Fourth man sues pastor in sex case

Fourth man sues pastor in sex case

ATLANTA

A fourth young male member of Bishop Eddie Long’s megachurch is suing the prominent pastor, claiming Long coerced him into a sexual relationship.

The lawsuit was filed by Spencer LeGrande, a member of New Birth Charlotte. New Birth Charlotte is a satellite church run by Long in Charlotte, N.C. The lawsuit said Long told LeGrande, “I will be your dad,” and invited the 17-year-old to journey to Kenya with him in July 2005. LeGrande said that Long gave him a sleeping pill on that trip and that the two engaged in sexual acts.

3 journalists freed in Afghanistan

KABUL

Three journalists picked up by coalition forces or the Afghan intelligence service for their suspected links to Taliban propaganda networks have been freed after brief detentions that prompted angry reaction from journalism advocates and President Hamid Karzai’s call for their quick release.

NATO said Friday that it had released Mohammad Nadir, a television cameraman for al-Jazeera, and Rahmatullah Naikzad, who worked for both al-Jazeera and The Associated Press.

Colbert: Farm work is ‘really hard’

WASHINGTON

Taking his blowhard comedy act to Congress, Stephen Colbert told lawmakers that a day picking beans alongside illegal immigrants convinced him that farm work is “really, really hard.”

At the close of the hearing by the immigration subcommittee, Colbert dropped his TV persona and turned serious, saying he was using his celebrity to bring attention to farm labor because “these seem to be the least of my brothers.”

“Right now, migrant workers suffer and have no rights,” Colbert said.

Judge halts action in kidnapping case

PLACERVILLE, Calif.

A judge temporarily suspended criminal proceedings Friday against the man accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard when she was a child and holding her prisoner for 18 years, citing worries about the defendant’s mental state.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister made the decision after a short pretrial hearing for Phillip Garrido.

Phimister said he had concerns about Garrido’s mental competency to participate in his defense on 29 counts of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment in the 1991 disappearance of Dugard.

Queen sought heating subsidy

LONDON

A government fund intended to provide subsidized heating to low-income Britons got some interest from an unexpected source: Queen Elizabeth II, who wanted help paying the bills at Buckingham Palace.

The official response, according to documents unearthed by The Independent newspaper, was that the handout might prove to be an embarrassment if word got out.

The newspaper said royal aides were looking for a way to pay the queen’s spiraling utility bills, which had risen by 50 percent to more than $1.58 million in 2004.

Tropical storm hits Central America

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras

Honduras and Nicaragua evacuated thousands of people from the path of Tropical Storm Matthew on Friday as it drenched Central America’s Caribbean coast and impoverished areas prone to disastrous flooding.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Matthew could bring 6 to 10 inches of rain to Nicaragua and Honduras, with the possibility of flash floods and mudslides.

Associated Press