A number of same-sex spouses and widows who were legally married in Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming that a 1996 federal law discriminates against married same-sex couples by limiting certain protections and benefits that are normally provided to married...

Cash-strapped states are eyeing what some may think is an unlikely target for their budget axes: the death penalty. In what is likely to become a heated debate over policy, CNN is reporting that some states have introduced legislation to "take the death penalty off the books over financial concerns....

In the wake of the recent salmonella outbreak related to peanuts, lawmakers are calling for a new federal agency to oversee food safety. Suggestions range from splitting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into two agencies to creating a new agency that would combine pieces from the different age...

This week New Jersey resident Ryan Ward pled guilty to disorderly conduct related to impersonating New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain. Also this week, a Florida woman's Corvette was stolen and crashed by a man she believed to be a former Foreigner drummer. When does playing on your natural li...

The AP reports that 18-year-old Wisconsin resident Anthony Stancl has been accused of "posing as a girl on Facebook, tricking at least 31 male classmates into sending him naked photos of themselves and then blackmailing some for sex acts." Stancl was charged on Wednesday with "five counts of child e...

Today the New Jersey Supreme Court sided with Scabby the Rat in a battle over First Amendment rights in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. The court ruled that a local ordinance enforced against a labor protester displaying the ten foot tall rat balloon was an unconstitutional restriction of speech. T...

Washington state legislators have put forth a bill to extend the state's domestic partnership benefits. The bill attempts to complete the inclusion of domestic partners everywhere Washington law addresses married people. The Seattle Times reports that state Senator Ed Murray and Representative Jami...

Many families have some kind of familiar morning routine. The parents might get up, get the kids ready for school or the day's activities, strap them into their car seats and drive off. The Miami Herald reported that one Florida family's early morning routine turned into tragedy this past Sunday whe...

The promoter of a monster truck show was tragically killed by a monster truck in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend. George Eisenhart Jr.’s death came one day after he touted the show's safety, and about a week after a boy was killed at a monster truck show in Tacoma. The AP reports that Eisenhart, ...

In the latest in the string of grim news coming from retailers across the nation, Home Depot has announced that 7,000 jobs will be cut and four dozen stores closed. The cuts constitute 2% of its total workforce, and the shut-downs involve the company's high-end EXPO stores, YardBIRDS stores, Design ...