ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Man charged with shooting smoke detector to quiet it

BARTON, Vt.

A Vermont man is facing charges that he used a shotgun to silence a smoke detector in the kitchen of his apartment.

Police say two shots fired from the 20-gauge shotgun owned by 68-year-old Leroy Mason, of Barton, hit the adjoining wall of an occupied apartment.

Police say Mason has complained about frequent false alarms from his smoke detector, and he was upset fire crews wouldn’t relocate it so he “took it upon himself to relocate the smoke detector, and shot it with the shotgun.”

Emergency personnel say they took the shotgun from Mason, who then pointed a handgun at them while demanding his shotgun. Emergency crews disarmed Mason.

There were no injuries.

Mason pleaded not guilty and was released.

Mich. Catholic school ends prom ‘modesty poncho’ plan

DEARBORN, Mich.

A principal at a Michigan Catholic high school has rescinded a plan to require female students to wear “modesty ponchos” at prom if their dresses are too revealing.

Some students and parents at Divine Child High School in Dearborn had called the policy a form of body shaming.

Principal Eric Haley issued a statement through the Archdiocese of Detroit, saying that the ponchos were intended to remind students of the dress code, not to make them feel uncomfortable. The ponchos will not be passed out at prom, he said.

The pink and patterned ponchos were previously on display inside the school with a note saying they would be handed to girls wearing dresses that violate the school’s code. The length of the poncho suggests it’s designed to cover cleavage.

The formal dress policy for the prom outlines that dresses cannot have plunging necklines or “cutouts below the traditional bra line,” even if covered with mesh fabric. The school forbids exposed cleavage and visible midriffs, and a teacher will check for compliance at the door.

Theology teacher Mary Pat O’Malley came up with the “modesty poncho” idea.

“We are trying focus on the inner beauty and not draw attention to something that doesn’t need attention drawn to it,” O’Malley said. “It was really intended as a deterrent and a light hearted one at that.”

Haley said the school recognizes that the “modesty poncho” has drawn away from its goal of having students adhere to the dress-code policy.

“We encourage our students to tailor their outfits or provide their own wraps or shawls that would meet our requirements,” he said.

Associated Press