Has there been an increase in church burnings over the last year? I can think of historic churches being set afire recently—the Gothic cathedral in France, the Spanish mission in California, the church across from the White House—but it’s hard to tell if they represent a trend. But, in general, when the media goes nuts, they often inspire real nuts to do their thing, which sometimes involve setting churches on fire.

Here’s a local police blotter item from a week ago in Toledo, Ohio:

According to Toledo Municipal Court documents, a warrant was issued for Harris for spray painting “Jesus is black” and “black” multiple times on Rosary Cathedral on Collingwood Boulevard on Monday morning.

He is also accused of pouring a flammable liquid on the doors of the cathedral and lighting it. There was damage to the doors but not the inside of the cathedral.

The cops went to arrest Harris, at which point he murdered a young white policeman named Brandon Stalker.

This lurid series of events is considered Not National News for reasons.