ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Parents: Parent on other team’s side wore referee uniform, swayed game

CHICAGO

Parents of players on a Chicago high school football team have filed a lawsuit, claiming a parent of an opposing player wore a referee uniform and influenced the outcome of the game.

The Simeon Alumni Association and parents of Simeon Career Academy players filed the lawsuit recently against the Illinois High School Association. Simeon lost a Class 7A quarterfinal game, 34-27, to Nazareth Academy, a high school in La Grange Park.

The lawsuit says a parent of a Nazareth player wore a referee uniform and influenced calls that were made by the officiating crew at the Nov. 10 game. Attorney Shay Allen says a complaint was also filed with the Illinois High School Association.

IHSA assistant executive director Matt Troha declined to comment.

ACLU: Rejecting ‘indecent’ vanity plates unconstitutional

PROVIDENCE, R.I.

The American Civil Liberties plans to challenge a Rhode Island policy that bars vanity license plate applications deemed indecent.

ACLU Rhode Island Executive Director Steven Brown tells the Providence Journal the Division of Motor Vehicles is violating the First Amendment by rejecting license plates based on “what they see as in good taste.”

Brown says the organization is looking for a plaintiff to represent in federal court.

A probe by the paper found that the agency has rejected 50 license plate applications since 2012. Rejected license plates include BONG and PPLSUC.

State law gives the agency the authority to refuse a plate that “might carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency.”

Administrator Walter Craddock has said plates should stay “within the bounds of good taste.”

Money laundering: Police find cash in washing machine

AMSTERDAM

Dutch police who found $400,000 hidden inside a washing machine have detained a man on suspicion of – what else? – money laundering.

Police said Thursday that officers were checking a house in western Amsterdam on Monday for unregistered residents when they found the valuable laundry load.

A photo displayed on the police website showed bundles of bank notes, mainly 20- and 50-euro bills, crammed into the drum. The officers also found a money-counting machine, a gun and several cellphones.

The 24-year-old suspect’s name was not released, in line with Dutch privacy rules.

Associated Press