CHEATING WEBSITE-DUGGAR
Reality star Josh Duggar admits to cheating on his wife
NEW YORK (AP) β Calling himself “the biggest hypocrite ever,” ex-reality star Josh Duggar has apologized for an addiction to pornography and for cheating on his wife.
The statement posted on his family’s website was apparently spurred by Duggar’s name appearing among millions exposed in a data breach of customers of the Ashley Madison website, an online service that caters to people looking to cheat on their spouses.
The 27-year-old Duggar’s admission comes after recent revelations that he molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teenager. That led to the cancellation of the TV show “19 Kids and Counting.”
In May, Duggar also resigned from the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group, where he had lobbied against gay marriage.
In his statement, Duggar says he’s “grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.”
Sound:
260-v-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–Calling himself “the biggest hypocrite ever,” ex-reality star Josh Duggar has apologized for an addiction to pornography and for cheating on his wife. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (20 Aug 2015)
< 258-v-32-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP Entertainment Editor)–An ex-reality TV star is apologizing for actions in his personal life. Details from AP Entertainment Editor Oscar Wells Gabriel. Updated: 08/20/2015-05:34:29 PM ET (20 Aug 2015) < 259-c-17-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP Entertainment Editor)-“was a teenager”-AP Entertainment Editor Oscar Wells Gabriel reports Josh Duggar’s private life hasn’t squared with his public support for conservative values. Updated: 08/20/2015-05:34:30 PM ET (20 Aug 2015) < 261-c-23-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)-“faith in him”-AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports that Josh Duggar’s admission comes after his name appeared in a data breach of customers of Ashley Madison, an online service for people looking to cheat on their spouses. (20 Aug 2015) < UNION UNIVERSITY-GAY MARRIAGE Union University leaves council over same-sex marriage JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) β Union University officials say the Tennessee school has withdrawn from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities after two other schools that belong to the council endorsed same-sex marriage. The Jackson Sun reports that Union University President Samuel Oliver notified the council of the Baptist school’s withdrawal in a letter on Aug. 10. In the letter, Oliver says Union’s decision came after Eastern Mennonite University and Goshen College endorsed same-sex marriage. Oliver says the council held a meeting last fall to discuss the issue, and there were several other opportunities to address it. Oliver says it was his understanding that the two schools would withdraw from membership, but that has not happened. Union University had been a member of the council for 24 years. GAY MARRIAGE-MAGISTRATE Panel investigates Wyoming magistrate over gay marriages CASPER, Wyo. (AP) β A state judicial panel is investigating a Wyoming magistrate who was quoted in a local newspaper saying she would not perform same-sex marriages. Pinedale Municipal Judge Ruth Neely told the Sublette Examiner in a story published last December that she would not marry gay couples because of her religious beliefs. She said there was at least one other magistrate in the area who could marry gay couples if necessary. The story came less than three months after a federal judge in Casper struck down Wyoming’s gay marriage ban last year. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that the Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics announced that it is investigating Neely over six possible violations of judicial conduct. The commission says Neely is citing her religious beliefs and her constitutional rights. CHURCH SPLIT-SPRINGFIELD Springfield church splits from Presbyterian denomination SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) β A Missouri church has voted to split with the Presbyterian Church USA over differences in theology. The Springfield News-Leader reports that 72 percent of the voting members of the First and Calvary Presbyterian Church approved the split. The church also recently received a restraining order to keep the local presbytery from interfering in the church’s operations. While some churches have left the Presbyterian Church USA over its growing acceptance of same-sex marriage and gay clergy, Senior Pastor Andrew Chaney said his church decided to split because of changing teachings on the divinity of Christ, the authority of the Bible and church governance. He cited new language adopted by Presbyterian Church USA in a governing document that says members are united through diversity, including “theological conviction,” which means people of different faith beliefs are welcomed in the church. Chaney said First and Calvary members generally believe only one conviction should unite the church. JIMMY CARTER-CANCER With humor and honesty, Carter talks about his cancer ATLANTA (AP) β Former President Jimmy Carter says cancer has spread to his brain, but adds that “it’s in the hands of God, who I worship.” At a news conference in Atlanta, Carter said doctors had removed melanoma from his liver, but found four small tumors in his brain. Later Thursday, he had a radiation treatment. The former president also will receive injections of a new drug to help his immune system seek out and destroy cancer cells wherever else they may appear. The 90-year-old Carter said he plans to keep teaching Sunday School at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, as long as he’s “physically and mentally able.” His next class will be this Sunday. Carter said hundreds of people visit the church “to see the curiosity of a politician teaching the Bible.” Sound: 204-w-36-(Mark Smith, AP White House correspondent, with former President Jimmy Carter and Dr. Walter Curran, director, Winship Cancer Center, Emory University and and Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter)–Former President Carter is beginning treatment for the cancer that doctors found in his liver but that’s now spread to his brain. AP White House Correspondent Mark Smith reports. (20 Aug 2015) < 183-a-10-(Former President Jimmy Carter, in news conference at the Carter Center)-“been very slight”-Former President Jimmy Carter says physically he’s doing well, all things considered. (20 Aug 2015) < 184-a-13-(Former President Jimmy Carter, in news conference at the Carter Center)-“have to consider”-Former President Jimmy Carter says he still hopes to go to Nepal in November to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. (20 Aug 2015) < 186-a-14-(Dr. Walter Curran, director, Winship Cancer Center, Emory University, speaking to reporters at the Carter Center)-“each specific tumor”-Dr. Walter Curran, head of the Winship Cancer Center at Emory University, says the radiation Carter will receive is very advanced and extremely well targeted. (20 Aug 2015) < 185-a-15-(Dr. Walter Curran, director, Winship Cancer Center, Emory University, speaking to reporters at the Carter Center)-“quality of life”-Dr. Walter Curran, head of the Winship Cancer Center at Emory University, says doctors aren’t aiming to cure former President Carter’s cancer — just make it manageable. (20 Aug 2015) < 195-a-10-(Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, speaking to reporters at the Carter Center)-“for 69 years”-Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter says the former president and his wife Rosalynn have been handling this with calm good humor. (20 Aug 2015) < 193-a-12-(Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, speaking to reporters at the Carter Center)-“as a person”-Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter says the former president has been showing tremendous grace since learning of his spreading cancer. (20 Aug 2015) < 194-a-11-(Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, speaking to reporters at the Carter Center)-“on the phone (second reference)”-Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter says the family is gratified by the outpouring of support since the former president announced he has cancer. (20 Aug 2015) < 182-a-11-(Former President Jimmy Carter, in news conference at the Carter Center)-“important to me”-Former President Jimmy Carter says he’ll teach Sunday school again this weekend in Plains, Georgia, which will remain the focus of his life with his wife Rosalynn. (20 Aug 2015) < PERU-DRUG FLIGHTS Peruvian Congress authorizes shooting down drug planes LIMA, Peru (AP) β Peru’s Congress has unanimously approved legislation authorizing military planes to shoot down suspected drug flights, which police say smuggle more than a ton of cocaine to Bolivia daily. President Ollanta Humala is expected to sign the bill into law. Peru halted aerial interdiction after an air force pilot killed U.S. missionary Roni Bowers and her seven-month-old daughter in a 2001 attack on a misidentified plane. Peru became the world’s No. 1 cocaine producer in 2012 and about half the cocaine it produces travels via small planes to Bolivia. Humala vowed to make combating trafficking a priority when he took office in 2011. His government has eradicated a record amount of coca fields but has been criticized for seizing a relatively small amount of cocaine and leaving the “air bridge” to Bolivia undisturbed. HOUSTON HOME-FAMILY SLAIN Funeral held in Minnesota for 8 slain Texas family members LA CRESCENT, Minn. (AP) β Eight black hearses lined up outside a church in a small southeastern Minnesota community as mourners inside gathered to remember eight slain members of a Houston, Texas, family. The victims, laid to rest later Thursday, were Valerie and Dwayne Jackson and their six children, ages 6 to 13. The mother’s ex-boyfriend is charged with capital murder in the Aug. 8 shootings. Authorities say David Conley handcuffed most of them and shot each in the head. The Jacksons spent time in La Crosse, Wisconsin, but the funeral was held in nearby La Crescent, Minnesota, because Valerie Jackson’s surviving child lives in the area. Thursday’s funeral and burial at a cemetery outside of town were private. The La Crosse Tribune reports about 30 members of Bikers Against Child Abuse stood guard outside the church. JONESBORO-FACEBOOK COMPLAINT Facebook page draws complaint from group over Bible verses JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) β The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation says Bible verses posted on a Facebook page operated by the director of 911 emergency dispatch services in Craighead County, Arkansas, constitutes a government endorsement of religion. Jonesboro, Arkansas, Mayor Harold Perrin initially responded to the complaint by ordering that the religious material be taken off the page, but was later told the site was private and not under the control of city government. The Jonesboro Sun reports that officials have asked for the state attorney general’s opinion on the matter. The page, formerly called “Dispatch Jonesboro,” is now called “Presley Dispatch.” It provides alerts on traffic accidents, weather or other law enforcement or public safety topics. A resident who’s an atheist says he’s been blocked from viewing the site. POPE-PHILADELPHIA-DRONES Philadelphia to be no-drone zone for pope’s Sept 26-27 visit PHILADELPHIA (AP) β Philadelphia will be a no-drone zone when Pope Francis is in town. The FAA says it’s banning the unmanned aircraft from city airspace during the Sept. 26-27 visit. An agency advisory says model airplanes, gliders and hot air balloons are also being barred, along with planes towing advertising banners. Don’t think about parachuting in or flying a crop duster, either. Law enforcement, first responders and the news media are required to apply for airspace clearance at least a week before Francis arrives. The Department of Homeland Security requested the restrictions. The FAA says they’re designed to ensure safety while providing as much airspace access as possible. The agency says the restrictions could change with little or no notice. ARCHDIOCESE-SEX ABUSE LAWSUIT Philadelphia archdiocese settles sexual abuse lawsuit PHILADELPHIA (AP) β The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has settled a lawsuit brought by a man whose testimony helped convict two Catholic priests and a former parish-school teacher on sexual abuse charges. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the 26-year-old plaintiff told grand jurors that he was passed among three men and repeatedly sexually assaulted while serving as an altar boy in Philadelphia in the late 1990s. He said the abuse destroyed his life and led to drug abuse, behavioral problems and suicide attempts. Terms of the settlement weren’t announced. It’s at least the third this year between the church and its accusers. U OF ILLINOIS-MENORAH VANDALISM Vandal damages U of Illinois center’s large menorah CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) β Police say that for the second time this year, someone has vandalized a large menorah outside a Jewish center on the University of Illinois campus. University police are investigating the Wednesday incident but told The News-Gazette in Champaign that there weren’t any immediate arrests. Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel (TECH’-tel), who directs the Chabad (hah-BAHD’) Jewish Center, says the incident shocks him. In a security-camera video that the center shared with police, a man struggles to push the 9-foot menorah down before finally knocking it to the ground. He then walks away and joins two other people on a nearby sidewalk. Tiechtel said the center is already looking for a replacement menorah. Someone similarly damaged the menorah on April 10. SLOVAKIA-MIGRANTS Slovakia under fire for religious test for migrants BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) β Slovakia is under fire for its preference to grant asylum to migrants who are Christians. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland says in a Thursday statement on Twitter: “Refusing refugees on the grounds of their religion is blatant discrimination,” adding “Slovakia should reverse its position.” Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in June blocked a European Union plan for member countries to take set numbers of refugees arriving in Italy and Greece. The four said they were ready to help but only on a voluntary basis. Slovakia later announced it was ready to accept a hundred Christians from Syria and temporarily provide shelter for 500 migrants who have applied for asylum in Austria. Officials did not say whether the 500 could include non-Christians.
