Christopher Vondracek

Free speech advocates losing legal challenges against revenge porn

Free speech advocates are striking out in their legal challenges to revenge porn laws.

December 31, 2020

Baptist, Catholic leaders reconcile support for vaccine, opposition to abortion

Southern Baptist and Roman Catholic leaders are walking a tightrope in explaining their support for two COVID-19 vaccines, even though those drugs' effectiveness was tested using genetic material from a line of cells linked to a fetus aborted in the 1970s.

December 30, 2020

German Catholic leader open to women ordination

A self-proclaimed "conservative" Roman Catholic cleric in Germany has signaled openness to the ordination of women priests in the worldwide faith.

December 30, 2020

Community colleges suffer huge losses in enrollment

Community colleges saw double-digit declines in enrollment this fall, according to the latest nationwide study, worrying experts about the long-term impact on the country's workforce.

December 22, 2020

Mormons address racism, misinformation in new handbook sections

The nation's largest Mormon denomination has announced new handbook sections that condemn misinformation and decry racism, addressing a thorny topic that has embroiled faiths across the U.S. this year.

December 21, 2020

Lauren Daigle, Christian music star, speaks out on NYE show controversy

Christian crossover artist Lauren Daigle is defending her appearance at an outdoor worship service held in violation of New Orleans' COVID-19 restrictions last month, saying her impromptu performance -- which has reportedly imperiled her participation in a New Year's Eve television show on ABC -- was spontaneous and "focused on lifting spirits."

December 18, 2020

American Indian leaders cheer Deb Haaland pick as ‘monumental step forward’

American Indian leaders widely praised President-elect Joseph R. Biden's pick of Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Interior Department, a sprawling bureaucracy that oversees many tribal federal agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

December 18, 2020

Vatican’s ‘shocking’ Nativity display irks U.S. Catholics

American Catholics are critiquing the creche the Vatican has put on display in St. Peter's Square, with one commentator comparing the globular ceramics diorama to the cantina scene from "Star Wars."

December 17, 2020

15 area nonprofits, historically Black colleges share $253 million donation from Mackenzie Scott

Fifteen nonprofit groups and historically Black colleges and universities in Virignia, Maryland and the District have recently received a total of more than $253 million from novelist Mackenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, as part of her $4.2 billion philanthropic endeavor this year.

December 16, 2020

Christmas carolers adapt to coronavirus dangers to bring joy to holidays

Christmas carolers are adapting with plexiglass and extreme distance this season, as health experts warn about the dangers that singing poses during the coronavirus pandemic.

December 16, 2020

Some colleges with in-person classes see little coronavirus spread

Universities such as Duke and Purdue are breathing a collective sigh of relief after a semester of in-person instruction that largely avoided the coronavirus outbreaks that some experts had predicted.

December 14, 2020

Mexico’s top Catholic bishop OK with civil unions

The highest-ranking Catholic priest in Mexico has expressed support for Pope Francis' call to legally recognize civil unions for gay couples.

December 11, 2020

College applications down from 2019 as interest lags amid pandemic

A new national survey finds that college enrollment among this spring's high school graduates has declined 22% since 2019, as students show lagging interest in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic.

December 10, 2020

Hanukkah kicks off with new look due to pandemic

The eight nights of Hanukkah celebrations commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (circa 160 BCE) begin at sundown Thursday amid coronavirus restrictions on dining, gatherings and travel.

December 9, 2020

Face-to-face evangelism fading amid COVID-19 pandemic

Christians accustomed to in-person evangelizing — including street preachers and door-knocking Jehovah's Witnesses — are reconsidering outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, some say for good.

December 8, 2020

Holocaust heirs ask Supreme Court for right to sue Germany over stolen property

Holocaust survivors and heirs to German Jews went to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to argue in a pair of cases that American courts provide avenues for compensation for property and art stolen by the Nazis.

December 7, 2020

Advocates say hunger, food anxiety grow during pandemic

Anti-hunger advocates warn that an unprecedented food crisis awaits the U.S. this winter because COVID-19 has depleted pantries and joblessness remains high entering the colder months.

December 6, 2020

Rural advocate sounds alarm on accessing a vaccine

Americans living long distances from hospitals will face steep obstacles in getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the new year, the president of an agricultural advocacy group says.

December 4, 2020

Colleges cut liberal arts as coronavirus strains budgets

Classical civilization, German and Italian studies are just a few of the programs to be cut at the University of Vermont, joining other colleges axing low-enrollment majors and minors to stay financially afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

December 4, 2020

South Dakota judge wants to move court after guns approved

The presiding judge in a county in western South Dakota wants to move court proceedings, saying the courthouse is no longer safe after county commissioners approved carrying firearms on the property.

December 4, 2020