LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A federal judge denied a bid by a group of Christian churches on Monday to force a California beachside town to reopen a park to a nearly 60-year-old Christmas-season nativity display it discontinued after atheists upstaged the event last year.

The court action grew out of a clash between sponsors of the nativity scenes and a group of atheist activists who competed with the churches for limited space in Santa Monica’s biggest public park and managed to dominate last year’s holiday displays with anti-religious messages.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The puppeteer behind the “Sesame Street” character Elmo has taken a leave of absence from the children’s television show to contest allegations, disputed by the performer and producers, that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy, the show’s production company said on Monday.

New York-based Sesame Workshop said in a statement that its own inquiry, including interviews with the now 23-year-old accuser, concluded that claims of underage sexual conduct against puppeteer Kevin Clash were unsubstantiated.

By Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman

(Reuters) – Voters in three Western U.S. states weighed ballot initiatives on Tuesday that will determine whether they become the first in the nation to legalize possession and sales of marijuana for recreational purposes, putting them at odds with federal law.

Early returns showed Colorado voter support for a proposed state constitutional amendment legalizing pot leading 52 percent to 48 percent, with roughly a third of all ballots tallied.

LOS ANGELES, Sept 18 (Reuters) – The space shuttle Endeavour
always had plenty of elbow room while soaring around Earth. But
to make way for its slow 12-mile (19-km)journey through city
streets next month to its final destination at a Los Angeles
museum, some trees must fall.

Clearing an unobstructed route for the retired spaceship to
take from Los Angeles International Airport to the California
Science Center will require cutting down nearly 400 trees in
all, and the temporary removal of hundreds of utility poles,
street lights and traffic signals, officials say.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The civil rights attorney who represented the family of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin has asked for a federal investigation into the use of force by the Los Angeles Police Department following three violent altercations involving LAPD officers.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder dated Wednesday, Benjamin Crump said the three incidents, all caught on videotape during the past month, show a pattern of police brutality by the LAPD that warrants a Justice Department inquiry.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. casino owner Steve Wynn won $20 million in punitive damages for defamation on Tuesday, doubling his total judgment in a lawsuit accusing “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis of slandering him by falsely claiming that Wynn had threatened his life over a gambling debt.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury deliberated for about two hours before reaching its decision in the second phase of a defamation trial that capped a protracted, high-stakes legal feud between the two men.

LOS ANGELES, Sept 11 (Reuters) – U.S. casino owner Steve
Wynn won $20 million in punitive damages for defamation on
Tuesday, doubling his total judgment in a lawsuit accusing
“Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis of slandering him by
falsely claiming that Wynn had threatened his life over a
gambling debt.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury deliberated for
about two hours before reaching its decision in the second phase
of a defamation trial that capped a protracted, high-stakes
legal feud between the two men.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Casino owner Steve Wynn was awarded $20 million in damages on Monday in his defamation suit against “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, whom Wynn accused of slander for falsely claiming the Las Vegas mogul wanted him killed over a gambling debt.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury, which began its deliberations on Friday, also found that Francis acted with malice, setting the stage for a second trial phase – due to open on Tuesday – to determine whether Francis should also pay punitive damages.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Casino owner Steve Wynn was awarded $20 million in damages on Monday in his defamation suit against “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, whom Wynn accused of slander for falsely claiming the Las Vegas mogul wanted him killed over a gambling debt.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court jury, which began its deliberations on Friday, also found that Francis acted with malice. The verdict set the stage for a second phase of the trial – due to open on Tuesday – to determine whether punitive damages should be ordered.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Gay marriage opponents asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold a California ban on same-sex matrimony that was struck down by a lower court as a violation of the Constitution.

The petition from supporters of Proposition 8, the voter-approved state constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, moves the politically charged case one step closer to a potential high-court review in the weeks before November’s U.S. presidential election.