Latest news with #Episcopalian
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
15-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Pinned by Car in Private School Parking Lot Crash
A teen is dead and five others are injured after a car crash in the parking lot of a private school in California on June 4 The 15-year-old boy who died was pinned between two SUVs while waiting to be picked up after school, according to reports Classes and finals at Campbell Hall in Studio City were canceled for June 5A teenager has died and five others were injured after a crash in a private school parking lot in California. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokesperson David Cuellar said the incident occurred at Campbell Hall, located in Studio City, just after 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 4, according to the Associated Press. The driver of a green Rivian SUV is said to have struck a 15-year-old boy who was walking between cars at the rear of the campus as school ended, CW affiliate KTLA and ABC affiliate KABC-TV reported. The teen became pinned between two SUVs as a result of the collision, according to the reports. The 'gravely injured' victim and his uninjured father were then transported to a local hospital, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The teen later died from his injuries. Footage from the scene, shared by KABC and NBC affiliate KNBC, showed authorities working near multiple SUVs that were very close in proximity to each other. Parents told KABC-TV that the teen's dad was at the school to pick up his son when he witnessed the crash. Five other people came forward with non-life-threatening injuries from the crash, the fire department later stated. Among them are another teen male, an unidentified minor and three adults. "This is a very tragic situation," said LAFD Capt. Adam Vangerpen, CBS affiliate KCBS-TV reported. "This is hard on all the witnesses who witnessed this. There's a lot of kids getting out of school and getting ready for summer." The LAPD and Campbell Hall did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The Mayor's Crisis Response Team responded to the scene of the crash on Wednesday, according to the fire department. LAFD Captain Adam Van Gerpen said the team also responded to the children's hospital where the teen was being treated, KABC-TV reported. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. LAPD Lieutenant Matthew Bielski said no citations will be issued since the crash 'was determined to be an accident.' Classes and finals were canceled for Thursday, June 5, according to KABC-TV and KTLA. Head of School Rev. Canon Julian P. Bull said in an email to parents of students at the Episcopalian school that school officials were 'heartbroken.' 'Our collective hearts and thoughts are with the family,' Bull said, KTLA reported. 'I know that the Campbell Hall community will be there for all of them in the challenging days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, please respect the family's privacy as they process this overwhelming loss.' Counseling reportedly will be made available at the school's gym between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Thursday. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Church fights New Jersey town over plans to seize property and turn it into park
A Christian church is fighting a New Jersey town for attempting to seize their property, alongside other land, and turn it into a waterfront park. Christ Episcopal Church is fighting plans from Toms River, NJ officials to seize their church property, alongside three other town marinas, as part of the township's plans to revitalize the downtown community. Bishop Sally French, in a letter to parishioners, told churchgoers that on April 30, about a day before a scheduled town meeting, officials were alerted by a concerned community member that the church's property had been "added to a proposal for an eminent domain ordinance." The church, which has been a part of the community for 160 years, says the action comes amid trying to build a homeless shelter on their property. "As a Christian leader and a resident of New Jersey, I am troubled by the township's move to block the faithful ministry of Christ Church and their care for those in need, and I am saddened that the mayor and township council are prioritizing pickleball courts over responding to hunger and homelessness," Bishop Sally French said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "I ask that Toms River lift the burden these proceedings have placed on our parish and diocese, and I pray that we can move forward in serving our neighbors." Psaki Bombs: Msnbc's Newest Primetime Program Sheds 53% Of Viewers From Key Demo In Second Episode Republican Mayor Rodrick told Fox News Digital he feels the plan is in the best interest of the constituents because children do not have a playground in the immediate area. The town ordinance allows officials to enter into negotiations to secure the areas or acquire them by eminent domain should the church not want to sell the property. Read On The Fox News App "We have about 20,000 residents, 5,000 households within a stone's throw of the Episcopal church," he said. "The property is very large, it's a 10-acre parcel and has a tremendous amount of parking and the parking, we would never be allowed to make that much parking on a property that size anymore. It would be very difficult... so it would be great for the kids in the local area and the families in that area to have a park that they can walk to with their kids and a playground. We're also interested in doing a skate park there." Rodrick argued that the project, which he believes would benefit both residents and businesses, is part of a larger plan to "redevelop downtown" and make it more of a "destination" for residents. The agenda would "enhance business downtown" by bringing more customers to the area. He also spoke to Fox News Digital about how he is proud of his budget as mayor, explaining they were "DOGE before DOGE was cool" as they cut the budget from $146 million to $135 million. The Episcopalian church has a different take on the matter, with the bishop offering her full support to the community church. "The people of Christ Episcopal Church have my support and gratitude for their Gospel ministry of feeding the hungry and providing shelter to unhoused people," she said. "Jesus tells us to care for the poor and vulnerable as we would care for him, and the people of Christ Church are putting that commandment into action." Should the town acquire the property, Rodrick says the church would have time to purchase another property or may choose to consolidate churches according to the church leader's digression, pointing to there possibly being a silver lining to consolidation for the church due to the high value of the property compared to liabilities. "Nationwide, the Episcopal church is in steep decline. I think they lost 40,000 members last year. A lot of these Protestant churches have seen big decreases in membership. They still have a lot of these legacy costs and pensions for their pastors that they need to make payments on and it costs a lot of money. So, if you have 75 people put $10 in, and you bring in $3,000 a month, do you know what it must cost to heat a 20,000-square-foot church? So, they could probably benefit from some consolidation and many of the smaller Protestant denominations are doing that." The church is standing alongside "approximately 150 church members, community members, clergy" and others in their fight against the ordinance, according to the website. "Christ Church Toms River is a vital resource in the community," Mother Lisa Hoffman, rector of Christ Church in Toms River, told Fox News Digital. "Our outreach includes nearly 20 12-step meetings per week. While the members of Christ Church are disappointed with this situation, we are determined to protect our Gospel ministry." As for next steps, the council has already voted four to three and "anticipates" it will pass for a second time four to three, according to the article source: Church fights New Jersey town over plans to seize property and turn it into park
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former US Supreme Court Justice David Souter dies at 85
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a lifelong public servant, judicial moderate and advocate for humanities and civics education, has died. He was 85 years old. "Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement Friday. "He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service. After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade. He will be greatly missed." Souter was nominated in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, who praised him as "a remarkable judge of keen intellect and the highest ability." In more than 19 years on the bench, he authored notable opinions on abortion, religion and property rights. His moderate positions surprised and disappointed many Republicans, who had hoped Souter would solidify as conservative the seat vacated by Justice William Brennan, a longtime leader of the court's liberal wing. Just five years after his appointment, the conservative Weekly Standard branded Souter a "stealth justice," excoriating his position as "one of the staunchest liberals on the court." For many conservatives, Souter became a symbol of what future Republican presidents should avoid in a nominee. MORE: Supreme Court Justice Souter to Retire His most controversial opinion came in 1992, jointly authored by Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, reaffirming the right to abortion under Roe v. Wade and creating an "undue burden" standard for judging state restrictions on the procedure. "To overrule under fire, in the absence of the most compelling reason to re-examine a watershed decision, would subvert the Court's legitimacy beyond any serious question," the three justices wrote in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Souter's defenders have long denied he was a secret liberal, emphasizing his respect for precedent and the philosophy of "originalism," which emphasizes the historical meaning behind constitutional clauses and federal laws. "The original meaning of conservatism was reluctance to embrace radical change," Ernest Young, a former clerk of Souter's and Duke law professor, told ABC News in 2009. Souter, who was Episcopalian, was also known for advocating strict government neutrality in matters of religion and consistently opposing religious displays in public spaces. During his confirmation hearing, he called it an "appalling fact" that Jewish children felt excluded when Christian prayers were recited in public schools. In 2005, he authored a 5-4 decision blocking three Kentucky counties from displaying framed copies of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and public schools. He also voted against allowing organized prayers at high school graduation ceremonies and football games. "He had no predisposed answer. He really relied on an analysis of [historical] materials to decide how he would come out in that case," Stuart Benjamin, former clerk to Souter and Duke law professor, said in 2009. Souter was one of four justices who strongly dissented from the 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore, which ended the contested Florida ballot recount and effectively handed the presidency to George W. Bush. "To recount these manually would be a tall order, but before this Court stayed the effort to do that the courts of Florida were ready to do their best to get that job done," Souter wrote. "There is no justification for denying the State the opportunity to try to count all disputed ballots now. I respectfully dissent." He was reportedly so distraught over the decision he contemplated resigning from the court, sources familiar with his thinking told Jeffrey Toobin, author of "The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court." Some of the justice's friends strongly rejected the notion. In 2005, Souter joined the court's more liberal members to expand the ability of local governments to seize private land for public use. His vote drew fierce protests and even prompted a ballot measure to seize his 200-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse as payback. It failed. MORE: David Souter: 'A Classic Yankee Republican' In testimony during his confirmation hearings, Souter also surprised conservatives with a robust defense of affirmative action. "There will be a need -- and I am afraid for a longer time than we would like to say -- a need for affirmative action which seeks out qualified people who have been discouraged by generations of societal discrimination from taking their place in the mainstream of America," he said at the time. Souter's rejection of political ideology has been celebrated among his former clerks and friends. "He was a classic frugal Yankee Republican," former Souter clerk and Harvard law professor Rebecca Tushnet told ABC News in 2009. "The Republican Party now has moved considerably to the right," University of Pennsylvania law professor Kermit Roosevelt, who clerked for Souter in 1999 and 2000, told ABC News. "He doesn't look like a modern Republican; he's not a modern person in a lot of ways." Souter rarely spoke publicly about his jurisprudence, but when he did he pointedly rejected what he considered a simplistic approach to constitutional interpretation embraced by some of his Republican-appointed peers. "Constitutional judging is not a mere combination of fair reading and simple facts," Souter said in a 2010 commencement address at Harvard University. "Judges have to choose between the good things that the Constitution approves, and when they do, they have to choose, not on the basis of measurement, but of meaning," he added, rejecting the strict textualism endorsed by conservative icons Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Retiring at just 69 years old, the never-married Souter quickly escaped Washington to return to his native New Hampshire and beloved two-centuries-old farmhouse. To admirers, Souter brought a sense of compassion to the high court. "He urged all judges to recognize the human aspect of their decisions, and to use all the power of their hearts and minds and beings to get their decisions right," said Subra Suresh, former president of Carnegie Mellon University, where Souter spoke in October 2014. Announcing Souter's retirement in 2009, President Barack Obama hailed the justice as a "fair-minded and independent" judge who combined a "feverish work ethic" with a good sense of humor and integrity. "He consistently defied labels and rejected absolutes, focusing instead on just one task -- reaching a just result in the case that was before him," said Obama, who later appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor to fill his seat. "He really was someone who saw himself as someone working in Washington but not being of Washington," Meir Feder, one of Souter's clerks from the 1990 term, told ABC News in 2009. For years, he had shied from the Washington social scene when the court was not in session, retreating to the White Mountain woods where he loved to hike and read by the fire. Souter famously had no television or access to email. "Far from being out of touch with the modern world, he has simply refused to surrender to it control over aspects of his own life that give him deep contentment," said David McKean, former CEO of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, at a joint appearance with the retired justice in 2010. MORE: For Obama, the legal legacy begins with Souter replacement Born in Massachusetts an only child, Souter spent most of his life in the rural town of Weare, New Hampshire. He enrolled in Harvard University as an undergraduate, studying philosophy, and later attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He returned to Boston to complete his law degree at Harvard, where he graduated in 1966. He quickly climbed the ranks of the legal world, rising to attorney general of New Hampshire and, later, associate judge in the state's Supreme Court. When Souter was plucked out of New Hampshire by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, he was little known outside of the state. The U.S. Senate confirmed Souter to the Supreme Court by a vote of 90-9. "I loved my colleagues. I liked the work that I was doing. There were days when I wished things had turned out differently, but I still loved the court and just about everybody in that building," Souter said in 2010, during a rare public appearance at the JFK Presidential Library. "But I feel liberated to do things that I couldn't do on that court." For years after leaving the high court bench, Souter continued to be a judge, hearing more than 300 cases by designation for the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston and authoring dozens of opinions. MORE: Current, former justices release personal statements on Ruth Bader Ginsburg While he stayed largely out of the limelight, Souter spoke passionately about the need to bolster the humanities and civics education across America. "I don't believe there is any problem in American politics or American public life which is more significant today that the pervasive civic ignorance of the Constitution of the United States and the structure of government," Souter said in a speech at the University of New Hampshire Law School in 2012. "Some of the aspects of current American government that people on both sides find frustrating are in part a function of the inability of people to understand how government can and should function," he said. Asked in 2010 to name the most important part of the U.S. Constitution, Souter singled out the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. "Ultimately, it is the golden rule," he said. "Treat others the way you want to be treated with the corollary that if you don't, you are not going to be treated that way either." ABC News' Huma Khan contributed to this report. Former US Supreme Court Justice David Souter dies at 85 originally appeared on
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from big religious charter school Supreme Court case
Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from big religious charter school Supreme Court case Barrett is one of the six practicing Catholics on the court. ( Gorsuch was raised Catholic but is Episcopalian.) Her religion was a major flashpoint in her confirmation hearings for a lower court. Show Caption Hide Caption SCOTUS takes up case on LGBTQ+, inclusive books in schools Demonstrators on both sides protested as the Supreme Court heard a school district's case on parents' rights and LGBTQ+ books. WASHINGTON − One Supreme Court justice was not present for Wednesday's heated arguments over a bid by the Catholic Church to create the nation's first religious charter school. Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case. Although she didn't give a reason, Barrett is close friends with the Notre Dame Law School professor who was an early legal adviser to the Catholic Church in Oklahoma. Her absence means the court could deadlock 4-4 on a decision. If they do, that would leave in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision that religious charter schools are not allowed. Barrett is one of the six practicing Catholics on the court. (Justice Neil Gorsuch was raised Catholic but is Episcopalian.) More: Will claims of anti-Catholic bias prove pivotal in blockbuster Supreme Court case? Barrett's religion was a major flashpoint during her 2017 confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, three years before President Donald Trump elevated her to the Supreme Court. A hero in conservative circles before falling out of favor with MAGA Barrett became a hero in conservative circles after Sen. Dianne Feinstein raised her concern that "the dogma lives loudly within you." Barrett's Catholic and conservative backers used the phrase on T-shirts, tote bags and coffee mugs in a sign of support. But earlier this year, Barrett was attacked by some on the right after she and Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's three liberal justices in backing an order that the Trump administration had to pay foreign aid organizations for work they already did for the government. Jack Posobiec, a senior editor at Human Events, a conservative political news and analysis site, called Barrett 'a warning against the dangers of Republican DEI.' Barrett has a new book coming out in September in which she's expected to discuss her deliberation process and dealing with media scrutiny, among other topics.
Irish Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Brace yourself as the world's leaders make a holy show of themselves at the Pope's funeral
Who is that person the mighty are coming to bury in Rome tomorrow? Is it for the man who preached against burning fossil fuels that the great and the good are flying in their intercontinental jets to pay their last respects? Are the would-be colonisers and land-grabbers gathering to praise the peace-lover who Zoom-called Catholics under siege in Gaza at 7pm every night ? What part of a man who chose to live more humbly than his predecessors will be reflected in the pomp and circumstance of his funeral? WH Auden wrote in the poem he entitled In Memory of WB Yeats that 'the words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living'. Pope Francis tried to guard against such modification by requesting that he be laid to rest in just one coffin instead of the traditional three papal coffins made of elm, cypress and lead, and that he be buried with dignity 'like any Christian'. But he could not prevent his death from turning into a spectacle of the sort of privilege and hypocrisy he deprecated. Nor could he stop his spirit being banished before he is even buried. Journalists have swooped en masse upon the Eternal City to record every swing of a thurible, every state ruler's facial expression at tomorrow's funeral. They will not be disappointed for there will be VIPs galore willing, in the immortal words of Verona Murphy, to 'make a holy show' of themselves, literally. Topping the list of elites will be the twice-divorced and thrice-married sexual assailant Donald Trump , who wants to conquer Greenland, Gaza and Canada; is ordering mass deportations from the US; and is attempting to crush universities, the judiciary and truth in the news. Rather than suggesting he stay away, the Holy See's gatekeepers will accord him and his entourage a red-carpet welcome. The last time this hawker of his own-branded bible famously sat in a church, he demanded an apology from the Episcopalian bishop Mariann Budde for pleading from the pulpit that mercy be shown to immigrants, gays, lesbians and transgender people. Trump need not brace himself for any mouthy woman bishop tomorrow. READ MORE Whole battalions of dignitaries from countries with booming weapons industries will assemble in St Peter's Square, watched over by the Swiss Guards and the gendarmerie of Vatican City. Fighter jets will patrol the sky. Anti-drone weapons will be at the ready. Up to 170 foreign delegations are expected. Ireland, alone, is to be represented by President Michael D Higgins and Sabina along with the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. How many starving children could be fed for the price of that security bill? What these days in Rome demonstrate is that, no matter who becomes the Pope, the institution will outlive and out-rule him Don't expect any civic leaders who actually practise what Francis preached to be given top-priority seats. Will Trump, Macron, Merz and Starmer shove down the line to make space for Mary Robinson and Greta Thunberg, dogged campaigners to save this planet that the Pope called 'our common home'? Will the Red Crescent or Unrwa or Médecins Sans Frontières, who risk and sometimes give their lives to save others, fill the front rows? And what of the migrants in camps like Lampedusa, the Italian island he chose for the first visit of his papacy 'to reawaken our consciences and recall our responsibilities'? Will the princes of the Church bow to them? The devout among the globe's 1.4 billion Catholics and those cradle Catholics and non-Catholics who have been inspired by Francis's message of humanity are entitled to share in a fitting farewell to him, but the funeral dignity he wished for already looks in jeopardy. There has been no time to declutter the Vatican's ostentatious wealth before the obsequies for a man who derided consumerism as a 'plague' and a 'cancer'. The stallholders will, as usual, make hay flogging their souvenir holy water fonts, keyrings and canvas bags. The tour guides will guide. The hotels will burst at the seams. The restaurant queues will be out the door. The sightseers were unavoidable on Wednesday as they lofted their smartphones to scavenge pictures of the dead pope in his open coffin during the procession to St Peter's Basilica. Why on earth would anybody want such a macabre picture other than as proof of the brag that 'I was there'? [ Pope Francis's death silences a voice for the voiceless Opens in new window ] Since his death on Easter Monday the posthumous eulogies to Francis have incessantly mentioned his commitment to 'equality', but the procession of cardinals that preceded his remains for his removal to the basilica affirmed that the Church's concept of equality does not apply equally. There is no starker reminder to the female of the species of our lesser standing than a pope's funeral. Other than the head-to-toe-clad nuns on the sidelines and a thin sprinkling of women among the dignitaries – EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, to name two – the men-only club will be out in force. Even Francis 'the reformer' could not assail that bastion. The perniciousness of that discrimination and how it propagates unconscious bias beyond the church has been evident in the speculation about which man will succeed him, and the occasional lament that there has never been an Irish pope. Lads, may I point out that there has never been a woman pope, or cardinal, or bishop or priest? Ireland accounts for just 0.06 per cent of the world's 8.2 billion people. Females account for half of them. [ When Pope Francis met abuse survivors in Ireland: 'He drew a picture of a toilet. Anything that goes into that is caca' Opens in new window ] What these days in Rome demonstrate is that, no matter who becomes the Pope, the institution will outlive and out-rule him. Pope Francis began working on his autobiography, Hope, in 2019 with the intention that it would not be published until after his death. He changed his mind and brought its publication forward when he saw how the world's ruling ethics were rapidly going to hell in a handcart. True to its name, the book gives its reader some hope; exactly what is needed in our time of wars, pestilence, climate damage, atrocious poverty and Maga madness. The biggest loss the world has to mourn this weekend is not that of the titular head of an organised religion but that of a voice of decency. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, may you rest in peace.
