Inaction in Congress could delay tax refunds

Inaction in Congress could delay tax refunds
U.S. Air Force begins using Boeing surveillance satellite
Judge dismisses clergy abuse case that accused Vatican
Bacon found at NY Muslim celebration probed as possible hate crime
Low water strands 97 vessels on Mississippi River: USCG
Autopsy finds no alcohol or illegal drugs in NFL star Seau
Insight: At Guantanamo tribunals, don't mention the "T" word
EPA seeks input on ethanol mandate waiver requests
Nearly half of U.S. doctors struggle with burnout: study
Augusta, home of the Masters, admits first female members
Ohio man indicted for shooting wife dead in her hospital bed
Mayors oppose new money market fund restrictions
Planned Parenthood launches U.S. breast health initiative
Ohio teenager accused of school shooting to pursue insanity defense
Sinclair to pay $3.8 million for pollution violations
Jury convicts manager who testified at his own insider trial
Walmart brings layaway back early, tweaks fees
U.S. health panel likely to make HIV tests routine
U.S. troops' kids early victims of Congress budget inaction
Sightseeing vessel runs aground in Alaskan bay, 76 rescued
California suspends CO2 market rule on electricity imports
Wildfire nears Idaho resort town as some residents refuse to leave
Nearly half of U.S. doctors struggle with burnout: study
U.S. Air Force begins using Boeing surveillance satellite
Judge dismisses clergy abuse case that accused Vatican
Bacon found at NY Muslim celebration probed as possible hate crime
EPA seeks input on ethanol mandate waiver requests
Low water strands 97 vessels on Mississippi River: USCG
Augusta, home of the Masters, admits first female members
Inaction in Congress could delay tax refunds
Ohio man indicted for shooting wife dead in her hospital bed

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:17 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress could delay billions of dollars in 2013 U.S. tax refunds, dealing a blow to the economy, if it waits too long after the November 6 elections to finalize tax law, a top tax oversight official said. The political uncertainty about what Congress may do after the elections has tax officials foreseeing some potentially bad outcomes for the filing season next year that for most U.S. taxpayers runs from mid- to late January until April 15. ...

U.S. Air Force begins using Boeing surveillance satellite

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:30 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force on Monday said it would begin operational use of a new Boeing Co surveillance satellite built to monitor debris and other satellites in space -- nearly two years after the satellite was first launched. Air Force Space Command said the new Space Based Surveillance Satellite system had achieved its initial level of capability and was ready to support U.S. military requirements after a delay linked to a piece of electronics on board. ...

Judge dismisses clergy abuse case that accused Vatican

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:25 PM PDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge in Oregon dismissed a clergy sexual abuse case on Monday that was the first to try to hold the Vatican responsible for moving an offending priest into unsuspecting parishes, lawyers in the case said. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman in Portland, Oregon, ruled the Holy See in Rome could not be shown to be the "employer" of the late Father Andrew Ronan, who abused children in Chicago and later in Portland. ...

Bacon found at NY Muslim celebration probed as possible hate crime

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:20 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities were investigating as a possible hate crime the discovery of uncooked bacon scattered on the grounds of a New York City park where Muslims gathered to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, police said on Monday. Festivities to mark the close of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, on Sunday had been publicized in local media and drew 1,500 participants to New Dorp Beach Park on Staten Island, said Cyrus McGoldrick, spokesman for the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. ...

Low water strands 97 vessels on Mississippi River: USCG

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:35 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday that 97 vessels were stranded by low water on the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi, after it closed an 11-mile stretch of the drought-parched waterway for dredging and to replace missing navigation buoys. The worst U.S. drought in 56 years has left the river there at its lowest point since 1988, a year when a similarly dire drought also stalled commercial traffic on the major shipping waterway. Further north, dredging operations near St. Louis were halting river traffic for 12 hours at a time as the U.S. ...

Autopsy finds no alcohol or illegal drugs in NFL star Seau

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:49 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former San Diego Chargers football star Junior Seau had no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system when he killed himself earlier this year, according to a final autopsy report released by medical examiners on Monday. Seau, a 20-year National Football League veteran and fan favorite widely regarded as one of the best defensive players of his generation, shot himself in the chest on May 2 at his home in Southern California. He left no suicide note. ...

Insight: At Guantanamo tribunals, don't mention the "T" word

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 01:20 PM PDT

MIAMI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA agents have written books about it. Former President George W. Bush has explained why he thought it was necessary and legal. Yet the al Qaeda suspects who were subjected to so-called harsh interrogation techniques, and the lawyers charged with defending them at the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals, are not allowed to talk about the treatment they consider torture. ...

EPA seeks input on ethanol mandate waiver requests

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 04:10 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it has begun weighing requests to suspend the U.S. ethanol mandate, which requires refiners to blend ethanol into gasoline, and is seeking public feedback. The governors of North Carolina and Arkansas asked the agency last week to temporarily waive the U.S. quota on ethanol made from corn, because the worst drought in 50 years has driven corn prices higher and hurt livestock producers who depend on the grain for feed. The EPA asked on Monday for public comment on the need for an ethanol waiver. ...

Nearly half of U.S. doctors struggle with burnout: study

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:42 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Job burnout strikes doctors more often than it does other employed people in the United States, according to a national survey that included more than 7,000 doctors. More than four in 10 U.S. physicians said they were emotionally exhausted or felt a high degree of cynicism, or "depersonalization," toward their patients, said researchers whose findings appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine. ...

Augusta, home of the Masters, admits first female members

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:25 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters golf tournament, finally ended an all-male policy that had endured for 80 years when it announced on Monday that two women would be admitted as members for the first time. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore will become the first women to don the renowned green jackets when the Augusta, Georgia, club re-opens for a new season in October. Augusta National's male-only status has drawn criticism for years. ...

Ohio man indicted for shooting wife dead in her hospital bed

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio man was indicted for murder on Monday for shooting his ailing wife in the head while she lay in her hospital bed, authorities said. John Wise, 66, was charged with one count each of murder, aggravated murder and felonious assault in the killing of Barbara Wise, 65, his wife of more than 40 years. Authorities say that Wise brought a concealed weapon into his wife's hospital room at the Akron General Medical Center the night of August 4 and shot her in the head. Hospital staff tried to save her but she was pronounced dead the next day. ...

Mayors oppose new money market fund restrictions

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 12:23 PM PDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - A group including nine big-city mayors organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce came out on Monday against additional rules for money market mutual funds, ahead of a key regulatory vote like later this month. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to vote on August 29 on a proposal aimed at bolstering the $2.4 trillion money fund industry, which suffered from a run of customer withdrawals at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. If approved, the proposal would be issued for public comment. ...

Planned Parenthood launches U.S. breast health initiative

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 09:58 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Planned Parenthood, a target of U.S. conservatives opposed to its abortion and birth control services, said on Monday it will use $3 million in donations to launch an initiative to fight breast cancer with expanded screenings and education. The donations poured into Planned Parenthood earlier this year in response to a short-lived decision by breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure to cut off grant money to the women's health network. ...

Ohio teenager accused of school shooting to pursue insanity defense

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 10:33 AM PDT

CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - Lawyers for an Ohio teenager charged as an adult in a school shooting rampage near Cleveland that killed three students told a judge on Monday they plan to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, but are waiting for more test results. T.J. Lane, 17, has already pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Lane, who remains in jail on $1 million bond, is also asking for a change of venue. The new plea would add the justification of insanity. ...

Sinclair to pay $3.8 million for pollution violations

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 01:12 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Sinclair Oil Corp will pay $3.8 million in penalties and spend $10.5 million for pollution-control equipment at its Wyoming refineries to settle allegations it exceeded air pollution limits, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday. The settlement involves the company's failure to meet the terms of a 2008 consent decree reached with the EPA and the U.S. Justice Department. The violations stem from exceeding nitrogen oxide emissions limits at its 74,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) refinery in Sinclair and its 24,500-bpd plant in Evansville, near Casper. ...

Jury convicts manager who testified at his own insider trial

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 11:41 AM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A California hedge fund manager who testified in his own defense at his insider trading trial, was convicted on Monday of securities fraud and conspiracy charges by a federal jury. Doug Whitman, the 54-year-old founder of Whitman Capital, is the latest to be convicted or plead guilty among dozens of money managers, traders, consultants and lawyers charged since 2009 in a U.S. crackdown on insider trading. He was the first among several insider trading trial defendants to gamble on taking the witness stand in the hope of winning an acquittal. ...

Walmart brings layaway back early, tweaks fees

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 08:30 AM PDT

(Reuters) - Walmart is bringing back layaway a month early, giving U.S. shoppers under economic pressure more time to pay for holiday gifts, and will refund related fees with gift cards once payments are completed. Layaway, which allows a customer to keep a product on hold at the store and pay for it over time, helped boost holiday sales for Walmart when it brought the service back in 2011 after a five-year hiatus. Offering layaway helps retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc win over shoppers without access to credit. Walmart U.S. ...

U.S. health panel likely to make HIV tests routine

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:20 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. health panel may soon make HIV testing as standard a practice as checking cholesterol levels, a move that would fundamentally change how the virus is detected and treated. The U.S. Preventive Services Task force, a government-backed group of clinicians and scientists, is expected to make a new recommendation on HIV screening available for public comment before the end of the year. ...

U.S. troops' kids early victims of Congress budget inaction

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 10:05 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid all the hand-wringing in the U.S. Congress over January 2 spending cuts that would wallop military and domestic programs, children of American soldiers already are feeling the pinch of a budget mess. Feuding Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress may think that they have about four months to find a smarter alternative to the blunt trauma of $109 billion in across-the-board spending cuts in January and $1.2 trillion over 10 years. ...

Sightseeing vessel runs aground in Alaskan bay, 76 rescued

Posted: 19 Aug 2012 10:04 PM PDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Seventy-six people were rescued on Sunday from a sightseeing vessel that ran aground in Alaska's Glacier Bay and began filling with water, the U.S. Coast Guard said. None of the passengers and crew members aboard the 79-foot (24.1-meter) Baranof Wind was seriously hurt, though some minor injuries were reported, Coast Guard Petty Officer David Mosley said. ...

California suspends CO2 market rule on electricity imports

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 01:32 AM PDT

LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters Point Carbon) - California's air regulator said on Thursday it would delay by 18 months a controversial part of its carbon market rules addressing imported electricity after coming under pressure from a Washington official who warned it threatened to disrupt western U.S. power supply. ...

Wildfire nears Idaho resort town as some residents refuse to leave

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 06:15 PM PDT

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A 91,000-acre (38,800-hectare) wildfire in the Boise National Forest closed in from three directions on an Idaho mountain town on Monday as authorities worried about the safety of roughly 30 residents who have refused to evacuate. The Elmore County Sheriff's Office ordered evacuations over the weekend as thick smoke from the Trinity Ridge Fire posed a health hazard and limited visibility on the single road to Featherville, a popular summertime resort at the foot of the Trinity Mountains on the South Fork Boise River. "It puts everyone in higher danger. ...