Gunshots and plea for help heard in 911 calls from Colorado movie shooting

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• Gunshots and plea for help heard in 911 calls from Colorado movie shooting
• New Jersey's Christie steps up demands for Sandy relief
• Texas school can force teenagers to wear locator chip: judge
• Alaska militia leader sentenced to nearly 26 years in prison
• Two Boeing 787 incidents raise concerns about jet
• WikiLeaks soldier's sentence reduced - if convicted
• California governor says cancer treatment over, "rarin' to go"
• 2012 was hottest year on record in U.S., climate agency says
• What measures the best teacher? More than scores, study shows
• California treasurer targets makers of ammunition clips
• Illinois asks court to keep banning most handguns in the state
• Former Representative Giffords launches gun control drive
• Former Representative Giffords launches gun control drive
• Defense rests in trial of boy who killed neo-Nazi father
• Illinois again fails to act on pensions, risking credit downgrade
• San Francisco judge lets medical pot shop stay open
• Connecticut lawmakers return to work and guns take center stage
• California group challenges Boy Scout ban on gays
• Judge limits "stop and frisk" searches in New York's Bronx
• Supreme Court narrows avenue for death row appeals
• New mother in suspected New York bomb-making den released on bail
• California governor seeks to lift court order on prison crowding
• New York Fed loses bid to toss 9/11 discrimination lawsuit
• Hundreds of Texas, Ohio teachers flock to gun training
• Prosecutors submit wiretaps, bank records in Florida terrorism trial
• Supreme Court says prisoner incompetence no bar to appeal
• Illinois allows driving licenses for illegal immigrants
• California group challenges Boy Scout ban on gays
• FBI triggers Washington mystery - where will its new HQ be?
• Former UBS client In Florida pleads guilty to tax evasion

Gunshots and plea for help heard in 911 calls from Colorado movie shooting Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:17 PM PST CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - A 13-year-old girl caught in last summer's shooting rampage at a Colorado movie theater was heard frantically pleading for help for two gravely wounded relatives in a tape of her emergency 911 call played in court on Tuesday. In it, the distraught girl could be heard telling an emergency dispatcher that her 6-year-old cousin, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, and Veronica's pregnant mother, Ashley Moser, had been struck by gunfire. Veronica was the youngest of the 12 people killed in the attack. ...

New Jersey's Christie steps up demands for Sandy relief Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:43 PM PST (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday renewed his calls to the U.S. Congress to quickly pass the full $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy relief package, saying victims in New Jersey had been "short-changed." During his state of the state remarks, Christie, a possible Republican presidential contender for 2016, appealed to lawmakers from eight states that previously received federal disaster funds for other emergencies to act on the legislation for victims of Sandy. ...

Texas school can force teenagers to wear locator chip: judge Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:11 PM PST SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A public school district in Texas can require students to wear locator chips when they are on school property, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday in a case raising technology-driven privacy concerns among liberal and conservative groups alike. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia said the San Antonio Northside School District had the right to expel sophomore Andrea Hernandez, 15, from a magnet school at Jay High School, because she refused to wear the device, which is required of all students. ...

Alaska militia leader sentenced to nearly 26 years in prison Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:10 PM PST ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The leader of an anti-government militia in Alaska who proclaimed that "God's law" trumps "man's law" was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly 26 years in prison for a plot to kill government employees he portrayed as his enemies. Schaeffer Cox, the 28-year-old leader of the Alaska Peacekeepers Militia and a onetime candidate for the Alaska House of Representatives, apologized through tears for his actions. ...

Two Boeing 787 incidents raise concerns about jet Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:42 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner suffered its second mishap in two days at the same airport with the same airline, extending a series of problems that have dogged the jet for more than a month and notched up concern about the plane. A fuel leak on Tuesday forced a 787 operated by Japan Airlines to cancel takeoff at Boston's Logan International Airport. On Monday, an electrical fire erupted in a different 787 also operated by Japan Airlines at the Boston airport. ...

WikiLeaks soldier's sentence reduced - if convicted Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:40 PM PST (Reuters) - A military judge on Tuesday reduced by 112 days any sentence that accused WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning might receive as compensation for harsh treatment he received in military detention, a Department of Defense spokesman said. Manning, a 25-year-old U.S. Army private, faces 22 charges including aiding the enemy, which carries a penalty of life in prison. ...

California governor says cancer treatment over, "rarin' to go" Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:58 PM PST SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who has been undergoing a course of radiotherapy for early-stage prostate cancer, said on Tuesday that he had completed his treatment and was "rarin' to go." Brown, 74, announced that his treatments were finished during a press conference in Sacramento on prison overcrowding. Asked if he was feeling better after the treatment, Brown drew laughter when he held out his arms and said, "You choose." "I'm ready. I'm rarin' to go," Brown said. "Don't expect me to leave too soon. ...

2012 was hottest year on record in U.S., climate agency says Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:29 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - The year 2012 was the warmest on record for the contiguous United States, beating the previous record by a full degree in temperature, a government climate agency said on Tuesday. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the average temperature in 2012 in the contiguous United States was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit (12.94 degrees Celsius), 3.2 degrees above the average recorded during the 20th century and 1.0 degree above 1998, until now the hottest on record. The contiguous United States excludes Alaska and Hawaii. ...

What measures the best teacher? More than scores, study shows Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:26 PM PST (Reuters) - Effective teachers can be identified by observing them at work, measuring their students' progress on standardized tests - and asking those students directly what goes on in the classroom, according to a comprehensive study released Tuesday. The three-year, $50 million Measures of Effective Teaching study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found it was difficult to predict how much students would achieve in a school year based on their teacher's years of experience or knowledge of pedagogical technique. ...

California treasurer targets makers of ammunition clips Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:23 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Treasurer Bill Lockyer will urge the state's pension funds to sell investments in manufacturers of high-capacity ammunition clips, building on his push for them to divest from firearms manufacturers whose guns are banned in the state, a spokesman said on Tuesday. ...

Illinois asks court to keep banning most handguns in the state Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:19 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois asked an appeals court on Tuesday to reverse itself and allow a ban that prevents most people there from carrying concealed handguns in public. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, asked the full Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to review the decision, saying it was not consistent with recent decisions by other courts. Last month, three days before the mass shooting at a Connecticut school on December 14, the appeals court declared the Illinois concealed carry law unconstitutional, calling it the most restrictive gun law in the United States. ...

Former Representative Giffords launches gun control drive Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona is launching a group aimed at curbing gun violence, challenging the political clout of the well-funded gun lobby two years after she was shot in the head while meeting with constituents. Giffords, herself a gun owner, is starting the effort called Americans for Responsible Solutions with her husband, former U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. "Enough," the former congresswoman told ABC television in an interview aired on Tuesday, calling for common-sense measures to reduce violence after a string of recent mass shootings. ...

Former Representative Giffords launches gun control drive Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:52 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona is launching a group aimed at curbing gun violence, challenging the political clout of the well-funded gun lobby two years after she was shot in the head while meeting with constituents. Giffords, herself a gun owner, is starting the effort called Americans for Responsible Solutions with her husband, former U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. "Enough," the former congresswoman told ABC television in an interview aired on Tuesday, calling for common-sense measures to reduce violence after a string of recent mass shootings. ...

Defense rests in trial of boy who killed neo-Nazi father Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:47 PM PST RIVERSIDE, California (Reuters) - Attorneys representing a 12-year-old California boy charged with murdering his neo-Nazi father rested their case Tuesday without calling him to testify in a case that drew attention due to the rarity of a parent being slain by a child so young. Lawyers for Joseph Hall concede that the boy, then just 10 years old, shot his father in May 2011 at point blank range, but argue that he should not be held criminally responsible. The gun belonged to his father, Jeffrey Hall, 32. ...

Illinois again fails to act on pensions, risking credit downgrade Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:40 PM PST SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois legislature adjourned on Tuesday without acting to restore the health of the nation's most underfunded state pension systems, risking another downgrade of its already low credit ratings. After days of wrangling at the state Capitol of Springfield, lawmakers ended their last meeting of a "lame duck" legislative session without voting on a pension reform measure. Majority Democrats, worried about opposition from labor unions, realized they did not have enough support to pass a reform proposal and decided not to vote on any measure. ...

San Francisco judge lets medical pot shop stay open Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:56 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal magistrate judge on Monday ruled that a medical-marijuana dispensary that bills itself as the world's largest can continue to operate, at least for now, in Oakland and San Jose despite a bid by federal prosecutors to shut it down. The ruling marks the latest move in a tug-of-war between local and federal authorities over medical marijuana dispensaries and over Harborside Health Center, which was featured on the Discovery Channel reality TV show "Weed Wars. ...

Connecticut lawmakers return to work and guns take center stage Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:02 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - At the funeral of one of the 20 children gunned down at a Connecticut elementary school, a grieving mother grabbed state Senator Beth Bye by the shoulders and said: "You're going to do something, right?" Bye and Nelba Márquez-Greene, whose daughter Ana, 6, was among the first graders shot dead with six staff members in the December 14 massacre, have known each other for years. Bye had asked the Marquez-Greene family how she could help and the answer was clear: Prevent this from ever happening again. ...

California group challenges Boy Scout ban on gays Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:45 PM PST ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A review board for a California chapter of the Boy Scouts of America has challenged the national organization by recommending that an openly gay former Scout be awarded the top rank of Eagle. Bonnie Hazarabedian, who chaired the Boy Scout district review board that signed off on Ryan Andresen's Eagle scout application, said the recommendation was sent to the local Boy Scout chapter to be forwarded to the national headquarters for final approval. "From what I understand, this has never happened before," Ryan's father, Eric Andresen, told Reuters. ...

Judge limits "stop and frisk" searches in New York's Bronx Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:09 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the New York Police Department to immediately stop conducting trespass stops outside certain residential buildings in the borough of the Bronx without "reasonable suspicion" that an individual is engaged in criminal activity. District Judge Shira Scheindlin issued her ruling in the narrowest of three main lawsuits challenging New York City's controversial "stop and frisk" policy. The NYPD "systematically crossed" the line under the U.S. Constitution, said Scheindlin, a judge in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. ...

Supreme Court narrows avenue for death row appeals Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two death row inmates were not entitled to a delay of their federal appeals on the grounds that they were incompetent to assist their lawyers, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. In a unanimous ruling against inmates Ernest Valencia Gonzales and Sean Carter, the court also said federal judges cannot indefinitely delay appeals of state criminal convictions in the hope that the defendants might eventually become competent enough to help out. ...

New mother in suspected New York bomb-making den released on bail Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:23 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York woman arrested after bomb-making manuals, weapons and a highly explosive compound were found in her apartment was released on bail into a drug treatment facility on Tuesday. Morgan Gliedman, 27, who along with her boyfriend, Aaron Greene, 31, was charged last week with weapons possessions, appeared in a New York courtroom to accept a bail package without saying a word. The deal included: $150,000 bond, surrender of her passport, electronic monitoring and 30 days at an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility. ...

California governor seeks to lift court order on prison crowding Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:04 PM PST SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown asked federal judges on Tuesday to lift a court order demanding further releases of state prisoners to reduce overcrowding, saying that such a move could harm public safety. Brown, who said the state had already "shaped up" on prisons, said he was striking a "middle path" that protects the public while saving state dollars better invested in education and other state functions. "Let the judges give us our prisons back. We'll run them right," Brown told a news conference at the state Capitol. ...

New York Fed loses bid to toss 9/11 discrimination lawsuit Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:45 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former employee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York can press forward with a lawsuit accusing the Fed of discriminating against him after he suffered trauma in the September 11 attacks, a judge has ruled. Bruce Goonan, a 25-year veteran of the New York Fed's information technology department, sued in the Manhattan federal court, saying the New York Fed did not accommodate his disability. He said he retired in 2011 rather than risk suicide. U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken denied the New York Fed's request to dismiss the case. ...

Hundreds of Texas, Ohio teachers flock to gun training Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST CLEVELAND/SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - School teachers in Texas are flocking to free firearms classes and hundreds more in Ohio have signed up for training in the wake of the Connecticut elementary school massacre, some vowing to protect their students with guns even at the risk of losing their jobs. In Ohio, more than 900 teachers, administrators and school employees signed up for the Buckeye Firearms Association's newly created, three-day gun training program, the association said. ...

Prosecutors submit wiretaps, bank records in Florida terrorism trial Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST MIAMI (Reuters) - Prosecutors are laying out their case in court against two South Florida imams accused of funneling more than $50,000 to support the Pakistani Taliban, playing wiretapped phone calls and showing bank records to bolster their accusations against the Pakistan-born men. Hafiz Khan, the head of one of Miami's oldest mosques, and his son, Izhar Khan, were arrested in May 2011 on charges they conspired to provide money and support for the Pakistani Taliban, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. The Khans, both U.S. ...

Supreme Court says prisoner incompetence no bar to appeal Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:04 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court ruled that federal courts are not required to suspend a prisoner's appeal for reversal of his state court conviction on the grounds that the prisoner is incompetent to participate in his case. Tuesday's unanimous decision limits one avenue that lawyers, including those representing prisoners who have been sentenced to death, have used that can delay the appeals process. ...

Illinois allows driving licenses for illegal immigrants Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:05 PM PST SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - Illinois will become the fourth U.S. state to allow illegal immigrants to drive, after the state House of Representatives on Tuesday approved temporary licenses and Governor Pat Quinn said he would sign the measure into law. Only Washington state and New Mexico allow drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, and Utah provides driving permits. Supporters of the measure said some 250,000 illegal immigrants already were driving in the fifth most populous U.S. state, and the new law would require them to take a drivers test and have insurance. ...

California group challenges Boy Scout ban on gays Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:39 PM PST ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A review board for a California chapter of the Boy Scouts of America is challenging the national organization by recommending that an openly gay former Scout be awarded the top rank of Eagle. "From what I understand, this has never happened before," Eric Andresen, father of former scout Ryan Andresen, told Reuters. ...

FBI triggers Washington mystery - where will its new HQ be? Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:38 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government's move to replace the FBI's crumbling Washington headquarters, dismissed as "a dump" by one congresswoman, has sparked a fight between Virginia, Maryland and the capital for the billion-dollar project. Early signs point to suburban Prince George's County in Maryland as the frontrunner as officials in the Washington area look for possible sites and line up political support. ...

Former UBS client In Florida pleads guilty to tax evasion Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:42 PM PST (Reuters) - A 79-year-old Florida woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to criminal charges of tax evasion through accounts at Swiss bank UBS AG, one of the largest such prosecutions in years. Mary Estelle Curran pleaded guilty in United States District Court in West Palm Beach, Florida, to two charges of filing false tax returns that failed to report her UBS accounts from 2001 to 2007, court papers show. Curran's UBS accounts used foundations in Liechtenstein and Panama, two tax havens, to conceal money, the Justice Department said in a statement. She faces six years in prison. ...

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