The city of Cincinnati says the City Gospel Mission is a benefit to the city and helps residents get back on their feet.
The state’s two U.S. Senators, one Republican and one Democrat, have sent letters saying that the mission is an example of a faith-based organization that makes a real difference and is an asset to their community.
But the Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking to keep the mission from being able to expand to help more people.
The Mission had planned to move to a larger, state-of-the-art facility when an insurance company discovered that the property had a private use restriction from HUD that dated back 40 years. The restriction was part of a deal between the city and HUD.
And while Cincinnati waived the agreement saying it was in the city’s best interests, HUD is objecting because the Mission is a Christian organization and because it only houses men in its facility.
HUD says those factors mean the shelter will be violating the Fair Housing Act.
Cincinnati officials say that if the Mission cannot expand, it will mean more homeless on the streets.
A HUD spokesman denied to FoxNews that the matter had anything to do with the group’s religion but then said that he could not comment while they are investigating the situation.
A man who calls himself a “militant atheist” will spend the next eight years in prison for his attack on a pastor last October.
James Maxie, 28, approached Pastor Norman Hayes of Bridge Community Church in North Hampton, Ohio after services after the pastor asked Maxie’s girlfriend if she was being abused. Maxie then beat the pastor, leaving large cuts on his face.
Maxie jumped on top of the pastor and kept beating him after the pastor had fallen to the floor. Witnesses say that they feared Maxie was going to kill him.
The police chief who responded to the incident said he had never seen “an incident this brutal.”
Maxie was sentenced under a plea deal that had him pleading guilty to second-degree felony assault.
Pastor Hayes says that he holds no ill will toward Maxie.
“I would want him to know going into prison hearing from me that I’ve extended forgiveness for him,” Hayes said. “[Forgiveness] is a gift. It’s something that you can’t earn.”
The outbreak of mumps in central Ohio has more than quadrupled in recent weeks.
According to health authorities, the major increase in cases is happening on the campus of Ohio State University.
The Columbus Health Department reports four people have been hospitalized during the outbreak and at least 93 students or staff connected to the school have been infected with the virus.
Three of the people infected in the outbreak have been confirmed to have never received a vaccination for the mumps.
“If even one person is unvaccinated we are all at risk,” Jose Rodriguez of the Columbus health department told FoxNews. Rodriguez added that even with vaccinations, up to 20 percent of the population is vulnerable to the mumps virus.
One of the cases reportedly is severe enough that the patient could lose their hearing. In addition, four cases of orchitis have developed from the infection.
Last year in Franklin County, which includes Columbus, only one case of mumps had been reported.
Security critics are raising the alarm about a new surveillance system that can track all the citizens and vehicles in a small city at the same time.
Dayton, Ohio based Persistent Surveillance Systems has been demonstrating a system where a low flying aircraft continually monitors traffic and humans in a wide area. While the system cannot show individual details like hair color, the motion of the objects and their travel locations can help police and federal agents identify and track civilians.
The system does not require a warrant from a judge to be used for tracking an individual.
Defense contractors are working on similar systems for military use but the PSS unit is designed to be used by civilian sources as well.
Ross McNutt of PSS says that a single camera from their system mounted on the top of the Washington Monument would allow police to monitor and track every person and vehicle that uses or approaches the National Mall. He says the devices could help police make a significant dent in crime levels.
If a Christian parent wants to homeschool their children in Ohio, a Democratic state senator wants to make sure the government approves of what they will be teaching their children.
Ohio Senate Bill 248 was introduced that will require any parent who wants to homeschool their child to meet with government social workers for interviews, have background checks conducted and give permission for government intervention.
If the state doesn’t approve the parents, they won’t be allowed to homeschool.
Social workers would not be required to obtain training or qualifications to determine if parents are capable of being able to educate their children using homeschool materials.
There is nothing in the bill that protects someone from being denied because a social worker takes issue with their religious beliefs.
If the bill passes, thousands of Christian homeschool families in the state will now be investigated by the government and must allow the government access to all parts of their lives if they wish to continue to educate their children.
All the shaking going on at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio wasn’t just from students partying on Wednesday.
A 3.5 magnitude earthquake was confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey as striking just before 1 p.m. local time. The earthquake’s epicenter was almost 5 miles deep and centered 2 ½ miles east-southeast of Nelsonville, Ohio.
The USGS said the quake was felt mainly in southern Ohio and into parts of West Virginia.
The quake was the strongest to hit Ohio since a magnitude 4.0 quake struck Youngstown on December 31, 2011. It was the strongest quake to hit Athens County since a 3.8 quake in 1886.
The USGS says a 3.5 magnitude quake can be felt inside homes.
“At first, I thought a car hit the house. I thought the thing was going to come down. It was one big jolt,” resident Carl Corvin told the Columbus Dispatch.
Students at Ohio University tried to take advantage of the quake by asking the vice president of student affairs on the social network twitter if the quake meant classes were released for the day.
“This is funny. Really. But no. Good try though :),” VP Ryan Lombardi replied.
At least six people are confirmed dead after a Sunday outbreak of tornadoes across the Midwest.
The town of Washington, Illinois was devastated by a massive tornado that tore an 1/8th mile wide track through the entire town. Mayor Gary Manier said that up to 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed and that some neighborhoods are completely destroyed.
“How people survived is beyond me,” Manier said.
The tornadic storms are considered unusual for mid-November. Damaging winds and tornadoes were reported in 12 states: Michigan, Iowa, Illnois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
The storms moved so fast at times that weather forecasters were warning people to see shelter even before they could see a change in the weather.
The storm threatened the Chicago area forcing the game between the NFL’s Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens to be delayed for two hours as teams and spectators huddled under the stadium.
A pastor in North Hampton, Ohio was violently attacked after a sermon by a man who describes himself as a “militant atheist.”
James Maxie, 28, of Springfield, Ohio was attending a service at Bridge Community Church. Maxie disrupted the service several times in what parishioners described as attempts at confrontation with the pastor. After the service ended, Maxie and his girlfriend approached the pastor.
When the pastor asked the girlfriend if she felt safe, Maxie attacked with a brutality that police chief Jarrod Campbell says he’s never seen before.
Reverend Norman Hayes, 57, suffered a broken nose, bruises and three long cuts to the face that required stitches. Hayes said that he feared for his life and begged for Maxie to stop the attack.
Maxie fled the church and hid in a cornfield where police discovered him. Officials say that because of the brutality of his attack on the pastor, Maxie will be facing felony charges.
“We believe there is hope for everyone,” Hayes told WHIO-TV, “but we also believe that regardless of that, people need to pay for what they have done, and I hope he has to pay for what he has done. Get put away for a while and not hurt anyone else. In my opinion, the next person won’t be as lucky as I was.”
As temperatures increase for the summer, scientists are noting an increase in ticks infected with Lyme disease. They have also released a study that shows an increase in Lyme disease rates in 21 states.
“There is a lot of different theories of Lyme disease increasing because of warming temperatures,” said Dr. Liza Whalen. Continue reading →
Winter Storm “Q,” which has already dumped a layer of snow in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, moves with full force into the eastern Plains and Midwest on Thursday, where it could dump a foot and a half of snow in some areas. Continue reading →
Winter Storm “Q,” which has already dumped a layer of snow in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, moves with full force into the eastern Plains and Midwest on Thursday, where it could dump a foot and a half of snow in some areas.