Anti-abortion plates ruled legal
A federal appeals court Friday allowed Tennessee to offer anti-abortion license plates bearing the message “Choose Life.”
A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overturned a lower-court ruling that said the tag illegally promoted only one side of the abortion debate.
“Although this exercise of government one-sidedness with respect to a very contentious political issue may be ill-advised, we are unable to conclude that the Tennessee statute contravenes the First Amendment,” Judge John M. Rogers said in a 2-1 ruling.
Anaheim, Calif.
Man shot, killed outside Denny’s
An 18-year-old man was killed and another wounded in a shootout early Friday outside a Denny’s restaurant near Disneyland, marking the third fatal shooting incident in as many days at one of the chain’s restaurants in California.
On Wednesday, a transient went on a shooting spree in a Pismo Beach, Calif., Denny’s, killing two and wounding a couple before turning the gun on himself. On Friday, authorities were still investigating a motive.
On Thursday, a 37-year-old Pomona, Calif., man was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Denny’s in Ontario. The gunman remained at large Friday.
Friday’s shooting in Anaheim occurred about 2:45 a.m. fewer than three miles from Disneyland. An argument that began at a nearby nightclub between two large groups of people spilled over to the Denny’s restaurant where the late night crowd gathered.
Canadian, Texas
Rain, sleet falls as wildfires let up
Rain and sleet fell over much of the charred Texas Panhandle on Friday as crews put out hot spots from wildfires that have consumed 840,000 acres and killed at least 11 people since Sunday.
The fires finally began to ease Thursday after forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes and killing at least 10,000 cattle and horses.
The National Weather Service said more rain could soak the drought-stricken region this weekend. But the Forest Service said two new small fires Friday morning in Carson County may have been sparked by lightning.
Washington
Orthodox Church fires chancellor
Facing allegations of financial mismanagement, the Orthodox Church in America has fired its longtime chancellor and brought in an independent law firm to conduct a full investigation, church officials said Friday.
The 400,000-member denomination, an offshoot of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been in turmoil since its former treasurer alleged in October that top officials diverted millions of dollars in donations.
Senior clergy and lay leaders across the country had demanded an investigation.