Melissa Barnhart

Latest

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  May 31, 2013

  Dead Sea Scroll Fragments Up for Sale; Will Another Private Citizen Be Owner?

  Fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls are set to be auctioned off to the public, which will give private citizens and religious institutions the opportunity to own a part of biblical history – if they can afford the asking price.

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  May 30, 2013

  Dolly Parton Embraces 'Book Lady' Title; Aims to Distribute 1 Million Free Books a Month to Children

  Country music legend Dolly Parton is best known for her entertainment career that spans more than 50 years, but the role she's most proud of is that of the "book lady," a title bestowed on her by the hundreds of thousands of children who receive free books delivered to their homes, courtesy of Parton's Imagination Library.

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  May 29, 2013

  Zero Jobs Created by $150K Stimulus Spent to Study Lesbian Parents

  Clark University in Worchester, Mass., received a $152,000 grant awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services to interview 50 lesbian couples before and after they became adoptive parents. The grant was awarded to the Trustees of Clark University to fund a research project, titled "Transition to Adoptive Parenthood," to study the potential strengths and challenges faced by lesbian parents three months after they adopted their children.

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  May 29, 2013

  Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn Ready to Sign Gay Marriage Bill; Pressure Mounts on Lawmakers

  Illinois Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn says he will sign the "Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act" into law if the House will vote on the bill before adjournment on Friday. Gay rights groups and even former President Bill Clinton are placing mounting pressure on House members to make the state the 13th in the nation to approve gay marriage.

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  May 28, 2013

  Sentencing Begins for Gosnell Employees; Pro-Life Group Calls for Excavation of Landfills to Locate Babies

  Elizabeth Hampton, Kermit Gosnell's sister-in-law who worked at the Women's Medical Society abortion clinic in West Philadelphia, was sentenced Tuesday morning to serve one year of probation after pleading guilty to one count of perjury for lying to FBI and DEA agents about practices inside the clinic during their Feb. 18, 2010, raid to investigate Gosnell's illegal prescription drug operation.

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  May 27, 2013

  CNN Poll Shows Majority of Americans Oppose Obamacare

  A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday reveals 54 percent of Americans are opposed to the Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare," three years after the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate passed the bill in March 2010.

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  May 27, 2013

  Memorial Day: A Time to Embrace and Honor the Sacrifices of Our Soldiers

  Celebrated on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that's designated as a time of reverence and remembrance of those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and made the ultimate sacrifice and died in service to their country.

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  May 25, 2013

  GLAAD Pushes Boy Scouts to Now Lift Ban on Openly Gay Leaders, Volunteers

  Members of GLAAD, a nonprofit organization that promotes LGBT advocacy, was at the Boy Scouts of America's headquarters in Irving, Texas, on Friday – one day after the BSA's national council voted to allow openly gay membership – to advocate for additional policy changes acceptable to the gay community.

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  May 24, 2013

  Hobby Lobby Has Its Day in Court; Argues Case for Religious Freedom

  Hobby Lobby's case for exemption from a part of the Affordable Care Act that requires religious employers to cover Plan B and Ella One emergency contraceptives that can cause early abortion was argued in court on Thursday.

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  May 23, 2013

  Scouting Community Fear Sex, Politics of Gay Agenda Will Fracture Boy Scouts of America

  Opponents of the BSA's resolution to allow openly-gay membership in the scouts frequently speak about keeping sex and politics out of the scouts – an institution where young boys, many of whom grow up in fatherless homes, depend on mentors who can teach them how to become moral and upstanding citizens, according to Robert Schwarzwalder, senior vice president of the Family Research Council, who's asking delegates to vote "No" when they cast their ballots Thursday.