Pop America

Televangelist, Son of Oral Roberts Accused of Spending Abuses

TULSA (AP) - A lawsuit that threatens a scandal at Oral Roberts University has at least one student looking to transfer.

The lawsuit by three former professors accuse ORU president Richard Roberts of illegal involvement in a local political campaign.

It also accuses Roberts of lavish spending of money from donors.

Roberts has said the lawsuit is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion.

ORU senior Cornell Cross the second says the allegations severely devalue the reputation of his degree and he's looking to transfer.

Cross says he's asked repeatedly to see the school's finances and has been told no. He says now he knows why.

The lawsuit accuses Roberts of using money for nearly a dozen home remodeling projects, of using ORU's jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas and of to buy a Mercedes and a Lexus for his wife Lindsay.

The wife is accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."

It also says ORU employees are regularly called to the Roberts' home to do the daughters' homework and the a stable of horses is kept for exclusive use by the Roberts' children.

ORU regents say an investigation is under way into the allegations.

Six Years Later

Temple Auctioning Off Seats On eBay For $1.8 Million

MIAMI (POP America)  --  Some of the priciest real estate in South Beach is nowhere near the water.  It's actually inside a synagogue.  For a mere one-point-eight-million-dollars, two frontrow seats at Temple Emanu-El are going to a lucky bidder on eBay.  The auction was the idea of temple leaders who say they're trying to re-energize attendance at the 60-year-old synagogue on Washington Avenue by attracting younger people.  According to temple president Jerry Jacobs, the winner of the plush, red velvet seats will get them for life and can pass them down from generation to generation.  Bidding ends Monday morning.  One of the holiest events on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashana, begins Wednesday at sundown.

Judge Accused Of Paddling Prisoners

MOBILE (POP America)  --  A Mobile, Alabama judge is under fire for giving some inmates the corporal treatment.  Authorities are investigating allegations that Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas would periodically remove prisoners from their cells and spank them -- the old fashioned way.  Sources tell the "Press-Register" newspaper it happened something like this: The judge would take the young men into a room at the courthouse.  Once inside, the judge would ask them to drop their pants and prepare to be spanked with what they described as a wooden or fraternity-like paddle.  Up to 12 men have reportedly shared their accounts with officials.  At least one of the men has alleged that as a prelude to the paddling, Thomas told him that if he had been spanked as a child, he would not have found himself in jail later.

Conservative Christian Leader Dead At 76

FT. LAUDERDALE (POP America)  --  One of the most recognized televangelists in the country has died.  Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church founder the Reverend D. James Kennedy passed away in his sleep at home early this morning.  He was 76.  Just last month, Kennedy stepped down as pastor of the 10-thousand member church he founded nearly 50 years ago in Fort Lauderdale.  He hadn't delivered a sermon at the church since suffering arrhythmia and cardiac arrest on December 28th.  He never fully recovered, despite a rigorous regimen of physical therapy in Florida and Michigan.  During his time at Coral Ridge, Kennedy built a multi-million-dollar media empire with a television show that was viewed by more than three-million people around the world.  He was also known for his conservative politics and his outspoken opposition to abortion and homosexuality.  Funeral arrangements for Dr. Kennedy are pending.

 

McCain Calls High School Student A "Little Jerk"

(Raw Story)  --  Senator John McCain greeted a lot of friendly faces when his campaign rolled through Conchord, New Hampshire on Tuesday, but one resident wouldn't let him off so easily.  During a question and answer session, McCain jokingly called a high school student a "little jerk" after the young man questioned the Arizona legislator about his age.

Here's the video.

Man Hits Baby With Beer Bottle After Hair Dispute

HOMESTEAD (POP America)   --  A Florida man is facing charges after police say he hit a six-week-old child over the head with a beer bottle.  Investigators believe the incident happened after Carlos Manuel Fuentes became upset with his wife because she cut her hair without his permission.  When officers arrived, they found broken glass from the beer bottle inside the child's room.  According to a police report, Fuentes was "severely drunk" and his breath and body reeked of alcohol.  The child suffered a cut to the top of the head and was taken to the hospital.  Fuentes is charged with aggravated child abuse and is being held at Miami-Dade County Jail without bond.

Kid Spreads Panic On Cruise Ship For Wearing Grenade Belt

MIAMI (POP America)  --  Passengers onboard a cruise ship docked at the Port of Miami were placed on lockdown yesterday after a bomb scare was reported by federal officials.  Screeners with the Transportation Security Administration spotted what they thought was a grenade in the luggage of a passenger on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.  The ship had just docked at the port after an eastern Caribbean cruise.  Officials quickly evacuated Terminal G of the port and passengers on the ship were not allowed to disembark as members of the bomb squad were called in to dispose of the device.  The all-clear was given when authorities determined the so-called "explosive" was actually a child's belt buckle shaped like a grenade.  Passengers were allowed to leave the ship a short time later.

Lock Of Hair From Che Guevara To Be Auctioned Off

MIAMI (POP America)  --  A lock of hair belonging to Che Guevara will be on the block next month as part of an auction featuring items from the late Cuban revolutionary.  Gustavo Villoldo, a Miami exile who led the mission to capture Che in the jungles of Bolivia 40 years ago, claims to have a number of items that once belonged to Fidel Castro's right-hand man.  Besides a strand of hair snipped minutes before the rebel leader was buried, Villoldo also says he has a set of Che's fingerprints taken just before burial and photographs of a dead, shirtless Che on display in a laundry room sink in Bolivia.  The items will be auctioned off October 25th and 26th in Dallas.  Villoldo is hoping the items will attract bids in excess of six figures. 

57-Year-Old Man Slugs Ref At Senior Citizens' Soccer Game

KENDALL, FL (POP America)  --  A 57-year-old soccer player could have to serve jail time after punching a referee in the jaw.  Police say Amador Yenkenes was taking part in a soccer match for players 55 and over last weekend in Kendall when he became upset with one of the referee's calls.  He then booted the soccer ball in anger, instantly got a red card and was ejected from the game.  But it's the swipe Yenkenes took at the referee that could land him behind bars.  Officials say under a little-known law passed in 2004, Yenkenes faces the unusual charge of battery on a sports official.  That means the punch is a third-degree felony instead of a first-degree misdemeanor.  If convicted on the felony charge, Yenkenes faces up to three years in prison.  To add insult to injury, Yenkenes' team had to forfeit the match after the incident.