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• Exclusive: Safety concerns rise at big Texas refinery a decade after disaster
• White powder, threat empties Colorado Jewish center; tests negative
• Three dead after van carrying musicians crashes in Georgia
• Dean: Rolling Stone story rife with bad journalism
• Ex-NFL star Darren Sharper due in federal court for rape case
• Stray bullet hits boy, 8, in head as he sleeps in Los Angeles: police
• U.S. man accused in worldwide online child sex exploitation case
• Supreme Court declines to review North Carolina voting law
• Jeb Bush marked 'Hispanic' on Fla. voter registration form: NYT
• US safety officials review petition to reopen probe of Ford headlights
• Exclusive: Ellen Pao talks about tech's boys club
• Ukrainian leader lifts objections to vote on regional power
• On deck for the Yanquis: Cuban baseball stars await embargo's end
• Obama casts Iran talks as part of broader foreign policy
• Boston bombing jury to hear closing arguments, begin guilt deliberations
• Obama defends Iran deal as 'once in a lifetime' opportunity
• Rolling Stone retracts explosive UVA rape story
• Rolling Stone rebuked by independent review of campus rape story
• Report: Rolling Stone rape article 'journalistic failure'
• Rolling Stone awaits review of discredited Virginia gang rape story
• NYC's Easter Parade brings out creative hats
• Jerry Brown defends drought order that doesn't limit farmers
• Jenny Wallenda, matriarch of the 'Flying Wallenda' family, dies

Exclusive: Safety concerns rise at big Texas refinery a decade after disaster Posted: 06 Apr 2015 12:40 PM PDT By Erwin Seba TEXAS CITY, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. workplace regulators are probing accident data reported by Marathon Petroleum Corp at its huge Texas refinery, as laborers and union representatives raise concerns that safety practices implemented a decade ago following a deadly explosion are being rolled back. The inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at Marathon's Galveston Bay Refinery, where the worst U.S. refining accident of the last 30 years occurred under former owner BP Plc, came "in response to a complaint regarding the recording of workplace injuries and illnesses," a Labor Department official said. BP sold the plant, which used to be known as the BP Texas City refinery, to Marathon in 2013 as part of a $2.4 billion deal. Marathon, the country's third-largest refiner with seven plants nationwide, confirmed "OSHA initiated an investigation regarding the proper classification of a handful of incidents." OSHA investigations are fairly common at the nation's 142 refineries and the launch of a probe does not necessarily mean the agency believes there has been wrongdoing.

White powder, threat empties Colorado Jewish center; tests negative Posted: 06 Apr 2015 12:23 PM PDT By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A Jewish community center in Colorado was evacuated on Monday after a worker opened an envelope containing a threatening message along with white powder that was later deemed to be harmless, police said. The letter was sent to the Boulder Jewish Community Center, said Commander Heidi Prentup, spokeswoman for the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. The threat came during the Jewish holiday of Passover, when Jews commemorate their liberation from bondage in ancient Egypt. The Boulder facility hosts a daycare center and kindergarten, as well as cultural and educational programs that make it a "central address for Jewish life in Boulder County," according to its website.

Three dead after van carrying musicians crashes in Georgia Posted: 06 Apr 2015 11:00 AM PDT The 15-passenger van was carrying 12 occupants and traveling southbound on Interstate 85 about 65 miles north of Atlanta, near the city of Commerce, when it went down an embankment and collided with a tree, the Georgia State Patrol said in a statement. Police would not release the names of the victims or the bands.

Dean: Rolling Stone story rife with bad journalism Posted: 06 Apr 2015 10:27 AM PDT CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Columbia Journalism School Dean Steve Coll says Rolling Stone magazine's expose of what it called a culture of sex assaults at the University of Virginia was rife with bad journalistic practice.

Ex-NFL star Darren Sharper due in federal court for rape case Posted: 06 Apr 2015 09:20 AM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former NFL star Darren Sharper, who has pleaded guilty or no contest to rape or attempted rape in three states, is due to be arraigned in federal court in New Orleans on Monday on charges that he drugged women to sexually assault them. Sharper, 39, a five-time Pro Bowl National Football League safety who helped lead the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory in 2010, is expected to serve at least nine years in federal prison for his crimes, prosecutors have said. Along with a co-defendant, Sharper faces three federal counts of drugging women in Louisiana and elsewhere with the intent to rape them. Sharper also has been charged locally with drugging and sexually assaulting two women in New Orleans, and is due in court on those charges on Tuesday.

Stray bullet hits boy, 8, in head as he sleeps in Los Angeles: police Posted: 06 Apr 2015 08:47 AM PDT (Reuters) - An eight-year-old boy was in critical but stable condition on Monday after he was hit in the head by a stray bullet while he slept at his Los Angeles home, police said. The boy's father and the suspect in the shooting were arguing at the home in Del Rey just before midnight on Sunday when shots broke out, Officer Liliana Preciado of the Los Angeles Police Department said. He was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery and was listed on Monday in critical but stable condition, the officer said.

U.S. man accused in worldwide online child sex exploitation case Posted: 06 Apr 2015 08:31 AM PDT (Reuters) - A federal grand jury has handed down new child sexual exploitation charges against a California man who investigators now suspect obtained sexually explicit images of more than 300 underage victims from the United States and worldwide. Blake Robert Johnston, 41, of Martinez, was charged in October 2014 with traveling to another state with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday. New charges lodged against him last week by a grand jury in Oakland include transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, online coercion, sexual exploitation involving a minor, and production of child pornography, it said. "Based on the analysis ... investigators now estimate there could be more than 300 other potential underage victims in this case, both domestically and worldwide," it said.

Supreme Court declines to review North Carolina voting law Posted: 06 Apr 2015 07:41 AM PDT By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the legality of new Republican-backed voting restrictions in North Carolina that were part of a law opponents argued was aimed at making it harder for voters who tend to favor Democrats to cast ballots. The court rejected the state's appeal of an October decision by the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found that parts of the 2013 law should be provisionally blocked while litigation continues. At issue in the current case are the sections of the law that barred same-day voter registration and provisional voting for voters casting ballots outside their normal precincts. The Supreme Court's action has little immediate impact as a full trial on the legality of the law is scheduled for this summer, with a final ruling likely ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Jeb Bush marked 'Hispanic' on Fla. voter registration form: NYT Posted: 06 Apr 2015 06:36 AM PDT Likely Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush, who was popular among Spanish-speaking voters while Florida governor, marked himself as 'Hispanic' on a 2009 voter registration application, The New York Times reported on Monday. The newspaper posted a fuzzy copy of the form, which it said it obtained from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department. Carolina Lopez, a spokeswoman for the county elections department, did not immediately return calls to Reuters. The brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush, Bush is exploring a presidential bid and is considered a frontrunner in the crowded field of possible Republican candidates.

US safety officials review petition to reopen probe of Ford headlights Posted: 06 Apr 2015 06:21 AM PDT U.S. safety regulators said they would review a petition from a North Carolina consumer group that sought further investigation into a potential loss of vehicle headlights or all exterior lighting in almost 518,000 Ford Motor Co large sedans in the United States. The North Carolina Consumers Council asked officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open a probe into 517,945 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis sedans from model years 2003 through 2005, according to recent documents filed with NHTSA. The safety agency had previously opened a preliminary investigation into the issue in November 2008, and after four months, closed the probe with a finding of no defect.

Exclusive: Ellen Pao talks about tech's boys club Posted: 06 Apr 2015 05:17 AM PDT The Silicon Valley exec talks to Katie Couric about losing her high-profile gender-discrimination case.

Ukrainian leader lifts objections to vote on regional power Posted: 06 Apr 2015 02:53 AM PDT KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says that he does not object to a referendum that could give more powers to the restive regions engulfed in more than a year of warfare.

On deck for the Yanquis: Cuban baseball stars await embargo's end Posted: 06 Apr 2015 02:35 AM PDT One of the top sluggers in Cuban baseball says it is his "dream" to come to the United States and play in the major leagues for his favorite team, the New York Yankees.

Obama casts Iran talks as part of broader foreign policy Posted: 05 Apr 2015 10:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is casting the Iran talks as part of a broader foreign policy doctrine that sees American power as a safeguard that gives him the ability to take calculated risks.

Boston bombing jury to hear closing arguments, begin guilt deliberations Posted: 05 Apr 2015 10:26 PM PDT By Scott Malone BOSTON (Reuters) - Attorneys for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and federal prosecutors who say he killed four people are due to make their closing statements on Monday before a jury begins deliberations on whether he is guilty of the attack in 2013. The first half of Tsarnaev's trial in Boston federal court proceeded at a blistering pace, with the two sides making their case in just 16 days, less time than it took to select the jury. Monday's closing statements could be a preview of the arguments each side plans to make during the next phase of the trial, when the same jury will hear a fresh round of witness testimony before determining whether to sentence Tsarnaev to life in prison without possibility of parole, or to death. "The rules of evidence are severely relaxed during the penalty phase of a capital trial and much more open to any sort of mitigating evidence of any sort that limits the defendant's responsibility," said Peter White, a lawyer at Schulte Roth & Zabel in Washington and former federal prosecutor.

Obama defends Iran deal as 'once in a lifetime' opportunity Posted: 05 Apr 2015 08:38 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama staunchly defended a framework nuclear agreement with Iran as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to prevent a bomb and bring longer-term stability to the Middle East. He insisted the U.S. would stand by Israel if it were to come under attack, but acknowledged that his pursuit of diplomacy with Tehran has caused strain with the close ally.

Rolling Stone retracts explosive UVA rape story Posted: 05 Apr 2015 07:38 PM PDT A review says the magazine failed in its reporting at every step of the editorial process.

Rolling Stone rebuked by independent review of campus rape story Posted: 05 Apr 2015 06:01 PM PDT By Frank McGurty NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rolling Stone magazine failed to follow basic journalistic safeguards in publishing a since-retracted story about an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity house, according to an outside review of the matter released on Sunday. "Rolling Stone's repudiation of the main narrative in 'A Rape on Campus' is a story of journalistic failure that was avoidable," the Columbia Journalism Review said in its lengthy critique of the article, conducted at the request of the magazine. "The failure encompassed reporting, editing, editorial supervision and fact-checking." Led by the dean of the Columbia Journalism School, the review examined the editorial process behind the explosive story, which failed to hold up under a barrage of questions raised by other media after its publication in November. The article, written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, gave a detailed account of a 2012 gang rape that a woman identified as "Jackie" said had endured at a fraternity house as a first-year student, and accused the university of tolerating a culture that ignored sexual violence against women.

Report: Rolling Stone rape article 'journalistic failure' Posted: 05 Apr 2015 05:28 PM PDT The magazine apologizes for its article about an alleged gang rape at Univ. of Va.

Rolling Stone awaits review of discredited Virginia gang rape story Posted: 05 Apr 2015 04:23 PM PDT By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Columbia University review of a now-discredited Rolling Stone magazine story about an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity was due out on Sunday, addressing questions of journalistic principles raised by the provocative article. Rolling Stone commissioned the review after backtracking on the story, "A Rape on Campus," which caused an uproar over the issue of campus sexual assault when it was published in November. The dissection of the article could lead to a shakeup at Rolling Stone, founded in 1967 by editor Jann Wenner, though CNN reported on Sunday that no one on the staff of the magazine was expected to be fired or punished over the debacle. Representatives of Rolling Stone were not immediately available for comment.

NYC's Easter Parade brings out creative hats Posted: 05 Apr 2015 04:08 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The bonnets appeared on Fifth Avenue for the annual Easter Parade — outlandish 21st century headpieces that were hardly bonnets, featuring everything from bunnies and butterflies to grassy, egg-dotted lawns and even a tall ship on the high seas.

Jerry Brown defends drought order that doesn't limit farmers Posted: 05 Apr 2015 01:58 PM PDT Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday defended his order requiring Californians statewide to cut back on their water use in a historic mandate that spares those who consume the most — farmers.

Jenny Wallenda, matriarch of the 'Flying Wallenda' family, dies Posted: 05 Apr 2015 01:26 PM PDT (Reuters) - Jenny Wallenda, the matriarch of the "Flying Wallenda" family of acrobats known for their breathtaking high-wire stunts, has died, the family said on Sunday. Wallenda died in Sarasota, Florida, on Friday night after a long illness, her nephew Rick Wallenda said. "She contributed greatly to our family, our high-wire troupe and our community... she is going to be greatly missed," he said. Wallenda was the grandmother of Nik Wallenda, who completed high-wire walks across the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and two Chicago skyscrapers during the last three years.

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