KENTON RECORDER
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020 ❚ BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS ❚ PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK ###
FEBRUARY 8TH • 8AM-8PM • WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Covington moves ahead with homeless shelter restrictions Ordinance changed after some considered it to be ‘problematic’ and ‘troubling’ Julia Fair Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Strict location restrictions. Bike rack requirements. Paying the city for “excessive” use of public safety agencies. Those were some of the most criticized elements of a Covington homeless shelter draft ordinance The Enquirer obtained in October. Advocates for the homeless feared the regulations would force the shelters to close and leave people experiencing homelessness without shelter. Later in October, organizations sent letters to city offi cials and called the ordinance “unconstitutional,” “problematic” and “troubling,” among other analyses. Most critiqued the location restriction. Since then, offi cials have nixed the most contested elements from the bill. "The city has been working on this for several months and many of the issues that had been raised have been addressed in the ordinance itself," said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer at the Covington City Commission meeting Tuesday. That night, the commission introduced the offi cial public version of the ordinance, which has been altered from the original. The ordinance will be voted on in about two weeks. "There has been much progress made these last few months and we will continue to provide input going forward," said Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky Executive Director Kim Webb in a statement. "There are many good points in the ordinance along with many points that are still vague and we will need clarifi cation on."
Bennie Hart with the Ohio vanity plate he had for 12 years. When he moved to Kentucky it was rejected. FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION
Vanity license plate rules and free speech butt heads 'TRYGOD' is OK, 'IMGOD' no way, governments struggle to decide Sarah Ladd and Andrew Wolfson
Louisville Courier Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK
When the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in February denied a man’s request for a vanity license plate bearing his last name, saying it was off ensive, David Assman got the last laugh. Assman (yes, his real name, but pronounced "OSSman), painted a huge version of the plate on the back of his pickup truck. Regulating language on personalized plates has long pitted the government’s interest in maintaining decency on the roadways with the free speech rights of motorists. In November, a federal judge in Kentucky ruled the state had improperly denied a plate saying “IMGOD” to a Northern Kentucky atheist. Then, 12 days later, a disabled former Marine sued the state for rescinding his plate that read “INFDL,” which he said was a term of camaraderie used by Marines who served in the Middle East. First Amendment scholars, including David Hudson of the Freedom Forum Institute, says that states are “maddeningly inconsistent” in applying vanity plate rules, so much that it makes their decisions look “arbitrary and unreasonable." In Indiana, for example, the Department of Motor Vehicles once denied a plate saying “CNCR SUX” but said “WNTR SUX” was OK. In Kentucky, the Transportation Cabinet’s Division of Motor Vehicles has allowed plates saying “GODLVS” and "TRYGOD" while rejecting 80-year-old retired postal worker Bennie Hart’s request for "IMGOD." Branch manager Ainsley Snyder testifi ed in Hart’s case that if a motorist requests a plate that says “BLUE” because it's his favorite color or because he’s a Kentucky Wildcat fan, he would get the plates. But if he said he wanted it to signify he’s a Democrat, it would be rejected because state law bans plates that promote a political belief or party. Motor Vehicle Commissioner Matt Henderson said that while he’d reject a plate that says “JESUS” beSee PLATES, Page 6A
After David Assman was denied a plate bearing his name, he took the matter in his own hands. COURTESY OF DAVID ASSMAN AND SASKATOON STARPHOENIX
Experiencing homelessness in Northern Kentucky There are four homeless shelters in Covington, See ORDINANCE, Page 2A
EDITOR’S NOTE: Your Community Press and Recorder newspaper looks a little different today. The size of the page is longer. Why, you ask? Simple. We are changing locations where the paper is printed – to Louisville from Lafayette, Ind. The configuration of the printing presses is different, thus the change to what we call a “broadsheet” format. Because of the bigger page size, you may see fewer pages in some editions, but we are not reducing the number of stories. The larger format also includes more options for our advertisers, making it a win across the board. We hope you share our excitement as we make this change in format. – Beryl Love, executive editor
Ex-Marine Shaun DeWaters, with a tattoo that says "Infi del," which he says was a term of camaraderie used by Marines in the Middle East. Kentucky rescinded his "INFDLS" plate on the grounds it was anti-religious. SHAUN DEWATERS
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How to submit news
To submit news and photos to the Community Press/Recorder, visit the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Share website: http://bit.ly/2FjtKoF
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Contact The Press
Edgewood, KY
122 Dudley Road 341-5110
News: 513-248-8600, Retail advertising: 513-768-8404, Classified advertising: 513-242-4000, Delivery: 859-781-4421, Subscriptions: 513-248-7113. See page A2 for additonal information
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