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Richard Ostler served three years as the bishop of a Mormon congregation for young single adults. His Magna congregation was primarily heterosexual men and women, but there were a handful of lesbians and gays among the flock. That demographic breakdown was hardly unique, but it marked a turning point for the father of six. “My whole life, straight people have told me how to feel about LGBTQ people and I wondered how much homophobia was inside of me because I let them define that,” he said Wednesday. “I decided to wipe my hard drive clean.” As a bishop, Ostler spent time listening, not judging, the LGBTQ members under his wing. ”To hear their stories firsthand,” he said, “changed me.” When his church assignment neared its end in 2016, Ostler wanted to continue offering support. That’s why he formed Listen, Learn & Love , a Mormon LGBTQ support organization. The group is not affiliated with the Mormon church, but its website is a clearinghouse of resources for members. Parents,...

Members of the state’s LGBT community have sent an open letter requesting that the Utah Pride Center drop Chase Bank and Wells Fargo as sponsors of the center and the annual parade taking place this Sunday, saying these banks have a “history of discrimination against the most at-risk in [the LGBT] communities.” The letter also asked for the center to re-examine its own board of directors seeking more diversity and new ways to select members. The letter, sent Tuesday morning, had 41 names attached, plus seven local political organizations and a link to an online petition. The letter acknowledged that Pride season is the biggest source of funding for the center but asked for an examination on the companies who financially support it. The letter accuses Chase Bank and Wells Fargo of having a “history of exploiting communities of color, propping up companies that monetize the destruction of our environment, defy and reject indigenous sovereignty and exploit the poor and undocumented.” ...

Washington • Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West is heading to the White House Wednesday to make a star-powered case for prison reform and advocate on behalf of a great-grandmother serving a life sentence. Kardashian West has urged the president to pardon Alice Marie Johnson, 63, who is serving a life sentence without parole for a non-violent drug offense. In an interview with Mic, Kardashian West said she’d been moved by Johnson’s story after seeing a video by the news outlet. “I think that she really deserves a second chance at life,” Kardashian told Mic. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her out.” She said in the interview she’d been in touch with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, over the case. “I’ve been in communication with the White House and trying to bring her case to the president’s desk and figure out how we can get her out,” she said of Johnson, who has spent over two decades behind bars. Kushner oversees the administration’s pus...

Philadelphia • The Philadelphia 76ers are investigating whether team president Bryan Colangelo used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media. The allegations, reported Tuesday by the sports website The Ringer, raised questions about Colangelo’s future and that of the NBA team itself, a rising franchise heading into perhaps its most important summer ever as it tries to attract free agents to contend for championships. The five Twitter accounts under suspicion took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, according to The Ringer. Among other things, the user or users of the accounts complained that Embiid, the 24-year-old All-Star center, was “playing like a toddler having tantrums” and was “a bit lazy,” “se...

The Virginia State Senate voted Wednesday to expand Medicaid to 400,000 low-income residents. This comes after months of fierce political debates between Republicans. from News : NPR https://ift.tt/2H4HsYV

Sword fights. Neon-visored drum majors. A giant, firework-spitting helmet. The Vegas hockey team's spectacle is an anomaly in the stoic NHL — and that's just the way the team likes it. (Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) from News : NPR https://ift.tt/2srDy75

Scientists are training computers to read CT scans in the hopes that they can catch pancreatic cancer early. (Image credit: Courtesy of The Felix Project) from News : NPR https://ift.tt/2kAwtxB