• Firefighters in pink? Bristol, Conn., mayor now OK with cancer fundraiser

    View more videos at: http://nbcconnecticut.com.

    By NBCConnecticut.com

    For weeks, the mayor of Bristol, Conn., and the firefighters' union have been battling over allowing firefighters to wear pink shirts for breast cancer awareness. Now the battle is over.


    Mayor Art Ward will allow the firefighters to wear pink T-shirts and said reflecting on his mother's battle with cancer helped him make the decision to reverse his decision.

    City firefighters wanted to wear the pink shirts each Thursday during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Ward originally told them they could not wear the T-shirts while on duty.

    Wearing a breast cancer awareness pin, Ward said on Thursday that the controversy had gotten bigger than the cause and he said he will allow firefighters to wear pink T-shirts for the remainder of the month.

    The firefighters union stood by Ward as he made the announcement.

    Ward also said the city’s firehouses will be open to the public on Oct. 28 so residents can go out and purchase the T-shirts in support breast cancer awareness. That is the day the fire department requested, according to Ward.

    Some had accused the mayor of playing politics with the firefighters' union. Ward insisted that is not true and this comes down to an issue of uniforms.

    More from NBCConnecticut: Town creates 'No Sex Offender' zones

    Some Bristol residents have planned to hold a rally at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the corner of North Main Street and Route 6 to show their support for the firefighters.

    "It should just be a breast cancer situation," Sandy Haultman said. "It shouldn't be politics at all."

    Firefighters have already sold 500 shirts as part of their fundraiser.

    To order a pink T-shirt in support of the Susan G Komen Foundation, e-mail chayden325@yahoo.com. Shirts are $20. 

    Get the latest from NBC Connecticut anytime: iPhone/iPad/Android App | SMS Alerts | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Instagram | RSS

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


     

  • Porn site seeks new breast cancer charity after Susan G. Komen rejects fundraising offer

    By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A pornographic website that said it launched a fundraising effort for and was adamantly rejected by Susan G. Komen for the Cure still wants to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.


    The porn site said in a press release that it is now looking for a new charity for its “Save the Boobs” campaign throughout October.

    The adult website said it would donate 1 cent for every 30 views of certain videos featuring breasts during October.

    The website initially targeted the campaign at Susan G. Komen for the Cure, saying that “the more boobs that are viewed, the more money that will be showered upon the [Foundation].”

    Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter

    But the Dallas-based organization said Wednesday that it was aware of the campaign and wanted nothing to do with it. “We are not a partner, not accepting donations, and have asked them to stop using our name,” Komen said.

    Now the website is searching for a new organization, the porn site said Thursday, to receive a “significant” amount of money.

    “Unfortunately we had to change our targeted beneficiary,” a site spokesman told NBC News.

    The site specified that “any charitable entities related to breast cancer research or awareness should submit their interest” to the website. One charity will be chosen and announced in the coming days.

    The site said in its press release that it attracts 70 million to 90 million clicks per month and could raise a "considerable" amount of money. The website said the campaign had already amassed millions of views.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com 

    This isn’t the first time the porn site has tried to raise awareness for breast cancer. Earlier this year, the website offered free breast exams for women from its “Save the Boobs” bus in New York.

    The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and affiliated events had raised more than $1.4 billion as of 2010, the company says. 

    View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


     

  • Under fire, Komen CEO denies politics in Planned Parenthood cuts

    Ambassador Nancy Brinker of the Susan G. Komen Foundation explains the organization's choice to stop funding for Planned Parenthood.

    By JoNel Aleccia, Senior Writer, NBC News

    The founder and chief executive for Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Thursday flatly rejected accusations that the organization caved to political pressure in cutting ties to Planned Parenthood, a move that has ignited a firestorm of controversy.

    In one of her first live comments since the Tuesday announcement, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell that the decision was made to revamp and strengthen the way the organization makes grants.

    “This is not a political decision,” Brinker told Mitchell. “We operate from one set of standards every day."

    Brinker said Komen’s motivations had been “mischaracterized” and that they stemmed from an overhaul of criteria for awarding funds.

    “Many of the grants we were doing with Planned Parenthood do not meet the new standards,” Brinker said.

    Her comments were challenged by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who also appeared on the show. Boxer accused Brinker of trying to “change the story,” in which officials first said that Planned Parenthood funds were being cut because of pending investigations.

    “This is a complete revisionist comment she is making about why suddenly Planned Parenthood lost this funding,” Boxer said.

    Mitchell questioned Brinker about the apparent growing anger over the decision, including a huge swell of response on Facebook and Twitter in which long-time supporters say they’re cutting up pink ribbons, a longtime symbol of the Komen group.

    However, Brinker said she’s heard from many who back the decision.

    “The responses that we are getting are really, really favorable,” Brinker said.

    Planned Parenthood provides abortion, birth control and other health services to women. It had received about $700,000 annually from Komen to provide access to mammograms for low income women. The grants provided screening services to about 170,000 women in the past five years, Boxer said.
     
    The Komen foundation, known for its Race for the Cure fundraisers, has collected more than $1.9 billion for breast cancer research and programs. It has affiliates in more than 100 U.S. cities and 50 countries.