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• Obama denounces 'outrageous murders' of three U.S. Muslims
• Source: Oregon governor plans to resign
• Majority of Alabama counties issuing marriage licenses to gay couples
• Police say found bullets, gun near ex-NFL star's alleged victim
• Connecticut panel approves school safety report after Sandy Hook
• Last two women identified in Indiana serial murder case
• Family of German exchange student sues shooter, girlfriend
• Union, refinery owners set for U.S. contract talks next week
• Sierra Leone locks down 700 homes after Ebola death
• U.S. court backs law enforcement officers in black teen's shooting
• Ex-NFL running back Ray Rice apologizes for his assault
• Boko Haram attacks village in Chad as revolt spreads
• Israeli court rejects appeal over U.S. activist's death
• Fighting rages in run-up to Ukraine ceasefire
• Thousands join funeral for slain Muslims in North Carolina
• Obama to headline cybersecurity summit
• Obama to focus on cybersecurity in heart of Silicon Valley
• One dead, one hurt in shooting at New Orleans Mardi Gras parade
• Majority of New Jersey voters view Christie unfavorably: poll
• New York Times media columnist David Carr dies at 58
• Top Democrats call on Oregon governor to resign
• Federal judge in Alabama orders county to wed gay couples
• Two shot in South Dakota industrial park, gunman at large
• Alabama official ordered to issue marriage licenses to gay couples

Obama denounces 'outrageous murders' of three U.S. Muslims Posted: 13 Feb 2015 12:44 PM PST By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama described the deaths of three young Muslims gunned down in North Carolina as "brutal and outrageous murders" on Friday and said no one in the United States should be targeted for their religion. The president's statement came a day after the FBI said it would open a preliminary inquiry, separate from local police investigations, to determine whether the man accused in the Chapel Hill shooting on Tuesday broke any federal laws. "No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship," Obama said in a statement, offering his condolences to the victims' families. The families had called on Obama to insist that federal authorities investigate whether the murder suspect, 46-year-old paralegal student Craig Stephen Hicks, was motivated by hatred toward the victims because they were Muslim.

Source: Oregon governor plans to resign Posted: 13 Feb 2015 12:28 PM PST A person with direct knowledge of the plan says Democratic Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber plans to resign amid allegations his fiancee used her relationship with him to enrich herself.

Majority of Alabama counties issuing marriage licenses to gay couples Posted: 13 Feb 2015 11:25 AM PST Officials in 16 Alabama counties began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Friday, gay rights advocates said, a day after a U.S. judge ordered one local official to issue licenses to gay couples in accordance with an earlier ruling. The shift means that a majority of Alabama counties are now granting licenses to same-sex couples. It also indicates that defiance to a federal ruling striking down the state's gay marriage ban is weakening, as fewer local judges follow a contravening order from the chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court. "These numbers represent a seismic shift in favor of equality and justice," said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, in a statement.

Police say found bullets, gun near ex-NFL star's alleged victim Posted: 13 Feb 2015 11:09 AM PST By Daniel Lovering FALL RIVER, Mass. (Reuters) - Massachusetts State Police troopers found two bullets and a .22-caliber handgun near the body of a man prosecutors say former National Football League star Aaron Hernandez killed in June 2013, the officers testified on Friday. Sergeant Kevin Halle said he excavated soil in an industrial park where the body of Odin Lloyd, a semiprofessional football player, was found on June 17, 2013, and discovered two projectiles near a patch of dirt marked by a red-brown stain. "I was screening the material to be taken out and, looking at the screen, there was a projectile," he told jurors in the Massachusetts Superior Court trial in Fall River. Investigators earlier testified that they found empty .45-caliber shell casings around Lloyd's body at the industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts.

Connecticut panel approves school safety report after Sandy Hook Posted: 13 Feb 2015 10:38 AM PST By Richard Weizel HARTFORD, Conn. (Reuters) - The Connecticut panel charged with finding ways to reduce school violence after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre on Friday approved a final package of recommendations including calls for tougher gun laws and improved school designs. The 16-member commission appointed by Governor Dannel Malloy voted unanimously to approve a 256-page report that also recommended that schools have doors that lock from the inside and calls for trigger locks to be provided for any firearm when it is sold or transferred in ownership. The commission was established after Adam Lanza, 20, killed 26 children and educators at the elementary school in one of the most horrific school shootings in U.S. history.

Last two women identified in Indiana serial murder case Posted: 13 Feb 2015 10:21 AM PST (Reuters) - Indiana officials have identified the last two of seven victims linked to an alleged serial killer in the town of Gary, the Lake County coroner said on Friday. DNA tests confirmed the identities of Tanya Gatlin, 27, and Sonya Billingsley, 53, both of Gary, whose remains were found in the same abandoned building in that city, the coroner's office said in a statement. The bodies were discovered in October after police arrested Darren Vann, 43, a suspect in the murder of a woman in a hotel in neighboring Hammond, Indiana.

Family of German exchange student sues shooter, girlfriend Posted: 13 Feb 2015 10:05 AM PST MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — The family of a 17-year-old German exchange student who was shot to death last spring in Montana has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the home where he was shot.

Union, refinery owners set for U.S. contract talks next week Posted: 13 Feb 2015 09:17 AM PST (Reuters) - The United Steelworkers union (USW) and refinery owners were set to resume contract negotiations next week as the largest U.S. refinery strike since 1980 reached its 13th day on Friday. "We're still fulfilling the information request from the USW and looking forward to resuming negotiations next week," said Ray Fisher, spokesman for Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the lead company negotiator. The information request, which Shell has called extensive, focuses on the use of non-union contract workers to perform day-to-day maintenance in refineries.

Sierra Leone locks down 700 homes after Ebola death Posted: 13 Feb 2015 09:02 AM PST This news comes less than a month after the nation had lifted all travel restrictions.

U.S. court backs law enforcement officers in black teen's shooting Posted: 13 Feb 2015 08:44 AM PST By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled that federal law enforcement officers cannot be sued for shooting a black 16-year-old four times in 2007 as he attempted to drive away from them after the officers had asked to speak to him. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the three deputy U.S. marshals had sufficient justification to use deadly force when they fired on Michael Fenwick. The ruling comes at a time when law enforcement's use of deadly force has been widely debated in the aftermath of the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old man in Ferguson, Missouri by a white police officer last August. The officers, Andrew Pudimott, Jeremy Fischer and John Mickle, ordered Fenwick to stop.

Ex-NFL running back Ray Rice apologizes for his assault Posted: 13 Feb 2015 08:12 AM PST By Steve Ginsburg BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Running back Ray Rice, released by the Baltimore Ravens after video surfaced of him knocking his then-fiancee unconscious in a New Jersey casino elevator, apologized on Friday to the team and the city of Baltimore for the "horrible mistake I made." Rice, arrested after the assault last February, spent his entire seven-year National Football League career with the Ravens and is now hoping another team will give him a second chance. Rice made his apology in a statement addressed to "Dear Baltimore" and said it was not a farewell. "There is no excuse for domestic violence and I apologize for the horrible mistake I made." The assault on Janay Palmer, who is now Rice's wife, was a catalyst for the NFL strengthening its policies on domestic violence and sexual assault.

Boko Haram attacks village in Chad as revolt spreads Posted: 13 Feb 2015 06:35 AM PST This is the first known lethal attack in Chad by the Nigerian militant group.

Israeli court rejects appeal over U.S. activist's death Posted: 13 Feb 2015 04:57 AM PST The family of Rachel Corrie, an American activist killed by an Israeli army bulldozer while protesting with Palestinians in 2003, has accused Israel of shielding its military from blame after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal over her death. In a ruling on Thursday, Israel's highest court upheld a 2012 decision by a lower court that cleared the military of responsibility for her death, saying the incident happened during wartime and was a "regrettable accident". "We have come to see through this experience how deeply all of Israel's institutions are implicated in the impunity enjoyed by the Israeli military," the family said in a statement issued on their web site, http://rachelcorriefoundation.org. "The Supreme Court decision ignores international law arguments regarding the protection of civilians and human rights defenders in armed conflict and grossly violates the internationally recognized right to effective remedy." Corrie's family first brought a case in 2005, accusing Israel of intentionally and unlawfully killing their 23-year-old daughter.

Fighting rages in run-up to Ukraine ceasefire Posted: 13 Feb 2015 03:50 AM PST By Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine and Russian-backed rebel fought fiercely for control of a strategic railway junction on Friday despite a new peace deal brokered by Germany and France. A ceasefire is due to come into effect from Sunday under the agreement, which also envisages a withdrawal of the heavy weaponry responsible for many of the more than 5,000 casualties in the conflict that broke out almost a year ago. Two people were killed and six wounded when a shell hit a packed cafe in the Kiev-controlled town of Shchastya near rebel-held Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, a local official said, adding that other shells had struck elsewhere in the town. They gave no details, and it was not immediately possible to verify any of the reports, which followed threats of further sanctions on Moscow from the United States and Europe if the rebels seize more territory.

Thousands join funeral for slain Muslims in North Carolina Posted: 13 Feb 2015 03:02 AM PST RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The fathers of three young Muslims allegedly slain by a neighbor who was angry over parking spots stood before their caskets Thursday and urged a crowd of thousands to protect others by demanding justice.

Obama to headline cybersecurity summit Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:44 AM PST The president wants companies to share more cyber threat data with the government.

Obama to focus on cybersecurity in heart of Silicon Valley Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:27 AM PST The president wants the private sector to share cyber threat data with the government.

One dead, one hurt in shooting at New Orleans Mardi Gras parade Posted: 13 Feb 2015 12:41 AM PST (Reuters) - One person was killed and another was critically injured in a shooting during a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans on Thursday night, according to police. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told reporters a fight broke out between two people and one of them began shooting at the other.

Majority of New Jersey voters view Christie unfavorably: poll Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:12 PM PST A majority of New Jersey registered voters view Governor Chris Christie unfavorably, a poll showed on Friday, underscoring the headwinds the outspoken Republican could face in securing his party's nomination for the 2016 presidential election. The poll by Rutgers-Eagleton noted that "for the first time" a majority, 53 percent, were unfavorably inclined toward the governor, according to a statement. It said 37 percent of registered voters in the state felt favorably toward the governor, down 7 percentage points in two months. In a late January poll for Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register conducted by Selzer & Co., 36 percent of a sample of likely Iowa voters viewed Christie favorably.

New York Times media columnist David Carr dies at 58 Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:38 PM PST New York Times media columnist David Carr has died at his office at age 58.

Top Democrats call on Oregon governor to resign Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:21 PM PST SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon's top Democrats urged Gov. John Kitzhaber to resign Thursday, saying he cannot lead the state effectively amid a growing ethics scandal involving his fiancee, a green-energy consultant suspected of using their relationship to land contracts for her business.

Federal judge in Alabama orders county to wed gay couples Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:38 PM PST A federal judge has ordered Mobile County to start issuing gay marriage licenses.

Two shot in South Dakota industrial park, gunman at large Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:06 PM PST (Reuters) - Two people were shot on Thursday in an industrial park in southeast South Dakota, where a gunman remained at large, authorities said. The gunman entered Sioux Steel in Lennox at about 2:30 p.m. local time and shot two employees before he fled, according to Lennox Police Chief Orville Jorgensen. The conditions of shooting victims were unknown, Jorgensen said. Local media reported that schools and businesses in Lennox remained on lockdown as authorities searched for the man. ...

Alabama official ordered to issue marriage licenses to gay couples Posted: 12 Feb 2015 01:49 PM PST MOBILE, Ala. (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ordered an Alabama official to comply with her earlier ruling striking down the state's ban on same-sex matrimony by beginning to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade's order sought to clarify that Mobile County Probate Court Judge Don Davis should follow her directive, and not a contravening order from Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore that has led to many state judges to refrain from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. (Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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