Deal reached to avert U.S. port strike for now

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• Deal reached to avert U.S. port strike for now
• Senate approves $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy aid bill
• Claim seeks $100 million for child survivor of Connecticut school shooting
• Governor signs new law for abortion clinics in Michigan
• U.S. industry presses for duties on shrimp from seven countries
• White House talks don't include NRA: gun group president
• Tale of two cities: Chicago murder rate spikes, New York falls
• Animal rights group to pay circus $9.3 million in elephant dispute
• Shock, heartbreak for U.S. families adopting Russian children
• Lapses led to Florida A&M drum major hazing death: report
• Man pushed to his death on NY City subway tracks
• Jean Harris, convicted of murdering "Scarsdale Diet" doctor, dies
• Relics said to be from Jesus' birth to be at Chicago church
• Senate rejects bid to trim Superstorm Sandy bill
• Woman charged with buying guns for NY firemen killer
• Passengers on Queen Mary 2 sickened by unidentified pathogen
• Illinois could be next state to legalize gay marriage
• Lawmakers working on last-minute farm bill extension
• After Jackson, EPA faces decisions on U.S. fracking boom
• Man pushed to death on tracks of New York City subway
• Maine gets set to ring wedding bells for same-sex couples
• New routes for ships off California may help endangered whales
• Three New Jersey police officers shot; gunman reported dead
• New York woman charged with lying to FBI about Newtown scheme
• 10 days later, man who escaped high-rise Chicago prison missing
• Would-be adoptive parents look beyond Russia
• National Rifle Association vows to fight arms trade treaty at U.N.
• White House urges parties in dock dispute to come to terms

Deal reached to avert U.S. port strike for now Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:14 PM PST (Reuters) - The union representing nearly 15,000 dockworkers at U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast seaports stretching from Boston to Corpus Christi, Texas, reached a tentative contract deal with shipping companies on Friday, averting a strike that threatened to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy. The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance clinched a deal in federally-mediated talks less than two days before a strike deadline set by the union to coincide with expiration of the contract on Sunday. ...

Senate approves $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy aid bill Posted: 28 Dec 2012 06:19 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion aid package to pay for reconstruction costs from Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, after defeating Republican efforts to trim the bill's cost. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to quickly take up the bill, which includes $12 billion to repair and strengthen the region's transportation system against future storms. "There is no time to waste," Reid said. ...

Claim seeks $100 million for child survivor of Connecticut school shooting Posted: 28 Dec 2012 04:36 PM PST MERIDEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - A $100 million claim on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor is the first legal action to come out of the Connecticut school shooting that left 26 children and adults dead two weeks ago. The unidentified client, referred to as Jill Doe, heard "cursing, screaming, and shooting" over the school intercom when the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, opened fire, according to the claim filed by New Haven-based attorney Irv Pinsky. "As a consequence, the ... ...

Governor signs new law for abortion clinics in Michigan Posted: 28 Dec 2012 04:39 PM PST (Reuters) - Michigan's Republican governor on Friday signed into law new rules for abortion providers that supporters say will protect the health of pregnant women but critics say will shutter clinics and restrict access. The law signed by Governor Rick Snyder increases state oversight of abortion clinics and establishes a screening protocol to make sure women are not being forced to get an abortion. The measure requires health facilities or clinics that perform more than 120 abortions a year to become licensed freestanding surgical outpatient facilities. ...

U.S. industry presses for duties on shrimp from seven countries Posted: 28 Dec 2012 06:34 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. shrimp producers filed a petition on Friday asking the Commerce Department to impose punitive duties on billions of dollars of shrimp from China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Ecuador to offset what they said were unfair foreign government subsidies. "Today's filing is about the survival of the entire U.S. shrimp industry," C. David Veal, executive director of the Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries, said in a statement. The group represents shrimp fisherman in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas who say they have lost ...

White House talks don't include NRA: gun group president Posted: 28 Dec 2012 02:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An effort led by Vice President Joe Biden to find ways to reduce gun violence after the Connecticut school massacre so far has not included talking to the National Rifle Association, the president of the gun rights group said on Friday. NRA President David Keene said neither Biden nor his staff has contacted the organization since President Barack Obama unveiled the effort on December 19. Keene said he was not surprised, given Biden's past support for new gun control laws. "He's not even a friendly antagonist," Keene told Reuters in an interview. ...

Tale of two cities: Chicago murder rate spikes, New York falls Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:10 PM PST CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a sharp contrast between two of the nation's largest cities, Chicago recorded its 499th murder of 2012 on Thursday night while New York reported 414 murders as of Friday even though it has more than three times the population, according to police. Plagued by gang violence, Chicago surpassed last year's murder total of 433 in October and is set for the highest rate of homicide since the third largest U.S. city recorded 512 in 2008. The number is likely to top 500 on the last weekend of the year. ...

Animal rights group to pay circus $9.3 million in elephant dispute Posted: 28 Dec 2012 05:46 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A major animal welfare group has agreed to pay $9.3 million to the owners of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to settle a lawsuit brought in response to now-dismissed legal claims of mistreated elephants. The settlement, announced by the parties on Friday, removes the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, from litigation by Ringling Bros. against the Humane Society, the Animal Welfare Institute and a former elephant handler for the circus. ...

Shock, heartbreak for U.S. families adopting Russian children Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:33 PM PST (Reuters) - For months, life for Ann and Kurt Suhs has been a whirlwind of assembling documents, getting fingerprinted and scheduling evaluations of their Atlanta-area home in preparation for welcoming a Russian child into their family for a second time. Now, the couple - who adopted their son Ben, now 7, from Russia at age 13 months - say they were blindsided by news that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday banning Americans from adopting Russian children effective next Tuesday. ...

Lapses led to Florida A&M drum major hazing death: report Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:29 PM PST TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida A&M University failed to follow state law and its own internal regulations on hazing ahead of a drum major's death from injuries after being beaten in a brutal marching band ritual in November 2011, a new report said on Friday. The 32-page report issued by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, detailed numerous incidents of inadequate oversight, poor communication and outdated policies at the school. ...

Man pushed to his death on NY City subway tracks Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:46 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The death of a man who was shoved in front of an oncoming New York City subway train spurred a police hunt on Friday for the woman seen pushing him, as the second such violent death this month left its imprint on the city's millions of subway riders. The woman appeared to be mumbling to herself and pacing, witnesses told police, before she approached the man from behind on the platform of an elevated station in the borough of Queens and shoved him onto the subway track Thursday evening. ...

Jean Harris, convicted of murdering "Scarsdale Diet" doctor, dies Posted: 28 Dec 2012 02:58 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jean Harris, a former girl's school headmistress who was convicted and imprisoned for the 1980 murder of a best-selling diet doctor, has died, The New York Times reported on Friday. Harris died on Sunday at an assisted-living facility in Connecticut, the Times said, citing her son James. She was 89. Harris served 12 years in prison for the murder of her lover, Dr. Herman Tarnower, author of the hugely popular "Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet. ...

Relics said to be from Jesus' birth to be at Chicago church Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:46 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tiny fragments said to be from the manger that held the infant Jesus, the veil of his mother, Mary, and a thread from the cloak of St. Joseph will be displayed by a Roman Catholic church in Chicago when it celebrates its 155th anniversary on Sunday. The fragments, released by the Vatican in 1972, were a gift to the Holy Family Church from the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, also in Chicago. Displaying them now has particular significance because of their association with Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus. The Rev. Jeremiah J. ...

Senate rejects bid to trim Superstorm Sandy bill Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday rejected a Republican amendment to cut the immediate cost of a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy reconstruction bill by more than half to $23.8 billion. The 54-41 vote cleared the way for final Senate action on the disaster recovery bill. (Reporting By Doug Palmer; editing by Todd Eastham)

Woman charged with buying guns for NY firemen killer Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:21 PM PST (Reuters) - A 24-year-old Rochester, New York-area woman illegally supplied two of the firearms used in the Christmas Eve sniper deaths of two volunteer firefighters who were responding to a deliberately set house fire, law enforcement officials said Friday. U.S. Attorney William Hochul said Dawn Nguyen of Greece, New York, acted as a so-called "straw purchaser" for the two long guns used by William Spengler in the pre-dawn attack on December 24. Spengler, a 62-year-old ex-convict who was forbidden to own guns, also had a handgun in his possession, a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver. ...

Passengers on Queen Mary 2 sickened by unidentified pathogen Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:05 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - An unknown illness, suspected of being a norovirus, has sickened 194 passengers and 11 crew members aboard the luxury cruise ship Queen Mary 2, causing vomiting and diarrhea, federal health officials said on Friday. Earlier in the week, 189 passengers and 31 crew members on the Emerald Princess came down with the same symptoms. The symptoms are those of norovirus, a contagious microorganism that can be acquired from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

Illinois could be next state to legalize gay marriage Posted: 28 Dec 2012 02:08 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois could become the next U.S. state to legalize gay marriage with a bill set to be introduced in the state Senate in early January, even before a new legislature takes office with a super-majority of Democrats in both houses. Buoyed by November election referendum victories for gay marriage in Maryland, Maine and Washington state, gay marriage supporters in Illinois said they plan to press for approval in the Democrat-majority legislature. If it passes, that would make Illinois the tenth state to approve same sex nuptials. ...

Lawmakers working on last-minute farm bill extension Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:44 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the House and Senate agriculture committees are working on a short-term extension to the expired U.S. farm bill, and plan to vote on the extension by Monday, the final day of 2012, a Congressional source said on Friday. The proposed extension to farm legislation that expired in September would be for "some months" but for less than a year, the source said. If an extension is passed the United States would avoid reverting to 1949 "permanent law" and a potential spike in the retail price of milk to as much as $8 a gallon in 2013. ...

After Jackson, EPA faces decisions on U.S. fracking boom Posted: 28 Dec 2012 01:27 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The past four years of U.S. environmental regulation was marked by a crackdown on emissions that angered coal miners and power companies. Over the next four, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency will have to decide whether to take on an even larger industry: Big Oil. Following Lisa Jackson's resignation on Wednesday, her successor will inherit the tricky task of regulating a drilling boom that has revolutionized the energy industry but raised fears over the possible contamination of water supplies. ...

Man pushed to death on tracks of New York City subway Posted: 28 Dec 2012 01:02 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The death of a man who was shoved in front of an oncoming New York City subway train spurred a police hunt on Friday for the woman seen pushing him, as the second such violent death this month left its imprint on the city's millions of subway riders. The victim was shoved onto the tracks by a woman, described as heavy-set and Hispanic, who approached him from behind on the platform of an elevated station in the borough of Queens on Thursday evening, New York Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said in a statement. ...

Maine gets set to ring wedding bells for same-sex couples Posted: 28 Dec 2012 12:19 PM PST (Reuters) - Same-sex couples in Maine were counting down the hours on Friday until the first wedding bells were due to ring, less than two months after state residents approved gay marriage in a historic vote. The city clerk's office in Portland, the state's largest city with a metropolitan population of 250,000, planned to open a minute after midnight and stay open for three hours to accommodate same-sex couples rushing to wed. City clerk offices in Maine typically are closed on Saturdays. ...

New routes for ships off California may help endangered whales Posted: 28 Dec 2012 02:26 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Several endangered whale species may get a new lease on life when some cargo shipping lanes off the California coast are shifted next year. Routes due to be changed by June 2013 are used by ocean-going cargo vessels, tugboats and automobile carriers near San Francisco Bay, the Channel Islands in central California and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, environmental officials said on Friday. The shipping channels overlap with whale feeding and migration areas, and several blue whales and fin whales have been killed by ships, they said. ...

Three New Jersey police officers shot; gunman reported dead Posted: 28 Dec 2012 03:34 PM PST GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (Reuters) - A shootout broke out in a suburban New Jersey police station on Friday when a 39-year-old man who had been taken into custody attacked a police officer, stealing her gun and shooting her and two other officers before he was killed. One of the officers, Sergeant James Garber, underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to his stomach and was in stable condition, while the other two, Officer Ruth Burns and Sergeant Kevin Thyne, were treated at Cooper University Hospital and released, police said. ...

New York woman charged with lying to FBI about Newtown scheme Posted: 28 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST (Reuters) - A New York City woman who used her Facebook page to dupe donors into contributing to a "funeral fund" for one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was charged with lying to the FBI, court documents showed. Nouel Alba, 37, of the Bronx, used a Facebook page to pose as the aunt of one of the victims, 6-year-old Noah Pozner, and encouraged potential donors to contribute to a PayPal account in her name she had set up last February, according to court papers. Alba, who made an initial appearance on Thursday before a U.S. ...

10 days later, man who escaped high-rise Chicago prison missing Posted: 28 Dec 2012 02:07 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - The FBI is still searching for one of two convicted bank robbers who escaped last week from a high-rise jail in downtown Chicago by lowering themselves on a makeshift rope nearly 20 stories to the street. Kenneth Conley, 38, and his cellmate, Joseph Jose Banks, 37, escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center early on the morning of December 18. The pair apparently broke a window in the cell they shared, squeezed through the opening and lowered themselves to the street. They then hailed a cab to make their getaway. ...

Would-be adoptive parents look beyond Russia Posted: 28 Dec 2012 12:16 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Russia's new ban on U.S. adoptions is the latest setback for hopeful American parents as countries increasingly impose restrictions. Other countries, including China and Guatemala, have erected hurdles for adoptive families as they create their own domestic adoption programs. The signing of the Hague Convention on adoption in 2008 drastically improved regulation of the process, which had been rife with corruption. But it has also led to a slowdown in adoptions or shutdowns in some countries. ...

National Rifle Association vows to fight arms trade treaty at U.N. Posted: 27 Dec 2012 10:12 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The leading U.S. pro-gun group, the National Rifle Association, has vowed to fight a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global arms trade and dismissed suggestions that a recent U.S. school shooting bolstered the case for such a pact. The U.N. General Assembly voted on Monday to restart negotiations in mid-March on the first international treaty to regulate conventional arms trade after a drafting conference in July collapsed because the U.S. and other nations wanted more time. Washington supported Monday's U.N. vote. U.S. ...

White House urges parties in dock dispute to come to terms Posted: 28 Dec 2012 08:59 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday urged dock workers, port owners and shippers to resolve a labor dispute that threatens to deteriorate into a strike that could affect 15 ports on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. "Federal mediators are assisting with the negotiations, and we continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the parties to continue their work at the negotiating table to get a deal done as quickly as possible," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said. Dock workers, port operators and shippers face a deadline on Saturday for resolving the dispute. ...

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