Police lift evacuation at San Francisco’s Union Square
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – An evacuation of San Francisco’s Union Square, a plaza popular with tourists that is surrounded by upscale shops, was lifted after less than two hours on Thursday when a suspicious package was found to pose no threat, the poli…
Donations, prisoners aid cities, ranchers after South Dakota blizzard
(Reuters) – Donations of money and some cattle have been rolling in for South Dakota ranchers after a blizzard last week killed tens of thousands of cattle in one of the state’s worst agriculture tragedies, state officials said on Thursday.
Lawmakers launch budget talks as Washington returns to work
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers launched an effort to resolve budget differences in a less confrontational fashion on Thursday as Washington picked up the pieces from a political crisis that has slowed the economy and undermined the country’s int…
Blackwater guards face new U.S. charges for Iraq shooting deaths
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States brought new manslaughter charges on Thursday against four former Blackwater Worldwide security guards for a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that prosecutors said killed 14 unarmed civilians.
Rhode Island librarians seek to change image with tattoo calendar
BOSTON (Reuters) – Librarians in Rhode Island are showing off their tattoos in a new calendar designed to counter stereotypes about their profession and promote libraries as 21st century community hubs rather than mere book repositories.
‘Bionic man’ makes debut at Washington’s Air and Space Museum
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A first-ever walking, talking “bionic man” built entirely out of synthetic body parts made his Washington debut on Thursday.
Boston Scientific to pay $30 million over heart devices: U.S. Justice
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boston Scientific Corp agreed to pay $30 million to settle allegations that the Guidant unit it acquired in 2006 knowingly sold defective heart devices implanted in Medicare patients, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday….
U.S. House stenographer who ranted about Freemasons being evaluated
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A House of Representatives floor stenographer who stood before the dais ranting about Freemasons was taken to a hospital for evaluation, the U.S. Capitol Police said on Thursday.
Returning U.S. government workers greeted with doughnuts, coffee, anxiety
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Furloughed U.S. government workers returned to their jobs on Thursday, greeted with doughnuts, coffee, pep talks from Obama administration bosses and anxiety over whether they will face another shutdown threat in the new year.
‘Obamacare’ helpers frustrated as tech problems stall enrollment
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Community organizations and non-profit groups that were supposed to help millions of Americans sign up for “Obamacare” are trying to manage mounting frustration with a federal website hobbled by technical problems.
