‘Elmo’ sent to jail as Times Square characters raise concerns
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A bogus costumed Elmo, who collected tips for cuddling children in family photos in New York’s Times Square, was sent to jail for a year on Wednesday for trying to extort $2 million from the Girl Scouts of the USA.
U.S. deputy nuclear commander fired over gambling probe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the American military’s nuclear arsenal and its space operations, has been relieved from his job during an investigation into issues related to gambling, a U.S. offic…
Pentagon begins review of Guantanamo detainees held without charge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had begun re-examining the evidence for the continued detention of terrorism suspects held without charge at Guantanamo, Cuba, more than two years after President Barack Obama directed it to deve…
U.S. nuclear agency to shut; reactor report not available
HOUSTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will shut down on Thursday because the agency has depleted its carryover funds, the chairman said in a blog.
Ohio school employee pleads not guilty to hindering rape probe
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) – The director of technology for the Steubenville, Ohio, schools pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he obstructed an investigation into the rape last year of a teenage girl by two high school football players who …
California enacts law allowing nurses to perform some abortions
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) – California’s Democratic governor signed a law on Wednesday that will allow nurses and midwives to perform some abortions, a move supporters hope will influence the national debate on abortion even as other states are tightening t…
Woman missing from San Francisco hospital found dead in stairway
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A British-born woman who mysteriously disappeared from her San Francisco hospital bed was found dead 17 days later in a stairwell in the same medical center, after a massive search that saw tour bus operators hand out flyers, …
Gunman opens fire on federal building in West Virginia: report
(Reuters) – A gunman opened fire on the Federal Building in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Wednesday, and the shooter has since died, police and news reports said.
New Jersey town to require permit for begging
(Reuters) – The southern New Jersey community of Middle Township will require beggars to have a permit, in response to repeated complaints to police about nuisance panhandling over the past year.
Security tightened for Chicago Marathon after Boston attack
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Increased security will be in effect for Sunday’s Chicago Marathon, the first major marathon staged in the United States since the tragic April bombing at the Boston race, organizers and police said.
