Church leader decries LDS nicknames
SALT LAKE CITY -- The president of the Mormon church reiterated Sunday that he wants members, the media and others to use the faith's full name, saying nicknames are "a major victory for Satan."
Addressing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' twice-yearly conference in Salt Lake City, Russell M. Nelson said the church's name "is not negotiable."
"When the Savior clearly states what the name of his church should be, and even precedes his declaration with, 'Thus shall my church be called,' he is serious," Nelson said. "And if we allow nicknames to be used and adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, he is offended."
Nelson, 94, who is considered a prophet, reiterated that his instruction is not a name change, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"It is a correction," he said. "It is the command of the Lord."
Nelson's speech came after the church announced Friday that the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been renamed the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. It's the first big change since Nelson announced guidelines in August asking people to stop using previously accepted shorthand names.
The faith had embraced and promoted the term "Mormon" over the past several years, using it in a documentary and TV and billboard ads. A church webpage that was up before Nelson's announcement had described the term as an "unofficial but inoffensive nickname for members."
Florida issues warning on tropical storm
MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Michael formed Sunday and could become a hurricane in a day or two as it gains strength and heads toward the Florida Panhandle, forecasters said.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center upgraded the tropical depression in the Caribbean to a named tropical storm during the day, saying Michael had winds of up to 50 mph. By Sunday afternoon, the Miami-based forecasting center said, Michael had gained more punch and the threat to the northeast U.S. Gulf Coast was rising.
The storm could strengthen into a hurricane by tonight or Tuesday as its center moves over the Yucatan Channel, crosses the Gulf of Mexico and nears the Florida Panhandle coast sometime Wednesday, the center said.
Forecasters are advising residents along the northeastern and central U.S. Gulf Coast to monitor the storm's progress.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday said he planned to declare a state of emergency for counties in the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend area of the state. The declaration would free up resources for storm preparation.
The storm was located by 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon about 130 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico and moving to the north-northeast at about 3 mph. Tropical storm winds extended out 205 miles, primarily east of the storm's center.
Millions of doses of flu vaccine offered
Millions of doses of the flu vaccine -- up to 168 million -- will be available to protect people from the strains of the influenza virus that should be most common in the 2018-19 flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot by the end of this month. That's because it takes about two weeks after getting the vaccine for the antibodies against flu to develop, and the flu generally starts spreading by early November. Symptoms, which come on suddenly, can include fever, headache and muscle aches, chills and sweats, a cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and fatigue.
This year, the nasal spray vaccine -- which was not recommended the past two flu seasons -- is again considered an acceptable alternative to the injectable vaccine. But children younger than 2 years, adults 50 and older, pregnant women, young children with asthma and people with compromised immune systems are among those who should not get the nasal vaccine; they should stick with the shot.
The CDC says that, in recent years, being vaccinated has reduced the risk by about 40 percent of being hospitalized because of the flu. Still, about 900,000 people were hospitalized because of influenza, and about 80,000 people, including 180 children (most of them unvaccinated), died during the 2017-2018 flu season, the deadliest in decades.
Band's gun skit at halftime stirs anger
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. -- A high school band's halftime performance depicting police being held at gunpoint is fueling anger in a Mississippi city where two police officers were recently slain.
Pictures of the Forest Hill High School band's performance circulated on social media Saturday, showing students dressed as medical personnel holding SWAT team members at gunpoint as the band played. The performance took place Friday at a football game between Forest Hill from Jackson and Brookhaven High School, just days after two Brookhaven officers were killed while responding to reports of shots fired at a home.
Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Errick Greene apologized Saturday in a statement and acknowledged the skit was "insensitive." Greene said the performance was based loosely on the movie John Q, and that it depicted a hostage scene that included toy guns.
Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said he has spoken with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, who informed him that the Forest Hill band director has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. He added that the mayor apologized to him personally for the halftime show.
Gov. Phil Bryant, in a post on Twitter, said someone should be held accountable.
"This is unacceptable in a civilized society," he said.
-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS
A Section on 10/08/2018