Officials who run a small neighborhood synagogue are accusing the city of Houston of cutting off their electricity and heat before the holiday of Hanukkah over legal grudge going back to 2021. Congregants of the Heimish of Houston meet at a 2‚516 square foot single family home in the southwest part of the city. In 2021‚ the city threatened to file a lawsuit to shut down the congregation based on selective application of "residential-use" restrictions. The city said that if the synagogue wasn't shut down‚ they could face up to a $1‚000 fine per day. In response‚ the synagogue filed a federal lawsuit accusing officials of infringing on the congregants' right to religious expression‚ and the city backed off. Attorneys for the synagogue believe the city is trying to keep power and heating off at the house of worship out of "animus" from the legal feud two years ago. "We simply want to continue to worship together as a community and be able to celebrate one of our most important religious festivals of the year‚" said Michael Winkler‚ founding member of the synagogue and owner of the property. "We are very afraid that without power‚ we will be forced to celebrate the festival of lights in the dark.”A press release from First Liberty from Nov. 30 detailed the rationale the city used to keep power off at the house of worship. More recently‚ the synagogue suffered a significant malfunction of its electrical equipment that resulted in a loss of power to its property. However‚ because Heimish was red-tagged due to some minor repairs and beautification that it was not aware it needed to be permitted‚ the city has refused to issue the necessary permit to restore their electricity. Although Heimish of Houston is working to address the red-tag issues‚ the lack of electrical power to the synagogue in the meantime is preventing its ability to conduct religious ceremonies at its place of worship. Moreover‚ the City informed Heimish that the process of rectifying and addressing the permitting issues will take more than 30 days. However‚ Hanukkah begins on December 7. Without power‚ the synagogue will not be able to host any religious gatherings‚ including for Hanukkah.After First Liberty Institute and Burke Law Group filed a restraining order and injunctive relief‚ the city fast-tracked the process to allow the synagogue to receive its electrical permit in order to restore power. "The City of Houston will work throughout this process cooperatively with the petitioners to get the electricity restored as soon as possible‚" read a statement from senior assistant city attorney Brian Amis. Here's a video of their past lawsuit: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The murder of a family of four and their three dogs was the result of an extramarital affair between one of the plotters of the murder and one of the victims‚ according to Illinois police. The bodies of the family were found at their home in the village of Romeoville on Sept. 17. Alberto Rolon‚ Zoraida Bartolomei‚ 9-year-old Adriel‚ and 7-year-old Diego were identified as the victims. WLS-TV reported that police had suspected 32-year-old Nathaniel Huey Jr. was the killer‚ which prompted the Romeoville police to reveal some of the results of their investigation into the case. "The investigation has revealed that Zoraida Bartolomei and the suspect‚ Nathaniel Huey Jr. had a relationship‚" read the statement from police. "The existence of this relationship was known both by Bartolomei's husband‚ Alberto Rolon and Huey Jr.'s girlfriend‚ Ermalinda Palomo." Digital evidence allegedly places Palomo‚ who is 50 years old‚ at the murder scene and driving a getaway vehicle. While Palomo's family initially reported her as an "endangered person" to police‚ investigators say there's evidence that she was a willing participant and plotted the murder of the family. On Sept. 18‚ police were able to place Huey and Palomo's vehicle at a Walmart in Oklahoma. When police gave chase‚ the car sped away and crashed. Both Huey and Palomo died in the fire‚ but an attorney for the family said that the woman had died of a gunshot wound and police heard gunshots after the crash. While Palomo's family denied that she had anything to do with the murders‚ the new evidence points to her being complicit. Video from the Walmart shows she and Huey holding hands and purchasing items together‚ including what appears to be a burner phone‚ hair dye‚ and other cosmetic items‚ according to a public records request. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office said they are still working to determine the manner and cause of death for the two. Romeoville is a suburb of Chicago of about 40‚000 people. Here's more about the shocking family murder: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Mummies with "false heads" found in Peru‚ prehistoric cave dwelling uncovered in Spain‚ medieval coin with the face of Jesus unearthed in Norway. The post This Week In History News‚ Dec. 3 – 9 appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Throughout the late 1970s and '80s‚ Ant Hill Kids leader Roch Thériault subjected his followers to an escalating series of horrors‚ including sexual assault‚ mutilation‚ and murder. The post Inside The Ant Hill Kids‚ The Twisted Cult Led By Canadian ‘Prophet’ Roch Thériault appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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