Florida teacher had sex with female student in classroom
A Florida middle school teacher had a two-year sexual relationship with a female student that included secret encounters in her classroom, deputies said.
Hayley Morgan Hallmark, a 35-year-old teacher and soccer coach at C.W. Ruckel Middle School in Niceville, was arrested Friday on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct with a student by an authority figure.
The victim, who is now 17, told investigators Thursday she was an eighth-grader at the school when she and Hallmark started trading text messages in August 2017, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.
A year later, the pair then started “sexting” when the student, then 15, began ninth grade — with Hallmark and the girl trading nude photographs and talking about cuddling on Snapchat, an arrest report shows.
The teen also told investigators she and Hallmark performed sex acts on each other at the middle school when she helped the educator coach the soccer team after school, the report shows.
“[The teen] explained the defendant and she would perform these acts in the classroom by tilting the classroom cameras away and leaning against the classroom door so no one could enter,” according to the report obtained by The Post.
The teen said she and Hallmark also performed various sex acts on each other at both of their homes, the arrest report shows.
A search of the teen’s phone backed up her claims and confirmed an “inappropriate relationship” between her and Hallmark, which lasted until August 2020, authorities said.
Hallmark was placed on administrative leave Thursday, one day before a warrant was issued for her arrest, sheriff’s officials said.
The district superintendent will recommend that Hallmark be suspended without pay as her criminal case proceeds, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.
“Okaloosa County teachers represent the highest standard of professionalism, ethics, and morality,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said in a written statement. “When an educator fails to live up to that high standard, we’re all impacted. Student safety and well-being is our highest priority, and we expect our employees’ conduct to be consistent with that priority.”
Hallmark, of Destin, is listed in jail records as Hayley Morgan Close. She remained held on $20,000 bond at the Okaloosa County Jail as of early Monday, online records show. It’s unclear if she’s hired an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/08/florida-teacher-had-sex-with-female-student-in-classroom-deputies/
Photo Credit: Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
Woman in Gorilla Glue hair horror is considering suing over ordeal because the warning label does not mention hair
A Louisiana woman who went viral after struggling to remove Gorilla Glue from her hair claims that the hospital nor the company’s advice helped remove the hardened adhesive.
Now she’s considering a lawsuit to get out of the sticky situation, according to TMZ.
Tessica Brown hired an attorney and is weighing litigation against Gorilla Glue, because while the product’s label warns against using on eyes, skin or clothing – it does not mention hair – the outlet reports.
During Brown’s weekend trip to the ER, healthcare workers put acetone on the back of her head, but instead of getting to the root of the problem, it burned her scalp and only made the glue gooey before hardening back up, according to TMZ.
Gorilla Glue is aware of the dilemma, and tweeted a statement reading: “We are very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced using our Spray Adhesive on her hair. We are glad to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical treatment from her local medical facility and wish her the best.”
The company goes on to reiterate that its product “is not indicated for use in or on hair as it is considered permanent.”
Brown posted last week that her hair had been stuck in place for a month after she ran out of her usual hair product and opted to use the extra-strong superglue instead.
The super strong glue is only intended to be used with products like wood, laminate, fabric, paper and cardboard.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/08/womans-gorilla-glue-hair-horror-gets-stickier/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Parents sue Robinhood after son commits suicide believing he owed $730K
The parents of a 20-year-old man who committed suicide after mistakenly believing he owed $730,000 to Robinhood plan to file a wrongful death suit against the stock-trading app, according to a report.
University of Nebraska student Alexander Kearns, who had begun dabbling in trading, ran into problems on June 11 when the app put a hold on his account showing that he was $730,000 in the red and that he needed to pay over $170,000 in the coming days, CBS News reported.
“He thought he blew up his life,” Alex’s dad, Dan Kearns, said in an interview with the network. “He thought he screwed up beyond repair.”
Kearns had been trading options, rather than stocks, so the negative balance was probably a temporary amount that showed until the options settled to his account.
In the suit expected to be filed Monday, the parents said Robinhood “must be held accountable,” according to the news site.
“The information they gave him was just incredibly skewed and possibly completely wrong,” said Benjamin Blakeman, the Kearns family lawyer.
“Because they make it look like you owe $730,000 when you really don’t owe anything,” Blakeman told the outlet. “That could panic just about anybody.”
Another lawyer for the family, Ethan Brown, told CBS that “they provide no mechanism through a telephone call, through live email service, to get live answers to questions.”
The Kearns said their son just wanted answers and help, the report said.
Robinhood told CBS of the changes they had made since Kearns’ devastating death, including adding instructions and educational materials for options trading and adding screening for experience for riskier trades.
They also now have a call-back option from a live agent and a mechanism in place to escalate emails like the one that Kearns sent, the outlet reported.
“We remain committed to making Robinhood a place to learn and invest responsibly. Our mission is to democratize finance for all,” a spokesperson for the app told CBS.
“We designed Robinhood to be mobile-first and intuitive, with the goal of making investing feel more familiar and less daunting for an entire generation of people previously cut out of the financial system,” the statement continued.
Robinhood has recently came under fire when it stopped people from buying shares of GameStop and other stocks that exploded in a market frenzy last month.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/08/parents-sue-robinhood-after-son-commits-suicide-believing-he-owed-730k/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Family of IL woman who drank sanitizer sues firm that made it
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The family of an Illinois woman who died last year after drinking hand sanitizer contaminated with methanol is suing the company that made the product.
The federal lawsuit filed Friday in St. Louis says the St. Louis County Medical examiner determined that Kayla Stagner’s death was caused by acute methanol intoxication, and a bottle of Blumen Advanced Instate Sanitizer that was tested in connection with the autopsy contained dangerous levels of methanol.
Stagner died last May at a St. Louis area hospital.
The company that made the sanitizer, 4e Brands Northamerica, didn’t respond immediately to questions about the lawsuit.
via: https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/family-of-woman-who-drank-sanitizer-sues-firm-that-made-it/
Photo Credit: tristatehomepage.com
Man shot, killed after ‘prank’ robbery for video
Police in Tennessee are investigating after a man was shot and killed Friday night during a robbery “prank” for a YouTube video.
Nashville police responded to the parking lot of an Urban Air indoor trampoline park at 9:25 p.m., where David Starnes Jr., 23, admitted to shooting 20-year-old Timothy Wilks, according to a news release from the police.
Witnesses told detectives that Wilks and a friend were participating in a “prank” robbery as part of a YouTube video when they approached a group of people, including Starnes, with butcher knives. Starnes said he was unaware of the prank and shot Wilks to defend himself and the people he was with.
No one has been charged in Wilks’ death. The investigation is ongoing.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/07/tennessee-man-fatally-shot-during-prank-robbery-video/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Former staffer for Senate GOP, RNC arrested on child porn charges
A former staffer for Senate Republicans and the Republican National Committee was arrested on child pornography charges at his home in Washington, D.C.
Ruben Verastigui, 27, allegedly admitted being part of a child porn ring, authorities said. He was charged with distributing child pornography after a year-long investigation, according to the D.C. Metropolitan Police.
Verastigui allegedly received videos of children being abused as part of an online group that authorities from the Department of Homeland Security’s Child Exploitation Unit dubbed “Application A” in court papers describing their investigation. They did not name the website to protect ongoing work.
A raid on Verastigui’s apartment uncovered several files of child pornography on his cellphone and other footage of a sexually abused child, according to a criminal complaint.
At the time of his arrest, Verastigui was employed by the nonprofit Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions in the communications department.
“The details of the allegations against Mr. Verastigui are tragic and shocking,” the nonprofit said in a statement to The Post. “He is no longer employed by the organization and we are prepared to fully cooperate with law enforcement requests in this matter to any extent needed.”
Prior to joining the nonprofit in July, Verastigui, who has been involved in pro-life groups, worked for two years for the U.S. Senate, including a year and a half as a senior digital strategist for the Senate Republican Committee, and nine months as digital director of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, according to his LinkedIn profile.
His connection to the GOP was first reported on Twitter by Jared Holt, resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/06/former-senate-republican-rnc-staffer-arrested-on-child-porn-charges/
Photo Credit: Instagram
Woman who went viral for using Gorilla Glue instead of hairspray gets treatment at hospital
A Louisiana woman went viral last week for using Gorilla Glue in place of actual hairspray — before finally checking into the hospital on Saturday to get the hardened adhesive removed, according to posts on her Instagram.
The woman, identified in news reports as Tessica Brown, posted on Feb. 4 that her hair had been stuck in place for a month after she ran out of her usual hair product and opted to use the extra-strong superglue instead.
“Look: My hair, it don’t move. You hear what I’m telling you? It don’t move,” she said in the original video.
“I’ve washed my hair 15 times and it don’t move.”
On Saturday, Brown posted two photos — one of herself sprawled out on a hospital bed and another of the emergency room entrance to St. Bernard Parish Hospital, in Chalmette, Louisiana.
Her decision to seek medical treatment came after three days of crowd-sourcing potential solutions — including from the maker of Gorilla Glue.
The company told TMZ that Brown could use rubbing alcohol on her head — but warned that if it had actually be in place for a month, it was “likely fractured at the root.”
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/07/woman-who-used-gorilla-glue-in-hair-goes-to-st-bernard-parish-hospital/
Photo Credit: Instagram
Students at Utah school allowed to opt out of Black History Month activities – the school’s director said families are allowed “to exercise their civil rights to not participate in Black History Month at the school
NORTH OGDEN, Utah — A charter school in northern Utah that is allowing parents to opt students out of its Black History Month curriculum has sparked a debate over if parents should have the option.
Maria Montessori Academy Director Micah Hirokawa said on the school’s Facebook page on Friday that he “reluctantly” sent out a letter explaining families are allowed “to exercise their civil rights to not participate in Black History Month at the school,” the Standard-Examiner reported.
Hirokawa said “few families” asked not to participate in instruction related to Black History Month. But he declined to say how many parents or their reasons for making the decision.
“We should not shield our children from the history of our Nation, the mistreatment of its African American citizens, and the bravery of civil rights leaders, but should educate them about it,” Hirokawa said, adding that the parents’ request saddens and disappoints him.
The school’s board of directors declined to provide further comment on the decision.
Maria Montessori Academy, which serves elementary and middle school students, incorporates Black History Month into its regular social studies and history lessons throughout the month of February, Hirokawa said.
Hirokawa, who is of Asian decent, said his post goes against his personal beliefs. As someone whose great-grandparents were sent to a Japanese internment camp, he said he sees value in teaching children about the mistreatment, challenges and obstacles that people of color have had to endure in the United States.
Data from the Utah State Board of Education shows the academy has 322 students and only three are Black while about 70 percent are white.
Some parents have argued that giving parents the right to opt out enables racism.
The Ogden chapter of the NAACP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
via: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/students-utah-school-allowed-opt-out-black-history-month-activities-n1256943
Photo Credit: nbcnews.com
Kenyan recycles plastic waste into bricks stronger than concrete
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Nzambi Matee hurls a brick hard against a school footpath constructed from bricks made of recycled plastic that her factory turns out in the Kenyan capital.
It makes a loud bang, but does not crack.
“Our product is almost five to seven times stronger than concrete,” said Matee, the founder of Nairobi-based Gjenge Makers, which transforms plastic waste into durable building materials.
“There is that waste they cannot process anymore; they cannot recycle. That is what we get,” Matee said, strolling past sacks of plastic waste.
Matee gets the waste from packaging factories for free, although she pays for the plastic she gets from other recyclers.
Her factory produces 1,500 bricks each day, made from a mix of different kinds of plastic.
These are high density polyethylene, used in milk and shampoo bottles; low density polyethylene, often used for bags for cerals or sandwiches; and polypropylene, used for ropes, flip-top lids and buckets.
But she does not work with polyethylene terephthalate or PET, commonly used for plastic bottles.
The plastic waste is mixed with sand, heated and then compressed into bricks, which are sold at varying prices, depending on thickness and colour. Their common grey bricks cost 850 Kenyan shillings ($7.70) per square metre, for example.
Matee, a materials engineer who designed her own machines, said her factory has recycled 20 tonnes of waste plastic since its founding in 2017.
via: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2A211N
Photo Credit: reuters
A toddler is about to release an album recorded in the womb
(CNN) — So many talented musicians got their start as children: from Mozart to Michael Jackson, to Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Fifteen-months-old Luca Yupanqui has them all beat: she recorded her first album before being born.
“Sounds of the Unborn” will be released on April 2 by Sacred Bones Records. Luca’s sounds were captured by her parents, musicians Elizabeth Hart and Iván Diaz Mathé, using biosonic MIDI technology.
“The electrodes receive electromagnetic impulses that are translated into MIDI and then hooked up to synthesizers,” Hart told CNN. The MIDI devices were placed on Hart’s womb over 5 sessions, each one-hour long.
According to Hart, Diaz Mathé had experimented with biosonic MIDI technology in the past to capture music from plants. “The concept of music coming from a different source was what motivated this new experimentation,” Hart said.
In a release by Sacred Bones, Luca’s music is defined as “the expression of life in its cosmic state — pre-mind, pre-speculation, pre-influence, and pre-human.”
“The sounds are ever-evolving, repetition and melodies are left aside to give space for free form landscapes. There is a lot happening on the low end, a network of variations that keep shifting and shaping the ambiance,” Hart said in describing Luca’s music.
(CNN) — So many talented musicians got their start as children: from Mozart to Michael Jackson, to Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Fifteen-months-old Luca Yupanqui has them all beat: she recorded her first album before being born.
“Sounds of the Unborn” will be released on April 2 by Sacred Bones Records. Luca’s sounds were captured by her parents, musicians Elizabeth Hart and Iván Diaz Mathé, using biosonic MIDI technology.
“The electrodes receive electromagnetic impulses that are translated into MIDI and then hooked up to synthesizers,” Hart told CNN. The MIDI devices were placed on Hart’s womb over 5 sessions, each one-hour long.
According to Hart, Diaz Mathé had experimented with biosonic MIDI technology in the past to capture music from plants. “The concept of music coming from a different source was what motivated this new experimentation,” Hart said.
In a release by Sacred Bones, Luca’s music is defined as “the expression of life in its cosmic state — pre-mind, pre-speculation, pre-influence, and pre-human.”
“The sounds are ever-evolving, repetition and melodies are left aside to give space for free form landscapes. There is a lot happening on the low end, a network of variations that keep shifting and shaping the ambiance,” Hart said in describing Luca’s music.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/a-toddler-is-about-to-release-an-album-recorded-in-the-womb/article_aa6ca9b7-56af-54ed-a946-86b4c7d7e965.html
Photo Credit: Brendan Burdzinski and Kathleen Hefty