Northwest Press 11/06/19

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NORTHWEST PRESS Your Community Press newspaper serving Colerain Township, Green Township, Sharonville, Springdale, Wyoming and other Northwest Cincinnati neighborhoods

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 ❚ BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS ❚ PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK

Local families report fi nding razor blades in Halloween candy Sarah Brookbank Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

Steve Moser at his home in Green Township. Moser tried to take his driver’s license photo with a colander on top of his head and was denied last year. He says he’s a member of the Cincinnati Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the state BMV rules violate his First Amendment rights. KAREEM ELGAZZAR/THE ENQUIRER

Religious or ridiculous? Ohio BMV says Green Twp. ‘Pastafarian’ can not wear spaghetti colander in driver’s license photo Jackie Borchardt Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

For Richard S. Moser III, wearing his religion’s “holy headgear” in his driver’s license photo shouldn’t have been a problem. Moser, who lives in Green Township in suburban Cincinnati, called the local Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offi ce ahead of time and was told he would be fi ne. But when he showed up at the deputy registrar in Green Township last year, he was given funny looks and turned away by a manager. He struck out at a second Cincinnatiarea BMV offi ce, where he learned there was a note in his fi le to deny a photo ID featuring his headgear. Moser, 33, believes he’s being unfairly treated because of his religion: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The headgear he wants to wear is a red plastic colander.

“My holy headgear is just as silly as others’. And I believe we’re all afforded to wear our holy headgear with the First Amendment.” Richard S. Moser III Pastafarian

He considers himself a “Pastafarian.” “My holy headgear is just as silly as others’,” Moser told The Enquirer. “And I believe we’re all aff orded to wear our holy headgear with the First Amendment.” The BMV prohibits hats, scarves and other head coverings in license and ID photos. But exceptions are made for headgear related to a religious purpose but only if “usually and customarily worn whenever the person appears in public.”

The BMV says the policy ensures law enforcement can properly identify people and minimizes the possibility of fraud and identity theft.

Colerain Township police are urging parents to check their child's Halloween candy after reports of tampering. "We have received reports of objects being found in candy bars from last evening. As of now, the objects are reported to be metal and similar to razor blades," Colerain Police said in a Tweet. Police said the reports are from the Plesant Run area. The tweet was sent around 3:30 a.m. Friday. "We want to stress the importance of checking their child's candy for any signs of tampering," police said. They do say this could be a hoax, however, and they are still investigating, according to Enquirer media artner Fox19 reported. According to Fox19, Sgt. Scott Owen said police received two reports of tainted candy from two families in separate households who went trickor-treating together with their children. The father discovered a razor blade in his son’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup when the boy noticed the candy packaging appeared to be slit open and gave it to his dad for a closer look, Owen told Fox19. Shortly after or around the same time, the other parent spread her child’s candy out to check it by hand as a precaution and was hurt. See CANDY, Page 2A

‘Pirates are the most holy people’ Moser made several phone calls to BMV offi cials to no avail. He then sought help from the American Humanist Association, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofi t that advocates religious freedom and has defended Pastafarians in other states. In an Oct. 8 letter to the BMV, fi rst reported by The Columbus Dispatch, the association said the state was violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments. It likened Moser’s request to the BMV allowing a Muslim woman to wear a hijab in her photo. “The government may not grant some benefi t or privilege to adherents See PASTAFARIAN, Page 2A

Colerain Township police is investigating two reports of sharp metal objects found in Halloween candy. FOX19/MAYTAL LEVI

Police: Student brought loaded gun to Mt. Healthy High School Sarah Brookbank Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

Mt. Healthy High School was locked down last Wednesday morning after a student brought a gun to school, police said. Mt. Healthy Police said two students have been charged in connection to the

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incident. Offi cers said they arrested a student who had a loaded handgun in his backpack. "High school offi cials discovered a gun in a student’s backpack and confi scated it," according to a statement from the school district. One student, Demario Williams, 18, has been charged with illegal conveyance of a fi rearm into a school.

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"He had in his possession a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol," police said. Another student, a juvenile, will also be charged. "Additional investigations are continuing involving a juvenile with bullets," police said. The school was in lock-down but police said they do not believe anyone was in danger.

News: 513-248-8600, Retail advertising: 768-8404, Classified advertising: 242-4000, Delivery: 513-853-6277. See page A2 for additonal information

"At no time were any students in immediate danger. The investigation is ongoing," the district said. "We continue to promote the conversations in the school by reminding students about the consequences of bringing weapons to school or threatening behavior. Students and parents are reminded to say something if you see something," the district said.

Vol. 2 No. 42 © 2019 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED $1.00

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