Daily News Roundup: Mormon Church to Stop Participating in Some Boy Scouts Programs

Mormon Church to End Decades-Long Participation in Boy Scouts’ Teen Programs: Beginning next year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will no longer participate in the Boy Scouts of America’s programs for boys ages 14 and older, NPR reports. The church has criticized the organization’s moves to admit openly gay leaders and transgender boys, though it did not attribute the decision to those issues.

U.S. Continues to Fund Charity With Alleged Cult Ties Despite Repeat Warnings: The U.S. government has allocated millions of aid dollars to the charity Planet Aid and its subcontractor Development Aid From People to People Malawi, both of which the FBI has accused of being fronts for an alleged Danish cult called Teachers Group, according to the Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Unicef and the British government have cut off funding for the groups.

Calif. Board of Education Votes to Close 2 L.A. Nonprofit Charter Schools: The schools are run by the nonprofit Celerity Educational Group, which is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education and the inspector general for the Los Angeles school district, according to The Los Angeles Times. The network of schools has drawn scrutiny from local officials over its financial arrangement with an affiliated organization that manages the schools.

Former Congresswoman Convicted of Taking Donations Intended for Scholarships: Corrine Brown, a former U.S. representative from Florida, was convicted Thursday of taking donations that were meant to fund student scholarships, The New York Times reports. The fraudulent charity, called One Door for Education — Amy Anderson Scholarship Fund, awarded only two scholarships totaling $1,200, while more than $300,000 was used to pay for events including a golf tournament, receptions, and the use of a luxury box during a concert and a professional football game, according to a Justice Department statement.

University Athletic Fundraiser Being Investigated in Sex Harassment Case: A top University of Minnesota athletic official who oversees fundraising has violated the school’s sexual-harassment policy, according to the results of an internal investigation, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The nature of the violation involving Randy Handel, an associate athletic director and major-gift fundraiser, has not been disclosed.