Governor removes names of clerks from licenses

Governor removes names of clerks from licenses

FRANKFORT, Ky.

Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin ordered the state to prepare new marriage licenses that do not include the names of county clerks in an attempt to protect the religious beliefs of clerk Kim Davis and other local elected officials.

The executive order comes after Davis, the Rowan County clerk, spent five days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis said she could not issue the licenses because they had her name on them.

Bevin said he wanted to “ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored.” It was one of five executive orders he issued Tuesday, the first of his administration, that mostly revised or suspended recent actions by former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear.

Secret Service agent’s gun stolen from car in DC

WASHINGTON

A Secret Service agent had his gun, portable radio, badge and other items stolen from his personal vehicle in downtown Washington, police said.

According to a District of Columbia police report, the theft occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Monday outside a downtown office building, less than a block from the agency’s headquarters. The agent parked his car and returned a few minutes later to find a window open and a bag missing, the report said.

The bag contained his service weapon, a Sig Sauer handgun, the report said. It also included a radio, his Secret Service badge, a USB drive and handcuffs.

Bergdahl arraigned at US Army base

FORT BRAGG, N.C.

Wearing a dress blue uniform, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl faced a military judge Tuesday for the first time since the U.S. Army decided to proceed with a military trial that could result in a life sentence for his disappearance in Afghanistan in 2009.

Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he walked off a base, was arraigned during a short hearing on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, a relatively rare charge that carries the severe punishment. If convicted of desertion, he could get up to five years in prison.

Bergdahl deferred entering a plea and did not decide whether he wants to face a court-martial with a jury or one with just a judge.

Man who loaned gun to bomber gets time served

BOSTON

A man who loaned a gun used by the Boston Marathon bombers to kill a police officer was sentenced Tuesday to the 17 months he has already served and apologized, saying his actions were “dumb.”

“I was young, dumb, and thought I could outsmart everyone,” 22-year-old Stephen Silva told a judge in U.S. District Court. He pleaded guilty to gun and heroin-distribution charges last year.

Silva testified during the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that he let Tsarnaev borrow a Ruger 9 mm handgun two months before the bombings. The two had known each other since eighth grade and attended school together in Cambridge.

He said Tsarnaev told him he wanted the gun to rob University of Rhode Island students, adding that Tsarnaev “kept coming up with excuses” for not returning it.

Associated Press