General News

LDS Bishop Criticizes Abuse Reporting Law LDS Bishop Bruce R. Christensen, who was charged earlier this year with failing to report child abuse, is saying that the law is wrong and that his case was mishandled by the prosecution, according to a report in the Deseret News. The charges against Christensen were dropped earlier this month after prosecutors interviewed the mother who originally made the report.

LDS Church Finishes Renovation of Manchester NY Joseph Smith Home The 18-month-long renovation of the home where Joseph Smith saw the Angel Moroni has been completed, according to a report in the Albany Times Union. The renovation, which used early 19th-century materials and methods, has attempted, as far as possible, to restore the farmhouse and a nearby log cabin to their original state.

Local News

Is Arizona Mormon Family Victim or Racist? A Mormon family in Winslow, Arizona claims it is trying to address hazing that has gone too far, only to attract charges that they are racist. Joe Hancock took action after his son, who is white, was abused by other athletes at Winston High School, including a popular African-American basketball player and other black and hispanic athletes. In return, he is being called a racist and a local civil rights activist has called for a state investigation.

Murderer of Local LDS Leader Gets Life Sentence The convicted murderer of a local LDS leader and father of four was sentenced Tuesday and will spend at least 47 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. District Judge Sally Loehrer rejected Keith Shanley's bid for a new trial and sentenced him to life in prison for the February 1998 shooting death of George Veit at a Best Auto store in Las Vegas.

Sports

Women's Soccer Scores Another Conference Win, Blank Air Force 4-0 A dominating first-half performance helped the 15th-ranked BYU women's soccer team beat Air Force, 4-0, Thursday afternoon. The win helped BYU remain unbeaten in conference play.

Politics

LDS Church Says DOMA Position Clear; Won't Make Nevada Statement A local LDS Church spokesman told the Las Vegas Sun that the Church would probably not make an official statement on the Nevada's question 2, which would start the process of amending the state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. William Stodddard, Las Vegas-based Church spokesman told the Sun that the Church's position on the question is already clear and contained in the 1995 Proclamation on the Family.

Survey Says Pastors Prejudiced Against Mormon Politicians A survey of 518 pastors by Phoenix-based Ellison Research indicates that they generally would not vote for a Mormon, but would vote for a Jew. The survey was conducted earlier this year, before Senator Joseph Lieberman was chosen as the Democratic nominee for US Vice President.

People

Steve May becomes Public Face to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' As his expulsion from the US Army Reserves approaches, Lt. Steve May has become the 'poster child' for the problems with the Clinton administration's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. May, who grew up in an Arizona Mormon family, had an unblemished career in the Army and stellar reviews from his superiors before his homosexuality became public in a debate in the Arizona House, where May has served since his election in 1998.

Mormon Cowboy Selected for Cowboy Hall of Fame Earl Bascom has become the first Mormon inducted into the Cowboy Memorial Museum, located in Caliente California. Paul de Fonville, director of the museum, called Bascom "one of the great pioneers of rodeo -- a cowboy through and through."

Arts & Entertainment

LDS Rock Star Bachman is Hot; Is He Headed to Hall of Fame? More than 35 years after his first hit, "Shakin' All Over," LDS rock star Randy Bachman is hot again. His first band, "The Guess Who" reunited this summer after nearly 30 years, going on a sold-out reunion tour. The songs he made popular with his band "Bachman Turner Overdrive" are being used by both sides in the US presidential campaign. He has penned, with John Einarson, an autobiography, and is currently on a book tour. And now fans have started an on-line petition to get "The Guess Who" in Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Business

LDS CEO Tony Burns to Retire November 1 LDS Stake President M. Anthony Burns, CEO of Ryder Systems, shocked his company last Thursday when he announced that he will retire from the CEO position November 1st. He will remain Chairman of Ryder Systems Board of Directors. The 57-year-old Burns, Ryder's third CEO, changed Ryder during his 17-year tenure from a truck rental company into a provider of sophisticated logistics and transportation solutions.

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