Chicago teachers strike likely to continue for second day

Chicago teachers strike likely to continue for second day
Lawyers for Trayvon Martin's killer accused of "witch hunt"
Panetta complains Navy SEAL book not vetted by Pentagon
Florida university offers blunt response to hazing death
Jury could decide sticky issues of September 11 airlines lawsuit
Ohio election officials fired over voting hours sue to get jobs back
Appeals court upholds Illinois campaign disclosure law
Casino mogul Steve Wynn wins $20 million in slander lawsuit
U.S. ship captain released by Venezuela, charges dropped
More problems raised at Pentagon F-35 fighter review
California urges fed probe of eminent domain "threats"
South Carolina congressman confronted by woman with gun, police say
U.S. to cover cancer treatment for 9/11 responders
Analysis: Striking Chicago teachers take on national education reform
Guantanamo prisoner found dead, U.S. military says
Mayor of New Jersey's capital arrested on corruption charge
'Tailhook' cleaned up, but top Marine sees more work to stop sex assaults
In U.S., 2012 so far is hottest year on record
U.S. officials launch new strategy to prevent suicide
Exclusive: U.S. groups helped fund Dutch anti-Islam politician Wilders
California official urges AG Holder to stop eminent domain "threats"
Anniversary of 9/11 marked under cloud of health problems, funding fights
Jobs rut tips scales in favor of Fed stimulus
Solar installations surge on strong utility market
West Virginia man who fought coal mining practice dies
Florida university offers blunt response to hazing death
Panetta complains Navy SEAL book not vetted by Pentagon
Casino mogul Steve Wynn wins $20 million in slander lawsuit
Ohio election officials fired over voting hours sue to get jobs back
Appeals court upholds Illinois campaign disclosure law
U.S. ship captain released by Venezuela, charges dropped
More problems raised at Pentagon F-35 fighter review
Jury could decide sticky issues of September 11 airlines lawsuit
U.S. to cover cancer treatment for 9/11 responders
Lawyers for Trayvon Martin's killer accused of "witch hunt"

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:10 PM PDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Thousands of public school teachers marched in downtown Chicago on Monday as the first strike in a quarter century showed no signs of ending soon in a dispute over reforms sought by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and endorsed by President Barack Obama's administration. Some 29,000 teachers and support staff in the nation's third-largest school system were involved, leaving parents of 350,000 students between kindergarten and high school age to find alternative supervision. ...

Lawyers for Trayvon Martin's killer accused of "witch hunt"

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 02:59 PM PDT

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept 10 - Lawyers defending the neighborhood watch volunteer charged in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin have launched a "witch hunt" by seeking Martin's school and social media records, the family's lawyer said on Monday. "I think certainly it is a witch hunt to try to find something to attack the character of a dead child and it's completely irrelevant because his school records had nothing to do with him (George Zimmerman) shooting Trayvon Martin in the heart on February 26," said Martin family attorney Ben Crump. ...

Panetta complains Navy SEAL book not vetted by Pentagon

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 06:43 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta criticized a former Navy SEAL for writing a book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, complaining the author never bothered to run it by the Pentagon before going to print. "The fact that he did it without running it by the Pentagon so that we could take a look at it. I mean, deliberately, just basically said, 'We're not, you know, we're not gonna do this.' That's a concern," Panetta told "CBS This Morning," in an excerpt of an interview that will air on Tuesday. ...

Florida university offers blunt response to hazing death

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:02 PM PDT

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Lawyers for Florida A&M University offered a blunt response on Monday to a lawsuit over the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion, essentially saying there was no one to blame for the tragedy but Champion himself. The response, accusing Champion of "imprudent" behavior, came in a motion to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit filed in Orange County Circuit Court by Champion's family, according a report late Monday in the online edition of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. Lawyers for Champion's family and the university could not be reached for immediate comment. ...

Jury could decide sticky issues of September 11 airlines lawsuit

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:36 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most of the lawsuits arising from the hijacked plane attacks on the World Trade Center 11 years ago have been settled, but one demanding that United Airlines and American Airlines be held liable for loss of property and business could go to trial. Two recent rulings by a federal judge in New York denying the airlines' bid to dismiss the lawsuit over a narrow insurance dispute have opened the door to the entire case ending up in the hands of a jury. ...

Ohio election officials fired over voting hours sue to get jobs back

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 04:54 PM PDT

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Two Ohio election officials fired for trying to extend voting in the final weekend before the November election in their county that includes Democratic-leaning Dayton, filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking restoration to their former positions. Dennis Lieberman and Tom Ritchie, both Democrats, contend Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted unjustly fired them after they defied his statewide restriction and proposed that Montgomery County have extended voting hours. ...

Appeals court upholds Illinois campaign disclosure law

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 04:16 PM PDT

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday upheld an Illinois state law that requires advocacy groups to disclose their donors, even in the case of an organization whose main purpose is unrelated to elections. In a 2-1 ruling, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago rejected claims by the Center for Individual Freedom that the state's law restricted the group's freedom of speech. The ruling added to a mixed bag of decisions by other appeals courts, which have both upheld and rejected state laws on campaign disclosure based on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision Citizens United ...

Casino mogul Steve Wynn wins $20 million in slander lawsuit

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 04:57 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Casino owner Steve Wynn was awarded $20 million in damages on Monday in his defamation suit against "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis, whom Wynn accused of slander for falsely claiming the Las Vegas mogul wanted him killed over a gambling debt. A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury, which began its deliberations on Friday, also found that Francis acted with malice, setting the stage for a second trial phase - due to open on Tuesday - to determine whether Francis should also pay punitive damages. ...

U.S. ship captain released by Venezuela, charges dropped

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:56 PM PDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has dropped weapons charges against the American captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship arrested last week after three rifles were found on board, people familiar with the latest diplomatic rumpus between Washington and Caracas said. Authorities suspecting the vessel of arms trafficking put 14 crew members under armed guard at the rear of the vessel, the "Ocean Atlas," while the captain was taken on land for questioning. "The charges have been dropped," said Mark Miller, spokesman for the ship's Florida-based management company Crowley Maritime. ...

More problems raised at Pentagon F-35 fighter review

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:46 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Pentagon officials voiced frustration about the pace of Lockheed Martin Corp's development of the $396 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program at a high-level review on Friday, according to several sources familiar with the program. Officials did not approve a comprehensive plan for operational testing of the F-35 program as had been expected. ...

California urges fed probe of eminent domain "threats"

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:42 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom says he wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate "threats" against local communities that are considering using eminent domain to seize and restructure poorly performing mortgages to benefit cash-strapped homeowners. Newsom sent a letter on Monday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking federal prosecutors to investigate any attempts by Wall Street investors and government agencies to "boycott" California communities that are considering such moves. ...

South Carolina congressman confronted by woman with gun, police say

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 02:16 PM PDT

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina was confronted by a woman with a gun in a parking lot over the weekend who then chased after his car on foot, the congressman's office and police said on Monday. Gowdy, who was not injured, said he was waiting for his teenage daughter on Sunday in a church parking lot in Spartanburg, an area he has represented in Congress since being elected in 2010, when the woman walked up to his car and told him to stop following her, a police report showed. ...

U.S. to cover cancer treatment for 9/11 responders

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:27 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 70,000 surviving firefighters, police officers and other first responders who raced to the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001 will be entitled to free monitoring and treatment for some 50 forms of cancer. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health announced on Monday that responders as well as survivors exposed to toxic compounds from the wreckage, which smoldered for three months, will be covered for cancer under the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. ...

Analysis: Striking Chicago teachers take on national education reform

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:15 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Chicago teachers walking picket lines on Monday, in a strike that has closed schools across the city, are taking on not just their combative mayor but a powerful education reform movement that is transforming public schools across the United States. The new vision, championed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who used to run Chicago's schools, calls for a laser focus on standardized tests meant to gauge student skills in reading, writing and math. Teachers who fail to raise student scores may be fired. ...

Guantanamo prisoner found dead, U.S. military says

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:11 PM PDT

MIAMI (Reuters) - A prisoner was found dead of undetermined causes at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. naval base where foreign captives have been held since shortly after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. military said on Monday. The unidentified prisoner, whose name and nationality were not disclosed pending notification of family, died on Saturday, military officials said. He was the ninth captive to die at the detention camp since it opened in 2002. ...

Mayor of New Jersey's capital arrested on corruption charge

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 01:11 PM PDT

TRENTON, New Jersey (Reuters) - The mayor of Trenton, New Jersey's state capital, was arrested at his home on Monday and charged with taking bribes in connection with a proposed parking garage on city-owned land. Mayor Tony Mack, along with his brother Ralphiel Mack and associate Joseph Giorgianni, are accused of plotting to accept $119,000 from a man posing as the developer, according to Paul Fishman, U.S. attorney for New Jersey. ...

'Tailhook' cleaned up, but top Marine sees more work to stop sex assaults

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 11:55 AM PDT

RENO, Nevada (Reuters) - Twenty-one years after it became synonymous with sexual assault and out-of-control fighter pilots, the annual Tailhook convention of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators has been cleaned up. Spouses and children are welcomed at the convention now, and organizers keep careful tabs on bad behavior. ...

In U.S., 2012 so far is hottest year on record

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:26 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first eight months of 2012 have been the warmest of any year on record in the contiguous United States, and this has been the third-hottest summer since record-keeping began in 1895, the U.S. National Climate Data Center said on Monday. Each of the last 15 months has seen above-average temperatures, something that has never happened before in the 117 years of the U.S. record, said Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the data center. ...

U.S. officials launch new strategy to prevent suicide

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:49 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new nationwide strategy to prevent suicides, especially among U.S. military veterans and younger Americans, is tapping into Facebook, mobile apps and other technologies as part of a community-driven push to report concerns before someone takes his own life. The effort, announced on Monday, is the first new plan in more than a decade to address what officials say is a growing public health issue. It aims to curb deaths over 10 years, especially among the nation's military veterans. "It takes the entire community to prevent suicides. It's not just one individual," said ...

Exclusive: U.S. groups helped fund Dutch anti-Islam politician Wilders

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:44 AM PDT

AMSTERDAM/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anti-Islam groups in America have provided financial support to Dutch politician Geert Wilders, an anti-immigration campaigner who is seeking re-election to the Dutch parliament this week. While this is not illegal in the Netherlands, it sheds light on the international connections of Wilders, whose Freedom Party is the least transparent Dutch parliamentary group and a rallying point for Europe's far right. Wilders' party is self-funded, unlike other Dutch parties that are subsidized by the government. ...

California official urges AG Holder to stop eminent domain "threats"

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 08:59 AM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom says he wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate "threats" against local communities considering using eminent domain to seize and restructure poorly performing mortgages to benefit cash-strapped homeowners. Newsom sent a letter on Monday to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking federal prosecutors to investigate any attempts by Wall Street investors and government agencies to "boycott" California communities that are considering such moves. ...

Anniversary of 9/11 marked under cloud of health problems, funding fights

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 05:27 AM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eleven years after the September 11, 2001, attacks, New Yorkers will mark the anniversary on Tuesday against a backdrop of health concerns for emergency workers and a feud over financing that has stopped construction of the $1 billion Ground Zero museum. While notable progress on redevelopment of the World Trade Center has been made since early disputes over financial, design and security issues, the project remains hobbled by political battles and billions of dollars in cost overruns. ...

Jobs rut tips scales in favor of Fed stimulus

Posted: 09 Sep 2012 09:06 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve looks set to launch a third round of bond purchases this week to try to drive borrowing costs lower and breathe more life into an economy that is not growing fast enough to lower unemployment. Despite political opposition and some internal dissent, economists said a weak report on jobs growth for August was likely enough to convince the U.S. central bank a looser monetary policy was needed. "The Federal Reserve will ease again," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, California. ...

Solar installations surge on strong utility market

Posted: 10 Sep 2012 03:05 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. solar installations jumped 116 percent in the second quarter from a year ago thanks to the completion of more than 20 big projects for utilities, according to an industry report released on Monday. The quarter was the largest ever for utility installations, which represented 447 megawatts of the 742 MW total. Procurement of utility-scale projects, however, is down, the report said, meaning such lofty figures are unlikely to continue quarter after quarter. ...

West Virginia man who fought coal mining practice dies

Posted: 09 Sep 2012 08:47 PM PDT

(Reuters) - An environmental activist from West Virginia who fought a coal-mining technique that flattened mountains, died on Sunday at age 66, according to his foundation. Larry Gibson, who spent decades trying to halt the mining practice known as mountaintop removal, in which the tops of mountains are shaved off to access the coal below, died after suffering a heart attack on his beloved Kayford Mountain in West Virginia, his Keeper of the Mountains Foundation said in a statement. ...