Indiana couple forced boys off road, angered by Trump flags
HOBART, Ind. (AP) — A northwestern Indiana couple allegedly used a car to force two teenage boys off a road, angered that the twin brothers were riding bicycles adorned with flags supporting President Donald Trump, before ripping one of the sibling’s flag from his bike, police said Friday.
Hobart police said Snapchat videos helped officers secure charges against Kyren Gregory Perry-Jones, 23, and Cailyn Marie Smith, 18, in connection with a July 22 incident.
Police Capt. James Gonzales said the Hobart couple are accused of driving in their car, running the 14-year-old boys off of the road, and making threats toward them.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the boys told officers that a vehicle with a man driving and woman passenger followed them before the male driver pulled up nearby and asked one of the boys “if they were Trump supporters” — to which the boy replied that they were.
The driver then swerved at the boys, forcing them onto roadside grass to avoid being struck, according to the affidavit. The driver followed the boys before exiting the car and tearing off the flag from one of the brother’s bikes, the affidavit states.
The driver dropped the flag, which was affixed to the bike with fishing pole, ran back to his car and drove off, “but not before running the flag over,” it states.Choices for your old 401(k)We can help you understand choices for your retirement needs. Get up to $600 when you roll over your 401(k) to Merrill Edge® Self-Directed.Ad By Merrill EdgeSee More
Both Perry-Jones and Smith have been charged with two felony counts of intimidation and criminal recklessnes. They were also charged with one count each of theft and criminal mischief, both of which are misdemeanors.
Smith was in custody but Perry-Jones remained at large Friday evening, police said. Online court records do not list attorneys who could speak on behalf of either of them.
Gonzales said the charges weren’t filed until Thursday because there was a delay in detectives getting information from Snapchat, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.
In a video posted to Snapchat, allegedly by the couple of their encounter with the boy, shows “the driver turns the wheel sharply as if he saw the boys and wanted to hit them with the vehicle while yelling `ya’ll better get home,'” according to the affidavit. A male’s voice is then heard telling the female passenger “pull that flag down” in the video which shows the female trying to reach it through her window and her saying, “get closer.”
“The female is then heard saying `ya’ll scared, just like your president” and `America is not great'” followed by an expletive, according to the affidavit.
In a second Snapchat video, Perry-Jones alleged says, “Don’t let me see you downtown” to one of the boys and threatens to beat him up.
Photo Credit: Hobart Police Department
Family thought they bought insurance to cover their son’s birth. Then they got a bill for more than $150,000
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — A local family just welcomed a baby boy into their family. But the birth came with a hefty price tag, one that they thought their health plan would at least partially cover.
Now Ali and Elijah Middlesworth are sharing their story because they don’t want anyone else to fall victim to the company that has them facing $150,000 debt.
Ali Middlesworth said her son Declan’s birth in October wasn’t easy.
“Went to the hospital with severe pre-eclampsia,” Ali said.
For her safety and the baby’s, days later doctors at Mercy Hospital decided to induce labor five weeks before her due date.
“He came out and he was unresponsive, 10 minutes go by [and] they call in a crash cart, and they finally revive him and take him straight down to the NICU,” Ali said.
It was days before Ali and Elijah could hold Declan for the first time, and two weeks before they could bring him home.
“He’s perfectly healthy, he’s three months old now,” Ali said.
The joys of having a healthy baby have been watered down by mounting medical bills
“My responsibility is $47,481.61,” Ali said. But that’s just from one medical statement. “It’s close to totaling $150,000.”
Ali said her health plan company has refused to pay a dime.
“I feel scammed.”
Her job doesn’t supply her with insurance coverage. So, she signed up for Aliera Health.
“The plan in the book shows it’s a really good plan, you know 80/20 co insurance, $1000 deductible, $500 for maternity coverage isn’t bad. Throughout the entire pregnancy, they covered everything, doctors’ visits; just like regular insurance,” she explained.
It wasn’t until later they realized the coverage isn’t what they thought they were paying for.
“They even sold it to us as insurance on the phone. Then when labor and delivery hit, they covered nothing.”
Aliera is part of what’s called a health care sharing ministry. They aren’t required to follow the same rules as traditional insurers, including paying claims.
“It’s not even insurance, but they don’t tell you that before you sign up and make your first payment,” Middlesworth said.
Aliera says “member contributions are received by the health care sharing ministry and are then used to pay eligible share requests to the ministry’s members.”
So what Ali thought was a monthly-premium is actually called a “contribution” or “gift” which ends up in a money pot and is shared amongst Aliera’s members.
She learned that even has a limit.
“Medical expenses for newborn arising from complications at the time, including but not limited to premature birth, are treated as a separate incident and limited to $50,000 of eligible share.”
A quick Google search of Aliera Healthcare shows how confusing it can be.
Once you get past the ads, the first website is called Aliera Companies, which doesn’t even look like a healthcare webpage.Find fresh baked taste from DIGIORNO that you can’t get from deliveryDIGIORNO Original Rising Crust bakes up crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the insideAd By DiGiornoSee More
And on Ali’s paperwork it calls her “the insured.” But Aliera says “health care sharing ministries, by law, are not a contract and are not insurance.”
“It’s partially probably our fault for not reading the fine print, but it’s very deceiving,” Ali said.
When she added Declan to their plan she was sent new cards with a new company name.
“It was a different company. It went from Aliera to Trinity. And at the bottom, in all caps it said ‘This is not insurance’ and it didn’t say that before,” Ali said.
Trinity Healthshare is an Aliera client.
Ali said when they started taking Declan to the doctor staff wouldn’t take the cards because they say “this is not insurance.”
Then the bills started coming in and that’s when she started reading.
“Monthly contributions are voluntary contributions or gifts that are non-refundable. As a non-insurance membership neither Trinity share, nor the membership are liable for any part of an individual’s medical need all contributors are responsible for their medical need. That just makes my heart drop, it says basically they’re not responsible for any bills, but we pay almost $500 a month,” Middlesworth said.
Aliera sent News 4 a statement, it reads in part:
“We are proud of the work we do to help ministries provide a more flexible method for securing affordable high-quality health care, and we will continue to vigorously defend against false claims about our company.”
As it stands, Ali and Elijah are $150,000 in medical debt.
“We’re gonna be paying it the rest of our lives,” Ali said.
Ali said their case is hanging between Mercy hospital and Aliera/Trinity Healthcare.
“[Mercy] keeps telling me the insurance company has declined the bills and so I call Aliera and they say they haven’t declined them, they’re just waiting on medical records, and Mercy says they’ve sent the medical records and have proof that Aliera has declined them,” Ali said.
Mercy hospital sent News 4 this in response to the family’s medical bills:
“In instances where a family does not have insurance, Mercy works with families to see if they would qualify for Medicaid and then otherwise work to provide financial assistance, if they can’t.”
“Mercy has been nothing but the best to us, and they’ve worked with us so much,” Ali said.
While they’re stuck in the middle, Ali and Elijah say Declan is worth every cent.
“We got him out of it and he’s all that matters to us, as long as we have him that’s all that matters,” Mom said.
Aliera told News 4 families can file an appeal.
The Middlesworths said Aliera told them it’s reviewing $41,000 of their debt but no money has been paid.
According to the Better Business Bureau, the company is facing more than 100 complaints and a suspended accreditation. Colorado, Texas, and Washington have sent cease and desists letters to stop Aliera from operating.
We reached out to the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. They told us they couldn’t speak on any possible open investigations, because their files are closed.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Burger King debuts a french fry sandwich and Wendy’s isn’t impressed
(CNN) — Burger chains have come a long way, now offering a wide array of options for all, no matter your dietary preference.
Take the meatless Whopper. It turned heads and left taste buds curious.
Now Burger King has introduced the Chip Butty, a patty-less sandwich with french fries, mayo and ketchup wedged in between two buns.
The inspiration behind the new sandwich came from a happy “culinary accident” with one of the chain’s chefs, according to a message Burger King New Zealand posted to its Facebook page earlier this month. With that accident, in came the idea for the Chip Butty and Chip Butty with bacon.
It’s only available to New Zealand customers right now for $2 ($1.27 USD), and it’s unclear if it will make its way to other markets in the future.
While this concept is new to Burger King, the patty-less sandwich isn’t a new one. Chip Buttys have been around for years and are commonly found at fish and chip shops across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Ingredients include mayonnaise, ketchup, cheese, hot sauce and malt vinegar, depending on your preference.
The good people of social media ate up Burger King’s concept, flooding Twitter with opinions and comments. Some skeptical, others intrigued. But perhaps the most notable reaction came from none other than one of Burger King’s rivals.
Wendy’s wasted little time throwing shade, tweeting, “When literally anything would be better on a bun than their beef.”
And the insults didn’t stop there. As more people replied to the Twitter thread, Wendy’s popped back in the conversation to deliver some more jabs.
Burger King hasn’t responded yet to all the commentary.
Photo Credit: Burger King New Zealand
Family billed $4,233 after daughter sent to hospital by school counselor
PARK COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado family is planning to fight a medical bill they say was never authorized.
Ashley Gray, 16, of Park County, said she was sent to the hospital in January for a mental health evaluation after talking to the counselor at Platte Canyon High School.
“I was just having a bad day and I needed someone to talk to in the heat of the moment, so I went to our counselor,” Gray said.
An hour later, Gray was in the back seat of a squad car headed to the Children’s Hospital South Campus in Highlands Ranch — more than 45 minutes away.
Her father, Maverick Gray, said they weren’t notified until Ashley was nearly at the hospital. This week, they received the bill for that visit: $4,233.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Maverick. “They took it upon themselves to send my daughter to the hospital without my acknowledgement or permission, and then I get a $4,000 bill.”
District Superintendent Mike Schmidt declined to comment on the bill Thursday, instead referring us to a previous statement released by the district:
“As in most public schools, our mental health team uses a risk assessment process that is relatively common. Included in that process is the use of a risk assessment screening tool, by the team, to try to determine the level of risk. We will only request transport to a mental health facility if our team determines that there exists an imminent risk of self-harm or harm to others based on the best information we have. ‘Imminent risk’ typically involves an unusual amount of specificity. Parents are always contacted at some point during the process and are instrumental in supporting the student moving forward.”
Ashley said she spoke with a nurse and with a counselor over Skype before being released a few hours later. Children’s Hospital declined to release a breakdown on how that equates to a $4,233 bill.
“They don’t give breakdowns,” said Maverick. “It’s just an emergency room visit, and that’s the price.”
Children’s Hospital released the following to KDVR regarding the cost of the visit:
- At Children’s Hospital Colorado, we take youth mental health very seriously.
- Suicide is the number one cause of death for youth ages 10 – 24 in Colorado.
- When patients present to the emergency department with verbal or behavioral indications that they’re a danger to themselves or others, we by law, must provide a comprehensive, safety-focused mental health assessment.
- These assessments, which are provided by mental health providers with special training in emergency pediatric psychiatry, are important to determine if the youth is in acute danger.
- The hospital’s Financial Counseling department works closely with families to offer assistance in paying bills.
Maverick is hoping to pursue legal action against the district and says he has no plans to pay the bill.
“Platte Canyon School District needs to pay this bill,” he said. “That’s obvious.”
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
2-year-old girl Charleigh Nicole Nelson drowns in septic tank at Texas RV park
A 2-year-old girl has died after she fell into a septic tank at a Texas RV park — drowning as rescuers scrambled to save her, according to officials and reports.
Little Charleigh Nicole Nelson was walking on the lid of the wastewater tank at Paradise Lagoons RV Resort in Aransas Pass Wednesday when she plunged nearly 15 feet, according to KRIS-TV.
Her horrified family tried to rescue the girl with rope and shovels to no avail — as cops and firefighters raced to the scene, the local station reported.
Rescuers clambered to pull the child out through a 2-foot-wide hole in the tank — which was filled with 3 nearly feet of water — at around 5:30 p.m., the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department said in a press release.
They removed the child’s lifeless body from the tank after about an hour.
“This is a terrible tragedy for the family of this child, her neighbors who witnessed the event, and all of the 1st responders who assisted in the recovery,” the press release states.
The child’s heartbroken mother Brittney Nelson said she was in “disbelief” after the fatal fall.
“We are clinging to each other tonight…Please, please keep praying,” she wrote on Facebook. “Pray for our family members that are traveling to us as well. I love each and every person who has messaged us. We are definitely going to need yall.”
It wasn’t immediately clear Friday how the child fell into the septic tank but park residents told KRIS-TV the girl that the lid of the tank buckled underneath her.
Photo Credit: Facebook
Florida bill calls for minors to get written consent for abortion
Florida lawmakers have passed a bill that would require minors to have written parental consent to obtain an abortion.
Right now, parents or legal guardians must be notified — but don’t have to provide their consent.
If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill, a doctor who performs an abortion without notarized written consent and proof of a government-issued ID from parents could be charged with a third-degree felony and face up to five years in prison.
The bill provides exceptions for medical emergencies and if the minor petitions a court for a judicial waiver.
But “the physician must make reasonable attempts, whenever possible, and without endangering the minor, to contact the parent or legal guardian of the minor,” the bill reads.
DeSantis, a Republican, previously expressed his support for the bill in his Jan. 14 “State of the State” address.
“I also hope that the parental consent bill will make its way to my desk during this session!” DeSantis said.
The bill passed Thursday 75 to 43. Five Democrats supported the measure; two female Republicans cast no votes, records show.
Planned Parenthood of Southwest & Central Florida slammed the bill as “unconstitutional.”
“We need to call our legislators to hold them accountable for passing this unconstitutional bill!” the abortion-rights group tweeted.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/02/22/florida-bill-calls-for-minors-to-get-written-consent-for-abortion/
Photo Credit: AP
An Amber Alert was issued for Evelyn Mae Boswell who was reported missing this week, but she was last seen on December 26
Tennessee authorities are looking for a 15-month-old who was last seen two months ago and the reward for her safe return has reached $33,000.
The TBI believed people who were traveling in a gray 2007 BMW had information about the girl’s whereabouts, the agency said.
Authorities located the car and the people in Wilkes County, North Carolina, late Friday. It’s unclear how the people were connected to the missing girl.
Evelyn remains missing and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance, the agency told CNN.
“The day before yesterday, a family member of this missing child reported in a department of children’s services referral about the child being missing,” Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Andy Seabolt told CNN affiliate WCYB.
He told the news station that investigators are trying to understand why there was a “lapse in time in the child being reported missing.”
“Right now we’re not sure of her exact location,” Seabolt said. “It could be anywhere from what we know. We’re conducting the investigation and obviously we’re talking to as many people as we’ve come in contact with that knew about the child.”
“We want to know why the child was not reported missing earlier,” he added, according to the news station.
The toddler has blonde hair and blue eyes, police said, and was last seen wearing a pink tracksuit, pink shoes and a pink bow.
“If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Evelyn, please contact the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office at 423-279-7330 or the TBI at 1-800-TBIFIND,” a news release from TBI reads.
Photo Credit: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Pigeons with ‘Make America Great Again’ hats glued to their head released in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Pigeons with tiny Make American Great Again hats glued to their heads were released in downtown Las Vegas this week, in what appears to be a sarcastic statement of loyalty to Trump and mock protest of Nevada’s upcoming Democratic presidential caucus.
A group calling itself P.U.T.I.N., Pigeons United To Interfere Now, claimed responsibility for the stunt. The pigeons were set loose on Tuesday, according to the group.
NBC affiliate KSNV spotted at least one of the pigeons still in a hat on a downtown street on Wednesday afternoon.
“P.U.T.I.N. have used their pigeons to launch a one of a kind aerial protest piece in response to the arrival of the 2020 Democratic Presidential hopefuls,” according to a group statement. “The release date was also coordinated to serve as a gesture of support and loyalty to President Trump.”
Twenty-five pigeons were released, with 24 of them wearing hats and one donning a Trump-style wig, the group said in an email to NBC News on Thursday.
“Most have returned. We expect to see the rest tonight or tomorrow,” the group said.
While the stunt has drawn some laughs, Mariah Hillman, who runs Lofty Hopes, a Las Vegas pigeon rescue organization, called the MAGA stunt “animal cruelty.”
In December, videos of three pigeons wearing miniature red cowboy hats went viral after they were seen on Las Vegas streets.
“It started here with the press making fun of it, the police didn’t do anything about it and now it’s grown into this, so when is it going to stop and who’s going to do something about it?” Hillman told NBC News on Thursday.
Hillman and her volunteers are setting traps in hopes of removing the pigeons’ hats before rehabilitating and releasing the birds.
Photo Credit: reviewjournal.com
New ‘skull breaker’ viral challenge could be fatal, doctors say
(Meredith) — Another new viral trend is picking up steam across TikTok, and doctors say this one can be fatal.
The “Skull Breaker Challenge” involves three people. One person stands in the middle of the other two and jumps while the two people on the side kick the feet out from the person jumping, causing them to smash their head onto the ground.
The original video went viral and has prompted many, many copycats, according to Fox News.
Doctors and parents alike are warning teens that doing this challenge could result in serious injuries or even death, depending on the severity of the injury.
One mother posted online about her son who attempted the challenge and was left with stitches in his face, a head injury and severe cuts in his mouth.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Airbnb host finds drugs, knives, and blood stains after two-day room rental
OLATHE, Kan. (WDAF) – An Airbnb host said his home was trashed after a couple rented a room from him for two days.
Chris Sayegh said he began using the popular site to make extra money, partnering with Airbnb to list a private room in his home on the site, according to WDAF.
“I’ve had people come hungover after a party and needed a hotel,” Sayegh said. “New Years, that was crazy, but other than that, this is the first of the first.”
He says his experience renting out a portion of his house changed last week, when a couple left behind drugs, knives in the walls, blood stains around the room and trash.
Sayegh estimated the damage to be upwards of $4,000.
“It was bad. I mean, I had a manic episode, and I was basically cleaning really, really good, and I just cleaned everything, and I just did not stop,” Sayegh said.
Police came and confiscated the drug paraphernalia. That led to the arrest of 29-year-old Rebecca Singh and 23-year-old Joseph Crane.
The pair both face drug possession charges with individual bonds set at $10,000.
“I will continue Airbnbing if they will help me get the proper security systems to be comfortable, help me get a ring doorbell, the proper locks for everyone room, and compensate me for my emotional pain,” Sayegh said.
He said he contacted Airbnb, and the claims department assured him the matter would be handled.
FOX4 also reached out to Airbnb. In a statement, a spokesperson says:
“The reported behavior has no place on Airbnb. We’ve removed the booking guest from our community and are in communication with the host to initiate a claim through Airbnb’s $1 million Host Guarantee.”
A rep with Airbnb also said it runs background checks on all renters for felonies and significant misdemeanors using name and dates of birth.
Sayegh said he hopes his experience is a cautionary tale to others interested in renting out their homes.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com