The Principal Prom Rule Does Not Suit These Girls

A principal told two sets of Decatur, Ill., twins that girls should be more prim at the prom, so they may be forced to sit this one out unless they exchange their special tuxedos for formal gowns. The Stephen Decatur High School seniors planned to wear black tuxedo jackets, white shirts, red bow ties and red pumps, said Denise Holt, 17. She said tux rental and the shoes, leotards and tights totaled nearly $100 for each girl. But Principal Jack Kenny vetoed the wardrobe after a newspaper printed pictures of the costumes. “If a guy comes dressed in a gown, it would not be appropriate. The same goes for guys or girls if they come to the prom wearing shorts,” Kenny said. But Shelly Fisher, 18, said: “This is discrimination . . . . We should be able to wear what we want.” Denise, Shelly and their sisters, Sheila Fisher and Darcie Holt, plan a petition against only “those properly attired” being allowed at the May 23 dance.

--A Roman Catholic bishop who went to commune with nature got a little closer than he intended. Bishop Arthur Tafoya, 54, was on a nature outing when his Jeep stalled and flipped in rain-swollen Escalante Creek, near Delta, Colo. Tafoya was swept downstream but escaped the adventure with only a bad chill and a cut finger. He was praying for a way out of the Jeep when it flipped a second time and “shot me out into the water,” Tafoya said. Dazed and incoherent, he was found nearly an hour later on a river bank by inmates of the Delta Honor Farm, who were working on a road crew, church officials said.

--The long leg of the law will power the pursuit of miscreants in Montrose, Colo., when police start pedaling their beats on bicycles. Sgt. Rick Hinckle said officers will ride one of four mountain bikes for two to four hours of each shift. Hinckle said that “there are so many places in Montrose--bicycle paths, parks--that are inaccessible in cars.” Hinckle said the bikes may even improve response time downtown--officers won’t have to find a parking place.