Foster Care

Ohio children forced to sleep in cages by adoptive parents will share $1.2M settlement. Eleven adopted and foster children forced to sleep in cages by their adoptive parents have reached a $1.2 million settlement with the Ohio county where they once lived.

Maryland woman convicted of murdering 2 adopted daughters; bodies found stored in freezer. A Maryland woman who adopted three children despite a troubled past was convicted Monday of murdering two of the girls, whose bodies were stored in a freezer as the woman continued collecting payments meant to help with their care.

Orphaned by war, disaster: World's refugee children seeking more foster homes in the US. Hiding from merciless militiamen and trekking through unforgiving mountainous terrain, Madhel Majok escaped the mass slayings and genocide of the Sudan that killed his parents. The 9-year-old orphan fled to neighboring Kenya, where he then survived vigilante shellings on his crowded refugee camp.

Orphaned by war, disaster: World's refugee children seeking more foster homes in the US. Hiding from merciless militiamen and trekking through unforgiving mountainous terrain, Madhel Majok escaped the mass slayings and genocide of the Sudan that killed his parents. The 9-year-old orphan fled to neighboring Kenya, where he then survived vigilante shellings on his crowded refugee camp.

Catholic Charities has ended its foster care program rather than serve gay couples. Catholic Charities, the social services arm of the Archdiocese of Washington, has ended its foster care program rather than serve gay couples. The church said an impeding DC gay marriage law expected to take effect March 3 made it ?ineligible? to serve as a foster care provider. ?We regret that our efforts to avoid this outcome were not successful,? Ed Orzechowski, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, said in a statement. ?The difference each staff member and foster care parent makes for a child in need of a loving home is immeasurable.? The 80-year-old program, including its 7 staffers, will be transferred to DC's Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), the church said. Earlier, the church had threatened to walk away from providing thousands of people in the District with social services if lawmakers approved the gay marriage bill, including feeding the poor and sheltering the homeless. But the ch

A South Shore mother was found guilty yesterday of second-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, Rebecca, who went to sleep one night after being given toxic levels of psychotropic drugs and never woke up. Carolyn Riley, 35, showed no visible emotion when the 12-member jury returned the verdict after 19 hours of deliberations in Plymouth Superior Court. Riley, her upper chest displaying a ``Rebecca 12-06-06'' tattoo that reflected her daughter's date of death, was handcuffed as soon as the word guilty was uttered by the jury forewoman. Before sentencing, Judge Charles Hely permitted the reading of a letter from Ashley Davidson, 17, Riley's first biological daughter, who as a toddler was removed from her mother's care, placed in a foster home, and eventually adopted. The teenager condemned her mother for the cruel fate she delivered Rebecca, as well as the tormenting memories left for her and Rebecca's two other siblings, ages 14 and 9, now both in foster homes. ``When I

A South Shore mother was found guilty yesterday of second-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, Rebecca, who went to sleep one night after being given toxic levels of psychotropic drugs and never woke up. Carolyn Riley, 35, showed no visible emotion when the 12-member jury returned the verdict after 19 hours of deliberations in Plymouth Superior Court. Riley, her upper chest displaying a ``Rebecca 12-06-06'' tattoo that reflected her daughter's date of death, was handcuffed as soon as the word guilty was uttered by the jury forewoman. Before sentencing, Judge Charles Hely permitted the reading of a letter from Ashley Davidson, 17, Riley's first biological daughter, who as a toddler was removed from her mother's care, placed in a foster home, and eventually adopted. The teenager condemned her mother for the cruel fate she delivered Rebecca, as well as the tormenting memories left for her and Rebecca's two other siblings, ages 14 and 9, now both in foster homes. ``When I

Police: Texas couple locked 12-year-old girl in closet for a year, allowed out only for school. A southern Texas couple accused of locking the woman's 12-year-old daughter in a closet for about a year except to attend school remained in custody Tuesday, while the girl was in foster care.

New Jersey's once-failing child welfare system has made strides in keeping children safe from further abuse and neglect, a federal court-appointed agency said Thursday.

Report: NJ doing better at protecting kids since cases of extreme abuse threw state into court. New Jersey's once-failing child welfare system has made strides in keeping children safe from further abuse and neglect, a federal court-appointed agency said Thursday.

Nearly 2 dozen new Louisiana laws take effect Jan. 1. Nearly two dozen new state statutes take effect with the start of the new year. Some are arcane or technical changes to existing laws while others are more sweeping. The new statutes will:

Ex-church administrator: Fla. pastor refused to call child services about Ohio runaway convert. A Florida pastor ignored warnings that he was breaking the law when he housed a runaway teenage girl who converted from Islam to Christianity, a former colleague said.

Country singer Jimmy Wayne plans a winter charity walk for homeless from Nashville to Phoenix. Country singer Jimmy Wayne knows a cold wind will be blowing as he embarks on a winter charity walk for the homeless, leaving Nashville, Tenn., on New Year's Day to cross two-thirds of the country.

Ariz. judge tosses charges against 9-year-old Liberian boy accused of raping 8-year-old girl. Sexual assault charges against a 9-year-old Liberian boy accused in the gang-rape of an 8-year-old girl were dismissed on Wednesday by a juvenile court judge in Phoenix.

Country singer Jimmy Wayne thankful for buying Hall & Oates album for $1 years ago. Jimmy Wayne has been waiting for years to record the Hall & Oates song "Sara Smile." So when the country singer finally did it, it was only fitting that he made it the title of his third album.

State budget squeeze spurs county to propose lower stipends for families. Having taken in some 200 foster children over the past 11 years, Jeanmarie Schirling knows the rewards of providing a safe home and some measure of joy to children who have known so little happiness.

Florida judge to order runaway who feared harm after conversion back home to Ohio. A Florida judge says he plans to order the teenager who ran away from Ohio to Florida because she feared physical harm for converting from Islam to Christianity sent back to Ohio.

Relatives, attorney question Tenn. officials' decision to take kidnapped baby into custody. A mother whose baby was kidnapped said she was devastated when child welfare officials took him into state custody shortly after he was recovered, describing the pain of that separation as worse than the knife wounds that the kidnapper inflicted on her.

Religion News in Brief. The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have revised a recent statement on salvation, Jews and evangelizing in response to Jewish concerns over the document.

CARIBBEAN: 2 Uzbeks from Gitmo arrive in Ireland; Amnesty asks other EU nations to do more