RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Christian-rights group said Friday it has filed a federal lawsuit against the York County School Board on behalf of a Spanish teacher whose Christian posters were removed from his classroom when he was out sick. The Rutherford Institute alleges that Tabb High School officials deprived William Lee of his freedom…

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Gays and lesbians lashed out after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America rejected a proposal that would have allowed them to serve as clergy in certain cases, saying they felt rejected by their own denomination. The proposal was voted down Friday by delegates attending an ELCA national meeting. It would have…

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Each year, Equality Virginia director Dyana Mason kicks off the summer with two road trips: One to Washington’s black gay pride celebration in May, and a second to its predominantly white June counterpart, Capital Pride. Through the fall, similar celebrations will unfold in major cities across the nation, underscoring a racial…

WASHINGTON (AP) — More people are feeling that record-high gas prices soon will have their wallets running on empty. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed for an AP-AOL poll expect fuel costs will cause them financial hardship in coming months. That’s sharply higher than in April, when about half felt that way. “I filled up last…

NASHVILLE (AP) — New standardized policies for workplace harassment investigations were announced Friday that forbid destroying related documents. State Department of Personnel Commissioner Randy Camp had been ordered by Gov. Phil Bredesen last month to develop the policies after documents were shredded in a pair of highly publicized harassment cases this year involving officials appointed…

MT. JULIET (AP) — A father is facing assault charges, accused of striking his son and scuffling with high school officials after being summoned to the principal’s office on a report the student was skipping math class. The incident was taped by surveillance cameras at Mt. Juliet High School earlier this week. The school has…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The upcoming “Justice Sunday II” evangelical rally in Nashville, Tenn., has reinvigorated a deep sectarian squabble: A fight for identity among U.S. Baptists. The Aug. 14 event is second in a series of televised rallies on judicial matters hosted at powerful churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. Sunday’s will be held at…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show Tennessee’s Hispanic population has grown about 35 percent since 2000 and represents less than 3 percent of the state’s residents. “That’s a really large relative increase,” said Bill Fox, director of the University of Tennessee’s Center for Business and Economic Research. “The population…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The former Nashville attorney charged with second-degree murder in the 9-year-old case of his missing wife returned to Nashville Friday night for his first court appearance. Perry March was escorted into the courtroom at 10 p.m. CDT and served a grand jury indictment charging him with second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse…

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jennifer Forsyth Hyatte’s father says he suspected his daughter was planning to help free her incarcerated husband and asked a Utah probation officer to alert authorities in Tennessee. Utah Department of Corrections officials acknowledge receiving the information from Floyd Forsyth, and said the officer planned to contact his counterparts in…