WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit near New Orleans overnight, putting a damper on Mardi Gras just in time for the solemnity of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Three tornadoes touched down just east of New Orleans near the airport and rain was coming down at up to two inches an hour early Wednesday morning, according to the Orleans Parrish sheriff’s office and the Weather Channel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit near New Orleans overnight, putting a damper on Mardi Gras just in time for the solemnity of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Three tornadoes reportedly touched down in East New Orleans and rain was coming down up to two inches an hour early Wednesday morning, according to the Weather Channel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill that could make Maryland the sixth state where gay marriage is fully legal cleared a key committee on Friday, but supporters said its future was still uncertain.

After Senate Bill 116 was approved last week, it went to the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee where it was passed 12 to 10 on Friday afternoon, but not without some bumps along the way.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill that could make Maryland the eighth state to effectively allow gay marriage cleared a key committee on Friday, but supporters said its future was still uncertain.

After Senate Bill 116 was approved last week, it went to the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee where it was passed 12 to 10 on Friday afternoon, but not without some bumps along the way.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Several former top officers of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, including two rear admirals, have been recommended for censure following an investigation into lewd videos shown on the ship, the Navy said on Thursday.

The videos shot and shown aboard the vessel emerged in January and drew criticism for containing simulated masturbation, toilet humor and slurs against homosexuals.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Several past top officers of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, including two rear admirals, have been recommended for censure following an investigation into lewd videos shown on the ship, the Navy announced on Thursday.

The videos made and shown on the vessel emerged in January and drew criticism for simulated masturbation, toilet humor, and slurs against homosexuals.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A severe weather front was bringing high winds, lightning, hail, flooding and a few tornadoes to the Southeast and mid-Atlantic on Monday, forecasters said.

The storm ran through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys overnight, causing flooding that will continue to swell Midwestern waterways throughout the week as the one to three inches of heavy rain meets with quickly melting snow, according to accuweather.com.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb said on Wednesday he will not run for re-election in 2012, hurting chances his party will hold the seat in the state that has taken a Republican turn.

The announcement also dashes prospects for a high-profile rematch between Webb and former Republican Senator George Allen, who is making a bid to regain the seat he lost partly because of a racially insensitive comment he made during his campaign.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans were unemployed in January, far higher than the national jobless rate and the highest since the government began collecting data on veterans in 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday.

That rate could go even higher if the U.S. military begins winding down operations in Afghanistan and a flood of veterans return home looking for work, a veterans’ advocate said.