News
Appeals panel OKs federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research
WASHINGTON (CNS) — A three-judge federal appeals panel has affirmed a lower court ruling that the U.S. government can fund embryonic stem-cell research despite a federal ban on funding any research that harms or destroys human embryos. Chief Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the […]
Court blocks state immigration provisions; ICE agents sue government
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked parts of Alabama’s and Georgia’s immigration-related laws, but allowed both states to keep their so-called “show me your papers” provisions. The same week, 10 employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement sued the Obama administration over a program launched Aug. 15 to defer deportation […]
Despite drought, wineries expect good grapes for altar wines
DURANGO, Iowa (CNS) — As summer winds down, vineyards across Iowa are now harvesting this year’s “fruit of the vine.” Despite the worst drought in recent memory, growers foresee a good crop, mostly because grape vines can thrive without much moisture. The chance that some of these locally grown grapes will provide the altar wine […]
Altar bread prices could rise due to Midwest drought
GREENVILLE, R.I. (CNS) — Manufacturers of altar bread are preparing to face rising costs of wheat flour as grain prices fluctuate in the wake of a severe drought that continues to plague the Midwest and Western Canada. But they expect to pass along only a minimal price increase to their customers. In Clyde, Mo., Benedictine […]
Residences of Syrian archbishops in Aleppo ransacked
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Fighting in Aleppo, Syria, has not spared the residences of the local Melkite and Maronite Catholic archbishops, according to the Vatican’s Fides news agency. The residence of Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart was ransacked during clashes Aug. 23. The archbishop and several priests who live in the building had fled a few […]
California archbishop apologizes after drunken driving arrest
OAKLAND, Calif. (CNS) — Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, to be installed in October as archbishop of San Francisco, was arrested in San Diego early Aug. 26 for driving under the influence. The archbishop, a San Diego native, had his mother in the car. In an Aug. 27 statement issued from the Diocese of Oakland, which […]
After college acceptance, next challenge for many is paying tuition
WASHINGTON (CNS) — After finally being accepted into college, the only headaches left for students are how to fit a dorm room into a car for move-in day — and how to afford that tuition. On June 29, Congress voted to keep the interest rate for Stafford federal student loans at 3.4 percent; it would […]
Message from girl’s first Communion balloon returned 11 year later
EDGEWOOD, Iowa (CNS) — In 2001, Abbie Steger, then in second grade, took part in a tradition that has been going on for decades at St. Mark Church in Edgewood. On the Sunday after Easter, the small, tightknit parish’s first Communion class stands on a lawn outside the church and releases balloons. The colorful spheres […]
Former archdiocesan CFO sentenced to 2-7 years in prison for theft of nearly $1 million
The former chief financial officer of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will spend the next two to seven years in state prison for embezzling more than $900,000 from the Church over seven years. Common Pleas Court Judge Ellen Ceisler sentenced Anita Guzzardi, 44, to prison at a hearing Aug. 24 in Philadelphia on her third-degree felony conviction of theft by deception. Guzzardi will also serve seven years’ probation on two other convictions, forgery and unlawful use of a computer. She had pleaded guilty to the three charges July 29.
Devon Prep students shine in national solar car event
While we all endured the extreme heat in the Philadelphia area this summer, a group of Devon Preparatory School students were hoping for as much sunshine as possible in Dallas, Texas. Devon Prep’s solar car team recently took second place in the national 2012 Solar Car Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway, and without the […]