After Vanderbilt University and others punished Christian organizations and stripped them of their rights to be official student groups if they did not allow non-members of their faith to obtain leadership positions, Missouri legislators are considering action that would protect student groups.
House Bill 104 passed the Missouri House in March and is being considered in the Senate. The “Student Freedom of Association Act” was introduced by Representative Elijah Haahr who represents a part of Springfield, MO.
“No public institution of higher learning shall [deny] a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association, or discriminate against a religious student association with respect to such benefit, based on that association’s requirement that its leaders or members adhere to the association’s sincerely held religious beliefs, comply with the association’s sincere religious observance requirements,” reads the bill in part.
“No public institution of higher learning shall substantially burden a student’s exercise of religion unless the institution can demonstrate that application of the burden to the student is in furtherance of a compelling interest of the public institution of higher learning and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling interest.”
The bill is in response to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in 2010 that allowed a public university to stop funding religious groups if they violate any university “anti-discrimination” policy by requiring the religious group’s leadership to be members of their faith.
Opponents of religious freedom are mobilizing against the potential law.
“HB 104 would give religious student groups unprecedented exemptions regarding anti-discrimination policies,” stated Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“Like the harmful so-called ‘religious freedom’ bills we’ve seen in the news recently, this bill cloaks discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. This bill has already passed the House, so this is the last chance for you to stop the bill in the Missouri legislature.”
She has only missed three Kansas City Chiefs games since 1986 and all she wanted was to see her Chiefs one last time.
Betty Johnson, age 86, was visited by former team kicker Nick Lowery and even received a kiss on the cheek from Lowery.
“We sang a prayer, and he was going to leave, and we noticed that she was no longer breathing,” Johnson’s granddaughter Autumn Barricks told KSHB. “We believe that she was waiting to say goodbye to her Chiefs.”
Johnson died due to health deterioration after having a broken hip.
“She loves them so much,” daughter Susan Johnson told Fox. “Her Chiefs were more important to her than her home.”
The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed a magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck Wednesday night along the New Madrid Fault near Steele, Missouri.
The quake was reportedly felt in more than six states.
No major damage was reported in the region. Several businesses reported items being shaken off shelves and homeowners reported pictures had fallen off walls.
Several police departments in the region confirmed their computer monitors began shaking during the quake.
The New Madrid fault is the most seismically active zone east of the Rocky Mountains. The New Madrid Fault reaches from St. Louis to Memphis.
Residents in the southeastern part of Missouri were shaken after an earthquake occurred along the New Madrid Fault Line shortly before 11 p.m. CT.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake was at 4.0 magnitude and had occurred approximately 11 miles before the surface of the Earth.
Not only did nearby residents feel the quake but reports from KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau, Missouri stated that residents living as far as Carbondale, Illinois were able to feel the quake.
No damages or injuries have been reported.
The New Madrid Fault Line stretches along the Mississippi River from near St. Louis to Memphis, Tennessee. According to the USGS, the New Madrid Fault is “the most seismically active in North America east of the Rockies.” They also report that earthquakes in the eastern and central part of the United States “can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.”
Two police officers were shot early Thursday morning outside the Ferguson, Missouri police department.
Police described the attack as “an ambush” and that either officer could have been easily killed in the attack. One officer was hit in the face below the right eye and the other officer was hit in the shoulder. Both are expected to recover with any long-term damage.
However, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar focused on the fact the officers could have been killed.
“We could have buried two police officers next week over this,” he said.
Belmar said the shots came from about 120 yards away and were clearly aimed at the police.
“This is really an ambush,” he said. “You are basically defenseless. It is hard to guard against.”
Witnesses say there was no warning before the attack.
“I saw the officer go down and the other police officers drew their guns while other officers dragged the injured officer away,” protester Marciay Pitchford said. “All of a sudden everybody started running or dropping to the ground.”
The crowd was protesting following the announcement that the police chief of Ferguson was resigning after a Justice Department report regarding problems within the Ferguson P.D.
The mother of a Missouri teen believed to have died in a lake says that God brought her child back from the dead.
John Smith, 14, was playing with two friends on frozen Lake Sainte Louise when they fell through the ice. While the other two boys were rescued, the initial rescuers couldn’t find Smith. It took 15 minutes for rescuers to find his body.
Doctors at St. Joseph Hospital performed CPR for almost half an hour without success. After being clinically dead for 45 minutes, the doctors called Smith’s mother into the room to break the bad news.
Dr. Ken Sutterer said that when Joyce Smith came into the room, she refused to accept that her son was dead and began loudly praying.
“I don’t remember what all I said,” Joyce Smith said. “But I remember, ‘Holy God, please send your Holy Spirit to save my son. I want my son, please save him.’”
Within minutes, hospital personnel were stunned. John’s pulse returned. He was rushed to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center where doctors were concerned that he would have permanent brain damage due to being without oxygen for at least 45 minutes.
Within 48 hours, Smith opened his eyes and responded perfectly to doctor’s questions.
“It’s a bonafide miracle,” said Dr. Jeremy Garrett, who tested Smith’s brain function.
In the wake of the violent protests in St. Louis and Ferguson, Missouri over the decision by the grand jury not to charge officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, it’s reported the Justice Department will not be filing any charges against the former officer.
The prosecutors within the Justice Department did not find sufficient evidence to support any charges, including civil rights charges.
The FBI’s investigation into the incident destroyed many of the claims that Michael Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot by Officer Wilson. The FBI’s investigation showed Brown was actually charging toward Officer Wilson in a manner consistent with the officer’s report of the incident.
The Justice Department plans to release a report explaining the decision but spokeswoman Dena Iverson would not tell the New York Times when that might be released to the public.
A larger investigation into the Ferguson police department remains open and active according to Justice Department officials.
A Missouri middle school student has been banned from reading his Bible during free class time.
Loyal Grandstaff, 12, attends Bueker Middle School in Marshall, Missouri. Last month, he was reading his Bible quietly to himself during free time in class when his teacher confronted him.
“I was just reading,” he told local television station WDAF. “I was reading because I had free time. I had time to do what I wanted to, so I just broke it out and read. … I like to read my Bible because it’s a good book.”
“He doesn’t want me reading it in his class because he doesn’t believe in it,” Grandstaff said.
The boy’s father said that the teacher is violating his child’s rights.
“I feel like it violated his freedom of religion but also his freedom of speech,” Justin Grandstaff told reporters. “There’s kids walking around disrespecting their teachers, kids walking around cussing and everything else, and they’re practically getting into no trouble at all.”
Principal Lance Tobin said that he will be investigating the matter because “Bibles are not banned on campus.”
Baby Shirley’s first moments of life involved being thrown into a pit toilet and then set on fire by her mother.
The child, born in Swaziland, survived her mother’s attempt to kill her. Two Americans who were on a mission trip were informed of the child and they brought her to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for life saving surgery.
Police in Swaziland had taken the woman into custody and left the baby at the hospital. Under the country’s law, the baby had to be taken back to the mother to be nursed. That’s when Raeleena and Jeremy Ferguson stepped in.
“It was just surreal,” Raelenna Ferguson said. “It truly is just a miracle they said yes.”
Yes to everything the couple wanted to do…bring the baby to the states, caring for the child and giving her a chance at life.
The move was coordinated by Heart of Africa who requested a passport for the child and miraculously had it approved before the Ferguson family left the country.
After the surgery, Baby Shirley will return to the Heart of Africa shelter to grow up as adoptions by Americans of children from Swaziland is not allowed.
Rioters burned down multiple businesses and destroyed property throughout the night after hearing the grand jury’s findings that Michael Brown charged at Officer Darren Wilson resulting in the officer’s actions being justified.
KMOV-TV reported that the majority of the businesses that were destroyed by the looters were minority owned.
A large block of businesses on West Florissant Avenue were burned to the ground including Walgreens, Little Caesars Pizza, Title Max, Family Dollar, Autozone and O’Reilly Auto Parts.
Fire department officials say at one point last night there were so many fires started by the supporters of the Brown family that they did not have enough manpower and equipment to fight them all.
The rioters were shooting so much that the Federal Aviation Administration put in place a temporary ban for aircraft over the area out of fear they would be struck. Flights into the St. Louis Airport had to be diverted around the area.
Police reports say 80 people were arrested as a result of the riots.
