Religion News in Brief

Talks to resolve those issues started in July and ended with the acquisition, Kofford said.

Both companies will continue to operate independently and no layoffs or store closures are planned, said Sheri Dew, president and chief executive officer of Deseret Book.

"We are not going to merge retailers; we are not going to merge publishers. We're going to let Seagull be Seagull, and we're going to let Deseret Book be Deseret Book," Dew said. "They've coexisted before and all found their markets and have been successful."

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http://deseretbook.com/

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Smoking banned in church buildings in Evansville diocese

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) _ The Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville is banning smoking at most buildings at its parishes in 12 southwestern Indiana counties.

The policy, which took effect Jan. 2, forbids smoking within all diocesan-owned, publicly used buildings.

Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger said the decision was accelerated by a new Vanderburgh County ban and a Dec. 5 fire at Good Shepherd School caused by a discarded cigarette.

But he said the policy is health- and safety-based and that it would have been implemented, regardless of those factors.

"This is not about bingo," Gettelfinger said. "This is about two things _ first of all personal safety and then, obviously, public safety."

Gettelfinger, who said he was a smoker for more than two decades before quitting 35 years ago, said the policy will shed light on the dangers of smoking and eliminate the threat of secondhand smoke.

He said it would also help prevent fires such as the one at Good Shepherd, which he said put people in the facility and firefighters in danger.

The diocese includes 70 parishes and 28 schools.