When an 8-year-old boy lost all his toys in a house fire, his classmates surprised him with a toy drive
Daniel Hunt watched as flames engulfed his family home, taking all his toys with it. But then, a week later, the devastated 8-year-old was surprised by his third-grade classmates with the results of a toy drive.
They had worked in secret to resupply his collection. Daniel was overjoyed.
“We live in a small community in Tennessee. Word of the fire traveled quickly and by Monday, everyone just wanted to help,” Hunt’s homeroom teacher Casey MacKintosh told CNN of the heartwarming effort.
That’s when the teachers at Philadelphia Elementary School in central Tennessee decided to hold a secret toy drive, where the students would bring in a toy of their choosing to share with their classmate in need.
“It was very sweet and a lot of fun for the kids. They needed to keep it a secret, so they would walk in every morning that week whispering, ‘I have this toy for Daniel hidden in my backpack,’” MacKintosh explained.
The children kept the growing stockpile hidden from Daniel all week. Then on Friday, a teacher sent Hunt on an errand outside the classroom.
“When he came back, we yelled ‘surprise!’ and instead of rushing to the toys, he just held his arms opened and asked his classmates for a hug,” MacKintosh said of the touching moment.
Daniel said the feeling left him crying happy tears with the feeling of “joy in his stomach.” His mom, Kristen Wilburn, said he’s been smiling ever since.
“It was a kitchen fire. I’m not sure how it happened, we found some bits and pieces that were salvageable — my wedding ring made it– but nothing else made it,” Wilburn told CNN. “Daniel has been in awe on how many people have been willing to help us without being asked.”
Although they lost their home, Hunt and his parents are thankful no one was hurt. They are now living with family members until they figure out their next step.
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Elementary School
Girl, 3, drowns and 4-year-old toddler is hospitalized after their flotation devices come off at a pool party in Florida
A 3-year-old girl is dead and a 4-year-old is hospitalized after their flotation devices slipped off and they went underwater at a pool party in Florida, authorities said.
Harmony Williams was playing in the water at a Tampa apartment complex when she drowned. Witnesses pulled her out and tried to give her CPR, but she was pronounced dead at a local hospital, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.
Giaonna Chavalier was also rescued and taken to the same hospital, where she is no longer listed in critical condition.
“She is alert, breathing and expected to make a full recovery,” police said.
The tragedy happened shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday as a family was hosting a pool party in the apartment pool area attended by about 10 children and three adults.
“While playing in the water, at some point the girls took off their flotation devices,” police said. “By the time adults realized the young girls, who could not swim, had gone under the water, several people rushed into help, pulling the girls from the pool and performing CPR until (emergency medical services) arrived.”
No charges have been filed following the incident.
Children between ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those drownings occur in home swimming pools.
Drownings kill more children in that age group than any other cause except birth defects, it said.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Teen given birth control implant at school without parent’s permission
Baltimore, MD (WMAR ) — A mother learned her 16-year-old daughter received a birth control implant at school after the teen started complaining about headaches and a pain in her arm.
Nicole Lambert sent her daughter to get checked out by a pediatrician. The doctor notified her that the three-year contraceptive, Nexplanon, had been improperly implanted in her daughter’s arm and it needed to be removed.
According to paperwork on Merck’s website, the maker of Nexplanon, the implant should go on the inside of the upper arm. Photos show Lambert’s daughter had the implant near the back of arm. Her doctor advised taking the implant out to avoid possible complications, including blood clots.
“I instantly started crying because just to hear that your child, anything could happen to your child and you didn’t even know what’s going on, it’s a scary feeling,” Lambert said.
The tiny tube was removed a few days later.
“I actually went to the school. I was furious. I was mad, so I went to the school and the nurse told me, ‘I don’t have to talk to you about absolutely nothing.’ I’m like that is my child, I take care of this child, you can talk to me about my child, and they put me out of the school,” said Lambert.
Birth control dispensed in city schools
The state law permitting minors to receive contraceptive services confidentially dates back nearly 50 years. And several of Baltimore City’s 17 School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) provide reproductive health care services.
Of the five SBHCs operated by the Baltimore City Health Department, there were 164 users of birth control during the 2017-2018 school year. The different kinds of birth control include oral contraceptive pills, Plan B, Depo-Provera, NuvaRing, and Nexplanon.
WMAR-2 News requested the data above for the eight SBHCs operated by the Baltimore Medical System. The Baltimore City Law Department and Baltimore Medical System did not provide the requested information.
WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii also reached out to the school system for more information on the nurse’s training, qualifications, birth control policies in schools, and comment on the incident, but was told to direct her questions to the Baltimore City Health Department, which oversees the Digital Harbor school-based health center.
The health department said the law department advised them not to respond to our questions because of a pending case against the city.
Merck responded to several questions sent by WMAR-2 News. The Nexplanon manufacturer strongly recommends health care professionals participate in a training session to become familiar with insertion and removal of Nexplanon. Training is required to purchase the product.
And while clinical studies haven’t been done on women under the age of 18, a Merck spokesperson said safety and efficacy are expected to be the same.
Mom seeking answers
Lambert’s not opposed to preventing teen pregnancies. Statistics show there’s been a 69% decrease in the last 10 years in Baltimore City. However, she’s not comfortable with unfamiliar nurses in schools doing invasive procedures. She hired an attorney to investigate.
“Ms. Lambert wasn’t given the choice to pick the medical provider where her daughter would feel comfortable going and receiving these services, who she knew did a comprehensive medical exam, who she knew knew her medical history,” said David Ledyard, the attorney representing Lambert.
In addition to Lambert’s questions regarding the health professional’s experience, she also wants to know why her permission was sought for other things, yet this was never brought up.
“They call me for Tylenol, but they don’t call me about birth control,” said Lambert. “You gave my daughter this insertion so she might be suffering from that, but do they even look at that?”
Lambert’s relieved the implant was removed, but worries about other students and their parents still in the dark.
“Other kids out here could be going through the same thing and their parents don’t know about it. And I just think these kids, if they have it incorrectly or whatever it is, they should be checked because anything could happen to these kids,” said Lambert.
WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii contacted several other school systems in the area to ask about their birth control policies. Their responses are below.
Anne Arundel County:
Does not provide birth control in schools.
Baltimore County:
School-based wellness centers do not offer birth control.
Harford County:
The Harford County school-based health centers are primarily in 4, title I, elementary schools in Harford County. Birth control is not offered at those schools.
Howard County:
Birth control is not being dispensed at the three traditional school-based health centers. The other health centers are all telehealth.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/10/02/teen-given-birth-control-implant-at-school-without-parents-permission/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Texas Cop Who Murdered Black Man in His Home Admitted She’s Racist in Text Messages
After convicting Amber Guyger of the murder of Botham Jean, Texas jurors were presented with racist and violent text and social media messages composed by the former Dallas police officer before the fatal shooting.
Guyger, 31, who is white, faces 99 years behind bars as the conviction phase of her trial resumes on Wednesday.
She was found guilty on Wednesday of killing her 26-year-old neighbor on another floor, who is black, inside his own apartment, claiming she mistook him for someone burglarizing her own home.
According to WFAA, jurors heard prosecutors present text messages from Jan. 15, 2018, as Dallas officers were assigned to the Martin Luther King Jr. parade.
“When does this end lol,” read a text to Guyger, to which she responded, “When MLK is dead… oh wait…”
As the texted conversation turned to the parade attendees, WFAA reports Guyger texted, “Just push them… or spray your pepper spray in that general area.”
The Washington Post reports that, in another text exchange dated Sept. 4, 2018, someone reached out to Guyger about adopting a German Shepherd.
“Although she may be racist,” the dog’s owner messaged Guyger.
“It’s okay,” Guyger replied. “I’m the same.
In the same group text thread, she wrote, “I hate everything and everyone but y’all,” according to the Post.
The state also shared text messages sent between Guyger and her ex-lover and police partner, Officer Martin Rivera, from March 9, 2018, in which they seem to disparage black officers.
“Damn I was at this area with 5 different black officers!!!,” she wrote to him, according to the Dallas Morning News. “Not racist but damn,” he responded.
“Not racist but just have a different way of working and it shows,” she replied.
Social media posts made by Guyger, which prosecutors presented to jurors Wednesday, were violent in nature.
One image she shared shows a military sniper, along with text that reads: “Stay low, go fast; kill first, die last; one shot, one kill; no luck, all skill.”
In another post, Guyger wrote: “I wear all black to remind you not to mess with me, because I’m already dressed for your funeral.”
She further commented she had a gun, shovel and gloves ready to go, according to the reports.
Additionally, Guyger commented, “People are so ungrateful,” on a post featuring a cartoon character with the text: “No one ever thanks me for having the patience not to kill them.”
Also on Wednesday, Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, shared the pain she’s endured since her businessman son’s killing.
“My life has not been the same,” his mother told jurors. “It’s been a roller coaster. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat.”
Guyger told jurors during her testimony at trial she mistakenly walked into Jean’s apartment on Sept. 6, 2018, and believed it was her own apartment.
“I was scared whoever was inside of my apartment was going to kill me, and I’m sorry,” Guyger testified last Friday while sobbing. “I have to live with that every single day.”
Jurors were given the option of finding Guyger guilty of manslaughter, a lesser conviction.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday if Guyger intends to appeal her conviction.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/entertainment/texas-cop-murdered-black-man-143208798.html
Photo Credit: AP; Facebook
Florida Man Accused of Cutting Brake Lines on Dozens of Electric Scooters
A man in Florida has been sneaking around his neighborhood tampering with electric scooters parked on the streets, police say.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department posted a surveillance video Tuesday showing 59-year-old Randall Williams walking up to an electrical scooter on the street, slapping a white sticker on its QR code, and cutting its brake lines, essentially rendering it impossible to use.
Police say that more than 140 scooters have been disabled and vandalized in a similar way in the southeast part of Fort Lauderdale since April 5.
Officers had already homed in on Williams as a possible suspect, and the majority of the acts of vandalism happened within two blocks of his apartment.
Caught in the act
Hoping to nab the saboteur, cops staked out the area over the weekend.
In the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning, police say they saw Williams leave his apartment on his nightly rounds of scooter sabotage.
He “walked the neighborhood in a stealthy fashion, utilizing the shadows and the alleyways to conceal his movements,” according to their report.
Police say they saw him vandalize seven scooters on Saturday, and an additional nine on Sunday.
When they arrested Williams, he had with him two sets of wire cutters, a pair of handheld lock pliers, and he was wearing a glove, the police report says.
Police estimated the cost to fix each scooter at $70. For the total of 20 scooters to which they’ve linked him so far, the bill comes out to about $1,400.
A spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police told CNN that multiple brands of scooters were affected.
The cost estimate for the vandalism doesn’t take into account lost revenues from rentals while the scooters are inactive.
Williams did not return CNN calls for comment Tuesday.
According to the police report, Williams wanted to limit what he told authorities because he “didn’t want to dig himself into a grave.”
He was booked on charges of criminal mischief, resisting officers, and loitering or prowling. He was released Monday after posting $500 in bond, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
To help protect riders from jumping on a faulty scooter, a company operating the scooters, which authorities didn’t name, deactivated all its scooters in the neighborhood, the police report says.
Spokespeople for Lime and Bird told CNN that they’re grateful to the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department for taking action.
Lime said that they’ll seek “appropriate legal action against those that damage or vandalize our property.”
“We we have zero tolerance for vandalism and aggressively address it when it occurs,” a Bird spokeswoman said.
CNN has also reached to Bolt for comment.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Mom charged for twirling baby, blowing smoke in her face on Facebook Live
A Tennessee mother was arrested for twirling her daughter in the air with one arm while blowing smoke in the baby’s face during a video that was livestreamed on Facebook.
Tybresha Sexton, 24, was charged with child abuse after police busted the mom at her Chattanooga home on Sunday when several people reported the shocking clip to the authorities.
“[I] didn’t want that fu–in’ baby anyway,” Sexton allegedly told responding officers, according to her arrest affidavit obtained by WTVC.
Cops said Sexton’s breath smelled like booze and that there were several liquor bottles lying around her apartment.
A shocking 43-second clip of the live stream, posted by another user, apparently shows Sexton lighting up with one hand and casually holding up her 1-month-old with the other. It’s unclear what she was smoking.
At one point, she can be seen shaking the girl, while viewers urge her to stop.
“She gone kill that baby,” one person wrote.
Sexton was being held at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on $100,000 bond. In addition to the child abuse charge, she was slapped resisting arrest and disorderly conduct charges.
She’s due in court Oct. 4. The child is with Sexton’s mother, according to the arrest report.
Photo Credit: mazechmedia.com
Mathew Knowles, reveals he has breast cancer
NEW YORK — The father of musical superstars Beyoncé and Solange is revealing his breast cancer diagnosis.
In an interview airing Wednesday on “Good Morning America,” Mathew Knowles talks to the host about what it was like to break the news to his family.
The show posted a short clip of the interview on social media Tuesday — the same day he tweeted he’d have a “special announcement” when he appears on the show.
Knowles, who was Beyoncé’s former manager, is divorced from her mother.
He managed Beyoncé from the late 1990s, when she was in the multiplatinum selling group Destiny’s Child, through the launch of her career as a solo artist after the girl group split in 2006.
Beyoncé cut professional ties with her father in 2011, and both sides said it was amicable.
“I’ve only parted ways with my father on a business level,” Beyoncé said at the time. “He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me.”
While breast cancer mostly affects women, thousands of men are diagnosed annually.
About 245,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and 2,200 in men each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It said 41,000 women and 460 men die from breast cancer in the US annually.
October is breast cancer awareness month.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/10/02/beyonces-father-mathew-knowles-reveals-he-has-breast-cancer/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
MO father accused of beating son after being caught using heroin
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – A St. Charles man is accused of beating his young son after the boy saw him using heroin.
A photo taken by the boy’s mom is at the center of the case.
Brian Jubb, 31, has been jailed on one count of abuse of a child. His bond was reduced on Tuesday from $10,000 to $3,000.
Neighbors recalled seeing St. Charles police take Jubb away from his apartment near highways 370 and 94 in the past week but had no idea why.
“I just saw a lot of police and stuff. I didn’t know exactly what was going on,” said neighbor Rob Mayfield.
A newly filed court document said the boy’s grandmother showed police a photo taken by the boy’s mom on September 21 of a large, red spot extending from his lower right side to his upper right leg, with multiple rising welts.
Jubb allegedly struck the boy after the child saw him injecting heroin and then told his mother. Afterward, the mother took her son to stay with a friend.
The document said Jubb told police he spanked his son after the mother coached the boy to repeatedly say “daddy, you use needles.”
“He’s a neighbor. His little kid is always playing with the other neighbor’s kid. Like I said and the other neighbor said, he’s mostly quiet all the time. Man, to beat your kid because he told on you because of your drug problem; man, he needs help,” Mayfield said.
Jubb faces up to 7 years in prison if convicted.
Photo Credit: news.yahoo.com
Florida deputy pulls over speeding car, ends up delivering baby girl
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WFTS/Meredith) — One Florida deputy made a very special delivery early Tuesday morning.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office reports Dep. Robert Pounds spotted a car going 63 mph in a 45 mph zone on Airport-Pulling Road in Naples around 4:30 a.m.
The deputy then pulled over the car.
Law enforcement officers say no traffic stop is ever “routine,” as Deputy Pounds quickly found out. As he approached the car, he discovered the female passenger was in labor and just moments away from giving birth.
The Sheriff’s Office says the deputy called for paramedics and backup. He then grabbed a blanket and delivered a baby girl, making sure the infant was breathing and her mother was okay.
Paramedics cut the umbilical cord and checked out both mom and baby before transporting them to a nearby hospital.
Before the happy dad left the scene, he took a picture with the deputy.
Photo Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office
Florida boy dies protecting little sister from burglar
A heroic 15-year-old Florida boy died saving his little sister from a home intruder, authorities say.
Tragic teen Khyler Edman was home with his 5-year-old sibling in Port Charlotte on Thursday afternoon when a druggie ex-con burglarized them, police said, according to Newsweek.
When police arrived, they found 27-year-old suspect Ryan Cole nearby with stab wounds on his hands and side — and the boy dead inside.
“A violent encounter ensued where we believe that the teenager was trying to protect the home and protect their younger sibling,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said.
Khyler’s grieving family called the teen — an honors student and high school sophomore — “his sister’s keeper.
“There is no hero that can amount to Khyler,’’ family rep Crystal Stone said, according to WINK-TV.
Stone set up a GoFundMe to help the family with funeral and other expenses. Its goal was set at $25,000; by Tuesday morning, it had reached $32,373.
“This is not going to only give Khyler the burial he deserves this will allow Kyhler’s mom and 5 year old sister be able to get into another house so they aren’t faced with having to relive the traumatic experience over again,” Stone wrote.
“Khyler was a hero protecting his sister but please continue to keep her in your prayers as she witnessed this.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/01/florida-boy-dies-protecting-little-sister-from-burglar-cops/
Photo Credit: GoFundMe