Presbyterian Church Lifts Ban On Gay And Lesbian Clergy

Presbyterian Church (USA), the nation’s largest Presbyterian organization, voted yesterday to overturn its ban on ordaining non-celibate gays and lesbians for church leadership positions, reversing more than three decades of official policy.

The approved change will remove the requirement that all ministers, elders, and deacons live in “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.” Instead, it will say, “Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.” The new policy will not force different presbyteries to ordain gays if they choose not to.

Continue »

Wounded Warriors Make First Ever All-Amputee Softball Team

It wasn’t about the 35-10 lopsided score, the former major leaguers in attendance or the lightning that delayed the game by 30 minutes. This ball game was about giving wounded servicemen who put their lives on the line a chance to shine again.

"I played baseball all my life," said Saul Bosquez, a Michigan native and Army veteran who lost his leg in Baghdad in 2007. "I played baseball in college and once I got tired of college I joined the Army and got hurt, and sports was a big thing in my rehab, and once they started this team I was all over it."

Continue »

GM to add 4,200 jobs in $2B investment

DETROIT -- General Motors said Tuesday it will add or keep 4,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next year and a half. GM CEO Dan Akerson said that jobs will be added at 17 plants in eight states. He's made the announcement at a plant in Toledo, where up to 400 new workers will be hired.

The $2 billion investment is another sign that the automaker is recovering two years after its bankruptcy and a government bailout.

GM reported its best profit in more than a decade last week, earning $3.2 billion in the first three months of 2011.

Continue »