Alliance Flower Shop News
US justices won't hear case of anti-gay marriage florist
Tuesday, July 17, 2018Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the recent Supreme Court ruling will have no effect on the case against Baronelle Stutzman and her Arlene’s Flowers store in Richland, Washington.But the Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Kristen Waggoner, who represents Stutzman, said Ferguson “pursued unprecedented measures to punish Barronelle not just in her capacity as a business owner but also in her personal capacity.”The Associated PressLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. https://www.similkameenspotlight.com/news/u-s-justices-wont-hear-case-of-anti-gay-marriage-florist/
How to Kill LGBT Marriage Equality, One Wedding Cake and Bouquet of Flowers at a Time
Tuesday, July 17, 2018Supreme Court had in 2017 initially ruled against Arlene’s owner Barronelle Stutzman, who is being supported by the conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom.In 2017, the state Supreme Court ruling read: “We agree with Ingersoll and Freed, that ‘[t]his case is no more about access to flowers than civil rights cases in the 1960s were about access to sandwiches.’ ... Public accommodations laws do not simply guarantee access to goods or services. Instead, they serve a broader societal purpose: eradicating barriers to the equal treatment of all citizens in the commercial marketplace. Were we to carve out a patchwork of exceptions for ostensibly justified discrimination, that purpose would be fatally undermined.”In 2017, Stutzman claimed her “artistic expression” and “deepest beliefs” were being violated by having to create flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding. The Constitution guaranteed her the “right to create freely, and to live out my faith without fear of government punishment or interference.”In a statement Monday, Kristen Waggoner, senior vice president of the Alliance Defending Freedom’s U.S. Legal Division, said the state had shown “similar hostility” to what Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission had shown Jack Phillips. Stutzman claimed, “It’s about freedom, not money. I certainly don’t relish the idea of losing my business, my hom... https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-to-kill-lgbt-marriage-equality-one-wedding-cake-and-bouquet-of-flowers-at-a-time
US Supreme Court sends Richland florist case back to state
Tuesday, July 17, 2018In a Monday telephonic news briefing with Alliance Defending Freedom, Stutzman said she is very thankful and grateful that the country's high court has allowed her case to continue. "The state of Washington has targeted me for over five years, and I find that I am here today because my state Attorney General is hostile to my religious beliefs," said Stutzman. "I serve every customer that comes into my shop, but the government is trying to force me to create artistic expression that violates my beliefs," she continued. "My faith guides me to treat everyone with respect and love, and I've done my best to live out those beliefs in my business. I have never turned anyone away no matter who they were or what they believed," she said. Stutzman said she served Ingersoll for nearly a decade, and in that time created dozens of unique custom arrangements for him. It did not bother her then or now that he is gay, she said, and the owner would gladly welcome Ingersoll back into her shop as a customer. https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article213787909.html
Supreme Court Ruling for Colorado Baker May Help Grandma Florist Win Her Case, Attorney Says
Tuesday, July 17, 2018Christian beliefs on marriage, is waiting for the high court to determine if they will hear her appeal.Kristen Waggoner, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom who represented Phillips and also represents Stutzman, that the two cases have strong parallels.“In Masterpiece Cakeshop, the U.S. Supreme Court denounced government hostility toward the religious beliefs about marriage held by creative professionals like Jack Phillips and Barronelle Stutzman,” said Waggoner.“Such hostility exists when the government treats those people of faith worse than other business owners. The state of Washington, acting through its attorney general, has done just that.”Waggoner also said that Washington‘s attorney general has displayed anti-religious sentiment toward Stutzman that mirrors the experiences of Phillips at the hands of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.Expand Collapse (Photo: The Christian Post)Supporters of Colorado baker Jack Phillips hold signs in front of the United States Supreme Court as arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission on December 5, 2017.“Barronelle, like Jack, serves all customers but declines to create custom art that expresses messages or celebrates events in conflict with her deeply held religious beliefs,”Free sign up cp newsletter!Sign upRelated“The attorney general‘s efforts to punish her because he dislikes her beliefs about marriage are as impermissible as Colorado‘s attempt to punish Jack.”Rob Ingersoll and Curt Freed, who in past years had bought flowers from Stutzman for different occasions, requested that the Christian florist provide the fl... https://bedfordnewsjournal.com/supreme-court-ruling-for-colorado-baker-may-help-grandma-florist-win-her-case-attorney-says/
High court annuls ruling against florist
Tuesday, July 03, 2018Barronelle in her case.”Supporters and opponents of Stutzman’s appeal offered vastly different views of the high court’s order.Kristen Waggoner of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) said the high court “rightly asked” Washington’s Supreme Court to re-evaluate its ruling against Stutzman in light of the Masterpiece Cakeshop opinion.Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s efforts “to punish her because he dislikes her beliefs about marriage are as impermissible as Colorado’s efforts to punish Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop,” Waggoner said in a June 25 telephone news conference. The Washington court should recognize in keeping with the Masterpiece decision “that hostility toward people of faith has no place in our society,” she said.Waggoner, senior vice president of ADF’s U.S. legal division, argued on behalf of Phillips and his shop before the Supreme Court.The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), meanwhile, downplayed the effect of the order.The Supreme Court “did not indicate there was anything wrong” with the Washington court’s decision, HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said in a written statement. “[T]here is no indication that there were flaws in the application of civil rights law in [Stutzman’s case]. We view this decision as encouraging news that justice will prevail” and the Washington Supreme Court will again uphold the state’s laws.ADF, which represents Stutzman, expects the Washington Supreme Court “to follow the law,” Waggoner said. If it does not, ADF will return to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final ruling, she said.State laws and court rulings — and especially the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 legalization of gay marriage — have brought intense pressure on Christians and other people of faith who believe marriage is only between a man and a woman. This has been especially true in the wedding business, where florists, cake designers, photographers and others have been sued for declining to use their talents for same-sex weddings.In Stutzman’s case, the Washington Supreme Court affirmed in 2017 a lower-court decision, finding the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling that legalized gay marriage means discrimination “based on same-sex marriage constitutes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”Stutzman, 73, however, had served Robert Ingersoll, a gay man, for nearly 10 years and had become friends with him. She also had hired gay employees at her shop, Arlene’s Flowers, in Richland, Wash. When Ingersoll asked her to design the flowers for his 2013 wedding to Cu... https://www.baptistmessenger.com/high-court-annuls-ruling-against-florist/
Damascus Garden Club hears from international flower judge
Tuesday, August 14, 2018The Damascus Garden Club, a member of the Garden Club of Ohio Inc., recently toured the beautiful grounds of Kathy and Dave Gano in Salem. Pictured are the 19 members and guests who enjoyed the day, from left, Dave Peterson, Marilyn Wingett, Christine Brown, Rhonda Mitchell, Cindy Battershell, Sandy Kilmer, Ginny Huffman, Bonnie McDermott, Marcia Spack, Janie Morckel, June Wallace, Lori Brodzinski, Val Knoedler, Judy Wheeler, Irene Morckel, Marcia Clark, Lynn Coblentz, Kathy Martin and Lynn Cameron. (Submitted photo) SHOW ARTICLE -- DAMASCUS — The Damascus Garden Club, a member of the Garden Club of Ohio Inc., met on July 12 at the home of Ginny Huffman. Serving as co-host was Second Vice President Dave Peterson. President Marilyn Wingett welcomed the eight members present and introduced Diana Mullins, an international flower shower. She spoke about her experiences as an international flower judge and the responsibilities she has managing the floral displays at the Canfield Fair.The minutes for the June mee... http://www.salemnews.net/news/neighborhood-news/2018/08/damascus-garden-club-hears-from-international-flower-judge/
Charlottesville anniversary: Peaceful protests, few arrests
Tuesday, August 14, 2018Authorities eventually forced the crowd to disperse, but chaos erupted again when the car barrelled into the crowd.James Fields Jr., of Maumee, Ohio, is charged in state court with murder in Heyer’s killing and faces separate hate crime charges in federal court. He pleaded not guilty last month to the federal charges.The day’s death toll rose to three when a state police helicopter crashed, killing Lt. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke Bates.Among the other anniversary events was a Sunday morning community gathering at a park that drew more than 200 people. The group sang and listened to speakers, among them Courtney Commander, a friend of Heyer’s who was with her when she was killed.“She is with me today, too,” Commander said.Law enforcement officials faced blistering criticism after last year’s rally for what was perceived as a passive response to the violence that unfolded. A review by a former U.S. attorney found a lack of co-ordination between state and city police and an operational plan that elevated officer safety over public safety.The anniversary weekend was marked by a much heavier police presence, which also drew criticism from some activists.Demonstrators on Sunday marched through Charlottesville chanting, “Cops and Klan go hand in hand,” and “Will you protect us?”After the white nationalists departed, police had a tense standoff with about 150 masked anti-fascist, or antifa, protesters who marched through downtown Washington blocking traffic after the white nationalists left. Police shoved back advancing members of the far-left-leaning militant group, and an officer used pepper spray, but no tear gas was deployed.The city of Charlottesville said four people were arrested in the downtown area. Two arrests stemmed from a confrontation near the Lee statue where a Spotsylvania, Virginia, man stopped to salute, a Charlottesville woman confronted him and a physical altercation took place, officials said.Police were also investigating the assault of a Charlottesville police officer who was knocked down during a demonstration related to the rally. The officer was knocked to the ground and swarmed after approaching a man whose face was covered, according to police. The officer wasn’t hurt, but the investigation is ongoing.___Kunzelman reported from Charlottesville and Rankin reported from Richmond, Virginia.___Ashraf Khalil, Michael Kunzelman And Sarah Rankin, The Associated Press Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Let's block ads!... https://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/news/charlottesville-anniversary-peaceful-protests-few-arrests/
Over the Garden Fence | Keeping the Ohio State Fair flower shows alive
Tuesday, August 14, 2018When it comes to being at the Ohio State Fair flower shows, I will admit to being passionate. There is a reason — the Horticulture-Floriculture Building has many exhibits prepared and actually grown by passionate exhibitors. Designing with flowers is just one of the activities. Through the years, many talented and driven people have come with buckets of fresh cut materials, containers, sculpted design units of metal and ceramics and ideas. They labored in a room off the display table area with old tables and a large sink. These people were members of clubs in most cases, but there were some who just wanted to come as an open class exhibitor. It started for me back in the '80s when we lived in Newark. I was closer to the state fairgrounds. Back then, almost 10 different people came and made arrangements. Our junior garden club members even made designs and entered them in the junior division. In more recent years, we are blessed if six or seven of us show up to construct designs which interpret class titles. Right now, we all happen to be club members whose clubs are affiliated with the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs. We had folks from Swanton, Dayton, Beavercreek, Orient, Lima, Bucyrus and even Fort Wayne, Indiana. Our coordinator talks... https://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/story/news/local/2018/08/07/over-garden-fence-keeping-busy-ohio-state-fair-flower-shows/913207002/
Agribusiness accolades: Grinter Farms featured in Country LIving; Next to Nature Farms in 435 Magazine
Tuesday, July 17, 2018Kris the mercantile, which is in a house down the road from the fields that also gets quite busy come sunflower time.Other fields making the list criss-crossed the country: Ohio, New Jersey, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Alabama, New York (2), Florida, California, Wisconsin, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina (2), Tennessee and Minnesota.Georgia had two fields on the list and, of course Grinter Farms wasn’t alone in the Sunflower State.The other is in Lyndon, which is south of Topeka on U.S. Highway 75.The Lyndon Leader 4-H Sunflowers are “organized and managed by the local Lyndon Leaders 4H Club,” according to Mattern. “This sunflower field in Lyndon, Kansas is open to visitors for photos and flower picking. Donations are accepted on site and are often donated to local charities, making this attraction well worth the visit.”To see the full list, go to countryliving.com.Next to Nature FarmThis month’s 435 Magazine features a story called “The Business of Bees,” which profiles Next to Nature Farm, a local operation just northwest of Tonganoxie.The farm, established in 2008, offers honey for food consumption, honey-based skin care products, fruit (apples, peaches, plums and pears) and eggs.Owner Chad Gilliland, an avid beekeeper, and his family have taken a “chemical-free” approach to their farm, as they do not use pesticides and rely on sticky traps and other means to combat insects.According to Sherry Kuehl’s story about the farm in her 435 Magazine feature, the Gillilands launched their Next to Nature line of skin products for the first time after extensive research between Chad and his wife.Current best-sellers, according to the story, are the Comfrey Salve, Healing Salve and lotion bars.“My wife and I did a ton of research on the medicinal and healing properties of natural herbs and essential oils,” Gilliland said in the 435 story. “We spent countless hours making sure that each and every ingredient component would work well and offer the specific medicinal properties we desired as well as the right natural moisturizing ingredient components that would complement the recipe.”After Friday’s Tonganoxie Business Association meeting, Gilliland told The Mirror that his family stays pretty busy throughout the year with selling at markets and other events. He also hopes to eventually open a store at the farm.To read the 435 story, visit 435mag.com. http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2018/jul/11/agribusiness-accolades-grinter-farms-featured-coun/
