U.S. states could turn to firing squads if execution drugs scarce
(Reuters) – Lawmakers for at least two U.S. states say they should conduct executions by firing squad if opposition to capital punishment by pharmaceutical companies makes it hard to obtain drugs for lethal injections.
Ex-Wisconsin medical examiner pleads guilty; took body parts to train dog
(Reuters) – A former Wisconsin medical examiner who took a piece of spinal column that had been removed from a corpse to train her cadaver dog, pleaded guilty to felony charges on Friday, according to court documents.
Company in West Virginia chemical spill files for bankruptcy
(Reuters) – Specialty chemicals maker Freedom Industries Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, eight days after a leak from one of its storage tanks contaminated drinking water for hundreds of thousands of West Virginia residents.
California ‘Octomom’ pleads not guilty to welfare fraud
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Octomom” Nadya Suleman, the California single mother of 14 children including octuplets, pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles on Friday to charges that she lied about her income when filing for public assistance.
U.S. seeks UNESCO World Heritage site status for Alamo, missions
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) – The U.S. government will nominate the Alamo, the famed location of a battle for Texas independence, and other colonial missions nearby as U.N. World Heritage sites, the Interior Department said on Friday.
Judge names monitor to oversee Arizona sheriff in profiling case
PHOENIX (Reuters) – A veteran lawman who oversees embattled police departments in Detroit and Oakland was appointed on Friday to monitor the operations of a controversial Arizona sheriff whose deputies had racially profiled Latino drivers.
Two students shot at Philadelphia high school; suspect held
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Two students were shot and wounded on Friday at a charter high school in northern Philadelphia, police said, in the latest of a string of school shootings that have helped fuel a national debate over gun laws.
Utah police officer kills four family members, then himself
(Reuters) – A Utah police officer who had complained of marital problems shot and killed his wife, their two children and his mother-in-law before committing suicide, authorities said on Friday.
New York pastor who performed son’s gay wedding faces church trial
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Methodist pastor in New York is facing a church disciplinary proceeding for officiating at his son’s same-sex marriage ceremony in 2012 in violation of church doctrine, church officials said on Friday.
California governor declares drought emergency
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Friday, a move that will allow the parched state to seek federal aid as it grapples with what could turn out to be the driest year in recorded state history for m…
