Happy Friday, Panthers! Welcome back to school. As you get back into the swing of school, make sure to check out this week’s KICs. This week includes the Vatican now against the discrimination of LGBTQ+ members, the Missouri governor rejecting execution appeals, the risk of damaging winds and tornadoes, police finding over four ounces of meth in a car, and the vice president visiting Arizona after a restrictive abortion ruling.
World – Vatican now against the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ members
Under the new influence of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez and Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has released a document expressing their opposition to discriminating against LGBTQ people. The document details how Francis and the Church now believe discrimination of LGBTQ+ people is sinful and against the will of God.
The problem began to rear its head when Francis visited Africa where all of the anti-gay sentiment disgusted him, as he believes God does not discriminate against people for having same sex attraction, but the active hatred is against God’s wishes. The Pope views this as an unignorable problem, and that is how the document originally came to be. After being officially revealed, the document faced backlash from many people and some believed it to be hypocritical as the Catholic Church still teaches many anti-LGBTQ sentiments.
Cardinal Fernandez believes that the problem is something that has a lot of expression and explanation, but a good enough explanation has not been properly formed. He also said that the teachings of the Church have made the union of same sex couples seem less beautiful and against God’s plans.
National – Governor rejects appeals from 70 prison staffers to stop execution
Missouri Governor Mike Parson rejected an eleventh-hour bid to halt execution of Brian Dorsey, 52, who was convicted in 2006 of a double-murder of his cousin and her husband. Dorsey’s legal team and supporters contend against execution, citing his rehabilitation as grounds against it.
In December 2006, Sarah Bonnie and her husband Ben Bonnie sheltered Dorsey fearing reprisal from drug dealers over his unpaid debts, as per a statement from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
Dorsey’s attorney’s claim he was in a “psychotic state” due to 72 hours without sleep during a crack binge. Prosecutors alleged he fatally shot the couple in their bed with their own shotgun, leaving behind a 4-year-old daughter.
State – Risk of damaging wind gusts and tornadoes tonight into tomorrow morning
Be aware of weather risks Wednesday evening until Thursday morning. Meteorologist Brian Monahan said the greatest weather threat will move areas west of Georgia, such as Alabama and Louisiana, but there was a risk for severe storms in the metro Atlanta area.
On Wednesday, there were scattered rains throughout the day, and heavier rains as the night progressed. Additional storms were expected to develop overnight south of I-20 with potential to be strong and severe. There were possible gusts of 25-35 mph, but the threat was expected to end around 9 a.m. Thursday morning.
The main threats of the storm included heavy rain and wind gusts, but there was a risk for tornadoes as well. Residents were urged to check the weather and remain inside if it was unsafe.
Local – Police find over four ounces of meth in car
The Peachtree City Police Department posted photos of seized drugs from a recent arrest on Huddleston Road. According to their spokesman, “trafficking amounts of methamphetamine” packaged for sale were found in a vehicle.
On March 21, an officer stopped Newnan resident Jessica Elliott for a minor traffic violation but detected signs consistent with narcotic activity. K9 Drako was brought in and indicated narcotics were in the car, leading to their seizure. Upon their search, over four ounces of methamphetamine was found as well as marijuana and numerous glass pipes and needles.
The PCPD’s social media post acknowledges the work of both the officer and K9 on the case. Elliott is now charged with numerous traffic and drug-related offenses, one of which is a felony count of trafficking illegal drugs.
Politics – Vice President visits Arizona after restrictive abortion ruling
Vice President Kamala Harris is going to Arizona today, hoping to mobilize voters who see November’s election over women’s health rights, since this week’s restrictive abortion ruling. Harris has been traveling across the country on her reproductive rights tour since January.
Harris became the first Vice President to go to an abortion provider by visiting a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota last month. Her visit to the battleground state has the 160-year-old law stopping all abortions unless it is necessary to save a life. As of November, Democrats have seized on abortion ahead of November, seeing it as a salient political issue that could spur moderate voters.
The topic of abortion has been a special case to Harris since 2021, with her team working on the abortion rights issue. About half of the registered voters in the United States this year are predicted to have a major impact on the abortion laws and election.