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Former FBI Agent Took Down Shooter And Killed Him With A Single Shot To The Head

The hero former FBI agent who took down the gunman in the Texas church said afterward that he was not prepared to let ‘evil’ succeed as he told how he killed him with a single shot to his head. 

Jack Wilson, 70, is the head of the volunteer security team at the West Freeway Church in White Settlement, a town near Fort Worth, where gunman Keith Thomas Kinnunen opened fire on Sunday. 

He was able to take Kinnunen down within six seconds of his first shot. 

He said that he and the others in his team were suspicious of Kinnunen when he first arrived at the church because he was wearing a long coat, a fake beard, glasses, and wig. 

When Kinnunen drew his gun – a shotgun he had been hiding beneath his coat – the security guards drew theirs.  

Kinnunen was able to fatally wound Richard White, 67, – a security guard – and nurse and parishioner Anton ‘Tony’ Wallace, 64, before Wilson took him out with a single shot to the head. 

Wilson then marched over to his body and stood over it, kicking his gun away to ensure he would not get up and try to start firing again in the off-chance he had survived. 

In an interview with Fox on Monday, Wilson described how the entire incident unfolded in just six seconds. 

He later said he did not feel as though he had taken another life because Kinnunen was ‘evil’ and not human. 

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Jack Wilson (left) took down the gunman Keith Thomas Kinnunen (right) in Sunday’s shooting

‘I was standing to Richard’s right about 6ft. He shot Richard and shot Tony Wallace, at that point, I didn’t’ have a clear shot. 

‘I finally got it about a second later. I took the shot, the shooter went down. I went over to cover, pulled the shotgun away from his body. Then other people in the church who are part of the security team came forward in case he tried to get up which he did not,’ he said. 

Wilson said he and other members of the security team were suspicious of him from when he first arrived at the church, dressed strangely and having never been there before. 

‘He had on a fake beard and a fake wig and was wearing a long coat. From where I was standing I could see his right hand at all times, but could not see his left hand.  

‘From the moment he walked in the door we had eyes on him. Physical eyes and cameras. 

‘Apparently, with the shotgun he had which was a short barrel, a legal firearm, he had it evidently in his pocket, and underneath his armpit. I know he discharged two rounds, possibly a third, as he was going down – after he shot Richard and Tony – he went and started towards the front of the sanctuary and that’s when I was able to engage,’ he said. 

White was able to fire one shot before he was taken down, but it hit the wall.

In an interview on Monday, Wilson was humble as he recalled bringing the shooter down

‘This type of scenario hopefully never happens. 

‘You train but hope you never have to go to that extreme. But if you do, your training will kick in,’ he said. 

Wilson said he had to pause for a second to get a clear shot after Kinnunen started firing as ‘chaos’ erupted and parishioners ran for their lives. 

‘There were people in front of me between the shooter and myself. I had to just wait a second. The whole thing was less than 6 seconds from start to finish,’ he said. 

He added there was ‘no verbal communication whatsoever’ between him and the shooter, and that he was ‘bleeding profusely’ from his head afterward. 

‘The only movement was body twitching which happens when someone is in that condition about to die.

‘I only fired one round which was a headshot,’ he said. 

He told NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt separately that he did not feel as though he’d taken a human life. 

‘I don’t feel like I killed a human, I killed an evil and that’s how I’m coping with the situation,’ he said.

Wilson, a father, grandfather and local politician, said on Facebook afterward that he felt blessed to have been able to protect the congregation.

‘I just want to thank all who have sent their prayers and comments on the events of today. 

‘The events at West Freeway Church of Christ put me in a position that I would hope no one would have to be in, but evil exists and I had to take out an active shooter in church.

‘I’m thankful to GOD that I have been blessed with the ability and desire to serve him in the role of head of security at the church. 

‘I am very sad in the loss of two dear friends and brothers in CHRIST, but evil does exist in this world and I and other members are not going to allow evil to succeed. 

‘Please pray for all the members and their families in this time. 

Thank you for your prayers and understanding.’

Wilson, 70, is running for County Commissioner. He said he was ‘blessed with the ability’ to protect the other parishioners

On Facebook, he describes himself as a former sheriff and small business owner.

Public records show he owns On Target Firearms Acaemy. 

Wilson did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s inquiries on Monday morning.

He is an enthusiastic Trump supporter, Republican and gun owner whose campaign mission is to help law enforcement and restore the public respect police officers once enjoyed. 

Wilson has been married for 51 years, has three daughters and some grandchildren.

His social media pages have now been flooded with messages of gratitude. 

The FBI is investigating the shooting. 

Jack with his wife of 51 years, Margaret. He previously worked as a sheriff, and says he continues to work with law enforcement at a federal level

Wilson is pictured laying a wreath at the grave of a soldier in a military cemetery earlier this year

Wilson is running for county commissioner. His values include restoring police respect and he is pro-life

They the gunman was ‘relatively transient’ but was known to have connections to the area. 

Churchgoers who survived the shooting say they had never seen him before. 

A woman whose mother was sat next to him said she thought he was behaving strangely and that she noticed she had never seen him before.  

‘She’s the one who recognized that he had a fake beard on, sunglasses and he had writing on the back of his jacket. 

‘She knew from growing up at church that she didn’t recognize this gentleman. The moment she saw the shotgun come out, she went under the bench and hid,’ Davis told WFAA. 

She added that she was giving ‘glory to God’ that her mother survived.   

MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokeswoman Macara Trusty said two people were fatally shot at the West Freeway Church of Christ (officers outside the church) in White Settlement

**LISTEN NOW** Jack Wilson who fatally shot the White Settlement church shooter details how it went down & why the shooter had their attention even before he walked into the church @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/ZKS6mmR6NA— Natalie Solis (@Fox4Natalie) December 30, 2019

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Former FBI Agent Took Down Shooter And Killed Him With A Single Shot To The Head was originally published on BlamNews

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Teenager Killed A Pedophile Priest Who Abused Him By Ramming A Crucifix Down His Throat

A 19-year-old man has been arrested for killing a suspected paedophile priest by ramming a crucifix down his throat and suffocating him. 

Alexandre V., who is alleged to have been abused by the priest, attacked the 91-year-old Catholic Roger Matassoli at the holy figure’s home in Agnetz, Oise, northern France. 

Matassoli had been accused of sexually abusing at least four boys, including Alexandre and Alexandre’s father, between 1960 and 2000.

The priest had to be shifted from the diocese of Clermont in 1967 to the diocese of Saint-Andre-Farivillers, and was then moved to Agnetz, following allegations of paedophilia, reports Franceinfo. And yet he remained on the church’s payroll until 2018.

The attacker, whose full name has not been published, was arrested and charged with torture, murder and resisting arrest. 

Father Roger Matassoli, pictured left in 1980, was found dead in his home in Agnetz, Oise, northern France, with a crucifix shoved down his throat. The priest had faced accusations that he abused at least four children

The church in Agnetz town, Oise, in the town where Matassoli was moved to following allegations of abuse in the diocese of Saint-Andre-Farivillers

The priest’s body was found in his home with signs of torture on November 4.

Alexandre, who worked as a housekeeper in Matassoli’s home, was caught by authorities attempting to escape in the holy man’s car and arrested on the same day.

However, he was transferred to hospital due to alleged psychiatric problems and was not formally charged until December 26.

The suspect had tried to kill himself after being abused by the priest, according to the suspect’s father Stephane, who has also claimed that his father killed himself when he learnt how his son had been abused by the priest.

Speaking about the priest’s impact on his family to French media, Stephane said the priest had ‘shattered a whole family’. 

The main church in Saint-Andre-Farivillers, left, and the main church in Clermont, right, where Matassoli is also alleged to have worked. He has been accused of abusing a man while he was aged between six and 15

The priest’s attacker was charged with murder, torture and resisting arrest (stock image)

Police are investigating the case on the grounds that the killing was an act of revenge, reports French media. Alexandre has also told investigators he has no recollection of the events.

The priest is also alleged to have abused a man when he was aged between six and 15 years old in Saint-Andre-Farivillers, Franceinfo reports.

The victim’s sister Colette, who has made the claims, told the broadcaster that everyone in the village knew the rumours but no one took any action.

She also said that when a picture of Matassoli stripped naked was found in a landfill it was brushed aside, after the priest claimed it was taken when he was 18 years old and in the army.

‘(But) he did not look like an 18-year-old boy in this photo,’ she said, before adding that young boys were invited to the priest’s home in the village every Thursday.

The priest had been officially removed from church duties in 2009 following the first allegations of abuse but was kept on the payroll for another ten years, Beauvais bishop Jacques Benoit-Gonnin has revealed.

He was only removed after the bishop took into account the testimony of at least two alleged victims, and has claimed he was still paid due to ‘ecclesiastical errors’. 

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Teenager Killed A Pedophile Priest Who Abused Him By Ramming A Crucifix Down His Throat was originally published on BlamNews

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Woman Bites Off Man’s Penis During Alleged Sexual Assault

Dennis Slaton, 61, from South Carolina, has been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping after allegedly raping a woman, who fought back and severed his penis.

A South Carolina woman bit off a registered sex offender’s penis during a suspected sexual assault, then ran for help while naked and drenched in blood.

The alleged attack took place in Greenville back in August, but the suspect, 61-year-old Dennis Slaton, was only charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping a month later, after undergoing treatment for his injuries.

Slaton, whose 40-year criminal history includes convictions for sodomy, voyeurism and attempted rape, has denied the allegations against him related to this most recent case. 

According to an incident report from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office obtained by Greenville News, the alleged victim told police that on August 8, she was waiting to be picked up by someone she had met online when she saw Slaton’s white pickup truck driving through a parking lot of Motel 6 and motioned for him to pull over.

The woman said she got in Slaton’s vehicle, but almost immediately she felt that something was not right and asked him to drop her off on Woodside Avenue.

The woman offered Slaton $5 for his troubles, and he said ‘OK,’ the report states.

The alleged victim told deputies she was waiting to be picked up by someone she had met online when she saw Slaton’s pickup truck near this gas station and asked him to pull over

Slaton allegedly pulled a knife on the woman and drove her to his home on Kay Drive, where he proceeded to rape her, according to an incident report

After biting off Slaton’s penis and stabbing him in the buttocks, the woman ran naked and drenched in blood to this Waffle House

But as soon as he put the pickup truck in drive, the woman said he pulled a knife and put it to her throat, yelling at her that she owed him $300, according to the report.

Slaton then drove her to his house on Kay Drive, where the woman said he sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her after he was done with her.

Slaton’s 40-year criminal history includes convictions of sodomy, voyeurism and attempted rape

The woman put up a fight, biting Slaton on his penis and severing the organ. She also managed to grab hold of the knife her alleged attacker had used to threaten her and stabbed him in his buttocks.

After being chased around the house by Slaton, the woman fled outside and proceeded to run door-to-door, begging neighbors for help.

No one heeded her pleas, so the woman, naked and covered in blood, made it to the Waffle House at Melvin Drive and South Pleasantburg Drive, where employees gave her some clothes and called 911.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived at Slaton’s house, they found the 61-year-old soaked in blood, with more blood found throughout his residence.

Slaton was then transported to a hospital, where he underwent surgery.

‘It was pretty bad, pretty tragic, what happened to me,’ Slaton lamented in a recent interview with WSPA.

Slaton was released from jail after posting $75,000. He was re-arrested on October 10 on charges of DUI and driving with open container alcohol, and was again released on bond.   

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Woman Bites Off Man’s Penis During Alleged Sexual Assault was originally published on BlamNews

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Uganda Introduces A Bill That Will Bring In The Death Penalty For Homosexuals

Uganda has announced plans to reintroduce a bill that would bring in the death penalty for homosexuals in the East African nation.

The legislation – known as the ‘Kill the Gays’ bill – was nullified five years ago on a technicality, but the government now has plans to resurrect it within weeks. 

‘Homosexuality is not natural to Ugandans, but there has been massive recruitment by gay people in schools, and especially among the youth, where they are promoting the falsehood that people are born like that,’ Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo said.

‘Our current penal law is limited. It only criminalizes the act. We want it made clear that anyone who is even involved in promotion and recruitment has to be criminalized. Those that do grave acts will be given the death sentence.’ 

President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni (pictured) is supporting a bill which would introduce the death penalty for homosexuals in the East African nation

‘Our current penal law is limited. It only criminalizes the act. We want it made clear that anyone who is even involved in promotion and recruitment has to be criminalized. Those that do grave acts will be given the death sentence.’ 

African countries like Uganda have some of the world’s most prohibitive laws governing homosexuality. Same-sex relationships are considered taboo and gay sex is a crime across most of the continent, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death.

Earlier this year, Brunei sparked an international outcry over plans to impose the death penalty for gay sex, backtracking only after intense criticism. 

Lokodo said Uganda’s bill, which is supported by President Yoweri Museveni, will be reintroduced in parliament in the coming weeks, and it is expected to be voted on before the end of the year.  

He was optimistic it would pass with the necessary two-thirds of members present – a shortfall in numbers killed a similar bill in 2014 – as the government had lobbied legislators ahead of its re-introduction.

‘We have been talking to the MPs and we have mobilized them in big numbers,’ said Lokodo. ‘Many are supportive.’

Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo (pictured) said the bill will be reintroduced in parliament in the coming weeks

Uganda’s constitutional court overturned the law – formerly known as the ‘Kill the Gays’ bill because it includes the death penalty – on a technicality in 2014.

Even without it, under British colonial law, gay sex is punishable with up to life imprisonment and activists said the new bill risked unleashing attacks.

‘Bringing back anti-gay legislation would invariably lead to a spike in discrimination and atrocities,’ said Zahra Mohamed of the Toronto-based charity Stephen Lewis Foundation. 

Moves to restrict LGBT+ rights and criminalize gay sex in other countries have sparked protests and sanctions.

In May, Brunei was forced to extend a moratorium on the death penalty for gay sex after celebrities such as actor George Clooney condemned a law allowing whipping and stoning to death. 

Last November, anti-gay remarks by a senior official in Tanzania led to the east African nation’s second-biggest donor, Denmark, withholding $10 million in aid.

The legislation – known as the ‘Kill the Gays’ bill – was nullified five years ago on a technicality (Pictured left, Lokodo in 2014)

Uganda faced widespread international condemnation when the previous bill was signed off by Museveni in 2014.

The United States reduced aid, imposed visa restrictions and canceled military exercises. The World Bank, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands also suspended or redirected aid.

Lokodo said Uganda was prepared for any negative response.

‘It is a concern,’ he said. But we are ready. We don’t like blackmailing. Much as we know that this is going to irritate our supporters in budget and governance, we can’t just bend our heads and bow before people who want to impose a culture which is foreign to us.’

Pepe Julian Onziema from Sexual Minorities Uganda, an alliance of LGBT+ organizations, said its members were fearful of the bill.

‘When the law was introduced last time, it whipped up homophobic sentiment and hate crimes,’ said Onziema.

‘Hundreds of LGBT+ people have been forced to leave the country as refugees and more will follow if this law is enacted. It will criminalize us from even advocated for LGBT+ rights, let alone supporting and protecting sexual minorities.’

Onziema said three gay men and one transgender woman had been killed in homophobic attacks in Uganda this year – the latest last week when a gay man was bludgeoned to death. 

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Uganda Introduces A Bill That Will Bring In The Death Penalty For Homosexuals was originally published on BlamNews

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Sesame Street Addresses Addiction With New Muppet Named Karli

Sesame Street has introduced the subject matter of addiction, using a bright green puppet named Karli to let young viewers know grown-up problems aren’t their fault.

The character was first introduced in April as someone living in foster care and now her storyline has expanded to explain why she was placed in a new home.

Clips from the show feature the character – whose mother is battling an opioid addiction – with famous Muppet Elmo as well as a young girl named Salia Woodbury, whose parents are in recovery in real life. ��

‘My mom was having a hard time with addiction and it felt like I was the only ongoing through it,’ the fictional character tells Salia. ‘But now I’ve met so many other kids like us.’

In one scene, Karli opens up to Elmo about family problems using playtime toys Elephant and Baby David, as the blue animal accidentally knocks over building blocks

Sesame Street viewers hear Karli explain that her mom has ‘a grown-up problem’ as she meets Salia Woodbury whose parents are in recovery in real-life

Salia Woodbury, 10, with character Karli. Sesame Workshop is addressing the issue of addiction after data shows 5.7 million children under 11 live in households with a parent with substance use disorder

‘I’m so glad we’re friends, Salia,’ Karli says at the end of their segment.

‘Me, too, Karli,’ Salia responds.

‘Can I have a hug?’ Karli asks before they embrace it. 

According to Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street, the story shares the ‘words children need to hear most: You are not alone. You will be taken care of. Addiction is a sickness and, as with any sickness, people need help to get better. And most importantly: It’s not your fault.’ 

The bilingual resources now available at SesameStreetInCommunities.org provides an opportunity for children to build resilience in an age-appropriate way. 

Karli may look familiar, as it’s the same puppet that portrayed Karina the Ballerina.

Viewers hear the newest character’s backstory before she joined foster parents Clem and Dalia. The six-and-a-half-year-old explains that her mom has ‘a grown-up problem’ and is battling addiction.

In another chat, demonstrating how play can help children speak about their concerns, Karli and Elmo appear with an elephant toy that accidentally knocks over building blocks.

‘It’s all my fault,’ Karli puppeteers on behalf of the elephant, leaving Elmo to reassure the blue toy, and inadvertently Karli, that it’s okay. 

In the clip titled It’s Not Your Fault, Karli opens up: ‘Maybe she feels worried like I used to feel. My mom says that sometimes things happen that little monsters can’t control or fix and that those things aren’t their fault.

‘I used to feel like a lot of things were my fault, especially my mom’s problem but she told me no, it was a grown-up problem, it wasn’t because of anything I did.’

The pair then get back to good spirits and resume cheerful play with Elmo’s toy names Baby David. 

The green Muppet portrays a six-and-a-half-year-old who feels that her mother’s problem is her fault

The newest character’s backstory is revealed after she was introduced in April as a Muppet in foster care. Karli’s story line helps other children know they aren’t the only ones dealing with it

The new bilingual resources provide an opportunity for children to build resilience in an age-appropriate way

The initiative is part of the Sesame Street in Communities resources available online with creators explaining they turned to the issue of addiction since data shows 5.7 million children under age 11 live in households with a parent with substance use disorder.

Since 2015 the Communities sector has approached the subject of homelessness and traumatic experiences. 

‘There’s nothing else out there that addresses substance abuse for young, young kids from their perspective,’ said Kama Einhorn, a senior content manager with Sesame Workshop.

‘Even a parent at their most vulnerable – at the worst of their struggle – can take one thing away when they watch it with their kids, then that serves the purpose,’ Einhorn said. 

The online-only segments with pizza-loving Karli and 10-year-old Woodbury, are augmented with ones that feature Elmo’s dad, Louie, explaining that addiction is a sickness.

They also show Karli telling Elmo and Chris about her mom’s special adult meetings and her own kids’ ones. 

Karli, voiced and manipulated by puppeteer Haley Jenkins, tells the camera: ‘Hi, it’s me, Karli. I’m here with my friend Salia. Both of our parents have had the same problem – addiction.’

‘My mom and dad told me that addiction is a sickness,’ Salia said.

‘Yeah, a sickness that makes people feel like they have to take drugs or drink alcohol to feel OK. My mom was having a hard time with addiction and I felt like my family was the only one going through it. But now I’ve met so many other kids like us. It makes me feel like we’re not alone,’ the puppet continued.

‘Right, we’re not alone,’ Salia responded. ‘And it’s OK to open up to people about our feelings.’

Jaana, standing left, and Sam Woodbury, from Irvine, Cali., and their daughters Salia, 10, seated right, and Kya, 6, with ‘Sesame Street’ puppet Karli and puppeteer Haley Jenkins

Karli had already been introduced as a puppet in foster care earlier this year but viewers now will understand why her mother had to go away for a while

Puppeteers Haley Jenkins, left, and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph performing with their ‘Sesame Street’ puppets Karli and Abby Cadabby, respectively, for segments about parental addiction

In the segment, Karli and Salia each hold up hand-drawn pictures of flowers, with multiple petals representing ‘big feelings’ – like anger, sadness, and happiness. They offer ways to feel better, including art and breathing exercises.

The segment leans on carefully considered language. Creators prefer ‘addiction’ to ‘substance abuse’ and ‘recovery’ to ‘sobriety’ because those terms are clearer to children. Despite the subject, the mood was light in the room, largely thanks to Jenkins’ calm and empathic manner.

‘I know it feels awkward because people don’t normally have conversations standing shoulder-to-shoulder,’ she told Salia between takes. ‘This is weird, but trust me, it looks good.’

Karli also opens up about her family to Abby Cadabby in another segment, and Karli tells Elmo about how she mistakenly used to feel like her mom’s addiction was her fault. Karli, Elmo, Rosita, and Abby Cadabby also sing ‘We’re Special and So Are You.’ 

Viewers are referred to free online resources in both English and Spanish that include videos, storybooks, digital interactives, and games.

Children’s therapist Jerry Moe, the national director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Children’s Program, helped craft the segments and resources, saying he was grateful to help since there’s been a paucity of resources for the preschool age-group.

‘These boys and girls are the first to get hurt and, unfortunately, the last to get help,’ he said. ‘For them to see Karli and learn that it’s not their fault and this stuff is hard to talk about and it’s OK to have these feelings, that’s important. And that there’s hope.’

‘Sesame Street,’ which began airing in 1969, has a long history of tackling topical issues in a way approachable to children. It’s had puppets with HIV, jailed parents and autism, explored homelessness, women’s rights and even girls singing about loving their hair.

‘For everything we’ve done – from military families to homelessness – it’s all about how to make children free to talk and to give parents the tools to do just that. They tend to avoid it and it’s what they need more than anything,’ said Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop.

‘Addiction is often seen as a “grown-up” issue, but it impacts children in ways that aren’t always visible. Having a parent battling addiction can be one of the most isolating and stressful situations young children and their families face.

‘Sesame Street has always been a source of comfort to children during the toughest of times, and our new resources are designed to break down the stigma of parental addiction and help families build hope for the future.’

Salia’s parents – Sam and Jaana Woodbury, who are raising four girls in Orange County, California – said they welcomed the show’s attention on opioid and alcohol addiction. They’ve been in recovery for about eight years.

‘When I was going through addiction, I felt extremely alone and isolated. I didn’t have any connection to the outside world,’ said Jaana Woodbury. ‘I think it’s amazing that ‘Sesame Street’ is using their platform to share resources to help other women and fathers.’

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Sesame Street Addresses Addiction With New Muppet Named Karli was originally published on BlamNews

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School Denies Lunch To 9-Year-Old Boy On His Birthday Over Unpaid Meal Debt

An Ohio elementary school student had his hot lunch taken away and was given a cheese sandwich instead because he had a $9.75 unpaid balance, the boy’s grandmother said.

Jefferson Sharpnack, 9, had a hot lunch that included cheese sticks and sauce at Green Primary School in Uniontown, his grandmother, Diane Bailey, told NBC affiliate WKYC. It was taken away on a day last week that happened to be Jefferson’s birthday.

“I can’t believe that it’s cost-effective to throw away food and give them cheese and bread,” Bailey said. “When he got off the bus, he said ‘worst birthday ever.'”

The boy told WKYC he was “a little hurt” by the incident.

Bailey said she had received a letter from the school saying that Jefferson had an unpaid balance of $9.75, which she said she had arranged to pay with a check. But when her grandson went to school, he was denied the hot lunch because of the balance.

She said the district should “change their policy or find a different way other than embarrassing the kids.”

A spokesperson for Green Local Schools told NBC News in a statement Tuesday that in addition to the cheese sandwich, Jefferson received a side dish and a serving of milk to drink.

Julie McMahan, the district’s director of community relations, said younger students with unpaid balances were given a cheese sandwich while older students got a cheese quesadilla.

That policy has now been changed.

Jeff Miller, superintendent of Green Local Schools, responded to the incident in a statement on Facebook saying that all students in the district will now “receive the standard lunch for the day at their respective buildings regardless of their account balance.”

“We are sensitive to the financial hardship families incur and challenges presented due to the cost of school breakfast and lunches,” he said. “Our staff, in coordination with Family Support Specialists, will continue to work with families to ensure they have access to all available resources to assist with purchasing school meals.”

The incident is the latest in a string of similar events in school districts responding to students’ lunch debts.

The Cherry Hill School District in New Jersey faced pushback last month after an assistant superintendent proposed giving tuna sandwiches to students who owe more than $10 and no food to those with a negative balance higher than $20.

In July, the Wyoming Valley School District in Pennsylvania sent a letter to parents warning that unpaid lunch debts could lead to their children being placed in foster care. The district later apologized after accepting a local CEO’s $22,000 donation to clear the debt.

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School Denies Lunch To 9-Year-Old Boy On His Birthday Over Unpaid Meal Debt was originally published on BlamNews

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NYPD Sergeant Arrested For Shoplifting Designer Clothing From A Macy's Department Store

Off-duty NYPD Sergeant Eva Pena, 37, was arrested on Tuesday evening after being caught stealing clothing from Macy’s department store in Yonkers, New York

An off-duty NYPD sergeant has been suspended after being arrested for shoplifting from a Macy’s department store in Yonkers, New York.

Sergeant Eva Pena was busted by security staff at the store in Cross County Mall after CCTV cameras caught her trying to steal six items of clothing worth $360 on Tuesday night.

The items included Tommy Hilfiger pants, a lace Guess dress, and a beaded Guess shirt. 

Pena, 37, who earns $107,898-a-year policing the New York City Housing Authority in the Bronx, was stopped as she left the store at 8.30 pm.

The arrest of the 5ft 4ins-tall officer, who joined in 2005, will be all the more embarrassing to the NYPD after she recently posed with police commissioner James O’Neill at a police event.

An internal NYPD report on her arrest detailed security cameras recorded her taking the sales tags off the clothing and placing the items in her purse before she tried to leave the store without paying.

Pena (left) recently posed at a police function with NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill (center)

Pena (left) was suspended from her $107,809-a-year role policing the New York City Housing Authority in the Bronx

Pena was spotted taking sales tags off the clothing and putting the items into her purse. A security officer stopped her before she left the store

Items Pena stole included Tommy Hilfiger pants, a lace Guess dress, and a beaded Guess shirt, according to court papers

A female Macy’s ‘loss prevention officer’ stopped her from leaving the store and placed her in a security office before Yonkers police arrived.

A female security guard stopped Pena from leaving the Macy’s Department Store in the Cross Town Mall in Yonkers

Following her arrest by Yonkers police for ‘petit larceny’, her NYPD bosses placed her on suspension at 915pm.

The internal report stated: ‘A female identified as Sergeant Eva Pena was observed on store surveillance removing price tags from merchandise, which she then placed six clothing items into her purse and attempted to walk out of Macy’s without making payment.

‘[The Macy’s staffer] approached Sergeant Pena before she could exit the store and found the merchandise in her purse. Sergeant Pena was placed under arrest.’

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NYPD Sergeant Arrested For Shoplifting Designer Clothing From A Macy’s Department Store was originally published on BlamNews

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Vegan Woman Sues Neighbors For Barbecuing Meat In Their Backyard

An angry vegan has taken her neighbors to court, claiming they deliberately waft their barbecue meat smells into her yard. 

Massage therapist Cilla Carden from Girrawheen, north of Perth, has been locked in a battle with Toan Vu, who lives next door with his wife and children, since late 2018. 

She claims she can’t go outside and enjoy her own garden because all she can smell is fish.   

Ms. Carden also complained about Mr. and Mrs. Vu’s cigarette smoke and said their children slam basketballs into their shared fence at all hours of the day.

According to documents seen by Daily Mail Australia, she also demanded Mr. and Mrs. Vu control the weeds in their garden, repaint common fences and repay the cost of plants damaged on common property. 

Ms. Carden’s claims were heard at a tribunal in January this year – but the tribunal dismissed every single one of them.

She then applied to the Supreme Court for the right to appeal the decision and was also turned down in July. But she has vowed to keep fighting. 

Ms. Carden told 9 News that the barbecue smells were devastating.

‘They’ve put it there so I smell fish, all I can smell is fish. I can’t enjoy my backyard, I can’t go out there,’ she said. 

‘It’s deliberate, that’s what I told the courts, it’s deliberate,’ she said. 

‘It’s been devastating, it’s been turmoil, it’s been unrest I haven’t been able to sleep.’ 

Mr. Vu said he had removed his barbecue from his yard and had banned his children from playing basketball.

The tribunal heard that Ms. Carmen and Mr. Vu had reached an agreement out of court over the barbecue issue.

‘The applicant has reached an agreement with Mr. Vu that positioning his barbecue on Unit B over away from [Ms. Carmen’s] Unit C, closer to unit 18A, is acceptable to the applicant,’ a court document read.

Regarding noise, the tribunal said the Vu family did not make enough to make them a nuisance and that no other neighbors had complained.

‘What they are doing is living in their backyard and their home as a family,’ the tribunal ruled.

Cilla Carden from Girrawheen, north of Perth, said she has been highly disrupted by the smells along with cigarette smoke and the sound of children playing with basketballs

Ms Carden also officially complained about another neighbour, Carmel Vallelonga, a landlord who owns the house on the other side of the Vu family.

She demanded Ms Vallelonga stop floodlights on her unit emanating onto the common property outside the other units.

Ms Carden also insisted Ms Vallelonga repair and paint a fence, paint front entry steps, repay the costs of plants, and maintain her tenants’ dogs on leads on the common property.

Again, these demands were dismissed by the tribunal. 

‘Ms Carden’s demands were proven to be not reasonable and indeed were to the detriment of the other owners’ ability to enjoy their lots in a reasonable and acceptable manner,’ Ms Vallelonga said in a statement.

The vegan claimed the smells of barbecued fish and meat were being deliberately wafted into her house and took the matter to the Supreme Court – only for the matter to be thrown out (stock)

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Vegan Woman Sues Neighbors For Barbecuing Meat In Their Backyard was originally published on BlamNews

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Iranian Women's Rights Activist Is Sent To Prison After Taking Off Her Hijab In Public

An Iranian women’s rights activist has been jailed for a total of 24 years – including a 15-year term for ‘spreading prostitution by taking off her hijab’.

Saba Kord Afshari, 20, was handed the sentence Tuesday by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court after being found guilty of removing her headscarf as well as ‘spreading propaganda against the state’ and ‘assembly and collusion’.

Afshari and her mother, Raheleh Ahmadi, had been prominent members of the White Wednesdays protest group, which spoke out against the compulsory hijab.

Saba Kord Afshari, 20, has been sentenced to 24 years in jail for participating in protests in Iran, including 15 years for removing her hijab

The pair routinely posted videos of themselves walking around the streets of Tehran without their headscarves to encourage other women to flout the law.

She was first arrested in the Iranian capital in August last year and jailed for a year, according to Iran Human Rights Monitor.

Afshari was released in February but continued to protest against human rights abuses by the Iranian regime, which saw her re-arrested in June.

She eventually ended up in the women’s wing of Evin Prison, in Tehran, where human rights groups say she was pressured into making video confessions of her crimes.

Despite her mother also being arrested, Afshari refused to record the videos.

Miss Afshari was first arrested in August last year and jailed for a year, but re-arrested in June after she continued to protest (pictured taking part in anti-hijab protests)

Human rights groups say Afshari’s mother Raheleh Ahmadi (right), who also took part in the protests, was also arrested in an attempt to force her to make a confession, which she refused

On August 19 she was brought for trial, and on August 27 her lawyer says he was informed of the new sentence.

The punishment was increased by half because of ‘numerous charges and previous records’, Iran Human Rights Monitor said.

Three other female rights activists – Shima Babaii, Mojgan Lali, and Shaghayegh Mahaki – were also jailed for a total of 18 years in Tehran on Monday.

The trio was given six years each for ‘association and collusion against national security’ and ‘propaganda against the state’.

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Iranian Women’s Rights Activist Is Sent To Prison After Taking Off Her Hijab In Public was originally published on BlamNews

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California's Homeless Crisis Floods Its Capital With No Solution In Sight

Cali Carlisle admits she is a heroin addict — ‘but in a healthy way,’ she insists, even if the visual evidence belies that claim.

Her nose is the brightest shade of red imaginable. She constantly picks at scabs all over her body. Her home is a makeshift bed beneath Interstate 80 in Sacramento.

And Monday was her 26th birthday. Not that you would ever guess. Anyone looking at her would think she is at least 15 years older. 

Carlisle is part of California’s growing homeless emergency. The state has around 130,000 people without a roof over their heads. But she is not in downtown Los Angeles where Skid Row is a symbol of the national crisis or San Francisco where nearly one person in every hundred lives on the streets.

Instead, Carlisle and her fiancé Brian Workman are in Sacramento, the state capital, where homelessness has shot up by a shocking 19 percent in the past two years, putting the problem squarely on the doorstep of Gavin Newsom, the state’s Democratic governor.

Growing issue: Sacramento’s homeless population has risen 19 percent in two years, with 5,570 people living on the streets. Pictured above is a man sleeping on the sidewalk in broad daylight

As of 2018, California has the largest homeless population in the country, with 129,972 people living on the streets. The percentage has grown across Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco

A recent survey showed 93 percent of Sacramento’s homeless either grew up in the city or had lived there long-term before hitting the streets, according to the city’s spokesman

Sacramento, which has an estimated population of 1.5million, has a significantly smaller homeless population than Los Angeles, but the problem is growing

Last week, salon owner Liz Novak brought the nation’s attention to the problem when she announced to great fanfare that she was shutting up shop because she could not deal with the needles, the human waste, and the general aggravation that comes with having a business in the city.

‘I just want to tell you what happens when I get to work. I have to clean up the poop and the pee off of my doorstep. I have to clean-up the syringes. I have to politely ask the people who I care for, I care for these people that are homeless, to move their tents out of the way of the door to my business,’ she said in a video posted on Twitter, which gained the attention of Fox News and other national media outlets.

‘I am angry about it. I wouldn’t be relocating if it wasn’t for this issue,’ Novak added.  

Carlisle and Workman insist they are not part of the problem that forced Novak out. 

‘All we do is lie around, eat ice-cream, have sex, and take drugs,’ said Cali. ‘Man, I love ice-cream.

Carlisle says she needs heroin just to exist. ‘I need it for everything — just to walk and to breathe. 

‘I did go to rehab once, she added. ‘In Orangeville I think… or maybe it was somewhere else.’ 

Then she started a long rambling monologue that included ramekins and pico de gallo among other subjects and went off into her own world. 

Salon owner Elizabeth Novak highlighted the issue in a video uploaded last week. Above is her shop after it was broken into (left) and the damaged front door after it was kicked in (right)

The salon was perched between a barbershop and another business. Novak said she had to ‘clean up the poop and the pee off of my doorstep’ on a daily basis

Novak said she has grown tired of having to clean up syringes, urine, and feces from outside her business daily. Pictured above is a slew of discarded syringes on the sidewalk

Drug use has apparently run rampant in the area because people are told they can get ‘quick fix with cheap drugs,’ one business owner said

Carlisle grew up in Sacramento. Workman made his way there. Originally from San Jose, he found the rent got too high as tech companies moved in.

‘I moved to Placerville with a friend who had worked for Netflix and got money from their IPO,’ he said, displaying the few rotten teeth that remain in his mouth.

‘We had a falling out and I moved here because it was cheaper,’ added Workman, who had a job remodeling outdoor areas of homes. 

‘I got married in 2005 and had a couple of kids. I was married for nine years.

‘But then my father-in-law came to stay and there wasn’t room and I was paying rent for an apartment but couldn’t live there.’

He lost a job and says he couldn’t get another because he has a hearing problem. ‘I needed a hearing aid that cost $3,000 but I couldn’t afford it. It’s really difficult to keep work if you can’t hear. So I ended up on the streets.

Brian Workman, originally from San Jose, told DailyMail.com he ended up on the streets after losing his job. He now lives beneath Interstate 80 in Sacramento with fiancee Cali Carlisle (far left)

Carlisle (center) and Workman both insist they are not part of the problem that forced Novak out. In fact, Carlisle says all they do is ‘lie around, eat ice-cream, have sex, and take drugs’

The underpass has become an illegal campsite for rough sleepers, who are forced to leave when Highway Patrol officers clean up under the freeways. They tend to move back minutes after the clean-up

Jeffrey Witte (pictured) 42, lives with his seven-year-old dog Luis under the freeway. He is seen being rousted by Highway Patrol Officer Caleb Howard

Steve Sylvester, who owns The Antique Company, across the street from Novak’s hair salon, said his store has seen two ‘major incidents’ in the past six weeks

‘It’s a bit ironic,’ he added. ‘My name’s Workman — and I can’t work.’

He likes to keep his area of 23rd Street tidy. He has two long-handled brooms and regularly sweeps away. 

Every few days, workers from the California Department of Transportation backed by Highway Patrol officers clean up under the freeways.

They post notices, giving three days’ notice and announcing exactly when they are coming and they trash any unattended items. 

Carlisle and Workman — and many others — merely move their possessions out from the limited protection the highway gives them from the elements to the corner of the street, which is city land.

Within a few minutes, they move back again. ‘It’s a game of cat and mouse,’ said Workman. ‘But moving my stuff keeps me in shape. I’m in pretty good shape really.’

Highway Patrol Officer Caleb Howard, whose work includes backing up the CalTrans clean-up crew, said they rarely junk stuff that the homeless want. 

‘If they abandon it, they don’t want it,’ he told DailyMail.com. ‘They know when we are coming.’

Jeffrey Witte, 42, who was staying under the highway a couple of blocks from Workman and Carlisle, agreed, shortly after being rousted by Howard and his crew.

‘It’s somewhat fair,’ he said. ‘It’s slightly reasonable. Everyone knows the limits.’

Witte lives with his seven-year-old dog Luis. ‘I got him in Montana,’ he said.

Sylvester, a London native, has run his store (pictured) in Sacramento for 20 years. He recently dealt with a drug-addicted vagrant who came into his store ’95 percent naked’ and damaged his property when he was asked to leave

A sign is posted outside an antique store where homeless people have been regularly harassing customers in Sacramento

The increasing problem has been put squarely on the doorstep of Gavin Newsom, the state’s Democratic governor

Some streets in the city are now lined with tents, bikes, and handcarts as they become a de facto home for the vagrants

The main homeless camp in Sacramento is located on North B Street. There, Pam Love (pictured left) 43, and Nyelah Averi (pictured in the tent) 32, share one of the dozens of tents that line the street

‘I just like traveling,’ said Witte, originally from Vernon, New Jersey. 

‘I hop freight trains. I’ve been all around the country. I went to high school in Virginia, lived in South Carolina, now I’m in California.

‘California is different,’ he said, admitting that legal marijuana is one thing that draws him to the state. ‘But I’ll move on soon. I want to go overseas.’

He is not alone. Many of Sacramento’s homeless are expected to leave town in the next couple of months.

‘They’re migratory,’ antique shop owner Steve Sylvester told DailyMail.com. ‘When the weather gets cooler they’ll head down toward San Diego.’

Sylvester’s store is just across the street from Novak’s salon. He has sympathy for his fellow business-owner but says he would never close up just because of the homeless.

‘I understand it is more intimidating for her, she worked alone,’ said Sylvester, a Londoner who has run his store in Sacramento for 20 years.

But he recognizes the problem. ‘We’ve had two major incidents in the past six weeks,’ he said.

‘We had a young man come in 95 percent naked — he had underpants on but below where they mattered. I asked him to leave and he asked why. I said he was upsetting my customers and he wasn’t really dressed for shopping.

‘As he left, he held out his arm and wiped out a whole china dinner service, worth $300-$400.

‘He was a drug addict. He didn’t know what he was doing. He was on Planet Zog.’

In the second incident, a man threw a rock through Sylvester’s window at four in the morning. He clambered through the shattered plate glass, found his way to the outdoor area and fell asleep. That’s where cops found him.

‘The problem has gotten noticeably worse in the past 18 months because Sacramento is the place where people are told you can get a quick fix with cheap drugs,’ said Sylvester.

‘Sacramento is a wonderful place, great weather, with nice, accommodating people who give the homeless money, which unfortunately too often goes to drugs. This area has 30 or so restaurants so there is always food to be had.’

But he says there is another problem. ‘I know homeless people are being given bus tickets here from both Davis and Reno because they are told Sacramento will look after them,’ he said.

That allegation — that other cities give one-way tickets to Sacramento to get them out of town — is a common claim around town. 

Officer Howard of the Highway Patrol told DailyMail.com he knew of people getting tickets from Oregon.

City of Sacramento spokesman Tim Swanson said a Sacramento Bee article from 2013 found that Nevada was busing the homeless away from Las Vegas and one high-profile case had ended in Sacramento, but he did not address the specific allegations.

But he said a recent survey showed 93 percent of Sacramento’s homeless either grew up in the city or had lived there long-term before hitting the streets. 

‘This statistic contradicts the notion that people are coming to Sacramento specifically for services.’ 

The government is now considering building a shelter near Bob’s Glass, where many homeless people already congregate – much to owner Robert Dutra’s frustration 

Police officers and transportation authority employees remove homeless encampments under the freeway. Officer Howard says they rarely junk stuff that the homeless want

A homeless man talks to himself while looking for the other half of his syringe in an alley behind Liz Novak’s abandoned salon

Swanson said the city has allocated $15.7million to sheltering the homes this year with another $1million for women, families, and children.

Last year, Mayor Darrell Steinberg asked each of the eight council members to identify a possible area for shelter within their districts. 

For the area where Sylvester and Novak’s businesses are located, that means an open field next to the long-established Bob’s Glass, an area where homeless already congregate.

 The problem has gotten noticeably worse in the past 18 months because Sacramento is the place where people are told you can get a quick fix with cheap drugs

And that doesn’t go down well.

‘Considering I was barricaded in this building on a Sunday with my four-year-old daughter, no, I am not happy about it,’ fumed Bob’s Glass owner, Robert Dutra.

‘We were stuck for about an hour,’ said the father-of-five. 

‘They threw their stuff on top of the gate and wouldn’t go away. Hazel, my daughter, was very frightened.’

Eventually, police came and an officer told the homeless people: ‘There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Now, get the f**k out of here.’

‘He probably shouldn’t have done that, but it was effective,’ said Dutra, 34, who, on another occasion had to take a staff member to the hospital after a homeless man lashed out at him with a knife.

‘There was blood everywhere,’ he said. ‘I can’t remember exactly how many stitches he needed, but it was between 10 and 20.’

Dutra is still hopeful the shelter will not be built next to his company — the decision will be made this week. 

‘It’s within 1,000 feet of a school, there is a business that helps kids get into college. It’s just the wrong place.

‘Any politician is committing career suicide by advocating to put that shelter here. Suppose a young girl gets raped or even murdered. Then it’s over for them.’

The council member who is putting himself at that risk is Jay Schenirer, 62. He has sympathy for Dutra’s position but is adamant that the land at X Street and Alhambra is the right place for his district’s 100-bed shelter.

Some residents have claimed other cities are giving the homeless one-way tickets to Sacramento to get them out of town

City of Sacramento spokesman Tim Swanson said the city has allocated $15.7million to sheltering the homes this year with another $1million for women, families, and children. Pictured above is a homeless man on the sidewalk

‘There are currently well over 100 homeless people camped in that area,’ Schenirer told DailyMail.com. ‘They are unsupervised.

‘It is better for us to have some control over what is happening, rather than having them roam the streets.’

Schenirer can’t quite understand why Sacramento has suddenly been thrust into the forefront of homeless issues. 

‘We have 5,500 homeless in the whole of Sacramento County. Los Angeles has 50,000 on Skid Row alone,’ he said.

‘There is no silver bullet,’ he added. ‘Everything we do has to be connected to services. Just putting a roof over someone’s head is not a long-term solution.’

Both Schenirer and Swanson said Novak has not reached out to the city for help with her problem over the homelessness. 

‘I don’t know her,’ said Schenirer. ‘I would be more than happy to sit down with her and talk.’

In four days that DailyMail.com spent in Sacramento, not one homeless person was seen on Novak’s property. But the problem is clearly real.

Across the street at Pancake Circus diner, 70-year-old waitress Terri — she would not give her last name or agree to be photographed — starts every working day at 4.15am ‘cleaning up needles and poop and washing down urine,’ and shooing the homeless from the property.

‘They’ll strip their clothes off. I often find them out front completely naked,’ she said. ‘Heroin is a huge problem, it’s not just Oxycontin and other opioids, it’s heroin.’

Terri says she tries not to call the police. ‘I’m not going to call if they are just panhandling, but if they are spitting at me or throwing their defecation, then that’s different.’

A homeless woman prepares to leave the encampment as police officers stand nearby

A recent report found 70 percent of the homeless people counted in Sacramento were living without shelter

Last year, Mayor Darrell Steinberg asked each of the eight council members to identify a possible area for shelter within their districts

She says she lets the homeless use the diner’s bathroom — ‘everyone should have that dignity.’

‘But I tell them if you pick up what you have in your hand and smear it on the walls and I have to clean it off, then you’re not coming in again.’

Terri, who has worked at Pancake Circus since 1996, says many of the homeless have no idea what is going on, but others manipulate them. ‘They’re the Robin Hoods of the ‘hood.

‘I don’t like to use the term homeless because what is homeless? Is it someone who got addicted, or is it someone who lost their job and then couldn’t afford their rent? My daughter calls them ‘alterno-hobos.’

‘When I was growing up, a hobo was someone who rode the rails and would come knock on your door and ask what town they were in. 

‘My daughter would play with her friends in the street and when one approached, they would all yell ‘bum’ and run home but no-one would get hurt.’

Terri puts much of the blame on former California governor Ronald Reagan, who held office from 1967 to 1975. 

‘I’m old enough to remember when he closed all the asylums. It was the worst thing he could have done. That created this problem.’

While Novak has drawn attention to the problems in her area, the main homeless camp in Sacramento is two-and-a-half miles away on North B Street.

There, Pam Love, 43, and Nyelah Averi, 32, share one of the dozens of tents that line the street. 

Averi said she used to work at the nearby headquarters of Blue Diamond Almonds. 

Embarrassed, she now hides from her former colleagues as they go to and from work.

A waitress at Pancake Circus diner, identified only as 70-year-old Terri, said she starts every working day at 4.15am ‘cleaning up needles and poop and washing down urine,’ and shooing the homeless from the property

She has been homeless since July last year when – she says – she took the rap for a boyfriend, who had, unknown to her, stolen the car she was driving.

She served 120 days in jail. Her now-ex-boyfriend had previous convictions and would have faced a much longer spell behind bars, she said. 

As a condition of her release, she was not allowed to return to her home in Chico as the theft victim was a neighbor. Then she lost all her belongings in the wildfires that swept across northern California last summer.

‘I don’t want to be homeless,’ said Averi who said she is in college studying peace and global studies. ‘I just want to get back on my feet.’

Love, originally from the Compton, has a similar story. She too claims she took the blame for a crime she didn’t commit, although would not expand on what she had done.

She said she survives on $1,000-a-month payments, which goes on food and prior debts, meaning she cannot afford the medication for her Stage 3 stomach cancer. 

She said she had two sons but one was murdered and the other died in a car crash.

‘I worry every day about things here,’ she said, pointing out that safety is a two-way street.

‘A lot of tents have been set on fire. But nobody has ever been arrested.’ 

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California’s Homeless Crisis Floods Its Capital With No Solution In Sight was originally published on BlamNews

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Mythbusters Host Jessi Combs Dies After Attempting To Break Speed Record

Jessi Combs, a professional speed racer and former host of “Mythbusters,” died Tuesday in a crash on a dry lake bed in Oregon’s Alvord Desert as she was in a jet car attempting to break a land speed record, authorities said.

She was 39.

The Harney County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to the scene of the fatal crash in the desert about 90 miles south of Burns, Oregon, around 4 p.m. Tuesday. Combs, who was nicknamed “the fastest woman on four wheels,” was pursuing a record on the dry lake bed, her family said in a statement.

Combs was the lead driver on the North American Eagle racing team. She was identified as the sole fatality connected with the accident, which is under investigation. The section of the Alvord Desert the team was using was approximately 8 miles long, authorities said.

The North American Eagle is a supersonic vehicle made from the fuselage of a jet plane, according to the team’s website. Combs had previously driven the vehicle on the Alvord dry lake bed in September 2018 but a malfunction had caused the door to rip off midrun, forcing her to abandon the session.

Lt. Brian Needham said there had been no known deaths in the desert while drivers attempted land speed records during his 23-year career with the sheriff’s department.

“Jessi’s bright smile, positivity and tenacious pursuit of her dreams inspired everyone who met her,” Combs’ family said. “Her drive and spirit were infectious, and she served as a role model for young girls and women around the world.”

On Tuesday, Combs was attempting to break the Women’s Land Speed Record of 512 mph, set in 1976 by Kitty O’Neil.

She was surrounded by her friends and her family at the time of her death.

“People that loved her and followed her became family, all bonded together by adventure and passion,” her family said. “Her fans adored her, and she lived to inspire them.”

Her most notable dream, one that she had been chasing since 2012, was to become the fastest woman on earth, according to her family.

“Combs was one of the rare dreamers with the bravery to turn those possibilities into reality, and she left this earth driving faster than any other woman in history,” the family said.

Terry Madden, Combs’ partner, and teammate said Combs died “in a horrific accident” and that he “was the first one there.”

He said he “did everything humanly possible to save her.”

“I’m not OK, but she is right here keeping me going,” Madden captioned an Instagram collage of video and photos of Combs.

View this post on Instagram

So I don’t know how to say any of this but it all needs said. I have never loved or been loved by anyone as much as this amazing woman @thejessicombs she was truly my unicorn and I enjoyed every single minute that I had with her. She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know. Unfortunately we lost her yesterday in a horrific accident, I was the first one there and trust me we did everything humanly possible to save her!! I’m not ok, but she is right here keeping my going-I made her a promise that if this didn’t go well that I would make sure and do good with it, please help me with that, you are all going to see things on news please believe non of them.. we the family have drafted a release and it will come out today with more proper info, but I was just woke up by the media tracking me down and I need everyone of her true friends to do what she would want “take a deep breath, relax” and do good things with this. Please donate to nothing, I know there will be people try, we are finishing the documentary as she wished and the world will know the truth and her foundation will use those funds to do amazing things in this world and make her legacy live on properly. In the coming days her family and I will get the proper channels put together that you can then donate to that foundation but until you hear it from me wait please-I don’t want some asshole profiting off this (all ready had one try to sell us a video)… . . Love you all and thank you all for being such amazing friends to her, she dedicated her life to helping support others dreams and I promise I will continue that.

A post shared by Terry L. Madden (@terry_madden) on Aug 28, 2019 at 5:51am PDT

“I have never loved or been loved by anyone as much as this amazing woman @thejessicombs she was truly my unicorn and I enjoyed every single minute that I had with her,” he wrote. “She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know.”

Former “Mythbusters” host Adam Savage tweeted: “She was brilliant … builder, engineer, driver, fabricator, and science communicator, ” who “strove every day to encourage others by her prodigious example.”

I’m so so sad, Jessi Combs has been killed in a crash. She was a brilliant & too-notch builder, engineer, driver, fabricator, and science communicator, & strove everyday to encourage others by her prodigious example. She was also a colleague, and we are lesser for her absence.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) August 28, 2019

Kari Byron, another former star of “Mythbusters,” remembered Combs for her toughness.

“So sad to hear about Jessi. She was a badass. Always pushing limits. Sending smiles into the universe for her,” Byron said in a tweet.

Combs was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and lived in Long Beach, California, according to a biography on her racing team’s website.

She not only appeared on Discovery’s “Mythbusters” but also on the network’s “Break Room,” as well as “Overhaulin'” and “All Girls Garage” on Velocity.

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Mythbusters Host Jessi Combs Dies After Attempting To Break Speed Record was originally published on BlamNews

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Mobile Phone Store Employee Fatally Shoots Would-Be Robber In Philadelphia

An armed man who allegedly tried to rob a mobile phone store in Philadelphia on Monday was shot and killed by an employee in a dramatic moment captured on video.

The Philadelphia Police Department said the incident happened just after 4 p.m. at a Metro PCS store in the southwest part of the city when an unidentified man who appeared to be in his late 30s entered the business.

The man was trying to rob the store when the lone employee inside – who has a permit to carry a firearm – fired at the would-be robber multiple times, striking him.

“I heard about 10 shots and I got out (of) the car to look around and I saw the guy that works there run out of the store with a gun in his hand,” a man who wished to not be identified told FOX29.

Police said the robber was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later.

Debra Earle, who lives nearby, said she was rattled by what happened at the store.

“Very upsetting, very upsetting,” she told FOX29. “You can’t feel safe walking down the street paying your phone bill right down the street from your home.”

No other injuries were reported and the weapon was recovered, according to police.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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Mobile Phone Store Employee Fatally Shoots Would-Be Robber In Philadelphia was originally published on BlamNews

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Justin Trudeau Vows To Help Fight Amazon Fires By Sending Water Bombers And $15 Million

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed his country’s support to help extinguish the Amazon fires.

“People around the world are shocked and devastated to see the Amazon engulfed in flames,” he said at a news conference during the conclusion of the G7 Summit in France.

The leader said Canada is offering to send water bombers and $15 million to help the affected regions.

Trudeau also added that Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland had already “reached out to her counterparts in Brazil and Bolivia” to offer aid.

“We could pretend that the situation in the Amazon is just part of a natural cycle but that’s not exactly what’s going on here,” Trudeau said Monday. “The toll of human activity and extreme weather events on our communities, our environment, our health, and our world will continue to climb unless we take decisive action.”

G7 country leaders have already applied pressure on the Brazilian government to respond to the fires. Some of the countries — which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — said they would block a trade deal between the European Union and Brazil’s economic and political bloc unless the country takes action.

Other political and civil society leaders, as well as celebrities around the world, have also called for an end to the destruction of the forest.

The Amazon often referred to as “the planet’s lungs,” has been burning at an alarming rate this year — the highest rate since 2013. More than one and a half soccer fields of Amazon rainforest are being destroyed every single minute, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.

And that’s a big deal.

Amazon is the largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world. It is home to at least 10% of the world’s biodiversity and produces 20% of the world’s oxygen.

It also helps regulate the temperature of the entire planet and without it, climate change could become irreversible.

“We believe that climate change is a real and existential threat to our planet and that’s why as a country and as a government we have moved forward unequivocally in leadership on climate change,” Trudeau said.

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Justin Trudeau Vows To Help Fight Amazon Fires By Sending Water Bombers And $15 Million was originally published on BlamNews

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Actor Leonardo DiCaprio Pledges $5 Million To Help Restore The Amazon

Leonardo DiCaprio has joined with other philanthropists in pledging $5 million through their environmental foundation to aid the Amazon as massive wildfires continue to burn across the region.

The 44-year-old actor announced Sunday that Earth Alliance, an organization he formed last month with Laurene Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth, has formed an emergency Amazon Forest Fund.

In addition to its $5 million pledge, the alliance also was seeking donations to help repair the Brazilian rainforest, which activists have called the “lungs of the planet.”

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#Regram #RG @earthalliance #EarthAlliance, launched in July by @LeonardoDiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Brian Sheth, has formed an emergency Amazon Forest Fund with a commitment of $5 million dollars to focus critical resources for indigenous communities and other local partners working to protect the life-sustaining biodiversity of the Amazon against the surge of fires currently burning across the region. Join Us. 100 percent of your donation will go to partners who are working on the ground to protect the Amazon. Earth Alliance is committed to helping protect the natural world. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis in the Amazon, which highlights the delicate balance of climate, biodiversity, and the wellbeing of indigenous peoples. To learn more or to donate, please visit ealliance.org/amazonfund (see link in bio) Photos: @chamiltonjames, @danielbeltraphoto 2017

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 25, 2019 at 6:51am PDT

DiCaprio said the fund will “focus critical resources” for indigenous and local communities working to protect the Amazon against the surge of wildfires.

The funds would be distributed to five local groups working to combat the problem: Instituto Associacao Floresta Protegida, Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon, Instituto Kabu, Instituto Raoni, and Instituto Socioambiental.

Nearly 40,000 fires have been incinerating Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, the latest outbreak in an overactive fire season that has charred 1,330 square miles of the rainforest this year. Brazilian federal experts reported a record number of wildfires across the country this year, up 84 percent over the same period in 2018.

Environmentalists have suggested many of the Amazonian wildfires initially had been set by loggers and cattle ranchers using a “slash and burn” method to clear land.

The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” actor has been an outspoken advocate for the environment, using social media to warn of the consequences of climate change.

But, last week, while sharing several images and posts on Instagram meant to raise awareness of the fires, one of the many images he shared was not of the 2019 fires. It instead was an image that could be found on the Carbon Brief organization’s website dated from 2018.

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Actor Leonardo DiCaprio Pledges $5 Million To Help Restore The Amazon was originally published on BlamNews

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This Method Will Effectively Help Children Struggling With Reading Disorders

As an only child, Cathy Drennan gravitated toward grown-ups, especially smart ones. “I was kind of an intellectual, geeky kid,” she laughed. “I’d go to a dinner party and there was a kids’ table and an adults’ table, and I was like, ‘I’d rather sit at the adults’ table, ’cause the conversation will be more interesting!’ I was a nerdy little kid!”

Come first grade, the “nerdy little kid” landed in the highest reading group at school, only to realize she could not learn to read.

“And they’re like, ‘Okay, let’s, like, drop her down a little bit … Nope. How about down a little further?'” Drennan said. “And I don’t know how many reading groups there are, but I was in the bottom.”

Determined that her smart child not fail, Drennan’s mother did research, found a specialist, and got the diagnosis: Severe dyslexia.

Correspondent Susan Spencer asked, “For someone who is not dyslexic, is it like if I were to look at Arabic?”

“That’s sort of how I felt,” Drennan replied. “Like, I just couldn’t make any sense of what I had in front of me.”

Researchers who say one in five students studied was dyslexic have also found there is no link at all between dyslexia and intelligence.

Yale University Dr. Sally Shaywitz defined dyslexia as “an unexpected difficulty in reading in an individual who has the intelligence to read at a much higher level.”

Beginning in 1983, she and her husband, Dr. Bennett Shaywitz, who have been married for some five decades, began tracking the reading of more than 400 kindergartners picked at random. They’re still tracking them today. “And what we found was that one in five were dyslexic,” said Bennett.

“I would’ve thought maybe one in 20,” said Spencer.

“Well, that’s what the dogma was,” Bennett said. “But now it’s clear that it is very common.”

But perhaps their most important finding: There is no link at all between dyslexia and intelligence.

“The biggest misunderstanding is that people who read slowly aren’t smart,” Sally said.

The Shaywitzes compared typical Grades K-12 readers whose reading skills mirror their IQs, with dyslexic readers whose reading skills don’t. “One doesn’t influence the other,” Bennett said. 

In the 19th century, doctors blamed bad eyesight, calling dyslexia “word blindness.” But today, medical scans clearly show it’s in the brain.

Bennett said, “In typical readers, certain areas in the left side of the brain are typically activated.  In dyslexic readers, there’s an inefficient functioning of those systems that we now know are for skilled reading.”

In severe cases, inefficient functioning can turn the printed page into a hodgepodge of indecipherable shapes. To Cathy Drennan, it would be like “Chinese characters for people who don’t read Chinese characters.”

“If you’re not dyslexic, it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Because our brains just do it automatically,” said Dr. Laura Cassidy. Her daughter, Kate, failed reading in the first grade. “She couldn’t learn the alphabet – not just writing it, but also saying it, also reading it.”

Like Cathy Drennan’s mother, Cassidy, a retired surgeon, refused to accept failure and hired a private tutor.  Today at 17, Kate is doing better, though still coping with dyslexia.

Spencer asked Dr. Cassidy, “Instead of just moving on after your daughter was situated, you went a different way. You saw a larger cause. And I’m just wondering why you did that.”

“Well, across the United States, there’s a huge group of children that do not learn to read,” she replied.

So, in 2013, Dr. Cassidy opened the Louisiana Key Academy, a public charter school in Baton Rouge just for dyslexic students.

Dr. Laura Cassidy with correspondent Susan Spencer at the Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge.

She said, “If you’re dyslexic, and your family doesn’t have money, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get what you need.”

Spencer asked, “If I were to walk into a classroom here, what, if anything, would be different?”

“We start in the early years with teaching them how to pull the words apart, the decoding part,’ Dr. Cassidy said.

Fifth-grader Emmy Youngs told Spencer that before coming to the Louisiana Key Academy, reading was “my worst nightmare.” Today, she and her fellow students are excelling. 

In her previous school where she’d struggled to read, fifth-grader Mackenzye Jupiter said, “It made me feel, like, a little bit dumb and stupid that I couldn’t do many things as all the other kids could do.”

“But you knew you weren’t dumb and stupid, right?” asked Spencer.

“Hmm, maybe.”

Spencer asked, Dr. Cassidy, “So, absent a school like this, what happens to these kids?”

“There’s diminished high school graduation, diminished entry into college and college graduation. And we know that there’s a number of people with dyslexia that are incarcerated,” she replied.

Twenty-one-year-old Jonathan Wilson wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until he was incarcerated.

A fact that led her to a Louisiana maximum security prison, the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, and that led just recently to an astonishing finding: “Of the prisoners that we screened and tested, we found that over 50% had dyslexia,” Dr. Cassidy said.

Her numbers are very similar to those of an earlier prison study in Texas.

“If your self-esteem is battered and you’re not really learning, and you have an option to go on the streets, you go to the streets,” she said.

Twenty-one-year-old Jonathan Wilson is one of the inmates in Dr. Cassidy’s study. He has dyslexia, but until now no one knew it.

Spencer asked him, “What was it like when you were first learning to read when you were a little kid?”

“It was really slow. It was really hard for me to understand the words,” he replied.

He never finished high school. Wilson, a first-time offender, is serving a 12-year sentence, charged and convicted of armed robbery. “So, here we are,” he said.

Spencer asked, “And what do you say to people who might say, you know, ‘Why should I care about dyslexia in prisons?'”

“It’s life; why wouldn’t you want to help the life?” replied Dr. Cassidy. “And then, if we want to reduce recidivism, you can do that easily if you identify them as dyslexic and give them the tools that they need.”

A small first step: The prison reform bill passed last year, with a big push from Laura Cassidy’s husband, Bill Cassidy, who just happens to be a U.S. Senator from Louisiana. The law calls for dyslexia screening in prisons.

When asked what he’d like to do once he is released, Wilson said, “Clothes design. I would like to design things.”

It may not be an impossible goal despite dyslexia. Which brings us back to Cathy Drennan. She ended up teaching herself to read in the sixth grade, but not the way most of us do. “I recognize the shape of words, and I see the shape, and I say, ‘Oh, that’s that word.’ And then I memorize what that word sounds like,” she said.

She seems to have gotten good at it; Drennan is now a tenured professor of chemistry and biology at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Cathy Drennan is a professor of biology and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

“The way that I learned to view the world from learning to read, memorizing these shapes, and looking at shapes, and thinking, ‘What is that shape? What is this language? What is this code?’ definitely makes me a better scientist,” she said.

Though encouraging, isolated success stories like Drennan’s also remind Dr. Cassidy of the challenges ahead. When asked how we as a society are doing in terms of dealing with dyslexia, she replied, “Terrible. We should be screening for dyslexia at the end of kindergarten. I mean, at this point in time, reading and writing are still necessary prerequisites to success in life.”

Louisiana Key Academy student Emmy Youngs said her teachers help her decode words.

Spencer asked, “Are you better able to crack the code than you were before?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she smiled.

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This Method Will Effectively Help Children Struggling With Reading Disorders was originally published on BlamNews

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Priest Steals Thousands Of Dollars From Church Donations To Pay Grindr Hookups

Reverend Joseph McLoone, of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Downingtown, allegedly funneled donations made by parishioners to fund his sleazy habit for at least six years

A crooked priest stole nearly $100,000 in church donations to pay men he met on Grindr to perform sex acts on him, prosecutors have alleged.  

Reverend Joseph McLoone, of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Downingtown, allegedly funneled donations made by parishioners to fund his sleazy habit for at least six years.

On Wednesday, investigators revealed he allegedly opened a secret TD Bank checking account in 2011 and deposited $98,405, which he then used to pay for his illicit activities as well as to pay off his credit card debts. 

The disgraced priest allegedly withdrew roughly $46,000 in cash from the undisclosed account in Ocean City, New Jersey, where he owns a beach house. 

He admitted using some of the funds for ‘personal relationships’ with men, including $1,200 to an inmate in a New York correctional facility, court files states.  

McLoone told investigators that Miller lived in New York City and that he met the inmate via Grindr for a sexual relationship, the complaint shows. 

Investigators revealed he opened a secret TD Bank checking account in 2011 and deposited $98,405, which he used to pay for his illicit activities as well as to pay off his credit card debts

McLoone also made 17 separate payments totaling $1,720 to men he met on Grindr via online money transferring app. During the six-year fraud, he doubled the fee he collected as a stipend for each Mass, wedding, and funeral held, prosecutors also claim

McLoone also allegedly made 17 separate payments totaling $1,720 to men he met on Grindr via online money transferring app. 

During the six-year fraud, he doubled the fee he collected as a stipend for each Mass, wedding, and funeral held, prosecutors also claim.

He is also accused of using $3,000 to pay off personal credit card debts.

‘Father McLoone held a position of leadership and his parishioners trusted him to properly handle their generous donations to the church,’ Chester County district attorney chief of staff Charles Gaz said in a statement. 

‘Father McLoone violated the trust of the members of St. Joseph’s for his own personal gain.’

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia launched an investigation into McLoone’s suspicious activity in early 2018.  

McLoone was later put on administrative leave before he resigned as pastor of the parish, a statement released Wednesday said.

‘These charges are serious and disturbing,’ the statement read. ‘The Archdiocese and the parish will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the criminal matter enters its next phase. 

‘Pending the outcome, Monsignor McLoone remains on administrative leave. Information regarding his arrest will be shared with the Saint Joseph Parish community.’ 

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Priest Steals Thousands Of Dollars From Church Donations To Pay Grindr Hookups was originally published on BlamNews

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More Than 2 Dozens Of People Arrested For Mass Shooting Threats After El Paso, Dayton

Some are teenagers accused of threatening to gun down classmates. Others allegedly issued social media warnings of attacks on store customers or coworkers. Still, others are said to have vowed to unleash small arsenals against victims based on their race or religion.

More than two dozen people have been arrested over threats to commit mass shootings in the weeks since 31 people were killed in one August weekend in shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio,

The raft of cases follows a directive by the FBI director immediately after those two massacres for agency offices nationwide to conduct a new threat assessment in an effort to thwart more mass attacks.

The FBI was concerned that US-based domestic violent extremists could become inspired by the attacks to “engage in similar acts of violence,” the agency said in a statement.

The FBI was concerned that US-based domestic violent extremists could become inspired by the attacks to “engage in similar acts of violence,” the agency said in a statement.

“After the mass violence we’ve seen in Florida and across the country, law enforcement officers have a responsibility to investigate and charge those who choose to make these types of threatening statements,” the sheriff’s office involved in that case wrote on its Facebook page.

Here are the known threats with publicized arrests that law enforcement agencies have investigated since the Dayton and El Paso shootings:

Here are the known threats with publicized arrests that law enforcement agencies have investigated since the Dayton and El Paso shootings:

August 4: A man from the Tampa area called a Walmart and told an employee he would shoot up the store, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The man faces a false threat charge.

August 7: Police in Weslaco, Texas, arrested a 13-year-old boy. The boy will face a charge of terroristic threat for making a social media post that prompted a Walmart to be evacuated, police said on Facebook. The boy’s mother brought him to the station.

August 8: A man is accused of walking into a Walmart in Missouri equipped with body armor, a handgun and a rifle less than a week after a gunman killed 22 people in a Texas Walmart says it was a “social experiment” and not intended to cause panic. The 20-year-old was charged with making a terrorist threat.

August 9: A 23-year-old Las Vegas man is charged with possessing destructive devices after authorities found bomb-making materials at his home. The FBI says he was planning to attack a synagogue and a gay bar.

August 9: A 26-year-old Winter Park, Florida, the man was arrested after investigators say he posted a threat on Facebook that he was about to have his gun returned and people should stay away from Walmart.

August 10: Officers responded to a threat a man posted on social media, the Harlingen, Texas, Police Department said in a statement. A man was arrested at his home on charges of making a terroristic threat.

August 11: A Palm Beach County, Florida, the mother is accused of threatening to carry out a shooting at an elementary school because her children were being moved there, according to CNN affiliate WFTS. The 28-year-old woman is charged with sending a written threat to commit bodily injury.

August 11: A Mississippi teen is accused of making threats in the Lamar County School District, the agency says on Facebook.

August 12: Authorities charged an 18-year-old Ohio man who the FBI says threatened to assault federal law enforcement officers and showed support for mass shootings in a post online. Court documents say that the teen had a stockpile of weapons and ammunition.

August 12: A 25-year-old Jefferson County, West Virginia, the man was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats online to kill people, according to CNN affiliate WDVM.

August 13: Albert Lea Police arrested and charged a 15-year-old Minnesota girl for threatening a school shooting on social media.

August 13: A man was arrested in Phoenix after police say he threatened to blow up an Army recruitment center, according to CNN affiliate KTVK.

August 15: A tip from citizen-led Connecticut authorities and the FBI to investigate and arrest a man who they said expressed an interest in committing a mass shooting on Facebook and had weapons and tactical gear, the FBI and Norwalk Police Department said.

August 15: A 15-year-old girl was arrested in Fresno, California, for posting a photo of a Walmart gun case with rifles displayed and the caption, “Don’t come to school tomorrow,” the city’s police chief said. “The teen’s very bright future is now stained by this,” he said, adding she was booked with making terrorist threats.

August 16: A 15-year-old boy was taken into police custody in Volusia County, Florida after investigators say he threatened to commit a school shooting in comments on a video game chat platform.

August 16: Two Mississippi juveniles were arrested in connection with threatening messages to two Tupelo schools, placing a school in partial lockdown, according to CNN affiliate WTVA.

August 16: A Florida man was arrested and charged with threatening to commit a mass shooting after his ex-girlfriend alerted authorities to a series of ominous text messages he sent her.

August 16: A 14-year-old in Arizona was arrested by Tempe Police after online threats were made against a school, according to CNN affiliate KNXV.

August 16: A Chicago man, 19, was arrested after police say he threatened to kill people at a women’s reproductive health clinic on iFunny, a social media platform where users can post memes, federal prosecutors said Monday.

August 16: A 35-year-old Clarksburg, Maryland, resident was arrested in Seattle after being charged with threatening to kill people and calling for the “extermination” of Hispanics, according to a statement released by the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

August 17: New Middletown Police arrested a self-described white nationalist who they say threatened to shoot an Ohio Jewish community center.

August 18: A man was arrested in Reed City, Michigan, after authorities said he posted online videos making threats toward Ferris State University and other locations, according to CNN affiliate WXMI.

August 18: Claremore, Oklahoma, police arrested an 18-year-old who they say made social media threats against police officer families, according to a Facebook post from the Claremore Police Department.

August 19: A 38-year-old truck driver was arrested after making “credible threats to conduct a mass shooting and suicide” planned for Thursday, an FBI special agent said in a sworn affidavit filed in the Southern District of Alabama.

August 19: Maui Police arrested an 18-year-old man after a social media post claimed he intended to “shoot up a school,” according to CNN affiliate KITV.

August 19: A 37-year-old Rapid City, South Dakota, the man was arrested and charged with threatening to blow up state and federal government agencies, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook.

August 21: A hotel cook was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting of his coworkers and guests at a Marriott property in Long Beach, California, the city’s police chief said.

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More Than 2 Dozens Of People Arrested For Mass Shooting Threats After El Paso, Dayton was originally published on BlamNews