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When the United Methodist Church removed anti-gay language from its official rules last week, it marked the end of a half-century of debates over LGBTQ inclusion in America's mainline Protestant denominations. The moves sparked joy from progressive delegates, but the church faces many of the same challenges as the Lutheran, Presbyterian and Episcopal denominations that took similar routes over the past few decades. There have been schisms, and strained relations with international churches. And each of the mainline denominations faces the long-term aging and shrinking of their memberships.

    Since Florida enacted a six-week abortion ban, clinics in several other Southern and mid-Atlantic states have sprung into action. They know women impacted by the Florida change last week will look to them for services no longer available where they live. In North Carolina, health care clinics are rushing to expand availability and decrease wait times. Their reaction is part of a growing trend in the U.S. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, more than 20 states have adopted laws banning or severely limiting abortions. In response, states with looser restrictions have taken steps to welcome women who want or need to end their pregnancies.

      From marches and art exhibitions to candlelight vigils, people are gathering across the U.S. to spotlight the high rate of disappearances and killings in Native American communities. Sunday marks Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, with more events planned over the coming days. This year, the federal government is touting the hiring of special prosecutors and coordinators who are addressing systemic issues that have made tackling the crisis a generational challenge. Communication and cooperation across jurisdictions are at the top of the list. In New Mexico, authorities say they worked together to identify a prime suspect in a series of violent crimes against Native American men.

        Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a dramatic three-horse photo finish, edging out Sierra Leone and Forever Young for the upset victory. It was the 10th Derby to be decided by a nose, the closest margin in horse racing. Sent off at 18-1 odds, Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the rail down the stretch with a short lead. Sierra Leone and Forever Young from Japan gave chase and pressured the leader to the wire in front of 156,710 at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Hernandez and trainer Kenny McPeek had teamed to win the Kentucky Oaks for fillies a day earlier with Thorpedo Anna. Mystik Dan ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.34 and paid $39.22 to win.

          Twenty-five people have been arrested for trespassing at the University of Virginia after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to remove tents from campus. Video from WVAW-TV showed officers with heavy gear and shields lined up on the campus in Charlottesville. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine.” The arrests come after tense and sometimes violent weeks on campuses around the U.S., as the Israel-Hamas war prompted dozens of protests. Also Saturday, protesters at the University of Michigan commencement ceremonies chanted anti-war messages and waved Palestinian flags that collided with the annual celebration of pomp and circumstance.

          On a snowy day in January 2003, tourism officials from across Southwest Virginia converged on the Carter Fold for an organizational meeting of something called “The Crooked Road.”

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          About a week after legislators brushed off his amendments to bills ensuring the right to contraception and requiring insurance coverage, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he’s still thinking about what do.

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