Father is found guilty of molesting children

NEW ORLEANS --- The first of seven Hosanna Church members accused of molesting children as part of a devil-worshipping ritual was in jail Tuesday after being found guilty of molesting his daughter and a boy.

A state district court jury in Amite voted unanimously Monday to convict Austin "Trey" Bernard III in the rape of his 2-year-old daughter. All but one of the 12 jurors found him guilty in the rape of a 12-year-old boy, District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said.

Mr. Bernard, 39, denied the charges, but three confessions and a journal that seemed to detail the practices of the group were too much to overcome, said Al Bensabat, the public defender who represented him.

Mr. Bernard faces a mandatory life prison term without parole.

RALEIGH, N.C. --- The president of the state community college system won't back down from a new policy that allows illegal immigrants to enroll on all campuses, saying that doing otherwise runs counter to a nearly 50-year-old tradition of open admissions.

Martin Lancaster, who will soon retire from his post, defended the change in a 1,200-word statement sent to reporters Tuesday. He said children of people who entered the country illegally shouldn't be punished after attending public schools by being denied the opportunity to better their lives through education.

The new rule overrides a 2004 policy that gave the state's 58 community colleges discretion whether to admit undocumented immigrants.

-- Edited from wire reports