The Denver Post – by Kieran Nicholson

More than 100 barrels of crude oil was released from a Chevron pipeline in Rio Blanco County into a dry drainage ditch, killing some wildlife and prompting recovery and cleanup operations.

The spill from a Chevron Pipe Line Company line in Rangely was contained in a siphon dam about a mile and a half from Stinking Water Creek, according to a news release from Chevron and the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.   Continue reading “More than 100 barrels of Chevron crude oil foul drainage ditch in Rangely”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration in its final year in office spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal to turn over federal records under the Freedom of Information Act, according to an Associated Press analysis of new U.S. data that also showed poor performance in other categories measuring transparency in government.

For a second consecutive year, the Obama administration set a record for times federal employees told citizens, journalists and others that despite searching they couldn’t find a single page of files that were requested.   Continue reading “Obama’s final year: US spent $36 million in records lawsuits”

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Tax Revolution Institute

On February 24, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), addressed the attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to provide his vision for Republican “tax reform.”   Continue reading “The 5 Things Republicans Don’t Want You to Know About Their Tax Reform”

ABC News

While the Northeast braces for an expected blizzard, parts of western New York are already coping with the effects of extreme weather.

In Webster, New York, on the edge of Lake Ontario, a summer home turned into an icicle haven after high winds over the weekend sprayed the house with waves from the lake. The winds reached 80 mph, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.   Continue reading “High winds off lake turn western New York home into an ice house”

Fox News

The star of the reality TV show “American Guns” faces up to 15 years in prison after his conviction last week on firearms and tax evasion charges.

Richard Wyatt, 53, ran a Denver-area gun shop called Gunsmoke that was the setting for the Discovery Channel show for two seasons in 2011 and 2012.

He was found guilty Friday of selling guns without a license and failing to disclose $1.1 million in income to the IRS after a trial in Denver Federal Court, The Denver Post reports.   Continue reading “‘American Guns’ reality star convicted of selling firearms illegally, evading taxes”

Yahoo News

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A jury on Friday convicted two men of conspiracy to impede federal officers during last year’s high-profile armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon in a protest over control of Western lands. They face possible sentences of years in federal prison.

The verdict handed prosecutors some measure of redemption after they failed to convict occupation leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five other occupiers in a trial last fall involving the takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a federally owned remote bird sanctuary about 290 miles southeast of Portland.   Continue reading “Jury convicts 2 of conspiracy in Oregon ranching standoff”

Fox News

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has asked the remaining 46 U.S. attorneys who served under the Obama administration to resign, the Justice Department announced Friday, describing the move as part of an effort to ensure a “uniform transition.”

The department said some U.S. attorneys, as in prior transitions, already had left the department. Now, “the Attorney General has now asked the remaining 46 presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys to tender their resignations,” a spokeswoman said.    Continue reading “AG Sessions asks remaining 46 US attorneys to resign”

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KSTP 5 News

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Friday said it would defer potential charges against a 42-year-old man who had an alleged prearranged sexual encounter with a Champlin Park High School student on school premises Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Park police said Friday the student involved is 19 years old and has special needs.   Continue reading “Hennepin County Attorney: Charges Deferred against Illegal Alien in Alleged Champlin Park Sexual Encounter”

CNN

South Korea has been plunged into a period of political uncertainty after the President, Park Geun-hye, was forced out of office by a corruption scandal.

The country’s Constitutional Court upheld a parliamentary vote to impeach Park over allegations of corruption and cronyism. She becomes the country’s first democratically elected leader to be forcibly removed.   Continue reading “Two die in protests after South Korean president removed from office”

Yahoo News

NEW YORK (AP) — Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, who collapsed in his office last month, died from a heart attack, and no foul play was suspected, according to a senior city official briefed by the medical examiner’s office.

The official was not authorized to reveal the cause of death for Ambassador Vitaly Churkin and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday after the medical examiner’s office, citing diplomatic protocol, said it was instructed not to publicly release the cause of death.   Continue reading “Russian UN ambassador’s died from heart attack, source says”

Yahoo News

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who previously served as the CEO of oil and gas giant ExxonMobil, has recused himself from any decisions regarding the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

In a letter sent to the environmental group Greenpeace Thursday, a State Department deputy legal adviser writes that Tillerson decided to recuse himself in “early February… from working on issues related to TransCanada’s application for a presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.”   Continue reading “Tillerson steps away from possible pipeline decisions”

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Fox 57

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — The FBI raided the home of a Maryland man last month after he allegedly impersonated an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent while also attempting to enforce criminal laws, Montgomery County District Court documents state.   Continue reading “Sources: Wash. Post employee allegedly impersonated ICE agent; guns found at his Md. home”

Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Spanish energy company Repsol says an oil reserve of 1.2 billion barrels has been identified in Alaska’s North Slope, which the company is the largest onshore discovery in the United States in three decades.

Repsol said that the contingent resources of recoverable light oil found near the village of Nuiqsut in North Slope, would allow production of 120,000 barrels per day starting from 2021.   Continue reading “Spain’s Repsol, Armstrong Energy make major oil discovery in Alaska”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

The US economy added 235,000 jobs in February, beating upward revised expectations of 200K, in-line with whisper exepctations of 233K. Last month’s report was upward revised from 227K to 238K with the net addition for the past two months coming to +9K.  Continue reading “235K Jobs Added In February, Beat Expectations But Earnings Disappoint”

USA Today

A pet food maker is widening its recall of canned dog food due to fears it may be contaminated by a euthanasia drug,

Evanger’s has added two other varieties of its dog food after pentobarbital was detected in one lot of 12-ounce cans of Hunk of Beef Au Jus, which was recalled last month. Five dogs fell ill and one died, the company said, as five lots were pulled off the shelves.   Continue reading “Recall of dog food tainted by death drug widened”

BBC News

South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has become the country’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office.

Judges unanimously upheld parliament’s decision to impeach Ms Park over her role in a corruption scandal involving her close friend, Choi Soon-sil.

She now loses her presidential immunity and could face criminal charges.   Continue reading “South Korea president Park Geun-hye ousted by court”

Washington Post – by Anthony Faiola and Rick Noack

BERLIN — German police swarmed the main train station in the city of Düsseldorf after an ax attack left at least seven people injured, authorities said. At least three of the victims were seriously injured.

Düsseldorf police spokesman Andre Hartwich said one suspect has been arrested and police were investigating the motive. Authorities identified the suspect as a 36-year-old man who lived in the city of Wuppertal, located about 20 miles from Düsseldorf. He originally moved to Germany from the former Yugoslavia and “apparently has mental issues,” according to a police statement released late Thursday night. Authorities did not name the suspect.   Continue reading “At least 7 injured in ax attack at Dusseldorf train station”

Yahoo News

Edith Fuller is a spelling wiz.

With a white bow in her hair, the 5-year-old correctly spelled “jnana” — her 37th word at the Oklahoma Green Country Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday — to become the youngest person ever to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“I feel thankful,” Edith said after nailing the competition.   Continue reading “Oklahoma 5-Year-Old Girl Is the Youngest Contestant in National Spelling Bee History After ‘Impressive Performance’”

Quartz – by Marc Bain

It’s not a good sign for retail when a top executive in the industry compares things to the 2008 housing-market collapse that plunged the US economy into a deep recession.

On a call with investors yesterday (March 8) to discuss Urban Outfitters’ lackluster results for the quarter—sales grew less than 2%—CEO Richard Hayne offered a dim assessment of the retail landscape, likening its overabundance of stores to the housing market in the mid-2000s. The threat to the broader economy may not be as dire as the one posed by housing bubble, but for the retail industry, the consequences are proving harsh. According to Hayne, ecommerce owns a good part of the blame.   Continue reading “Urban Outfitters’ CEO says the US retail bubble is bursting, just like housing in 2008”