Four Missionaries Killed in Head-On Crash

Four LDS missionaries were killed Friday in a head-on collision with a pickup truck eight miles west of Osceola, Iowa. The missionaries were traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 34 when the driver of their car lost control while trying to pass another vehicle.

Hinckley's Visit to Troubled Indonesia Gets National Attention

LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley arrived in Indonesia today as part of a scheduled trip through Asia and the Pacific, just as fighting erupted between Christians and Muslims in eastern Indonesia. The latest fighting, which started in the past three days, has claimed the lives of 65 people, according to Indonesian officials. More than 2,000 people have lost their lives in sectarian violence in the past year.

Indonesian, LDS leaders dine together

LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dined with Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid Thursday evening in Jakarta and presented him with a copy of the LDS Scriptures. With President Hinckley at the dinner were his wife Marjorie Hinckley and President Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve and his wife Donna.

Hatch Expected to Quit Today

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch delayed the news conference scheduled for yesterday to today, and is expected to announce that he is withdrawing from the presidential race, according to senior advisors to Hatch. "We've all seen the numbers,'' said an aide.

Hatch: Re-evaluating Options

-- Utah Senator and Presidential Candidate Orrin Hatch, a member of the LDS Church, plans to hold a news conference today in Washington D.C., where he returned following a poor showing in the Iowa presidential caucuses last night. Hatch received 1 percent of the vote, fewer than 900 votes, in the caucuses.

LDS Church Can Join Main Street Lawsuit

U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart decided to allow the LDS Church to intervene in the ACLU's lawsuit against Salt Lake City challenging the sale of a block of Main Street to the LDS Church. After the ACLU wrote a letter to the judge dropping its opposition, Judge Stewart decided to let the Church participate.

California Governor Announces Opposition to LDS-Backed Initiative

California Gov. Gray Davis announced Friday that he is opposed to the controversial Knight Initiative, (Proposition 22) which would bar California from recognizing same-sex marriages. Governor Gray's announcement wasn't a surprise, but was anxiously awaited by both sides of the debate over the initiative.

Judge refuses to dismiss suit against Tanners

U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell refused to dismiss the LDS Church's copyright lawsuit against critics Jerald & Sandra Tanner on Friday. In ruling for the LDS Church, Judge Campbell said that the LDS Church's current "Church Handbook of Instructions" is a "derivative" work because it hasn't changed substantially from the 1989 version.

Lawsuit by Mormons Involving School Prayer Only Part Of Continuing War

ACLU President Nadine Strossen spoke to a group at Texas Southern University on January 28th about the school prayer lawsuit filed by a Mormon family. Strossen told the audience that the case is about the most difficult and divisive issue that the ACLU has faced, "The emotions stirred by this issue are so unparalleled," said Strossen, a professor at the New York University Law School. "We have handled many controversial issues like affirmative action, but nothing comes close to this."

Driver Charged in Death of LDS Missionary

Police have filed misdemeanor death charges against Jonathan Edward Morgan, 18, the driver of the pickup truck that rear-ended a car Friday, resulting in the death of LDS missionary Melissa Peterson. Sister Peterson was in the back seat of a 1998 Buick that came to a near stop, possibly because of a funeral procession traveling in the opposite direction.

U.S. Judge's Offensive Courtroom Notes About Mormons, Others Raise Ethical Concerns

The notes that U.S. District Judge Alan McDonald has passed to his courtroom deputy in Yakima during his past 15 years on the bench are raising ethical concerns because many of the notes make fun of religious, racial and ethnic minorities. The judge's notes, which are by law part of the public record, raise questions about whether or not he was biased in many of the cases he heard.

Gospel a Hard Sell in Israel

At the turn of the millennium, when many Christians around the world are looking to the Holy Land for inspiration, a small group of ultra-Orthodox Jews has published a virulent booklet calling on Jews to stop "enemy" Christians from bringing their "great Crusade" to Jerusalem during the year 2000.

BYU's neutral stance on Knight Initiative doesn't slow supporters While BYU officially has no stance on California's proposition 22, also known as the Knight Initiative, which would keep the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, some students are proceeding with efforts to encourage students from California to vote against it. BYU general council Michael Orme advised the University not to assist in the effort. Some question BYU's neutrality on Proposition 22 (BYU) NewsNet 25Jan00 N1 By Michael Hyte: NewsNet Staff Writer

Pet Owners Say Pets go to Heaven, LDS Doctrine Agrees A Salt Lake Tribune article reprinted in the Detroit News says that many pet owners believe that their pets will go to 'heaven.' The article points out that LDS doctrine also teaches that animals have spirits and will be resurrected, just like people. Do all dogs go to heaven? Pet owners say yes Detroit MI News (Salt Lake Tribune) 27Jan00 N6 By Peggy Fletcher Stack: Salt Lake City Tribune

Latino's beliefs about their Genealogy often wrong According to the Orange county-based genealogy group Familia, "Spanish" people are often mistaken about their heritage, thinking that their ancestors come from Spain. In fact, most "Spanish" people have heritage in Mexico, where the earliest settlers arrived from Spain over 400 years ago. The group suggests research using the LDS Church's family history libraries. Roots and Reality Los Angeles Times 24Jan00 N6 By Jose Cardenas: Times Staff Writer

Salt Lake Tribune claims U of Utah President to Ban Alcohol in Parking Lots A story in the Salt Lake Tribune claimed that the University of Utah's President Bernie Machen plans to ban alcohol at tailgate parties before U of U football games. However, later stories showed that Machen will not ban alcohol in the parking lots. University of Utah president to ban alcohol at tailgate parties Caspery WY Tribune (AP) 20Jan00 N6

Deseret News Columnist on Testimonies, Prayer Jerry Johnston observes that praying 'without ceasing' is a difficult thing to do, and that there isn't as much a distinction between worshiping in our daily lives and worshiping in Church as we might think. Daily duties can be acts of devotion Deseret News 22Jan00 N6 By Jerry Johnston

LDS Church Official participating in National effort against Pornography Elder Richard Lindsay, an emeritus general authority, is a member of the national Religious Alliance Against Pornography, an interfaith alliance that has worked for more than a decade to help religious leaders develop educational materials to combat pornography. Pornography: an epidemic Deseret News 22Jan00 N6 By Carrie A. Moore: Deseret News religion editor Easy access on Net spurs religious intervention

LDS Church prominent in On-line Genealogy An article in PC World and in the Industry Standard looks at the major players in the on-line genealogy world. In addition to the LDS Church, Ancestry.com, which is owned by members of the LDS Church, is mentioned as a major player. Get in Touch With Your Roots PC World News 18Jan00 N6 By Matthew Yeomans: The Industry Standard

Missionaries in Buffalo The Buffalo News profiled Elder's Ryan Hickin and David Adams as they went about their work trying to interest people in the LDS Church. The Elders are two of about 50 working in Western New York, according to the article. Faith on the doorstep Buffalo NY News 15Jan00 N1 By Dave Condren: News Religion Reporter

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