Leonardo Blair

Latest

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  Jul 2, 2021

  Boy Scouts reach settlement with nearly 60K sex abuse victims that could exceed $1 billion

  The Boy Scouts of America has reached a historic settlement agreement with some 60,000 sexual abuse victims that legal experts believe is likely to exceed $1 billion in compensation, a restructuring support agreement filed Thursday in a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware shows.

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  Jul 1, 2021

  Men more likely to die from COVID-19 than women: study

  Men are more likely to die from COVID-19 than women, according to a new study published in the journal Communications Medicine on Wednesday.

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  Jul 1, 2021

  Boy Scouts lost 2 million members since lifting ban on gay youth; now mired in sex abuse claims

  Eight years after lifting a ban on homosexual youth when it boasted more than 2.7 million members, the Boy Scouts of America now has just 762,000 members as it continues to grapple with some 82,000 sexual abuse claims from former Scouts court records show.

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  Jul 1, 2021

  As heat kills dozens nationwide, churches step up to keep residents cool

  As millions of Americans nationwide grapple with an unprecedented heat wave that has already been blamed for scores of deaths along the West Coast and in Canada, many churches have been stepping up to help keep at risk residents in their community cool by serving as cooling centers and even giving away air conditioners.

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  Jul 1, 2021

  More than 25% of regular churchgoers have no plans to go back just yet: poll

  More than 25% of people who attended religious services at least once a month before the novel coronavirus pandemic have no plans to return to their church, synagogue or mosque in the next few weeks as restrictions continue to be lifted, according to data from a recent AP-NORC poll.

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  Jun 30, 2021

  Nearly 100 test positive for COVID-19 after Illinois megachurch camp and conference

  Nearly 100 mostly unvaccinated teenagers and adults connected to a camp and conference recently held by the Illinois-based multi-campus The Crossing Church have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reiterate his call for residents to get vaccinated.

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  Jun 30, 2021

  US Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry says national anthem doesn’t ‘speak for black Americans’

  Hammer thrower Gwen Berry, who has come under fire for turning her back towards the United States flag during the playing of the national anthem at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, said the national anthem “does not speak for black Americans” and its history made her uncomfortable.

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  Jun 30, 2021

  Biden to visit site of deadly Florida condo collapse as thousands donate over $1M to help

  President Joe Biden is set to visit the site of the Champlain Towers South on Thursday, a week after its deadly partial collapse, as thousands of well-wishers donated more than $1 million to help victims' families.

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  Jun 29, 2021

  Virginia Theological Seminary pays first round of reparations checks from $1.7M fund

  Less than two years after creating a $1.7 million reparations program for descendants of enslaved blacks who worked on the school’s campus, as well as descendants of black employees from the Jim Crow era, the Virginia Theological Seminary, the flagship seminary of the Episcopal Church, has started dispensing checks.

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  Jun 29, 2021

  SBC Pres. Ed Litton apologizes for copying JD Greear sermon without credit

  Days after a video posted on YouTube highlighted similarities between separate sermons delivered by Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton and his predecessor, J.D. Greear, who both suggest that God appears to "whisper" about sexual sin in the Bible, Litton has apologized for not giving credit to Greear.