US records 37 executions, on pace to top 40 for second consecutive year

HUNTSVILLE, Texas: Two executions in Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday pushed the US tally to 37 this year, putting the country on track to exceed 40 for a second consecutive year, a pace driven by Florida. Texas put to death John Allen Rubio, 46, who was convicted of fatally stabbing and beheading three young children in 2003. Hours earlier, Oklahoma…