News Story of the Day

By Laura Santhanam, PBS News Hour, November 28, 2017

On April 27, 2016, former U.S. house speaker Dennis Hastert was convicted of breaking banking law, but crimes to which he confessed in court — sexually abusing multiple high school boys in Illinois while he served as their wrestling coach nearly four decades ago — would never be prosecuted. Their statutes of limitations had expired.

A year later, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan declared the state had removed the criminal statute of limitation for sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated sexual abuse against children. She credited Illinois’ passage of that legislation with the “powerful and courageous testimony of survivors,” many of them speaking publicly for the first time after years of silence, anger and shame.

BY MINYVONNE BURKE, November 29, 2017, New York Daily News

A former Catholic priest who has long been considered a suspect in the 1960 murder of a Texas beauty queen will stand trial.

John Bernard Feit, 84, was indicted on murder charges in February 2016 in the death of 25-year-old Irene Garza.

Garza, a schoolteacher and Miss All South Texas Sweetheart 1958, vanished in April 1960 after visiting Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen for confession during Holy Week.

By Giselle Wakatama and Kerrin Thomas, November 28, 2017, ABC.net.au

Australia's most senior Catholic Archbishop accused of covering up child sexual abuse has had his trial delayed because of medical issues.

Philip Wilson, the Archbishop of Adelaide, was due to front Newcastle Local Court today, but had a pacemaker fitted six days ago and remains in South Australia.

He was arrested two and a half years ago, and has tried, and failed, three times to permanently stay proceedings.

By Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro, November 27, 2017, The Monitor

EDINBURG — The nearly 60-year saga in the death of a schoolteacher and beauty queen is expected to reach its conclusion by the end of the year as the former priest accused with her murder finally faces a jury.

By KEN ARMSTRONG and T. CHRISTIAN MILLER, NOV. 24, 2017, The New York Times

The women accusing the Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct have faced doubt and derision. Other women, who have alleged sexual assault or harassment by powerful men in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and elsewhere, have become targets for online abuse or had their careers threatened. Harvey Weinstein went so far as to hire ex-Mossad operatives to investigate the personal history of the actress Rose McGowan, to discourage her from publicly accusing him of rape.

There are many reasons for women to think twice about reporting sexual assault. But one potential consequence looms especially large: They may also be prosecuted.

By Angelique Chrisafis, November 24, 2017, The Guardian

Emmanuel Macron to set out emergency plan aimed at educating public and pupils, and improving police system for victims

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is to launch a “cultural war” against sexism and sexual violence with a five-year emergency plan including educating secondary school children about pornography and simplifying the system for rape and assault victims to go to the police.

When Macron won the presidential election in May, his centrist movement promised not only to overhaul the existing political party system, but to rethink sexual politics and gender equality – a campaign issue that Elysée officials said “pre-dated” the scandal surrounding abuse allegations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and others.

By Dave Olson, Nov 22, 2017, Bemidji Pioneer

The Philippine government is preparing to extradite Fernando Laude Sayasaya, who was arrested over the weekend by police in the city of Calamba south of Manila, according to a CBS News report, which quoted Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras.

By Dan Cherry, November 21, 2017, Lenconnect

ADRIAN — Supporters of a woman who alleges sexual misconduct against her former high school instructor — now an Adrian College professor — three decades ago brought her message Monday to the college campus.

The Hindu, November 21, 2017

Kausar Parveen struggles through tears as she remembers the blood-soaked pants of her 9-year-old son, raped by a religious cleric. Each time she begins to speak, she stops, swallows hard, wipes her tears and begins again.

By Jacqueline Tempera, November 18, 2017, Providence Journal

Rev. Christopher Cunningham, facing 2 civil lawsuits, practices at Seaside Psychological Services on Bellevue Avenue. He was licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health in 2013, after working briefly in Pennsylvania.

A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children in churches in Southern California in the 1990s and early 2000s is now working as a licensed psychologist in Newport.