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Gay Advocates Urging Iowa Board of Medicine to Bar Conversion Therapy for LGBT Youth

April 10, 2016, 2:45 pm
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There is an effort to ban conversion therapy in Iowa for people under the age of 18. Advocates from the Youth Advisory Council are pressing the Iowa Board of Medicine to ban the effort outright. The board decided against administratively barring it and instead set up a subcommittee to study the topic.

Of course, Chuck Hurley with The FAMiLY Leader absolutely wants mental health providers keep messing with the minds and bodies of LGBT youth:
“I would encourage you to be very careful about limiting the therapy that is available to parents and children who are perhaps struggling with the same sex attractions that they don’t want,” said vice president, Chuck Hurley. “There are those who do want help with those things and for you to limit and punish doctors who offer that would be a big mistake.”
Yes, it would be a mistake to stop convincing LGBT teens that they are mentally ill and morally suspect through conversion therapy and electro-shock treatment. (That's saracasm, btw...)

Members of the Iowa Board of Medicine will meet again in 6-12 months to make a final decision on this matter.
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Coon Rapids, MN: Prank Caller Tricks Burger King Employees Into Smashing All Windows in the Restaurant

April 11, 2016, 7:22 pm
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So... A prank caller called the Burger King in Coon Rapids, MN, late last week. The prankster claimed that they were calling from the fire department and that the restaurant was filling up with gas and that the employees needed to relieve the pressure before the building exploded. So the restaurant manager and the employees smashed all of the windows on the ground floor of the building:
"Officers arrived and found that the manager and employees of the Burger King were smashing out the windows," Sgt. Rick Boone told the Star Tribune. "The manager explained they'd received a phone call from a male who identified himself as a fireman who said there were dangerous levels of gas in the building and they had to break out all the windows to keep the building from blowing up."

Boone said there was no immediate cost estimate for the damage. The restaurant was boarded up Saturday, and investigators were trying to identify the caller.
Subsequent reports indicate that the employees ended up causing $35,000 in damage.

I guess it never occurred to the manager to open the door or the drive-thru window or anything like that...
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The Riverdale Gang Pranks Bart Simpson!

April 11, 2016, 7:43 pm
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"The Simpsons" spoofed the "Death of Archie" storyline last night. I wasn't there, but all of my online Archie friends were there to tell me about it afterwards!

Here's the gist: Bart sees a quarter and attempts to pick it up, but it's glued to the sidewalk. The Riverdale Gang is gloating over their successful prank...

... until they remember their deceased buddy, Archie. Archie would have loved this prank...


They then drive back to Riverdale with a photographic memoir of their good friend back when he was still with them.


And this is why you shouldn't miss "The Simpsons."
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Archie Comics to Publish LIFE WITH KEVIN Digital Mini-Series in June 2016

April 12, 2016, 10:40 am
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The Advocate reported this morning that Archie Comics will be publishing a digital only comic book featuring gay character Kevin Keller, titled LIFE WITH KEVIN, in June 2016. The comments in this article assert that LWK will be a four-issue mini-series. LWK will feature story and art by Dan Parent, with inks by J. Bone.

LWK will focus on Kevin's life after he's exited high school and traveled to New York for college. Look forward to some familiar faces, as well as some new love interests:
It appears Kevin has a new supporting cast. What can you tell us about them?
We have a couple new potential boyfriends for Kevin, as you can see, plus we have Shrill, who has been seen in the regular pages of Archie before. And of course there's Veronica, the only major Archie character to appear in this series. As Kevin's BFF, she's a natural in this storyline.

Would you call this a more “mature” series than Kevin’s previous comic book?
It's more mature since we can deal with more serious subject matter, but the book is a comedy book first, and I want humor to be the most important element.
Archie Comics recently dropped it's "classic" art style as a result of its relaunch. More recently, classic Archie Comics artists like Fernando Ruiz have been let go from the company and have been told that people aren't interested in their work. So if you like classic Archie style and if you like titles featuring stories and artwork by longer-running creators like Dan Parent, then I would encourage you to download every single copy of LIFE WITH KEVIN!
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Archie Comics to Publish New BETTY & VERONICA Title in July 2016

April 12, 2016, 10:58 am
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Speaking of new titles, Vulture reported this morning that Archie Comics will be relaunching BETTY & VERONICA in July 2016! The new title will be written and drawn by Adam Hughes.

Here is the gist of the first story:
When Betty and Veronica go head-to-head over the issue, all bets are off! Friendships will shatter. Cities will burn. Nails will be broken.
I'm very excited about this new title. It's unclear to me if this title will be officially on a bi-monthly publishing schedule like the first B&V title. Hopefully not!
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Decorah, IA: Parent Arrested // Accused of Threatening Teachers over 4th Grade Sex Ed Curriculum

April 13, 2016, 7:17 pm
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I learned early this week that the public schools in Decorah, IA, were locked down on Monday the 11th, but I didn't initially learn any other details about why. Until tonight. It seems that the Decorah Community School District teaches sex education to its students. And one student's dad wasn't happy about that. So he sent a threatening email to child's teacher:
A man by the name of Deano Divers reached out to KWWL saying he sent the email to a teacher. He says he did not mean to threaten the school but he is upset with the curriculum his 4th grader is learning, specifically about sex-ed.

He sent KWWL a copy of the email he sent a teacher which says in part, "Decorah schools spiritually declared war against my house today. When I retaliate Monday morning..."

That was the language the school found threatening which prompted the school district to go on lock down.
Divers also reportedly threatened two teachers on Facebook.

All schools in Decorah were on lockdown due to his threats. About 1,700 students chose to stay home on that day.

Divers was eventually arrested on Monday and faces two counts of 2nd Degree Harassment and one count of 3rd Degree Harassment.

Superintendent Mike Haluska has this to say about the the district's 4th grade sex ed programming:
Superintendent Mike Haluska says the 4th grade curriculum focuses on human growth and puberty.

He says, "Interestingly enough, we have paper work available at the beginning of the school year for anyone who wishes to have their children exempted from any conversations that have to do with that type of subject matter."
Interestingly, Divers' alleged threat was credible enough to lockdown the entire school district, but not serious enough to prevent the superintendent from scheduling an appointment with him late Monday afternoon or to prevent the police from arresting him earlier.
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North Carolina: Lesbian Waitress Receives Bible Verse for Tip from Anti-Gay Patron

April 15, 2016, 7:36 am
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A new story is circulating involving an LGBT waiter or waitress sharing a rude anti-gay message on his or her receipt on the tip line. This latest story involves a lesbian waitress named Alexandra Judd and this incident happened in Charlotte, NC:
Alexandra Judd works at Zada Janes in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood area. She says a group of patrons she served for lunch Tuesday morning left her a “hateful message” in lieu of a tip.
A Bible verse was left on the tip pointing Judd to Leviticus 20:13. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination,” the King James version of the Old Testament verse reads. “They shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” 

Judd is gay.

The bottom of the receipt had a message for her as well: “Praying for you!”

“I never expected a hateful gesture like this,” Judd said of the comments. “I’ve had a guest leave me a pamphlet to their church as a tip one time, but I didn’t feel as if they were being hateful towards me. The ladies that came in were very rude, and would hardly talk to me – but I never expected this.”
Judd posted a pic of the receipt on her Facebook page with the following message:
I don't care what anyone says, this is the most disrespectful thing you can do. Don't pray for me darling, I have everything I could possibly want and need in my life
It's unclear from the news article or from the FB page how the patrons even knew that she is a lesbian. I'm often hesitant to post stories like this because they sometimes don't pan out when it comes to truthiness. Hopefully, that's not the case here.
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What Are the 10 Most Dangerous Communities in Iowa?

April 15, 2016, 7:05 pm
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I was looking at this list (from August 2015) of the 10 Most Dangerous Places in Iowa earlier today, according to the Only In Your State website. I've been through a few of these places at least twice in my lifetime. Of course, the commenters are blaming illegal immigrants, Chicago transplants, and progressive politics on these rankings.

Iowa City didn't make the list. Neither did Cedar Rapids. It looks like they took the crime statistics for each town to determine the worst of the worst communities. Then again, I'm not sure if they counted all crimes or not.

Here are the 10 Most Dangerous Places in Iowa (in descending order):
10. Muscatine-- population 23,034. 1 in 24 chance of being a victim of crime.
9. Waterloo -- population 68,366. 1 in 23 chance of being a victim of crime.
8. Davenport -- population 102,157. 1 in 22 chance of being a victim of crime.
7. Burlington -- population 25,725. 1 in 21 chance of being a victim of crime.
6. Centerville -- population 5,448. 1 in 20 chance of being a victim of crime.
5. Fort Dodge -- population 24,639. 1 in 19 chance of being a victim of crime.
4. Clinton -- population 26,473. 1 in 19 chance of being a victim of crime.
3. Des Moines -- population 207,510. 1 in 18 chance of being a victim of crime.
2. Keokuk -- population 10,769. 1 in 15 chance of being a victim of crime.
1. Council Bluffs -- population 61,969. 1 in 12 chance of being a victim of crime.
For the record, I still feel safer in Iowa's most dangerous city than in most other state that I've visited during my lifetime!
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"Wonder Woman Unleashed" Class Being Taught at the University of Iowa

April 17, 2016, 11:57 am
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So Husband Mark and I went to a movie yesterday: "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice." It was an okay movie, but not enough superhuman fighting and too many dream sequences. They easily could have cut at least 30 minutes from the movie. Easily.

But I must confess. We went to the movie because of Wonder Woman. I would have watching "Barbershop 3" if I'd had my choice. But Mark is a Wonder Woman fan and I enjoy going to the movies with Mark, so we went to see Wonder Woman.

"Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" needed a lot more Wonder Woman. Just saying...

Anyway, "Batman Vs. Superman" reminded me of a recent article about a new course at the University of Iowa called "Wonder woman Unleashed: A Hero for Our Times." It's an honors class that explores "Greek and Roman mythology, historic female figures and ancient texts" in the context of Wonder Woman's nearly 80 year publication and broadcast history:
"I started doing a little bit of research and I realized the history of Wonder Woman as a character is so stunning, shocking and bizarre that it would be wonderful to teach a whole class on her," (instructor Anna) Barker said.

The class, which meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, is structured in three parts. The first has students read plays about ancient, strong women. They include "Medea,""Antigone" and "Lysistrata."

The second part of the class focuses on reading about Amazons, an ancient race of fierce female warriors. Wonder Woman is an ancient Amazon warrior, according to comic book lore.

The third part of the class is where students get their hands on Wonder Woman comics. They read an introduction to Wonder Woman written by famed feminist Gloria Steinem, Jill Lepore's 2014 book "The Secret History of Wonder Woman" and Wonder Woman comics.
Barker has taught other comic book-themed courses at the University of Iowa, including a course comparing ancient mythology to modern day superheroes.
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Skeptical "Hot Bench" Judges Preside Over Case Involving Male Victim of Domestic Violence

April 18, 2016, 6:45 pm
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Our fridge stopped generating cold late last week. As a result, I had to spend all morning today waiting for a repairman to come to our home and fix it. Which means that I got to watch a lot of court television programming. One of those shows was a panel-based court show called "Hot Bench."

"Hot Bench" has a panel of three judges -- Patricia DiMango, Tanya Acker, and Larry Bakman -- who listen to small-claims legal cases and then privately come to a consensus before making their verdicts. I don't get to watch "Hot Bench" often, but it seems to be one of the better court TV programs on these day. IMHO, as always!

Today's program was titled "Male Victim of Domestic Abuse?" It was a rerun from late last year featuring what appears to be an Iowa couple where the plaintiff -- AKA the ex-girlfriend -- sued the defendant -- AKA the ex-boyfriend -- for several months of unpaid rent, as well (I believe) additional rent money for the remainder of his lease.

He claimed that he was the victim of domestic violence who finally had the courage to escape his abuser. She claimed that he was a deadbeat and that he was just trying to get out of paying the rent. He ultimately lost his case.


The ex-boyfriend described a variety of abuses by his ex-girlfriend, including physical abuse, name-calling, took away his cell phone, and isolation from friends and family. His brother testified to witnessing some of the emotional abuses. He said that he became increasingly depressed as a result of this abuse and began to experience suicidal thoughts as a result of it. He never went to the police or to a mental health provider; nor did he take any pictures of bruising.

The ex-girlfriend initially treated his claims as a joke in court, openly smirking while he described what happened in their home. She later told one of the judges that she allowed him access to his family -- which seemed like an odd choice of words.

I was disappointed in the judges' dismissal of and skepticism towards his claims of abuse. Judge DiMango was particularly bad. It was bad enough that Judge Acker called them out during their private session and point-blank asked them if they would ask the types of questions that they asked of the defendant if he'd been a woman who claimed to be the victim of domestic violence. Judge Bakman admitted that he wouldn't have.

Judge Acker noted that the defendant's story was a textbook example of someone in an abusive relationship. But we as a society are so dismissive of domestic violence towards men, that this guy really never had a chance.
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University of Iowa Kicks Off Its First Trans Alliance Week of Action!

April 19, 2016, 7:25 pm
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I just learned today that there is a trans-specific group at the University of Iowa called the UI Trans Alliance. The UI Trans Alliance is working to "make the University of Iowa a welcoming place for all trans and nonbinary individuals and raise awareness of trans and nonbinary issues on campus and within the community."

The Daily Iowan reports that the group has kicked off its first Trans Alliance Week of Action starting yesterday. Here are several of the planned activities for the rest of this week*:

1. "Trans Action & Allyship Workshop" on Wednesday, 04/20/16, from 4:00-5:30 PM at the IMU North Room:
Focus on taking actions that can create a more welcoming & positive campus for transgender people.
2. Andrea Gibson slam poetry event on Wednesday, 04/20/16, from 6:00-7:00 PM at Englert Theater in Iowa City:
Her poetry highlights the struggle observed on Thursday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance. The night mourns the lives lost in the fight against transgender violence. 
3. "Non-Discrimination Letter Writing Campaign" on Wednesday, 04/20/16, from 7:00-10:00 PM in Group Areas C & D at the Main Library:
Write a letter to our representative & our Iowa senators, asking them to support the Equality Act that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation & gender identity.
4. "Trans in Greek Life Panel" on Thursday, 04/21/16, from 7:00-8:00 PM at the Indiana Room in the IMU:
Members from trans-inclusive chapters of the University of Iowa will talk about chapter policies, personal experiences & how their chapters work toward inclusivity.
5. "Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil" on Thursday, 04/21/16, from 7:00-8:00 PM at Danforth Chapel:
The night mourns the lives lost in the fight against transgender violence.“The whole week kind of revolves around the vigil,” said sophomore Merric Bower, Trans Alliance board member. “People don’t realize between the high murder and suicide rates that it is very much an issue that we want to stop.”
There is also a potluck scheduled for Friday, 04/22/16, at the WRAC building, though one source says that it goes from 4:00-6:00 PM and another source says that it goes from 6:30-8:30 PM.

*Apologies for not including events from earlier in the week, but they've already happened by the time that I wrote this piece!
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Why Does Marvel Comics Hate Jubilee?

April 19, 2016, 7:43 pm
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So Marvel Comics began publishing a comic book called X-MEN '92, based off the X-Men teams from the early 90s. It's got nice art. Classic characters. And the potential to play around with character and concepts from that time period. Basically, it's a fun romp and I had high hopes for it.

And then they brought back the stupid vampires...

A few years ago, Marvel Comics thought that it would be fun to have a war between its mutant characters and vampires. In the course of this storyline, they took one of my favorite characters -- Jubilee, who'd already been kicked to the curb and de-powered as a result of Scarlet Witch's "decimation" spell -- got turned into a vampire.

I hated it then. I still hate it.

A year or two later, a character named Legion warped reality and created the "Age of X." Some characters -- such as Chamber -- went through a status quo transformation when things went back to normal. I'd hoped that Jubilee would no longer be a vampire after "Age of X," but no dice.

So I was excited when X-MEN '92 started up and included young Jubilee with her colorful firecracker powers. And then X-MEN '92 #2 got published last week and Jubilee became the victim of some super-soldier vampire from Russia named Alpha Red. Which resulted in her death and resurrection as a frickin' vampire!! Again.


Why does Marvel Comics hate Jubilee??
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"Three's Company" Movie in the Works

April 21, 2016, 1:46 pm
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I was watching "Good Morning America" today and heard that there's going to be a movie reboot of "Three's Company." At least, somebody is looking into this as an option.

I loved this show when I was a kid. It was around from 1977-1984. It was a sitcom about two girls and a guy (Chrissy, Jack, and Janet) who shared an apartment with each other. The landlords were old fashioned, which forced the heavily heterosexual Jack to pretend to be gay. There were plenty of hijinks and mishaps which kept us laughing over the years.

It's been 40 years since "Three's Company" debuted. We've shifted quite a lot culturally. As much as I loved "Three's Company," I cannot see how they can translate it effectively for a contemporary movie audience. Not unless they play it off like the old "Brady Bunch" movies. Which worked for the Bradys, but would be a strain for the Ropers...

Anyway... #TeamRopers or #TeamMrFurley? Discuss in the comments section...
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Dubuque, IA: NAACP Demanding Answers Following Report of Cross Burning

April 22, 2016, 10:13 am
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There were reports last week of cross burnings at the intersection of 22nd and Washington streets in Dubuque, IA:
Police were notified again around 9:30 a.m. of burned objects in the same area. They found what appeared to be two crosses damaged by fire. Authorities are now investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Dubuque Police Chief Mark Dalsing says the crosses were in an area fenced off due to a construction project.
Nobody was charged in connection to the incident, but it was being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Now WQAD is reporting that local activists have stepped forward with demands for answers about this incident:
Thursday, Members of the NAACP chapter in Dubuque held a press conference. They say they want to stop hate crimes from happening in the future. "We need be proactive not reactive," said president, Anthony Allen. 

Allen says the group plans to take several steps to prevent any hate crimes from happening. He wants to have an opened dialogue about race with community members and in schools, "We need to begin having our relationship in talking about harsh topics with our children." 

The group is also demanding that law enforcement give them concrete details by Friday, April 22nd, at 3 p.m. If there's no update given by the deadline, the Dubuque NAACP chapter says they will reach out to the Department of Justice and the FBI to ask for assistance in investigating the case.
Dubuque suffered from a series of 14 cross burnings between 1988 and 1993. The incident on 04/13/16 was the first since 1993.
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Parents Denied Medical Treatment of Child Due to Their Religious Beliefs // Now Their Daughter Wants Faith Healing Law Revoked & Her Parents Prosecuted

April 24, 2016, 11:31 am
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Here is an interesting news story to watch develop. A 20-year-old woman named Mariah Walton is pushing for legislation in Idaho that would require that parents seek medical treatment for their children if they are in imminent danger of dying.

Currently, Idaho protects parents from being prosecuted if they withhold medical treatment from their children if their religious beliefs support this type of inaction -- even if children end up dying from otherwise treatable illnesses.

Walton personifies the end result of such inaction. She suffered throughout her childhood from a congenital heart defect that could have been treated, but her parents had refused such treatment. As a result, she experienced nearly two decades of painful, labored breathing.

Now she is permanently disabled at the age of 20 and in need of a heart and lung transplant. She is quite angry with her parents for using their own religious beliefs to withhold medical treatment for her. In fact, she would like to see her parents punished for prolonging her pain. ("I think it's time to prosecute them.")

Of course, this is America. Where the religious liberties of those with power (i.e., corporations or parents) trump the lives and liberties of those who don't hold power (i.e., employees or children).

I'm really curious how this story unfolds!
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Alexander Kozak Guilty of 1st Degree Murder in 2015 Mall Shooting

April 25, 2016, 5:55 pm
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There was a fatal mall shooting in nearby Coralville, IA. At 7:30 PM on 06/12/15, 22-year-old Alexander Kozak shot and killed 20-year-old Andrea Farrington in the Coral Ridge Mall. Kozak was arrested later that evening. He was charged with first-degree murder in connection to her death.

Both Kozak and Farrington had been employees at Coralridge Mall. The two had been friends for a while and shared a flirtatious relationship for a while. However, Farrington later felt unsafe within this relationship and began filing complaints of harassment and threats to their employer. Kozak was eventually fired on the evening of 06/12/15. He went home and returned with the weapon that he used to killed Farrington.

Kozak's trial was relocated to Story County, IA. The trial went from April 14th and lasted through today. There was no question about whether or not Kozak killed Farrington. He admitted as much. His defense team tried to mitigate the level of his responsibility by pointing out his diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder and borderline personality disorder. (Jon's Note: I know way too many people with borderline personality disorder. This is a personality disorder that does not take away your ability to understand your actions. But the other diagnosis is an interesting defense, IMHO.)

His legal defense wasn't enough to protect Kozak from conviction. He was convicted of one count of first-degree murder earlier this afternoon. This carries a mandatory life sentence here in Iowa.
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Still Too Much to Digest! Catching Up with My Archie Comics Digests!!

April 25, 2016, 7:10 pm
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It's happened again. I've fallen behind on my comic book reading. Yet again. But I finally finished this yearlong work-related study project and, now that I'm finished, it feels like I've caught my second wind. So I pulled out my various comic book digests and dug into them this evening!

Here (in alphabetical order) are some summaries from the original stories at the beginning of each comic book digest:

ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #267: This first story is "Mess Code," featuring story & pencils by Fernando Ruiz, inks by Bob Smith, colors by Glenn Whitmore, and letters by Jack Morelli.

I know that I'll get in trouble for over-thinking this one, but I guess I'll go there. Mr. Weatherbee flips out when he sees a handful of kids wearing torn and dirty clothing. So, with the flick of his secretary's pen, he institutes a dress code for Riverdale High School. Basically, dresses and suits all around.


Of course, several of the kids -- including Archie and Jughead -- can't afford to meet the school's dress code and neither can their parents. So now the kids are scrambling to find additional part-time jobs in order to afford their new dress clothes. Overall, this wasn't my favorite Archie Comics story...

JUGHEAD AND ARCHIE SPRING ANNUAL #20: I enjoyed "Paws For Effect" much more. This story featured Archie and Jughead, along with their four-legged friends Vegas and Hot Dog. Archie has been spending his free-time lately bonding with his dog and teaching him a special new trick!


Some kid ends up recording Vegas' new trick and posts the video on Eyetube. Literally within seconds, the video goes viral and Archie finds himself the focus of hordes of new fans... and each of them wants a piece of Riverdale's newest online celebrities! It turns out that this was all a set-up by Riverdale's master-trickster -- for reasons that still don't quite make a lot of sense to me. But I still enjoyed this story!


"Paws For Effect" featured writing by Adrian Ropp, pencils by Bill Galvan, inks by Jim Amash, letters by Jack Morelli, and colors by Glenn Whitmore.

WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #58: Lastly, we have "Thrills & Chills," featuring story by James Gartler, pencils by Fernando Ruiz, inks by Bob Smith, colors by Glenn Whitmore, and letters by Jack Morelli.

This story features a chance encounter between Betty & Veronica and Mrs. Andrews. Mrs. Andrews is at the end of her wits. Archie and Mr. Andrews took off for an afternoon of fishing, leaving her with a house that's full of dirty laundry -- and she would rather be outside having fun! The girls take pity on Archie's mom and treat her to a day at the amusement park. This proves to be a fun and exciting adventure for all. Plus, the girls pitch in and help Mrs. Andrews finish the laundry before the end of the story!


Leave it to me to pick up on the trivial when reading this story. Of course, everyone is noticing the coveted "Red Head Fred" doll at this ring-toss game, but I can't help noticing the Super Duck and Squoimy the Woim dolls hanging next to Red Head Fred! I love these classic MLJ characters and wish that they showed up more often!

(Speaking of which, I have a great short story featuring Betty, Veronica, and Squoimy the Woim bouncing around in my head. So if anyone from Archie Comics wants to hear it, I'd love to pitch it! Just saying...)
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Oxford, AL: City Council Rebukes Target for Trans-Inclusive Bathroom Policy // Makes It Illegal for Trans People to Use Public Restrooms

April 27, 2016, 6:44 am
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The City of Oxford, AL, voted last night on an ordinance that rebuked Target for having a trans-inclusive bathroom policy, while also making it illegal for trans people to use the public restrooms that correspond with their gender identities:
The new law, approved unanimously by the council’s members, restricts a person’s use of public bathrooms and changing rooms to the facilities designated for use by those of the gender listed on his or her birth certificate. The law applies within both the city’s limits and police jurisdiction. 

After members approved the new city ordinance, Council President Steven Waits read from a prepared statement. 

Waits said he and the council sought the law “not out of concerns for the 0.3 percent of the population who identify as transgender,” but “to protect our women and children.” 

He said the measure isn’t meant to be discriminatory, and comes in direct response to the bathroom and changing-room usage policy put forth by supermarket chain Target, which has a store at Oxford’s Exchange shopping center. 
The ordinance says that a complainant would need to call the police and a police officer would need to witness the trans person in the restroom. If found guilty, the trans person would face a fine of $500 or would be sentenced to six months in jail.

Here are the exceptions: Adults are allowed to accompany children under the age of 12 into the restroom. Those who need to do janitorial or maintenance work, to offer emergency medical assistance, or to assist the disabled, are also permitted to enter any bathroom.
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Iowa City Man Charged With Animal Neglect After Leaving 62 Ducks in an Abandoned U-Haul Van

April 28, 2016, 7:03 pm
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A 69-year old Iowa City man has been charged with animal neglect after police officers discovered 62 ducks in an abandoned U-Haul van in the old Hy-Vee parking lot on North Dodge Street. The were alerted to the U-Haul due to a strong, foul-smelling odor. The ducks were in stacked cages and were covered in feces.

19 of the ducks were dead before authorities arrived. The surviving ducks were taken to the Iowa City Animal Shelter, where they are being cared for. One of the remaining ducks has died since arriving at the shelter:
"It was probably some of the most horrible conditions I've ever seen and you know, even though they're just ducks and they're livestock, they're still living beings," (Iowa City Animal Services Supervisor Liz Ford) says. A veterinarian examined each one. Now the survivors are divided into six dog kennels by how well they're recovering.
According to the news, the U-Haul van was towed by the police and the man responsible for it went to the police department seeking information about its whereabouts, as well as the location of the ducks.
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Celebrate National Superhero Day... With Squirrel Girl!

April 28, 2016, 7:41 pm
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Did you know that it's National Superhero Day? No doubt! Which made me think of my current favorite superhero: Squirrel Girl! Did you know that she's unbeatable? It's true!

Here's an example of her unbreakability:


Simple solutions! Wonderful superhero!

(By the way, check out THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #7! It features Koi Boi, Swarm, and Galactus in a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style story!)
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