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Four of the five Christian youths going from Oklahoma to Iowa for a Teen Mania conference died after their small plane made a crash landing and caught fire in a field in southeastern Kansas.

The Kansas Highway Patrol said Saturday the twin-engine Cessna 401 crashed Friday afternoon about nine miles west of Chanute. The plane landed in a field and skidded about 200 feet before hitting trees.

The pilot had been in contact with air traffic controllers and there was no distress call, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. more >>

A Christian university in Colorado has been sued by a former employee who claims she was fired because the institution did not want to grant her sick leave for a serious condition. She also believes her former employer took her lifestyle into account, as she had been living with her boyfriend at the time.

Ashlie Simpson, 31, was removed from her position as a student service adviser at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colo., in January, and filed a lawsuit against the school last week.

"I was shocked to learn that CCU was concerned about my personal life, and even more distressed when they chose to fire me because of it," Simpson shared with ABC News. She is suing for lost back pay, front pay, future benefits, personal humiliation, and mental anguish. more >>

Nebraska Cornhuskers assistant coach Ron Brown, who might be facing possible dismissal from his job after stating his belief that homosexuality is a sin, has explained that despite his convictions, he would not treat gay players on his team any different.

The assistant coach has completely denied allegations of discrimination, and in a letter to the Husker Extra, explained that it was not only gay players whose lifestyles he did not approve of based on the Bible and that he still loves all on his team and would never punish them unfairly.

"Not all of my players have agreed with the Bible's views. One example, of many, would be those choosing heterosexual sex outside of marriage. Though the Bible teaches this as sin, I haven't penalized them with playing time or discrimination of any sort. Because I love them, I've invested in them even outside of football and gently asked them to consider God's view on it," Brown wrote in the letter. more >>

University of Nebraska's assistant football coach, Ron Brown, a committed evangelical Christian, has been under public scrutiny and is facing calls for his dismissal after he expressed his beliefs on homosexuality during an Omaha City Council meeting in March.

The late March meeting was held by seven board members to discuss a proposed anti-discrimination ordinance that protects homosexual and transgender students attending the university – an ordinance which Brown argued against.

In his three-minute address to the council, Brown questioned the "discernment" of the board members, insisting that trying to protect one group would mean another group has to lose protection. more >>

The father of JonBenet Ramsey, the 6-year-old beauty pageant queen whose 1996 murder has yet to be solved, shares in a new book that it was faith in God that helped him overcome the tremendous ordeal and suffering he has endured throughout the case. 

John and Patsy Ramsey lost not only JonBenet, the young beauty queen found in their basement the day after Christmas, but also lost in 1992 their eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who died in a car accident.

During JonBenet's murder investigation, the Ramseys were declared "persons of interest" until they were officially cleared of any suspicions in 2008. But two years prior, in 2006, Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer. more >>

A poll conducted last week among more than 1,000 Republican primary voters nationwide revealed that Rick Santorum is still the most popular GOP candidate. But most voters expect Mitt Romney to win anyway.

The poll, a joint effort between CBS News and The New York Times, was conducted by phone from March 7-11, and 34 percent of respondents said they support Santorum, while 30 percent gave their backing to Romney. However, an overwhelming 73 percent admitted that the former Massachusetts governor is most likely to pick up the Republican presidential candidate nomination.

A detailed analysis of the ongoing GOP race by Politico suggested that although many sympathize with Santorum's strong ideals and message, they feel that he is not as electable by a wide majority of voters as someone like Romney. more >>