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The central clash in the pivotal Senate race in Montana — and the fight for control of the Senate itself — was on full display Monday night as Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy faced off in a heated debate. Like other vulnerable Senate Democrats, Tester tried to make it personal — touting his bipartisan bona fides, highlighting his own connections to his red-leaning state and suggesting his opponent cannot be trusted. Montana is the party’s next top target, with Tester running for re-election in a state Trump won by 16 points in 2020. James Richmond, 50, an IT consultant and voter in Helena, pointed to those comments in explaining why he plans to support Sheehy, despite supporting Tester’s work for veterans. An AARP poll conducted in late August found Sheehy leading Tester by 6 points, 55% to 49%.

Persons: —, Democratic Sen, Jon Tester, Tim Sheehy, Sheehy, Donald Trump, Tester, “, ” Tester, who’s, ” Sheehy, Trump, Biden, Harris, heeding, Joe Biden, James Richmond, Joe Biden’s, ” Richmond, stater haven’t, Chuck Schumer, Jon Tester ”, ”, Kamala Harris, Gary Peters, Sen, Susan Collins, He’s, ” Peters, outspent Sheehy, Barack Obama, outperforming, Steve Bullock, GOP Sen, Steve Daines, Charlie Kirk, Montanans ”, Sarah Thaggard, ” Thaggard, Chuck Denowh, ” Denowh, ” Bridget Bowman, Alex Tabet Organizations: Senate, Democratic, Navy, Democratic Party, Republicans, Trump, GOP, Republican, MSNBC, Democrats, NBC News, “, National Republican, AARP, Fox News, Maine Republican, National Press Club, Gov, Native, Koosta, University of Montana, Montana Republican Locations: Montana —, Montana, West Virginia . Montana, Helena, Washington, Maine, Georgia, Missoula , Montana

July 31 (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Monday on behalf of Oklahoma residents asking a state judge to block the creation of the nation's first religious public charter school. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, one of the defendants in the suit, in June approved the Catholic Church's application to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would use millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to operate. Rebecca Wilkinson, the executive director of the statewide virtual charter school board, said in an email that the agency would not comment on pending litigation. Charter schools are publicly funded and independently run under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. Listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging St. Isidore are nine Oklahoma residents and the Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brett Farley, Farley, Ryan Walters, Walters, St, Rebecca Wilkinson, Gentner Drummond, Brad Brooks, Donna Bryson, Bill Berkrot, Deepa Babington Organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Oklahoma, Catholic, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, The ACLU, Americans United, and State, Education Law Center, Religion Foundation, Thomson Locations: Isidore of Seville, Oklahoma, U.S ., Maine and Montana, St, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

☆ Supreme Court Sides With Postal Carrier Who Refused to Work on Sabbath
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The impact of the ruling could affect countless workplaces and could require many employers to make substantial changes to accommodate religious workers. The latest decision may be less divisive than some of the court’s recent rulings on religion, in part because protecting observance of the Sabbath may not split Americans along the usual lines. Indeed, liberal justices have tried in the past to shield workers from discipline and termination for following their faith, and all three on the court signed onto the decision. The case was brought by Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian and former missionary who worked as a substitute mail carrier. After the Postal Service made a deal with Amazon in 2013 to deliver packages on Sundays, Mr. Groff said he had to choose between his faith and his livelihood, opting to quit after being disciplined for missing work.

Persons: Trump, Gerald Groff, Groff Organizations: Postal Service, Amazon Locations: Maine, Montana, Philadelphia

☆ Oklahoma approves first publicly funded Catholic school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 5 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board on Monday approved the Catholic Church's application to create the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the plan to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in a 3-2 vote. Charter schools are publicly funded, independently run schools established under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. The school would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years of operation, its organizers said. The law school at the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution in Indiana, helped with the application.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brad Brooks, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Roman, Supreme, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, Thomson Locations: An Oklahoma, Isidore of Seville, Maine and Montana, Oklahoma, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

☆ Oklahoma to vote on first religious charter school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

April 11 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to vote on Tuesday on whether the state will allow the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. - a decision that promises to ignite a legal battle testing the concept of separation of church and state. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board will vote on an application backed by the Catholic church for the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, planned by its organizers to offer an online education for kindergarten through high school initially for 500 students and eventually 1,500. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. Laser disagreed and said her organization would fight the Catholic church in any court over St. Isidore and any other publicly funded religious school. "There is an attack being waged on public schools in Oklahoma, and that attack is to convert public schools into religious schools," Laser said.

☆ Oklahoma eyes first US religious charter school after Supreme Court rulings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstApril 6 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to consider next week whether to approve the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the United States in a move that follows recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings expanding religious rights. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. They estimated that it would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years in operation as a charter school. In 2020, the Supreme Court endorsed Montana tax credits that helped pay for students to attend religious schools. Secular opponents have said religious charter schools would violate legal limits on government involvement in religion.

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