The Mayor of Union City, New Jersey blasted the Imam who wants to build a mosque and community center two blocks from ground zero for being a “slumlord.”

At hastily called news conference Union City Mayor Brian Stack accused Imam Faisal Rauf of neglecting two apartment houses and ignoring numerous citations from the Union City’s Fire and Health Departments. Mayor Stack described the Imam as “unscrupulous” and questioned his statements about wanting to help people and build bridges while his own tenants were living in “shoddy conditions.”

The mayor made his remarks outside one of the buildings owned by the Imam. On Wednesday, the city goes to court seeking to have a custodial receiver take over management of the properties. Mayor Stack said although the violations go back years, the city felt compelled to put a custodial receiver in charge of the property after the fire alarm system failed at the building located at 2206 Central Avenue. Residents at the second building owned by the Imam remain displaced because of a fire two years ago.

The mayor said the Imam was among the worst landlords in Union City and that the lawsuit had nothing to do with the controversy associated with the project the Imam wants to build in lower Manhattan. When asked to give advice to New York the Mayor warned, “any town where he (Imam Rauf) buys property, be alert, because he is not a good landlord.”

Both the Imam and his wife were not available to comment.

Sarah Shourd, the 32-year-old American woman who has been detained in Iran since last summer, has been released from prison.  At the time of this writing there were conflicting reports about whether or not her plane had taken off.  There has been no official confirmation at this time of where Shourd is flying to.  Her lawyer and others have said it is to nearby Oman, where her mother was to meet her.

Her lawyer, Masoud Shafii, says that Shourd was very happy upon her release, but wants people to now focus on getting her friends Shane Bauer, to whom she is engaged, and Josh Fattal, released too.

At the airport she told reporters that she was “grateful” and “humbled by the moment.”

The three were picked up by Iranian authorities last July.  They had been hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan.  According to their families, they strayed inadvertently into Iranian territory.  Iran has accused them of spying.

A bail payment of $500,000 was made for Shourd’s release, reportedly to an Iranian bank in Oman.

The families of all three Americans released a joint statement.

“All of our families are relieved and overjoyed that Sarah has at last been released but we’re also heartbroken that Shane and Josh are still being denied their freedom for no just cause.  We applaud the Iranian authorities for showing compassion in Sarah’s case and again call on them to do the only right thing and release Shane and Josh immediately.”

The White House thanked the Sultanate of Oman and the Swiss for their roles in resolving Shourd’s case and said,

“While Sarah has been released, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal remain prisoners in Iran who have committed no crime.  We remain hopeful that Iran will demonstrate renewed compassion by ensuring the return of Shane, Josh and all the other missing or detained Americans in Iran.”

Shourd was supposed to have been released last Saturday, as a gesture of mercy on Eid ul-Fitr, the Islamic holiday following Ramadan.  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had intervened in this case, asking for the release.  In the eleventh hour, Iran’s judiciary stepped in, saying that legal documents were not in order, the release would be delayed and $500,000 bail would be required.

Observers of Iran say this change of plans reflects a power struggle in that country between Ahmadinejad and some of the harder-line forces.

All this against a backdrop of defections of diplomats from the Islamic Republic of Iran in Europe.  In the past few days both Hossein Alizadeh, who was a top political counselor at Iran’s Embassy in Helsinki, Finland, and Farzad Farhangian who was the Press Attache in Brussels, Belgium, have quit in protest over the situation in Iran.

Alizadeh said he believes upwards of 90% of people working in Iran’s Foreign Ministry are in discord with the current policies of the government.  Farhangian at a press conference today in Oslo, Norway, where he is seeking asylum, said that top level officials in the Revolutionary Guards in Iran were also considering joining the opposition movement.

This makes three high-profile defections of Iranian diplomats so far this year, in the wake of Iran’s disputed Presidential elections last June.

It's moving day at Fort Bliss, but not your typical flurry of tape guns, cardboard boxes, styrofoam pellets and wheeled dollies.  Instead, picture tanks tearing up the asphalt, rolling on sheets of plywood to get enough traction to turn into position for  gynormous cranes.  Hard hat clad workers hook up and inch suspended tanks onto oversized flatbed trucks.  This will be the scene, for three days as 30 macro-artifacts move out of their former home, on their way to a new one at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The move, mandated by law,  falls under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC).  The Air Defense Artillery (ADA) center and school relocated and now the museum must follow.  Museum Director Peter Poessiger says, "It's an institution of knowledge, but primarily teaches soldiers about their heritage and history and legacy and... make them proud of the weapons systems of the past ."

Iraq veteran, Pvt. 1st Class Daniel Tuiteleleapaga has visited military museums across the country and halfway around the world, "I like learning about the past because it helps us not do the same mistakes in the future."  And he looks at the veterans who came before him in a different way, it "...makes me appreciate what they've done for our country and makes me want to say thank you, a heck of a lot more."

Specialist Cynthia Ramirez, also an Iraq war vet,  works at the museum on Fort Bliss, "...thanks to the veterans who used these vehicles and for who we have a museum for now, we're able to do our job and so thanks to them for opening the way for us."

With so much moving out, you'd think there'd be a gaping hole or the museum would be closing its doors.  This is only the beginning.  On the other side of the building, as scorching sun beats down, new occupants await their turn to get out of the elements and some much needed "T-L-C".   Artifacts from the 1st Armored Division in Germany,  23 tanks and fighting vehicles are out front in the parking lot, ready to roll into place.

"This is the place where I wish I had grown up cause this is my heritage," said Wilson Moran, as he walked through the national wildlife refuge that was once his parents' neighborhood.

Moran wants the federal government to give back land it seized from his parents just before he was born in 1942. They were part of Harris Neck, a small community founded by former slaves, making their livings by harvesting shellfish from Georgia's coastal wetlands.

"This was their independence," Moran said. "This was their freedom. This was their life."

A cracked runway serves as a reminder of the World War II army airfield that forced residents off their land. While government seizures for the war effort were common around the country, Harris Neck's former citizens believe their community was targeted because of race.

"They wouldn't treat their own like that, so what else would it be?" said Rev. Robert Thorpe, who remembers being evicted from Harris Neck as a young boy. "They didn't treat us like human beings."

Rev. Thorpe and others from this community are asking Congress to return the land. But Harris Neck is currently a 2,800 acre national wildlife refuge. And its managers say even moderate residential development would disrupt the fragile ecosystem they're trying to maintain.

"Not only would we lose our endangered wood stork colony, we would lose probably all the other nesting, wading birds, shore birds," said Jane Griess, project leader of the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It would just be a detrimental impact."

In addition to wildlife, the refuge attracts more than 90 thousand tourists a year -- roughly eight times the residential population of rural McIntosh County.

"To turn this land back over to the original owners is not only legally incorrect, but economically it borders on a disaster for this very poor county," said Russ Wigh, a business professor at Savannah College of Art and Design.

According to Wigh, the federal government provided fair compensation to Harris Neck residents and that alleged discrepancies in payments were based not on race, but property improvements. He also disputes claims that residents received promises that the federal government would return their land after the war.

"The premise that racial discrimination, the premise of a promise by the Defense Department to give the people back their land -- these have no basis in fact, no basis in writing whatsoever," Wigh said.

Nevertheless, former Harris Neck residents and their descendants remain determined in their ongoing efforts to convince federal lawmakers that Harris Neck's culture deserves protection in addition to its wildlife.

"This is our home," Rev. Thorpe said. "We're gonna die here. This is the rest of our life. Then you take it away from me and give it to the birds? Then you call that fair?"

Related Post: FOX News photographer Tom Jachman's video and photo essay.

In Sacramento the numbers don't lie, but does the basis for the curriculum? George Washington Carver High School, a publicly-funded charter school that uses methods and philosophies of the Waldorf Schools, has significantly increased its test scores, but critics say the schools mislead parents.

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The controversy here is all about the basis of publicly-funded Waldorf Schools, with some former parents and critics claiming they are based on a "cult-like" religion. If you haven't heard about Waldorf, the schools are based on the philosophy of 19th century Austrian educator Rudolph Steiner and his ideas called Anthroposophy. Many feel Anthroposophy is spiritually-based and therefore should be barred from getting taxpayer funding by the First Amendment.

The Sacramento School District says Carver High, which was once a different style of charter school, is the first such public high school using Waldorf methods in the nation. The district also tells us that Carver is NOT a pure Waldorf school like the commonly-known private schools, but instead is only "inspired" by Waldorf methods. For example, all teachers, textbooks and curricula are approved by the school board and conform to California standards. District leaders also point to the school's impressive success rate, with its API increased by 173 points in the last 2 years since they shifted to the Waldorf system, enrollment has exploded from 100 students to 250 in the same time frame, and exit exam scores jumped 36 percentage points in math and 23 percentage points in English.

Despite those numbers touted by the district, a group called PLANS (People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools) filed suit against the district 12 years ago and, after being thrown out by a federal judge and then reversed/re-instated by the 9th Circuit twice before, is now arguing before that same federal judge that the schools are religious in nature. After a first hearing two weeks ago, held to determine if indeed Anthroposophy is a religion, the district judge threw out most of PLAN's evidence again, calling it "hearsay." The district expects him to throw out the case when he re-convenes in early October, but PLAN says they will again appeal to the 9th Circuit. So basically the 9th Circuit and the local judge have been passing this case back and forth.

Across the state, there are currently 24 public schools in California inspired by the Waldorf method, and 43 across the entire US. The curriculum definitely involves a different approach to teaching. For example, there is a lot of "free thinking" and thus a few subjects largely unique to the Waldorf schools. Take eurythmy, which is a movement of art usually accompanying spoken texts or music which includes elements of role play and dance. There are also gardens and an emphasis on "social responsibility."
So what do you think?

Italy’s largest-selling Catholic magazine is using verses from scripture set to rap music to help promote its new  pocket bible, which goes on sale this week.

The initiative from Famiglia Cristiana certainly doesn’t mark the first time bible verses have made their way into a rap song, but it comes as a bit of a surprise in Italy, whose rappers are not exactly at the top of the charts.

Verses include selections from Exodus, “I am who am/This is my name forever” and from Psalm 115: “They mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see.”

There’s an artistic question to be answered, certainly, about whether or not it makes good music. That may depend a lot on taste – and the age of the listeners.

But perhaps there’s also a more fundamental question: is it right? Or is it a lack of respect for a divinely-inspired text?

“While it might strike some people as odd, it’s one way of helping people learn the faith,” Fr. Joseph Carola, a Jesuit professor of theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, told FOXNews.com.

“Anything that helps the word of God take deep root in the heart of individuals is not bad,” Carola said.

Kim Schirmer, a Protestant seminary graduate from Austin, Texas, agreed. “It’s a good idea,” she said. “Music speaks across time, place and people better than words can.”

Sarah Shourd arrived in Muscat, Oman last night where her mother greeted her on the tarmac.

She is said to be having medical treatment there today.

There is still a question of who paid the bail money for her release.  Iran demanded $500,000.  Fox News spoke to Shourd’s lawyer in Tehran, Masoud Shafii, who said that he did not know who paid the bail money, nor how much was ultimately paid.  Shourd's family claimed it did not have the money.  The U.S. government says it did not pay.

The Tabnak website, one of the most-read sites in Iran, and run by former head of the Revolutionary Guard and presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei, claims the Omani government paid the bail.

It quotes an unnamed source saying it was a humanitarian gesture “with the positive aim of our relations with Iran and America and to the benefit of countries involved and the stability of the region.”

Fox News can’t attest to the veracity of that statement.  The government of the Sultanate of Oman has been silent about its role in Shourd’s release.  It typically does not talk about its quiet diplomacy. Oman does have good relations with both Iran and the United States and was thanked by both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton for its assistance in this case.

At the least, Oman sent a private plane to spirit Shourd out of Iran.

In the meantime, Shafii tells Fox News he does not think bail should have been demanded simply because he maintains that all three Americans who were picked up while hiking are innocent.  When asked if he feared a backlash against him by the Iranian government for his work on behalf of the Americans, he said that he wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.

Before World War II Harris Neck, Georgia was a small community of former slaves and their families who fished and lived off their very rural property. After Pearl Harbor, the government took the land from the residents of Harris Neck for a wartime airfield. They were paid fair market value according to the government, but the descendants claim they were also given a promise that their land would be returned. There is no record of that promise. After the war, instead of returning the land, the government turned it into Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in 1962. The 2800 acre park has become a nesting place for more than 300 bird species, including the endangered wood stork. The former residents are petitioning Congress to get their land back. Click here to read more about Harris Neck. Watch the video below to see and hear more about the controversy.

Atlantic City, New Jersey has the nation's longest and oldest boardwalk, first built in 1870 and stretching almost six miles above the wide sand beach.  The town has a rich and colorful history, loads of big name restaurants, arena-sized theaters and 11 casino hotels.

It's also "dying", according to Governor Chris Christie.

Revenue was down more than 11% in August compared to last year and down 8.4% over the first 8 months of 2010.  The numbers were worse in the first quarter when compared to 2006: revenues were down 30% and 7 of the gambling halls posted operating losses.  Thousands of workers lost jobs, too.

The biggest threat to AC's future, besides the current economic woes, are new casinos that have opened or will soon open in neighboring states, especially Pennsylvania which added table games to several Casinos and has more on the way.

"The states around us that have brought gaming in, that was a change and evolution for them in order to compete with us" the Governor said.  "We now have to change and evolve to compete with this new threat."

That evolution, according to government and gaming officials, involves cleaning up the streets, reducing crime and blight and aggressively promoting the city's benefits while encouraging new investment.  The Governor has proposed a takeover of sorts to make changes quickly, and Harrah's President of East Coast Operations is on board.

"I can tell you  for the last year, the Mayor of Atlantic City along with the Governor and all of the casino operators and many of the businesses have gotten together and we're working on things" Don Marrandino told Fox News. "You can see buildings that have been knocked down, the boardwalk is spic and span, there's a great effort out there to clean up the retail areas... I think overall there's been a giant difference in the last year."

Marrandino says the goal is to become Las Vegas East.  "It's not just about gambling anymore.  Yes, it's a place you can come and game (but also) stay in a good hotel, get a spa treatment, see tremendous shows... and the neighboring states aren't set up like that.  They are independent casinos dispersed around a big geographical area."

Atlantic City is still the #2 gaming destination in the U.S. with 35 million visitors every year  and despite the downturn, the casinos will net more than 3.5 billion dollars in 2010.   Marrandino and others are hoping with renewed interest from the state, changes will come quickly and this historic oceanside gambling mecca will not only survive, it will thrive.

The parents of a fallen Marine positively identified their son’s remains today at Arlington National Cemetery, but nonetheless declared “a trust has been broken” and questioned the credibility of cemetery officials.

Marine Private Heath Warner of Canton, Ohio was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2006.   The family became concerned that he might be buried in the wrong plot after the announcement in June that the Army Inspector General had found widespread mishandling of graves Arlington.  Graves were mismarked, or unmarked, and some urns of ashes were found dumped on a pile of dirt.  In addition, discarded gravestones were later discovered in a cemetery streambed where they were being used for erosion control.

Scott and Melissa Warner say paperwork provided by the cemetery incorrectly showed their son’s body was sent from a funeral home in Illinois, when in fact it came from Ohio.  Scott Warner says the cemetery, administered by the U.S. Army, could not provide any paperwork documenting the chain of custody for the remains.  But Army Spokesman Gary Tallman says the cemetery has no responsibility for the remains until they arrive at Arlington.

A disinterment was arranged and it was carried out Wednesday morning.  The casket containing Pvt. Heath’s remains was put on a truck and taken to a building in a cemetery service area where it  was opened in the presence of the Warners, according to Tallman.

At a news conference afterwards, Scott Warner said he was able to positively identify his son by a tattoo on his right arm.  “I’m happy and I feel at peace that it’s my son,” Warner told reporters.

But, he claimed, “the gravesite had been compromised.”  Warner said he’d been told the vault would not be opened and the casket would not be lifted until he was there.   But when he arrived Wednesday morning, he says these steps had already been taken.  According to Tallman, site preparations needed to be done to deal with ground water at the site.   Tallman said,  “Mr. Warner was fully briefed in advance on what needed to be done to prepare the site and he agreed to it.”

Warner claims cemetery officials “wanted to have some sort of confidence going into today that is wasn’t a repeat of the last disinterment.”
He was referring the first known disinterments at Arlington since the scathing Inspector General’s report came out last Spring.

Three weeks ago, the grave of an Army staff sergeant was opened after his wife heard news of the investigation and became worried her husband was buried in the wrong place.  Tallman says that when his grave was opened, someone else’s remains were found there.  The staff sergeant was found in a nearby plot under someone else’s headstone.

In fact, Tallman says, as a result of those exhumations, discrepancies were found that involved three different sets of remains.  The exact circumstances are unclear and Tallman was unable to provide details because of family privacy concerns.

Warner says he hopes other families will come forward when they have a feeling in their stomach “ that something isn’t right.”
He says, “As far as the administration of the cemetery, there are serious flaws that need to be addressed.”

Among other actions, outlined on his website, Warner wants public tours of the cemetery halted temporarily “until the expanded Congressional investigation is concluded and the outstanding issues are resolved.”

He’s also proposing creation of panel of family members to provide feedback as the Army endeavors to correct all the problems at the cemetery.

Federal law enforcement agencies have arrested four of their own -- including a husband and wife -- for allegedly lying on government forms about their use of performance enhancing drugs.

42-year-old Katia Litton, a former bodybuilder and agent with the FBI's Washington Field Office, and her husband, 39-year-old Mattew Litton, an agent with the FBI's Critical Incident Response Team, allegedly spent at least $17,000 over nearly four years to obtain anabolic steroids and human growth hormone from a doctor in the Washington area even though there was no real medical reason. They "concealed and covered up" their use of the drugs while filling out medical forms used regularly to assess FBI agents' fitness for duty, according to prosecutors.

Documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charge the Littons with attesting to materially false statements on U.S. government documents.

42-year-old James Drew Barnett, also an agent with the FBI's Washington Field Office, and 45-year-old Ali Sawan, an intelligence analyst at FBI headquarters, have also been charged with attesting to materially false statements.

"FBI employees must be held to the highest standards of ethical conduct," FBI Deputy Director Timothy Murphy said in a statement. "When this information came to our attention, a thorough investigation was initiated which led to today’s charges."

All four defendants were arrested Wednesday by agents from the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Personnel Management's Office of the Inspector General. They made their initial appearances in court Wednesday afternoon.

Like Litton and Barnett, Sawan was able to receive anabolic steroids and human growth hormone because a doctor, identified in court documents only as "Dr. W-1, diagnosed them with Pituitary Dwarfism and other conditions. In reality, though, all four have "no known medical condition requiring the use of these medications," according to prosecutors.

Court documents suggest at least two doctors were involved in the case, one a board-certified gynecologist and the other an emergency room physician for a local health center outside Washington.

Investigators found that Sawan alone made 90 purchases from his doctor's office and several local pharmacies between November 2007 and January 2010.

When describing his medical history on U.S. government forms, he described his medical illnesses as "N/A" and listed "current medications" as "none," according to court documents filed in the case.

Similarly, Barnett "omitted any mention of his use of HGH and/or anabolic steroids" and spent more than $10,000 to obtain the drugs, court documents said.

Asked whether the doctors will face charges, a Justice Department spokesman declined to answer, saying he is "unable to comment at this time beyond what is in the public record."

In his statement, Murphy, the FBI official, said the investigation "is continuing."

Its difficult at best to figure out what is really going on in the latest round of Middle East Peace talks.  For the past 24 hours, both sides seem to be actually abiding by their pledge to keep their mouths’ shut.  While keeping one’s mouth shut is a often a norm in corporate merger negotiations right up until the end, typically the negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leaders leak like a sieve. Just recently a Palestinian leader called Prime Minister Netanyahu a “nut job,” and the Israeli Foreign Minister said he didn’t think there would be peace in the next two-generations.

The latest round are the triathlon of talks.  Secretary of State Clinton flew into Sharm El-Sheik Egypt Tuesday morning to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. Then everything moved to Jerusalem for talks Wednesday night and Thursday she heads to Ramallah for a one-on-one meeting with Abbas.  On the flight down to Sharm yesterday morning the Israeli delegation seemed to be chatting up a storm even while one official admonished the Palestinians for running to the press when they didn’t like things.  As the mood brightened in Sharm, nobody wanted to talk to the media. Even “off the record” conversations were hard to come-by and those were vague save a few largely symbolic tid-bits passed out.  Today, most everyone has been keeping quiet  and relying on US Peace Envoy Sen. George Mitchell to give his usually rosy briefings at the end of the days discussion.  “To me it is been extremely impressive to see both leaders engaging in this fashion. They are serious.  They mean business. They do have differences, we believe they can be over come and we are going to remain support them with patience,  perseverance and determination,” he said. Reading the ‘tea leaves’ is encouraging though.  The talks, especially today’s, seem to be running longer than scheduled.  Last night Abbas, Clinton and Netanyahu pushed their departure back by a few hours to have another unscheduled meeting after lunch and those “in the know” seem to have a slight bounce to their step.  However, you can often tell more by what isn’t said than what is.  Despite days of talking about it and multiple meetings of the negotiating teams, there is not an agreement to the “settlement issue---only “progress”. The Palestinians have  yet to withdraw their threat to leave the talks unless Israel continues its i freeze on building in the West Bank when it expires on September 26^th.  The Israelis say a continuation of the freeze is politically impossible.

Forty-eight floors above “Ground Zero,” a small group of artists set up shop. Each has a personal connection to the September 11^th terror attacks and all of them are painting the rebuilding of the world trade center site as a way to honor those who died on September 11th, 2001.

The artists  paint from an unfurnished loft like space at 7 World Trade Center, a building that overlooks ground zero and is owned by Silverstein Properties, a real estate firm that is developing the world trade center site.

In a series of works he calls “Witness,” Stone has documented the destruction of the site and its redevelopment.

Todd sells his work independently. His website is: www.toddstone.com. His paintings will be on exhibit in Reclaiming Vistas: Post 9/11 Urban Perspectives at the Puffin Foundation, Teaneck, NJ with an opening on Friday Sept. 24 at 8pm. The exhibit will run through November 19. For directions and other info, call (201)-836-3499 or visit www. PuffinCulturalForum.org.

Diana Horowitz hopes to sell her paintings in a New York city gallery next year. Her work is represented by Hirschl and Adler Modern at 21 East 70th St. in New York. The website is: http://www.hirschlandadler.com 

KABUL- On the eve of Afghanistan’s second parliamentary election, security around the country is tight, as insurgents vow to derail the vote.

At least 20 people have been killed in election related violence, including several candidates, in the run-up to the ballot. Today, the Taliban kidnapped 19 Afghans, including one candidate.

The election is a major test of the new US strategy in Afghanistan, which places an emphasis on protecting Afghans and strengthening Afghan government institutions.

Tomorrow’s vote will show just how far the Afghan Security forces have advanced during the past year, and if the government led by Afghan President Hamid Karzai is making any progress against internal corruption.

“This is probably one of the worst places and the worst times to have an election anywhere in the world. We have to put it into perspective," said Staffan de Mistura, the top U.N. envoy to Afghanistan.

Following last year’s corrupt presidential election, Western officials have routinely lowered expectations.

“Afghanistan is not Switzerland,” said one Western official, who asked to remain anonymous. “What matters is that the Afghans believe this is a credible election. And many Afghans still remember that the government in 1993 collapsed as katyusah rockets landed in Kabul.”

Despite a very low bar for success, international watchdog groups say the vote has been well organized and fraud should be significantly reduced, at least in comparison to last year.

“I think in terms of preparation. We have already seen improvements,” said Jed Ober, of Democracy International, an independent election observation group.

With more than 2,500 candidates running for just 249 parliamentary seats, accusations of fraud and ballot stuffing are expected. But with the focus on 249 races, Western officials expect this election will look much cleaner and more transparent than last year presidential election.

Still, with the Taliban vowing to disrupt the election, fraud at least until the vote is finished, is a secondary concern.

More and more couples are choosing to say their 'I dos' on aisle five. Instead of traditional ceremonies in a church or banquet hall, a growing trend in the world of matrimony includes couples tying the knot in their favorite retail spots. The stores range from Wal-Mart and TJMaxx to eateries like Taco Bell, blending the couples love for each other with the brands they love.

Lisa Satayut and Drew Ellis were married in their local TJMaxx in Michigan, making Lisa the first 'Maxinista Bride.' TJMaxx is the bride's favorite store and her proclaimed 'happy place,' so the two decided to celebrate their special day in size 8 shoe aisle of the department store. The groom didn't mind if his bride-to-be got distracted by the shopping en route, "I want her to take her time, today is her day, I want her to enjoy it, if she stops and looks at shoes, I'll be waiting for her when she gets done."

Weddingchannel.com editor Jennie Ma says that couples want to be unique and stand out, " Brides these days are always looking to one-up each other, to really stand out, and this is the perfect way because you really have a one-of-a-kind wedding. Also, a lot of couples have sentimental value attached to certain stores."

Paul Brooks and Caragh Brooks' wedding in an Illinois Taco Bell was decorated with hot sauce packet favors and run-for-the border balloons. They said this ceremony was perfect for the type of twosome they are," we are a little bit of an offbeat couple, so we figured we'd have an offbeat ceremony, and Taco Bell's the closest thing we have to a church, so this is where we like to hang out, this is where we wanted to do it"

An average cost of a traditional wedding reaches close to $18,000 dollars according to a survey by The Knot.com. With most of these stores offering their location for free, this is also a way for couples to make big savings.

"Regular location fees can cost up to 60 percent of the wedding. And so right now they save a huge chunk of their wedding budget." Ma goes on to say that in an attempt to promote their company and brand many stores are " willing to throw in extra favors, such as the wedding favor themselves or hiring some sort of help to coordinate the wedding."

Wal-Mart has been another popular store for nuptials, along with Best Buy, Home Depot and McDonalds. Whether it's the place where the couple first met, shared their first kiss, had their first date or if it's just a cost saving tactic, more couples around the nation are buying into the retail wedding trend. Although, no word on return or exchange policies.

Nicole Busch and Anita Vogel Contributed to this Report.

The question everyone wants to know is why. In one of the more stunning news conferences Thursday night, Vancouver Washington police announced that a woman who said she was attacked by another woman who threw acid on her face had made the whole story up.

28-year old Bethany Storro admitted she lied when she reported an African American woman poured acid on her face when she pulled up at a local Starbucks August 30th. The story gained national attention and even led to copycat attacks across the country.

Detectives had their doubts from the beginning. Some things just didn't add up. The burn patterns on Storro's face were not consistent with someone splashing acid on her. She was wearing sunglasses at 7 o'clock at night. They were sunglasses she had just purchased 20 minutes before the attack and she admitted later that she never wears sunglasses. And police never could locate any witnesses.

The suspicions led police to get a warrant to search her parents' house where she lives. During the search Storros admitted it was a hoax. Police never did locate the acid and continue to work to nail down a motive.

Storros did not shy away from the media in the days after her surgery. She did interviews and held news conferences. She was even scheduled to appear on Oprah. Did she do it for attention?

Did she do it for money? There were fundraisers held and money collected. Several banks had established funds and it's still being investigated whether or not Storros accessed any of that money. The police say Storros has talked about a motive, but they're not ready to release that information yet. Meantime, the banks are working to return the money that was donated.

Storros will likely be charged with filing a false police report. Vancouver police spent hundreds of hours on the case and even made contact with several people they were investigating as possible suspects. The Clark County prosecutor will be making that decision in the near future.

WASHINTGON -- Two Russian aircraft flew within roughly 100 feet of a U.S. ship in the Arctic's Barents Sea last week, an unusual move that has caused some concern among officials in the Pentagon.

According to Pentagon Spokesman Col. Dave Lapan, the USS Taylor had just left from a routine port visit in the town of Murmansk when it was buzzed by a Russian maritime patrol aircraft on September 10th, and then buzzed again one day later by a Russian helicopter.  Lapan said incident was surprising partly because the USS Taylor was operating in international waters.  Both aircraft flew as low as 100 feet and got within 50 yards off the deck of the American vessel.

"This is a fairly rare occurrence," Lapan said. Pentagon officials would not go as far as to call the act dangerous or hostile, but it did get the attention of the military's Chief Naval Officer.  Adm. Gary Roughead spoke about the issue with his Russian counterpart, Adm. Vladimir Vysotskiy, during a preplanned visit to the Pentagon by a Russian military delegation led by Defense Minister, Anatoly Serdyukov.

The visit by the Russians to the Pentagon was the first of its kind in 5 years, and according Pentagon officials it marked an agreement to improve military cooperation between the two countries.

In February of 2008 U.S. fighter plans intercepted two Russian Tupolev "Bear Bombers" flying unusually close to the American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Pacific. The Bear Bombers have also violated Alaskan airspace numerous times in recent years, which almost always ends with American fighters escorting them back to neutral airspace.

Pope Benedict does not watch much television – apparently only a bit of the news at 8 p.m. each night in Italy.

But something he said when speaking to politicians and diplomats at Westminster Hall in London gave the distinct impression he might have tuned into O’Reilly’s No Spin Zone from time to time.

Benedict brought up a theme that’s been popular on O’Reilly, the “War on Christmas,” telling British notables gathered in the hall of the dangers of marginalizing religion in public life. “There are those who would argue that the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere,” he said.

Benedict said no one should be afraid of Nativity scenes: “There are those who argue that the public celebration of Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none.”

While Benedict might be a secret fan of the No Spin Zone, it’s not likely. The show doesn’t even air until 2 a.m. Rome time, long after the Pope has gone to bed.

While much of the international news about Pope Benedict XVI’s visit is now fixated on yesterday’s arrests of six men for alleged plans to attack the pope, the more persistent news here has been the warming of the English people, and their press, to this eighty-three year old German pope.

Beginning a year ago when this trip was announced and continuing until Pope Benedict landed on British soil, negativity and controversy has saturated the British press.  Some of the angst has centered around civic and political issues, including whether Queen Elizabeth II and the British government were right to invite the Pontiff to come as head-of-state and on the public expense of preparing for and securing the event.  And anger over the Catholic Church’s handling of clerical sexual abuse understandably dominated the pre-event coverage.

These particular controversies, however, all but disappeared upon the Holy Father’s arrival.  Local officials now say the considerable expense has been offset by the many visitors to the United Kingdom.  More importantly, the English people have expressed incessantly great pride in their Royal Family for having extended such graciousness to the pope, especially given the historic tensions between the British monarchy—who is also the head of the Anglican Church—and the papacy.

And it was the Pope himself who initiated conversation about clerical sexual abuse.  On the plane from Rome to London, as well as in his homily this morning in Westminster Cathedral, the Holy Father spoke transparently about the problem and gave some of the strongest words to date against sexual abuse within the ranks of Catholic clergy.  He offered yet another apology to victims, stated that abusers will have no place in the Church, admitted Church authority had reacted too slowly, and promised institutional reform to protect children in the future.

Since the Pope’s arrival all this heated controversy has turned into profound public debate about the role of faith and religion in society.

The Queen’s opening address quieted critics who say religion is a negative force for society.  In her words:

“In this country, we deeply appreciate the involvement of the Holy See in the dramatic improvement in the situation in Northern Ireland.  Elsewhere the fall of totalitarian regimes across central and eastern Europe has allowed greater freedom for hundreds of millions of people. The Holy See continues to play an important role in international issues, in support of peace and development and in addressing common problems like poverty and climate change. We hold that freedom to worship is at the core of our tolerant and democratic society”

The Holy Father responded to the Queen with an address that challenged British society to defend itself against aggressive atheistic movements that would seek to rid society of public expressions of belief.

“Today the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society.  In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate.”

In his historic address yesterday to both houses of the British parliament, the Holy Father took this challenge a step further and in language nobody could misunderstand.   In the same Westminster Hall where Thomas More was condemned to death by Henry VIII for not supporting his wish to trade in his first wife for one who could bear him children, Pope Benedict spoke of the legislator’s responsibility to protect the sovereignty of “conscience” and the public expression of religious belief.

“Religion in other words, is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation.  In this light, I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance.  There are those who would advocate that the voice of  religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere.  There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none.  And there are those who argue—paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination—that Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their conscience.”

No doubt his words will be a new reference point as England continues its debate of “Equality Laws” that would force religious institutions to act against their conscience to conform to civil law.

And British Airlines, a government controlled company, may have some explaining to do regarding their recent decision to not allow their flight attendants to wear a visible cross or crucifix while on the job.

The Holy Father is not speaking against disbelief, or against atheists, but rather against a society that allows aggressive non-believers to restrict the public expression of those who believe or that punishes citizens for obeying their conscience.