First Slice 6/13/13: Rapper J. Cole throws surprise $1 show at the Loft

1. A Marietta church has opened its doors to any Boy Scout troop left homeless after some churches around the nation - and the metro area - cut ties over the organization’s acceptance of gay members. The marquee at One World Spiritual Center currently reads, “Boy Scout troops welcome here.”

2. A now former Holly Springs, Ga., police officer has found himself behind bars after apparently lying about his military service to receive free license plates. Shane Ladner faces six counts of theft by deception, among other charges, following a six-week investigation into his claims of being awarded a Purple Heart while serving in the Army.

3. Parents of a Clarke County seventh grader are petitioning the school board to rethink its decision not to ban a best-selling book. The anonymous complainers worry that exposure to profanity featured in Tomas Rivera’s And the Earth Did Not Devour Him could have a negative impact on the wee chitlins at such an impressionable age.

4. Early this morning the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of 28-year-old Christopher Shepard (PDF) for the murder of a French Guinea immigrant earlier this week in Clarkston. Alpha Oumar Diallo’s body was found on the Georgia Perimeter College campus off Memorial Drive on Monday, though he wasn’t a student there.

5. Rapper J. Cole held a surprise concert at the Loft last night, alerting fans via Twitter that the “1st come 1st serve” show would only cost $1.

6. A Grand Jury in Tennessee recommends legalizing the possession of small amounts of pot to cut down on the number of cases clogging the courts and save the state some money. Read the oddly-space report.

7. Ever wonder what it would be like to pitch a no-hitter on acid? No?