News You Ought to Know

DALLAS MAN SET TO DIE FOR KILLING DAUGHTERS, 9 AND 6
(AP) Attorneys say a 60-year-old former accountant deserves a fair hearing to determine if he’s competent to be executed for gunning down his two young daughters in Dallas while his ex-wife – their mother – listened helplessly on the phone. John David Battaglia was set for lethal injection Wednesday evening for the May 2001 shooting deaths of his daughters, Faith, 9, and Liberty, 6, in his apartment. He’d be the 10th convicted killer executed in the U.S. this year, the sixth in Texas.

INSURANCE INDUSTRY HEADLIGHT RATINGS FOR MIDSIZE CARS
(AP) Headlight effectiveness ratings for selected model year 2016 midsize cars, as tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. GOOD: Toyota Prius V, ACCEPTABLE: Audi A3, Honda Accord 4-door, Infiniti Q50, Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Mazda 6, Nissan Maxima, Subaru Outback (built after Nov. 2015), Volkswagen CC, Volkswagen Jetta, Volvo S60, MARGINAL, Acura TLX, Audi A4, BMW 2 series, BMW 3 series, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, POOR: Buick Verano, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Malibu Limited (fleet model), Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat.

 
OBAMA SHORTENS PRISON SENTENCES FOR 61 DRUG OFFENDERS
(AP) — President Barack Obama commuted the federal prison sentences of 61 drug offenders on Wednesday including more than a third serving life sentences, working to give new energy to calls for overhauling the U.S. criminal justice system.All of the inmates are serving time for drug possession, intent to sell or related crimes. Obama’s commutation shortens their sentences, with most of the inmates set to be released on July 28.