| Four sue over deadly Texas train collision with veterans parade Nov 29th 2012, 00:31 SAN ANGELO, Texas (Reuters) - Two military veterans and their wives who were riding on a parade float struck by a freight train this month in West Texas filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Union Pacific railroad and the company that provided the flatbed trailer used as a float. The suit, which appears to be the first since the November 15 crash that killed four veterans, was filed in Midland County District Court by Richard Sanchez, Heather Sanchez, Todd King and Laci King. The parade in Midland, Texas, was part of planned events saluting U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. ... |  | Texas takes steps to seize polygamist sect's ranch Nov 28th 2012, 23:47 AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas officials on Wednesday moved in court to seize a 1,600-acre West Texas ranch where officials say jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs sexually assaulted children. Sect members used proceeds from money laundering to buy the ranch in Eldorado, Texas, and illegally harbored Jeffs there while he was a federal fugitive, authorities said in court papers supporting seizure of the YFZ (Yearning for Zion) Ranch. ... | | Pentagon eyes project to preserve helicopter design capabilities Nov 28th 2012, 23:45 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department may fund initial work on a new military helicopter in a year or two to preserve the industry's critical design capabilities for that sector, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said on Wednesday. Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall told an investor conference he was concerned that the U.S. defense industry could lose the capacity to generate new designs for military helicopters because the Pentagon had not funded development of a new attack helicopter for many years. ... | | New York's MTA plans $4.8 billion of borrowing after Sandy Nov 28th 2012, 23:45 NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the biggest transportation network in North America, said on Wednesday that it could hike short term borrowing and squeeze its already tight budget to pay for repairs after Superstorm Sandy. In its first look at the storm's financial impact, the MTA said it may have to borrow an extra $4.8 billion. It is planning to raise fares in March as it braces for a total deficit of $333 million projected through 2016. In addition to storm-related losses, the agency is facing higher electricity, employee healthcare and overtime costs. ... | | New York lobbies for $42 billion in Sandy disaster aid Nov 28th 2012, 23:42  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York state is seeking $42 billion in aid to deal with damage from superstorm Sandy, but there is no assurance Congress will move quickly as it grapples with a budget crisis, officials from the state said on Wednesday. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg lobbied Congress on Wednesday, saying he was confident that lawmakers would agree to help pay for damage from Sandy, the second-costliest disaster in U.S. history, even as they deal with the looming "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and automatic spending cuts. ...
| | Illinois House votes to give Chicago more time on school closings Nov 28th 2012, 23:38 SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois House voted by a wide margin on Wednesday to give the Chicago Public Schools, the nation's third-largest district, four more months to announce what could be dozens of school closings. The state Senate, which also needs to approve the measure, will vote Thursday, an aide to Senate President John Cullerton said. The district, which was hit with a strike by public school teachers in September, forecasts a $1 billion deficit next year and is widely expected to try to balance its budget in part by closing public schools. ... | | Florida judge asked to dismiss wrongful death hazing lawsuit Nov 28th 2012, 23:16 ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Florida A & M University asked a judge on Wednesday to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit against it in the 2011 hazing death of marching band drum major Robert Champion. Richard Mitchell, a lawyer for the college known as FAMU, asked Judge Walter Komanski to toss out the civil lawsuit filed by Champion's family on grounds that Champion willingly submitted to a hazing ritual to gain the respect of certain band members. Komanski will rule on the request next week. "The overarching dispositive question is, did Mr. ... | | California Democratic campaign treasurer gets eight years for fraud Nov 28th 2012, 23:10 SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A Democratic campaign treasurer accused of defrauding the campaign war chests of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and other California politicians was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $10.5 million in restitution on Wednesday. Kinde Durkee, who controlled the funds of some 400 political candidates and groups, was arrested in September 2011 and charged with criminal mail fraud. She pleaded guilty in March as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. Durkee, 59, appeared in the U.S. ... | | Chicago artist gets a national stage: the holiday White House Nov 28th 2012, 23:08  CHICAGO (Reuters) - To help decorate the White House for the Christmas season this year, President Barack Obama turned to an artist from his hometown. David Lee Csicsko, a Chicago mosaic artist who specializes in public installations, designed the annual display in the corridor leading to the East Room and the State Dining Room, both areas that are elaborately decorated at the beginning of each holiday season. ...
| | Robert Kennedy's son is sued for assault Nov 28th 2012, 23:02 NEW YORK (Reuters) - A son of slain U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was sued for assault on Tuesday by two nurses at a New York hospital who say they sustained injuries while trying to stop him from leaving the maternity ward with his newborn son. The $200,000 civil suit also accuses Douglas Kennedy, 45, of negligence, battery and emotional distress and comes a week after a criminal court judge acquitted him of child endangerment and harassment charges related to the incident. ... | | Arizona declines to set up state-based health insurance exchange Nov 28th 2012, 22:05 PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, an ardent critic of President Barack Obama's push to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, said on Wednesday she was rejecting a new federal mandate to establish a state-based health insurance exchange under the U.S. Affordable Care Act. Citing lingering unanswered questions about the exchanges and concerns about high costs she said would be passed on to Arizona families and small businesses, Brewer, a Republican, said her state would opt instead for a federally run exchange. ... | | Pentagon, Lockheed "getting close" on next F-35 contract: Kendall Nov 28th 2012, 21:48  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp and the Defense Department are nearing agreement on a long-delayed contract for a fifth batch of F-35 fighter jets, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer told Reuters on Wednesday. "I think we're getting close," Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall told Reuters after a speech to an investor conference hosted by Credit Suisse. Kendall said he had "a very positive meeting" on Tuesday with Lockheed President Marillyn Hewson about a range of issues, including the $396 billion F-35 program, the Pentagon's largest weapons program. ...
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