Anti-gay activist Fred Phelps and his Topeka, Kan., church are coming to South Florida to protest a play at the Rising Action Theatre in Oakland Park on Jan. 16.

Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church has gained notoriety for picketing the funeral of slain gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard and carrying signs that proclaim “God Hates Fags.” In recent years, he has picketed funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to protest American attitudes toward homosexuality.

The play at the Rising Action Theatre is “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” by gay playwright Paul Rudnick. The play retells the Bible from a humorous gay perspective beginning with Adam and Steve in the Garden of Eden.

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Perhaps not since the last season of Donald J. Trump’s NBC series “The Apprentice” was filmed in Manhattan have New Yorkers seen more competition for a single job.

And all that vying — for the seat that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to give up if she is confirmed as secretary of state — has made Gov. David A. Paterson’s office a very busy place these days.

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Richmond police have arrested three suspects in the Dec. 13 kidnapping and gang rape of a lesbian, and have issued a $1 million warrant for a fourth man still at large.

The fourth suspect is 21-year-old Josue Gonzalez, who has addresses in Richmond and San Rafael, police Lt. Mark Gagan said. Gonzalez is 5-foot-5 inches, and weighs about 130 pounds. He uses the nickname "Pato."

He is considered armed and dangerous, and a flight risk, Gagan said.

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Portland became the nation's largest city with an openly gay mayor Thursday as a longtime City Hall insider took the oath of office.

Sam Adams, 45, was sworn into office at 12:01 a.m. New Year's Day at City Hall during a ceremony attended by a crowd of about 40 that included his mother and his partner.

Adams won the job seven months ago in a primary race by capturing 58 percent of the vote and therefore negating the need for a runoff election.

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Former Wilton Manors Mayor Jim Stork was on vacation in Mexico on Christmas when the Miami Herald wrote about his $30,000 election fine related to his 2004 Congressional race.

The Federal Election Commission concluded that Stork's ads about pie and coffee at his bakeries were essentially campaign ads paid for with corporate dollars -- a big no-no for candidates.

Stork emailed us a colorful response to the article. Here are some highlights:

"I guess it is a compliment that the federal government believes that the quality of my Stork's food can somehow influence voter decisions,'' he wrote. He added that rather than spend more money to fight the charge he decided to contribute money to those in need instead.

The Wall Street Journal did a story on the boycotts of businesses that supported Prop. 8 in California.

They focused on the story of the owner's daughter and manager of El Coyote restaurant that donated $100. People seem shocked that since so many gays work at the restaurant and it has a fairly large gay clientèle that there has been such huge protests of the restaurant over $100. There are people with businesses that gave over $1 million. Why is this restaurant hit so hard with a boycott that it has seen a decrease in sales of 30%?

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