- Feed the Children dismissed 14 employees at its distribution center in Nashville last month after a local news telecast showed staff members driving home with numerous boxes of donated goods. A May 24 raid by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at the homes of administrative workers yielded shoes, videos, blankets, food, and other items. “I will not tolerate this isolated incident to malign our years of good works,” Larry Jones, founder of the Oklahoma Citybased charity, said. “I am shocked and saddened.” The 20-year-old organization receives $150 million in donated goods and $150 million in cash annually. The organization installed a video surveillance system at the Nashville warehouse in June.
- Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns on May 26 vetoed a law that would have made the state the first in the nation to enact a moratorium on the death penalty. Nebraska’s unicameral legislature had passed a bill 27 to 20 to halt executions for a two-year study period to determine if they are exercised fairly. But Johanns, a Republican who backs capital punishment, said he is obligated to enforce the law. Various religious leaders have opposed executions in the state (CT, March 1, 1999, p. 19).
- The largest collection of genealogical records in the world—the names of 2 billion deceased people—can be accessed at a new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Web site, www.FamilySearch.org. Demand for the site reached 40 million hits a day after its May introduction. The church encourages members to trace their ancestors as a religious obligation because Mormons believe family relationships do not end at death but continue into eternity.
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