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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An attorney for the neighborhood watch leader charged with fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is asking a judge to deny prosecutors' request that the teen's marijuana use be off limits.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A civil liberties group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of an ex-Marine who was detained in a psychiatric facility after posting anti-government messages on Facebook, using the case to criticize a program that looks for veterans who may have become extremists.

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MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Communities in the tornado-prone Midwest are increasingly building "safe rooms" in public schools. But this week's deadly tornado near Oklahoma City highlights how storm protection in the nation's schools is inconsistent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009 in Pakistan and Yemen. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama.

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By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles, which has more storefront medical marijuana shops than any other U.S. city, will close hundreds of the dispensaries and hike taxes on those that will be allowed to remain under a ballot measure approved by a wide margin of voters. Nearly 63 percent of voters supported Proposition D, which will cap the number of medical pot dispensaries at... [read full article]

By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Chicago Board of Education voted on Wednesday to close 50 schools - including about 10 percent of all elementary schools in the largest mass school closing in the nation. The closings in mainly Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods have drawn protests by parents and teachers union leaders who say the closures will put children in danger with longer walks through troubled areas as well as disrupt families. ...