Leonardo Blair

Latest

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  Oct 18, 2021

  Colin Powell dies from COVID-19 complications amid cancer battle; he was fully vaccinated

  Gen. Colin L. Powell, the first African American to serve as U.S. secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died Monday morning from COVID-19 complications despite being fully vaccinated his family announced. He was 84.

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  Oct 15, 2021

  Menlo Church investigation finds no evidence John Ortberg’s son abused minors

  Nearly a year after Menlo Church in California contracted the Zero Abuse Project to investigate whether the son of former senior pastor John Ortberg engaged in any sexual misconduct during his time at the church, the abuse prevention organization has found no evidence of wrongdoing.

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  Oct 15, 2021

  Florida pastor, husband of North Lauderdale commissioner arrested for domestic violence

  After enjoying what appeared to be a whirlwind romance on social media, Damion Orlando Archat, the husband of North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin, who also serves as senior pastor at Embassy Church of South Florida, was arrested Monday on several counts of battery charges including domestic battery by strangulation and resisting an officer.

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  Oct 15, 2021

  As cryptocurrencies gain popularity, churches test future of money

  As decentralized digital money known as cryptocurrencies become increasingly popular, churches like Sun Coast Community Church in Sarasota, Florida, and charity organizations such as The Salvation Army are beginning to test the technology some experts predict will replace cash as early as 2035.

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  Oct 14, 2021

  New York must allow religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccines, judge rules

  A federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction against New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers after a group of 17 Christian medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, protested in a lawsuit that the mandate violated their religious freedom by not allowing employers to consider religious exemptions.

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  Oct 12, 2021

  Church of the Highlands Pastor Dino Rizzo named in sexual harassment lawsuit

  Dino Rizzo, a member of the Church of the Highlands’ senior leadership team in Alabama, has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a former intern at Vibrant Church in Columbus, Mississippi. 

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  Oct 12, 2021

  Citing ‘bullying’ from Biden admin., Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bans all COVID-19 vaccine mandates

  Citing ‘bullying,’ from the Biden administration causing many private companies to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Monday banning such mandates and has asked state legislators to codify the ban.

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  Oct 12, 2021

  Large toy retailers must have gender-neutral section or face fines under new California law

  Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, retailers in California who sell childcare items or toys and have 500 or more employees will face fines of up to $500 if they fail to “maintain a gender-neutral section or area” according to a new bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday.

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  Oct 11, 2021

  Lakewood Church says it never sought forgiveness for $4.4M PPP loan

  The Joel Osteen-led Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, which came under fire from the public last December for accepting $4.4 million from the  federal government’s coronavirus relief program for small businesses known as the Paycheck Protection Program, said it never sought forgiveness for “the temporary assistance received.”

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  Oct 8, 2021

  At 110, Viola Brown credits faith for helping her through wars, pandemics and segregation

  Viola Roberts Lampkin Brown was an infant when the “Titanic” sank into the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. She was not yet 3 when World War I began. She was still 6 when the Flu pandemic started in February 1918. And by the time she was 7, Brown was working as a domestic and would spend decades living through segregation.