Wish comes true. All they wanted for christmas was a return of some precious statues and a grieving familys wish comes true. New tonight, a concord family gets his garden gnomes back. Christin ayers explains their special meaning and why the homeowners are calling it a miracle. Christmas eve, and people are coming from all over to see the concord home that the man known as mr. Christmas lights up every year. Its clear and very bright. Its beautiful, and its very pretty. I never seen any kind of lights like this in my life. But while all eyes are focussed here, the true christmas miracle seems to be happening here at the house across the street with no lights. I call it a miracle. Look closely. The miracle frank is talking about, the only decorations on his lawn, a couple of ceramic gnomes that mean the world to him and his wife janet, daughter caroline made them when she was four. She died in a motorcycle accident two years ago. Right after halloween, a grinch made off with them. I rea
Welcome. Im Bob Abernethy and this is our look ahead at the top religion stories we expect to be covering in 2013. We do this with the help of kim lawton, managing editor of this program, Kevin Eckstrom, editor in chief of Religion News service, and e. J. Dionne, a senior fellow at the brookings institution, a professor at Georgetown University and a columnist for the washington post. Welcome to you all. One of the big events of the new year will be the inauguration of barack obama to a second term, so we asked a wide variety of religion leaders what they hope for during the president s next term. If president obama would revert back to the, that young, powerful, firey spokesperson in the 2004 Democratic National convention who talked about reconciling the blue and the red state, about the god of the blue state and the god of the red state that i believe that he has a chance to really emerge as a transformative catalytic president reconciling our nation. We are more polarized today tha
Coming up, fred de sam lazaro reports on the fears of the alawites, an offshoot of shia islam and the religion of syrias president assad. If he is overthrown, will all alawites become targets . And bob faw on what some Catholic School systems are doing to try to survive . Our educational system was imploding. Enrollmentwise, finance wise, something radical, radical surgery had to be done. Announcer major funding for religion ethics news weekly is dedicated to i founders interest in religion, Community Development and education. Additional funding also provided by mutual of america, designing customized individual group and retirement products. Thats why were your retirement company. The january henson foundation, and the corporation for public broadcasting. Welcome, im bob abernethy. Its good to have you with us. Arguments continue over the socalled fiscal cliff deal approved this week in the fina minutes of the 112th congress. And religious groups are among those weighing in. The Fami
Tiger woods finally breaks her silence. But we begin tonight with a murder mystery in the district. Thanks for joining us. Im shawn yancy. And im brian bolter. This murder rattling an entire community for the 31yearold cyclist found dead at sherman circle. Roz plater is live with more. Reporter this vigil brought out a broad section of mourners tonight. This murder has touched several people in the city, not only those who knew him but other cyclists too. Theres sadness in our hearts as we think of neal. Reporter friends, coworkers, neighbors, people who never even knew him, all came out to honor the life of 31yearold neal gedlesski. He was the kind of guy that wouldnt have trouble with anybody. If somebody needed something from him, he would have given it to them. You know, this to me is so hurtful, because i feel i have lost a really really really good friend. Reporter early sunday morning in the city he loved, the Catholic University student was making the long bike ride home from w
Coming up, as president obama second inauguration approaches, religious voices on the mood of the country and the outlook for the next four years. And bob faw reports on the shameful history of lynching in america, and African Americans who found ways to forgive. Major funding for religion and ethics news weekly provided by the indianapolis based Family Foundation dedicated to religion, Community Development and education. Additional funding also provided by mutual of america, designing customized, individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why were your retirement company. The jane henson foundation. And the corporation for public broadcasting. Welcome, im bob abernethy. Its good to have you with us. Final preparations are underway in washington, d. C. , for the second inauguration of barack obama, taking place on monday, Martin Luther king, jr. Day. The benediction will now be given by the reverend luis leon of st. Johns episcopal church, where the obamas sometimes attend servic