U.S. News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Arizona jury foreman says believed Jodi Arias was abused

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:47:37 -0400

By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - The foreman of an Arizona jury that deadlocked over whether Jodi Arias should be put to death for murdering her ex-boyfriend believes she was mentally abused, but said on Friday that had not been enough to excuse her crime. Arias, a former waitress from California, was found guilty this month of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He had been stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face. ...

Illinois House votes to allow residents to carry concealed guns

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:13:13 -0400

By Joanne von Alroth SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday voted overwhelmingly to allow residents to carry concealed guns, taking the state one step closer to joining all others in allowing some form of carrying guns in public. Illinois is the only state in the nation to ban most people from carrying a concealed gun outside the home. Lawmakers acted on Friday after a federal appeals court in January struck down the ban, saying it violated the right to bear arms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. ...

Truck crash may have caused Washington state bridge collapse

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:24:32 -0400

By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A bridge collapse that sent cars and drivers tumbling into a frigid river in Washington state appears to have been caused when a semi-trailer truck carrying an oversize load struck a bridge support beam, officials said on Friday. The truck crossed the bridge safely before a portion of the structure collapsed, sending two vehicles and a mass of concrete and steel into the Skagit River Thursday evening. Three people had to be rescued, officials said. ...

On Memorial Day, remembering friends, family with ‘a heavy but grateful heart’

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:55:25 -0400

From William Ray Fullmer: "My nephew, Sgt. Derek Tillman Roberts, spilled his blood on the sands of Iraq to extend the right to live free to the people of the Middle East. On June 14, 2007, Derek was killed by a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, placed by those too cowardly to face him on the [...]

Storm chaser footage captures the ferocity of Oklahoma tornado (VIDEO)

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:30:06 -0400

Storm chasers from an outfit called Fast Unit 70 uploaded raw footage of the first 10 minutes of the Moore, Okla., tornado that gives viewers a harrowing sense of what the EF5 twister looked like. As cars and trucks zoom past, Chance Coldiron and Justin Cox's camera focuses on the dark gray funnel as it [...]

Police in Australia issue warning on 3-D printed gun

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:48:51 -0400

The DIY 3-D gun may not be quite ready for prime time. According to Techworld, the police commissioner in Australia’s New South Wales, Andrew Scipione, has issued a warning after his officers tested one of the firearms—dubbed the "Liberator"—and experienced a “catastrophic misfire” (no one was seriously injured). According to the website, the NSW police [...]

Cop arrested on suspicion of firebombing police captain’s house

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:09:20 -0400

A police officer from Edison, N. J., was arrested Thursday on five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson in connection with the firebombing of another officer's house, NJ.com reports. Michael A. Dotro was taken into custody after a massive search, and he has been suspended from the force with pay. Bail [...]

Boy Scouts vote to end ban on gay youth members

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:38 -0400

[Updated at 6:55 p.m. CT] DALLAS – The Boy Scouts of America, one of the country’s largest and oldest youth organizations, decided on Thursday to break 103 years of tradition by allowing openly gay members into its ranks. The controversial move was approved by more than 60 percent of the approximate 1,400 votes cast by [...]

Bail denied to Massachusetts teen accused of Facebook terror post

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:52:57 -0400

By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) - A judge denied bail on Friday to a Massachusetts teenager who was arrested on terrorism charges after posting lyrics on his Facebook page suggesting he could do worse than the Boston Marathon bombers. Cameron D'Ambrosio, an 18-year-old aspiring rapper from Methuen, about 30 miles north of Boston, was arrested on May 1 after he posted a note on his Facebook page that included the words "a boston bombinb wait till u see the shit I do." D'Ambrosio was charged with "communicating terrorist threats" and faces as many as 20 years in prison if he is convicted. ...

Calif. plastic ocean debris bill dies in committee

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:51:01 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California bill that would have required manufacturers to figure out how to keep the most common plastic junk out of state waterways has died in the state Assembly without a vote.

No bail for Pa. parents in faith-healing death

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:49:27 -0400

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — After their 2-year-old son died of untreated pneumonia in 2009, faith-healing advocates Herbert and Catherine Schaible promised a judge they would not let another sick child go without medical care.

Last brother from Mexico's Arellano Felix cartel pleads guilty in U.S.

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:46:52 -0400

By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Former Mexican drug lord Eduardo Arellano Felix, the last of four brothers captured or killed in connection with a once-powerful Tijuana-based cartel depicted in the Oscar-winning film "Traffic," pleaded guilty to U.S. drug charges on Friday. Arellano Felix, 56, admitted in U.S. District Court in San Diego to one count of conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds and one count of conspiring to invest that money for the cartel's benefit. Under his plea deal, federal prosecutors will recommend that he serve 15 years in U.S. ...

Students safe after armed man reported at school

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:42:58 -0400

THORNTON, Colo. (AP) — Armed officers and worried parents rushed to a Denver-area high school as students hunkered down in closets and classrooms Friday after a report of a gunman near campus on the last day of class before summer vacation, but the high anxiety faded after a police search turned up nothing.

LA sanitation ends plans for dump near Joshua Tree

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:32:51 -0400

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A regional garbage collection agency has tossed out plans to build a mega-landfill for Los Angeles' trash less than two miles from Joshua Tree National Park in the remote Southern California desert.

Suspect in killing of officer found dead in cell

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:32:06 -0400

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — A Utah Army veteran was found hanging dead Friday in his jail cell as he awaited trial on charges of killing a police officer and wounding five others during a raid that netted 13 pot plants and sparked a fierce debate about what happened that night.

Woman feared Iowa kidnapping suspect's release

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:29:53 -0400

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The ex-girlfriend of a man suspected of kidnapping two Iowa girls this week worried that he would harm her and her family before his impending release from prison in 2011, citing prior sexual and physical abuse and threats, according to court records released Friday.

Furlough Friday: Unpaid day off for many in gov't

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:20:31 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — No one answered the tax-help hotline at the IRS on Friday. And you could forget about getting advice on avoiding foreclosures at the 80 Housing and Urban Development field offices nationwide.

Obama OKs honor for Birmingham bombing victims

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:19:11 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday to award Congress' highest civilian honor to four girls killed in an Alabama church bombing during the civil rights movement. He called it a tragic loss that "helped to trigger triumph and a more just and equal and fair America."

Can Tornado Alley become safer? Yes, within limits

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:13:16 -0400

In the wind-swept prairie called Tornado Alley, the scene is eerily familiar: Homes smashed to splinters. Trees and telephone poles snapped like twigs. Piles of bricks, overturned cars and dazed survivors sifting through rubble in search of a precious photo or heirloom. A town in ruins.

Veterans' claims put pressure on Obama even as backlog dips

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:06:44 -0400

By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A long-growing backlog of U.S. military veterans' disability claims, which has stoked congressional anger, has dipped in recent weeks, however tentatively. But that is not taking any pressure off President Barack Obama, his Department of Veterans Affairs or the Pentagon to fix a system that has left veterans waiting - sometimes for years - to get answers from the U.S. government about their disability claims. Instead, warnings from Congress are growing more acute. ...

Principal recounts storm hitting Okla. school

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:56:12 -0400

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — The principal of the Oklahoma elementary school where seven children died in a tornado says her teachers did everything they could to save their lives.

Arias foreman: Sentencing decision unfair to jury

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:54:34 -0400

PHOENIX (AP) — The jury foreman in Jodi Arias' trial says the panel just couldn't decide whether the killing of her boyfriend was enough to merit a death a sentence.

Netflix looks to hook subscribers with 'Arrested'

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:50:37 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix is hoping this weekend's release of the resurrected TV series "Arrested Development" will draw more subscribers to its Internet video service.

New Jersey cop says didn't set blaze at police captain's house

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:48:20 -0400

By David Jones NEWARK (Reuters) - A New Jersey police officer on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges related to a suspected arson fire early this week at the home of an Edison police captain who was inside with his family. Officer Michael Dotro, 35, was arrested at his home in Manalapan, New Jersey, on Thursday and charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson, for allegedly setting the fire, according to a statement from county prosecutors. ...

FDA warns of infections tied to Tennessee pharmacy

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:46:46 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.

Judge orders Philadelphia faith-healing couple held in son's death

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:43:12 -0400

By Dave Warner PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A Philadelphia couple charged with murder after their baby died without medical care must be held in jail whether or not they make bail, a judge ruled on Friday. The couple, Herbert and Catherine Schaible, believe in faith healing, and those who share their beliefs might be willing to harbor them if they decide to flee, Judge Benjamin Lerner told a court hearing in Philadelphia. The Schaibles were charged with third-degree murder on Wednesday after the April 18 death of their seven-month-old son Brandon from bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and strep. ...

AP PHOTOS: Storm survivor looks for silver lining

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:35:57 -0400

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Sabrina Mitchell is used to looking for silver linings.

After vote on gay youth, Scouts face more turmoil

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:31:43 -0400

The Boy Scouts of America will get no reprieve from controversy after a contentious vote to accept openly gay boys as Scouts.

Arizona investigating angry email sent lawmakers

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:25:49 -0400

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's bitter debate over a signature part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul has sparked an investigation into lawmakers' safety after at least nine legislators received a threatening email over Gov. Jan Brewer's push to expand Medicaid access.

Louisiana to push ahead with paying private firms to teach kids

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:25:39 -0400

By Stephanie Simon (Reuters) - Louisiana's schools chief vowed on Friday to push ahead with a plan to let students take classes from private firms and nonprofits at taxpayers' expense, despite a legal setback and objections from some educators. The Course Choice plan, which goes far beyond any other U.S. school program in letting families customize a child's education, had been thrown into doubt after the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that Louisiana could not divert money meant for public schools to private organizations. ...

Feds look for temporary fix after I-5 collapse

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:23:23 -0400

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — Federal officials were searching the country for a possible temporary replacement for a bridge that collapsed along the crucial Interstate 5 corridor, but Washington Gov. Jay Inslee cautioned Friday that major disruptions will last for weeks, if not months.

16 hurt in shuttle bus crash near Atlanta airport

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:22:32 -0400

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Sixteen people were taken to the hospital Friday, at least two in serious condition, after they were hurt in a crash between a hotel shuttle bus and a tractor-trailer near Atlanta's airport, officials said.

Damage reported from magnitude-5.7 quake in Calif.

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:18:20 -0400

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Residents in rural northeastern California assessed damage to their homes and businesses Friday from a magnitude-5.7 earthquake, one of the strongest temblors to hit the densely forested region in decades.

Obama's drone rules leave unanswered questions

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:16:25 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama left plenty of ambiguity in new policy guidelines that he says will restrict how and when the U.S. can launch targeted drone strikes, leaving himself significant power over how and when the weapons can be deployed.

New York claims more proof of bank mortgage abuses

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:14:58 -0400

By Karen Freifeld NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said there is mounting evidence that Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo and Co and other banks violated the terms of a settlement designed to end mortgage servicing abuses. Schneiderman - who has said he plans to sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo for failing to live up to their obligations under the deal - said other states had found similar problems. ...

Illinois judge charged with heroin, gun possession

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:09:45 -0400

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A southwestern Illinois judge already under scrutiny after a colleague died of a cocaine overdose at his family's hunting lodge was charged Friday with possession of heroin and guns.

DA: Tenn. victims shot after drugs handed over

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:04:17 -0400

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former police officer, accused of killing two people during a robbery at an east Tennessee pharmacy, gunned down his victims after they complied with his demands for painkillers, a prosecutor said Friday.

Wis. farmers, firefighters partner on hazards maps

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:59:54 -0400

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Without even thinking, Joe Ortner rattles off a list of items on his family's dairy farm that could kill you: 1,000 gallons of diesel, 500 gallons of gas, cleaning chemicals in the milking parlor, oil and lubricant for repair work and a 6-foot-deep manure pond in which you could drown.