Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines

---

• Chicago-area cop acquitted in beanbag gun death of World War Two vet
• Oklahoma capitol closed after suspicious letters found: police
• Long-serving Obama senior aide Pfeiffer stepping down
• Missing 86-year-old Detroit lottery winner found dead: police
• New Jersey Governor Christie ducks media after vaccination comments
• U.S. official: Guantanamo 'not on table' in Cuba talks
• September 11 conspirator Moussaoui says Saudi royals backed al Qaeda
• Judge allows hearings on summer closings of New York nuclear plant
• Breakaway Episcopal churches in South Carolina can keep property: judge
• Urban roller skating fights for survival as U.S. rinks close
• Boston's Super Bowl parade to draw hearty fans amid massive snow piles
• Florida court asked to decide if gay sex constitutes 'intercourse'
• Whitney Houston's daughter in medically induced coma: friend
• At least 9 killed when plane crashes into Taiwan river
• Taiwanese plane with 53 passengers crashes in Taipei river
• Jordan executes two Iraqi militants in response to pilot's murder
• House votes to repeal and eventually replace Obamacare
• 6 Dead in Metro-North Train-Car Collision, Fire
• California man arraigned in threats to Muslim civil rights group
• Commuter train strikes car outside New York City
• FBI offers reward for Ohio man wanted for murders, robberies
• Imprisoned shoe bomber says attack on U.S. plane OK under Islamic law

Chicago-area cop acquitted in beanbag gun death of World War Two vet Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:22 PM PST A Chicago-area police officer was acquitted on Wednesday of charges of reckless conduct stemming from the fatal beanbag gun shooting of a 95-year-old World War Two veteran in a nursing home, the State's Attorney's Office said. Cook County Associate Judge Luciano Panici found that Craig Taylor, 44, a police officer in the suburb of Park Forest had not used excessive force in the 2013 incident. Prosecutors had argued at the bench trial, which takes place before a judge instead of a jury, that Taylor could have found other ways to subdue John Wrana, who was wielding a knife and had threatened to kill people. Wrana did not drop the knife when ordered to do so by other police officers who were at the scene.

Oklahoma capitol closed after suspicious letters found: police Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:05 PM PST OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - The Oklahoma state capitol was closed on Wednesday after four suspicious letters containing powder arrived at the building, police said. There have been no immediate reports of anyone being sickened by the powder, police said. (Reporting by Heide Brandes; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Long-serving Obama senior aide Pfeiffer stepping down Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says one his longest-serving aides plans to step down next month.

Missing 86-year-old Detroit lottery winner found dead: police Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:46 AM PST (Reuters) - An 86-year-old Detroit man whose family said he disappeared a day after winning $20,000 in the lottery in December was found stabbed to death in a vacant house, authorities said on Wednesday. Arthur Neal Jr., whose family said he went missing on Dec. 20, was found dead on Sunday afternoon, said Officer Nicole Kirkwood, a Detroit police spokeswoman. Family members told local media that Neal won $20,000 in the lottery on Dec. 19. A Michigan Lottery representative could not be reached immediately for comment.

New Jersey Governor Christie ducks media after vaccination comments Posted: 04 Feb 2015 09:17 AM PST By Sam Wilkin LONDON (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a possible 2016 presidential contender, canceled three scheduled media appearances in the UK on Tuesday, amid a controversy over his comments on measles vaccinations. His comments came a few hours after President Barack Obama said parents should have their children vaccinated, saying the science was "pretty indisputable." Christie canceled two question-and-answer sessions and a press statement he was due to make after meeting UK finance minister George Osborne. "We just decided we're not going to have availability today," said Maria Comella, Christie's head of communications, after the last scheduled appearance was canceled.

U.S. official: Guantanamo 'not on table' in Cuba talks Posted: 04 Feb 2015 08:11 AM PST The U.S. State Department official leading negotiations with the Cuban government said on Wednesday the return of the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is not being considered in those talks. "The issue of Guantanamo is not on the table in these conversations," Roberta Jacobson, the assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, testified during a House of Representatives hearing. Cuban President Raul Castro said last month that Havana's demands in talks with the United States toward normalizing diplomatic relations had included the return of the base.

September 11 conspirator Moussaoui says Saudi royals backed al Qaeda Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:55 AM PST By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former al Qaeda operative imprisoned for life for his role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has told lawyers for victims of the attacks that members of the Saudi royal family supported the Islamic militant group. Zacarias Moussaoui made the statements in testimony filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday by lawyers for attack victims who accuse Saudi Arabia in a suit of providing material support to al Qaeda. He said a list of donors from the late 1990s that he drafted during al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's tenure included some "extremely famous" Saudi officials, including Prince Turki al-Faisal Al Saud, a former Saudi intelligence chief.

Judge allows hearings on summer closings of New York nuclear plant Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:06 AM PST (Reuters) - A judge in New York has ruled Entergy Corp cannot stop hearings on the state's plan to shut the company's Indian Point nuclear power plant for part of the summer to protect fish in the Hudson River. In a ruling late Tuesday, an administrative law judge at the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) rejected Entergy's latest attempt to stop the state from shutting the plant, at least for part of the summer. The ruling was the latest salvo in an eight-year battle between Entergy, which wants to run Indian Point for another 20 years, and the state, which wants the plant shut. The state's power grid operator and local utilities have said the shutdown of the plant could threaten the reliability of the power grid and boost prices in the Big Apple.

Breakaway Episcopal churches in South Carolina can keep property: judge Posted: 04 Feb 2015 06:49 AM PST By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A breakaway group of Episcopal churches in South Carolina can retain its diocese name after leaving the U.S. Episcopal Church and keep historic church real estate worth $500 million, a judge has ruled. The Diocese of South Carolina, which consists of dozens of parishes, was within its rights to leave the national church in 2012 after the larger organization moved to ordain gay clergy and bless same-sex marriages, Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein said in a ruling Tuesday evening. The judge rejected the Episcopal Church's argument that it had legal interest in the Diocese of South Carolina's property because it was a hierarchical structure embracing the dioceses below it. The diocese owns real estate including historic properties such as St. Philip's Church, first built in 1681, and St. Michael's Church, built the following century, both in Charleston, according to court documents.

Urban roller skating fights for survival as U.S. rinks close Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:38 AM PST The Rink and a handful of other decades-old skating venues put Chicago at the center of a vibrant African-American subculture of urban roller skate dancing that stretches from Atlanta to Detroit and from Los Angeles to New York. While mainstream roller skating has been on a long decline, a new generation of skaters including 28-year-old Josh Smith – whose skating handle is "Batman" – travel a circuit of rinks around the country to compete and show off their moves. At the end of a long night of skating in Chicago, at 1 a.m. he jumps in a car with skating buddies and heads to Alabama to compete at a national gathering known as a skate jam. Veteran Chicago skaters call themselves JB skaters - after remixed James Brown songs that are a local staple.

Boston's Super Bowl parade to draw hearty fans amid massive snow piles Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:22 AM PST By Tim McLaughlin BOSTON (Reuters) - Despite a pair of record-setting snowstorms, die-hard New England Patriots fans are expected to hit the streets of Boston on Wednesday to celebrate their team's Super Bowl victory with a downtown parade. The parade, held in World War Two-era amphibious trucks known as "duck boats," will go on amid snow drifts that are piled 6 feet (1.8 meter) high in places after Boston received more than 40 inches (1 meter) of accumulation over the past week. Mayor Marty Walsh had initially scheduled the parade for Tuesday, but he pushed it back until 11 a.m. Wednesday due to a heavy Monday snowfall. He warned parade-goers not to climb on snowbanks to try to get a closer look at players including star quarterback Tom Brady and Malcolm Butler, the rookie whose interception in the final seconds sealed Sunday's victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Florida court asked to decide if gay sex constitutes 'intercourse' Posted: 04 Feb 2015 02:25 AM PST By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on the definition of sexual intercourse in a test of a law requiring HIV-positive people to tell partners of their status. The case arose in Key West where Gary Debaun was charged in 2011 with falsely telling a man he did not have the virus before they engaged in sex acts. Monroe County Circuit Judge Wayne Miller dismissed the case, saying state law defined "sexual intercourse" as between men and women. The state appealed, arguing that the 1986 law Debaun violated, which requires HIV-infected people to inform their partners, was intended to cover all sex acts, both homosexual and heterosexual, even if it did not precisely define the nature of sexual intercourse.

Whitney Houston's daughter in medically induced coma: friend Posted: 03 Feb 2015 10:44 PM PST By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - The daughter of the late pop star Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown was placed in a coma to stop brain swelling after she was found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her Georgia home on the weekend, family friend Kim Burrell told "Access Hollywood". Bobbi Kristina Brown, 21, was transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta on Tuesday after three days at North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources close to the family. Brown was discovered in the bathtub on Saturday by her partner, Nick Gordon, and a friend. "To correct earlier reports, Bobbi Kristina is not and has never been married to Nick Gordon," a statement issued by Bobby Brown's attorney, Christopher Brown, said.

At least 9 killed when plane crashes into Taiwan river Posted: 03 Feb 2015 10:12 PM PST By Faith Hung and Michael Gold TAIPEI (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed and dozens were unaccounted for after a Taiwanese TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board crash-landed in a Taipei river on Wednesday, officials and domestic media said. Television footage showed passengers wearing life jackets wading and swimming clear of the river. Other Taiwanese government authorities said the plane was carrying 58 passengers and crew, including 31 tourists from mainland China.

Taiwanese plane with 53 passengers crashes in Taipei river Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:24 PM PST TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A Taiwanese commercial flight with 53 passengers aboard clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and crashed into a river in the island's capital of Taipei on Wednesday morning.

Jordan executes two Iraqi militants in response to pilot's murder Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:21 PM PST Jordan has executed by hanging a jailed Iraqi woman militant and an Iraqi al Qaeda operative.

House votes to repeal and eventually replace Obamacare Posted: 03 Feb 2015 07:34 PM PST The U.S. House of Representatives added another notch to its lengthy record of Obamacare repeal votes on Tuesday by approving a measure that would scrap the healthcare law and direct oversight committees to come up with a replacement. Defying a White House veto threat, lawmakers voted 239-186 on a measure to eliminate the complex web of federal subsidies, insurance reforms, taxes and regulations that have extended health coverage to millions of Americans since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010. The action now moves to the Senate, where Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas conservative, introduced legislation for full repeal on Monday. The influential conservative group Heritage Action for America called the House vote "the beginning of a multi-month effort" to send a full repeal legislation to President Barack Obama's desk.

6 Dead in Metro-North Train-Car Collision, Fire Posted: 03 Feb 2015 06:32 PM PST At least six people are dead after a crowded Metro-North commuter train hit a vehicle on the tracks north of White Plains, New York, Tuesday night, sparking a fire that gutted the lead car of the train, according to the MTA. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the gates came down on top of the SUV at the crossing, which was stopped on the tracks. Passengers were evacuated to the back of the Harlem Line train then were taken to a local rock-climbing gym for shelter, the Cliffs. Buses were en route there to get to them to Pleasantville, a spokesperson for the railroad said.

California man arraigned in threats to Muslim civil rights group Posted: 03 Feb 2015 06:16 PM PST By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A San Diego-area man accused of placing a threatening phone call to one office of a Muslim civil rights group and sending a threatening message to another pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to hate crimes charges. San Diego police then traced the Jan. 15 phone call to Weissinger and went to his house, where they found an AR-15 assault-style rifle and a high-capacity ammunition magazine, Garcia said. Moreover, Garcia said, investigators found "slurs and writings of a racist nature" in Weissinger's home. Weissinger, 53, was later accused of using his iPhone to send a threatening message to the Washington, D.C., office of CAIR.

Commuter train strikes car outside New York City Posted: 03 Feb 2015 05:13 PM PST (Reuters) - A commuter train struck a car north of White Plains, New York, on Tuesday night, the Metro-North Railroad service said on its official Twitter feed, but it was not immediately clear if there were injuries or fatalities. The New York Daily News reported that the accident occurred about 6:45 p.m. and that the car burst into flames. The Mount Pleasant Police Department, which responded to the accident about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of New York City, declined to give any information on the incident when contacted by Reuters. Metro-North Railroad said service on the Harlem Line was suspended between North White Plains and Pleasantville because of the collision.

FBI offers reward for Ohio man wanted for murders, robberies Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:36 PM PST (Reuters) - The FBI on Tuesday offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man suspected of murdering an elderly Ohio couple and taking part in a string of armed robberies in three states. The FBI is working with law enforcement agencies across the country to find Robert Roy Clark, 29, formerly of Dennison and Canton, Ohio. He is wanted for the Jan. 21 abduction and murders of Doyle Chumney, 88, and Lillian Chumney, 79 of Strasburg, Ohio, according to the FBI and the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office.

Imprisoned shoe bomber says attack on U.S. plane OK under Islamic law Posted: 03 Feb 2015 03:20 PM PST More than 13 years after his failed attempt to blow up a passenger plane with explosives hidden in his shoes, Richard Reid told U.S. researchers he believes his actions were permissible under Islamic law, according to correspondence released on Tuesday. Reid, who is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado because of the attack, was foiled in his 2001 bid to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami when passengers and crew overpowered him as he tried to ignite explosives in his shoes. The attempted attack in December 2001 came as Americans were on heightened alert following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on U.S. targets, and prompted federal officials to institute stricter security rules for travelers requiring airline passengers to run their shoes through a screening device. "I do believe my actions to have been permissible in Islamic law, although I admit that many people would dispute that and disagree with me on that point," Reid wrote in one of a series of letters with researchers from the Virginia-based Justitia Institute who reached out to him last June.

You are subscribed to email updates from Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States