Police: Man stole because he wanted to be arrested

WESTFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Police in Massachusetts have arrested a man they say stole a pack of cigarettes because he wanted to go back to jail.

Officers responded to a convenience store in Westfield on Tuesday night where a clerk told them a man asked for the cigarettes, and then walked out without paying.

The Westfield News reports that when the clerk warned the man he would call police unless he paid, the suspect said "Go ahead."

Police found 40-year-old John Skowron Kirwan, of Springfield, at a nearby bus stop.

When an officer asked the suspect if he attempted to steal the cigarettes, the man replied: "I didn't attempt to steal them. I stole them."

Police say Kirwan told them he was on probation and wanted to go back to jail. He was arrested for shoplifting.

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Information from: The Westfield (Mass.) News, http://thewestfieldnews.com

Society & CultureCrime & Justice

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Teacher claims she was suspended from job because she’s transgender

Laura Jane Klug has worked as a substitute teacher in the Lumberton Independent School District in Texas, but was recently suspended from her job after parents started to complain. Why the complaints? It doesn’t appear that it had anything to do with Klug’s capabilities as a teacher, but rather becauseshe’s transgender, as KBMT 12 News reports.

(KBMT)

KBMT spoke with Ms. Klug. She says that the district’s superintendent, John Valastro, suspended her and that whether she would continue working within the school system would be a matter decided by the school board. Klug says she has substituted before without issue and doesn’t know what instigated her suspension. She told KBMT, “I have always conducted myself in a professional manner and would never discuss my gender identity in school.”

(KBMT)

The complaints are coming from parents like Roger Beard. Beard spoke with KBTV Fox 4 News and said that he wasn’t comfortable discussing transgender people with his child. He told the station, “Within an hour of them being exposed, or dealing with this, there’s a few issues here, that I think is too young, these kids are too young for this issue.” He also told KBMT, “There’s some things we can accept in society, that children are not going to accept the same way that we do.” Neither station mentioned whether Beard felt like he was hindering his child’s ability to “accept” a transgender person by demanding one’s removal from their position.

(KBTV)

Other people in the Lumberton area are displeased that Klug has had to deal with any of this. Donna Jackson told KBMT, “I think it’s awful. My heart goes out to this woman and I’m really sad that things like that still go on.” Jammie Marcantel, the mother of a 5th grader echoed Jackson’s sentiments in her interview with KBTV, saying, “My son knows who he is and I don’t think any outside influence is going to change that. I’m more concerned about straight predatory teachers rather than I am of somebody who lives an alternative private lifestyle.”

(KBMT)

As for Klug’s fate, the Lumberton ISD school board will make a decision whether to fire her, but believes there will be plenty of conversation over the matter at an open forum on Thursday’s school board meeting.

More info: KBMT, KBTV

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Small Wash. school closes because of nice weather

SEATTLE (AP) — In a sun-deprived part of Washington state, the promise of nice spring weather prompted a small private school to give students a day off to enjoy the sunshine.

Friday is a "sun day" of sorts for the 205 students at Bellingham Christian School, a small, private, nondenominational Christian school in Bellingham, Wash., about 90 miles north of Seattle.

"SCHOOL CANCELLED DUE TO GREAT WEATHER! WAHOOO!" the school's website announced Thursday night. "Yeah! It's a Sun Day today and everyone gets the day off from school."

Principal Bob Sampson said he wanted to give students some time to re-energize and enjoy the weather, adding that he wanted to re-create the excitement snow days get among the kids. He began teasing the possibility of giving the day off earlier in the week.

"In a world that's got a lot hard things going, it's fun to create a moment of joy," Sampson said.

The forecast for Western Washington calls for a weekend of sunshine, with highs hitting the low 80s in some parts of the region on Sunday.

The sun day was also made possible because there weren't any days off because of snow this school year.

"Kids just love the anticipation of sitting around see if school is canceled when it snows," he said. "You know, we haven't had any snow days, so I thought 'how fun would it be to create that anticipation for kids when it's nice out?'"

Sampson surveyed parents to make sure the day off wouldn't cause any hardships and floated the idea with the school board before canceling school, he said. The 22 staff members will also get the day off, he added.

Sampson and another staff member will be at the school bright and early, though, to welcome any students who didn't get the notice.

The principal asked students to take pictures of what they do on their sunny day off. He plans to show the pictures at an assembly Monday.

It's not the first time the school has given students the day off because of sunshine. The last time was two years ago.

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