Thursday, October 4, 2012

Outspoken gay marriage foe installed as San Francisco archbishop

Outspoken gay marriage foe installed as San Francisco archbishop


Outspoken gay marriage foe installed as San Francisco archbishop

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:00 PM PDT

Bishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Walter Edyvean chat after an executive session in Bellevue, WashingtonSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Catholic Church on Thursday installed Salvatore Cordileone, a leader in the fight against same-sex marriage, as archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Following his installation as the religious leader of more than 500,000 Catholics in the largely gay-friendly Bay Area, Cordileone, 56, delivered a sermon and spoke about his recent arrest after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. "God has always had a way of putting me in my place," he said. "With the last episode in my life, God has outdone Himself. ...


Obama fights back after debate setback

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:13 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama waves to a crowd as he arrives for a campaign rally in MadisonDENVER (Reuters) - A day after a muted performance in a presidential debate, President Barack Obama fought back against Republican rival Mitt Romney on Thursday and the Democrat's re-election campaign vowed to learn lessons from the setback. A feisty Obama told a rally of some 12,000 people that the former Massachusetts governor was untruthful during Wednesday's 90-minute debate in Denver, which most observers reckoned the Republican won. "When I got onto the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney," Obama said. ...


Federal judge approves scaled-down Florida voter purge

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:29 PM PDT

A voter leaves a polling station after casting his ballot in the Florida Republican presidential primary election in SarasotaTALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a challenge to Florida's recent voter purge efforts, clearing the way for the removal of about 200 suspected non-U.S. citizens from state voter rolls before the November 6 presidential election. District Judge William Zloch dismissed the remaining challenges from voter advocacy groups, including the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights and the Florida Immigrant Coalition. ...


Family describes slain border agent in Arizona as a hero

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:53 PM PDT

Department of Homeland Security handout photo of U.S. Border Patrol agent Nicholas IviePHOENIX (Reuters) - The family of a Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire near the Mexican border in Arizona described him on Thursday as a hero, recounting how he once carried a pregnant immigrant woman to safety after finding her in distress in a remote area with no shoes. Nicholas Ivie, 30, was among two Border Patrol agents shot on Tuesday in a well-known smuggling corridor near the tiny border town of Naco. The other agent's wounds were not fatal. A third agent in the incident was unharmed. ...


Americans have mixed feelings about healthcare: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 03:35 PM PDT

Beds lie empty in emergency room of Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans(Reuters) - It's no secret that 2010's Affordable Care Act is unpopular - except when it's not. Reuters/Ipsos polling reveals a remarkably high level of approval for nearly all the provisions of the act, often in the 80 percent range, even though respondents oppose the legislation, commonly known as "Obamacare," by 55 to 45. Remarks made during the October 3 presidential debate added confusion rather than clarity to the healthcare issue. ...


Idaho nuclear lab fined after workers exposed to radiation

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:05 PM PDT

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy fined a nuclear research lab in Idaho more than $400,000 on Thursday for multiple safety violations stemming from two mishaps last year that caused workers to be contaminated with radiation. "DOE considers these events to be of high safety significance," John Boulden, a director of enforcement and oversight for the Energy Department in Washington, D.C., wrote in the violation notice issued to the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls. ...

Federal court is asked to put Oakland Police Department in receivership

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:07 PM PDT

(Reuters) - A group of plaintiffs in a long-running civil rights complaint involving allegations of police brutality asked a federal court on Thursday to put the Oakland Police Department into receivership. The plaintiffs, who are parties to a consent decree to resolve the allegations, asked U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of Oakland to take action "because less drastic means have failed to bring the city into compliance with reforms mandated," a court filing said. ...

L.A. County Sheriff says will implement jail reforms, won't quit

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:19 AM PDT

An inmate plays with a makeshift chess set in his cell at Men's Central Jail in Los AngelesLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, blamed by an investigative commission for failing to stop excessive force in the nation's largest county jail system, said on Wednesday he would implement many of its suggested reforms but has no plans to step down. The changes advocated by the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence last week included revamping how use-of-force cases are investigated and disciplined, better oversight and tracking of inmate complaints and the use of video cameras worn by deputies. ...


Pennsylvania lawmakers eye tighter oversight of local debt

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:19 PM PDT

To match Feature HARRISBURG-CAMPBELL/HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Pennsylvania legislators, grappling with capital city Harrisburg's $340 million of debt, set out on Thursday to tighten the state law that governs how cities and towns win approval for complex, taxpayer-funded projects. In a day-long hearing, members of Pennsylvania's Senate Local Government Committee questioned former local officials publicly for the first time about how Harrisburg could have racked up so much debt tied to renovations of its ill-fated trash incinerator. ...


Lockout forces NHL to cancel first two weeks of season

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 01:16 PM PDT

A pub near the home arena of the NHL Vancouver Canucks posts a sign in regarding the current league and players dispute in Vancouver(Reuters) - The National Hockey League (NHL) canceled the first two weeks of the 2012-13 regular season on Thursday with still no quick end in sight to the labor dispute with locked-out players. The decision impacts 82 games that were scheduled from October 11-24 and marked the first time regular season action has been canceled since a lockout wiped out the entire 2004-05 season. The union representing NHL players pointed the finger at the owners, saying the decision to cancel games was made by them. ...


Parole granted to former Manson Family member Bruce Davis

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:10 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former member of the notorious Manson Family cult and a two-time convicted killer came a step closer to freedom on Thursday when he was granted parole, but the decision was subject to a mandatory review and could still be reversed, California prison officials said. Bruce Davis, 69, has been in state prison serving a life sentence since his 1972 conviction for the murders of music teacher Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea. ...

Judge allows suit over NY police tactics in public housing

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:34 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawsuit by a group of black and Latino New York City public housing residents who say police violated their civil rights may proceed to trial, a judge ruled on Thursday. The case, filed in 2010, is one of three proposed class action lawsuits before Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin. All three suits say the New York Police Department's controversial crime-fighting tactic known as "stop and frisk" improperly targets minorities. ...

U.S. prosecutors indict Sinaloa cartel figure over tunnels

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:12 PM PDT

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - U.S. federal prosecutors have indicted a man they describe as an important member of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel who organized efforts to build two sophisticated smuggling tunnels under the U.S. border from Tijuana to San Diego. Jose Sanchez-Villalobos, who is being held in a Mexican jail after his arrest in January on money-laundering charges, was indicted by a U.S. grand jury in February. But prosecutors did not unseal the indictment until Wednesday. ...

Parole granted to former Manson family member Bruce Davis

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:34 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former member of the notorious Manson Family and a two-time convicted killer was granted parole on Thursday, but there was no definitive word on whether he might be released from prison because the ruling is subject to a mandatory review, California prison officials said. Bruce Davis, 69, has been in state prison since his 1972 conviction. He was previously granted parole in 2010 but remained in prison after that decision was reversed by then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican. ...

Walmart says union's LA protest has no impact

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 02:16 PM PDT

Shopper walks past Walmart workers on strike to protest over unsafe working conditions and poor wages in Pico RiveraLOS ANGELES/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Walmart employees affiliated with a union-backed group walked off the job in Los Angeles on Thursday, protesting conditions at the world's largest retailer, which promptly defended itself, saying the "publicity stunt" was not having an impact on its business. About 50 workers from nine stores in Los Angeles County walked off the job Thursday morning to protest what they say are unfair labor practices by Wal-Mart Stores Inc, sponsors of the action said. ...


Tax whistleblower gets $2 million IRS award: lawyer

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:01 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tax whistleblower received a $2 million reward from the Internal Revenue Service for his role uncovering an alleged multimillion-dollar tax-avoidance scheme attempted by Illinois Tool Works Inc in the late 1990s, the whistleblower's lawyer said on Thursday. The informant, a Wall Street banker who remained anonymous to protect his career, previously received two other million-dollar payouts from the IRS, said his attorney, Erika Kelton, with Phillips & Cohen in Washington. ...

Chicago Teachers Union ratifies deal that ended strike

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 12:19 PM PDT

Robinson hugs another member of the Chicago Teachers Union as they celebrate the end of their strike in ChicagoCHICAGO (Reuters) - Public school teachers in Chicago voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year contract, ending a bitter dispute with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over school reforms that prompted the first strike of city teachers in 25 years. The Chicago Teachers Union said 79.1 percent of its members voted in favor of the deal, which will give teachers an average pay raise of 17.6 percent over four years if the contract is extended an extra year. Ratification required a majority vote in favor. ...


California gasoline pump prices poised to break record

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 03:28 PM PDT

A man fills his car with gasoline at a Unocal gas station in Rowland Heights, CaliforniaLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pump prices in California soared this week as key Golden State refineries were disrupted at a time of low inventories, putting prices on track to break a record set in the summer of 2008. The state average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped to $4.315 on Thursday, 18.2 cents higher than last week and 49 cents higher than a year ago, according to AAA data. At a 76 gas station in Santa Monica, property developer Binky van Bilderbeek, 39, said he was shocked. "Going up by 20 cents is remarkable. ...


Obama faces another hurdle: Friday's jobless report

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally in DenverWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has survived months of lackluster reports on the nation's unemployment with little effect on his approval ratings or his poll lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney, but that could change on Friday. After a subpar performance Wednesday night against a sharp Romney in their first presidential debate, Obama suddenly seems vulnerable to any bad news. That makes the Labor Department's jobs report for September, which will be released Friday morning, a potential hurdle for Obama in the presidential race. Polls have indicated that the weak U.S. ...


First major U.S. snowstorm, cold snap may harm some crops

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 09:50 AM PDT

A damaged corn crop in Harvey CountyCHICAGO (Reuters) - The first major snowfall of the year and a cold snap set to sweep into the northern Midwest could harm some late-maturing corn and soybeans crops and delay the harvest, an agricultural meteorologist and the National Weather Service said on Thursday. The storm is centered in a small area across northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, including the fertile Red River Valley, where farmers are still harvesting their corn and soybean crops after the worst drought in half a century devastated U.S. grain this year. ...


Pat Summitt says thought she was forced out as Tennessee coach

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 11:25 AM PDT

Former University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach Pat Summitt reacts after her team defeated Rutgers University Scarlet Knights in NCAA women's championship basketball game in ClevelandKNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Former Tennessee University women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, who won more games than any other college men's or women's coach in U.S. history, said in an affidavit filed on Wednesday that she was forced to step aside last spring after being diagnosed with dementia. The university announced in April that Summitt, 60, would become head coach "emeritus" and relinquish day-to-day coaching duties to her assistant, Holly Warlick. ...


New York police probe jewelry theft from actress Julianne Moore's home

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 12:07 PM PDT

Actress Julianne Moore holds the Emmy award for outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or movie for "Game Change" at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los AngelesNEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City police said they are investigating the theft of 10 pieces of jewelry worth $127,000 that were taken from actress Julianne Moore's Manhattan apartment several months ago. The jewelry went missing between June 6 and August 28, while 15-25 workers were doing renovations on the actress's home in the West Village, police said on Thursday. The stolen jewelry was comprised of 10 pieces -- seven of which were made by Cartier, according to The New York Post. The most expensive item was a $33,000 Cartier platinum diamond tennis bracelet. ...


U.S., Mexico can manage tomato trade dispute: U.S. official

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 12:44 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Mexico can manage a heated dispute over bilateral tomato trade without it widening into a broader trade war, a top U.S. trade official said on Thursday in response to industry concerns. "You're bound to have tensions" in any trade relationship as large as the United States and Mexico have, Francisco Sanchez, under secretary of commerce for international trade, told Reuters in an interview. "Historically, when we've had them, we've gotten through them. ...

FDA cracks down on websites selling bad drugs

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 11:55 AM PDT

A view shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in Silver Spring(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has cracked down on thousands of online pharmacies for selling potentially unsafe, unapproved or fake medicines, including the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra and antiviral Tamiflu. The FDA, working with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies from about 100 countries, said on Thursday that it took action against more than 4,100 Internet pharmacies, bringing civil and criminal charges, removing offending websites and seizing drugs worldwide. ...


Lawsuit over Thomas Jefferson's wine too late, court finds

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 12:04 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A billionaire's lawsuit over wine said to be owned by Thomas Jefferson has died on the vine. A federal appeals court in New York ruled on Thursday that William Koch, the founder of Oxbow Group energy company, had waited too long to file a lawsuit against Christie's auction house. Koch, a brother of businessmen and conservative political activists Charles and David Koch, had accused Christie's of rubber stamping as authentic a cache of wine said to have been owned by the third U.S. president, while knowing it was worthless plonk. The 2nd U.S. ...

U.S. authorities charge 91 in $430 million Medicare fraud

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 01:52 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ninety-one people including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals were charged criminally in a new sweep of Medicare fraud involving seven U.S. cities and $430 million in alleged false billing, officials said on Thursday. It was the government's second big raid in recent months after a similar effort in May alleged $452 million in fraud in Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled. ...

U.S. drought area shrinks slightly: report

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 08:55 AM PDT

A half developed cob of corn is seen at a field in Sunburst Dairy farm near Belleville(Reuters) - Drought conditions in the United States eased slightly over the last week, though dry soils and water shortages persisted across wide swaths of important farm states, particularly Nebraska, a key corn and cattle state. Roughly 64.58 percent of the contiguous United States was under at least "moderate" drought as of October 2, down from 65.45 percent a week earlier, according to the Drought Monitor, a weekly compilation of data gathered by federal and academic scientists issued Thursday. ...


SCE issues plan to restart California San Onofre 2 reactor

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:15 AM PDT

(Reuters) - Southern California Edison (SCE) on Thursday released a restart plan for Unit 2 at the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California, but must wait for approval from U.S. nuclear regulators before actually restarting the unit. The company meanwhile said in a release that Unit 3 will remain offline while the utility continues to study potential solutions that are unique to that unit. SCE is a unit of California power company Edison International. (Reporting By Scott DiSavino; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Atwater, California declares fiscal emergency

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 10:41 PM PDT

OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - The city council of Atwater, California approved a fiscal emergency declaration on Wednesday night, a move that could put the city of 28,000 on the path to becoming the fourth city in the most populous U.S. state to declare bankruptcy this year. California requires its local governments to try to enter talks with their creditors to avert bankruptcy filings, but municipalities may declare fiscal emergencies to circumvent the law and file for bankruptcy. ...

Federal court is asked to put Oakland Police Department in receivership

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:07 PM PDT

(Reuters) - A group of plaintiffs in a long-running civil rights complaint involving allegations of police brutality asked a federal court on Thursday to put the Oakland Police Department into receivership. The plaintiffs, who are parties to a consent decree to resolve the allegations, asked U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of Oakland to take action "because less drastic means have failed to bring the city into compliance with reforms mandated," a court filing said. ...

Idaho nuclear lab fined after workers exposed to radiation

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:05 PM PDT

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy fined a nuclear research lab in Idaho more than $400,000 on Thursday for multiple safety violations stemming from two mishaps last year that caused workers to be contaminated with radiation. "DOE considers these events to be of high safety significance," John Boulden, a director of enforcement and oversight for the Energy Department in Washington, D.C., wrote in the violation notice issued to the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls. ...

Outspoken gay marriage foe installed as San Francisco archbishop

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:00 PM PDT

Bishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Walter Edyvean chat after an executive session in Bellevue, WashingtonSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Catholic Church on Thursday installed Salvatore Cordileone, a leader in the fight against same-sex marriage, as archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Following his installation as the religious leader of more than 500,000 Catholics in the largely gay-friendly Bay Area, Cordileone, 56, delivered a sermon and spoke about his recent arrest after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. "God has always had a way of putting me in my place," he said. "With the last episode in my life, God has outdone Himself. ...


Federal judge approves scaled-down Florida voter purge

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:29 PM PDT

A voter leaves a polling station after casting his ballot in the Florida Republican presidential primary election in SarasotaTALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a challenge to Florida's recent voter purge efforts, clearing the way for the removal of about 200 suspected non-U.S. citizens from state voter rolls before the November 6 presidential election. District Judge William Zloch dismissed the remaining challenges from voter advocacy groups, including the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights and the Florida Immigrant Coalition. ...


Obama fights back after debate setback

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:13 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama waves to a crowd as he arrives for a campaign rally in MadisonDENVER (Reuters) - A day after a muted performance in a presidential debate, President Barack Obama fought back against Republican rival Mitt Romney on Thursday and the Democrat's re-election campaign vowed to learn lessons from the setback. A feisty Obama told a rally of some 12,000 people that the former Massachusetts governor was untruthful during Wednesday's 90-minute debate in Denver, which most observers reckoned the Republican won. "When I got onto the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney," Obama said. ...


Parole granted to former Manson Family member Bruce Davis

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 06:10 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former member of the notorious Manson Family cult and a two-time convicted killer came a step closer to freedom on Thursday when he was granted parole, but the decision was subject to a mandatory review and could still be reversed, California prison officials said. Bruce Davis, 69, has been in state prison serving a life sentence since his 1972 conviction for the murders of music teacher Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea. ...

Family describes slain border agent in Arizona as a hero

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:53 PM PDT

Department of Homeland Security handout photo of U.S. Border Patrol agent Nicholas IviePHOENIX (Reuters) - The family of a Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire near the Mexican border in Arizona described him on Thursday as a hero, recounting how he once carried a pregnant immigrant woman to safety after finding her in distress in a remote area with no shoes. Nicholas Ivie, 30, was among two Border Patrol agents shot on Tuesday in a well-known smuggling corridor near the tiny border town of Naco. The other agent's wounds were not fatal. A third agent in the incident was unharmed. ...


Judge allows suit over NY police tactics in public housing

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:34 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawsuit by a group of black and Latino New York City public housing residents who say police violated their civil rights may proceed to trial, a judge ruled on Thursday. The case, filed in 2010, is one of three proposed class action lawsuits before Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin. All three suits say the New York Police Department's controversial crime-fighting tactic known as "stop and frisk" improperly targets minorities. ...

Pennsylvania lawmakers eye tighter oversight of local debt

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:19 PM PDT

To match Feature HARRISBURG-CAMPBELL/HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Pennsylvania legislators, grappling with capital city Harrisburg's $340 million of debt, set out on Thursday to tighten the state law that governs how cities and towns win approval for complex, taxpayer-funded projects. In a day-long hearing, members of Pennsylvania's Senate Local Government Committee questioned former local officials publicly for the first time about how Harrisburg could have racked up so much debt tied to renovations of its ill-fated trash incinerator. ...


U.S. prosecutors indict Sinaloa cartel figure over tunnels

Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:12 PM PDT

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - U.S. federal prosecutors have indicted a man they describe as an important member of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel who organized efforts to build two sophisticated smuggling tunnels under the U.S. border from Tijuana to San Diego. Jose Sanchez-Villalobos, who is being held in a Mexican jail after his arrest in January on money-laundering charges, was indicted by a U.S. grand jury in February. But prosecutors did not unseal the indictment until Wednesday. ...

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