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(AP) — The Mormon church is scaling back the Sunday time commitment expected of its members from three hours to two.Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the change Saturday at the faith's twice-yearly conference. He says the new "home-centered church" strategy reflects the faith's increasingly global membership where not all Latter-day Saints live close to a chapel or even have a chapel.Since 1980, church members have been expected to attend a one-hour sacrament worship service each Sunday, followed by two hours of meetings such as Sunday school and men's and women's groups.RELATED: Latter-day Saints dropping the 'Mormon' monikerUnder the schedule change, which takes effect in January, members will continue attending the one-hour Sunday service but then have only one additional hour of meetings.Quentin L. Cook, a member of a Mormon leadership group called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, says church leaders have been aware for years that the three-hour block was difficult for many.The news comes as the leaders recently announced renaming the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir to drop the word Mormon.The decision to rename the singing group the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square was the first major move since Nelson in August called for an end to the use of shorthand names for the religion that have been used for generations by church members and the public. 1442

(CNN) -- Disney has granted a dying "Stars Wars" fan's wish to watch the new movie in the franchise, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," with his young son ahead of its release date, after responding to an appeal from the hospice where he is being treated.Rowans Hospice in Hampshire, England, took to Twitter on Tuesday to make the plea on behalf of one of its patients, saying "time is not on his side" for mid-December, when the movie is scheduled to be released in the UK.The appeal met with strong support on social media, with the likes of Mark Hamill -- Luke Skywalker himself -- wishing the hospice "good luck" with its request.RELATED: Get paid ,000 to watch every Star Wars film before release of 'The Rise of Skywalker'Bob Iger, Disney's Chairman and CEO, tweeted on Thursday that the company would allow the patient a preview: "On this Thanksgiving, we at @Disney are grateful to be able to share #TheRiseOfSkywalker with a patient and his family @RowansHospice. May the force be with you and with us all!"In a statement from Rowans Hospice, Lisa Davies, the health care support worker who passed the patient's wish on to other staff members, said she was "utterly speechless."Thanking Disney for its help, she said: "We totally appreciate that they have had to move mountains to make this happen!"RELATED: Star Wars 'Baby Yoda' toys are coming to a store near you"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," which is due to be released on December 19 in the UK and December 20 in the US, will be the final installment of the nine-part saga. 1554

(AP) -- Starbucks is adding plant-based meat to its U.S. menu for the first time.The Seattle-based coffee chain says a breakfast sandwich made with imitation sausage from California-based Impossible Foods is now available at a majority of its U.S. restaurants. The sandwich comes with egg and cheese and is served on a ciabatta bun.Starbucks said earlier this year it would add plant-based meat to its menus worldwide as part of an effort to reduce its environmental impact.In April, it began selling lasagna, pasta and wraps made with Beyond Meat crumbles in China. It also introduced a Beyond Meat breakfast sandwich in Canada in February. 649

With just five Democratic Party hopefuls for president left, two candidates emerged as clear frontrunners on a crucial night dubbed as “Super Tuesday.” Joe Biden, ex-President Barack Obama’s two-term vice president, asserted himself as a real contender to take the Democratic nomination. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who attained frontrunner status after winning races in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, is now locked into a battle with Biden. Meanwhile, the campaigns of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg are in question. While Warren’s campaign presses on by adding several campaign events later in the week, Warren did not finish in the Top 2 in any of the 14 states up for grabs on Tuesday, including her home state of Massachusetts. Meanwhile, representatives for Bloomberg said that the candidate is returning to NYC to reassess his campaign. Bloomberg’s only victory on Tuesday came from the tiny US territory of American Samoa, which only had six delegates up for grabs. Also grabbing a delegate from the Pacific island was Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who was born on the island. The delegate was her first of the campaign. Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said that in the campaign's opinion, there is still time for Bloomberg to make up ground. This comes after Bloomberg sat out the first four nominating races. "Tonight, only one-third of delegates will be allotted," Sheekey said. "As Mike said tonight, 'No matter how many delegates we win tonight, we have done something no one else thought was possible.’ In just three months, we've gone from just 1% in the polls to being a contender for the Democratic nomination."The night started out great for Biden, as races in North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama were called early in the evening. He then went on to win in Tennessee, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Massachusetts. While Biden won at least eight of 14 states on Tuesday, Sanders won the largest delegate prize of the night California. As of 2:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday, only the race in Maine remains uncalled.Even before the polls closed in California, Sanders used his rally on Tuesday to contrast his record with Biden. “We're going to beat Trump because this will become a contrast in ideas,” he said. “One of us in this race led the opposition to the war in Iraq. You are looking at him."Meanwhile, a spirited Biden took a victory lap before his supporters in Los Angeles. "We're literally in a battle for the soul of America. Winning means uniting America, not sowing seeds of division and anger and hate,” Biden said. “We gotta beat Donald Trump and we will, but we can't become like him. We cannot have a never-ending war between the parties. We need a person who can fight, but make no mistake about it I can fight. But we need as badly someone who can heal."States called: Biden:AlabamaArkansasMassachusettsMinnesotaNorth CarolinaOklahomaTennesseeTexasVirginiaSanders: CaliforniaColoradoUtahVermontBloomberg:American SamoaToo Close to Call: Maine 3005

(AP) - A coalition of California students and community groups is threatening to sue the University of California system unless it drops the SAT and ACT exams from its admissions requirements, arguing that the tests favor wealthy, white students at the expense of poorer black and Hispanic students.Lawyers representing three students, the Compton Unified School District and several other organizations sent a letter to the system Tuesday threatening to file a lawsuit if it doesn't end an admissions policy requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores among other documents. The coalition says it's giving the system 10 business days to act, or it will file a state lawsuit alleging discrimination based on race, wealth and disability.The letter adds pressure as dozens of U.S. universities move away from reliance on college entrance exams. Over the last year, nearly 50 schools have made SAT and ACT scores optional, joining about 1,000 others that already made the change, according to FairTest, a group that opposes testing requirements and tracks university policies.The fairness of the tests also has come under renewed fire in the wake of a widespread admissions scandal in which wealthy parents are accused of paying bribes to cheat on their children's exams.University of California officials declined to respond to the letter but said the system was already reviewing its use of standardized tests. President Janet Napolitano requested the review in July 2018, the school said, and a faculty group studying the topic is expected to issue recommendations by the end of this school year.The company that operates the ACT said it works diligently to make sure the test is not biased against any group."ACT test results reflect inequities in access and quality of education, shining a light on where they exist. Blaming standardized tests for differences in educational quality and opportunities that exist will not improve educational outcomes," Ed Colby, an ACT spokesman, said in a statement.The College Board , which operates the SAT, also denied any bias."The notion that the SAT is discriminatory is false," the company said in a statement. "Regrettably, this letter contains a number of false assertions and is counterproductive to the fact-based, data driven discussion that students, parents and educators deserve."The groups behind the letter say the SAT and ACT are poor predictors of academic success and instead reflect wealth and race, favoring students whose families can afford tutors and costly test preparation, while adding obstacles for those who can't.They argue that the tests' questions play to the strengths of white students, an idea that some scholars have supported. And they ultimately argue that schools can evaluate applicants just as well by focusing on their grades and letters from teachers or counselors."With SAT and ACT scores removed, UC admissions officers still have everything they need in a student's application file to make a reasoned decision," the letter said. "Omitting these scores can increase the presence of underrepresented minority students in both the applicant pool and the freshman class and thus reap the benefits of diversity for all students."California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised concerns about the SAT and ACT earlier this month when he vetoed a bill that would have allowed districts to use the exams in place of certain state tests.Newsom, a Democrat, wrote that use of the tests "exacerbates the inequities for underrepresented students, given that performance on these tests is highly correlated with race and parental income, and is not the best predictor for college success."Lawyer Mark Rosenbaum, who represents the groups going after the UC system, said the testing requirement is "the iceberg that the recent college admissions scandal was the tip of."In the admissions scandal, authorities alleged that parents paid up to ,000 to rig their children's SAT and ACT scores, in some cases getting them nearly perfect scores.The University of Chicago became one of the most prominent schools to drop testing requirements when it announced last year it would make the SAT and ACT optional. Others that have made the shift include the University of San Francisco, DePauw University and Bucknell University.Most U.S. universities still require the tests, however, along with other application materials. Last year, about 2.1 million students took the SAT, and about 1.9 million took the ACT. 4482

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