Recently in National Category

The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a major discrimination case filed against Wal-Mart Monday where women were underpaid and passed up for promotion.

In the largest workplace class action in the nation's history, the court will decide if Wal-Mart can be sued for sex bias.

According the the LA Times the lawsuit was brought up because women were regularly paid less than men and were passed up for promotion.

The retail giant said the plaintiffs worked in over 3,400 different stores in 170 job classifications undermining the possibility for a class-action suit, the New York Times reported.

Twenty-three students and one teacher were held hostage at gunpoint by a student Monday at a high school in Marinette, Wisc., a town that borders Michigan's upper peninsula.

Zach campbell, one of the student hostages, said they class was watching a film before the gunman shot at the projector a little after 3 p.m.

According to the New York Times there were no demands made by the armed student, and there was no indication for why he took hostages.

Around 8 p.m. officers heard three gunshots before breaking down the classroom door. The 15-year-old gunman then shot himself, the LA Times reported.

All of the hostages made it out with no injures. The gunman was sent to a hospital and his condition was not immediately known.

Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes was ordered Friday to surrender to authorities to begin his three-year sentence.

U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes had a fair trial in 2008 when the actor was convicted for failing to file his income tax returns in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and should turn himself in.

According to the BBC, Snipes appealed to the courts decision and has been on bail ever since.

The 48-year-old "Blade" trilogy star was acquitted of two more serious felony charges, the LA Times reported.

The condensation trail over the coast of L.A. Monday evening, first thought to be a missile, was probably and aircraft, a pentagon official said.

At sunset Monday residents of L.A. witnessed what appeared to be a missile launch over the ocean.

The Navy, Air Force, and Defense Department were not aware of any scheduled launches when contacted by news stations Monday night, Yahoo reported.

A Pentagon official said Tuesday what people saw was probably the condensation trail of an aircraft.

According to the LA Times radar, satellite and other imaging technology was used by government agencies to determine that no missile was launched at that time in that location. Commercial airliners were also flying in the vicinity at that time according to records from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Three high court justices, who helped make Iowa the first Mid-western state to allow same-sex marriage, were removed from their seats Wednesday after they didn't receive enough votes for re-election.

Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, David Baker and Michael Streit needed to gain more "yes" votes than "no" votes to serve another eight-year term under the voting system in Iowa. None of them campaigned much and did not raise money.

According to CNN their removal from the bench ended a campaign in the state that was funded mostly by out-of-state organizations against same-sex marriage.

Bob Vander Plaats, a Republican who led the campaign, said he hopes this sends a message to the country that the people hold the power, the New York Times reported.

"We're concerned about the precedent this has set tonight and what it means for the influence of money and politics on the judicial system," said co-chair of Fair Courts for Us Dan Moore, who supported the judges.

The new horror flick "Paranormal Activity 2" ended the weekend with $41.5 million in ticket sales, which earned the top spot at the box office.

"Paranormal Activity 2" is about a household haunted by a menacing spirit, which does not stray too far from the original movie that was a surprise blockbuster a year ago.

Most of the movie's profit came from its first day. According to Yahoo.com, "Paranormal Activity 2" pulled in half its weekend earnings on Friday with $20.1 million.

MTV reported that even if the second installment of "Paranormal Activity" does not surpass the original a third movie is not out of the question.

Only secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force can now discharge gay service members, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Defense secretary Robert M. Gates sent out a directive limiting who can send gay service members home because of the recent confusion about "don't ask, don't tell."

Even after being ruled unconstitutional, the DADT policy, which bans service members to serve openly in the military, is still in place after a federal appeals court said the law could still be enforce temporarily, the New York Times reported.

According to the LA Times, the Pentagon intends to repeal the law, but will not have a report issued until Dec. The report will outline how to implement the policy change, and how benefits, housing, and other matters will be handled.

The Obama administration trys to preserve the military policy "don't ask, don't tell" after a judge ruled it unconstitutional last month.

Judge Virginia A. Phillips of Federal District Court sent an injunction Thursday requiring the military to stop enforcing the policy, but efforts were repealed, the New York Times reported.

"This policy will end and it will end on my watch," President Obama said. "I can't simply ignore laws that are out there." Government court filing's stated it would be dangerous for service members and disruptive to military rules if the policy was revoked during wartime.

According to the LA Times, The Pentagon is in talks about how to implement the policy change if Congress decides to repeal.

A Pakistani immigrant, who attempted to set off a bomb in Times Square last May, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday morning.

Faisal Shahzad, who plead guilty with no deals on June 21, remained defiant as the judge, Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, put him away for life. According to LA Times, Shahzad continued to press his viewpoint with interruptions talking about the Koran and how the U.S. will be defeated.

On May 1 Shahzad's vehicle, loaded with powerful explosives, failed to go off in Times Square, and he was arrested two days later on a plane before it left for Dubai, the New York Times reported.

He cooperated with officials immediately.

Gloria Stuart, known for her role as Rose in the blockbuster "Titanic", died late Sunday at the age of 100.

Stuart, who had her Hollywood prime in the 1930s, died in her Los Angeles home from respiratory failure, her daughter, Sylvia Thompson, said Monday.

According to Reuters, Stuart was a breast cancer survivor after being diagnosed with the disease five years ago. "She did not believe in illness. She paid no attention to it, and it served her well," Thompson said.

Born on July 4, 1910, Stuart was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild and rose to fame for a second time in James Cameron's 1997 film "Titanic" where she played old Rose Calvert, the Star Tribune reported.

At 87, Stuart was the oldest actor ever to be nominated for an Academy Award.