WIDOW ACQUITTED IN CLUB ATTACK
FLA.» The widow of ORLANDO, the gunman who slaughtered 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., was acquitted Friday of helping to plot the attack and lying to the FBI afterward — a rare and stinging defeat for the U.S. government in a terrorism case.
Noor Salman, 31, sobbed upon hearing the jury’s verdict. Within hours, she was released from jail after 14 months and got into a waiting car without answering questions.
Red-state teacher rebellion grows.
First it was West Virginia teachers who walked out of their classrooms and won higher pay. Then Oklahoma teachers threatened a walkout and got double-digit raises. Will Arizona be the next educators in a red state to rebel?
The threat of a walkout in Oklahoma pushed the GOP-led Legislature to vote overwhelmingly this week to boost taxes for teacher raises and school funding. National education leaders say it’s the latest success story in a movement that is gaining momentum.
A 9-day strike led to 5-percent teacher raises in West Virginia, while Oklahoma teachers will get raises topping 15 percent. Teachers in Arizona also are demanding pay hikes from the GOP Legislature.
Judge declares “serial stowaway” unfit for trial.
CHICAGO»
A woman dubbed a “serial stowaway” for repeatedly trying to sneak onto commercial jets without a ticket has been ruled unfit for trial.
Cook County Judge Maura Slattery Boyle on Thursday ordered 66-year-old Marilyn Hartman to be sent to a mental health facility. The ruling comes after psychologists for the defense and prosecution recommended Hartman undergo mental health treatment.
Deadly clashes in Gaza mark start of Palestinian campaign.
GAZA CITY, GAZA
Thousands of Palestinians marched to Gaza’s border with Israel on Friday in the largest such demonstration in recent memory, and 15 were killed by Israeli fire on the first day of what Hamas organizers said will be six weeks of daily protests against a border blockade. It was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 cross-border war between Israel and Hamas.
Schwarzenegger recovers after surgery.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was recovering Friday after undergoing emergency surgery during a procedure to replace a valve in his heart, according to his spokesman.
Schwarzenegger, 70, went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Thursday for a procedure to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally installed in 1997 because of a congenital heart defect, Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Daniel Ketchell, said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger had opted for a less-invasive catheter valve replacement, but during that procedure an open-heart surgery team stepped in to replace the valve because of complications.
Fire marshal criticized over deadly blaze resigns.
CALIF.» Oakland’s fire OAKLAND, marshal has resigned after being harshly criticized following the deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people.
Miguel Trujillo’s resignation was announced Friday by Fire Chief Darin White. White will handle Trujillo’s duties while a replacement is sought.
Zervos wants apology.
Summer Zervos, a California restaurant owner who appeared as a contestant on “The Apprentice,” isn’t asking for much in her defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump. She wants less than $3,000 and an apology for unwanted sexual advances.
If the lawsuit continues, it could land Trump in the same cycle of depositions that caused trouble for President Bill Clinton after he was sued by Paula Jones. — Denver Post wire services