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Desperate Victim Makes Life-Ending Decision After Assailant Gets Away Scot-Free

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Mark Van Dongen Story

Human beings are resilient creatures. We can survive an unbelievable amount of physical damage and can withstand terrible emotional turmoil without going mad. Often times, these trials and tribulations can even make us stronger in the long run.

Mark had dealt with a lot in his young life. He was in his early twenties when he was diagnosed with HIV, but he didn’t let that defeat him. He soldiered on, found love and success. But everyone has their breaking point…

Couldn’t Take It

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Mark had spent more than a year in a Bristol hospital. He’d been home before that, but his condition necessitated a change of scenery and more round-the-clock care. He was waiting, something he did all the time now, for a private ambulance to arrive. It was taking him to Belgium, so that he could be euthanized.

 

Happy Couple

Mark Van Dongen Story
  news.sky.com

A year before he decided to end his own life, Mark was a happy 29-year-old recent graduate student living with a woman he had loved for more than half a decade. Mark had met 48-year-old Berlinah, on a dating website for people with HIV, a condition they both suffered from. Despite the age gap, they fell in love…

Woken in the Night

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.marinelog.com

It was while the two were living together in Bristol that the incident first happened. One of their neighbors recalled the night it occurred in horrifying detail. Mr. Sweet heard his neighbors, the nice couple down the hall, arguing loudly. He described it as sounding like foxes fighting. He heard screaming and pain, and someone shout, “Help me.”

Calling for Help

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Sweet came out of his flat with a golf club to see what was going on. When he reached the hall, he saw Mark holding his face and moaning, crying like he was in excruciating pain. He came closer and tried to see what was wrong. Mark removed his hands and what Mr. Sweet saw shocked him to the core. The young man’s face was melting away…

Bloodcurdling Scream

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

The neighbor called 911 and Mark Van Dongen was rushed to the hospital. They did the best they could for him, but it was already too late. Mark’s vision was blurred by the attack and much of his face and mouth had been destroyed, but he wanted to see his face. He asked for a mirror and as soon as he beheld his visage, he let out a blood-curdling scream.

 

Extent of Injuries

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

As far as the doctors could tell, Mark’s face had been melted by some sort of acid. He lost sight in his left eye and most sight in his right as well. The nerve damage was so great that he was left almost paralyzed and only able to move his tongue. He couldn’t speak well but he knew enough to say that he knew who had assaulted him…

Naming the Assailant

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Bed bound and barely able to talk, Mark Van Dongen still had enough ability to spell out the name of his attacker. The person who had thrown acid on him was none other than his longtime girlfriend, Berlinah. The police already had their own theories about that of course, this just cemented their suspicions.

Poured His Own

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

While Mark was in the hospital, police were questioning Berlinah Wallace. They asked her why she didn’t call an ambulance at first and her only answer was that she was “confused.” She denied having poured the acid on him and even went as far as to allege Mark had poured it himself in order to get her to drink it…

Take Your Medicine

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Her story was that he was out to get her and was trying to kill her with the acid drink. She explained it as, “You know like ‘come and take your medication and go to bed,’ he wanted me to, to burn my insides.” There was enough evidence in Wallace’s past to indicate that this was nothing more than a blatant fabrication.

Afraid of Wallace

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

The truth was, Mark had loved her, but they had grown apart over the years. Not only because he was much younger but also because he was afraid of her. He once told his father that she’d poured boiling water on him in a rage and his friends and coworkers saw the scars of many an argument upon his skin. Something else had been going on this time around though…

Jealous Rage

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.bbc.com

Despite five years together, the two had decided to split up prior to the attack: a month earlier in fact. Regardless of that though, Mark had agreed to continue to support Wallace financially, until she got back on her feet. He moved on and began seeing another, younger woman. Wallace didn’t like that, not one bit.

Google It, Amazon It

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Investigators uncovered that she had begun searching for images of acid attack victims on Google soon after and even ordered the acid from Amazon. That night, the two actually tried rekindling their romance. Things looked good and it appeared they might even work it out, but it was not to be. At 3 am that night, Wallace came to the bedroom and poured the acid over him as he lay in bed, shouting, “If I can’t have you, no-one else will…”

Cleared of All Charges

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Berlinah Wallace was charged with murder but in an unbelievable turn of events, she was found not guilty of the crime. She had ruined a life yes, but she hadn’t actually committed murder. In the meantime, Mark’s father, Kees van Dongen came from Holland to stay with him. At first Mark communicated by tickling his father’s hand but eventually, his voice returned in some fashion.

 

A Hellish Life

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.dailystar.co.uk

Things got worse from there though. Mark’s wounds were becoming infected. His lower left leg had to be amputated, but it didn’t happen all at once. It came in waves. Even after one part was cut out it would spread further up until they had to take the whole thing. He went through skin grafts and painkillers and excruciating unbearable itching. Finally, he got even worse news…

Paralyzed Forever

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.express.co.uk

Kees van Dongen wanted his son to be able to have a normal life, but as time went on, that became less and less likely. Then one day, Mark got the worst news imaginable. The doctors told him that the paralysis he was suffering from would never be cured. The nerve damage was too extensive. The fact that he’d never move his arms again finally broke him.

A Different Ceiling

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.yo2mo.com

Soon after that, Mark spoke to his father and begged him to let him complete the application for euthanasia. “Dad, I’m tired of fighting – I’ve suffered so much pain and I can’t take anymore. Please let me go.” he said, adding. “My life has come to nothing and there is nothing left. All I have is a different ceiling to look at.” After his death, things changed for Berlinah as well…

Things Changed

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.bbc.com

Mark Van Dongen’s death was all the prosecutors needed to try Berlinah Wallace for murder. It was by her violent, selfish actions that Mark was brought to that level of despair and hopelessness. Fifteen months after the attack, Wallace was charged with murder and brought to court to face the jury.

 

Unanimous

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.standard.co.uk

A jury of 10 men and two women took a nail-biting 15 hours and 30 minutes to finally reach their decision. They came back with a unanimous verdict of guilty. The charge was throwing a corrosive substance with intent and because it ultimately resulted in a death, the sentence would be serious…

Acid Attacks

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.dailystar.co.uk

The prosecutor spoke about the heinous nature of acid attacks. Saying that they were perhaps the most devastating thing one person can do to another. They ruin not only faces and bodies, but lives and livelihoods. Due to the extremely serious nature of the offence, sentencing would have to be reviewed first, but it is likely she will receive a harsh sentence.

Victim Impact

Mark Van Dongen Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Meanwhile, Kees Van Dongen was called to the stand to give a victim impact statement. With tears in his eyes, he explained everything his son had gone through in his last year on Earth. He added that throughout their whole relationship, he had treated Wallace as if she were his own daughter. Now though, he believed she should be locked up for life.

Desperate Victim Makes Life-Ending Decision After Assailant Gets Away Scot-Free is an article from: LifeDaily


Vacation To Celebrate Early Retirement Turns Into Lifetime Commitment

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Mary and Steve Muscroft Story

When kids are young, they dream of things like being an astronaut. Teenagers dream of various kinds of fame and acclaim. But once they get a little older, most people tend to dream of things a bit more realistic, like retiring early.

The idea of never having to work again, spending your days in easy pursuit of whatever interests you like while you’ve still got your youth has its obvious appeal. For most of us, it’ll never be a reality but, for a lucky few, dreams do come true. But more often than not, dreams don’t happen just as we imagine them…

English Couple

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  Google Maps

Mary and Steve were a couple from Middlesex, England that had spent their lives together. After a career as a professional singer for Mary and running a manufacturing business for Steve, they’d put a good amount away in the bank.

Comfortable

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.deccanchronicle.com

As they were getting on in years, they began to consider when they were going to retire and what they would do once they left their careers behind. “We weren’t well off but we were comfortable so we decided to retire while we were young enough,” Steve said…

No Plans

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.arvadachamber.org

Retiring just a couple of years before they hit their 50s, they didn’t have a clear plan of how they wanted to spend the rest of their lives. “We didn’t have any set plans other than seeing a bit of Europe,” Steve said.

Exotic Vacations

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.rhinocarhire.com

But before they began making excursions to the Continent, they decided to go to a couple more exotic locales. The first place they went was to Gran Canaria, the largest of the Canary Islands which, a Spanish archipelago that’s off of the northwestern coast of Africa. After that, they wanted to head farther east…

Kovalam, India

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.budgettoursindia.com

Mary and Steve booked a 2 week package holiday to Kovalam in Kerala, south India. Kovalam is a vacation spot known for its endless beaches and coconut trees. One thing not included in the vacation advertising is the large number of stray dogs that live in the area.

Rescue Pups

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.entha.com

“We came here for a 2 week holiday and fell in love with 2 rescue pups,” Steve said. After spending day after day with the dogs, they found themselves not wanting to fly back to England when the day arrived…

Extended Stay

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

With no pressing obligations back home, they decided to stay on in Kovalam for a while and help take care of dogs. That 2 week vacation turned into 2 more weeks, then a month, then 2 more months.

Out Of Control

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

“The whole thing just snowballed. Two dogs became 6, then became 12 and on and on,” Steve said. It wasn’t long before Mary and Steve Muscroft were out walking the streets of the resort town looking for and feeding its various street dogs…

Street Dog Watch

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

The feeding operation got so big that they eventually hired a rickshaw to carry all the food for the 9 mile trip. As time went on, Mary and Steve became more and more organized in their efforts, eventually forming the Street Dog Watch.

Not What I Expected

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

“In no way did I envisage this would be my life,” said Mary, who used to volunteer for the RSPCA. “But we were never going to just sit and read and eat and drink. I don’t think anyone would ever have planned this though,” she added. “That would be crazy.”…

Never Left

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

But as crazy as it was, they were still there in Kovalam 10 years later, breathing in the tropical air and caring for the town’s stray dogs. The man who once drove the rickshaw they used to feed the dogs was now the Street Dog Watch’s clinic manager.

Community Support

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

Over that time, the community began to embrace the couple. As locals found new puppies, they started to leave them at the Dog Watch’s gates, sometimes in large numbers. “We found six puppies left in a plastic bag once…

Puppy Care

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

So they started staying up through the night, nursing the young pups and caring for the sick ones when necessary. For those dogs that are healthy enough, they are housed in 4 large shelters, each holding as many as 25 dogs at a time.

Clean Up

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  aathiraharidas14.wordpress.com

As you might imagine, that many dogs can make quite a mess. Each day began for the adventurous couple with lots of cleaning. “We get through a lot of pooper scoopers,” Mary said. Next up is getting the dogs fed and watered, then checking up on them all to make sure they’re healthy…

Lazy Dog Days

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.thebetterindia.com

In the midday hours, the temperatures can often climb above 100 degrees. That generally means that between 11 am to 3 pm, the dogs nap in whatever spot in the shade they can find. Then at 4pm, the feeding routine starts over again.

Expensive

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  aathiraharidas14.wordpress.com

Taking care of that many dogs costs a lot of money, of course. Over the years in Kovalam, Mary and Steve spent over £300,000 ($400,000) of their own money into the Street Dog Watch Association. That money didn’t just go to food and shelter for the dogs but for sterilising them too…

Big Difference

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.indianexpress.com

When they first started doing the work, they took count of all the stray dogs around the beaches of Kovalam and nearby Samudra, there were 633. When they counted in 2017, there were only 89. “It’s not all down to sterilisation, but it’s played its part,” Mary said.

Living Free

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.thedodo.com

They sterilize healthy strays and the idea is to put them back out on the street, rather than looking after them in their shelters. “We still see them, and check if they are healthy. There’s no shortage of food and water for them, and they are free. It might be different if it was in a city,” Mary said…

Self-Sufficient

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.bbc.com

To help with all the costs, the couple regularly holds fundraisers and have also been helped out by family, friends, as well as tourists who’ve donated to the Dog Watch. They are also in the process of working with the local government to try and have an official license granted for the work they do.“I want Street Dog Watch to become self-sufficient and get the local authority to help with the bill. It’s so the money people give us can go on treats for the dogs, rather than on basic care,” Steve says.

No Regrets

Mary and Steve Muscroft Story
  www.deccanchronicle.com

Still, it’s been difficult. Rather than a comfortable retirement, Mary and Steve have been living on a shoestring budget but they have no regrets. “I miss family and friends and a good old English breakfast. I miss going to the pub and Match of the Day,” Steve said. “But there’s compensation in other ways. There’s no ice on my windscreen and no central heating bill. I’m as happy as a nearly 60-year-old can be.”

Vacation To Celebrate Early Retirement Turns Into Lifetime Commitment is an article from: LifeDaily

After Years Forcing Bisexual Daughter To Be Straight, Mom Learns To Accept Her In 2 Hours

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Jade Story

A parent’s job is to love their children and support them no matter what choices they make or who they become. But for many parents, that commitment is put to the test when they don’t agree with who their child falls in love with.

When a teenager first told her mother about her sexuality and the types of people she was interested in dating, she was devastated when her mom rebuked her. The mother spent years trying to change her daughter, but she finally learned to accept her in just a few hours thanks to a mother-daughter night out…

Coming To Terms With The Truth

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

In 2014, a teenager named Jade finally worked up the nerve to tell her mom and the rest of her family that she was bisexual. She had known for a long time before that point in time but had always been too scared to tell her family out of fear that they wouldn’t approve.

 

Suppressing Herself

Jade Story
  www.umatter.us

For a long time before that point, the 14-year-old had tried to suppress her sexuality in an effort to be ‘normal’, but eventually, it got to a point where she needed to tell her parents and family members so that she could finally be true to herself…

 

Hoping For Support

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

Like anyone coming out to their families, Jade hoped that her mother and father, who were supposed to love her unconditionally, would be accepting of the news or at least be supportive even if they didn’t completely understand everything.

 

Shocking News

Jade Story
  www.ofm.co.za

However, Jade knew that the news would be a huge shock to them and was afraid their reaction wasn’t going to be so positive. Unfortunately, all of Jade’s fears came true when she worked up the nerve to tell her parents and family members that she was bisexual…

 

Coming Out

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

Not only did Jade’s family not understand, but they cruelly rebuked her for opening up to them and being honest with them, which was incredibly difficult for her. “In 2014 I came out to my mom as bisexual, [and] she told me she would never look at me the same,” Jade explained.

 

The Worst Possible Reaction

Jade Story
  www.newscientist.com

“I was called disgusting [and] my dad told me I’d ‘get over it eventually,’” Jade said. “My mom tried to force me to be straight.” After her parent’s devastating reaction, Jade spent the next 6 hours hysterically crying by herself in the bathroom…

Ignoring The Truth

Jade Story
  www.accountingweb.com

As if her family hadn’t made their feelings clear about Jade’s admission, they all ignored her for days after that and alienated her from the family. Eventually, however, Jade’s family tried to go on as if everything was ‘normal’ like it had been before Jade came out to them.

Forced To Be Straight

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

Rather than focusing her energy on trying to accept her daughter as she was, Jade’s mother tried to force her to be straight. She was angry that Jade was ‘different’ and wouldn’t have the life she always dreamed her daughter would have as an adult…

 

Not A Choice

Jade Story
  www.guitaristindia.com

No matter how hard Jade’s mother tried to force her daughter to be straight it never worked. And as much as Jade wanted her mother’s acceptance and approval, her sexuality wasn’t a choice and she couldn’t lie to herself anymore by pretending to be heterosexual.

Her First Crush

Jade Story
  www.howtogeek.com

Over a year later, Jade met a girl from the Netherlands while on the internet, and the pair quickly started developing feelings for each other. The more the girls spoke and opened up to each other, the stronger those mutual feelings became…

 

The Second Attempt

Jade Story
  www.canyon-news.com

After a while, Jade wanted to tell her mother about the girl she had met online and had been talking to, so 2 years after coming out to her family, she told her mom that she had a crush on a girl, hoping enough time had passed and that her mom was more open to the idea.

 

Another Rejection

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

Despite how happy Jade clearly was about her crush and the time that had passed since she came out, Jade’s mom was still devastated. “We cried in a parking lot [and] she told me she wasn’t okay with it,” Jade said about the moment her mother rejected her for the second time…

 

Moving Forward

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

The then 16-year-old was disappointed that nothing had really changed and lost hope that her mother would ever be accepting of her sexuality, so she decided to stop waiting for her family’s approval. “I asked the girl out anyways,” Jade explained.

 

The First Girlfriend

Jade Story
  Pinterest

Jade asked the girl to be her girlfriend, and when she accepted she was happier than she had ever been. The only thing that was missing was having her family share in her joy. However, because Jade and her girlfriend lived in different countries, they had to stay in a long distance relationship…

 

A Life-Changing Trip

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

After about a year in a long-distance relationship, Jade flew over 4,000 miles so they could finally meet in real life. During the trip, which was everything Jade had hoped it would be, she and her girlfriend even shared their first kiss while on a Ferris wheel.

Staying Silent

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

When she returned home, all she wanted was to tell her mom everything about what had happened and how amazing she felt when she was with her girlfriend, however, she had to stay silent since they didn’t accept that part of her life and it would only dredge up bad feelings…

Love, Simon

Jade Story
  www.newyorker.com

Even though Jade stopped waiting for her family’s approval, she never gave up on them or stopped working to spending time with them. In 2018, Jade convinced her mother to join her for a night out at the movies to see ‘Love, Simon’, which is about a high school student struggling with his sexuality.

 

An Unexpected Reaction

Jade Story
  www.techworldslatestnews.com

Jade hoped her mother would be able to look past the fact that the main character was homosexual and just try to appreciate the movie as a whole, which is why she was again disappointed when she looked over and saw her mother was crying in the middle of the movie. Jade assumed the tears were because she was still crushed about her daughter’s sexuality, but then her mom turned to her and said something she never expected…

 

The Apology

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

“She grabbed my hand in the theater while Simon came out to his family [and] mouthed, ‘I’m sorry,’ to me with tears in her eyes because when I came out I never got acceptance,” said Jade, who couldn’t believe her mother’s attitude toward her had changed more in under 2 hours than it had in 4 years.

A New Beginning

Jade Story
  loserichie / Twitter

“When we were leaving the theater, she talked to me about my girlfriend proudly without caring that other people could hear us, something she would’ve never done even just a year ago,” Jade added.  “I’m so sorry to anyone who will never have the amount of acceptance I have in my life. Even though it isn’t perfect, I know it’s better than what a lot of people have. I’m just [really] thankful for this movie and for the representation and love that came from it.”

After Years Forcing Bisexual Daughter To Be Straight, Mom Learns To Accept Her In 2 Hours is an article from: LifeDaily

Purple Heart Soldier Overcomes Setbacks Threatening To Derail His Life

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Josh Hersl Story

In 2002, Josh Hersl showed up for his freshman year at Penn State University at the massive University Park campus along with over 41,000 other undergraduate students. For the 18-year-old, it was the first time living away from home and he reveled in his newfound freedom.

 

Giving In To Temptations

Josh Hersl Story
  www.studybreaks.com

For the first time in his life, Josh was free to do what he pleased, and like many new college students, he focused more time on his social life than his academic career. And when his grades started to suffer because of his partying, no 1 was there to chastise him…

 

Too Much Fun

Josh Hersl Story
  www.psu.edu

“I had a lot of fun during my first experience here. Maybe too much fun. I took advantage of the social activities that Happy Valley had to offer rather than focusing on my education. As a result, my grades suffered,” Josh admitted about the wasted opportunity

 

Plummeting Grades

Josh Hersl Story
  www.tes.com

Over the next 3 years, Josh’s grades continued to plummet as he prioritized partying and his social life above his grades. Meanwhile, Josh’s father was back home working as hard as possible to make enough money to send him and his sister could go to college…

 

A College Drop-Out

Josh Hersl Story
  commons.wikimedia.org

“I decided to leave Penn State after three years without a degree,” Josh explained. When he arrived home to Hanover Pennsylvania, his father, who had been working occasional odd jobs on top of his 2 jobs to afford college tuition for his kids, welcomed him home without question.

Overwhelmed With Guilt

Josh Hersl Story
  www.thesaleslion.com

His parents didn’t yell or punish him when he dropped out of school, but Josh was punishing himself enough for letting his family down with his ungrateful behavior. He felt horribly guilty for wasting his parents’ money and for squandering such an important opportunity…

Time To Grow Up

Josh Hersl Story
  www.cheatsheet.com

Shortly after dropping out and returning home, Josh started thinking about what he was going to do with his life now that he wasn’t going to earn a degree. He knew he needed to grow up and think about his future, so he decided to join the army and become a soldier, which was 1 of his childhood dreams.

 

A New Challenge

Josh Hersl Story
  www.military.com

“Sept. 11 was still pretty fresh in everyone’s minds. I believed that I could serve my country while also getting back my sense of responsibility,” Josh said about his thought process before enlisting. “I knew I needed to grow up, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could take on a challenge…”

 

The 1st Tour Of Duty

Josh Hersl Story
  news.psu.edu

So in May 2004, Josh enlisted and started training to be a soldier in the United States Army. Once he was finished with his training, he said goodbye to his family and was deployed to Iraq for his 1st tour of duty, which was supposed last at least a year.

 

5 Months Later

Josh Hersl Story
  www.kiplinger.com

Unfortunately, however, Josh only lasted a few months. During his 5th month of deployment in Iraq, he was badly injured and was sent home to recover after an enemy truck full of bombs was detonated and exploded near his station…

 

Road To Recovery

Josh Hersl Story
  www.everydayhealth.com

As a result of the blast, Josh’s body was badly burned and sustained severe shrapnel injuries, which required multiple surgeries and skin grafts to save his life. Once he was back on American soil, Josh underwent months of physical therapy in order to make a full recovery.

 

Medical Retirement

Josh Hersl Story
  www.kiplinger.com

At the time, he was offered medical retirement and his traumatized family tried to convince him to take it. However, Josh was determined to get back to Iraq with his unit. To others, it seemed like an insane decision, but for Josh, it was just something he needed to do…

 

Finishing What He Started

Josh Hersl Story
  montalto.psu.edu

Josh didn’t expect anyone to understand, but after dropping out of college, he wanted to finally complete something that he started. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could handle it, and honestly I wanted to finish what I had started,” Josh explained.

 

Active Duty

Josh Hersl Story
  www.thehill.com

So when Josh was fully recovered and deemed fit to serve, he was sent back to Iraq for active duty. Josh successfully completed his 1st tour of duty, and after that, he was sent for another tour in Afghanistan. According to Josh, he never wanted to end his military career, but life had other plans…

 

A Battle Back Home

Josh Hersl Story
  www.flickriver.com

Back at home, Josh’s father was taking part in his own battle for his life. He had been diagnosed with cancer in early 2014, and when Josh was notified of his father’s condition, he knew where he needed to be, which was at home caring for his dad before he passed away shortly before the end of 2014.

 

Back To School

Josh Hersl Story
  www.linkedin.com

Josh, who had been honorably discharged and awarded the Purple Heart, was once again questioning what he would do with his life. In honor of his late father, Josh decided he had to go back to Penn State University and finish was he started over a decade ago. “I always regretted not earning my degree. I blew my first chance, but my father taught me many lessons about hard work and dedication. I owed it to him to earn my degree…”

 

Never Looking Back

Josh Hersl Story
  montalto.psu.edu

“Reinventing yourself in your 30s is just as scary as moving away from home and attending college for the first time at age 18,” Josh said about his return to college in 2015 to earn an associate degree in forest technology. “Once I got started, I didn’t look back.”

 

Following His Dreams

Josh Hersl Story
  www.b97.com

This time around, however, Josh didn’t fool around. He managed to graduate from the program with a 3.9-grade point average. But Josh didn’t stop there. With his family’s encouragement, he decided to go back and earn his bachelor’s degree back at Penn State’s main University Park campus. “When I was little, I dreamed of being a soldier and a lawyer,” Josh said. “I thought I blew my chance years ago, but because of the lessons I have learned, I won’t be blowing this chance. I accomplished the first dream, and though it has taken me awhile, I am getting closer to reaching the second…

 

The Next Step

Josh Hersl Story
  news.psu.edu

Josh, now 35 years old, earned a 3.8 GPA while also working as a forest technician, a research technician, and an undergraduate research assistant. Now, he had plans on continuing his education to become an environmental attorney. Good laws can make a real difference in people’s lives. I want to play a role in protecting the environment to make sure our natural resources are used in a way that keeps them here forever. I can help do that as an environmental attorney.”

The Only Regret

Josh Hersl Story
  www.pixabay.com

After preparing for graduation and applying for law school, Josh is proud of how far he has come today and has realized that all the setbacks made him more resilient and determined to accomplish his dreams. The only thing he regrets is that his dad here witnessing it all. “But I know he’s with me in spirit, and that he’s proud,” Josh said.

Purple Heart Soldier Overcomes Setbacks Threatening To Derail His Life is an article from: LifeDaily

Police Uncover Dangerous Trend After Indiana Couple Find Disturbing Way To Spice Up Their Love Life

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Kelly Cochran Story

Every couple goes through some rough patches when it comes to “keeping the magic alive.” It’s only natural that over the course of many years together, things get a little stale. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of this and find new activities together that will spice things back up in the bedroom.

There are many healthy, albeit a little kinky ways of doing this, and countless things to try. Of course, some couples take things a bit too far. Take for instance this Indiana couple whose ideas to spice up their love life took a rather disturbing turn…

On the Rocks

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

Kelly and Jason’s marriage was falling apart before their very eyes. Having been married for over a decade, the two former lovers had become complacent in one another. Not only that, but their infrequent fights were now becoming a daily occurrence. Something had to be done before things got any worse.

 

Dark Desires

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.crimewatchdaily.com

As with any marriage that needs saving, the first thing Jason and Kelly decided to try was some new “experiences” in the bedroom. As it happened, Kelly had already been finding these new experiences outside of the marriage bed, with her much older coworker and boyfriend, Chris. Jason knew about Chris and the affair and together they formed an idea that might kill two birds with one stone…

The Lure

Kelly Cochran Story
  Pinterest

The couple’s diabolical plan involved luring Kelly’s lover, 53-year-old Christopher Regan, to their home with the promise of sex. Once they had him in their clutches, Jason would kill him. The plan worked, as soon as Jason “caught” Chris in bed with his wife, he shot him right in the head with his .22 caliber shotgun.

Dismemberment

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.familyhandyman.com

The excitement had been palpable and it seemed that with Chris’ death, the couple had brought added spice to their life while simultaneously removing a persistent obstacle. They then dismembered his body with a saw and set to getting rid of the evidence. Still, it’s not exactly easy to ditch an entire person…

Thrown Out

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

Christopher Regan was reported missing a few days after that and his car was eventually located abandoned at a park-and-ride lot near Iron River, Michigan. Though the police didn’t know it at the time, the Cochrans had divided the dismembered man’s body between a number of garbage bags and thrown them into the woods right around the river.

 

Suspected

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.uppermichiganssource.com

Eventually, the police discovered Regan’s body. Looking into his known contacts they discovered that Kelly Cochran, his lover, was at the top of the list. They honed in on her and even searched her home with the help of the FBI, but found nothing. Sensing that it was only a matter of time before they discovered the truth, Kelly and Jason moved to Indiana…

A Year Hence

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.metro.co.uk

Kelly and Jason Cochran’s impromptu move did little to dissuade law enforcement from keeping an eye on them. Kelly was a person of interest, but even after a year of searching, they had no proof that she or her husband had done anything wrong. The following February though, Jason Cochran died of a heroin overdose. It was enough to make anyone take a step back.

Track Her Down

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.rollingstone.com

As upset as Kelly appeared to be on the outside, the police weren’t buying her sob story. Indeed, the circumstances behind Jason’s death were just as suspicious as had been her relationship with Christopher Regan before his untimely and brutal demise. The US Marshals were eventually called in to track her down. Nine weeks after her husband’s death, Kelly Cochran was brought in on murder charges…

Give Up the Goods

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.crimefeed.com

Kelly was arrested in Kentucky and soon underwent almost 70 hours of interrogation at the hands of both the Michigan and Indiana police. Two men close to her had died, each under suspicious circumstances and she was the clear link. Eventually, she told police exactly where to find the rest of Christopher Regan’s body.

 

Suspicious Odds and Ends

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.uppermichiganssource.com

In that desolate patch of woods, investigators found a human skull with an apparent bullet hole, other bones and fragments thereof. They also found Chris’ glasses, the bullet, and the abandoned .22 caliber rifle. After that, the Indiana police decided to step in and talk to her about her husband’s death. What they learned about that night was most telling indeed…

Unresponsive

Kelly Cochran Story
  algoafm.co.za

Kelly Cochran’s version of what happened on the night of Jason’s death changed with each retelling. She had called the paramedics as soon as he collapsed but Jason was unresponsive when the EMT attempted to revive him. At first glance, all signs pointed to a heroin overdose. Yet, the Indiana Lake County Coroner’s examination revealed an alternative theory.

Another Take

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.wnmufm.org

The coroner discovered that what Jason Cochran had actually died from was asphyxiation, not heroin. Suspicion immediately swiveled to his wife, already a suspect in another murder. There was no proof still, but her “disruptive” behavior as EMTs tried to save her husband pointed to a woman who didn’t want him to make it out of that situation alive…

Came Clean

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.crimefeed.com

It was towards the end of the interrogation that Cochran finally came clean. She told police the truth. That she herself had delivered an overdose of heroin to her husband before putting her hands on his nose, neck and mouth until he expired. The police just didn’t understand why she’d done it. After all, Chris Regan’s murder had appeared to bring the couple closer together.

 

“Fixing Things”

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.crimefeed.com

As it happened, the motive for Jason’s murder was the same as it had been when they’d killed Regan together. She and her husband’s marriage was failing. They had decided to “fix things” by killing Regan and all that had done was brought more pressure down on an already pressured marriage. Turns out, by the time they had moved to Indiana, she felt even worse about it…

Serious Consideration

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.hush-hush.press

Police wouldn’t find out until much later on but there was a moment, right before Jason shot Chris Regan, that Kelly considered killing him instead of her boyfriend. She decided that it would be easier after 10 years together to be rid of the beau and not her bubby. In the end, she ended up killing both. Though she waited 16 months before taking Jason out.

Hating Him

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.denofgeek.com

Kelly Cochran had blamed her husband for Chris’ death from the moment it happened. She told the investigators that Jason Cochran took the only good thing she had in her life and that killing him was pure and simple revenge. “I still hate him,” she explained “I evened the score.” It seemed like an open-and-shut case now, but there were still a number of things to consider…

Charges

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.uppermichiganssource.com

After that, Cochran was charged with her husband’s death in Indiana. As for her crimes in Michigan, the district attorney charged her with: homicide, assisting her husband to “mutilate, deface, remove or carry away a portion of a dead body,” and concealing the death of an individual in the death of Chris Regan. Initially, she pled not guilty and even wanted to defend herself.

 

Might be More

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.uppermichiganssource.com

Realizing that this would be a terrible idea given her full confession, she opted to enlist a public defender. It wasn’t until after the charges were brought against her that the DA decided to look into Cochran a bit more carefully. Melissa Powell believed that their might be more bodies buried amongst her as yet unknown past misdeeds….

Claiming Killings

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.ironmountaindailynews.com

In her past interviews, Cochran has claimed responsibility for the deaths of other individuals as well. If what she says is true, Indiana and Michigan might be dealing with a serial killer. First though, before they can even attempt to delve any deeper, they need to figure out if she’s actually insane. She does have a history of mental illness to consider.

Mental Illness

Kelly Cochran Story
  www.ironmountaindailynews.com

Kelly Cochran has a long history of mental illness. In the past, she’d been admitted to a number of psychiatric facilities in Indiana for depression and suicidal thoughts. It was voluntary of course, but it was enough for the courts to have to determine if she’d be competent to stand trial. Meanwhile, she remains in the Iron County Jail on a $5 million cash bond until her day in court.

Police Uncover Dangerous Trend After Indiana Couple Find Disturbing Way To Spice Up Their Love Life is an article from: LifeDaily

Orchestra Teacher’s Misconduct Comes To Light After Illustrious 4-Decade Composing Career

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James Levine Story

As we go through school, through adolescence specifically, our young lives are filled with teachers who inspire us and teachers who do nothing except draw our hatred. Sometimes, in strange circumstances, this can be the very same person.

Even at seventeen, Chris was a talented musician. All of his music instructors had seen that, and had seen enough to send him to a musical school in Michigan. It wasn’t until decades later, as he delved back into the memories of his time there, that he decided to tell the world about the teacher he’d met that changed his life: and not for the better…

Surprised and Honored

James Levine Story
  chicago.suntimes.com

It was the summer of 1968 and 17-year-old Chris was studying to be a better bass player at the Meadow Brook School of Music in Michigan. He was pleasantly surprised, after having been there for only a few weeks, when Mr. Levine, his orchestra instructor at the time, came to him with an offer to make him principal bass.

 

Strange Discussions

James Levine Story
  www.boston.com

It was truly an honor, especially considering how much older and more experienced the other players were. Chris had only just finished his junior year of high school after all. Initially flattered as he was by the offer, Mr. Levine’s personal attention soon went from respectful to downright unsavory. Especially when Mr. Levine began to invite him to his dorm room late at night to talk about sex…

A Bad Touch

James Levine Story
  www.ottobock.com.au

Chris thought it was weird of course, but he was so tired, that when Mr. Levine told him that he could go to bed if he did just one more thing, he acquiesced. It wasn’t until the orchestra teacher began touching his privates that he realized he was in over his head: and by then it was too late. His teacher then asked for reciprocation and young as he was, Chris acceded to this request as well.

Abuse, Pure and Simple

James Levine Story
  Pinterest

The seventeen year old felt ashamed as he lay there on the floor, his hand working his teacher’s most private area. The next morning, he was late to rehearsal. He was in a bit of a daze, trying to come to come to terms with what had occurred the night prior. As the child of a Christian Scientist, he knew little of sex education, but he knew what had happened was wrong. It wouldn’t stop there either…

Wanting it to Stop

James Levine Story
  www.wnpr.org

Chris hadn’t felt anything sexual for his teacher, but he did feel sexually violated. The next time they met, he told Mr. Levine that he wouldn’t repeat the acts they had engaged in the first night. He told his teacher he just wanted to continue to play music as they had before, leaving the rest of it out entirely. Mr. Levine’s cold “No” and his reticence to even  notice him for the rest of the summer, was all the answer he needed.

 

Terrible Summer

James Levine Story
  www.pbs.org

Sure, the abuse had stopped, but so had all of his preferential treatment, not to mention even the merest hint of a complementary opinion of his work. What followed was a terrible summer and when he returned to school for his senior year, the memories of that time haunted him. As for Mr. Levine, well, his future endeavors were a bit more rewarding…

Step Up, Step Down

James Levine Story
  www.giancarlodelmonaco.com

James Levine went on to teach at Meadow Brook for many more years. Eventually, his musical career landed him a position as a revered conductor and even musical director for the famous Metropolitan Opera house in New York. He stayed there for over four decades before he stepped down due to health problems. But whispered rumors of his bad behavior spread nevertheless.

Decades of Speculation

James Levine Story
  www.vulture.com

People had always talked about Levine’s private life, especially those in classical music circles. But his position of unprecedented prominence at the Met made it so that speaking such things aloud would be musical suicide. Levine had conducted over 2,500 performances there and indeed who in those circles would bat an eye if he was privately a pervert or worse? In the meantime, Chris buried the memories…

Deeply Affected

James Levine Story
  www.mprnews.org

Chris Brown went on to play principal bass in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for more than three decades. He moved on with his life but kept the trauma of that summer buried deep inside. Then, in 2016, as the world began to uncover all the “respected” men and women who have dabbled in what many would call sexual misconduct, the 66-year-old former musician decided to talk about things.

 

No Way

James Levine Story
  www.nytimes.com

Another of Levine’s students, one James Lestock, played the cello for the prestigious conductor. They had discussed, or rather Mr. Levine had suggested during a private session, that he take his clothes off, citing that this would be natural and honest and “expand his outlook on the world.” Initially, James Lestock said “No, I’m not interested in that.” Levine persisted…

High Flier

James Levine Story
  www.npr.org

Mr. Levine ignored James’ protestations and pursued the point until he convinced the young man to let him touch his privates. At that time, Levine was assistant conductor at the Cleveland Orchestra. He was surrounded by musicians like himself who were awed by him. James Lestock had joined that group and knew that if he wanted to ascend with Levine, he had to play ball…so to speak.

Humiliation

James Levine Story
  www.bostonglobe.com

Members of this close-knit group studied music together, traveled together, ate together, and when they needed to, even lived together. Over the years, Levine’s predilections included subjecting James Lestock to a number of humiliating sexual encounters, not only with himself, but with other members of the group as well…

Total Control

James Levine Story
  www.ravinia.org

Mr. Levine encouraged members of his little clique to put on blindfolds and masturbate partners they couldn’t see. Nevertheless, Levine had total control and no one seemed to want to say no to him. This continued for years as James traveled with Levine’s group. One time, in a hotel near the Ravinia Festival, James recalled that Levine’s humiliating behavior escalated to pain.

 

Hurting Him

James Levine Story
  www.billboard.com

Mr. Levine would touch James sure, but he’d never physically hurt him. On this occasion, he pinched him hard, repeatedly on the legs, telling him that he should “expand his range of emotions.” The years of abuse had finally become too much. James broke down and cried, but Levine kept at it. James felt like he was powerless not only to stop Levine, but to even get up the courage to leave…

No Choice

James Levine Story
  www.vanityfair.com

James knew that if he even attempted to leave, he would be lost. He’d have no career and therefore no means to make a living. He’d have no friends either. He followed Levine to New York in the 1970s and finally found the courage to leave. Like Chris Brown before him, he pushed the entire experience down and tucked it away.

Years of Abuse

James Levine Story
  www.nytimes.com

The final straw came years later, after a third young man, Ashok Pai, decided to come forward about Levine’s lascivious behavior. Ashok had met Mr. Levine when he was only four years old. His parents had taken him backstage at a concert to introduce him. When he was fifteen, Levine gave him a ride home and held his hand during the drive in a way that made Ashok uneasy…

Summer Daze Again

James Levine Story
  www.nydailynews.com

The next summer, when Ashok met him again, Levine went as far as to touch his penis in a hotel room near the very same Ravinia festival where he had met him as a child. At sixteen, Ashok Pai was too naive and vulnerable, like Chris Brown before him, to even protest. He felt safe and protected by Levine and it wasn’t until years later he’d realize what really happened.

 

Reported to Police

James Levine Story
  www.policecararchives.org

It wasn’t until October of 2016, almost 50 years after the abuse first began, that the decades of speculation brought his actions to light. Though the incident happened in 1986, Ashok Pai finally came forward with an accusation of abuse to the Lake Forest Police Department in Illinois. He had suffered for years in silence and now it was time to tell the world the type of person that “esteemed conductor” James Levine really was…

Into the Light

James Levine Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

The Metropolitan Opera House is the nation’s largest performing arts organization and frankly, one of the world’s most prestigious opera houses which now finds itself in the same position as many other prestigious organizations: at the center of a scandal. What’s worse is that Pai’s revelation wasn’t the first time the head honchos at the Met had been warned of Levine’s bad behavior.

Allegations and Admissions

James Levine Story
  www.chicagotribune.com

Allegations of sexual misconduct against Hollywood stars, news reporters, and political figures have come to light mainly because the abused finally feel it is safe for them to come forward. Yet, as disturbing as these victims’ accounts are, the abusers are not the only ones to blame. It appears as though the Met had covered his indecency up for some time…

Damage Control

James Levine Story
  www.time.com

Old letters from former Met administrators have been found. They seem to admonish complainants for their accusations and now, even a prestigious institution like the Met has a fair bit of egg on its face as it tries to do a bit of damage control by distancing themself from and apologizing for Levine’s behavior.

Suspended

James Levine Story
  www.scmp.com

The Metropolitan Opera has suspended James Levine, who had recently come out of retirement to conduct a new show. It seems that regardless of how revered the conductor’s career had been, it is his misconduct which will ultimately determine his legacy. Any criminal proceedings against Levine have yet to be released.

Orchestra Teacher’s Misconduct Comes To Light After Illustrious 4-Decade Composing Career is an article from: LifeDaily

Real Life ‘Failure To Launch’ Brings Parents To Breaking Point Over Deadbeat Son

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Michael Rotondo Story

Kids expect their parents to provide everything for them. Their parents brought them into the world and, since the kids don’t have any way to provide food or shelter for themselves, it’s only natural that their parents should support them entirely.

But that support is only supposed to last for so long. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, a person is supposed to learn to be self-sufficient and eventually strike out on their own. When one family’s bird failed to make the jump out of the nest, so to speak, his parents had to take drastic measures…

Typical Family

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.eklist.com

Mark and Christina were a couple living in the middle class town of Camillus, just a short distance away from Syracuse, New York. They’d had a son named Michael back in 1987 and when he grew up, he naturally left home to live on his own at the usual age.

Moving Back

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.bbc.com

But like so many people of his age group, Michael wasn’t up to the task of living on his own and asked to move back in with his parents in 2010. Mark and Christina loved their son and of course wanted him to succeed in life, so they agreed…

Economic Forces

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.goldstreetbusiness.com

There are a lot of reasons why Michael’s story of leaving home only to return is so common these days. While unemployment is low right now, real wages — the amount of money people earn compared to inflation — haven’t really grown since the ‘70s. At the same time costs for just about everything, especially rent and housing, have skyrocketed.

Hard But Not Impossible

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.gazettereview.com

Still, most ‘millennials’ are motivated enough to have their independence to find a way to scrape by on their own. Not so for Michael. As the years went by, Michael would spend the rest of his 20s living under his parents roof, bringing them to breaking point…

Do-Nothing

Michael Rotondo Story
  abcnews.go.com

As Michael was approaching his 31st birthday, unemployed and not contributing to household expenses, chores, or maintenance, and 8 years into his second stay in the family home, his parents decided that enough was enough. After a number of discussions imploring him to get a job and move out, they decided to make their wishes as clear and official as possible.

Giving Notice

Michael Rotondo Story
  philadelphia.cbslocal.com

In the beginning of 2018, Michael got a letter that read “Michael, After a discussion with your Mother, we have decided that you must leave this house immediately. You have 14 days to vacate. You will not be allowed to return. We will take whatever actions are necessary to enforce this decision.” At the bottom of the note, it was signed “Mark and Christina Rotonodo.”…

No Action

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.junkee.com

But as the days passed by, Michael appeared to be making no efforts to get himself a job and move out. To emphasize how serious they were, Mark and Christina gave their son another letter 3 days before the deadline they’d given him warning of potential legal action.

Legal Proceedings

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.syracuse.com

“Michael Joseph Rotondo, You are hereby evicted from 408 Weatheridge Drive, Camillus, New York effective immediately,” the second letter read. “You have heretofore been our guest and there is no lease or agreement that gives you any right to stay here without our consent. A legal enforcement procedure will be instituted immediately if you do not leave by 15 March 2018”…

Offering Assistance

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.theguardian.com

But March 15th came and went and the obstinate 30 year old made no moves toward vacating. Over the course of 6 weeks, Mark and Christina gave him 3 more letters, with one even offering a ‘buyout’ of sorts, $1,100 dollars “so you can find a place to stay” and another suggesting they could help to help fix or get rid of Michael’s dead VW Passat.

You Have To Work

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.tmz.com

“There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you,” read one of the letters. “Get one — you have to work!” But Michael remained immovable so his parents went forward with the only option they believed they had and filed a lawsuit against him…

Self-Representation

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.agilitysolutionssite.com

Michael, of course, didn’t have the money for an attorney so, acting as his own counsel, he filed a motion trying to get his parents’ case thrown out, claiming that they were legally required to give him 6 months to get out.

‘Businessman’

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.thesunbest.com

In court papers, Michael claimed that he runs a “successful” business — without saying exactly what that business was — saying his business was “the overwhelmingly superior choice for [his] economic well being over the working of a full-time job.”…

Another Suit

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.independent.co.uk

Michael also had a pending lawsuit against Best Buy, where he’d previously worked but was fired for refusing to work on Saturdays. He was seeking over $300,000 in damages, though it seemed far fetched that anything would come of it.

‘I Have Money’

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.rantavist.com

“I have money. I have income. I have plans to not stay with them anymore, just not today, just not in 30 days. I can’t imagine I’ll be there in 3 months,” he said. His parents apparently thought those 3 months were either unrealistic or just too long…

Dubious Claims

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.usatoday.com

He also claimed that his parents were forcing him out of the home as “retaliation” for not allowing them to see his child before he lost custody himself last September. Regardless of Michael’s dubious claims about his business or parental retaliation, the judge in the lawsuit felt his arguments had at least one merit.

Good Job, But No

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.wbtv.com

Judge Donald Greenwood applauded Michael for his legal research in the case, which would have been passable for someone who’d had the benefit of legal training. But beyond that, Judge Greenwood described his demands for 6 more months under his parents’ roof as “outrageous.”…

Awkward Trip Home

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.studybreaks.com

The judge ordered that the parents’ lawyer draft up an order outlining the terms of the eviction but allowed Michael to remain in their home until the official date was set. You can imagine, after the session in court, just how awkward it was driving home with all 3 of them sharing a car.

Palpable Tension

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

“They were quiet. It’s awkward” Michael said. The remaining time he spent in the home would be no less awkward, with Michael’s bedroom just a couple of doors down from the master bedroom. “It is awkward,” he said again about the living arrangements…

Fine, I’ll Go

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.cbs17.com

Still, with the full force of the law now telling him he would have to leave the home, Michael finally faced reality, putting an end to the real life “Failure to Launch” situation. However he wasn’t without conditions for his exit.

Still Wanting More

Michael Rotondo Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

“I want 3 months,” Michael said. “I think that’s reasonable.” If given those 3 months, it would mean he wouldn’t move out until after his 31st birthday in July. However, he said he would comply with the eviction order so long as it didn’t force him out of the home within the next 30 days…

Real Life ‘Failure To Launch’ Brings Parents To Breaking Point Over Deadbeat Son is an article from: LifeDaily

Husband And Wife Dedicate Themselves To Caring For Babies After Struggling To Have Their Own

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Deb Schuring Story

Having babies isn’t easy. The uniquely taxing months of pregnancy are only the first steps in the long journey of creating a life and raising that person to adulthood. While it’s one of the most difficult things in the world, it’s also one of the most rewarding.

But something possibly even more difficult than raising a baby is losing one. When a child passes away just a short time after they are born, it is devastating to the parents in a way that nothing else can be…

Mother’s Day

Deb Schuring Story
  www.nationalave.com

It was Mother’s day, something no one was more aware of than Deb and her husband Mike. That was because the couple was at the hospital where Deb was in labor 3 months earlier than they expected to be.

Too Soon

Deb Schuring Story
  www.pexels.com

After hours of labor, Deb gave birth to a baby girl with high cheek bones, just like her father. Unfortunately the tiny baby weighed just a little bit more than a pound. “We said goodbye to her on the first day,” Deb said…

One Year Anniversary

Deb Schuring Story
  www.hope1032.com.au

Exactly one year later, May 9th, 1983, Deb was back in the hospital, again in labor, again 3 months earlier than she should have been. This time, Deb gave birth to a blond little boy named David who looked more like his mother. He seemed to be doing better than Andrea had but after 3 days, he passed away as well.

Together Forever

Deb Schuring Story
  www.interment.net

Andrea and David were buried right next to each other in the Oakwood Cemetery in Pella, Iowa, just a mile away from Deb and Mike’s house. Suffering two losses as they did, separated by just one year, seems like the kind of thing that a couple of parents-to-be might never recover from…

Persistence

Deb Schuring Story
  www.freepik.com

But Deb and Mike Schuring never gave up. They wanted to be parents more than anything else in the world so they turned to specialist doctors to help. After years of infertility treatments and a surgery that sewed up Deb’s cervix to better hold babies in, their efforts eventually paid off.

A Boy And Girl

Deb Schuring Story
  www.pellachronicle.com

In 1986, Deb was able to give birth to a little boy named Alex and 2 years later, to a little girl named Sarah. After all they’d been through, they couldn’t have been more pleased but after bringing those 2 children into the world, they wanted to do even more as parents…

Doing Even More

Deb Schuring Story
  www.desmoinesregister.com

To honor the memory of their two children who didn’t make it, they had the names “Andrea” and “David” painted onto the walls of their kitchen and began fostering babies. The very first baby they fostered in 1995 was as strong a reminder of the fragility young life.

Little Anna

Deb Schuring Story
  www.momtricks.com

They were fostering a baby girl named Anna who was just a few weeks old when they were blindsided by an unexpected medical problem. Deb heard Mike call out from the bedroom and when she ran into the room, he told her Anna wasn’t breathing…

Emergency Surgery

Deb Schuring Story
  www.self.com

They rushed Anna to the hospital in Pella as quickly as possible, though she would have to be transferred to a hospital in Iowa City. The doctors there discovered a cyst that was blocking Anna’s nasal passage. Deb and Mike stayed at the hospital with her for an entire week as doctors performed the necessary surgery.

Important Lesson

Deb Schuring Story
  www.northjersey.com

After staying with the Schurings for 3 months, Anna went to live with a permanent adoptive family. It was difficult for the entire family to say goodbye, especially for Alex and Sarah, who were just 9 and 7 years old at the time.  But according to Deb, it was an important lesson for her 2 kids, showing them how important it is to give of themselves to others who need help, even when it hurts…

Family Efforts

Deb Schuring Story
  www.desmoinesregister.com

From that time forward, both the parents and the children were all in on fostering kids. Alex became a diaper changing wiz, while Sarah preferred bottle-feeding tiny infants. Mike became the “master swaddler” of the home, able to comfort any agitated baby into peacefulness in mere moments.

Primary Caregiver

Deb Schuring Story
  www.desmoinesregister.com

But because of Mike’s success as the owner of a clothing store, Deb was the one who shouldered the majority of the burden of caring for the children, devoting herself full time to caring for the biological and foster children…

Difficult Work

Deb Schuring Story
  www.king5.com

While caring for a healthy baby is already a 24/7 job, many foster babies are in poor health or in need of special care. And caring for as many babies as they had over the years — 100 to be exact — they have had to deal with just about anything a parent can expect.

Many Ailments

Deb Schuring Story
  www.desmoinesregister.com

They’ve cared for babies with low birth weights, a slew of different sicknesses, ones whose mothers had abused drugs during pregnancy, skin ailments, breathing issues, Down syndrome, blindness, even babies that required heart monitors…

Then Who?

Deb Schuring Story
  www.northjersey.com

It was their decision early on to try and care for babies no matter what condition they were in, though not a decision they came to easily. When a van carrying one of their first foster babies rolled up and began unloading oxygen tanks and medical equipment, Deb cried. When she said “I can’t,” it was her son Alex who turned to her and asked “If not us, who?” Seen in that light, Deb set aside her concerns and accepted the baby.

Short Term

Deb Schuring Story
  www.northjersey.com

The Schurings were able to reach the 100 mark on babies fostered because they are typically with the family for only a short time, usually on their way to a longer-term foster care, adoption, or ideally back to biological parents or family…

Fantastic Success Rate

Deb Schuring Story
  www.northjersey.com

Those biological parents who take their babies back are usually young parents who believe they aren’t capable of caring for a child. But through visits to the Schuring’s home, they often come to believe that they have what it takes. In fact, about 70% of the foster care kids they’ve taken care of have been reunited with their biological families, an exceptionally high number.

Little Compensation

Deb Schuring Story
  www.famres.org

For all their selflessness in caring for young babies, the Schuring family isn’t without its critics. “We have people say that foster parents are providing care for financial gain,” said Kaci O’Day-Goldstein from the Four Oaks Foster and Adoptive Family Connection, a non-profit agency that works with the Iowa government on foster care placements. She notes that parents fostering babies receive a stipend of just $15.78 a day. “A baby is 24/7 care. That’s 67 cents an hour.”…

What They Deserve

Deb Schuring Story
  www.northjersey.com

Still, all of the hardships are more than worth it for them. “It’s a new life,” Mike said. “They are vulnerable and deserve a new start.” They keep a photo album they call “the book of babies” full of cute little faces. Some of the kids they’ve raised even come for a visit with their new parents from time to time.

Getting Tired

Deb Schuring Story
  www.whotv.com

But after more than 20 years of fostering, the Schurings are thinking of giving it up. With Deb being 57 and Mike being 60, they are both getting tired. “We’re winding down,” Deb said. “We’re saying no a lot more often.” They hate to walk away from fostering because there is always a shortage of willing foster parents. If you have any interest in becoming a foster parent, contact a local agency in your state and they will be happy to give you more information about it.

Husband And Wife Dedicate Themselves To Caring For Babies After Struggling To Have Their Own is an article from: LifeDaily


Teen Finds Inspiring New Purpose After Terrorists Try To End His Life Twice

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Mason Wells Story

They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice, which is comforting news for people who have survived a traumatizing life-threatening attack or accident.

After walking away from a traumatic terrorist attack that rocked the nation, 1 teenager was terrified but found comfort in the fact that he would probably never experience anything like it ever again. But a few years later, he found out the hard way that sometimes lightning does strike twice…

Marathon Day

Mason Wells Story
  commons.wikimedia.org

In April 2013, teenager Mason Wells travelled from Sandy, Utah to Boston, Massachusetts with his father, Chad, to support his mother, Kimberly, as she ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon. On the afternoon of April 15, Mason and Chad found a spot to cheer on runners towards the end of the course.

 

The Finish Line

Mason Wells Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

As runners passed by that afternoon, Mason and Chad stood and waited for Kimberly to pass them by and cross the finish line. However, just after that happened, 2 bombs were detonated and exploded about a block away from where they were standing…

 

Chaos Erupts

Mason Wells Story
  www.time.com

Thankfully, Mason and Chad were just far enough from the explosion to not get injured. But chaos had broken out after the explosion so Chad brought his son to safety and went out to find his wife. “It had shaken their bodies and he had taken Mason to our hotel and said to stay there,” Kymberly said. “Mason was very calm and composed.”

 

A Second Chance

Mason Wells Story
  www.heraldextra.com

The experience was terrifying and something Mason and his parents would never forget but they tried not to focus on the what-ifs and instead focused on the fact that they all walked away unharmed. Shortly after, they all returned to their home in Sandy, Utah, where Mason was a student at Lone Peak High School…

 

A Missionary

Mason Wells Story
  abcnews.go.com

Mason eventually graduated from high school and decided to sign up for a 2-year Mormon mission before going to college to study engineering. For the next 2 years, Mason planned to travel around the world with other missionaries to do community service and convert people.

 

Worried Parents

Mason Wells Story
  www.utahvalley360.com

After the close encounter in Boston, Mason’s parents urged him to be careful during his travels around Europe. “I told him first and foremost always be aware of your surroundings, please be very careful when you’re traveling be very observant to people around you,” said Kimberly, who worried about her son’s safety while abroad…

November 13, 2015

Mason Wells Story
  www.nbcnews.com

“Mason has always assured us that he is safe and careful,” said Kimberly. However, on November 13, 2015, Mason understood why his parents were so worried about him. That day a series of coordinated terrorist attacks killed 130 people, and left more than 400 injured.

Still Safe

Mason Wells Story
  www.pakmediaupdates.com

At the time of the attacks, Mason was actually in France just 2 hours away from the carnage. He immediately got in touch with his family back home to let them know that, once again, he hadn’t been injured in the attack and was safe…

Comforting Odds

Mason Wells Story
  www.abc.net.au

Mason thought that after 2 brushes with terrorist attacks, the odds of him ever being at the scene of another attack was highly unlikely. However, when there was just 4 months left in his 2-year mission trip, he found out the odds weren’t in his favor.

Wrong Place At The Wrong Time

Mason Wells Story
  muc.wikia.com

On March 22, 2016, Mason had gone to the Brussels airport to help a missionary check in for her flight back to Utah for training. Shortly after the group lined up to check in with Delta Air Lines, Mason realized he was yet again at the wrong place at the wrong time…

Another Brush With Death

Mason Wells Story
  www.time.com

That morning, 2 suicide bombers entered the airport with suitcases full of explosives, which they detonated in the check-in area where Mason was standing. “We’d just walked up to the Delta check-in line, when I heard a deafening crack and the pressure from a blast lifted me off the ground,” Mason explained.

The First Explosion

Mason Wells Story
  www.bbc.com

“I landed back on my feet, and my first thought was, ‘Airports don’t just blow up for no reason, what’s going on?’ My second thought was, ‘Holy crap, this is a bomb.’ At that point, I felt the entire right side of my body get really hot, then ice-cold,” Mason said about the moment the first bomb exploded…

Running For His Life

Mason Wells Story
  www.tesheshi.com

“I could feel a sharp stabbing sensation of shrapnel pelting my body. My hands and my face felt like they were on fire. I was so disoriented. I thought for the first couple of seconds that I had died,” Mason said. “As the fire and flames in front of me dissipated and the smoke began to clear, I focused all of my energy on running out of the airport, despite facing dire injuries, including third-degree burns, numerous lacerations, a cracked heel bone and a ruptured Achilles tendon.” He said.

Waiting For Help

Mason Wells Story
  www.skift.com

Seconds later, the second bomb exploded but Mason had managed to make it outside just in time. “I made it out of the airport doors and my leg gave out. So, I laid down on the airport sidewalk, in a pool of my own blood.” Mason was on the ground for 45 minutes before first responders got to him and moved him to an airport fire station to be treated…

The Injuries

Mason Wells Story
  www.abc.net.au

“I had second-degree burns to the face and there was shrapnel in my head lacerations,” Mason explained. “I actually saw shrapnel in front of my right ear just kind of embedded in my skull that they decided to leave. I had three third-degree burns to my right hand, first-degree burns to my left hand, shrapnel to the legs, and a blast wound on my heel. My left Achilles tendon got completely ruptured. My heel bone cracked in 7 places. It’s a miracle I survived.”

Struggling To Cope

Mason Wells Story
  www.esquire.com

Mason was transported to a hospital in Brussels and then was flown back to Utah on an air ambulance after 6 days in the ICU. During that time, Mason struggled to come to terms with everything that had happened to him. “A torrent of questions assaulted my soul in the wake of the attack,” Mason explained. “Why did this happen to me? Why would someone slaughter civilians so unforgivingly? What was my future going to become? Would I ever be who I once was? What if this happened again? How am I going to get past this? While I was recovering from the Brussels attack, I would wake up on my hospital bed in the middle of the night to gunshots, only to find that they were a figment of my memory…”

Reshaped By Violence

Mason Wells Story
  www.esquire.com

By the time Mason was 19 years old, he had witnessed the Boston marathon bombing, been in the vicinity of the Paris attacks, and was actually injured in the Brussels airport bombing. “These experiences reshaped me,” Mason said. “I will carry horrific memories from Brussels and Boston with me for the rest of my life. The smells, the emotions, the casualties, they aren’t the kinds of things that you can just force yourself to forget.”

The Recovery

Mason Wells Story
  www.newnationalist.net

Rather than slipping into a depression or letting the trauma control him, Mason worked tirelessly to recover physically and mentally. “I couldn’t walk for the first four months, and, even then, it was with a limp. My doctors told me I’d never run like I used to or have the same range of motion in my hand. But I worked my body harder than I probably should have…”

A Victim Or A Survivor

Mason Wells Story
  www.ldsmag.com

During the hardest parts of my recovery I always reminded myself that my future is what I make it, and that I had a choice as to whether I would be a victim or a survivor,” said Mason, whose determination to be a survivor allowed him to pass the medical test and be accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy just 10 months later.

The Gift Of Perspective

Mason Wells Story
  www.ldschurchnews.com

Mason is now a midshipman at the Naval Academy, where he studied engineering. He and his family now see everything that has happened as a blessing. “The way we get back on our feet after something like this happens is a true test of character. He was blessed significantly by God. We see a blessing by this, not a terrible curse,” Mason’s dad said. “No matter what we go through, we always have a choice as to how we will respond. Our lives are what we choose to make of them, and by choosing to act we can take our lives further than we ever imagined,” Mason added.

Teen Finds Inspiring New Purpose After Terrorists Try To End His Life Twice is an article from: LifeDaily

Wingless Bee Has Unusual Reaction When A Human Saved Her Life

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Just because we are afraid of something doesn’t give us the right to kill another living creature, no matter how small, yet it happens every single day.

Oftentimes, we like to justify our actions by telling ourselves that creatures don’t have feelings and call them pests, however, 1 Scottish woman insists that isn’t true because of what happened when she rescued a bee struggling to survive…

Spring Gardening

Fiona Presly Story
  www.theepochtimes.com

While gardening in the backyard of her home in Inverness, a city in northern Scotland, in early spring, Fiona Presly was just about to go inside when she looked down at the ground and noticed a large bumblebee, which wasn’t moving, near her feet.

 

A Kind Act

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

Fiona knows how important bees are for the environment and was afraid the bee would get stepped on, so she decided to gently pick it up and place it on a flower. While the bee was in her hands, however, Fiona noticed something surprising…

 

A Surprising Observation

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

Upon closer inspection, Fiona realized the large bee was actually the queen of her hive. She also noticed that she seemed a bit disoriented and stunned. But that wasn’t all that was strange. “I picked her up and noticed there was something peculiar,” Fiona explained. “She had no wings.”

 

The Wingless Bee

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

Fiona placed the queen on a flower out of harm’s way. She went inside hoping that the bee would be able to find her way back to the safety of her hive. However, when she went outside to check on the tiny creature, she found the bee hadn’t moved at all…

 

Struggling To Survive

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

Fiona brought out a little bit of sugar water for the bee hoping it would give her some energy, but without wings, the bee was still stuck. A few hours later, the bee still hadn’t moved and Fiona knew she wouldn’t be able to survive on her own especially since a storm was coming.

Protecting The Queen

  www.honesttopaws.com

Rather than let the bee die out in the rain, Fiona decided to bring the insect into her home as it was the only way to keep her safe. “I took her inside that night, kept her warm and fed her more,” Fiona said. “I thought I would put her out the next day, but the weather was bad then too. So I kept her inside…”

Calling The Experts

Fiona Presly Story
  cj-live.azureedge.net

The next day, Fiona contacted the Bumblebee Conservation Trust hoping that they would be able to tell her what was wrong with the queen and if there was anything she could do to help her. After explaining how she found the bee, they told her she likely had a virus that causes problems with wing development.

 

No Hope

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

The experts told Fiona that, unfortunately, the queen would likely die without her wings in the wild and that there was nothing she could do to fix the problem. However, when Fiona heard she couldn’t do anything, she thought of something that the experts hadn’t thought of…

 

Thinking Outside The Box

Fiona Presly Story
  www.thedodo.com

They had told her the bee couldn’t survive in the wild on her own, but Fiona asked herself what if she didn’t have to be on her own? Fiona was determined to save the queen, who she had named ‘Bee’ by then, and made Bee her own protected garden.

 

A Bee’s Paradise

Fiona Presly Story
  www.boredpanda.com

Fiona knew that Bee needed to be able to get pollen from flowers, so she set up a garden of fresh flowers and enclosed them under a net and placed Bee inside. Each day, Fiona went outside to Bee’s personal garden to check on her and make sure she was getting everything she needed…

 

Tender Love And Care

Fiona Presly Story
  www.boredpanda.com

If Bee seemed to be struggling or slow, she would bring out a small dish of sugar water. Over time, Fiona noticed Bee was gaining her strength. But that’s not the only change that Fiona witnessed. As more time passed, Fiona realized that Bee recognized her rescuer.

 

Unusual Behavior

Fiona Presly Story
  www.boredpanda.com

When Fiona came out to check on her ‘pet’, Bee would come out and greet her. “She’d walk toward me and crawl on my hand,” said Fiona. “She seemed so happy to see me. It made me stop and think, there’s something going on here…”

 

Craving Company

Fiona Presly Story
  www.boredpanda.com

Normally, queen bees are surrounded by thousands of other worker bees. Without her hive, Bee was completely alone, which is why Fiona believed Bee was craving company. “It was like her whole being came to life. I think she liked the fact that she wasn’t alone,” Fiona said.

 

The Feelings Are Mutual

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

“I think she thrived on company, even from another species. They are naturally sociable creatures. That would be in their instinct,” Fiona added. As time passed, Fiona also noticed that she had also become very attached to Bee and looked forward to spending time with her…

Surprising Capabilities

Fiona Presly Story
  www.boredpanda.com

“We were quite comfortable with each other,” Fiona said about the amazing relationship that formed between them. “There were things going on with this bee that were quite something.” Before Bee, Fiona never imagined that insects could be capable of such behavior.

The End Of The Road

Fiona Presly Story
  www.boredpanda.com

Normally, queen bumblebees in the wild live from the spring until passing away in early fall, and after a few months, Fiona knew that she couldn’t keep Bee alive forever no matter how much she wished she could. But thanks to Fiona, Bee lived much longer than even a healthy queen bee would have…

 

Saying Goodbye

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

Bee lived for 5 months with Fiona thanks to her dedication. “I was sad when she died, but I knew it was going to happen. She was already older than she should have been,” said Fiona. “It had been very special to stay with a wee creature, like Bee.”

 

A Rewarding Experience

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

“The fact that she lived more than just a few weeks amazed me. That was rewarding in itself,” said Fiona, who knows that Bee would have survived a few more days on her own when she was rescued. After Bee passed away in Fiona’s hands, she even buried her in the garden…

 

A Different Perspective

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

“Now I view all insects in a different light. It’s changed my perception of what insects are like. I think there’s an awful lot we don’t know,” said Fiona, who is convinced Bee was as attached to her as she was to Bee. “She made sort of clicks, buzzy sounds when she was in close contact with me and was happy to sit and groom, eat, drink and sleep on my hand. We were both very comfortable with each other, and many people admired this bond. She was totally relaxed with me.”

Living Proof

Fiona Presly Story
  www.honesttopaws.com

“People have a bond with their dog or cat and even their hamster. I think I have proved here that you can have a relationship with an insect,” Fiona added. “No scientist to my knowledge has tested whether bees, even with each other, form some sort of emotional relations,” said bee psychologist Lars Chittka. “So I think it’s quite remarkable that a layman would make such detailed observations that actually get scientists to scratch their heads and ask what’s going on there.”

Wingless Bee Has Unusual Reaction When A Human Saved Her Life is an article from: LifeDaily

Man Who Beat Ten Police Officers After Car Ramming Had “Super Strength”

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Veronica Murillo Story

When police officers are faced with a suspect who is high on drugs it makes the job of subduing them that much harder. Law enforcement need to take control of situations as quickly as safely as possible, while ensuring their own safety and that of the general public.

When Veronica’s body camera recorded what one man was prepared to do to evade arrest, ten other officers showed up to try and help; but they had a serious problem. That problem was very threatening and highly dangerous, and the officers needed to think on their feet…

Day At Work

Veronica Murillo Story
  commons.wikimedia.org

When Veronica woke up that day, she was more or less expecting a normal day at work. Some traffic stops, perhaps a callout for shoplifting or the like. She was no rookie, and had a good few years experience under her police belt. She got dressed and headed out to work her shift, unaware of what this day had to offer.

Passion For Her Job

Veronica Murillo Story
  chicago.suntimes.com

Veronica was passionate about her job before she even became a police officer. She was that type of person: overly conscientious and also very willing to learn new skills. Veronica had particularly enjoyed her basic training where she learned how to shoot a gun and to use a taser; although she hoped she would never have to use either of those for real…

Normal Enough

Veronica Murillo Story
  Google Maps

Having arrived at work early as she usually did, Veronica drank some coffee and checked her desk for messages. Soon enough she was called out with her partner to a 9-1-1 call regarding a car that had crashed into a liquor store. It sounded like a bad crash but was it an accident or a robbery?

Devastating Scene

Veronica Murillo Story
  chicago.cbslocal.com

When the officers arrived a few minutes later at the scene they were faced with a devastating sight. A car had hit the front of a liquor store at the corner of Cicero and Roosevelt destroying it completely, although, thankfully no one was seriously wounded. But what happened next was totally unexpected…

Running Away

Veronica Murillo Story
  chicago.cbslocal.com

Veronica and her partner arrived just in time, and found the driver of the car trying to flee the scene on foot. They ordered the man to stop where he was but he totally ignored them, as if he hadn’t even heard them, and just carried on walking. The police needed to act, and they needed to act fast.

Trying To Arrest

Veronica Murillo Story
  chicago.cbslocal.com

Veronica and her partner may have been female officers, with the suspect they were trying to subdue being much bigger and stronger than them, but that didn’t stop them at all and they weren’t scared. The suspect seemed high on something, they just weren’t sure what. They tried to arrest him, but in vain…

Heavy Resistance

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.rapsheets.org

The man they were trying to arrest, 28-year-old Parta Huff, seemed determined to flee the scene and to not be brought to justice for what he had done. Perhaps it was just an accident, so why was the man trying to flee? All would become clear soon enough, but for now, Huff was resisting arrest.

Handcuffs

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

Veronica drew on her training and immediately grabbed the handcuffs from her belt. She managed to secure one of the cuffs on the suspect’s wrist, but when she attempted to place his hands behind his back so she could secure his other hand, all hell broke lose…

“Taser Taser”

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

Veronica’s body camera captured what happened next as it unfolded, as she can be heard yelling, seemingly in a panic, “Taser, taser, get down on the ground, taser, taser get down on the ground, taser taser, drop him, drop down, Stop fighting, stop fighting, stop fighting.” The dashcam of her vehicle also captured the incident.

No Effect

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

Tasers that police carry are serious pieces of equipemnt and no one would want to get hit by one ever. All those volts running through the body render anyone helpless and usually shaking on the ground begging for it to stop. But that wasn’t the case this time as the taser apparently had zero effect on Huff. What was this guy on? Veronica thought to herself…

Fighting Back

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

Not only did the taser have no effect on the suspect, it just seemed to make him stronger and more determined. “Get down on the ground, dude, down on the ground,” Veronica’s partner can be heard yelling, as the man grabbed Veronica’s hair hard and pulled her to the ground.

Won’t Let Go

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

This was getting serious now as the man seemed to have some super strength from somewhere. Once on the ground with the officer, the suspect kept hold of her hair and refused to let go. Veronica was disoriented as she had smashed her head on the sidewalk and was now screaming in pain…

Backup Arrives

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

Finally, after some painstaking moments, a tactical officer rushed to help Veronica. He grabbed the suspects leg and tried to pull him away from his colleague, but Huff had a vice like grip on the female officer and wasn’t letting go.

Help!

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

The situation was deteriorating fast for Veronica who thought she might pass out from the pain Huff was causing her. Officers at the scene could be heard yelling, “Let go of her, taser deployment, let her go, let her go, let her go, let her go,” but to no avail. At the same time, Veronica was screaming, “He’s ripping my hair.”

Code One

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.fox32chicago.com

A code one is only used by police officers when the situation is dangerous and desperate. Officers at the scene very much considered this a code one, as numerous more officers arrived to help. “Code one, code one, code one, he’s got an officer’s head, he’s not letting go of her, taser’s not working,” another officer screamed into his radio.

Black Lives Matter

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.motherjones.com

You may be wondering why the title of this particular slide is relevant here, but sadly it is. Veronica would have been totally justified in using her firearm in this situation, according to Superintendent Eddie Johnson. However, Veronica later said that she specifically didn’t shoot as she was worried about the potential implications of shooting a black man…

Humble Actions

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.chicagobusiness.com

Veronica didn’t want to draw herself and her department into a national news debacle. According to Johnson, “She thought she was going to die. She knew that she should shoot this guy, but she chose not to, because she didn’t want her family or the department to have to go through the scrutiny the next day on national news.”

Times Are Changing

Veronica Murillo Story
  chicago.cbslocal.com

Even one of the firefighters at the scene quipped with one of the tactical officers saying, “Couple months ago you could have shot him,” half chuckling while making a reference to the change of reality on the ground for police officers in America today…

Drugs To Blame

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.chicagotribune.com

It was later confirmed that Huff was high on PCP at the time of the crash and that’s what gave him the strength to fend of ten officers. Due to the drugs in his system, the tasers had little to no effect on the man. Had officers not been as careful as they were the situation could have been a lot worse.

Serious Charges

Veronica Murillo Story
  www.pen.org

The suspect was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of controlled substances. He was held without bail as the judge believed he was definitely a threat to society, and that, according to many, is a good call. It is hoped that Veronica and all the officers involved will make a full and speedy recovery, while Mr Huff will hopefully be spending many long years behind bars.

Man Who Beat Ten Police Officers After Car Ramming Had “Super Strength” is an article from: LifeDaily

Victims Of Unsolved Double Homicide Finally Receive Closure After 13 Years

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Lindsay Cutshall Story

It’s a troubling statistic, but over one-third of the murders committed in the United States go unsolved. There are reasons for this of course, chief among them too few police officers and too many people. But in this day and age, it seems inconceivable that our talented detectives and CSIs can’t find out “whodunit.”

The story of two young people, found dead on a beach in California was one that captured the nation’s attention when it first hit the airwaves. The trail went cold soon after and for 13 years, the victims’ families languished in doubt and uncertainty. Until very recently that is…

Stranded Man

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.sonomasheriff.org

The sheriff’s helicopter had been dispatched that day in order to rescue a man who was allegedly stranded on a cliff above Fish Head Beach. As the pilot and rescue personnel surveyed the land below them, they noticed something peculiar on the beach: two crimson-stained bodies in sleeping bags.

Who and Why

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.enwhypod.com

The helicopter notified the department and continued searching for the man. When the police arrived on Fish Head Beach, they found a young couple, dead in their sleeping bags. Their names were Lindsey and Jason, they were 22 and 26 respectively, and perhaps most tragic of all, they were engaged to be married…

Investigation

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.mercurynews.com

Homicide detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department jumped into action. The potential murder, or even murder-suicide of a couple of lovers was not going to stay out of the papers for long. Thankfully, their initial investigation eliminated the suicide theory. Now they were looking for a murderer.

Only Lives Were Taken

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.pressdemocrat.com

Detectives confirmed that whoever had killed Lindsey and Jason, they hadn’t stolen any of their belongings. With robbery ruled out and no evidence of any sexual assault, the police decided to take a step back and learn everything they could about the poor engaged couple who’d met their untimely end on that California beach…

Love Blossoms

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.cbsnews.com

The couple had met in 2002 while Lindsey, who was originally from California, was attending Appalachian Bible College in West Virginia. Joined by a natural attraction and a mutual love of God, Jason and Lindsey hit it off almost immediately. Within a mere six weeks of that first meeting, the two were engaged.

Road Trippin’ Counselors

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.sonomamag.com

At the time of their deaths, both Lindsey Cutshall and Jason Allen were working as counselors at Rock-N-Water, a Christian summer camp located in El Dorado County, California. They had left the camp to take a little romantic road trip the day before they were killed and had even gone into San Francisco to eat in Fisherman’s Wharf prior to heading to Fish Head Beach…

No Rooms

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  jason-lindsay.blogspot.com

That Saturday, they stopped at a local motel and restaurant called River’s End to grab a bite and find some rest. Unfortunately, the motel had no rooms to rent so they had to find another place to sleep for the night. Motel staff told them of a nearby beach, less than a mile away, where one could camp out if one were so inclined. It was illegal to do so of course, but it was only one night.

Death by Drifter

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  sacramento.cbslocal.com

The police knew that drifters and hitchhikers were known to have stayed at beaches along State Route 1 as a campsite before, therefore it was easy to imagine that Jason and Lindsey might have been killed by a drifter. Based on the type of murder weapon the killer had used, it seemed likely that it could have been a drifter using it…

Weapon of Choice

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.marlinfirearms.com

The weapon used to kill the young lovers was a .45-caliber Marlin Model 1894 long rifle. It’s an uncommon gun that is generally considered too high a caliber for most ranchers to use, so it might have been wielded by someone who wasn’t from around there. It’s also a gun that uses hand-loaded ammo and though they didn’t find any casings, they presumed the killer took them when he left.

 

Shootout

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.theglobeandmail.com

In July of that year, a 62-year-old drifter named Joseph Henry Burgess was killed in a shoot-out. He had been living in the remote Jemez Mountains of New Mexico at the time of his death. Detectives on the case had originally thought him to be a suspect but the postmortem DNA sample they retrieved did not match the one left they found at the crime scene. They were back to square one…

Unsolved…

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.sfgate.com

After that, the case remained unsolved…for a time anyway. In an effort to try and elicit the public’s help in finding the couple’s killer, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s department offered a $50,000 reward for any information that proved useful. It wasn’t until thirteen years later that new information on the case finally came to light.

New Developments

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.fox40.com

On May 5, 2017, Sonoma County Sheriff Steve Freitas came out to hold a press conference. They revealed, after reading a statement thanking all law enforcement officials for their help on the case over the years, that they had finally identified Lindsey Cutshall and Jason Allen’s killer. His name was Shaun Gallon, he was 38, lived in Forestville, and had just killed his own brother…

Related Crimes

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.pressdemocrat.com

Gallon had previously been arrested in connection with the shooting death of his brother Shamus. The two brothers had been at their mother’s home in Forestville when they had quarreled and that was where he was arrested. The police had dismissed Gallon early on in the investigation for lack of evidence, but he was always on the radar.

 

Previous Suspect

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.pressdemocrat.com

Gallon, by the very nature of his personality, was always a person of interest in the killing. It wasn’t until they brought him in for his brother’s murder that they decided to ask him some questions about the tragic end of two young people on a Sonoma beach. Gallon, it seemed he knew quite a bit about that particular subject…

Specific Info

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.heavy.com

During the course of his interrogation, Gallon made many statements to the detectives about the Fish Head Beach murders. He had information that the police had never released to the public: information no one but the killer could have known about. Detectives were dispatched to locate the evidence he’d mentioned and soon, his statements were completely corroborated.

History of Offense

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.oxygen.com

Shaun Gallon’s past is riddled with misdeeds. His record contains the likes of resisting arrest, weapons possession, theft, drunk driving, and though fairly innocuous, hunting without paperwork. He was also found guilty of attempted murder with a package bomb and has a conviction for wounding a man with an arrow…

Reasons Enough

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.time.com

When asked about why Gallon killed the couple however, he could offer no real reason. He didn’t take anything from them, didn’t sexually assault either of them: he just killed them as they slept. He didn’t even know them. So what would have caused such a man as Shaun Gallon to just up and kill two innocent people?

Official Charge

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.nraila.org

On May 17, 2018, Gallon was officially charged with the murders of Lindsey Cutshall and Jason Allen. Though his motives and connections to the deceased remain unknown, he still faces a potentially life-ending sentence if he’s convicted. If they find him guilty, he faces the death penalty or at the very least, life in prison without parole. As for Lindsey and Jason’s surviving relatives…

Parental Message

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  www.pressdemocrat.com

Bob and Delores Allen and Chris and Kathy Cutshall came forward with a thankful message for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office saying: “We are extremely pleased that our children’s murderer is in custody where he belongs…We would like to thank the heartfelt concern of the people of Jenner and Sonoma County. We have appreciated your support for this case throughout our thirteen-year ordeal.”

Don’t Lose Hope

Lindsay Cutshall Story
  jason-lindsay.blogspot.com

They added that even at their lowest point, the detectives on the case kept their hope for justice alive. Afterwards, they thanked God for helping them to push through their shared grief together. Meanwhile, if I were Shaun Gallon, I’d be making peace with that God about now. His fate is by no means sealed just yet, but it will be before long.

Victims Of Unsolved Double Homicide Finally Receive Closure After 13 Years is an article from: LifeDaily

Student Killed In Drive By Shooting Sparks Racial Debate Over American Hate Crime Statutes

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Chris Lane Story

We live in tumultuous times indeed, especially in the US. We see it everywhere, on every channel, on every radio station, even in our movies and streaming entertainment. All around us, violence, racism, and terrorism seem to permeate every aspect of our daily lives.

This story is one that may seem familiar. It happened in rural America and was a fatal altercation, if you can call it that, between members of two different races. When the dust settled and the culprits were caught, it wasn’t the crime itself which captivated the nation, but the motive…

Featured Photo Credit: abc.net.au

Baseball was Good to Him

Chris Lane Story
  www.stuff.co.nz

Chris was a young man on the adventure of a lifetime. A native of Melbourne, Australia, Chris was going to college in the United States in order to do the thing he loved the most: play baseball. He was good at it too, good enough for him to have been awarded a scholarship to play it in the states.

 

Local Boys

Chris Lane Story
  Sarah Harper / Facebook

Chris attended East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. His American girlfriend, Sarah, lived in Duncan, not far from the school. He had just returned to school after taking a trip back home to Australia, when he ran afoul of three younger men who were not happy to see the handsome young foreigner in their digs…

Deadly Shooting

Chris Lane Story
  www.copycateffect.blogspot.com

The three men came upon him quite suddenly whilst he was visiting with Sarah. Chris was two weeks away from celebrating his 23rd birthday when he was shot in the back as they drove past. He died at the scene, far away from his homeland. Luckily, if one can call it lucky in this case, the police easily tracked down the underage assailants.

The Shooters

Chris Lane Story
  www.clutchmagonline.com

The three young men who shot Chris Lane were identified as fifteen-year-old James Francis Edwards Jr. (left), seventeen-year-old Michael Dewayne Jones (right), and sixteen-year-old Chancey Allen Luna (center). Jones was only charged as an accessory, as for James and Edwards, they were charged with first-degree murder. Unfortunately, these charges brought some complications with them…

Complicated Charges

Chris Lane Story
  www.originalpeople.org

Allen and Edwards were both African Americans, Jones was white, and it was because of these racial distinctions that the case against them became somewhat complicated. You see, there were some that believed that the reason the teens had shot Chris Lane in the first place was because he himself was caucasian and that this murder was racially charged: a hate crime.

 

Difficult Times

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Chris Lane’s death drew quite a bit of international attention and not just because he was Australian, but because the idea that this might be a hate crime has created a good deal of debate across the internet. The shooting reignited debates about gun control of course and racially-charged killings like the Trayvon Martin murder case…

Worrying Trends

Chris Lane Story
  abcnews.go.com

George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict ignited a nationwide debate over whether or not law enforcement officials purposefully targeted minorities as suspects. It also enraged members of the African American community to the point where a number of black mobs orchestrated attacks on whites in places like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.

Significance

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

The reason that the hate crime charges would be significant is all in response to the rampant police misconduct against minorities in recent years. It seems that enforcement officials are unwilling to file hate-crime charges against two black teens for shooting a white man, because they might be afraid what the fallout of that might be. They aren’t wrong per sey…

Consideration

Chris Lane Story
  James Edwards / Facebook

The social media account of James Edwards, one of the killers soon blew up with a number of racial epithets against white people. This of course only served to lend credence to the idea that it was a racially-charged killing. One Tweet read, “90 percent of white ppl are nasty. #HATE THEM.”

Racist Tweets

Chris Lane Story
  James Edwards / Facebook

Another Tweet referenced the Zimmerman trial specifically. “Ayeee I knocced out 5 woods since Zimmerman court! :)” The Urban Dictionary defines “wood,” or pecker-wood, as a derogatory term for white people. It was therefore a bit hard for anyone to argue that this might have not been a hate crime. Still, the police were still trying to find out why they’d killed Chris in the first place…

Merely Bored

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

What the police believed and what would eventually come to light after the debating was done, was that the murder was nothing more than a “thrill-killing” and that it was less motivated by racial animosity. The young teens didn’t kill Chris because he was white, they killed him because they were young, foolish, and bored.

Only for Shock

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

After making this determination, aided by the fact that the third suspect was himself caucasian, Duncan Police Chief Dan Ford answered the question of whether or not the hate crime charges would be applied. “I’m not discounting the stuff that’s on there, but they do that for shock and effect…I don’t think there’d be any further charge.” Some people were not pleased…

Definition

Chris Lane Story
  www.westsidetoday.com

The FBI training manual discusses what a hate crime is actually defined as. It says that even if the offender is biased against the victim for their actual or perceived race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, and/or gender identity, it doesn’t necessarily make it a hate crime. The act itself has to have been motivated by that bias.

Other Definitions

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

By that definition, the mere fact that the police in this case believe Lane’s death to be the result of an indiscriminate, random attack makes this not a hate crime. Nevertheless, the advent of things like the internet have amplified the debate to levels no one could have foreseen. Aided by things like cable talk shows, radio, and of course, social media…

Amplification

Chris Lane Story
  www.cityofduncan.com

The overall thought across the country was that the police involved in the case were deliberately trying to downplay the racial aspects in Lane’s killing specifically because the victim was white. It fits into a larger trend that’s affecting law enforcement standards across the country. Psychologists Michael Norton and Sam Sommers, did a study recently where they concluded that whites see race “as a zero-sum game that they are now losing.”

Differing Takes

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

The growing gulf between the views of many black Americans and white Americans is making the determination in cases like this even more difficult. The police, no matter what they decided here, will invariably be viewed as wrong by at least one group on either side of the divide. If they choose to apply the extra hate crime charge, they may be seen as “needlessly adding punishment because the defendants are African Americans.” On the other hand…

Will They? Won’t They?

Chris Lane Story
  Sarah Harper / Facebook

If they don’t apply the hate crime statute to the defendants, some will see it as pandering while others will see it as ignoring the perceived hatefulness of the act itself. Indeed, some white Americans may wonder if law enforcement officials are accurately accounting for racially motivated crime. Essentially, either way you turn or twist, there’s some kind of double standard.

 

Double Standard

Chris Lane Story
  www.breitbart.com

Carol Swain, a Vanderbilt University law professor and author of “The New White Nationalism in America” had a bit to say about the issue as well, specifically about this double standard. “The racial double standard about who gets charged with a hate crime has been noticed by white people, and is not something that is going to advance race relations in America.” she explained. She isn’t wrong either, but she went on to discuss the idea of racism on both sides of the issue…

Changing the Conversation

Chris Lane Story
  www.weeklystandard.com

Professor Swain’s feeling is that we as Americans have to change the conversation entirely. What we can’t forget in all this is that what those young men did, for whatever reason they did it, was wrong and ended a person’s life. Those that do such things should be punished, though the degree of punishment seems to still be up for debate.

Life Sentence

Chris Lane Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Luna and Edwards were originally found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, even without the hate crime charges. That in and of itself brings up further issues of racial bias, specifically because they were minors at the time of sentencing. Ultimately, Swain may be right. Both communities, white and black, have to focus on unacceptable behavior and the silence that surrounds it, and stamp that out first, before placing blame.

Student Killed In Drive By Shooting Sparks Racial Debate Over American Hate Crime Statutes is an article from: LifeDaily

Man Fights For Justice After Buying Breakfast Puts Him Behind Bars

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Emory Ellis Story

When it comes to the ways we interact with society, there are a lot of things we take for granted. We expect to be treated with basic decency and respect by the strangers that we interact with, especially in situations where we’re spending our money.

But if there’s one thing that’s true in this world, it’s that for all our lofty ideals about all men being equal in the eyes of God and the law, different types of people are treated in very different ways. Just as in The Prince and The Pauper, the very rich and the very poor may as well be living in two different worlds…

Breakfast Time

Emory Ellis Story
  Google Maps

It was a November morning in Boston when Emory walked into a Burger King. Like every other customer in the store, the 37-year-old man was there because he was hungry and while it may not be the healthiest way to start the day, breakfast at a fast food restaurant is nothing if not quick and inexpensive.

Simple Transaction

Emory Ellis Story
  Pinterest

Emory went to the counter, placed his order, then handed the cashier a $10 bill, just as millions of other people would do around the country every single day. But this time, it would result in the kind of treatment no other Burger King customer would have to deal with…

Hold On

Emory Ellis Story
  www.usatoday.com

Rather than handing him a receipt and moving on to the next customer while his food was prepared, the cashier stopped and took a close look at the bill. Emory was surprised when the cashier accused him of trying to use counterfeit money.

Treated Differently

Emory Ellis Story
  www.nbcboston.com

Being treated differently from most people wasn’t exactly unfamiliar to Emory. He was a homeless person, which meant he was used to people looking down on him or thinking he was up to no good, whether or not they had any cause to…

Fine, I’ll Go

Emory Ellis Story
  www.bostonmagazine.com

But in this situation where he was just trying to buy a meal like everyone else, it came as something of a shock. Still without any food in his belly, Emory was willing to just take his $10, all the money he had to his name, and leave. If this Burger King wasn’t willing to treat him with respect, he would get his breakfast elsewhere.

911

Emory Ellis Story
  www.aol.com

But as a further shock and insult, the restaurant refused to return his money and instead called the police. Emory stayed there, trying to talk sense into the cashier and the rest of the staff and at the very least give him back his money until the police arrived…

Check It Yourselves

Emory Ellis Story
  www.actionnetwork.org

When they did, he tried to explain the situation to the officers, even imploring them to look at the bill. He was sure that the officers could recognize a real $10 bill when they saw one. He was astounded to find that not only did the officers believe the bill was fake, they arrested him on the spot.

Terrible Day

Emory Ellis Story
  rizzoliandisles.wikia.com

Instead of starting the day off with a hot meal, Emory Ellis was starting it off with a ride in the back of a squad car. He was taken to central booking station and charged with forgery of a bank note, a crime that can carry a life sentence…

Even Worse

Emory Ellis Story
  www.joy105.com

On top of the hefty jail crime he could be facing, the arrest would have an even more harmful impact on Emory’s life than it might have for another person. That’s because it triggered a probation violation for him, which meant he would be held without bail until his final probation violation hearing.

Vindication

Emory Ellis Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

For over 3 months, Emory Ellis was locked up behind bars until the bill in question made its way to the Secret Service, the arm of the justice system that deals with counterfeit money. When they inspected the bill to determine if it was real or not, their investigation proved what Emory had been saying all along, the $10 bill was real…

Free and Clear

Emory Ellis Story
  www.freebackgroundcheck.org

The prosecution admitted that no crime had been committed and the charges against him were dropped. A judge also subsequently determined that there’d been no crime, thus no probation violation and Emory was released from jail.

Still Not Right

Emory Ellis Story
  www.bostonherald.com

But just because he was out of jail, everything wasn’t automatically right with the world. Emory had lost over 3 months of his life to this foolishness, not to mention being subjected to the fear of being locked away for the rest of his life. As an icing on the cake, he didn’t even get his $10 back…

Payback

Emory Ellis Story
  www.legaladviceinfo.com

Emory secured the services of a lawyer to get some sort of restitution for the way he’d been treated. He secured the services of a lawyer called, Justin Drechsler, who filed a lawsuit against Burger King, the cashier, and Two Guys Foods, Inc. which was the franchisee.

3 Months Gone

Emory Ellis Story
  www.ourmidland.ca

The complaint said that Emory suffered “public humiliation and shame, sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression” because of his arrest and incarceration. “He’s expressed to me many times how much it sucks to lose 3 months of your life,” Drechsler said…

Damages

Emory Ellis Story
  www.channelpartnersonline.com

The suit alleges that Emory was discriminated against because he appeared unkempt and seeks damages for civil rights violations, defamation, theft of Emory’s money, and compensation for the months he spent in lockup. In total, they were seeking $950,000 in damages…

Racial Factor

Emory Ellis Story
  www.eater.com

Though their lawsuit did not say that Emory was discriminated against because he was black, his attorney, Drechsler suspected that Emory’s race was a factor, combined with his disheveled appearance. He said that if a white man in a suit such as himself had handed the same $10 bill to the same cashier on that same day, there would never have been a question of its legitimacy.

It Would Be Different

Emory Ellis Story
  www.wtvb.com

Even if they were, he said, the cashier would probably have apologized and said he couldn’t accept the money and it would have ended there. The police never would have been involved, Drechsler said…

‘Who Cares?’

Emory Ellis Story
  www.necn.com

“A person like me would’ve gotten an apology, but a person like Emory somehow finds his way in handcuffs for trying to pay for his breakfast with real money,” the attorney added. “People will say, ‘He was homeless. Who cares if he went to jail for 3 months,’” he added…

Freedom

Emory Ellis Story
  www.picturesofmoney.org

“And even when you negotiate with these insurance companies [for the franchisee], they’ll say, ‘Well, he didn’t lose any wages.’” Drechsler continued. “He lost his g**damn freedom! You think wages mean anything?” Two Guys Foods offered Emory a $10,000 settlement but was turned down. “We didn’t think that was nearly sufficient,” Drechsler said. “$10,000 is a nuisance money offer.”

Not About Money

Emory Ellis Story
  www.internations.org

Still splitting his nights between friends’ couches, shelters and, when there’s no other option, the street, this isn’t about the money for Emory. “Acts of discrimination, subtle and not so subtle happen every day and most of them don’t see the light of day because most of them don’t result in any consequences,” said Drechsler. “If Emory was in it for a quick buck, he would have just taken the $10,000. How many homeless people do you know that would turn down that money.”

Man Fights For Justice After Buying Breakfast Puts Him Behind Bars is an article from: LifeDaily

Middle School Teacher Fired After School Discovers Her Secret Agenda

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Tiana Dalichov Story

When most teachers decide they want to dedicate the rest of their lives in a classroom surrounded by children, it’s because they want to make a difference and help future generations grow, not just academically, but also socially and morally.

When a Florida woman decided to become a teacher, however, she had a slightly different reason for choosing the profession. Once her school discovered the truth about her secret agenda, they fired her immediately…

A New Teacher

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.mapio.net

When staff at the Crystal River Middle School in Crystal River, a coastal city in western Florida, first interviewed Dayanna Volitich, they thought she seemed like a perfect fit to work at the school and offered her the job shortly after interviewing for the position.

 

Under Observation

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.heavy.com

The staff was confident that Dayanna would do great at the school, however, she was still in her early 20s and didn’t have a lot of experience working full-time as a teacher. In order to make sure she met the education standards put in place by the state of Florida, they kept a close eye on her…

 

Meeting The Requirements

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.heavy.com

For the first year of teaching at the school, Dayanna was closely watched and observers were frequently sent into her classes just to be sure she was meeting the requirement of the curriculum and effectively getting through to her young students.

 

The Perfect Teacher

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.heavy.com

During those days of observation, Dayanna looked like the perfect teacher. She was kind and attentive but also managed to keep the class under control while she taught the lesson plan that she had previously prepared for the day…

 

A ‘Puppet’

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.welbro.com

“I knew when they were coming,” Dayanna said about the days when her superiors were sent in to observe her class. “I was able to anticipate when they would be there to evaluate, and so I did what I was supposed to do. I danced like a little puppet.”

 

A Secret Agenda

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.heavy.com

“I waited until they were gone,” said Dayanna, who waited until she wasn’t being watched to start teaching the children the information she really was there to spread, which didn’t align with school curriculum and would get her fired immediately if anyone knew the truth…

 

The Real Lesson Plan

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.renegadetribune.com

“I’m pretty hyper-aware that [administrators and colleagues] will be watching. They’ll be listening, and so I’m getting a little more underhanded,” Dayanna said. In reality, Dayanna Volitich was using her position as a teacher to spread her white-nationalist and alt-right ideologies.

 

‘Unapologetic’

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.listennotes.com

For the last year, the 25-year-old had been leading a double life. To her co-workers and bosses, she was a wholesome teacher, but outside of school, she produced a podcast called Unapologetic, a white-nationalist show, under the name pseudonym of Tiana Dalichov…

 

The Podcast

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.angrywhitemen.org

On her podcast, Volitich preached about anti-semitic conspiracy theories as well as her belief that Muslims needed to be eradicated from Earth. According to Volitich, science had proven that certain races are superior to others.

 

Her Mission

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.telemundo.com

Volitich, who praised and supported white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and KKK members, often claimed that her job was not just to support and defend these groups, but to convert others including children into seeing the ‘truth’, or her version of the truth…

 

Infiltrating The School System

Tiana Dalichov Story
  Wife With A Purpose / YouTube

As a teacher, Volitich explained that she was carefully at covertly infiltrating the school system so that the younger generation would once again be taught the ‘truth’. When Volitich’s guests heard about her crusade, they praised her efforts.

 

A Covert Plan

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.answersafrica.com

“We need more people on our side who would be committed to being teachers — they don’t need to be vocal about their views but get in there, be more covert and just start taking over those places,” said Lana Lokteff, host of an anti-Semitic media outlet. “That’s what the left did. … Well, we have to take those institutions back…”

 

A Different Kind Of Battlefield

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.heavy.com

“As a teacher, it’s a tough place to be. It’s not nearly as bloody as a battlefield, but it’s pretty darn close,” said Volitich, who called for others to join her in spreading their extremist ideologies. “You’re on a very steep hill and it’s hard to work your way to the top of it when you’re virtually alone. It’s still difficult to be fighting that battle.”

 

Different Kinds Of Lessons

Tiana Dalichov Story
  TianaDalichov / Twitter

In her social studies classes, Volitich would routinely inject her bias and views into her lessons, and warn the kids that her lessons would be a little different when people were observing them. “I told the kids, I said, ‘When (observers) are in there, I’m going to be different than how they are used to…’”

 

A Different Teacher

Tiana Dalichov Story
  TianaDalichov / Twitter

“The first time it happened they were like ‘What the hell is happening right now,’ because I totally turned into a different teacher. I put on my nice voice,” said the 25-year-old, who also bragged about lying to the principal about her lessons when parents complained that she was injecting political bias into her lessons.

 

The Article

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.huffingtonpost.com

“She believed me and backed off,” Volitich said. However, all of Volitich’s lies couldn’t keep the truth hidden forever. In early April 2018, the 25-year-old’s secret agenda and double life were all exposed by The Huffington Post after they connected the Florida teacher to her podcast…

 

The Truth Is Revealed

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.newslocker.com

In the article, the teacher was accused of spreading hate-speech and trying to indoctrinate the children, which she bragged about on her podcast. After the article was published, it didn’t take long before the faculty at Crystal River Middle School was notified about their employee.

 

The Consequences

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.nbc26.com

After looking into the accusations made about Volitich, the school immediately removed her from the classroom and started an investigation to see if it was all true. “She does not speak on behalf of the Citrus County School District,” said Scott Hebert, executive director of educational services for the Citrus County School District. “The views she’s listed [online] are really not in line with how our district operates…”

 

Just Satire

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.abcactionnews.com

Soon after, Volitich submitted her resignation even though she insists that everything she said online was just satire. “None of the statements released about my being a white nationalist or white supremacist have any truth to them, nor are my political beliefs injected into my teaching of social studies curriculum,” Volitich said.

A Statement

Tiana Dalichov Story
  www.merlefm.com

“While operating under the Russian pseudonym ‘Tiana Dalichov’ on social media and the Unapologetic Podcast, I employed political satire and exaggeration, mainly to the end of attracting listeners and followers, and generating conversation about the content discussed between myself and my guests.” She said. 

Middle School Teacher Fired After School Discovers Her Secret Agenda is an article from: LifeDaily


Cannabis Edibles Come Under Scrutiny Following Denver Disaster

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Richard Kirk Story

Most people who use cannabis do so in order to relieve stress and promote a feeling of solace and wellbeing. Whether it’s smoking a joint or consuming a cannabis edible, the majority of users usually end up eating pizza and chocolate then sleeping it off, but that’s not always the case.

It might be extremely rare but cases do exist where people who have taken cannabis turn violent, and sometimes, even commit murder. This tragic story could have major ramifications for a whole industry.

Family Man

Richard Kirk Story
  Richard Kirk / Twitter

Richard had always dreamed of having a big family. He himself came from a family of loving parents and siblings and Richard wanted to emulate that in his adult life. When he met the woman of his dreams, he couldn’t wait to pop the question and get hitched.

Quick Engagement

Richard Kirk Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

The courting period hadn’t been a long one, after Richard met Kristine, all he could think about was marrying her. She was the woman of his dreams; they had so much in common and the attraction between them was undeniable. After Richard got down on one knee and popped the question, wedding arrangements were made and the future looked bright…

Wonderful Wedding

Richard Kirk Story
  www.chicandstylishweddings.com

Richard, as well as Kristine’s father, spared no expense when it came to the big day. They arranged for one of the grandest and most expensive bands to play at the event, while they chose the best food for their guests. Kristine knew Richard liked to smoke weed on occasion, and she had no issue with that. After all, it was just harmless fun.

Quick Smoke

Richard Kirk Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Richard was always a bit of a hippie. He had smoked a bunch of weed back in his college days and while most of his friends gave it up when they left college, Richard kept smoking. At some points he was even a daily smoker, and when he got really stressed he would smoke or eat a cannabis edible soon after waking up in the morning…

Cannabis Candy

Richard Kirk Story
  www.sweetbrokacik.pl

Fast forward a few years and the marriage was happy for the most part, if not perfect. Richard seemed to be smoking more and more cannabis these days and he was now enjoying some cannabis candy, infused with THC, on a regular basis. On this day however, he had taken a strong dose of Karma Kandy Orange Ginger, and was acting weird.

A Bad Turn

Richard Kirk Story
  denver.cbslocal.com

For whatever reason, the cannabis candy affected Richard negatively on that particular day. When he burst through the door ranting and raving about the end of the world, Kristine knew something was wrong – very wrong. When he started climbing in and out of the window, laying on the floor and asking his wife to kill him, Kristine knew she needed to take action…

Opening The Safe

Richard Kirk Story
  www.dohalocksmith.com

Kristine couldn’t think of any good reason why her husband was trying to access the safe. She knew that the only thing of value in there right now was Richard’s handgun, and she was worried he might hurt himself with it. As soon as she heard the safe open, she called 911.

Frantic Call

Richard Kirk Story
  www.denverpost.com

By this stage Kristine was frantic and could barely even dial 911. The log of her call was harrowing, “He’s taking the gun out, sir,” Kristine said, “I don’t know where to go.… Richard, please stop … please stop … please stop.” With the situation spiralling out of control, the Denver dispatcher sent police to help Kristine.

Too Little Too Late

Richard Kirk Story
  www.denverpost.com

Unfortunately, whatever Richard had consumed that day had a terrible effect on him. By the time police arrived Richard had shot his wife, and fatally so. It would be a day Richard Kirk would regret deeply for the rest of his life. Kristine was dead and now there were a bunch of questions to be answered, and some lawsuits – and that’s not to mention prison time.

Legal Action

Richard Kirk Story
  www.kdvr.com

A lawsuit, which was filed soon after the murder in the Denver District Court, took the makers of the cannabis candy to task for what their product had caused someone to do, “The packaging and labeling for the potent candy contained no directions, instructions or recommendations respecting the product’s proper consumption or use,” said the lawsuit, “The edible producers negligently, recklessly and purposefully concealed vital dosage and labeling information from their actual and prospective purchasers including Kirk in order to make a profit.”

Denying Responsibility

Richard Kirk Story
  www.cannabisalliance.org

The cannabis industry weren’t about to take these serious allegations lying down. The executive director of the Cannabis Business Alliance, Kevin Gallagher, offered sympathy to the Kirks, “The Cannabis Business Alliance acknowledges this was a horrific violent crime and our deepest sympathies continue to be with the family and friends that were affected by the tragic death of Kristine Kirk,” he said.

Correct Labeling

Richard Kirk Story
  Facebook

The bigwigs in the cannabis industry became very defensive about this case, stating that, as far as they were concerned, the product that Kirk took was properly labeled, “the edible reportedly consumed by Richard Kirk prior to committing this horrific crime was properly labeled in accordance with state law and rules in place at the time.” It came as no surprise that the CBA alleged that crime in Denver has decreased since the legalization of medical cannabis…

Reducing Homicide

Richard Kirk Story
  www.rt.com

According to the CBA, the state prosecutors have it wrong. To them, despite the Kirk murder, cannabis legalization has only done good things for the community, “As a fledgling industry, it is not unexpected to be under increased scrutiny. However, the fact remains that violent crimes decreased in Denver from 2013 to 2014, and legalizing medical marijuana causes no increase in crime, according to a recent study. In fact, legalized medical pot may reduce some violent crime, including homicide.” They said in a statement.

Positives Outweigh Negatives

Richard Kirk Story
  www.sweetbrokacik.pl

The CBA went on to drive their point home that, to their mind, cannabis is nothing but a good thing, “Cannabis continues to offer a positive medicinal option for patients including veterans suffering from PTSD and children with debilitating conditions such as epilepsy and spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.” But what about the undeniable fact that cannabis may have caused a murder in this case?

Plea Bargain

Richard Kirk Story
  www.denverpost.com

Richard knew he was in a bunch of trouble and looking at some serious jail time. He and his legal team made a deal with prosecutors, as Kirk pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a dropped first-degree murder charge but a 25-30 year stipulated sentence.

Stiff Sentence

Richard Kirk Story
  www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Despite the deal made, Richard Kirk had to pay for what he had done to his wife, whether or not cannabis candy was involved. As such, Kirk was sentenced to a “definite term of between 25 and thirty years,” as well as a fine of roughly $10,000 and five years’ worth of mandatory parole…

Losing The Kids

Richard Kirk Story
  www.denverpost.com

It is indeed tragic by any measure that one dose of overly potent cannabis candy ruined the lives of a whole family, with one family member losing their life. As if the whole incident wasn’t bad enough, following sentencing, Kirk was pressured and agreed to give his three kids over to his late wife’s parents for adoption. Richard didn’t know at that point whether he would ever see his children again.

Giving Thanks

Richard Kirk Story
  Facebook

Kristine’s parents, Marti and Wayne Kohnke, also released a statement, talking about how much they miss Kristine, “We miss Kris every day. We are grateful that this case has been resolved to save us all from the stress of a trial. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through this, the most difficult time of our lives.”

Tragic Case

Richard Kirk Story
  BethMcCann / Twitter

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann also released a statement, confirming that the family never wanted this tragic case to go to trial in the first place.”The family did not want the case to go to trial given the personal and emotional toll family members have already suffered. Mr. Kirk has accepted responsibility for the murder of his wife, and the range of sentence possibilities will allow the judge and the public to hear any facts in mitigation and aggravation of the situation.” She said.

Lessons Learned

Richard Kirk Story
  www.denverpost.com

Many lessons have been learned as a result of this case. Not least of all, it had brought a lot of scrutiny down on the cannabis industry as a whole who are trying to allege that the cannabis candy had nothing to do with the murder of Kristine Kirk. It may have only been a freak incident in this particular homicide but the difficult questions it has left behind have resonated deeply and could well shape the future of cannabis legalization across North America.

Cannabis Edibles Come Under Scrutiny Following Denver Disaster is an article from: LifeDaily

Parents Find 13-Year-Old’s Heartbreaking Words After Months With Devastating Sickness

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Athena Orchard Story

Athena was, by all accounts, a beautiful and incredibly bright young woman and at only twelve years old, that already put her way ahead of the curve. Even in a family of ten kids, she had six sisters and three brothers, Athena seemed to stand out, to shine just a little bit more.

As evidenced by the title of this story, Athena’s short life would take a most tragic turn. By the end of this tale though, you may find, as Athena did, that “Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story…”

One Big Family

Athena Orchard Story
  www.dailystar.co.uk

To say that Athena had a big, loving family was a bit of an understatement. Her parents, Caroline and Dean, had ten children and they loved them all equally. They had ten wonderful children: Naysa, one, Letissia-Dior, two, Indika-Mayah, four, Tiana, five, Harley, eight, Porscha and Ethan, 11, Clayton, 14, and Ria, 17, and of course, 12-year-old Athena.

 

Collapse

Athena Orchard Story
  www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

It was just before Christmas and the family was gearing up for what was bound to be another in a long line of chaotic holidays. Athena, helping as she always did, was in the kitchen of their home in New Parks, Leicester, England, when she suddenly felt faint. Before anyone could move to help her, she collapsed…

Prognosis

Athena Orchard Story
  www.studying-in-germany.org

Caroline and Dean took their daughter to the doctor straight away. Weeks of scans, tests, and biopsies followed and by the time they were all done, Athena had a diagnosis: and it wasn’t a good one. Athena had osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer and if they wanted to try and treat it, they had to act fast.

Treatment Options

Athena Orchard Story
  www.people.com

Things moved quickly after that. Athena was rushed in for an emergency seven-and-a-half hour operation to remove a tumor the scans had located on her spine. They succeeded in removing it, but the surgery was only the beginning. Poor Athena would have to endure months of chemotherapy to come…

Banding Together

Athena Orchard Story
  www.metro.co.uk

The cancer was in her spine, her shoulder, and her head, and though the doctors had high hopes for chemotherapy, the odds were certainly against her. In the meantime, Dean gave up his job as a landscape gardener to help full-time mother Caroline care for their very sick daughter.

 

Strong Girl

Athena Orchard Story
  www.readlyhub.com

Despite all that she was going through, Athena’s strength continued to shine through. Throughout everything, she remained positive, even while she was in the hospital. She even made sure her mother and father ate when they stayed there with her. It was just the kind of person she was, always thinking about others…

Difficult Times Ahead

Athena Orchard Story
  www.express.co.uk

Athena lost all of her hair and much of her strength, but she never seemed to lose that positivity. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, however, Athena’s condition deteriorated more quickly than expected. Osteocarcinoma, especially the type that Athena had, is an aggressive cancer and eventually, she became too weak to even get out of bed.

It Takes its Toll

Athena Orchard Story
  www.grubstreet.com

The brave thirteen-year-old fought the disease for months. She used every scrap of positivity in her arsenal, but eventually, the treatments and the pain took their toll. Athena died at home, surrounded by her family. The Orchards were left picking up the pieces of their broken family, but they never expected what would happen next…

An Arduous Task

Athena Orchard Story
  www.bbc.com

After Athena lost her fight with cancer, Dean and Caroline Orchard knew that the next step was rolling up their sleeves and sorting through her things. They had no idea that in her room, on the back of her mirror, Athena had left them something that would bring them closer to understanding who she was than they ever thought possible.

 

The Mirror

Athena Orchard Story
  www.guff.com

Athena was, as I said before, a clever girl. She knew she was dying and that her family was going to be heartbroken because of it. Before she went, she made sure that the world, and specifically her loved ones, knew what her final thoughts were. She wrote a message to them, scrawled on the back of her bedroom mirror…

Secret Note

Athena Orchard Story
  www.dailystar.co.uk

The message revealed Athena’s true feelings on life, love and the tragic situation she had found herself in. The note revealed her unshakeably positive attitude, and gave advice to her siblings and her parents. “Every day is special, so make the most of it,” the note said. “You could get a life-ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day. Life is only bad if you make it bad…”

Too Much

Athena Orchard Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Dean Orchard was beside himself as he started reading the note. It was almost too much for him. “It was heartbreaking. I couldn’t believe it, I saw all this writing, it must have been about 3,000 words…She never mentioned it, but it’s the kind of thing she’d do. She was a very spiritual person, she’d go on about stuff that I could never understand – she was so clever.” Her mother had equal praise for their daughter as well…

The Bravest

Athena Orchard Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

“We knew that Athena loved to write, that was part of who she was, it made her happy,” explained Caroline Orchard. She described her daughter as the bravest person she knew, not just for the fight against cancer, but for who she was prior to that. The rest of the note delved into Athena’s spirituality and indicated a wisdom that was far greater than her age.

 

Purpose

Athena Orchard Story
  www.smatterist.com

She wrote in marker on the back of the mirror and spoke of purpose, including her own. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra…Never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about. I want to be that girl who makes the bad days better and the one that makes you say my life has changed since I met her!” She spoke about happiness and love too…

On Happiness

Athena Orchard Story
  www.vt.co

Athena said that “Happiness is a direction not a destination. Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young. You know my name, not my story. You have heard what I’ve done, but not what I’ve been through…” She added that “Love is like glass, looks so lovely but it’s easy to shatter.”

On Love

Athena Orchard Story
  www.itv.com

Her words on Love were perhaps the most moving. “I’m waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to. Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change.’ If someone loves you, then they wouldn’t let you slip away no matter how hard the situation is. Remember that life is full of ups and downs…” That wasn’t all she had to say about love…

Love Matters

Athena Orchard Story
  www.itv.com

Personally, it was her next phrase about love which resonated most with me. “Love is not about how much you say I love you – it’s about how much you can prove it’s true. Love is like the wind, you can feel it but you can’t see it. I’m waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to…” She would never get a chance to find that love she was waiting for. I don’t care who you are, that hurts.

 

On Judgement

Athena Orchard Story
  www.boredomtherapy.com

Athena also wrote about people judging her in posterity. “Don’t be quick to judge me, you only see what I choose to show you… you don’t know the truth. I just want to have fun and be happy without being judged. This is my life, not yours, don’t worry about what I do. People gonna hate you, rate you, break you, but how strong you stand, that’s what makes you… you!” After they’d read it, her parents decided to share the note with the world…

Sharing It

Athena Orchard Story
  www.nydailynews.com

“There’s no need to cry because I know you’ll be by my side.” says Athena. Dean and Caroline Orchard did cry, but they were tears of joy and pride. They discussed the note with their other children and the entire family agreed that they wanted to honor her memory and the purpose of the message itself by sharing it on the Internet.

Endings

Athena Orchard Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

After the note went viral, Athena’s grieving friends started writing tributes to her on the windows of her family’s home as a way to show they understood and appreciated her final words to the world. I’ll close with the line I began with, the one that to me, rings the most true. “Happiness depends upon ourselves. Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story.”

Parents Find 13-Year-Old’s Heartbreaking Words After Months With Devastating Sickness is an article from: LifeDaily

Frugal Secretary’s Secret Million Dollar Fortune Used In Most Unorthodox Way

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Sylvia Bloom Story

In today’s hectic world, most of us get caught up in our own lives and the daily busyness that we put on ourselves, forgetting that the simplest of things can make the most significant impact on someone else. A smile, a compliment, paying for a meal. Just think how different this world would be if everyone took a few minutes out of their week to do something for someone else.

For 67 years, regardless of snow storms or torrential rain, Sylvia only took the subway to work. Living a simple and frugal life, Sylvia kept her 9 million dollar fortune secret from her family and friends, and when she died, a jaw dropping discovery would be made, blowing them away….

She Grew Up Poor

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.thevillager.com

Sylvia wasn’t born into wealth. The 96-year-old, a child of Eastern European immigrants, grew up in Brooklyn during the Great Depression. A dark time in American history, Sylvia had witnessed the hardships and poverty that had plagued the nation. An experience that left a lasting mark on Sylvia..

A Better Life

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.kpbs.org

As a child of the Depression, Sylvia knew firsthand what it was like not to have money. Her parents had immigrated to America in the hopes of providing Sylvia and her siblings a better life. Unfortunately, they had arrived at one of the saddest times in our history. New to the country, they had to work twice as hard as other citizens to make ends meet…

A Life Lesson

Sylvia Bloom Story
  Pinterest

Sylvia’s parents constantly reminded her about the importance of working hard and saving. This approach to life and money is what allowed her family to get through the Depression. But, this would not be the only life lesson Sylvia’s parents stressed…

Helping Others Is True Happiness

Sylvia Bloom Story
  ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com

In Sylvia’s life as a child, there was never any room for overspending or giving in on an occasional splurge. She realized at an early age that materialism and overindulgence could not bring true lasting happiness in life, but instead, offering a helping hand to those less fortunate…

Worked Her Way Through College

Sylvia Bloom Story
  newsfeed.time.com

Sylvia saved enough to put herself through college. She worked during the day to make ends meet, while completing her degree at night at Hunter’s College. Her hard work would pay off when she landed her first job…

A Secretary

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.inews.co.uk

In 1947, Sylvia joined a fledgling Wall Street law firm as the head secretary. She had worked with the firm, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, for a whopping 67 years! It grew to its current size, with more than 1,200 lawyers, as well as hundreds of staff members. Do not let her role as a secretary fool you; it was this position that allowed her to make millions….

A Smart Observation

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.warrenbuffettnews.com

As a secretary to powerful men with immense wealth, Sylvia observed the investment strategies of the lawyers. She was a secretary in an era when they ran their boss’ lives, including their personal investments. So, whenever her boss would buy a stock, she would make the purchase for him, and then buy the same stock for herself, but in a smaller amount because she was on a secretary’s salary. Genius….

A Quiet Investment

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.cbc.ca

Daily, she would balance her bosses checkbooks. And each time they made another trade or investment, she would secretly do the same. Again and again. Through the years, Sylvia developed her immense wealth among three brokerage houses and 11 banks.

A Secret She Only Knew

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.investmentguru.com

As Sylvia’s wealth accumulated, no one had any hint of her jaw dropping fortune. Her family, friends, coworkers were kept in the dark about her finances. This information would also be kept private from her husband of over 50 years….

Not A Big Spender

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.adaliarose.com

A pretty private person, Sylvia kept a low profile, living a modest but comfortable life with her husband. Sylvia and her husband, Raymond, a New York City firefighter, teacher and part-time pharmacist lived in a rent-controlled apartment. Realistically, she could have lived in a multimillion-dollar Park Avenue apartment if she desired. And while Bloom did dress well, unlike the other wealthy living in NYC, she didn’t own a single mink coat.

Work Hard Only To Help Others

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.moneyinc.com

Sylvia and Raymond never had any children of their own. Sylvia’s relentless dedication to helping others surpassed her own desire to become a mother. Sylvia placed more value on working hard to save up enough money, so that one day she could help those in need. That was her life goal, and oh boy, she would certainly accomplish it….

No Cab Rides Under Any Circumstances

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.timeout.com

Sylvia Bloom was known for always taking the subway to work, even on the morning of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center. That day, Ms. Bloom, at 84, fled north and took refuge in a building. Once she was cleared to leave, she walked miles to get to the Brooklyn Bridge and then waited to take a city bus home, not a cab.

Work No Matter What

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.theaustralian.com.au

Just before she retired, a close friend of Sylvia saw the 96-year-old trudging out of the subway and heading to work in the middle of a fierce snowstorm. “I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ and she said, ‘Why, where should I be?’” he recalled. Nothing could stop Sylvia’s relentless dedication to work. And the drive to this dedication was her commitment to donate to worthy causes….

Humbleness

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.thevillager.com

Sylvia was the epitome of selflessness. She never talked money and she didn’t live the high life. She wasn’t showy and didn’t want to call attention to herself. Sylvia never wanted any recognition for her incredible act of kindness, explaining why she waited to die for the money to be allocated. She wanted to do only one thing, and that was to help..

An Unlikely Source

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.solomonbruce.com

When Sylvia died in 2016 at the age of 96, her family and friends learned about the secret she had kept only to herself. They would only find out about her whopping, 8 MILLION dollar fortune by an unlikely source…

Fortune Discovered In Newspapers

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.opelikaobserver.com

In the following weeks after Sylvia’s death, all the newspaper outlets in New York shared a similar headline. Even by the high standards of New York City philanthropy, a recent $6.24 million donation to the Henry Street Settlement was outrageous, making it the largest single gift from an individual to the social service group in its 125-year history. It was not donated by some billionaire benefactor, but by a frugal legal secretary from Brooklyn. None other than Sylvia Bloom…

Helping Was Part Of Her Nature

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.wral.com

Discovering her fortune and incredible philanthropic act from media outlets, family and friends were completely flabbergasted. Sylvia’s niece said that while her aunt’s wealth was a surprise, her quiet plan to help students was not.

Education Was Her Passion

Sylvia Bloom Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

Sylvia always had known the importance of education and the disparities of those who could not financially attain a proper one. Her niece also said that an additional $2 million from Sylvia’s bequest would be split between Hunter College and another scholarship fund to be announced.

Her Legacy Lives On

Sylvia Bloom Story
  catalog.hunter.cuny.edu

Sylvia’s will allowed for some money to be left to relatives and friends, but directed that the bulk of the fortune go toward scholarships for needy students. Thanks to her generosity she has given the opportunity for countless students today to attend college and follow their dreams.

How Would Sylvia React?

Sylvia Bloom Story
  www.cbc.ca

Sylvia would cringe. She would most definitely hate it. But that is no surprise. Sylvia joins the ranks of unassuming and magnanimous millionaires next door, who have died with fortunes far larger than their lifestyles ever would have suggested.

Frugal Secretary’s Secret Million Dollar Fortune Used In Most Unorthodox Way is an article from: LifeDaily

Navy Volleyball Team Rises To The Challenge In Life-Or-Death Situation

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Navy Volleyball Players Story

When we think about people in the military, the things that come to mind are scenes of firefights, marching, and the grueling training necessary to get a person into peak physical condition. But there’s more to being in the armed forces than the sort of thing you see on TV and in the movies.

One of the things folks in the military do with their down time that doesn’t get much attention is to follow various athletics pursuits. Like the rest of us, they’re often just looking for a way to relax, blow off steam, and have a bit of healthy competition. But when an emergency situation arrives, they’re still up to the challenge…

Military Athletics

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  ArmedForcesSports / Facebook

Each year, the US Armed Forces Sports puts on a number of events where the men and women who serve in the military have an opportunity to let off some steam and compete against each other. There’s a long tradition of military athletics and as you can imagine, plenty of rivalry between the different branches.

Heated Rivalries

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.footballscoop.com

Perhaps the most famous and heated of those rivalries plays out each year in the Army-Navy Football game. Of course, there are many other sporting events where members of the armed forces go head to head, one of them being Volleyball…

Volleyball Championship

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.dvidshub.net

In 2018, the Armed Forces Volleyball Championship was being held in Florida. Over the course of 5 days in May, the best volleyball teams from each branch of the military would come together to determine who would have bragging rights while at the same time, getting in some much appreciated R&R…

All-Navy Team

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  armedforcessports.defense.gov

The All-Navy Men’s Volleyball team that year was made up of Chief Petty Officer Aniahau Desha, Seamon Gaston Yescas, Petty Officer 1st Class Sheldon Lucius, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Essick. They’d gotten to Florida a few days before the tournament began to get a head start on the relaxation part of the event…

Day At The Beach

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  traveltips.usatoday.com

All 4 teammates had decided to get together with their families for a little beach time on May 5th, a couple of days before the tournament began. They’d just gotten to the beach and met up with each other when a commotion suddenly broke out.

Commotion

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  proerudio.wordpress.com

“We’d just sat down and some ladies came up the beach yelling for help,” said Desha. The women had apparently seen 2 girls out in the choppy waves that were in trouble. If they didn’t get help soon, they were going to drown…

Spring Into Aciton

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.annawarwick.com

Without giving it a second thought, all 4 men were on their feet, sprinting for the surf. They leapt into the water and swam out to the girls as fast as they could. Lucius was the first to get to one girl, who was conscious and thrashing in the water to try and stay afloat…

Struggling Victim

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.defense.gov

As Lucius tried to bring her back to shore, the girl continued desperately flailing about. She was naturally in a panic for fear of drowning but her movements were making her rescue more difficult. Still, the strong swimmer managed to get her back on solid ground unharmed…

Not Moving

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  Shutterstock

The other girl in the water wasn’t thrashing about at all, though not for the most reassuring reason, she had lost consciousness. As Lucius was rescuing the conscious girl, Essick was the first to get to the one who’d passed out. With the help of the other 2 Navy men, he brought her back to the beach.

Unresponsive

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.defense.gov

“When we got on shore, as soon as I picked her up, I noticed that she wasn’t breathing,” Desha said. “I checked her pulse, there was no pulse. So we immediately started chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth.”…

CPR

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.defense.gov

With the help of Yescas, Desha conducted CPR continuously on the incapacitated teenager until emergency rescue personnel arrived to relieve them. The 2 teens couldn’t have asked for a better foursome of people to be nearby on the beach that day when they were in need of rescue.

Expert Care

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.defense.gov

“Since I’m a corpsman up to date with the CPR certifications and all, and I was also a lifeguard for 8 years, this was honestly like a normal drill,” said Yescas. “I’ve been in a lot of incidents like this.” He added…

Rushed To The Hospital

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.orlandosentinel.com

While the swimmer who’d lost consciousness had been touch-and-go at first, she was rushed to the hospital by the emergency personnel where she was successfully revived, treated, and was later released. Something that likely wouldn’t have been possible without the quick rescue and competent CPR.

Praise From Coach

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.medium.com

The men’s coach had nothing but praise for his team’s quick actions. “Two teenagers are alive today as a direct result of [these sailors’] quick thinking, bravery, and composure under extreme pressure,” said head coach Gilburto Bermudez…

Brave Sailors

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.militarypress.com

“Because of the actions of these sailors, she’s alive,” said Thomas Lyszkowski, First Coast Navy Fire and Emergency Services assistant fire chief. His superior, fire chief Mark Brusoe had his own words of praise, saying “Those sailors put others before themselves, and did so at great risk to their own safety.”

Thank You

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  wwww.news4jax.comww.journeysaremydiary.com

“It makes me feel great to hear that she made it out alive,” said Yescas. “Her mom sent us a message on Facebook to let us know that she was getting discharged and that her daughter was going to write us a letter and send us a picture just saying thank you for what we did.”…

Amazing Feeling

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.alluredds.com

“It’s an amazing feeling knowing that this girl’s going to see another day because of what we did,” said Desha. “For the parents, especially. And as a parent myself, I couldn’t imagine hearing the news that something happened to my daughter.”

Honored

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.news4jax.com

“And if someone was there to help, I’d like them to do the same for me if it was my child.” he added. “I’m pretty honored.” With the wonderful thing they’d done for the 2 teenagers, the men would go into the tournament with a little extra pep in their step…

Can’t Win ‘Em All

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.dvidshub.net

Unfortunately, they needed a lot more than that pep to help them out in the tournament. That’s because the Air Force, both Men’s and Women’s teams, were dominant that year, with the women’s team taking gold with a perfect 6-0 record and the men just behind them 5-1.

Still Champs

Navy Volleyball Players Story
  www.dvidshub.net

The Men’s Navy team had the exact opposite score, going just 1-5, suggesting maybe the rescue had taken a bit more out of them than they’d thought. While they didn’t happen to with the volleyball championship, they would always be champions in the eyes of the 2 teenagers whose lives they’d saved.

Navy Volleyball Team Rises To The Challenge In Life-Or-Death Situation is an article from: LifeDaily

Mother Wants DNA Test For Son Even If It Proves His Guilt

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Brandi Michalik Story

When a mother sees her son excel in his school football team it brings mixed emotions. On the one hand she may be happy and proud for what her child is achieving; while on the other hand there’s plenty of room for worry, especially when a hard tackle happens.

Brandi loved her son Neven more than anything in the world. She wanted only the very best for him and as a protective mother hated when he got hit hard on the football field. Then, a turn of events would change things forever…

Natural Talent

Brandi Michalik Story
  marycumminsrealestatemarycummins.blogspot.com

Neven was a big baby when he was born, and his size was something that stayed with him into his adult life. Resembling a big teddy bear in many ways, Neven wasn’t a violent person at all, even if his presence was intimidating for some. As soon as he picked up a football everyone knew; Never was talented with a ball in his bear hands.

Taking Knocks

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.cnn.com

Perhaps due to his size, or the position he played, Neven often took knocks on the football field, while his mother cringed from the sidelines every time he was hit. He was tough enough to take it, but all those collisions had to have some effect after a while. It looked like water off a duck’s back but sadly it was anything but…

High Achiever

Brandi Michalik Story
  marycumminsrealestatemarycummins.blogspot.com

Neven paid no attention to the knocks he suffered on the field. He just plowed ahead and tried to create chances for his teammates to score touchdowns. He was always totally focused while he played and would ignore the headaches he got from head impacts during play. Neven was a tough cookie, but everyone has their limits.

Hard Tackles

Brandi Michalik Story
  nikos13galanisgmail.blogspot.com

Following a game in the fall, Neven had taken more hits than usual and it even appeared as if players from the other team were singling him out. “They were just tackling each other, and it rang his bell,” Brandi said, but no one really thought anything of it at the time…

Strange Behaviour

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.pixabay.com

It was after that fateful game that something changed in Neven, but his mother had no idea about the extent of what was about to happen. After that game, Neven walked 10 miles to a friend’s house in Roseville, a move that aroused serious suspicions about Neven’s mental health.

Mental Decline

Brandi Michalik Story
  marycumminsrealestatemarycummins.blogspot.com

Brandi thinks it’s too much of a coincidence that her son’s mental health declined so rapidly following that game. Having been the class joker until now, Neven became reserved and turned inwards. He started screaming and shouting at his mother on a daily basis, which was totally out of character for him…

Scared To Leave

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.widowschristianplace.com

For Brandi, what her son was going through was a nightmare. Neven refused to leave the house and then became too scared to even leave his bedroom. He stopped talking completely and only communicated by writing down a few words at a time. He ignored the way he looked and didn’t shower for days – Something was wrong, very wrong.

Getting Violent

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.rafu.com

19-year-old Neven had never been a violent person, until now. One day he did leave his house but what happened next would shock a whole community. While two elderly women were taking a walk as they did every day, Neven approached them, attacking the women, sexually assaulting them and beating one to death…

Mentally Fit

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.sacbee.com

Following the brutal attacks questions were raised as to whether Neven was mentally fit to stand trial for what he had allegedly done to these poor pensioners. Despite massive evidence, Brandi wanted a DNA test to be performed as she did not believe her son was in any way culpable, let alone capable of such a crime.

No Tests

Brandi Michalik Story
  ryanharriskfbk / Twitter

Neven’s court appointed attorney, Linda Parisi, said that she is still not in possession of her client’s DNA results, “They still haven’t done them,” she said, adding, “Those would be significant. The DA’s office would run those but have not done so. I can’t comment on why, because I really don’t know why.” For now the prosecution is being shady about releasing those results, but why?…

Seeking Life

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.sacbee.com

The nature of the rapes and murders were so brutal that prosecutors felt they had no choice but to go for life in prison in this case. Nevertheless, both prosecutors and the defense have raised some serious questions about the suspect’s mental health, noting that he may not be fit to stand trial.

Tried To Get Help

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.sacbee.com

Neven’s mom, who is understandably cut up about the whole case, said she tried to get her son help when he began to show mental health symptoms. She took him to his doctor and to a counselor but to no avail. When he entered Brandi’s bedroom one morning and beat her around the head, she knew something was very wrong. “He was glazed over,” she said. “I could tell he wasn’t seeing what I was seeing. It was like he was not in the same reality as me. It was so scary.”…

Serious Diagnosis

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.germmagazine.com

Before long, having been duly assessed by medical professionals, it became clear that that knock on the football field had a massive effect on this young man. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, characterized by hallucinations, delusions, impulse control and manic behavior.

Not Mad At Him

Brandi Michalik Story
  kcravicki / Twitter

While Neven sits in jail, his mom said she comes to visit him for one hour every day. “Usually he would be asleep, but I could sit with him,” she said. “It was just important for him to know that no matter what, I’m not mad at him.” Not only is Brandi not mad at him, she doesn’t in her heart of hearts believe he even committed the crimes alleged against him…

In Denial

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.sacbee.com

Despite the evidence against her son, Brandi simply doesn’t accept that he could have raped and murdered an old women, “Just because he’s mentally unstable does not mean he’ll do anything in the world,” she said. “Hitting, hitting, hitting, you can see the connection there. But hitting, raping somebody, and continuing hitting them…. It’s not on the same level.”

Plea Deal

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.uchastings.edu

According to Rory Little, a professor of law at University of California Hastings College of the Law, whilst the delay in the DNA results is bizarre, it may be down to a plea bargain negotiated between the parties, “You can’t blame the mother if she thinks the son is innocent… but often the families of the victims and the families of the defendants are kept in the dark because of the problems they can cause,” Little said. “The defendant’s mom doesn’t have any rights…. The DA doesn’t have to release (evidence) to anybody unless the defense has made demands for it.”

He’s Innocent!

Brandi Michalik Story
  nikos13galanisgmail.blogspot.com

Perhaps it’s a case of an overly protective mother in denial, or perhaps there is some smoke to the fire here. While Brandi understands that she has no real rights legally, as her son is over 18, she wants to do what she can to help and to protect him. She even spoke about her true intentions in this matter.

His Whole Life

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.sacbee.com

“That’s someone’s whole life,” she said. “They’re willing to throw a kid’s life away forever…. I hate to say it, but I’m mad because (I’m wondering) ‘Why can’t they go further and investigate?’ If it’s nothing, it’s nothing.” While most people think this is an open and shut case, Brandi disagrees, “Everybody is trying to paint this closed, we got the person and we are done,” she said…

Broken Woman

Brandi Michalik Story
  www.kcra.com

Deep down it seems that Brandi suspects her son may have been responsible for these attacks, even if she won’t admit it openly. Even though there are major questions surrounding the legitimacy of rape kits in California, the evidence here seems pretty compelling and extremely damning.

Still Hope

Brandi Michalik Story
  sacramento.cbslocal.com

Nevertheless, as the results of the rape kits in this case were questionable, while the DNA results haven’t even been revealed yet, there is still a chance that Neven is not guilty of the charges leveled against him. It’s that hope which is keeping his mother, extended family and friends with at least some prospect that Neven could be acquitted, although it seems unlikely.

Mother Wants DNA Test For Son Even If It Proves His Guilt is an article from: LifeDaily

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