3 Bandidos indicted in killings at eatery
FORT WORTH -- Three members of the Bandidos motorcycle club were indicted on murder charges Wednesday stemming from a chaotic 2015 shooting that involved police and members of another biker club outside a restaurant in Waco, Texas.
The indictments mark the first murder charges in the case, and more than 20 other bikers were re-indicted on new charges ranging from rioting to tampering with evidence. The lesser charges come just eight days before the statute of limitations runs out on those crimes -- and a day after dozens of cases were dropped.
Police arrested nearly 200 bikers after the shooting at a Twin Peaks restaurant that left nine people dead and 20 injured. Investigators say the incident was sparked by rivalries between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs. Waco police officers monitoring the gathering also fired on the bikers.
The murder charges were filed against Jeff Battey, a local sergeant-at-arms with the Bandidos, and two other club members: Ray Allen and Glenn Walker.
Volcano in touchy stage, agency warns
PAHOA, Hawaii -- Geologists warned Wednesday that Hawaii's Kilauea volcano could erupt explosively and send boulders, rocks and ash into the air around its summit in the coming weeks.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the risk will rise if the lava drops below the groundwater level beneath the summit's caldera.
An influx of water inside could cause steam-driven explosions. There's also potential for ash, steam and sulfur dioxide emissions.
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. Thirty-six structures have been destroyed since it began releasing lava into fissures that opened in a Big Island residential neighborhood last week.
In the Leilani Estates subdivision, police went door-to-door Tuesday to roust residents near two new volcanic vents emitting dangerous gases in areas.
Authorities previously ordered nearly 2,000 residents to leave the two communities in the mostly rural district of Puna on Hawaii's Big Island last week.
N.J. law allows college aid for illegals
NEWARK, N.J. -- In-state financial aid for hundreds of New Jersey students without legal status is now available under a new law Gov. Phil Murphy enacted Wednesday.
Murphy signed the legislation permitting illegal aliens in New Jersey to apply for state financial aid at Rutgers University-Newark. The administration says there are 759 students covered by the 2013 law that could now be eligible for in-state aid.
The Democratic governor cast the law as a repudiation of Republican former Gov. Chris Christie's 2013 conditional veto of similar legislation as well as push-back of President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration.
Some Republicans voice opposition to the law. Republican Assemblyman Jay Webber, who is running for Congress this year, said citizens should be treated as well as or better than noncitizens and that showing compassion to immigrants doesn't require offering "limitless public benefits."
Legislative estimates put the potential costs of additional tuition aid grants at $4.47 million for the current academic year.
The law makes New Jersey the ninth state to enact legislation enabling illegal aliens to qualify for financial aid.
State expands 'stand your ground' law
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has expanded the state's "stand your ground" law to allow people to use deadly force in church.
The Republican governor signed House Bill 2632 which adds places of worship to the list of locations where Oklahoma citizens have a "right to expect absolute safety." The list already includes a person's home and place of business.
The law allows someone to use deadly force against anyone who enters those locations "unlawfully or forcefully."
Republican Rep. Greg Babinec, who introduced the Oklahoma bill in January, has said the legislation was designed to protect churchgoers and was "necessary based on what we've seen in the past."
A Section on 05/10/2018