Brickbats

Des Moines, Iowa, police officer Brady Pratt unintentionally fired his service weapon inside the city airport. Officials say he was practicing his "quick draw" at the time.

Officials at Kentucky's W.R. Castle Elementary School censored a student performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas by deleting the scene in which Linus quotes from the Bible. But at the point where that scene normally occurs, several audience members recited the lines. Principal Jeff Cochran said he was disappointed with their actions.

Independence, Louisiana, police officer Laquinton Banks has been charged with felony theft, malfeasance in office, and hate crimes. Banks allegedly targeted Hispanic motorists, stopping them and asking for their wallets to check their licenses. When he returned the wallets, their cash was frequently missing.

The University of Louisville recently posted a job listing for a tenure-track position that it specified would be filled only with an "African-American, Hispanic American or a Native American Indian." The ad was removed after someone complained it didn't include those with disabilities.

Michigan law permits open carry of firearms on school grounds, but the Homer Community School District has a policy of locking down a school and calling the cops any time a weapon is seen—something it does every time one student's father shows up. School officials admit the dad is not confrontational and causes no problems apart from insisting on exercising his legal rights. County Prosecutor David Gilbert says he would consider charging someone with being disorderly for causing such a lockdown.

In Northern Ireland, Belfast pastor James McConnell faces jail time for the hate crime of denouncing Islam during a sermon.

A Web post by the University of Tennessee's Office of Diversity and Inclusion urged employees to make sure their "holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise." It advised against "games with religious and cultural themes," such as Secret Santa or Dreidel. It also said food and decor for parties should not be specific to any culture or religion. Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said the intention was to make sure activities were inclusive of everyone.

When Marc Kohn's daughter Melanie, a Washington Capitals fan, died last summer, he decided to honor her by building an ice skating rink on property he owned and opening it to the public. It has proven very popular with local families. But Montgomery County officials are insisting he close the rink. They say he didn't get a permit for it and that it's on property zoned only for agricultural use.

In England, the East Kent Hospitals National Health Service Trust has apologized for placing a "do not resuscitate" order on a patient with Down Syndrome without consulting his family. The order listed his learning disabilities among the reasons not to try to revive him.