instruction:
In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.
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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Long before U2 and Bono blazed their own paths, and decades before the Christian music industry became a half-billion-dollar annual business, a hippie musician with long blond locks paved the way. Larry Norman sang about drugs, politics, racism, sex and Jesus -- sometimes in the same song. Larry Norman was a Christian rock musician before the genre existed, combining faith with a backbeat and social consciousness. Think of him as rock music's street preacher, often referred to as "the father of Christian rock." "Between 1969 and 1979, Larry Norman was the Christian rock scene's answer to Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Mick Jagger," said Emmy-nominated director David Di Sabatino, who takes a critical look at Norman's career and life in his documentary "Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman." "He set the standard. He created the space for others to exist. ... The vision he created for where Christian rock music could go still resonates today." The documentary is scheduled to go into limited theatrical release in early 2010. Norman hit the U.S. music scene at a turbulent time for the nation. His first solo album, "Upon This Rock," came out in late 1969, after he left the band People! The San Francisco Bay area psychedelic group was fresh off the success of a Top 20 hit with a cover of the Zombies' "I Love You." It was a time when college campuses were erupting in anti-Vietnam War protests and the nation was still trying to digest what had just happened that summer at Woodstock. As many Americans looked for answers, Norman offered his faith, a bold decision for an unknown solo artist making his major-label debut. "It was a pretty gutsy move to sing about Jesus on his first record," younger brother Charles Norman said. "To take a chance on mentioning Jesus on a secular record was a pretty important step." " 'Upon This Rock' was written to stand outside the Christian culture," Larry Norman said in an interview with CCM magazine. "My songs weren't written for Christians. ... I was saying, 'I'm going to present the Gospel, and I'm not going to say it like you want. This album is not for you.' " No small surprise, given that rock music at the time was the soundtrack of the counterculture and was far from the mainstream. A national survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates in 1966 found that rock 'n' roll was by far the most unpopular music in the country. About 45 percent of adults said they disliked it, with only about 5 percent saying it was their favorite. Compare that with today, when nearly two-thirds of those asked in a recent Pew Resource Center poll said they listen to it. Being a rocker in the late 1960s wasn't just flying in the face of a conservative Christian music industry but mainstream America as well. Then there were the lyrics, especially on Norman's second solo effort, 1972's "Only Visiting This Planet." There were no happy songs about going to heaven; the tunes tackled the social issues of the day. Norman sang about drugs, politics, racism, sex, venereal disease and Jesus -- sometimes in the same song -- getting his music banned from Christian bookstores that might have sold it. "Stuff like that shocked uptight Christians," Charles Norman said in an NPR interview shortly after his brother's death in February 2008 at age 60. "One of his songs, it's called 'Why Don't You Look Into Jesus,' one of the lines is: 'You've got gonorrhea on Valentine's Day [VD] and you're still looking for the perfect lay. ... Why don't you look into Jesus? He's got the answer.'" The album also contained what became Larry Norman's signature song, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music." Nearly two decades after its release, "Only Visiting This Planet," helmed by Beatles' producer George Martin, was recognized as a seminal recording for the genre, voted by CCM magazine in 1990 as the greatest Christian album ever recorded. A similar list released in 2001 by CCM, a Christian music and lifestyle magazine, put the album at No. 2 all time. U2's "The Joshua Tree" was sixth. Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame that same year, along with Elvis Presley. The accolades came much sooner in the mainstream media. In 1971, Billboard Magazine called Norman "the most important writer since Paul Simon," while Time magazine pegged him as "probably the top solo artist in the field." Norman's fans include U2, Guns N' Roses and Bob Dylan, according to his brother Charles. John Mellencamp said he's one, too. British pop star Cliff Richard made no secret of his admiration. "When I first became a Christian, I hunted around in vain to find Christian rock 'n' roll music I could relate to. It just all sounded horrible," Richard said on "Rockspell," a Gospel-music-themed BBC television show he hosted in 1986, and on which Norman appeared. Then he was introduced to Norman's music, "and I just was overjoyed and thrilled, because suddenly I could relate ... and there seemed to be a Christian who could do it as well, if not better, than the rest of us." Black Francis of the alternative rock group the Pixies said Norman has been a lifelong influence. "I listened to his records growing up, and saw him perform many times. In fact, I used to dress up like him; long blond hair with bangs, sort of a grown-out British invasion look, with black jacket, black shirt, black pants and two-tone black and white cheerleader shoes," Francis said. "While Larry is always referenced by his Christian beliefs, to me he was always an entertainer ... humorous, poignant and always rock 'n' roll. His respect for the arena of entertainment is what gave him his power as a performer." More than 300 versions of Norman's songs have been recorded by other artists, including non-Gospel acts as diverse as Richard and Francis, as well as Sammy Davis Jr., Petula Clark and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Christian music has come a long way in the 40 years since Norman pioneered Christian rock. "Before Larry Norman, there was not any Christian music industry," said Shawn McSpadden, manager for Switchfoot and the Grammy Award-winning band Third Day. But today is a different story, according to figures from the Gospel Music Association. It says 56 million units of Christian/Gospel music sold in 2008, totaling nearly $500 million. "The Christian music industry has been very business-savvy, probably without even realizing it, in that a lot of the artists and bands use their local church as their home base when they begin their careers," said Bruce Burch of the University of Georgia's Music Business School. "They immediately have fans that are passionate and devout not only about them as a band or artist, but to their message." Album sales for the genre, during 2008, outsold classical, jazz, new age and Latin, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Norman, a hippie musician who set out to sing about his faith, blazed the trail for Christian rock.
answer:
Larry Norman was Christian rock musician before genre existed .
His first solo album, "Upon This Rock," came out in late 1969 .
Norman's fans include U2, Guns N' Roses and Bob Dylan .
More than 300 versions of Norman's songs have been recorded by other artists .


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(CNN) -- San Francisco's new sheriff is facing misdemeanor charges over an alleged domestic abuse incident on New Year's Eve, authorities said. Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, who was sworn in Monday, said Friday he will not resign. "We are cooperating with law enforcement and the district attorney's office and will, of course, continue to do so," he told reporters. The charges were announced by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who also took office Monday. Mirkarimi is accused of domestic violence with battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness. Gascon said there were a series of text messages between the sheriff and his wife, Eliana Lopez, the alleged victim, about the incident. Lopez, standing next to her husband, called the charges "unbelievable" and said the couple would fight them. "I don't have any complaint against my husband," Lopez said. "We are together. ... this is completely wrong." Mirkarimi was booked and released on bail, San Francisco police said. Mayor Edwin M. Lee called the charges "extremely serious and troubling." "As elected officials, our primary responsibility and focus must always be to fulfill our duties to the people of San Francisco," Lee said in a statement. He said he would review options under the city charter, but "ensure that we do not take steps that undermine the integrity of the criminal justice proceedings under way."
answer:
Sheriff's wife says couple will fight allegations .
Mayor calls charges "extremely serious and troubling"
Ross Mirkarimi is accused of domestic violence .


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Ken Henggeler poured his grief into the thing he loved most: carpentry. Shaken by the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the retired teacher and longtime resident of Newtown went to his barn, picked up an oak children's bench and went to work. He sawed away, cutting it into two shelves. On one, he made 20 individual slots for candles, one for each slain child. On the other, he placed six candles for the heroic educators. He drove into town, unsure of his destination. At the intersection of Main Street and Sugar Street, he felt a tug. After all, the park there is called The Pleasance. On a tree and nearby street pole, there were two signs. Both read: Pray for Newtown. It was the perfect spot. Just enough room to fit the shelves, and just enough space to let people hug, pray and cry. He and his wife, Darla, placed the shelf for the children in front and the one for the educators in the back, as if still watching over their young students. Henggeler struggled to light each candle. First one. Then two. Then three. "It was really hitting me," he said, "with how many were involved." Glimpses of normalcy amid reminders of horror . A car pulled up and a man placed a giant brown teddy bear next to the makeshift shrine. More people came. All wept. The memorial grew and grew. "We did it to help ourselves, and maybe the town," said Henggeler, a resident of 15 years. "I just wanted to do something. Now, I'm in awe." The pain in Newtown is suffocating. It's felt on every corner, in every store, in every church. Each fresh news report -- each photo of those precious children, those tiny victims with so much youthful exuberance -- brings another wave of emotions, of sorrow, horror and disbelief. Did you hear a child was shot 11 times? Can you believe the strength of Robbie Parker -- whose daughter Emilie was killed -- to forgive the shooter's family? Why did the shooter take out his rage on such pure innocence? The shooter's name isn't mentioned in conversations. It's just too damn painful. Newtown is grappling with other pressing questions: How does the town handle 26 funerals with only one funeral home? What becomes of the school building, and when do Sandy Hook students begin school again? Soundwaves: Newtown wonders how to heal . Sunday was supposed to be a festive day, filled with holiday revelry as students prepared for the final week before Christmas holiday. Instead, churches overflowed with mourners. Gray clouds stretched from horizon to horizon, a cold drizzle dampening the already somber mood. Newtown was the idyllic New England community -- that Norman Rockwell setting of rolling hills, a town green and an unwavering slice of Americana. The bumper stickers throughout town declared: "Nicer in Newtown." And it was. The town of 27,500 had great schools and great people. Notable residents have included 1976 Olympic champion Bruce Jenner, "Hunger Games" author Suzanne Collins and cartoonist James Thurber. It served as a bedroom community for Danbury and even New York, with people making the 60-mile commute into the city. Founded in 1711, the town in southwestern Connecticut spans 60 square miles, the fifth largest town in area in the state. Newtown's most gruesome crime story had been a murder charge against a husband accused of killing his wife in 1984; her remains were found beneath the floor of a barn in 2010. But the town was best known for its 100-foot flagpole that sits, literally, in the middle of Main Street. The flagpole also had been the town's greatest source of controversy for nearly 100 years -- declared a road hazard as cars replaced ox wagons. Yet the flagpole survived every attempt by highway authorities to remove it. It also survived a lightning strike and a car that slammed into it going 55 mph. The 12-foot by 18-foot flag now flies at half staff, a sad reminder hovering above the town's center. Headlines in Friday's Newtown Bee reported on vandalism at a cemetery and warned of police plans for a sobriety checkpoint over the weekend. Then, everything changed. Remembering the victims . Librarian Beryl Harrison was celebrating with staff at their annual holiday party last Friday. They were preparing to sing Christmas carols when word came. "We got a call that there was a lockdown at the schools," she said. Word spread. Rumors flew. At one point, they were told the library was in lockdown. "We thought they were joking: What could we be locking down the library for?" she asked. "It just got worse as the day went on." Many of those precious children had studied in the library's children's area, accompanied by their parents. She had volunteered at the school over the years; both her sons attended school there, too. One librarian, she said, plans to attend at least six funerals. "We just can't believe it," she said in the gentle voice of a well-schooled librarian. "I hope this doesn't define the town, because it doesn't deserve to be remembered as a place of horror." Not too far from Harrison's desk, pamphlets were spread out for any resident to take. One began, "Facts for Families: Children and Grief." Another provided the number for a grief hot line "should you or anyone you know need to talk to someone during this very difficult time." The old town hall will be turned into a grief counseling center Monday, complete with privacy screens. The Newtown Savings Bank has established the Sandy Hook School Support Fund to help families pay for funerals. Librarians across the country have begun pitching in. One book that's being shipped is called "Tear Soup," considered one of the best at helping people, especially children, cope with tragedy. Just up the road, Ken Henggeler stood near the memorial with his wife and 22-year-old stepson, Eric Puffer. Puffer had attended Sandy Hook in first grade. He couldn't help but wonder about that classroom of children. He likely had studied in that exact same room. Puffer had begun his first day at work on Friday, at a DNA sequencing job in Boston. He immediately came home. His friends teach at the school and "students that they used to have are now dead." "I don't know what to even say to them," he said. "It just doesn't make any sense why he would go into school where these kids can't even defend themselves." Puffer was a senior in high school when the shooter, Adam Lanza, 20, was a sophomore. He doesn't remember much about Lanza other than the way he dressed. "I would see him in the hallway just dressed up formally with a briefcase, like shirt and tie," he said. "He stood out so much wearing such odd apparel to school when we don't have a dress code." Puffer glanced at the memorial his stepdad made. "It's a visual representation. Seeing how many candles there are, it's just terrible." Jan Philbrick, from the nearby town of Redding, stopped to hug people standing at the memorial. "This has always been the sweetest of towns. It's held onto its identity," she said. "It's hard to bear for any town, but this is a particularly kind, good, open, balanced place." She described the memorial as beautiful, and said she stopped at it "because we're all in this together." Henggeler accepted a hug. He taught woodworking, architecture and robotics at nearby Danbury High School for 37 years, retiring three years ago. He searched for words as to how the tragedy affected him. "I taught high school, but I had a special place in my heart for young children." Weeping, he walked off. Like the rest of town, he cried tear soup. Strangers inspired to honor Newtown victims .
answer:

The pain in Newtown is felt on every corner, in every store, in every church .
It was the idyllic New England town: rolling hills, a town green, 100-foot flagpole .
Notable residents include Bruce Jenner, James Thurber, Suzanne Collins .
"It doesn't deserve to be remembered as a place of horror," librarian says .