3 men guilty on all counts in teens' slaying
National News
Three gang members have been found guilty of killing two Southern California teens and injuring two others during a 2011 shooting near an apartment complex playground.
The San Bernardino County district attorney's office says a jury convicted the men of two counts each of murder and three each of attempted murder. The verdict was read Tuesday.
The defendants were accused of killing 18-year-old Andrew Jackson and 17-year-old Quinn McCaleb as they walked with a group of teenagers in Redlands. Two other teens were shot but survived their injuries.
Authorities say one of the gunmen was seeking revenge after he was jumped by several men, and attacked the victims in a case of mistaken identity. The victims had no gang ties or prior contact with the defendants' gang.
Related listings
-
Court revives lawsuit vs. state Medicaid expansion
National News 04/25/2014The Arizona Court of Appeals on Tuesday revived a lawsuit challenging Gov. Jan Brewer's expansion of the state's Medicaid insurance plan for the poor, ruling that Republican lawmakers have the right to sue over their contention that a hospital assess...
-
Court declines to block drug ruling in patent case
National News 04/21/2014Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday declined to temporarily block a lower court ruling that opens the world's best-selling multiple sclerosis drug to competition from generic rivals next month. The decision is a victory for rivals chal...
-
GM to ask bankruptcy court for lawsuit protection
National News 04/17/2014General Motors revealed in court filings late Tuesday that it will soon ask a federal bankruptcy judge to shield the company from legal claims for conduct that occurred before its 2009 bankruptcy. The automaker's strategy is in a motion filed in a Co...
Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.