The 25-year-old Maryland woman who was discovered pushing her dead three-year-old son in a playground swing last year after leaving him there for 40 hours will avoid any time in prison or a mental institution under a plea deal accepted Monday. Under a five-year conditional release order, Romechia Simms must… Read More
Bad Syrian ceasefire has Obama in hot water
Secretary of State John Kerry will face skeptical senators when he appears before a Republican-led panel just a day after the United States and Russia agreed on a new cease-fire for Syria. Kerry is scheduled to testify Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee amid nagging questions over enforcement of… Read More
Nevada caucuses: Everything you need to know
With a population of just 3 million, Nevada became one of the first four states in the presidential nominating process thanks to an effort a decade ago to add more diversity to the early voting calendar. Nevada is now a frequent stop for candidates in both parties, though it doesn’t… Read More
After Kalamazoo killings, are Uber rides safe?
Uber is once again facing tough questions about safety after one of its drivers was charged with murder. The fast-growing, San Francisco-based ride-hailing company defended its screening of drivers Monday, saying it couldn’t have predicted that driver Jason Dalton would engage in the random shootings that left a half-dozen people… Read More
Coal miners struggling in US
Vast coal seams dozens of feet thick that lie beneath the rolling hills of the Northern Plains once appeared almost limitless, fueling boasts that domestic reserves were sufficient to power the U.S. for centuries. But an exhaustive government analysis says that at current prices and mining rates the country’s largest… Read More
Rock legend pleads not guilty to new charges
Singer Don McLean is pleading not guilty to additional charges stemming from his domestic violence case in Maine. The “American Pie” singer didn’t appear in court during a proceeding related to the case Monday. The Knox County district attorney’s office added five charges against McLean last week, bringing the total to… Read More
What a dope! NY mayor wants legal heroin facility
The mayor of Ithaca in upstate New York wants his city to host the nation’s first supervised injection facility, where heroin users would be able to shoot illegal drugs into their bodies under the care of a nurse without getting arrested by police. Canada, Europe and Australia are working to… Read More
Trial begins on voter photo ID legality
A 69-year-old black woman who grew up in a small, segregated city wept on the witness stand Monday as she testified about the trouble she had voting in 2014 because she could not comply with Virginia’s voter identification law. Josephine Okiakpe said she plucked several forms of ID from her… Read More
San Bernardino victims weigh in on Apple encryption debate
Some victims and affected families in the mass shootings in southern California will file court papers in support of a U.S. magistrate judge’s order that Apple Inc. help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone as part of the terrorism investigation, a lawyer and others said Monday. A Los Angeles… Read More
Excuse you! You won’t believe what this bartender was fined for
Vienna visitors beware: Burping too loud could come at a price. Vienna bartender Edin Mehic found that out when fined 70 euros ($77) after belching in the proximity of a policeman while enjoying the scene at the Prater fun park area. Displayed on Mehic’s Facebook page, the ticket notes that… Read More