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6 People Heckle Joel Osteen At Lakewood Church During Sunday Service

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Five stories that have North Texas talking: six people are charged after heckling Joel Osteen; some Texas clerks refuse same-sex marriage licenses; Texas abortion clinics get a reprieve – for now; and more.

Six people heckled pastor Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church in Houston on Sunday morning – and they were ejected from the service. "Thank you all for your patience and we'll just continue to receive what God has for us,” Osteen told the congregation, KTRK-TV in Houston reported. “It's a good day to be alive." Anwar Richardson, a sports writer, was at the service. He told KTRK his wife got nervous, so they left the service. The six people, members of an East Texas “revivalist” Christian group, were charged with criminal trespass, the Houston Chronicle reports. The members left the church “screaming scriptures,” a Lakewood spokesman told the Chronicle.

Lakewood Church issued a statement about the protestors:

“We’ve learned that the protestors who disrupted one of our Sunday morning services were the leaders of a small controversial church in Nacogdoches, Texas called The Church of Wells. This group is known for protesting many Christian Churches with whom they don’t agree. ... Lakewood Church takes the disruption of our services seriously and plans to pursue criminal charges, as well as all other legal remedies, against these individuals and the Church of Wells. A significant number of Lakewood’s ushers and security team members are Police and Sheriff’s officers who attend Lakewood regularly. These officers were efficient and quick in responding to the situation." 

Richardson sent out this tweet from the service:

  • The Supreme Court may have legalized same-sex marriage on Friday, but for some gay and lesbian couples in Texas, getting a marriage license isn’t so simple. The Texas attorney general says it’s OK for county clerks to deny licenses. North Texas clerks have a variety of reasons for not issuing them. The Texas Tribune has more details: “I’m standing up for my religious liberty,” Hood County Clerk Katie Lang said. Her office wasn’t handing out same-sex licenses as of Monday. “I do believe that marriage is for one man and one woman because it did derive from the Bible." Here's the latest from KERA's Stella Chavez.

  • Ten Texas abortion clinics get a reprieve -- for now. The Supreme Court put proposed state restrictions on hold while it decides whether to hear the case. The 5-4 vote was good news for one provider, Whole Woman’s Health -- one of its North Texas abortion clinics was about to see its last patient. The state was requiring abortion clinics to meet ambulatory surgical center standards – essentially hospital-like standards. KERA’s Courtney Collins has more details.

  • There’s been a development in the viral video that shows a North Texas teen pulling to the ground a schoolmate who held a 3-year-old. The Dallas Morning News reports: “A 13-year-old Rowlett girl was in custody late Sunday after a video that went viral showed her pulling to the ground a schoolmate who was holding a preschooler and then attacking the teen. The 13-year-old, whose name was not released, surrendered to Rowlett police Sunday night. She is being held in the Dallas County Henry Wade Juvenile Detention Center and faces charges of injury to a child and assault, police said.  The video, which was posted to LiveLeak on Thursday, shows the June 19 attack outside Herfurth Elementary School. A 14-year-old was sitting at a table and holding her 3-year-old cousin when she was confronted by the 13-year-old and another girl, Rowlett Detective Cruz Hernandez said.” [The Dallas Morning News]

  • San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B has issued a voluntary recall for some hamburger and hotdog buns after a glove possibly fell into the dough. The recall involves certain H-E-B brand hamburger and hotdog buns and Hill Country Fare hotdog buns. The buns, in general, have use-before dates between July 2 and July 4. H-E-B says products on the shelf as of last Friday are not included in the recall linked to what it calls a "foreign material." The company says a terry cloth glove used for handling hot pans could have broken up in the dough, resulting in a potential choking hazard. H-E-B says no incidents have been reported. [Associated Press]
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.