Army troop reductions unlikely to decrease readiness, defense budget

by Dean DeChiaro & Phoebe Tollefson | Jul 9, 2015 | National Security

WASHINGTON — The Army’s planned reduction of 40,000 troops by late 2017 will neither hurt the force’s threat readiness nor cut a sizable amount from the $500 billion defense budget, experts and a military spokesman said. The Army’s savings from...

Baha’i: one of the world’s fastest growing religions

by Dean DeChiaro & Phoebe Tollefson | Jun 11, 2010 | Faith, Ethics + Spirituality

Members of the local Baha’i community share views on spirituality and world peace. Chika Oduah/MNS Founded in the mid-19th century, the Baha’i faith is the youngest of the world’s major monotheistic religions. Many scholars say it is the second-most...

Thomas Mesenbourg is making sense of the 2010 Census

by Dean DeChiaro & Phoebe Tollefson | Jun 10, 2010 | Immigration, Topics

WASHINGTON- As Deputy Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Thomas L. Mesenbourg knows numbers. But he says his job requires more skills. “All the numbers in the world do you little good unless you can put them in some context and actually draw the lessons out of what...

Experts say the world must not forget Haiti

by Dean DeChiaro & Phoebe Tollefson | Jun 3, 2010 | Immigration, Topics

Get the Flash Player to see this content. Reconstruction efforts in Haiti are underway after the devastating earthquake (Video by Chika Oduah/MNS; Photo courtesy of John Moore/Getty Images) The United States Institute of Peace hosted a panel where scholars and experts...

Blacks, mirroring larger U.S. trend, ‘come out’ as nonbelievers

by Dean DeChiaro & Phoebe Tollefson | May 27, 2010 | Faith, Ethics + Spirituality

African-Americans share thoughts on atheism and Christianity WASHINGTON– Standing before a room full of fellow African-Americans, Jamila Bey took a deep breath and announced she’s come out of the closet. Her soul-bearing declaration is nearly taboo, she...