Leonardo Blair

Latest

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  Oct 19, 2021

  Florida pastor, teacher among 125 arrested in human trafficking sting; 5 rescued

  A Florida pastor who launched a new church this fall and a teacher were among 125 people arrested in a 20-day human trafficking sting that resulted in the rescue of four women and a 17-year-old, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

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  Oct 19, 2021

  Gang demands $17M for return of kidnapped missionaries in Haiti, justice minister says

  The gang that kidnapped 17 missionaries while they were on a trip to visit an orphanage in Haiti on Saturday has demanded $1 million each for their safe return, Justice Minister Liszt Quitel confirmed Tuesday. 

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  Oct 19, 2021

  Jill Biden tells church how she found faith again after death of stepson Beau

  When God didn't answer her "one last desperate prayer" before the death of her stepson, Beau Biden, from brain cancer in 2015, first lady Jill Biden felt so "betrayed" she "couldn't even pray." A visit to Brookland Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina, four years later, however, would change everything.

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  Oct 18, 2021

  Colin Powell dies from COVID-19 complications amid cancer battle; he was fully vaccinated

  Gen. Colin L. Powell, the first African American to serve as U.S. secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died Monday morning from COVID-19 complications despite being fully vaccinated his family announced. He was 84.

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  Oct 15, 2021

  Menlo Church investigation finds no evidence John Ortberg’s son abused minors

  Nearly a year after Menlo Church in California contracted the Zero Abuse Project to investigate whether the son of former senior pastor John Ortberg engaged in any sexual misconduct during his time at the church, the abuse prevention organization has found no evidence of wrongdoing.

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  Oct 15, 2021

  Florida pastor, husband of North Lauderdale commissioner arrested for domestic violence

  After enjoying what appeared to be a whirlwind romance on social media, Damion Orlando Archat, the husband of North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin, who also serves as senior pastor at Embassy Church of South Florida, was arrested Monday on several counts of battery charges including domestic battery by strangulation and resisting an officer.

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  Oct 15, 2021

  As cryptocurrencies gain popularity, churches test future of money

  As decentralized digital money known as cryptocurrencies become increasingly popular, churches like Sun Coast Community Church in Sarasota, Florida, and charity organizations such as The Salvation Army are beginning to test the technology some experts predict will replace cash as early as 2035.

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  Oct 14, 2021

  New York must allow religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccines, judge rules

  A federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction against New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers after a group of 17 Christian medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, protested in a lawsuit that the mandate violated their religious freedom by not allowing employers to consider religious exemptions.

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  Oct 12, 2021

  Church of the Highlands Pastor Dino Rizzo named in sexual harassment lawsuit

  Dino Rizzo, a member of the Church of the Highlands’ senior leadership team in Alabama, has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a former intern at Vibrant Church in Columbus, Mississippi. 

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  Oct 12, 2021

  Citing ‘bullying’ from Biden admin., Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bans all COVID-19 vaccine mandates

  Citing ‘bullying,’ from the Biden administration causing many private companies to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Monday banning such mandates and has asked state legislators to codify the ban.