2012-05-16 11:50:42
Newlyweds and couples moving toward marriage, take note. Love, as it turns out, is not all you need.
Not if your goal is to avoid the No. 1 reason marriages end in divorce: Money problems.
Everyone knows, or should know, this. But love and a r......
2012-05-16 11:15:52
Newlyweds and couples moving toward marriage, take note. Love, as it turns out, is not all you need.
Not if your goal is to avoid the No. 1 reason marriages end in divorce: Money problems.
Everyone knows, or should know, this. But love and a r......
2012-05-15 20:03:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Last week, North Carolinians approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage.
Because gay marriage already was illegal there, all the vote proved is that, by incorporating discrimination into its Constitution, North Carolina still clings to its antebellum roots.
On th......
2012-05-15 19:31:09
Opponents of same-sex unions rallied at the Colorado Capitol on Tuesday as tensions remained high one day after state House Republicans rejected a proposal to provide gay couples rights similar to marriage.
Dozens of people saying they support traditional marriag......
2012-05-15 14:43:58
President Barack Obama's shift to support gay marriage is energizing young Hispanic voters who have been working side-by-side with gay activists in their push for immigration reform. The alliance has been growing nationwide and helping dispel what many say is an outdated notion that......
2012-05-15 13:34:48
Francois Hollande campaigned for the French presidency with some pretty radical promises. But his carefully worded agenda and his political record suggest as president he's likely to revert to the moderate consensus-building that has characterized his career.
Her......
2012-05-15 10:19:21
IVAN MORENO,Associated PressKRISTEN WYATT,Associated Press
Gay couples who watched as Colorado lawmakers rejected a civil unions measure are taking comfort in the bill sponsor's mantra: It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when civil unions become law.
The most emotional issue -- some call it divisive -- at the Legis......
2012-05-14 23:25:56
IVAN MORENO,Associated PressKRISTEN WYATT,Associated Press
A last-ditch effort by Colorado's governor to give gay couples in the state rights similar to married couples failed Monday after Republicans rejected the proposal during a special legislative session.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper had said the special sessio......
2012-05-14 21:18:05
President Barack Obama on Monday defended his view that gay couples should have the right to marry, saying that the country has never gone wrong when it "expanded rights and responsibilities to everybody."
"That doesn't weaken families. That streng......
2012-05-14 18:26:47
Rhode Island's governor on Monday declared that the state will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, giving gay couples the same rights as heterosexual ones when it comes to health insurance and a slew of other benefits.
The order signed by Gov. Linco......
2012-05-14 11:42:38
Will Smith says he supports U.S. President Barack Obama's position on gay marriage.
The Hollywood actor says the question of whether gay people should be allowed to legally marry is "about semantics."
He told reporters in Berlin on M......
2012-05-14 03:57:33
On the upper eastern edge of Ohio lies a valley built on the sweat of the working class, where steel mills sit mostly shuttered but a once-struggling Chevy plant endures. It is a place filled with union halls and blue-collar families for whom the auto bailout meant survival, deliver......
2012-05-13 17:15:24
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has told University of North Carolina graduates that last week's gay marriage vote shows there is still a lot of work to be done for civil rights in this country.
Bloomberg spoke Sunday to thousands of graduates at Kenan Memo......
2012-05-13 15:32:09
On the upper eastern edge of Ohio lies a valley built on the sweat of the working class, where steel mills sit mostly shuttered but a once-struggling Chevy plant endures. It is a place filled with union halls and blue-collar families for whom the auto bailout meant survival, deliver......
2012-05-13 05:54:00
KASIE HUNT,Associated PressRACHEL ZOLL,Associated Press
Mitt Romney's Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical university Saturday.
And he hardly touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of ......
2012-05-12 19:26:50
KASIE HUNT,Associated PressRACHEL ZOLL,Associated Press
Mitt Romney's Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical university Saturday.
And he hardly touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of ......
2012-05-12 18:01:58
Once a bright spot for President Barack Obama, North Carolina is now more like a political migraine less than four months before Democrats open the party's national convention in Charlotte.
The causes are plenty.
Labor unions, a core Democrati......
2012-05-12 16:40:11
The historic action that four North Carolina college students took that led to desegregation at lunch counters more than half a century ago shows what young people can do to change their world for the better, first lady Michelle Obama said during a commencement speech Saturday. ......
2012-05-12 14:44:04
The daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro said during a rousing gay rights march Saturday that her father advocated eliminating sexual discrimination, and reiterated her own hope the country would soon legalize same sex marriage
Mariela Castro, a noted gay righ......
2012-05-12 14:06:25
ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS,Associated PressLISA LEFF,Associated Press
In revealing his support for same-sex marriage, President Barack Obama attributed his change in thinking to a series of key conversations and experiences. Talking to members of his staff and gay service members in committed relationships made it more difficult to justify why they sh......
2012-05-11 20:21:53
Like many black Americans, Dorsey Jackson does not believe in gay marriage, but he wasn't disillusioned when Barack Obama became the first president to support it. The windows of his suburban Philadelphia barbershop still display an "Obama 2012" placard and another that re......
2012-05-11 19:55:42
Bristol Palin says children do better with a mother and father.
The daughter of 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin made the comment on the religious website patheos.com. She was responding to President Barack Obama's endorsement of same-sex marriage......
2012-05-11 19:02:48
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Friday it was "petty" for North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue to insult Mississippi while bemoaning that voters in her state approved a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.
Bryant, a Republican who became governor i......
2012-05-11 18:37:18
President Barack Obama has seen an uptick in fundraising since he announced his shift on gay marriage, with some Democratic rainmakers citing renewed interest from gay and lesbian donors who had been urging the president to clarify his stance on the divisive social issue.
......
2012-05-11 18:12:34
Under a tent on George Clooney's basketball court, the cheers were loud and warm for President Barack Obama.
"I want to thank Clooney for letting us use his basketball court," Obama quipped to a glittery crowd that included Barbra Streisand, Jack Black,......
2012-05-11 16:58:05
The presidential candidates tried to put aside politically risky talk of gay rights Friday and return to Americans' top worry, the economy, in two states critical to the hopes of President Barack Obama and his rival Mitt Romney.
Obama discussed how to help homeow......
2012-05-11 09:53:25
Republican Mitt Romney is trying to shift his campaign's focus back to the sluggish economic recovery and will use a commencement speech at an evangelical university to cast strong families as central to a strong economy.
"Although opportunities seem scarce ......
2012-05-11 02:04:41
At a birthplace of the gay rights movement, patrons of New York City's Stonewall Inn said they felt like they were living history. In Wyoming, the mother of a man beaten to death because of his sexuality said words couldn't express her gratitude. An 82-year-old photographer who chro......
2012-05-11 00:35:14
President Barack Obama wasted little time casting his historic embrace of same-sex marriage as a political wedge issue Thursday, telling a Hollywood fundraising crowd that it shows how his vision of the country differs from Republicans.
Speaking at a dinner at th......
2012-05-10 23:23:23
President Barack Obama is telling major Hollywood donors that his decision to support same-sex marriage is a logical extension of where he believes America ought to be.
Obama also says that the issue illustrates the difference in visions for the country between h......
2012-05-10 22:07:00
TOM MURSE
President Barack Obama's support of same-sex marriage has been portrayed by some as a "gamble."
A "rare moment of risk-taking."
A move that could "carry a political cost" in November.
"CONTROVERSY OVER GAY MARRIAGE," USA Today huffed. "President takes sides in political ga......
2012-05-10 19:45:13
President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage adds a new layer of complexity for voters -- especially independents -- in battleground states that will decide the race for the White House.
While the economy is certain to dominate the campaign over the next six......
2012-05-10 18:42:27
Opponents of gay marriage have been aggressive -- and in most cases successful -- in passing measures to block gay marriage in the states expected to be at the heart of the race for the White House. Actions in the past decade in the states considered to be as 2012 toss-ups:
......
2012-05-10 17:55:02
Cuban President Raul Castro's daughter congratulated Barack Obama on Thursday for his support for gay marriage, but said his comments are just a first step toward changing policy.
The U.S. president delivered a message that was "humane, understanding, in whi......
2012-05-10 17:35:17
Sacha Baron Cohen rolled into London for the world premiere of "The Dictator" in style Thursday, standing in a bright orange Lamborghini flashing a replica golden pistol and dressed in a garish military uniform.
His new character follows in the footstep......
2012-05-10 17:28:04
President Barack Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage brings the presidential stamp of approval to the divisive social issue but does not carry swift policy changes along with it.
Obama described his decision as a personal position. White House offi......
2012-05-10 16:46:45
Transgender rights activists say Argentina now leads the world by granting people the right to change their legal and physical gender identity simply because they want to, without having to undergo judicial, psychiatric and medical procedures beforehand.
The gend......
2012-05-10 16:40:38
ADAM EGAN,Associated PressSID DIXON,Associated Press
Sacha Baron Cohen rolled into London for the world premiere of "The Dictator" in style Thursday, standing in a bright orange Lamborghini flashing a replica golden pistol and dressed in a garish military uniform.
His new character follows in the footstep......
2012-05-10 10:06:48
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has broken a long silence on gay marriage and left the door open for making it legal.
In a statement sent to The Associated Press by his press secretary on Thursday, Key said he is "not personally opposed to gay marriage.&......
2012-05-10 08:34:48
China's government considered homosexuality a mental disorder until 2001. Mobs in Senegal have disinterred bodies of men they believe were gays and dragged them through the streets. In Egypt, laws prohibiting "shameless public acts" have been used to imprison gay men. ......
2012-05-10 07:20:19
Kate Varnum was at her Iowa home watching her newly adopted infant son when news flashed that Barack Obama had become the first sitting U.S. president to endorse equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.
"I said, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is happen......
2012-05-10 07:02:47
Americans react after President Barack Obama voiced his support for gay marriage:
"It definitely felt a like an important moment. For someone who's been fighting in this movement for a long time ... it's overwhelming. Wow!" -- Chris Seelbach, a gay righ......
2012-05-09 22:38:00
DAN NEPHIN
When Artie Van Why heard President Obama had declared his support for gay marriage on Wednesday, he immediately called the White House.
"I said, 'Would you please tell President Obama that I thank him for his courageous stand for marriage equality?' " said Van Why, a writer who works at t......
2012-05-09 22:56:54
KASIE HUNT,Associated PressSEAN MURPHY,Associated Press
Mitt Romney on Wednesday reaffirmed his view that marriage should be restricted to one man and one woman, highlighting a sharp contrast with President Barack Obama.
Obama declared his unequivocal personal support for same-sex marriage during an interview with ABC......
2012-05-09 22:27:41
President Barack Obama's announcement Wednesday that he supports gay marriage boosted the hopes of gay rights groups around the world that other leaders will follow his example, though opponents denounced his switch as a shameless appeal for votes.
Several countr......
2012-05-09 20:23:18
An emotional Gov. John Hickenlooper said Wednesday that he's pulling Colorado lawmakers back to work to resolve a debate over civil unions that ended abruptly without a House vote a day earlier.
Hickenlooper's announcement on the final day of the 2012 regular leg......
2012-05-09 19:59:16
President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage may become the latest issue for voters to sort through in Pennsylvania, a vote-rich battleground where the Democrat's contest against presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney is expected to be close.
Obama's statem......
2012-05-09 19:16:54
President Barack Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage sent ripples through the political world on Wednesday. What does this mean for the 2012 election against likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney? How has Obama's position evolved? Here's a look at the many facets of t......
2012-05-09 19:04:13
President Barack Obama voiced his support Wednesday for gay marriage, becoming the first president to do so. Some reaction:
"This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights. No American president has ever supported a major expansion of ......
2012-05-09 18:53:50
From the left and the right, rival sides in the gay-marriage debate claimed they would reap Election Day benefits from President Barack Obama's long-awaited declaration that he supports same-sex couples' right to wed.
For some gays, however, the politics were sec......
2012-05-09 18:43:31
From the left and the right, rival sides in the gay-marriage debate claimed they would reap Election Day benefits from President Barack Obama's long-awaited declaration that he supports same-sex couples' right to wed.
Gay-marriage supporters said Obama's pronounc......
2012-05-09 17:14:00
The evangelical pastor who President Barack Obama calls his spiritual adviser says he's disappointed in the president's decision to endorse same-sex marriage.
The Rev. Joel Hunter of Florida told The Associated Press that Obama called him before ABC News broadcas......
2012-05-09 16:40:47
President Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first U.S. president to declare support for same-sex marriage. A sampling of his comments on the subject:
"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neig......
2012-05-09 15:32:00
JULIE PACE, Associated Press
Ending months of equivocation, President Barack Obama declared his support for gay marriage on Wednesday, an announcement fraught with history that also injects a potentially polarizing issue into the 2012 race for the White House.
"I have hesitated on gay marriage in part beca......
2012-05-09 12:25:38
North Carolina voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman, but not much is expected to change immediately.
That's because North Carolina law already banned gay marriage. The amendment voters p......
2012-05-09 01:48:16
Chants of "shame on you" from gay rights supporters thundered through the Colorado House on Tuesday night after Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty said legislation to allow civil unions won't get a vote.
McNulty told reporters that lawmakers had rea......
2012-05-09 00:51:18
North Carolina approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday defining marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman, becoming the latest state to effectively slam the door shut on same-sex marriages.
With most of the precincts reporting Tuesday, unofficial r......
2012-05-09 00:09:36
A quick look at what was at stake in elections Tuesday in Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin:
INDIANA: Veteran Sen. Richard Lugar lost a bitter challenge from the right flank of his own Republican Party, his nearly four-decade career in the Sena......
2012-05-08 16:43:20
The national debate over gay marriage focused Tuesday on North Carolina, as voters decided whether to make it the 29th state to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman.
In the final days before the vote, members of Pr......
2012-05-08 16:34:35
The national debate over gay marriage has turned its attention South.
North Carolina could be the next state to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman. Voters are casting their ballots Tuesday.
In......
2012-05-08 15:38:26
The national debate over gay marriage focused Tuesday on North Carolina, as voters decided whether to make it the 29th state to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman.
In the final days before the vote, members of Pr......
2012-05-08 15:15:51
The face of Indiana politics for nearly four decades, Republican Sen. Richard Lugar is battling for political survival against a tea party-backed GOP challenger who says the senator has become more interested in compromising with liberals in Washington than representing conservative......
2012-05-07 19:21:06
North Carolina has long prided itself on its moderate politics dating to the civil rights era, as well as its place as a New South leader and a hub for high-tech, banking and higher education.
Even though the state backed Democrat Barack Obama for president in 20......
2012-05-07 17:23:34
President John F. Kennedy's only surviving child celebrated what would have been his 95th birthday this month by honoring three Iowa judges who were ousted after the court unanimously decided to legalize same-sex marriages.
Caroline Kennedy on Monday also recogni......
2012-05-05 13:46:41
Former President Bill Clinton has recorded an audio advertisement opposing North Carolina's proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The ad will be pushed to the phones of hundreds of thousands of North Ca......
2012-05-05 12:57:18
How unthinkable it was, not so long ago, that a presidential election would pit a candidate fathered by an African against another condemned as un-Christian.
Yet here it is: Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney, an African-American and a white Mormon, representatives ......
2012-05-05 12:38:53
The in-laws of a child bride who became the bruised and bloodied face of women's rights in Afghanistan have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for torture, abuse and human rights violations, a judge said Saturday.
The plight of 15-year-old Sahar Gul captivated ......
2012-05-05 04:11:06
A bill to allow civil unions for gay couples in Colorado must survive two more votes in the Republican-led House before it gets to the governor's desk, but it appears closer than in any other year to becoming law.
If the legislation passes, Colorado would join mo......
2012-05-04 19:53:56
Gay couples came one step closer Friday to having civil unions in Colorado after another Republican-led House committee approved legislation that appears to have enough support to get to the governor's desk.
The finance committee approved the measure with a 7-6 v......
2012-05-04 15:01:25
Democrats pushing for Colorado civil unions worried Friday about the bill's fate after a pointed warning from the Republican House speaker about legislators attacking the motives of opponents.
The bill calling for legal protections for gay couples similar to marr......
2012-05-04 06:09:01
The refrain sounded by his aides is accurate: Barack Obama has done more for the cause of gay rights than any president before him.
Nonetheless, gay-rights activists and organizations are on the president's case these days, pressing him for further steps on two f......
2012-05-04 00:09:37
Gay couples campaigning for civil unions in Colorado have claimed their biggest victory yet as a key Republican-led House committee advanced a bill Thursday that it had previously opposed.
The newfound support means Colorado is likely to become the latest of more......
2012-05-03 21:37:48
"The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison is going be a bachelor again.
A spokeswoman for the 40-year-old TV personality said Thursday that Harrison and his wife are ending their 18-year marriage.
Harrison has hosted the ABC dating series a......
2012-05-02 19:44:30
The Rev. Billy Graham urged North Carolina voters Wednesday to support an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage, a move that an observer said was highly unusual but another said was in keeping with the minister's moral beliefs.
"Watching t......
2012-05-02 13:18:08
A North Carolina pastor says he was joking when he told parents to punch their sons if they show any signs they are gay.
The Fayetteville Observer reports (http://bit.ly/IUR8m2) pastor Sean Harris was preaching at Berean Baptist Church about marriage before next ......
2012-04-26 10:54:39
Mitt Romney likes to talk about how his father "grew up poor." But that's not the whole story.
The father of the presumptive Republican nominee, George Romney, grew up in a family that suffered financial losses and enjoyed prosperity. The elder Romney p......
2012-04-25 14:44:20
Court upholds guilty verdict against popular Egyptian comedian for defaming Islam
An Egyptian court upheld a conviction against one of the Arab world's most famous comedians, sentencing him to jail for offending Islam in some of his most popular films.
......
2012-04-25 12:11:28
Darren Clarke hopes he can start a winning stretch when the Ballantine's Championship gets under way near Seoul on Thursday.
Clarke is looking to end a run of poor form since his victory in the British Open last summer.
In European Tour events......
2012-04-25 08:43:49
Darren Clarke hopes he can start a winning stretch when the Ballantine's Championship gets under way near Seoul on Thursday.
Clarke is looking to end a run of poor form since his victory in the British Open last summer.
In European Tour events......
2012-04-20 18:57:56
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is shrugging off a Democratic governor's remark that a history of polygamy in the Romney family could hurt his chances of being elected.
Romney is also pointing out that his grandfather did not have multiple......
2012-03-10 23:38:00
Gil Smart
I just finished reading the last of the essays written by students at Veritas Academy who listened to my spiel on why gays should be permitted to marry. The kids thoroughly disagreed with me. Ripped my arguments up and down. Yet here I sit, a smile on my face. Because the point of this ......
2012-02-12 00:06:00
MICHAEL LONG
It seemed so sweet. Even admirable. Mother, father and young children — a handsome assemblage — disembarked from their minivan and walked ahead of me into the rec center.The family that plays together, I thought. We all filed past the front desk, and ......
2012-01-22 15:35:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
The vows have been said, promises been made, but has everything really been discussed?
One of the most common things that is overlooked in pre-marriage discussions is money, according to relationship counselor Jeannie Peters of Lancaster.
"They talk about it, but sometimes don't r......
2011-12-31 19:08:00
SUZANNE CASSIDY
Fifteen-month-old Mab clings to her father, Andy Long, as the two enter the play area of Gymboree Play & Music in Manheim Township. Mab — whose name is Welsh, and is that of a mythical fairy queen, according to her dad — is a sprite in a little pink Phillies ca......
2011-12-31 19:06:00
MICHAEL LONG
You thought it was impossible. You thought it couldn't be done. But folks, I'm here to tell you it is possible and it can be done. Nothing less than world peace. In two simple steps. Pay close attention. Here we go.
Step 1: Men, you nee......
2011-12-30 22:58:00
Correspondent
CONCERT
• Marie Barlow and Gordy Martin will perform in concert at NewSong Fellowship Church, 609 Prospect St., at 10 a.m. Sunday. For more information, contact 393-9600 or info@newsongfellowship.net.
...
2011-11-13 00:06:00
MARY ELLEN WRIGHT
Love and marriage may go together like a horse and carriage, but what happens when you hitch a business to that carriage? For spouses who own and run companies together — and spend much of the day in close proximity — vital elements of their business strategy include dividing res......
2011-10-23 00:08:00
KELLY SMEDLEY
For 13 years, Gary and Tina Bellanca had been carving out a life for themselves that depended on supporting each other in every way — physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. From running their own marketing agency, LMI Advertising, to running side by side in marathons,......
2011-07-29 12:10:00
JOAN KERN
Divorce is no respecter of faith.
According to the Rev. Jamie Mitchell of NewSong Fellowship Church, the divorce rate among Christians is about the same -- close to 50 percent -- for both evangelicals and mainliners.
In a random survey of five other pastors, ranging from conservat......
2011-07-29 12:08:00
JOAN KERN
Ryan and Brooke Martin credit their strong marriage to the skills they learned in premarital counseling at NewSong Fellowship Church.
The Rev. Jamie Mitchell, who married the couple at the Prospect Street church five years ago this month, believes, among all of the wedding preparations, c......
2011-06-19 00:16:00
PAULA WOLF
When he was younger, Jason Stark figured he'd be married with children at this point in his life. The 32-year-old East Lampeter Township resident, who works in construction, said he still would like to have a family someday, but he's fine with how things are. "I don't hav......
2011-06-12 00:17:00
SUZANNE CASSIDY
When U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed to sending lewd photographs and messages to women other than his wife, he not only set off a barrage of late-night jokes. He sparked a debate over what constitutes infidelity in a world transformed by the Internet. With more people ......
2011-03-31 15:43:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Vera Volchansky, who is conducting the Millersville University Orchestra in concert Friday, almost became a politician.
Despite years of playing the violin in her native Russia (she emigrated to the United States when she was 12), she started taking prelaw classes in college.
When......
2011-02-13 00:12:00
BRIAN WALLACE
They stood face to face Saturday night, more than 200 strong. Some had been together a mere four months. Others were entering their sixth decade at each other's side, through good times and bad. But they all were gathered for the same purpose: to pledge their love for one......
2011-02-03 20:09:00
TOM MURSE
Congressman weighs in
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, seems to be a pretty straightforward piece of legislation. That is, until you get to the 724th word of the 1,248-word bill.
Forcible.
Tha......
2011-01-31 18:17:00
SALLY MELCHER JARVIS
Storm-tossed and tired, radiant with anticipation, the first group of 'British Brides' reached New York today," enthused the front page of the Lancaster New Era on Feb. 4, 1946.
That day, 65 years ago, marked the first arrival of the largest single group of female immigrants in U. S. hist......
2010-11-11 16:06:00
Staff
Mad Marriage ... Monday
Feel like diving into the black abyss of human misery? Christopher Durang took the plunge and ended up with "The Marriage of Bette and Boo," a dark comedy being staged as a reading Monday night by the Ephrata Performing Arts Company. The show holds nothing back, ex......
2010-10-31 00:15:00
ERIC G. STARK
Maybe there is value to text-messaging in a car — as long as you're not driving. Lance Kurtz and Justine Bright are believers. Kurtz, 25, a 2003 Ephrata High School graduate, and Bright, 21, of Zimmerman, Minn., were married Saturday at Grace Evangelical Congregational Church i......
2010-09-09 16:55:00
KATHLEEN DAMINGER
Jim Munro can tell you how many tiles are on the ceilings of a number of theaters.
It's not that the local actor/director/playwright has a fetish, understand.
It's just that, as an audience member, often he finds himself, well, drifting during a performance.
"I'm sitting i......
2010-07-24 22:11:00
SUZANNE CASSIDY
Mary said she grew up believing that marriage was forever. But when her husband went off to find himself, he discovered a network of friends who supported any choice that brought personal happiness. And Mary, who asked that her real name not be used, eventually found herself divorced. S......
2010-05-16 17:32:00
SUSAN JURGELSKI
More than 50 years ago, one by one, the six Breneman siblings left the family farm in Mount Joy and got hitched, tying marital knots never meant to fray.Fast forward through a whirlwind world, as matrimony began to lose its longevity and luster, and divorce became a more acceptable, but no......
2010-02-18 17:15:00
JANE HOLAHAN
"Everything he wrote was just beautiful."There aren't many people who would disagree with Stephen Gunzenhauser's appraisal of Mozart, who is the featured composer at this weekend's Lancaster Symphony Orchestra concert, "Absolutely Mozart."Four pieces ......
2009-11-06 22:28:00
LAURA KNOWLES
Ask anyone who is married and most will agree that marriage isn't always easy.Fortunately, there is a bright side — perhaps even a funny side — to marriage, as shown in this season's Promise Players performance of "How To Make the Mrs. Happy.""Ever......
2009-09-15 07:07:00
SUSAN JURGELSKI
Lancaster Realtor Carole Kirchner couldn't close this deal quickly enough.After her divorce, she wasted no time in selling her wedding rings to a gold buyer.Her ¼-karat engagement ring was worth some $2,000. She got around $200.But money wasn't the object....
2009-08-23 00:16:00
PAULA WOLF
A local pastor who directs a Lutheran reform group said the organization is very disappointed in the decision Friday by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to allow noncelibate gay clergy. At its national assembly in Minneapolis on Friday, the ELCA lifted a ban on sexually active, monoga......
2009-07-10 00:01:00
TOM MURSE
For all the huffing and puffing from our state lawmakers during the budget stalemate, Rep. Ron Marsico doesn't see any action to back up the bluster."Look where we are today: no budget in site," said the Dauphin County Republican. "They're not even m......
2009-06-21 16:01:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
When people ask Susan Grayson why her marriage ended, she hesitates.Not because she doesn't know, but because she wonders how she can make others understand something that she fully doesn't understand herself.After 14 years, her marriage ended because her husband admitted al......
2009-06-14 00:01:00
PAUL FRANZ and AMANDA BALIONIS
......
2009-04-26 00:04:00
AMANDA BALIONIS and PAUL FRANZ
A unanimous Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage April 3. Four days later, the Vermont legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto, thus allowing same-sex marriage in that state. Prior to those rulings, gay and lesbian couples could legally wed in Massachusetts and Connecticut. N......
2009-04-26 00:01:00
AMANDA BALIONIS and PAUL FRANZ
......
2009-04-07 01:46:00
JEFF HAWKES
Gays and lesbians in Iowa might want to brace themselves for the backlash.While all seven justices of Iowa's Supreme Court joined Friday in ending the Hawkeye State's 11-year ban on same-sex marriage, a strong majority of Iowans sees things differently.A Des Moines Register ......
2009-02-20 11:00:00
PAUL FRANZ and GIL SMART
Sunday News columnist Gil Smart on Bristol Palin's interview with Fox News' Greta van Susteren. In the interview, Palin tells Van Susteren that abstinence just "isn't realistic" and that premarital sex is now more commonly accepted among "kids her age."...
2009-02-15 00:15:00
JEANNETTE SCOTT
Here came the brides. One by one, the four women were escorted by their grooms under an arch covered with silk foliage, white tiger lilies and starflowers. A pianist played a subtle, classy version of the wedding march as they traveled the red carpet aisle. It wasn't the first time the coup......
2009-02-15 00:14:00
MANDY STOLTZFUS
Jenna Sherick was hoping for a Boston terrier when she entered the Humane League of Lancaster County Saturday afternoon. Instead, she got a Valentine's Day diamond and marriage proposal from boyfriend Patrick Quinn. Both are league supporters. Patrick was waiting for Jenna in a kennel,......
2009-02-14 01:08:00
LORI VAN INGEN
The role of clergy in counseling engaged couples is more complex in today's society than it was just a decade or two ago.Pastors have to deal with such issues as a rise in the average marriage age, more couples cohabiting before marriage, more couples with children born out of wedlock ......
2009-02-08 00:04:00
SUZANNE CASSIDY
The question is explored in literature, in music, in holy texts, in our not-so-holy pop culture: What is love? There are countless definitions. "Love is the answer," sang John Lennon — not that helpfully, really. Love is "temporary insanity, curable by marriage,&q......
2008-12-18 14:20:00
PAUL FRANZ and GIL SMART
Sunday News columnist Gil Smart reacts to Newsweek's article arguing the religious case for gay marriage....
2008-11-20 14:15:00
PAUL FRANZ and GIL SMART
Sunday News columnist Gil Smart takes on the Proposition 8 controversy in this week's video edition of "Smart Remarks." ......
2008-11-17 07:02:00
NICKI LEFEVER
Brides in central Pennsylvania are skipping the ceremony programs, having Sunday weddings and making their own favors, in an attempt to cut costs. Wedding Report Inc. tracks trends in the wedding industry, and as of August, the No. 1 trend is couples interested in cutting costs. "Ever......
2008-11-07 08:20:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Being an artist can often be a lonely profession. Sure, artists can meet folks and chat with them at receptions and galleries, but when it comes to the work, they are often pouring their paint and their souls onto the canvas in isolation. But not Barbara and Bob Buchanan. The marri......
2008-09-21 00:04:00
STEPHEN KOPFINGER
In the movie classic "Grand Hotel," Greta Garbo intoned her most famous line: "I vant to be alone." Whether the screen legend felt that way in real life is debatable — "I want to be left alone," the never-married Garbo once clarified — but her ......
2008-07-21 07:03:00
CHRISSIE THOMPSON
(AP)John Roehsler took his wedding vows, exchanged rings with his bride — and turned to the Webcam. "Whoever's watching ... we're sorry that you couldn't be here," the groom says. "But you are here, so that's great. The 21st century rocks." Roehsle......
2008-07-21 07:02:00
DERRIK J. LANG
(AP)Who may now kiss the bride when there are two grooms? Since the state of California began issuing marriage certificates to same-sex couples earlier this month, questions about wedding rituals and etiquette — not just politics — have grown faster than a wedding reception guest li......
2008-06-21 01:29:00
MADELYN PENNINO
When Frank Adamson and Tonya Taylor were pronounced man and wife on Friday at Arch Street Center, the audience erupted into applause.The newlyweds strolled down the aisle smiling widely and greeting members of the center, who have become like family to them.So much in fact, they cou......
2008-06-16 07:01:00
JOE VULOPAS
Fifteen years ago this month, my column first appeared in the New Era. I had just turned 24 and was still living with my parents when I approached the editor of the Magazine section with an idea for a column. She talked with me about it at length and asked me write a few samples, which she pass......
2008-06-09 11:36:00
MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT
Shawn and Lydia Ramer Hunter wanted their wedding guests' presence — not necessarily their presents. Instead of gifts, the Lancaster couple asked guests at their 2007 nuptials to give donations to charities, including Oxfam and the Mennonite Central Committee. "(We) think gi......
2008-05-18 00:04:00
STEPHEN KOPFINGER
Caring Singles helped Patty Bouder-Miller to become, well, unsingle. Which technically makes Patty, 74, and her husband, Donald L. Miller, 77, ex-members of the club. But they were welcome to join the festivities recently when Caring Singles, a nonreligious, nonprofit support group for single, ......
2008-05-07 01:05:00
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
State Sen. Mike Brubaker's marriage amendment bill is dead — at least for now.The controversial bill that calls for an amendment to the state's constitution defining marriage as being between a man and a woman was tabled indefinitely by the state Senate Tuesday, before that b......
2008-05-06 01:04:00
DAVE PIDGEON
The state Senate is poised to vote today on a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would exclusively define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.The Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Republican state Sen. Gibson Armstrong of Refton, passed the proposed amend......
2008-05-05 00:23:00
DAVE PIDGEON
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, a Chester County Republican who represents Lancaster, has signed on as a co-sponsor for a new bill aimed at illegal immigration.House Bill 5761 would cut off aid to countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens who come to the United States, commit a crime and ser......
2008-04-30 01:15:00
DAVE PIDGEON
The state Senate Appropriations Committee hosted a contentious meeting Tuesday morning as advocates and opponents fought over a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.The amendment, authored by Sen. Michael W. Brubaker, a Lititz-area Republican, recognizes only man-woman unions ......
2008-04-29 12:02:00
TOM MURSE
Civil-rights attorneys, theologians and moms and dads on both sides of the gay-marriage debate clashed again in Harrisburg today as a state Senate panel heard a third round of testimony on a proposal to ban same-sex unions in the constitution. "Clearly, what is proposed in Senate Bill 1250......
2008-04-28 18:44:00
DAVE PIDGEON
The week after state Sen. Mike Brubaker introduced legislation to limit marriage in Pennsylvania to unions of one man and one woman, he spoke to elementary school students about the importance of tolerance and acceptance of differences.Some might see irony there, but Brubaker doesn't....
2008-04-26 02:24:00
CARLA DI FONZO
Those who oppose the "Marriage Protection Amendment" (Senate Bill 1250) will be given a chance to voice their concerns Sunday at a special rally.The main focus of the event is to urge elected officials to vote no on SB 1250.The rally will feature red postcards bearing the ......
2008-03-20 01:50:00
JEFF HAWKES
Speed should not be of the essence when contemplating a change to the constitution, the bedrock of principles upon which a democracy is built.Yet the Republican-controlled state Senate, known for dragging its feet on festering problems Pennsylvanians want fixed — from burdensome prop......
2008-03-18 11:00:00
TOM MURSE
State Sen. Michael W. Brubaker's proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman got its first hearing before lawmakers on Monday. And it was a lively one. A trio of Brubaker's fellow Senators raised questions about the proposal — from its p......
2008-03-17 12:08:00
CHAD UMBLE and TOM MURSE
Hearings in Harrisburg today on a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage attracted at least one busload of supporters who made the trip from Lancaster to the state capital. But the amendment itself faces a much longer, tougher road. Sen. Mike Brubaker, a Republ......
2008-03-17 00:05:00
LORI VAN INGEN
Last month, the highest court in the Presbyterian Church (USA) reaffirmed the church's stance that clergy and candidates for clergy cannot have sex unless they are in a heterosexual marriage.Local Presbyterian clergy generally agreed that the court's ruling — the latest ......
2008-03-13 02:28:00
JEFF HAWKES
In proposing a constitutional ban on gay marriage, can we take state Sen. Mike Brubaker at his word?On a recent radio program, Brubaker, a Republican from Warwick Township, said that although he is sponsoring a bill to make sure gays can't marry, he has "no negative feeling" ......
2008-03-10 00:42:00
MICHAEL YODER
Barry Russell has a past and a present with state Sen. Mike Brubaker —and a future yet to be written.Russell, the co-director of Rainbow Rose Community, a local human-rights group dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, and Brubaker attended high school together a......
2008-03-02 00:02:00
JOHN McGONIGLE
It took a trip to New Jersey last month to find that life works in mysterious ways, and that interesting stories are where you find them. At a fly-tying show in Somerset, N.J., I spoke with Don Bastian, a 55-year-old professional fly tier, author, lecturer and fly-tying and fly-fishing instruct......
2008-02-23 00:01:00
Elizabeth Eisenstadt-Evans
If you are a citizen who votes their conscience and their faith, you may justifiably feel misunderstood and often ignored by the mainstream media — whatever your brand of belief.Not that the "religious" or "values" voters are being ignored in this election season ......
2008-02-16 01:48:00
LORI VAN INGEN
When a York County judge ruled in September that a marriage was invalid because it was performed by a minister who obtained his ordination over the Internet, it sent shock waves across the state.In the ruling, the judge said ministers who don't have an established congregation cannot p......
2008-02-14 13:31:00
DAVID O’CONNOR
Walking around the historic Gettysburg battlefield, a teenage Ruth Hurst looked at the other tourists and exclaimed to her husband of less than 24 hours, "Boy, if these people knew we came here for our honeymoon, they'd think we were crazy!" Smiling at the story now, her husband, ......
2008-02-11 00:02:00
DAVE PIDGEON
How bizarre are things in Harrisburg? Quite.Last month, Republicans lined up in support of a plan would eliminate school property taxes for senior homeowners earning $40,000 or less, and Democrats cried "foul" because the plan left out every other homeowner.Then last week,......
2008-02-08 12:00:00
TOM MURSE
State Sen. Mike Brubaker this week proposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Pennsylvania, a move that is destined to resurrect a bitter legislative debate that stalled in 2006. The Warwick Township Republican, the second Lancaster County lawmaker to introduce such a proposal ......
2008-02-08 01:59:00
DAVE PIDGEON
State Sen. Michael Brubaker is poised to introduce legislation that would write a ban on gay marriage into the state Constitution, the Intelligencer Journal has learned.According to various sources, the Warwick Township Republican is shopping for co-sponsors to attach their names to the le......
2008-01-06 00:04:00
LAURA KNOWLES
Editor's note: Because of the sensitive nature of the following story, the Sunday News is honoring the request of some of the individuals who were interviewed for this feature to identify them by first names only.
Jennifer was 27, married and expecting her first child when s......
2008-01-03 01:46:00
DAVE PIDGEON
A local businessman has entered the Republican race to replace retiring state Sen. Gibson Armstrong, making it a three-way contest.Bill Neff, 54, owner of Neff's Safe, Lock & Security Inc. in Lancaster city, cited campaign finance reform, school vouchers and the defense of traditio......
2007-11-18 00:12:00
MICHAEL LONG
Thanksgiving celebrates the two things for which I am most grateful: a healthy family and a healthy appetite. But as the turkey gravy once again begins to flow, and I prepare to test anew the limits of my arteries, something else clamors for attention in my thoughts. As much as it pains me to s......
2007-09-29 03:24:00
DAVE PIDGEON
A Montgomery County attorney wants to influence the outcome of next year's state Senate race in Lancaster County by supporting Steve McDonald, and his first action is to try to keep a current legislator out of the contest.Bob Guzzardi, a controversial figure who once owned a gym that attra......
2007-09-29 00:36:00
Elizabeth Eisenstadt-Evans
Sometimes the decisions of prelates in high places have reverberations for individuals they most likely do not intend and cannot anticipate.Such is the case with the deliberations of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops that concluded Tuesday — the culmination of a process tha......
2007-09-24 00:02:00
Patti S. Spencer
Your marital status on December 31 determines your filing status for the entire preceding year. If you are still married on December 31, you have a choice. You can file jointly with your soon-to-be ex-spouse or file using married filing separately status. You might qualify to file as Head of Hous......
2007-08-24 11:31:00
KEVIN SHUE
Evidence of your ancestors' marriage will be found in a variety of records that you encounter as a family historian, and the terminology and marriage customs you find may be bewildering. Some of the terms and practices that researchers have asked me to explain are described here. As a genealogi......
2007-08-14 11:24:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Now that same-sex civil unions are legal in New Jersey, should two women be allowed to hold a civil union ceremony at a popular seaside camp meeting association if the association doesn't want them to? Randall Wenger, of Rothsville, chief council of the Harrisburg-based Independence Law ......
2007-02-27 01:36:00
Jeff Hawkes
State Rep. Scott Boyd's going to think I'm picking on him.Last year, I was on his case for pushing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania.Why he wants to tell law-abiding, tax-paying committed couples they are not welcome here escapes me.Now I&......
2007-02-15 01:13:00
Lori Van Ingen
Two of the three local United Church of Christ congregations that voted to disassociate from the denomination late last year have issued statements regarding their votes.The former Swamp United Church of Christ of Reinholds said in its statement, released Wednesday, that the General Synod ......
2006-12-05 01:06:48
Dave Pidgeon
The amendment’s passage is far from assured — it has drawn heated opposition from groups who claim it would discriminate against homosexuals.
Furthermore, the state House’s new Democratic majority could prevent the measure from ever reaching the floor.
None of the party’s state l...
2006-12-04 14:10:42
David O'connor
And since “it’s not a far-fetched notion to see that happen someday in Pennsylvania,” Michael Geer said today, those who are concerned about legalized same-sex marriage here need to see how to prepare themselves. Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, and state Rep. Scott Boyd have......
2006-07-06 09:25:45
The Hornbergers were married on June 21, 1941 at Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church, Lititz, by the late Dr. L. Clarence Hunt.
William retired in December 1982 from the First Columbia Bank and Trust Company, Bloomsburg, where he served as vice president and trust officer. Charlotte...
2006-04-13 09:27:04
The party was hosted by the couple’s children.
Nelson and Stella were married on April 12, 1936 in the Cresswell Evangelical Congregational Church by the late Rev. Earl D. Ehrig.
Nelson is the former owner of Manning’s Sporting Goods in Columbia and is retired from the Warwick Scho...
2006-01-25 08:11:00
Dave Pidgeon
Lawmakers and gay-rights advocates fired opening salvos Tuesday in a battle over how marriage should be defined in Pennsylvania's constitution.
Legislators led by state Rep. Scott Boyd, a Lampeter Republican, introduced a House bill to begin amending the the state constitution so it w...
2005-12-28 15:57:24
The groom graduated from Ephrata High School in 1997. He has a B.A. in sociology from East Stroudsburg University. He also has as associates degree from Air Force Community College in criminal justice. He will complete his master’s degree in homeland security from American Military University in May...
2005-12-08 10:30:11
Roberta Strickler
The dialogue is called "The Color of Sound," and gallery owner Ellen Slupe's intent is to engage the musicians, the artists and the audience in discussion, sharing what is seen, heard -- and more.
Rebecca Rast, a violinist with 10 years of training at age 15, walks past the gallery several ti...
2005-06-09 14:36:27
They are the parents of Carolyn, married to Roger North and Jon, married to Karen Vaselaros, both of Lititz, and Ken, married to Karen Frankenfield of Dublin. Roy and Helen have been blessed with eight grandchildren.
Roy is a former Manheim Township High School history instructor, teaching fr...
2005-06-08 15:45:44
Organist was Linda Lippicott. Vocal soloist was Kevin Kurtz and instrumental soloist was Dale Weller.
Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore a satin ballroom gown with full skirt and detailed beading of pearls. It featured an elegant off-the-shoulder neckline and a 10-foot train. She...
2005-03-24 16:39:26
Loretta, the former Loretta Kulp, attended Lancaster Business College and worked for various enterprises, including Old Guard Insurance Company, Paul Cassel, M.D., Steffy Buick and the Lincoln Auto Auction.
The Erbs have resided in Lititz for more than 50 years and have three children, Kirby,...
2005-03-05 12:16:52
Jane Holahan
“Most of the kids who are coming have already made a commitment to sexual abstinence,” explains Mrs. Gresh, who along with her husband is hosting the Pure Freedom Conference, which began Friday and continued today at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church. “We want to teach them the skills they’ll need t...
2005-01-03 14:12:43
Catherine S. Molitoris
“We met when we were both vacationing in Florida,” says Betsy. “He just asked me out on a date, and we started dating from there.” The couple found they had a lot in common, including their Amish faith and Lancaster County roots. They also had chemistry, Betsy recalls. “I thought he was very h......
2004-10-11 14:21:47
Cindy Hummel
Having wrecked Phyllis’s car, and with no money to buy her another one, a proposal seemed like the best way out. The joke, however, may have been on him. “He is still paying,” Phyllis says with a smile. Upon stepping into the Jenkinses’ Silver Spring-area home, one cannot help but notice th......
2004-08-04 10:06:06
Linda Espenshade And Larry Alexander
In the most extreme cases, spouses are expected to stay together even if one’s life is in danger.
A conservative Mennonite bishop cited a case where a Mennonite woman killed her husband. The husband had stayed with his wife, even though she had made several attempts on his life before she suc...
2004-07-23 10:35:23
......
2004-07-12 09:52:48
Linda Espenshade And Larry Alexander
In the most extreme cases, spouses are expected to stay together even if one’s life is in danger.
A conservative Mennonite bishop cited a case where a Mennonite woman killed her husband. The husband had stayed with his wife, even though she had made several attempts on his life befo......
2004-02-25 09:28:52
P.j. Reilly
Bush announced his support for the constitutional amendment submitted by Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado in order to end "growing confusion" that has arisen from a court decision in Massachusetts and a decision by San Francisco officials to allow same-sex marriages.
...
2003-11-25 11:39:52
Tom Knapp
If Beatrice Saam had known her fiance had a history of domestic violence, she'd have thought twice before making vows to love, honor and cherish.
Now, Christopher Saam and his wife, Beatrice, are working to ensure that no one makes the same mistake she made in her previous marriage......
2003-10-24 14:06:49
Patricia A. Poist
""Miss Borst, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,'' an emotional Grenier said, slipping a diamond ring on her finger. ""Will you marry me?'' He looked at the enthusiastic group of half-pints, who were sitting on the floor at her feet.
""One, two three,'' he coache...
2003-10-21 09:33:53
Carla Di Fonzo
As soon as U.S. Army Specialist Michael Eugene Fink Jr. learned he would be getting two weeks' leave from Camp Dogwood in Iraq, he made a quick call to his mother.
The 25-year-old asked, "Mom, how do you get married in Pennsylvania with only a few days' notice?"
His mother, B......
