LONG BEACH, Washington (AP) – The parents of a boy who spent 20 minutes under water in the Pacific Ocean before he was rescued consider his survival miraculous. Twelve-year-old Dale Ostrander was visiting the Washington coast with members of his church youth group last Friday when he was caught in a riptide and disappeared from view. The rescuer who carried Ostrander’s limp body to shore told The Oregonian that he thought the boy was dead. Dale was flown to a hospital in Portland, where his parents, Chad and Kirsten Ostrander, began a vigil. Dale opened his eyes Sunday night and spoke a few words to them on Monday. Doctors have warned that even if Dale survives, he could have permanent brain damage, but Kirsten Ostrander said they’re trusting God, “no matter what.”
CROSS CITY, FL. (AP) – County officials in Dixie County along Florida’s Gulf coast are appealing a federal judge’s order to remove a five-foot granite monument displaying the Ten Commandments in front of the courthouse in Cross City. The ACLU of Florida says the U.S. Constitution prohibits such displays in public forums. The Dixie County monument was bought by a local businessman, who pays for its maintenance as well. County residents say local support for the monument is unanimous and they accuse outsiders of trampling on their freedom of religion.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina county wants to make its case to the U.S. Supreme Court that public meetings should be allowed to open with prayers referring to Jesus Christ. A federal appeals court ruled last month in favor of two Forsyth County residents who sued after a 2007 commissioners meeting opened with a prayer in the name of Jesus. One of the appeals court judges pointed out that most of the invocations given before meetings referred to “Jesus,” “Jesus Christ,” “Christ” or “Savior.” Commission vice chair Debra Conrad said that reflects the county’s religious makeup and should be permissible because clergy of all faiths are welcome to lead prayers.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has asked the public to help raise about $500,000 to build a chapel at the Camp Gruber Army National Guard training post. The military base hasn’t had a site for religious gatherings since it was reactivated in 1977. A nonprofit group has been set up to seek public donations and support. A groundbreaking for the interfaith chapel is set for Sept. 7. The goal is to have construction of the facility completed by spring 2012, when about 3,200 soldiers with the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade return from Afghanistan and Kuwait.
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP)- A federal judge says an Illinois prison inmate doesn’t have a right to “The Satanic Bible” behind bars. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Wilkerson cited security concerns in rejecting Kevin Halfmann’s claims that he needs the book to practice his religion. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that witnesses testified in court that ‘The Satanic Bible” hasn’t been allowed in Illinois prisons since 1990 because of its potential to incite hatred and violence.
