No cold weather damage to Florida citrus crop – growers group
MIAMI (Reuters) – Cold weather overnight did not harm oranges and other fruit across Florida’s citrus-growing regions, the state’s leading growers association said on Friday.
U.S. man charged with sending ricin to Obama to change plea
(Reuters) – A Mississippi man accused of sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama and two other public officials, and pinning them on an Elvis impersonator, is expected in U.S. court on Friday to change his plea, court documents showed.
Oklahoma Senator Coburn, battling cancer, to step down at year end
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma said late Thursday he was battling cancer and would leave Congress at the end of this year.
Oklahoma fugitive who shot U.S. agents killed in gun battle-media
(Reuters) – A 19-year-old suspected of shooting four people, including two federal agents pursuing him, over a two-day Oklahoma crime spree was killed in a confrontation with police on Thursday evening, CNN and local media reported.
Californian teenager wounded by 48-year-old in hammer attack
(Reuters) – A 16-year-old California student was in critical condition after a man three times his age allegedly struck him in the head with a hammer across the street from the victim’s high school on Thursday, police said.
Analysis: Oil drillers in Oklahoma hope to ‘SCOOP’ competitors
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A handful of energy firms are rushing their rigs to several counties in southern Oklahoma, convinced they’ve found the next shale play to expand America’s oil boom.
Wal-Mart joins program to lift Florida tomato farmworker pay
MIAMI (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc joined a program on Thursday promoted by workers’ rights groups that aims to improve pay and working conditions for Florida farmworkers who pick tomatoes sold to grocery store and restaurant chains.
Houston school board bars race-based team names, mascots
HOUSTON (Reuters) – The Houston Independent School District on Thursday banned team names and mascots that depict Native American culture, responding to growing public sentiment that such race-based references are offensive.
NSA collects millions of text messages globally: Guardian
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. National Security Agency has been gathering nearly 200 million text messages a day from around the world, gathering data on people’s travel plans, contacts and credit card transactions, Britain’s Guardian newspaper repor…
Arizona kindergarten teacher arrested for pulling shirt off six-year-old girl
PHOENIX (Reuters) – An Arizona kindergarten teacher has been arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure, accused of pulling the shirt off a crying 6-year-old girl and leaving her briefly topless in front of her class, police said on Thursday.
