[U.S.] Chicago to shutter dozens of schools

Chicago to shutter dozens of schools
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57575703/chicago-plans-54-school-closures-to-cut-%241b-deficit/
Chicago (CNN) -- Chicago school officials said Thursday that they plan to close dozens of schools in a bid to improve education and tackle a $1 billion deficit.

Man in Texas shootout, possibly linked to Colo. prison chief's death, ID'd as ...
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57575695/police-texas-shootout-may-be-linked-to-colo-officials-slaying/
DECATUR, Texas - A man who led Texas authorities on a 100 mph car chase that ended in a shootout Thursday and may be linked to the slaying of Colorado's state prison chief is a paroled prison inmate, officials said.

NRA sues over New York gun control
http://www.wina.com/NRA-affiliate-files-lawsuit-challenging-New-York-s/11458736?newsId=201244
(CNN) -- The National Rifle Association's New York state affiliate filed a federal lawsuit Thursday in Buffalo contesting the constitutionality of the SAFE Act, the sweeping gun-control bill Gov.

Man Wrongly Convicted of Rabbi's Murder Released Nearly 23 Years Later
http://abcnews.go.com/US/man-wrongly-convicted-rabbis-murder-released-23-years/story?id=18784699
The last time David Ranta walked free, the Berlin Wall had just fallen and Nelson Mandela had just been released from prison. Now, 23 years later, the 58-year-old who was wrongfully convicted of murdering a New York City rabbi heard his handcuffs clink for ...

'Vote-a-rama': The Senate budget votes that tell the tale
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/vote-a-rama-the-budget-votes-that-tell-the-tale-89202.html?hp=t1_3
A big chunk of the upcoming Senate budget vote-a-rama will be a waste of time - like votes on senators' pet causes or generic partisan issues.

US weather forecasters expect warm spring, persistent drought
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/warm-spring-continued-drought-predicted-us-18782571
The National Weather Service predicts the Midwest and Southwest will face moderate to exceptional drought. Spring flowers study 2013 01 17 Enlarge.

Paris Jackson questioned about dad's death in lawsuit
http://thegrio.com/2013/03/21/judge-sets-rules-for-suit-over-michael-jackson-doctor/
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Paris Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson, is being questioned Thursday about her father's last days as part of her family's wrongful death lawsuit against a concert promoter.

Path to Citizenship for Immigrants Draws Support Across Party Lines, Survey Finds
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/21/3299195/senators-lean-toward-point-based.html
Nearly two-thirds of Americans favor giving illegal immigrants in the country an opportunity for legal status with a path to citizenship, according to a poll published Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution.

FCC Chairman Genachowski to announce departure Friday: sources
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/source-genachowski-to-step-down-from-top-fcc-post-89201.html
WASHINGTON | Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:59pm EDT. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will announce on Friday that he will step down, according to an FCC official, leaving the agency after a four-year ...

Republicans in Congress shift focus to long term
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57575622/congress-finally-averts-fiscal-crisis-with-time-to-spare/
WASHINGTON - Sending President Obama a bill Thursday that averts a government shutdown, Congress proved that it can, in fact, function.

Profiles of 7 Marines killed in Nevada explosion
http://brooklyn.news12.com/sports/profiles-of-7-marines-killed-in-nevada-explosion-1.4854617
Photo credit: AP | This undated photo provided by the U.S. Marines shows Cpl. Aaron Ripperda of Highland, Ill. Ripperda was killed with six other Marines in an explosion during a Nevada training exercise on Monday, March 18, 2013.

Community leaders applaud gun control dialogue, want more focus on Brooklyn
http://brooklyn.news12.com/news/community-leaders-applaud-gun-control-dialogue-want-more-focus-on-brooklyn-1.4861140
Some Brooklyn residents say the lawmakers should come to the borough to get a better perspective on gun violence here. (March 21, 2013 4:55 PM).

Millennial Support For Gay Marriage Hits All-Time High: Pew Research Center
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/21/174943855/when-should-politicians-life-experience-determine-policy
Approval of same-sex marriage among young adults is at an all-time high, according to new findings from the Pew Research Center. The poll found 70 percent of adults born in 1981 or later, often referred to as millennials, support marriage equality.

Christie opposes conversation therapy but will he sign a ban into law?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/christie-adorable-grilling-n-kindergarteners-article-1.1295018
(CNN) - A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday that he "does not believe in conversion therapy" for homosexuals, but did not say whether the New Jersey governor plans to support a ban on the practice that's under consideration ...

As New Drone Policy Is Weighed, Few Practical Effects Are Seen
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/21/174925726/cia-drone-operations-could-be-handed-to-pentagon
CHICAGO - Under growing pressure to bring greater transparency and accountability to its use of targeted killing, the Obama administration is struggling to transform a program that was conceived under pressure, has operated in a secretive and often ...

Rape accusations, teens, and Twitter attacks in another US town
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/conn-football-players-accused-sexual-assault-18771159
(CNN) -- Three teenage boys in a Connecticut town -- at least two of them popular high school football players -- stand accused of rape for alleged encounters with two 13-year-old girls.