CHICAGO (AP) — A man who alleges he was sexually abused by former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and later promised $3.5 million to stay quiet filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit Monday, saying he’s owed more than half the money Hastert promised. The man, identified in court documents as Individual A, filed the lawsuit … Continue reading
PHOENIX (AP) — There was a stark difference between the beginning and end of the criminal case against a man accused in a string of freeway shootings in Phoenix that sent a metro area into a frenzy as drivers feared they would be fired at on the interstate. After the man’s arrest, the … Continue reading
CLEVELAND (AP) — The city on Monday reached a $6 million settlement in a lawsuit over the death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy shot by a white police officer while playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center. An order filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland said the … Continue reading
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As the investigation into the killings of eight family members in rural Ohio entered its fifth day, more details slowly trickled out. Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk told the Columbus Dispatch Monday that the marijuana operations discovered at three of the four crime scenes included a grow-house sheltering … Continue reading
ANTIGO, Wis. (AP) — An 18-year-old man opened fire with a high-powered rifle outside of a high school prom in northern Wisconsin, wounding two students before a police officer who was in the parking lot fatally shot him, authorities said Sunday. Investigators did not say whether they believe the two students were … Continue reading
HONOLULU (AP) — As a record number of visitors stream into Hawaii, state officials want residents to know: Tourism is your friend. The agency that promotes travel to Hawaii is starting an online video campaign to remind locals about the benefits of the state’s biggest employer. The first installment features Honolulu chef Mark Noguchi … Continue reading
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A video appearing to show some of Nigeria’s kidnapped Chibok girls is being aired along with images of tearful parents recognizing their daughters, who have not been heard from since the mass abduction by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram two years ago. CNN on Wednesday showed video, believed … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After one, last, unforgettable, 60-point night, the fans of Los Angeles will have to get used to life without Kobe Bryant. It’s something many of them have never known. For two decades he has loomed over the city like no other figure, often literally on billboards and the … Continue reading
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington officials promised they were working quickly to increase security at the state’s psychiatric hospitals after a week in which two patients escaped and another two went missing. A man accused of torturing a 20-year-old woman to death in 2013 was recaptured Friday night after a two-day, cross-state … Continue reading
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Several country music artists and songwriters have condemned proposed laws that critics say discriminate against LGBT people, but anyone looking for reaction from the record labels and production companies on Nashville’s Music Row has heard only the sound of silence. New laws in North Carolina and Mississippi have … Continue reading
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrians in government-controlled areas cast ballots Wednesday for a new 250-member parliament that is expected to serve as a rubber stamp for President Bashar Assad in a vote which Western leaders and members of Syria’s opposition have denounced as a sham and a provocation that undermines the Geneva peace … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — The man of the moment on Broadway is, without question, Alexander Hamilton. With all the hoopla and hubbub, it’s tempting to think all the other shows are Aaron Burr. Imagine working on a big new show for years, pouring millions into it and then finally finding a Broadway … Continue reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s governor met Thursday with gay-rights advocates bearing a letter signed by more than 100 corporate executives urging him to repeal the nation’s first state law limiting the bathroom options for transgender people. The law also excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from anti-discrimination protections, and blocks municipalities … Continue reading
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday approved the nation’s highest statewide minimum wage of $15 an hour to take effect by 2022 after it was hailed by Democrats as an example to the nation as it struggles with a growing gap between rich and poor. The legislation now goes to Gov. Jerry … Continue reading
PURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) — Hillary Clinton gave a spirited defense Thursday of her campaign proposals and her lead in the Democratic primaries after she was disrupted by a group of Bernie Sanders supporters ahead of her home state’s primary. A few minutes into Clinton’s remarks on the campus of Purchase College, about 20 Sanders … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 