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

Chicago to shutter dozens of schools
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Chicago-to-close-54-schools-to-address-1B-deficit-4373170.php
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.

Suspect in Colorado Killing Is Shot in Texas
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/us/suspect-in-colorado-killing-is-shot-in-texas.html
DENVER - A man who was grievously wounded after a gun battle and high-speed chase with Texas law enforcement officers on Thursday is suspected of being tied to the killing of the head of Colorado's prison system, who was shot to death at his home on ...

NRA sues over New York gun control
http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/207052/37/Rifle-and-Pistol-Association-File-Gun-Lawsuit
(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.

Drought that ravaged US crops likely to worsen in 2013, forecast warns
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/21/noaa-outlook-drought-worse-2013
The historic drought that laid waste to America's grain and corn belt is unlikely to ease before the middle of this year, a government forecast warned on Thursday.

David Ranta served 21-plus years for the killing of a Brooklyn rabbi in 1990
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Judge-frees-man-convicted-of-killing-NY-rabbi-4372138.php
New York (CNN) -- After more than two decades behind bars, David Ranta walked out of a Brooklyn courthouse Thursday afternoon with an apology from a judge and one immediate wish: "Get the hell out of here.

Bell trial ends in chaos
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57575628-504083/bell-corruption-case-jurors-who-convicted-calif-mayor-councilors-continue-to-deliberate/
The Bell corruption trial came to a chaotic end Thursday as the judge declared a mistrial on the outstanding counts, saying "all hell has broken loose" with the deeply divided jury.

Recording Suggests Race Is a Factor in Stops by New York Police
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/21/174941454/at-stop-and-frisk-trial-cops-describe-quota-driven-nypd
For years, the debate over the New York Police Department's use of stop-and-frisk tactics has centered on whether officers engage in racial profiling.

Biden, Bloomberg and Newtown Parents Press for Strict Gun Control
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-asks-lawmakers-newtown-assault-weapons-ban/story?id=18784660
Just two days after Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., dropped the assault weapons ban from gun legislation to be introduced in April, Vice President Joseph Biden was in New York City, joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg and three Newtown families to ...

Texas suspect's link to Colorado slaying is investigated
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-colorado-corrections-killing-20130321,0,4133198.story
HOUSTON -- A man suspected of trading gunfire with North Texas authorities Thursday and who could be linked to the slaying of Colorado's prisons chief is likely to die, Texas officials said.

3 longtime friends win $1M Powerball prize
http://www.komonews.com/news/national/Powerball-jackpot-swells-to-320-million-199416841.html
Posted: 10:03 p.m. Thursday, March 21, 2013. 3 longtime friends win $1M Powerball prize. Related. View Larger · 3 longtime friends win $1M Powerball prize photo.

Twitter post at developer conference leads to upset Internet and two people jobless
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2013/03/twitter-post-developer-conference-leads-upset-internet-and-two-people-jobless
The tweet Adria Richards posted on Sunday ousting two developers attending Pycon has started a storm on the Internet. A bizarre chain of events stemming from a tweet made at a Python developers conference on Sunday has left two people without jobs and ...

Teen burn-attack victim Michael Brewer released after drug-related arrest
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/21/3298180/teen-burn-attack-victim-michael.html
More than three years after he was set on fire by three classmates, Michael Brewer thought a painful chapter in his life was over when the last of his attackers was sentenced to prison.

Bipartisan Senate group close to deal on broad immigration bill, citizenship path ...
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/chuck-schumer-gang-of-8-immigration-reform-deal-89200.html
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of senators is nearing agreement on a comprehensive immigration bill that would put illegal immigrants on a 13-year path to citizenship, officials with outside groups keeping up with the talks said Thursday.