The ex-wife of one of three pastors who was convicted in a sex trafficking investigation has also been convicted and sentenced to nearly two years in prison for lying to investigators.

Laura Lloyd, of Ohio, told a judge that she lied because she was trying to protect her job and her family.

Lloyd was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Lloyd is a former county administrator in Toledo who was let go from her job after her ex-husband was suspected on child sex trafficking.

Last month, ex-husband Cordell Jenkins was sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors say he had sex with a teenager at his home and his office at the church where he pastored. According to the Associated Press, he recorded the encounters with his phone. He pled guilty to the charges last week.

Another one of the three ministers found guilty of sex trafficking is scheduled to be sentenced soon. The pastor could face life in prison.

Anthony Haynes has also pled guilty of multiple charges of sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Previously, he denied the charges, telling jurors, “I’m not a pervert.”

A 19-year-old woman told jurors that when she was 14, Haynes encouraged her to have sex with the three pastors. According to ABC News, he also paid the woman during the three-year period after he told her mother that he would protect her.

Earlier this…

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is taking an Alabama High School to task after 18 football players were baptized last month.

According to Fox News, 18 players for the Washington County High school were baptized in a feeding trough by Chatom Baptist Church’s pastor in May. The event was recorded and posted to Facebook where most people rejoiced in the sight. 

One person, however, seemingly did not find the baptism of the players appropriate, prompting them to reach out to the FFRF.

According to Fox News, the FFRF – an atheist law firm claiming to fight to protect the separation of church and state – sent a letter to the Washington County Schools Superintendent in May, claiming that the coach was participating in “illegal” activities because of his involvement in the players’ baptisms. 

The letter claimed that one resident of the 1,200 people living in the town of Chatom contacted the FFRF upset that the players were baptized, some by the coach. 

 Christopher Line, a legal fellow at the FFRF, wrote in his letter to the Superintendent that it is “illegal for coaches to organize or participate in religious activities with students, including baptisms.”

He continued, “We request that the district investigate and take the appropriate steps to ensure there will be no further illegal religious events, including team baptisms, during…

New York would become the first city to pay for abortions through direct funding if the city council approves a $250,000 proposed allocation to the New York Abortion Access Fund.

The money is for low-income women and part of a new budget. The city council is expected to vote this week.

Supporters championed the new fund by saying the money is for citizens of New York and other states, too. 

“This initiative not only makes New York the first city in the nation to directly fund abortion services, but also lets any American who is facing increasing abortion restrictions in their home state know that they can come and get the services they need in the Five Boroughs,” Councilwoman Carlina Rivera said in a statement, according to the New York Post. “This fund is just another signal, another example of how New York State and New York City has to be that leader on this issue.”

Although other cities fund abortion through government-run insurance, it is thought New York would become the first city to set aside money specifically for abortion.

The New York Abortion Access Fund celebrated the news on Facebook: “That makes NYC the first city in the country to directly fund abortions – and that’s something to celebrate!” The organization, according to its website, “supports anyone who is unable to pay fully for an abortion and is living in or traveling to…

The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday handed religious liberty advocates a victory Monday when it vacated a lower court’s opinion that had ordered a Christian baker to design a cake for a same-sex wedding.

At issue was a ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals that upheld a state decision forcing Aaron and Melissa Klein to pay a $135,000 penalty after they refused to design a cake celebrating a wedding for a lesbian couple. The Kleins eventually closed their business, known as “Sweet Cakes by Melissa.”

The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday issued a one-paragraph order vacating the judgment and sending it back down to the Oregon Court of Appeals.

“The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted. The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the Court of Appeals of Oregon for further consideration in light of Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm’n,” the unsigned order read. 

Masterpiece was a 2018 ruling in which the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker who refused to design a wedding cake for a gay couple. Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy ruled the Colorado Civil Rights Commission demonstrated hostility toward religion when it ordered bakery owner Jack Phillips to design the cake. 

The Kleins are represented by First Liberty Institute.

“This is a victory for Aaron and Melissa Klein and for religious…