Woman Says Florida Scientology Operatives Cut Car’s Brake Lines, Followed Her After She Spoke Out About Alleged Abuse
A woman says in a Florida lawsuit that Scientology operatives cut the brake lines on her car, vandalized her property and followed her after she spoke out about alleged abuse.
The lawsuit filed last Wednesday in state court in Miami says the unnamed 25-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted as a child in Scientology’s care.
She says the harassment started after she left the Church of Scientology last year and spoke out about the abuse.
The lawsuit claims church officials knew about the abuse, but did nothing to stop it, and didn’t contact law enforcement.
The Tampa Bay Times reports it is the third civil lawsuit filed against the church since June by a group of victims’ rights lawyers.
The woman is referred to only as Jane Doe for fear of more retaliation by the church of Scientology.
An attorney for the church called the lawsuit “a disgusting sham.”
Photo Credit: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)
School bus driver busted after student calls 911 to report her driving drunk
A school bus driver in Washington was arrested after a young student called 911 to report her for running red lights while driving drunk, according to reports.
The 10-year-old pupil got off the bus because he was so concerned about driver Catherine Maccarone, 48, who had driven about 90 children the day she was busted, according to ABC News.
“The bus driver, Catherine, she was drunk,” the unidentified Longview fifth-grader told the 911 dispatcher, in audio released to ABC.
“She passed three red lights and she got on the side road by the 76. And there’s still kids on there. And I was telling my friend to get off with me — and his sister — but the bus driver wouldn’t let him.”
He said the driver was “not acting like herself” and had been swearing at kids on the bus, according to The Daily News in Longview.
She was so bad she was “wobbling,” the boy reportedly told the dispatcher. “Her eyes, you can tell, she was drunk,” he said, according to ABC.
While there were no children on the bus by the time police got to Maccarone on Thursday last week, she had completed two afternoon routes, according to Longview police.
“Officers smelled an obvious odor of intoxicants coming from Maccarone,” police said in a statement.
Maccarone told the officer she was upset about her divorce and was taking anxiety and sleep medication — saying “Oh, you know” when asked which ones, according to The Daily News.
Maccarone was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail for driving under the influence and reckless endangerment. She is due back in court on Oct. 15.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
NYPD officer allegedly molested 10-year-old girl – is currently suspended from duties
BROOKLYN — An NYPD officer is accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend’s daughter, police said.
Shaun Frazier, 39, turned himself in to authorities Thursday morning in Brooklyn after an NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau investigation found out he molested the 10-year-old girl, according to police.
Frazier faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
Frazier, who had been on job since 2015 and was assigned to the transit department, is currently suspended, police said.
The officer appeared before a Brooklyn judge Thursday. He was released on his own cognizance, according to authorities.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/19/nypd-officer-allegedly-molests-10-year-old-girl/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Celine Dion doesn’t want Drake to tattoo her face on his body
NEW YORK — Just because you loved her, Drake, it doesn’t mean that Celine Dion wants her face on your body.
The singer has asked her fellow Canadian to not get a Celine Dion tattoo.
“Please, Drake, I love you very much,” Dion said during an interview with iHeartRadio Canada. “Can I tell you something? Don’t do that.”
Drake is well known for getting tats of muses and musical influences.
The rapper has two tattoos of singer Sade on his torso and has expressed a desire to add Dion to his collection.
But Dion would rather pass and had a message for Drake: “You can write me love letters. You can send me autographs for my kids. You can come and visit.”
“I can have you home for lunch or dinner. We can go for a drink,” she added.” We can sing together. Whatever you want to do. I can talk to your mother. Whatever you want, but please…”
The singer’s reasoning is that she doesn’t think her face will age well on Drake’s body as time goes on.
“As time goes, as you go older, you too — when time comes my face will go longer and it will go not prettier,” she said. “Please don’t tattoo. If you do it, just do a fake one.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/21/celine-dion-doesnt-want-drake-to-tattoo-her-face-on-his-body/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Washington Mother Says School Planned to Put Desk in Bathroom for Her 11-Year-Old Son With Autism
A Washington mother is furious with the Bellingham School District after discovering a desk was being placed in a school bathroom for her son, KTLA sister station KCPQ in Seattle reported Thursday.
Danielle Goodwyn told the station her son Lucas has special needs and requires a quiet learning environment. But she received unwelcome news this week when she went into her son’s classroom at Whatcom Middle School.
“The teacher informed us that he would be studying in the bathroom,” she told KCPQ.
In a photo that Goodwyn took, a desk is seen sitting over the toilet, and a chair is next to the sink.
“And a napping mat, so he was expected to use that mat to sleep on the bathroom floor,” she said.
Goodwyn told KCPQ that Lucas has autism and loud sounds are a trigger for him.
“We were trying to find a quieter place for him to work,” she said.
Goodwyn said there have been no issues with meeting Lucas’ education needs at the district in the past. He started sixth grade this year, and says he now feels scared.
“I thought this was going to be where I was for the rest of the year,” he said.
According to Goodwyn, the faculty at Whatcom Middle School did not provide any alternative learning space for her son, so she took him out of school.
“We are still waiting to hear from the district,” she said.
Bellingham School District officials issued the following statement to KCPQ:
We are continuing to look into this, but at this time, it appears that the restroom was set up as a possible separate quiet learning space, but no student was placed in there.
The desk has been removed, and staff at the school are aware that the space should not be used for that purpose in the future.
While we aren’t able to share specific details about our students, we can tell you that keeping our students safe and engaged in learning are our top priorities.
“Great that they removed the desk, but that doesn’t help my son’s self-esteem, his embarrassment,” Goodwyn said.
Goodwyn says she shared her story to warn parents, and that if she did not go into her son’s class that day she would never have known about any of this.
The district said they received the complaint Thursday morning and are still investigating. They said that to their knowledge bathrooms have not been used as alternative learning spaces.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Suzanne Whang, Host of HGTV’s ‘House Hunters’, Dies at 57
Suzanne Whang, whose smooth, calm voice provided the narration for HGTV’s “House Hunters” for years, has died. She was 57.
Her Tuesday death was confirmed Friday by her longtime agent, Eddie Culbertson. Whang first gained fame as the on-screen host of the show, where anxious home buyers are shown trying to choose between three potential options. Later, she was moved to the narration role only, but her recognizable voice was as much a draw as the homes.
Culbertson says Whang was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and in 2011 was told she would not live a year. She beat the disease for years until it returned in October 2018.
Culbertson says Whang — who was also a comedian and actress— included her cancer battle in stage performances.
“Her courage, humor, determination and optimism, with which she notably confronted the disease, emboldened and gave hope to countless others facing serious life challenges,” he said in a statement. “She remained a loving spirit, and in the end she passed away peacefully at home with her great love by her side, having been true to herself and the journey she chose.”
She is survived by her parents and a sister.
via: https://ktla.com/2019/09/20/suzanne-whang-host-of-hgtvs-house-hunters-dies-at-57/
Photo Credit: Getty Images/ktla.com
Man to drink ‘iconic shot’ with his own severed toe in it
Soon, all of him will be toe-gether again.
When Nick Griffiths lost his big toe to frostbite in February last year, he gave it a second life — as a morbid cocktail. This June, the British man donated his detached digit to a bar in Canada, which has a decades-long tradition of serving a whiskey shot garnished with a dehydrated human toe.
Next week, Griffiths will reunite with his severed appendage, taking the inaugural sip of his very own toe tipple.
The legendary $5 drink, called the Sourtoe Cocktail, has been served at Yukon’s Downtown Hotel since 1973. Drinkers must touch their lips to the toe to earn a certificate of completion. To date, more than 90,000 have.
The titular toe of the Sourtoe is so sought-after that it frequently gets stolen (and sometimes returned) — hence the bar’s need for Griffiths’ toe. He saw a “Toe Wanted” poster from the hotel shortly after losing his own to frostbite during the Yukon Arctic ultramarathon and mailed in the specimen.
The hotel was delighted.
“We have been without a big toe for some time, so his generous toe-nation will help ensure the tradition continues,” says the hotel’s general manager, Adam Gerle, in a statement.
Also over the moon about the fresh toe was Terry “Toe Master” Lee, who is in charge of preserving the toes used in the drink. He quickly got to work on Griffiths’ digit to make it garnish-ready.
“It takes six weeks to mummify a new toe on rock salt before it’s ready to serve,” Lee says. It is now ready, but he wants Griffiths to take the inaugural shot.
“We have been waiting for Nick to be first to do a shot with the new toe and make it extra special,” Lee says, adding, “Nick’s big toe is a beauty.”
The reunion will be a happy one for Griffiths.
“I am excited to be returning to the Yukon and reuniting with my detached digit,” Griffiths says.
The tourist board of the Canadian territory has footed the bill for Griffiths’ flight from Manchester, England, for the sake of his “toe ceremony,” which will take place at the Downtown Hotel on Monday.
“Doing the Sourtoe Cocktail with my own big toe will be a memory I will take to the grave,” Griffiths says.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/19/man-to-drink-iconic-shot-with-his-own-severed-toe-in-it/
Photo Credit: Richard Galloway
Teen calls out school cafeteria’s ‘grilled cheese’ lunch in viral post
This is barely better than bread and water.
A high school student in in St. Cloud, Minn., called out her cafeteria food as disgusting with a viral image that showed a pathetic-looking tray containing little more than a few baby carrots and hot dog bun covered in congealed cheese.
“It’s honestly sad to know that we go to school and pay around 3 dollars for something that cost .50 cents to make,” Maryn Holler posted on a Facebook post on Sept. 13.
In addition to nine baby carrots and the bizarre attempt at grilled cheese, the sad blue plastic tray also had a container that said marinara sauce on the label.
“I thank God everyday that my family has the money where i get to go home and eat actual food,” Holler wrote, “there are kids at this school who this is ALL THEY GET TO EAT, and we were given a hotdog bun with cheese.”
The school district posted a bid to remedy the “goof.”
“Oops! We goofed. Tried a new menu item today at lunch and we hear it was not a winner!” St. Cloud Area School District 742 quipped on Facebook. “Going forward, we will gather input from our students on new menu options. Thanks for the feedback!”
District officials also reached out to the hungry student directly hoping she could help institute change.
“I had a meeting with my school principal and was told I get to have a meeting with the districts nutritionist. Will keep it updated,” Holler said in an update to her original post. “This is the start of something that could forever change my district.”
But the district’s “apology” received mix reactions from parents.
“This cannot even qualify as a balanced meal, can it? I know this for sure, any more ‘new menu’ items that resemble this garbage, and I’ll be pursuing a refund for the balance left in our food account,” said Mike Abraham on Facebook.
Another was quick to blame Michelle Obama, whose school lunch rules were targeted by the Trump administration for requiring strict calorie limits.
“Michelle Obama was very proud of f—ing up the school lunch federal standard,” Bryan Koering posted.
But others were supportive of the lunch ladies’ efforts.
“Oh my gosh find something to complain about that matters! The people preparing and serving your children are doing their best with very limited choices. They have to deal with so many restrictions,” posted Susie Bieniek. “Why don’t you take a minute to THANK THEM for working hard everyday to put a meal together for your children.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/19/teen-calls-out-school-cafeterias-grilled-cheese-lunch-in-viral-post/
Photo Credit: facebook
College student inflates lips 15 times — and might go bigger
Pucker up — and up.
A woman in Bulgaria has injected her lips with so many fillers, they’ve swelled to more than triple their natural size.
Following in the lip-prints of brave pout pioneers like Kylie Jenner, Andrea Emilova Ivanova, 22, says she’s gone under the needle 15 times — and spent more than $2,500 on various fillers to make her lips look more “fashionable.” And she’s not done yet.
The student at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski says she plans to get even more injections to keep up with the times. “In Bulgaria, this is fashion now,” she says.
Ivanova, who says she’s gotten plenty of support from her 15,000 Instagram followers and even marriage proposals, says she’s not sure when she’ll be kissing the fillers goodbye and settling for a more subtle look.
For the student of German philology, it’s all relative.
“I can’t give any indication of how big is too big, or can lips be too big, because for each person, ‘big,’ ‘bigger’ and ‘too big’ are different concepts.”
Her obsession is among the more ridiculous things people are doing lately to make their lips look more luscious. Lately, teens have been gluing the tops of their lips, then folding them up for a plumper look. And it’s not just women like Ivanova, either. Men are lining up for plastic surgery like never before.
“I’ve had patients saying, ‘I’m tired of people asking me when I’m going to retire. I want to be in the game,’” Park Avenue surgeon Dr. Melissa Doft told The Post earlier this year.
But the trend may be on the downswing — at least in New York. Doctors here say more people lately are deflating facial areas they had artificially plumped up.
Ivanova, for her part, isn’t one to judge either way.
“There are people who like me with bigger lips, and there are people who like me with smaller lips, but it doesn’t matter to me, because it’s important for me, how I like it.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/20/college-student-inflates-lips-15-times-and-might-go-bigger/
Photo Credit: Jam Press
American Airlines passenger pops blister, splatters passengers with blood
Passengers on a recent American Airlines flight were likely left cringing after a woman’s foot blister popped during the flight, in a medical mishap that reportedly splashed blood onto two people, a book, the plane cabin’s walls and a window.
On Sept. 18, South Florida talk show host Andy Slater took to Twitter to share the disturbing incident which occurred during his flight to Miami, in a post that has since received over 1,100 comments and more than 700 shares to date.
“Bloody mess on my flight to Miami. Woman in aisle seat has blister on her foot pop. Blood splatters across aisle, including on the two guys in front of me, one of their books, and the window,” Slater said. “Flight attendant says @MiamiDadeFire will have to meet flight.”
“Update: She’s barefoot and was wearing these flip flops at one point. Hoping this blanket goes in the garbage,” Slater added in a follow-up message.
After landing, the sports radio talk show host explained that their plane was greeted by the Miami-Dade Fire Department and shared a video of a “great” flight attendant patiently explaining the next steps to the woman whose blood splattered and the two men the fluid hit.
“Due to US policies, we need the three of you to speak to the paramedics because of the blood,” the American Airlines staffer said in the clip.
Twitter users were predictably horrified with Slater’s tale and asked many questions about the incident, prompting him to offer more details on the seating situation and the fate of the plane itself.
In a larger sense, many commenters felt that the woman’s blister popping problem was a prime example of terrible travel behavior gone too far.
“Why her feet uncovered on an airplane anyway???” one asked.
“Airlines have to make passengers keep their feet covered at all times. This is ridiculous,” another agreed.
“[This is] one of the more disgusting stories I have heard in a while,” another chimed in.
“This is my worst possible nightmare not involving spiders,” another cried.
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for American Airlines offered Fox News the following statement on the incident:
“Due to a medical-related issue that occurred inflight, American requested medical personnel meet American flight 1128 upon its arrival in Miami on Sept. 18. We thank the American crew who took great care of our customers on flight 1128,” a rep said on Thursday.
According to global flight tracker FlightStats, American flight 1128 traveled from Medellin, Colombia to Miami on Wednesday and landed in Florida on schedule.
Photo Credit: foxnews.com