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Preaching to polarized congregations: A responsibility and a challenge, clergy say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

(RNS) — The Rev. Susan Sparks, a minister and a professional comedian, uses humor in her sermons to help her American Baptist congregation in New York City consider ways to approach those with whom they disagree.Pastor Joel Rainey, who leads a West Virginia evangelical church, hosts a “special edition” of his preaching podcast to answer questions he’s received from his politically diverse congregation about hot-button issues.Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin recently preached about anger, realizing it was an emotion felt by congregants of her Reform synagogue in Washington, no matter their stance on the Israel-Hamas war.Fueled by their work in comedy, psychology and theology, some clergy say reducing polarization is both a spiritual necessity for them and an ever-increasing part of their job description.___This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this st...

Wander Franco earns $700,000 bonus from MLB pool despite ongoing investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wander Franco will receive a bonus from Major League Baseball of more than $700,000 despite being placed on administrative leave in August while under investigation for an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco will get $706,761 as part of MLB’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, a fund agreed to by the league and players’ association as part of their 2022 labor contract. The bonus pool was created to reward young players, most who earn at or just above the minimum major league salary based on how long they’ve been in the big leagues.The 22-year-old Franco was having an All-Star season before being sidelined in August, when authorities in the Dominican Republic began investigating claims that Franco had been in a relationship with a minor. MLB launched its own investigation, placing Franco on the restricted list on Aug. 14 before moving him to administrative leave on Aug. 22. Both investigations are ongoing.The $50 million MLB bonus pool is distributed ...

Child, female hospitalized after being struck by vehicle in Forest Hill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

Toronto paramedics have taken a female and a child to hospital with non life-threatening injuries after they were struck by vehicle in North York on Monday afternoon.Emergency crews were called to Newgate Road and Ridelle Avenue, near Allen Road and Eglinton Avenue West, at around 3:28 p.m. for reports of two pedestrians struck.The exact ages of the two victims were not released.Police say the vehicle remained on scene.There’s no word on any potential charges at this point.More to come

Senator’s son appears in court on new homicide charge from crash that killed North Dakota deputy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer appeared in court Monday on a new homicide charge in connection with the crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy.The judge did not change the $500,000 cash bond she set for him earlier this month. State District Court Judge Bobbi Weiler said she will schedule a preliminary hearing for Ian Cramer, who is in jail. His attorney said he is gathering information for a mental health evaluation.Last week the judge approved new charges that upgraded Cramer’s initial manslaughter count to homicide while fleeing a peace officer in connection with the Dec. 6 death of Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin.Cramer faces nine charges, including reckless endangerment and preventing arrest, related to the pursuit and crash.The senator said in a statement that his son has “serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” Ian Cramer’s mother had driven him to a Bismarck h...

Mother gets life sentence for fatal shooting of 5-year-old son at Ohio hotel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

BROOKLYN, Ohio (AP) — A mother who shot and killed her 5-year-old son in an Ohio hotel after taking him there for a special day of fun was sentenced Monday to life in prison.Daneicha Bringht, 31, of Parma, had pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and other charges as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dropped charges that could have made her eligible for the death penalty. She will have to serve at least 35 years before she becomes eligible for parole.Prosecutors and defense attorneys acknowledged that Bringht has a history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, a court-ordered mental health evaluation determined she was competent to stand trial.Authorities have said Bringht took her son, Kaamir, to a hotel in Brooklyn in April 2021 so he could swim in their indoor pool. She also showered him with sweets.However, she eventually shot the boy 11 times while they were in their room. She then called police and told them an unknown man h...

An airstrike likely carried out by Jordan’s air force targets drug dealers in Syria, reports say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — An airstrike believed to have been carried out by Jordan’s air force struck a province in southern Syria late on Monday night, Syrian opposition activists said. Hours earlier, Jordanian authorities said their troops killed several smugglers in a border clash.There was no immediate confirmation from Jordan on the strike that hit the province of Sweida, a known route for drug smuggling from war-torn Syria to its southern neighbor.Smugglers have used Jordan as a corridor over the past years to smuggle highly addictive Captagon amphetamines out of Syria, mainly to oil-rick Arab Gulf states. Jordanian authorities have managed to stop several smuggling attempts, including some in which smugglers used drones to fly the drugs over the border.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Monday’s airstrike targeted the area of Salkhad and killed a well-known drug dealer in the region. It said the strike was most likely carried out ...

Arrest made in ‘high-risk takedown’ after Scarborough carjacking, robbery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

Toronto police say an arrest has been made following an early-morning carjacking and robbery in Scarborough last week.Officers responded to a carjacking call at approximately 3 a.m. on Dec. 15 in the Victoria Park Avenue and Consumers Road area. It’s alleged that a man was driving his car in the area when he was bumped from behind by another vehicle. Police said when the man pulled over, four masked suspects emerged and approached the victim’s car.One male suspect forced open the victim’s door and demanded his car while assaulting him. Police said the man was physically removed from his vehicle and robbed of personal items. Two male suspects drove off in the victim’s car while the other two fled in the other vehicle. The victim was not seriously injured. Related: ‘He’s blowing stop signs’: Video shows police pursuing driver in armed Brampton carjacking 2 suspects in custody, 1 at large in Oshawa gunpoint carjacking ...

Ontario in a ‘crisis state’ on accessibility, unlikely to meet 2025 goal: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

Ontario is in a “crisis state” when it comes to accessibility, and it’s a “near certainty” the government will fail to meet its goal of making the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025, according to a newly released report.The final report examining the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act said the declaration of a crisis isn’t meant as an assessment of accessibility in the province, noting several previous reports — including a scathing interim report earlier this year — have already covered that ground.Instead, it said the declaration is intended to be a “necessary catalyst.”“It is a near certainty that the goal of an accessible Ontario by 2025 will pass. That does not mean the next years of accessibility regulation, action, and enforcement are not critical,” the report’s author, Rich Donovan, wrote.“This crisis state, intended to last six month...

Hornets’ Miles Bridges denied access to Canada for Raptors game due to legal problems: AP source

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been denied entrance to Canada for an NBA game due to his past legal problems, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Hornets are still working through the appropriate channels in hopes of gaining Bridges access into the country in time for Monday night’s tipoff against the Toronto Raptors.Bridges is currently serving three years of probation after pleading no contest in exchange for no jail time in the June 2022 domestic violence case involving the mother of his two children, who accused Bridges of assaulting her in front of the children.ESPN Sources: Canada’s decision to deny Hornets F Miles Bridges entry into country is unlikely to be reversed in time for him to arrive for tonight’s game vs. Raptors. Bridges – who plead no contest to felony charge of injuring a child’s parent – was denied border access Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Z4Ajw0FHhJ— Adria...

Man and daughter find remains of what could be a ship that ran aground during Peshtigo Fire in 1800s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:01:57 GMT

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin archaeologists are crediting a man and daughter with discovering the remains of what could be a ship that ran aground during the deadly Peshtigo Fire more than 150 years ago.Tim Wollak and his 6-year-old daughter, Henley, of Peshtigo, were fishing on Lake Michigan in the bay of Green Bay near Green Island this summer when their sonar picked up something Henley thought was an octopus, WLUK-TV reported Wednesday.Wollak posted photos of the sonar images on Facebook, which eventually drew the attention of the Wisconsin Historical Society. The society posted a note Dec. 11 on Facebook saying an underwater remote vehicle surveyed the site Dec. 4 and confirmed the object is the wreck of a three-masted sailing ship submerged in 8 to 10 feet of water.Archaeologists believe the ship may be the 122-foot-long George L. Newman. The ship was hauling lumber from Little Suamico on the evening of Oct. 8, 1871, when it became enveloped in thick smoke from the Peshtigo...