Indiana church wipes out $7.8 million in medical debt for nearly 6,000 families
(Meredith) — An Indiana church helped pay off $7.8 million in medical debt for nearly 6,000 families across the state.
Northview Church teamed up with RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based organization, and leveraged more than $40,000 in donations to wipe out the unpaid medical bills.
RIP Medical Debt negotiates with hospitals, doctors and even investors to purchase debt at pennies on the dollar.
“The debt is then paid off forever, with no adverse consequences to those who benefit,” Northview said in a statement.
The church, which has seven campuses in Indiana, initially raised $20,000 to wipe out $2 million in medical debt for 2,500 families. After Northview announced the debt elimination plan in June, other churches decided to join the cause.
The donations more than doubled and helped Northview erase $7.8 million in medical debt for 5,940 families who live in 10 Indiana communities. Those communities include Indianapolis, Anderson, Carmel, Fishers, Flora, Kokomo, Lafayette, northern Putnam County, Peru, and Westfield.
“This is a great example of churches meeting people’s needs in practical ways, as a demonstration of God’s love,” said Steve Poe, Northview’s senior pastor.
The church said some recipients are not connected with Northview and will be surprised to get a letter in the mail about the canceled debt.
Photo Credit: Northview Church
Woman berates Florida teen with racial slurs for dropping gum wrapper
A white woman in Florida went absolutely berserk after catching a black teen littering, berating him and his family with a racial slur, video shows.
The unidentified woman went off Saturday on 14-year-old Barry Henry outside a FedEx store in St. Petersburg, where the teen was dropping off some documents with his grandmother, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Inside the store, the ninth-grader bought a pack of Extra gum and later dropped a wrapper outside, a piece of trash he intended to pick up, he told the newspaper.
That prompted a nearby “middle-aged” woman to erupt immediately, according to footage of the encounter posted by Henry’s sister.
“Nuh uh, don’t even act like that!” the woman screamed. “Pick it up! Pick it up! Find it! Get down on your knees and find it!”
Henry then turns away from the woman and laughs nervously toward the camera as the woman escalated her verbal assault, footage shows.
“No account little n—-r,” she continued. “That’s how you are. All y’all, no account f–king n—–s! Walk around here acting like something!”
The woman then directed her ire toward Henry’s cousin, who recorded a portion of the encounter, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“Film me, f–ker!” she said. “Film me!”
Tykeshia Henry-Burch, the teen’s mother, said it was the first time he had been called the N-word in his life.
“It was so unbelievable to me,” she told the newspaper of the footage. “I was so hurt and just couldn’t believe she had said those things to my son. He’s only 14.”
Henry-Burch said her daughter posted the video on Facebook against her will, but acknowledged her reasoning to “heighten awareness” that racism still flourishes in the United States.
“Almost 2020 and we still are dealing with being spoken to in this manner over what exactly?” the post read. “A gum wrapper. Tasteless.”
The woman – dubbed online as “Pick It Up Peggy” – desperately needs counseling, Henry-Burch told WFLA.
“I would tell her she needs to seek help, she has serious issues,” she told the station. “She needs to watch what she says to people.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/10/woman-berates-florida-teen-with-racial-slurs-for-dropping-gum-wrapper/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
St. Paul cop offers alleged shoplifter a break – she stabs him in return
A Saint Paul, Minnesota, cop was stabbed by a homeless woman Monday evening after he had offered to give her a break for allegedly shoplifting from a grocery store, according to a report.
Officer Joe Ryan approached the woman around 8 p.m. after store employees told him that a woman had hidden items in her clothing without paying for them, the Star Tribune reported. He offered to let her return the stolen items without punishment, according to the paper.
The woman – later identified as 23-year-old Articia L. Moore – denied having stolen anything, even though Ryan could allegedly see the concealed items. She then returned a single item. Ryan told her to return the rest.
The woman explained she was homeless and became uncooperative, The Tribune reported. Ryan grabbed her arm after allegedly seeing a knife handle in her pocket.
A scuffle ensued, and the woman allegedly struck Ryan in the chest with a screwdriver and in the arm with a knife, according to a criminal complaint. Ryan brought her under control and arrested her.
Ryan’s vest protected him against the screwdriver, while his left bicep had a minor cut, according to the charges.
Moore was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree assault and assaulting a police officer.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/09/st-paul-cop-offers-alleged-shoplifter-a-break-gets-stabbed/
Photo Credit: Ramsey County jail
Simone Biles just became the most decorated female gymnast in history
Simone Biles just doesn’t stop. The Best Gymnast Ever just officially became the most decorated female gymnast in history, after she won her 21st World Championship medal in Stuttgart, Germany. (The win Tuesday beats the record of retired gymnast Svetlana Khorkina, who had 20.)
Did we mention Biles is only 22? Wow.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, 15 of those medals are gold. That’s the most World Championship gold medals ever in gymnastics history, too.
And her count could grow before the week is up.
Tuesday’s gold medal was awarded for the Women’s Team Final event, where Team USA competes against other countries.
The winner is decided by tallying the total scores from the participating gymnasts. In addition to being Biles’ 21st medal, it was Team USA’s fifth consecutive world team title.
But Biles’ week isn’t quite finished.
On Thursday, she’ll be competing in the Women’s All-Around Final, before spending the weekend competing in all four individual event finals — vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
She’s not guaranteed to medal in all of them, of course. But it does mean that her total count of World Championship medals could get up to 26 by the end of the week.
Last year, at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Biles brought home six medals — including four golds in team, all-around, vault and floor exercise. And yes, for those of you keeping count, that does mean she brought home a medal in every single event possible.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Woman allegedly steals garage, tries to sell it on Facebook Marketplace
An Oklahoma woman was busted for allegedly stealing an entire building and trying to hawk it online, according to a report.
Vicki Treaster, 36, is accused of swiping a metal garage near Oklahoma City then posting an ad on Facebook Marketplace trying to offload it for $1,500, according to koco.com.
The owner of the structure told cops he was browsing the Craigslist-style local ad space, when he spotted a photo of his own building for sale.
The ad featured two people disassembling the garage, which he said was actually worth $6,000, according to the local outlet.
When questioned by cops, Treaster allegedly first lied about where she got the structure, and later claimed a friend gave it to her, the outlet reported.
But the “friend” — who turned out to be the victim’s brother — said he didn’t give her permission to take it.
Treaster was charged with one count of grand larceny and one count of unlawfully using a computer network to make money.
The report didn’t note when the structure was stolen, nor how big it was.
The ad no longer appeared on Facebook Marketplace Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Johnson & Johnson to Pay $8 Billion in Damages After Man Says He Developed Breasts After Taking Antipsychotic Drug
Johnson & Johnson will have to pay $8 billion in punitive damages after a man claims the company didn’t warn young men that the drug Risperdal could grow breasts, a jury said Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Nicholas Murray, 26, previously won $680,000 in the case over the antipsychotic drug Risperdal in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Murray says he developed breasts after he began taking Risperdal in 2003 when a psychologist diagnosed him with autism spectrum disorder, according to Reuters.
Murray’s lawyers, Tom Kline and Jason Itkin said in a statement the “jury told Johnson & Johnson that its actions were deliberate and malicious.”
“The conduct that the jury saw in the courtroom, was clear and convincing that J&J disregarded the safety of the most vulnerable of children. This is an important moment, not only for this litigation, but for J&J, which is a company that has lost its way.”
In a statement to CNN, Johnson & Johnson called the award “grossly disproportionate with the initial compensatory award in this case, and the Company is confident it will be overturned.”
The company added, “the jury did not hear evidence as to how the label for RISPERDAL® clearly and appropriately outlined the risks associated with the medicine, or the benefits RISPERDAL® provides to patients with serious mental illness.”
The case is the first of thousands in Pennsylvania where a jury could award punitive damages, Reuters reported.
Previously, a Pennsylvania judge ruled New Jersey law, which prohibits punitive damages and is Johnson & Johnson’s home state, should be applied to all cases.
In 2018, a Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled punitive damages were permitted, noting the state where each plaintiff lives should be the determining factor, according to Reuters.
An ‘essential medicine’
The World Health Organization includes risperidone, the chemical name for Risperdal, on its list of “essential medicines,” meaning the drug is “one of the minimum medicines needed for a basic healthcare system.”
But since 1994, when J&J put Risperdal on the market, the drug has drawn a significant amount of attention and controversy, beyond undisclosed side effects.
In 2013, in one of the largest health care fraud settlements in US history, the Department of Justice said Risperdal and two other drugs manufactured by Johnson & Johnson were promoted for dementia patients, even though Risperdal was approved only to treat schizophrenia. This use was not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration.
The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1993.
“The conduct at issue in this case jeopardized the health and safety of patients and damaged the public trust,” then-Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time.
The department also alleged that Janssen promoted the drug for use in children and people with mental disabilities, despite knowing the health risks.
The agency also alleged that Janssen’s sales representatives told doctors that they needed to increase their Risperdal prescriptions in order to receive speaking fees for speeches set up by Janssen. Janssen agreed to the settlement and fines.
In a statement at the time, the company blamed the sales representatives.
Responding at the time to accusations that it inappropriately marketed the drug to children, J&J said Janssen “did not direct sales representatives to promote Risperdal for use in children or adolescents, and it did not approve sales materials aimed at treating children or adolescents.”
J&J insisted, “Risperdal is a safe and effective medication that has helped millions of people live better lives for more than two decades.”
Photo Credit: Credit: JB Reed/Bloomberg via Getty
$2.2 Million Worth of Fake Nike Shoes Seized at L.A., Long Beach Seaports
Thousands of fake Nike sneakers worth $2.2 million were seized at the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports, authorities said Wednesday.
Almost 15,000 pairs were found in a shipment from China, hidden in containers labelled “napkins,” according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.
The containers were carrying Nike’s Air Jordans and Air Max shoes, including models that are special edition and typically cost up to $2,000 online.
“These special edition Nike and retro designs are highly coveted by collectors and sport shoes enthusiasts,” CBP said. “Consumers shopping online are eventually likely to encounter fraudulent sellers.
Authorities said the trade of fake sneakers often funds criminal enterprises that smuggle the shoes across borders.
“Counterfeit brand-name shoes is a multi-million dollar criminal industry,” CBP Port Director LaFonda Sutton-Burke said in a written statement. “The trafficking of these items is extremely lucrative and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular products.”
China has been the leading manufacturer of both legitimate and fake sneakers for decades, with the country producing about 86% of the world’s counterfeit goods, according to 2016 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The fake sneaker industry has proliferated through online marketplaces and social media platforms, the Los Angeles Times reported. Many buyers contact sellers through chatrooms and e-commerce sites.
“Transnational criminal organizations continue to profit from American intellectual property by selling their counterfeit and piratical goods not only in the U.S. but around the world,” L.A.’s Homeland Security Investigations chief, Joseph Macias, said.
via: https://ktla.com/2019/10/09/2-2-million-worth-of-fake-nike-shoes-seized-at-l-a-long-beach-seaports/
Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Parents Arrested After 2 Kids, Ages 1 and 2, Left Alone for Hours at Lake Elsinore Motel
Two young children were found by themselves at a motel in Lake Elsinore, and their parents were both allegedly under the influence of different substances when authorities contacted them, officials said Wednesday.
Deputies initially responded on Tuesday to a report a 1-year-old walking alone in a motel parking lot in the 31700 block of Casino Drive, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The child was wearing only a diaper at the time.
Deputies picked up the baby and then noticed the door to a motel room was open. Inside, they found a 2-year-old alone, sheriff’s officials said.
While authorities were trying to locate the children’s parents, their father showed up.
Joseph Salas, 50, of Temecula, was taken to the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station, as were the two children, according to the statement. Salas was allegedly under the influence of marijuana at the time.
A short time later, the mother — 32-year-old Tamara Ross of Temecula — arrived at the station. She was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when she drove there, the department said.
Investigators said they determined the two youngsters had been left alone for more than three hours.
Salas was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and being under the influence of marijuana in public; Ross was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and DUI, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Child protective services was called to take custody of the two juveniles.
Authorities continue to investigate, and anyone with more information is asked to call Cpl. Brown at 951-245-3300 or sheriff’s dispatch at 951-776-1099.
Photo Credit: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
An 8-year-old girl wasn’t allowed to take her school picture because of her red hair extensions
MICHIGAN — An 8-year-old girl said she felt “singled out” after being blocked from getting her school picture taken because of her hairstyle.
Marian Scott told CNN affiliate WILX she cried after she was told that she couldn’t get her photo taken because of the red extensions in her hair.
Ben Kriesch, principal of Paragon Charter Academy, told the station that Marian’s red extensions violated school policy.
Marian’s father Doug Scott called the incident “upsetting.”
“All of this is uncalled for, they didn’t even call us,” Scott told WILX. “They let her stay in school. … So if she’s not a disruption to the class, then why is she a disruption to the picture?”
The Jackson, Michigan, school’s handbook says students’ hair color must be “of natural tones” to get their picture taken, WILX reported.
Kriesch told the station that students with a hair color or style violation have a week to get it corrected, which is why Marian was allowed to remain in class.
The girl’s family said they don’t have plans to remove her from the school, but they said they would like to see better communication from school administrators.
“If they would have reached out to us and say come get her … she’s got a hair issue, we need you to change it, that’s not allowed — I would have been fine with why this happened, but they didn’t reach out to us,” Scott told WILX.
The school sent out a recorded message the Sunday before photos were taken going over the dress code policy that Scott said he never heard nor saw, according to the station.
“Had I seen the email, I probably would have told Marian’s mother to not do it, but I guess I think it’s good that this happened because now people are going to get the opportunity to see what is really going on,” he said.
This isn’t the first time a dress code has been criticized. In September, a Texas school district said a 4-year-old boy had to braid his hair or cut it off, saying his long hair is in violation of the school district’s dress code. Parents argued that it was discriminatory against black hairstyles.
Action has been taken to stop employers from discriminating against people based on their natural hair.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Crown Act into law in July, making it illegal to enforce dress code or grooming policies against hairstyles such as afros, braids, twists and locks.
Marian went to school on Monday for the first time since the incident with all black hair. She plans to get her picture taken on retake day, November 12.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
‘Armed’ robber forced to buy cheeseburger so McDonald’s staff could open the till
An “armed” robber was forced to buy a 99p cheeseburger so staff could open the till at the McDonald’s he was attempting to rob.
Daniel Parra-Braun, 37, burst into the fast-food restaurant and placed a note on the counter which read: “I am armed. Give till cash now.”
But he was left stunned when he was told the tills would not open unless he bought something off the menu.
Incredibly, Parra-Braun ordered a 99p cheeseburger and even handed over a £5 note before making off with £136 in cash.
The bizarre robbery was one of four Parra-Braun carried out in Coventry in just 12 hours before being caught on June 16 last year.
Parra-Braun, of Coventry, has now been jailed for five years after he admitted two charges of robbery and two attempted robberies at Warwick Crown Court.
Judge Peter Cooke told him: “I accept that this bizarre few hours in your life was the product of something of a psychiatric collapse you had suffered.
“Your behaviour has that peculiar flavour to it and was not just about obtaining money.
“There is no suggestion you produced or had a weapon, but the people on the other end of the threats were not to know that.”
The court heard Parra-Braun struck at the McDonald’s on the Gallagher Retail Park in Coventry at 8pm on June 16.
He marched up to the counter and told the terrified server: “Give me the money from the till. You’re going to have to, I’m armed.”
The man behind the counter said he could not open the till until a purchase was made so Parra-Braun ordered a cheeseburger and gave him £5.
The assistant still did not hand over any money, but the manager gave him £136 from the till, and Parra-Braun fled.
Earlier in the day, Parra-Braun also held up another McDonald’s as well as a bookmakers and a hotel in the city.
The court heard Parra-Braun had 11 convictions for offences including theft.
Ian Windridge, defending, said: “He has mental health conditions, but they did not
contribute to the offending, nor did they require hospital treatment.
“He goes back to Coventry. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing. He makes comments and writes notes.
“He wasn’t in need of money. It was a cry for help, but not a substantial one.”
Photo Credit: SWNS/Getty