Vote on gay marriage ban amendment delayed at least two years in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) – A vote by Indiana residents on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage was delayed by at least two years on Thursday after the state’s Senate declined to restore language that would have put the amendment on track for t…
U.S. prosecutors open criminal probe of Duke Energy coal ash spill
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether a crime was committed when thousands of tons of coal ash sludge spilled from a Duke Energy power plant in North Carolina in early February into a river that supplies d…
Second trial ordered for U.S. Marine in 2006 death of Iraqi
CAMP PENDLETON, California (Reuters) – A U.S. Marine facing a second-court martial in the 2006 death of an Iraqi civilian was ordered on Thursday to stand trial in August, and said afterwards that he was eager to put his legal troubles behind him.
As Volkswagen workers vote, Tennessee senator ramps up anti-union talk
WASHINGTON/CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (Reuters) – One of Tennessee’s two U.S. senators ramped up his anti-union rhetoric on Thursday in an attempt to sway workers at Volkswagen AG’s Chattanooga plant who are voting this week on representation by the United…
Lawsuit challenges Alabama’s ban on gay marriage
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – A civil rights group sued Alabama on Thursday on behalf of a gay man challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, arguing he should be able to claim the estate of his husband who died in a car crash.
Second victim dies in Tennessee package blast, probe continues
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – A Tennessee woman has died from injuries suffered in an explosion that killed her husband, a retired lawyer, at their home this week, state authorities said Thursday.
U.S. drops citation against man whose bride died BASE-jumping in Utah
(Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors have dismissed a misdemeanor citation brought against a man whose wife of two weeks plunged to her death when her parachute failed to open while skydiving from a cliff in Zion National Park.
California lawmaker proposes warning labels for sugary drinks
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) – All sodas and other sugar-sweetened drinks sold in California would be required to carry warning labels for obesity, diabetes and tooth decay under a bill introduced in Sacramento on Thursday, backed by several public…
Train carrying Canadian oil derails, leaks in Pennsylvania
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A 120-car Norfolk Southern Corp train carrying heavy Canadian crude oil derailed and spilled in western Pennsylvania on Thursday, adding to a string of recent accidents that have prompted calls for stronger safety standards.
New York City draws fire for keeping schools open in blizzard
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was blasted by a teachers union, many parents and even a well-known TV weatherman on Thursday for keeping the city’s public schools open during near-blizzard conditions.
