Source: The Ledger

On June 30, 2001, The Ledger reported that Lakeland's Community and Faith Based Coalition in Florida "has been awarded a grant under a state program that promotes faith-based solutions to community problems." The grant is intended for a Family Unification Project, "which is intended to help families in crisis through personal contact with volunteers recruited from local churches. The grant is one of 10" that has been awarded since "Gov. Jeb Bush signed a law that created a state Community and Faith-Based Organizations Initiative."

Source: The Fresno Bee

On June 30, 2001, The Fresno Bee reported on "a growing community [of Muslims] that numbers 10,000 in the central San Joaquin Valley...In the Valley, the number of Muslims has doubled in 10 years and increased tenfold in the last 20.'

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 30, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "June...is the time when brides and grooms fill churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and banquet halls with promises of love, fidelity and care. Traditions vary...But most couples taking a leap into married life begin by professing love and faithfulness until death parts them, if not for eternity. And even those who profess no religion often look beyond themselves on their wedding day to seal their commitment. 'People intuitively understand that [it] is something sacred...

Source: The Buffalo News

On June 30, 2001, The Buffalo News reported that "area religious leaders...launched a united opposition to casino proposals for the Buffalo Niagara region [from Gov. George E. Pataki and Seneca Nation President Cyurs M. Schindler]...Adding to the chorus was the [Methodist] Rev. Marvin Abrams, a Seneca Indian...He contended that casino gambling will only compound social ills that already exist on the reservations....While many leaders said they recognize the need for economic development ...on Indian reservations, the consensus...

Source: Newsday

On June 30, 2001, Newsday reported on Dr. Frederick Smith. "As associate chief of internal medicine at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset [New York], the...56-year-old physician has found that religious faith can help his patients, and he's trying to teach that to a generation of up-and-coming doctors. His 2-year-old course, Religion and Medicine, is part of a growing move to sensitize doctors to the role faith plays in their patients' lives."

Source: The New York Times

On June 29, 2001, The New York Times reported that "American Muslim leaders walked out of a White House meeting in protest...after a Secret Service agent suddenly removed a Muslim student with their group, without explanation. The student had joined the Muslim leaders for a meeting...with members of the staff of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives...Secret Service officials later apologized for what they said was a mistake...The Muslim leaders...issued a statement saying, 'This incident is...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61471-2001Jun28.html

On June 29, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "about two dozen Muslim community leaders walked out of a White House briefing in protest... after a member of their group, a congressional intern, was summoned from the meeting by a security guard and escorted out of the building." The student's father "is head of the National Coalition to Protect...

Source: The Columbian

On June 29, 2001, The Columbian reported that "at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church [in Vancouver, Washington]...a certified Qigong instructor teaches the ancient practice of movement and meditation once a week." Qigong was created in China more than 4,000 years ago.

Source: Detroit Free Press

On June 29, 2001, the Detroit Free Press reported that "a White House effort to reach out to Muslim Americans ended in hard feelings...when Secret Service agents mistakenly evicted one guest and the other participants walked out in protest." The evicted student "is also the nephew of Mazen al-Najjar, a Palestinian who was jailed for three years after the government alleged he used an Islamic think tank at the University of South Florida as a front for terrorism."

Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire

On June 29, 2001, the Associated Press State & Local Wire reported that "the state House [in Delaware]...passed legislation that its sponsor said will remove some of the barriers faced by religious organizations providing charitable work in their communities." The representative sponsoring it says "the bill brings Delaware in line with federal 'charitable choice' guidelines."

Source: Associated Press

On June 29, 2001, the Associated Press reported that "a group of Muslim leaders walked out of a White House meeting..., angered when a Secret Service officer ordered one of them out of the building." The evicted student "is the nephew of Mazen Al-Najjar, a Palestinian who was jailed in Florida for three years after the government alleged he used an Islamic think tank...as a front for terrorism. He was released last December after a panel of judges and Attorney General Janet Reno agreed there was no reason to keep him behind bars...

Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers

On June 29, 2001, Knight Ridder Newspapers reported that "about two dozen representatives from various Muslim organizations filed out of a meeting with White House officials after Abdullah Al-Arian, a congressional intern and an outspoken critic of Israel, was asked to leave. A Secret Service spokesman said the eviction was a mistake... The security mix-up added a new strain to Bush's already difficult relations with the Muslim community and Arab Americans. After supporting Bush in the November election, members of both...

Source: Reuters English News Service

On June 28, 2001, Reuters English News Service reported that "a group of American Muslims walked out of a White House meeting in anger...after one member was asked to leave by the Secret Service."

Source: The New York Times

On June 28, 2001, The New York Times reported that "the White House and Congressional Republicans have agreed on changes to a bill that would expand federal financing of religious groups' charitable work. The accord allows the bill to proceed in the House this week." A White House spokesman "described the changes as guarantees of church-state separation that 'bring the bill in line with the Constitution.'...But Republicans have so far failed to enlist the support of many Democrats, largely because of constitutional issues."

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On June 28, 2001, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "Protestant pastors and a Jewish rabbi gathered at the state Capitol...to demand change in a school funding system they view as unjust, immoral and outrageous. They promised to organize their congregations and communities into a grass-roots campaign to 'target' lawmakers in the next election...They lamented the disparity between rich and poor school districts."