South Carolina officer dismissed after shooting man in back

By Harriet McLeod NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) – A white South Carolina police officer has been fired after being charged with murder for shooting a black man in the back as he fled, but questions remained on Wednesday about some details of the killing that was filmed by a witness. The shooting occurred on Saturday in North Charleston, a town of about 100,000 people, nearly half of whom are black, but it gained national media attention on Tuesday when the video became public. The shooting was the latest in a series of deaths during police encounters in the United States that have led protesters to decry racism and police brutality. North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers said at a news conference that he did not know whether officers performed CPR on the victim, 50-year-old Walter Scott, who ran away after being stopped by police for a broken brake light on his vehicle.

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Family of man found hanging in Mississippi wants information

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Lawyers hired by the family of a black man who was found hanging in Mississippi said Wednesday that they are hiring independent experts, including a high-profile forensic pathologist, to conduct an investigation separate from the one pursued by state and federal authorities.

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Phone Cameras and Apps Help Speed Calls for Police Reform

People who support police reform say watchdog smartphone apps are evidence of the power of tech weapons in the fight.

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Family of mentally ill Florida man releases videos of police shooting

By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) – New videos showing a mentally ill Florida man being shot dead by police call into question a Miami area department’s explanation of the shooting, said attorneys for the victim’s family who released the footage on Wednesday. Footage captured from within a police car at the scene show shell cases flying as a police officer shot 25-year-old Lavall Hall on Feb. 15. Two of the bullets hit Hall, Miami Gardens police told reporters in the days after the incident, explaining that Hall had attacked officers with a broom stick. A spokesman for the Miami Gardens Police Department was not immediately available to comment.

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Iran calls for a timetable for global nuclear disarmament

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran is accusing the five nuclear powers of failing to take concrete action to eliminate their stockpiles and is calling for negotiations on a treaty to achieve nuclear disarmament by a target date.

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Drought-hit California tightens low-flow toilet, faucet rules

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) – California on Wednesday moved to tighten already stringent regulations on how much water can flow through toilets and faucets, part of the state's effort to respond to prolonged drought. The regulations passed by the California Energy Commission come on the heels of action on Tuesday to propose a framework for California's first-ever mandatory cutbacks in water use as the drought enters its fourth year. “In the face of California’s current drought, we must use water as efficiently as possible," said Commissioner Andrew McAllister. "Updating minimum standards for toilets, urinals and faucets is a step in that direction.” Under the rules, which go into effect in 2016, the flow through new kitchen faucets sold in the state would drop slightly, to 1.8 gallons (6.8 liters) per minute from the current standard of 2.2 gallons (8.3 l) per minute.

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U.S. appeals court deals setback to Florida tobacco plaintiffs

By Jessica Dye NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court ruling on Wednesday could make it more difficult for smokers suing tobacco companies in Florida to prove claims that cigarettes are dangerous and that tobacco companies were negligent. The ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses more than $800,000 in damages from R.J. Reynolds and Altria Group Inc unit Philip Morris USA Inc awarded in 2013 to Earl Graham, whose wife Faye, a longtime smoker, died in 1993 of lung cancer. More broadly, the court said smokers who, like Graham, were originally part of a massive class action in Florida against the tobacco companies could not rely on findings from the class action trial to prove claims that cigarettes are defective and tobacco companies were negligent.

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Governor, advocate seek answers in Utah inmate’s death

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's governor and a Latino community advocate called for answers Wednesday in a prison inmate's death that occurred after dialysis providers failed to show up for his treatment.

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Water, ag, environmental groups talk drought with Gov. Brown

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown has met with top officials from water agencies, agricultural interests and environmental groups about California's worsening drought.

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Utah man surprised by meeting with President Obama

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Last week, 26-year-old Lance Futch donned a white polo shirt and drove to Hill Air Force Base for what he believed was a chance to be in the audience during a news conference with a "senior White House official."

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