|
|
|
 |
 |
News/EventsChurch role in Yuba programs defended
By Harold Kruger Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue defended the Church of Glad Tidings on Tuesday from charges that it pushed religion in programs paid for with public funds. "This is getting way out of control," Logue said. Last month, county resident William Calvert sent a letter to the supervisors complaining that Glad Tidings, which is a subcontractor in a Friday Night Live program, performs exorcisms and considers some other religions "occult." Logue, who represents Linda, said he had reviewed materials the church prepared with public money and found none of them objectionable. "If they're not bringing religion into the process, I don't have a problem with that," Logue said. He accused Calvert of trying to "make a mountain out of a molehill." Calvert, who appeared before the board, said he was "not here to defame any members of the church. What brought this to my attention, the church was hammering on the Masons." Calvert, a Mason, said he wanted to defend the group because it raises money "for taking care of crippled children." Calvert had demanded an accounting of public funds the church collected through contracts with Yuba County. Tuesday, county officials released an accounting of all contracts with "faith-based, nonprofit organizations" since 1999. Since Aug. 1, 1999, Friday Night Live has received about $420,000 in state grant funds from the county to run a teen pregnancy prevention program. Glad Tidings, a Friday Night Live subcontractor, received $58,000 during the period, the accounting said. Glad Tidings also received $10,428 under a federal grant program through the county to expand its abstinence media campaign between October 1999 and September 2001, the report said. Friday Night Live also received $150,000 from January 2000 through December 2002 for a mentoring program. The contract is supposed to be renewed through June 30 for another $25,000. The House of Joseph received $29,750 in state funds from January 2000 through May 2002 under a county contract to provide room, board, transportation and supervision to clients attending the For Our Recovering Families program, the accounting said. The contract wasn't renewed. Twin Cities Rescue Mission received $9,250 from January 2000 to February 2002 for the For Our Recovering Families program to provide counseling and Hepatitis C testing. The contract expired. The Salvation Army Depot collected $128,360 from March 2000 through this month to provide group counseling in anger management, individual and family counseling and other services, the accounting said. "The accountability of any of our contracts is absolutely critical," said Suzanne Nobles, the county's Health and Human Services director. Supervisor Bill Simmons said he wanted "to make sure we don't personalize this against any individual or any faith-based organization." According to Simmons, "This is not about faith-based organizations. This is for accounting of public funds. To bring Friday Night Live into this is appalling to me. I don't want this to be personalized against any organization."
IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS BEEN INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT 
|
 |
|
Copyright 2007 Clancey, Doyle & O'Donnell, All Rights Reserved. | Legal Disclaimer |
