, the state’s finance secretary reported on Friday.
Utah University investigating possible sperm swap at clinic
(Reuters) – The University of Utah is investigating what it calls “credible information” that a woman at a Salt Lake City area clinic was artificially inseminated with sperm, not from her husband, but from a part-time lab employee.
U.S. official praises new tone with Cuba, visits jailed contractor
HAVANA (Reuters) – A U.S. State Department official in Cuba for migration talks praised on Friday the tone of current relations between the United States and Cuba, and visited jailed U.S. contractor Alan Gross during a three-day trip to the Communist-r…
Florida woman who fired ‘warning shot’ at husband remains free on bond
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Reuters) – A Florida woman released on bond after a public outcry over the 20-year prison sentence she got for firing a “warning shot” during an argument with her abusive husband, will not be sent back to jail, despite having vio…
FBI completes probe of Chechen man shot during questioning in Florida
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – The FBI has concluded its investigation into the shooting of a Chechen immigrant who was killed while being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, an official said on Friday.
