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Lake Wales City commissioners by a 4-1 vote Sept. 9 approved an invocation policy that appoints an official chaplain and develops a list of volunteers from local congregations to fill in as needed.

Two atheists who live outside the city and one city resident who described herself as non-religious failed to convince commissioners to abandon the invocations or replace them with a moment of silence.

Lake Wales resident Charlene Bennett said the policy "pretty much guarantees you violate the First Amendment" since she said most prayers will be by "fundamentalist Christians." She said commissio...