Air Force Academy cadet candidate dead after woman allegedly hit her with jet ski, fled scene

KRDO on May 27, 2025

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Air Force Academy is mourning the loss of an 18-year-old cadet candidate who died in a tragic lake incident over Memorial Day weekend.

According to the Air Force Academy, Ava Moore was killed while kayaking on Lake Grapevine in Texas.

(Photo: Air Force Academy)

“We lost an exemplary teammate this weekend – Cadet Candidate Ava Moore, whose passion for leadership and service left an impact on everyone she met. Ava’s constant happiness and attitude helped her squadron get through the challenges of the Prep School, and her drive to excel was on display as she sought out leadership positions to improve herself and her team,” said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent in a press release.

Her death made national headlines after the woman who allegedly hit and killed her fled the scene. According to the Grapevine Police Department, the female suspect was on a jet ski when she hit Moore, who was on a kayak.

Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez (pictured) allegedly hit Ava Moore and fled the scene, according to the Grapevine Police Department. (Photo: Grapevine Police Department)

Police said a passenger on the jet ski stayed at the scene, but the female driver allegedly ran off and left in a car with a man. Police say the man and the female suspect even hit another car while allegedly fleeing the scene.

On Tuesday, Grapevine Police identified the suspect as Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez. Police say she was taken into custody and “more details (would) be available later.”

Police say they have taken Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez into custody. (Photo: Grapevine Police Department)

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Community leaves its mark on new Rolling Hills Library

News-Press NOW on May 27, 2025

Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) – The Rolling Hills Library is giving residents the opportunity to add their signatures to a steel beam that will be part of the new building set to open next spring.

“It’s a 17-foot steel beam, and it is our last support beam that’s going to go into place,” said Kelly Morris, Rolling Hills Belt Branch Manager. “We have it out here in the parking lot today where patrons can come and sign it.”

Unable to hold an official groundbreaking ceremony, the library came up with an alternative way to involve the community in the progress of the new building.

“We weren’t able to have any type of official groundbreaking ceremony because the street was new and overall it was difficult to access the site,” Morris said. “So we thought instead of that, this would be a way to have the community take part in our construction in a more accessible way.”

Staff said they are especially looking forward to having an entire library located on a single floor, surrounded by green space.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” Morris added.

Residents have the rest of the day Tuesday, May 27, to sign the support beam before it is moved on-site and lowered into place tomorrow.

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Two suspects wanted after alleged attempt to break into RV park change machine

KRDO on May 27, 2025

Tyler Cunnington

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Manitou Springs Police Department is asking for help identifying two suspects who allegedly used a drill in an attempt to break into a change machine.

According to the department, the alleged attempted burglary happened on May 19 around 4:35 a.m.

They say two suspects arrived at the Pikes Peak RV park and made their way to the laundry facility. Once inside, they allegedly used a drill to try and crack open a change machine that converts cash to coins. The drill, police said, appeared to be a red Milwaukee brand power drill.

Police say the two suspects were not able to open the machine, but RV park managers arrived later to find the damage.

The department has provided videos of the incident, which can be seen at the top of this article.

Police believe the suspects were in a white Chevrolet Equinox, though no license plate was captured.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to call El Paso County dispatch at 719-390-5555. Callers may remain anonymous.

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Mosaic hosts Cancer Survivor Day events

News-Press NOW on May 27, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Mosaic Life Care’s Cancer Care will celebrate life with cancer survivors and their loved ones during two different Cancer Survivor Day events.

The first event will take place in St. Joseph, where various members of the community can lace up for a 5K run/walk to honor survivors. All paces, ages and furry friends are welcome.

The 5K will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 at Mosaic Cancer Care, located at 902 N. Riverside Rd.

The second event will take place in Maryville, where attendees will visit the Mosaic Medical Center’s Healing Garden for refreshments, fellowship and to share inspirational messages in a special journal to be shared with other cancer survivors. Support groups will also be on hand.

Cancer Survivor Day will start at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 2 at Mosaic’s Medical Center’s Healing Garden in Maryville, located at 2016 S. Main St.

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Mustangs host free fan fest prior to home opener

News-Press NOW on May 27, 2025

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In anticipation of its home opener, the St. Joseph Mustangs hosted a fan fest event at Phil Welch Stadium.

“It’s always fun hanging out with Mustangs,” Mustangs fan Julius Rice said. “It’s nice to have a local team where we can come and have some family fun. And supporting local community (businesses) to have some fun.”

Some of the activities made available to the fans included a kids home run derby, National Anthem auditions and autograph sessions.

The Mustangs President Ky Turner said an event like fan fest is a chance for the team to get its training wheels for the season.

“Just to see the response for something like this is incredible, not every team can throw together an event and all these people show up,” Turner said.

Attendees were able to secure discounted and new merchandise, as well as brand new concession stand items.

The Mustangs will play against The NEMO Craze at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, at Phil Welch Stadium.

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St. Joe FIT launches 2025 season

News-Press NOW on May 27, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The 2025 season of St. Joe FIT is in its 12th season and offers a free 10-week family-friendly program for anyone.

The 10-week season will start the first week of June and will continue through the first week of August.

St. Joe FIT invites residents to explore local trails, build community and boost their health one step at a time. The program will offers a simple formula: walk, connect and repeat.

Each week features a different trail across the city, with in-person group walks scheduled every Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m.

Participants may join these weekly gatherings or walk on their own at any time during the week.

The program is also a recurring collaboration with the Friends of the Animal Shelter. During several Tuesday evening walks, volunteers will be on-site with adoptable dogs, offering participants a chance to meet some furry walking buddies who are looking for their fur-ever homes.

Trails for the season include the Riverwalk, Bartlett, Rock Island (East and West), Maple Leaf, Southwest (North and South), Patee, Northeast and Northwest.

Participants are encouraged to register in advance. Maps and additional program details can be found at the St. Joe FIT website.

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Teens Explore End-of-Life Care at Hospice Facility in Santa Barbara

KEYT on May 27, 2025

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – For several months, Katja Broomberg volunteered at a hospice center in Santa Barbara.

“It’s been a really eye opening experience … I don’t know how much it would mean to mean to me,” said student Broomberg of Laguna Blanca School.

Broomberg joined several students from Laguna Blanca sShool to work closely with residents, staff, and volunteers of Sarah House, home for end-of-life care.

“To be able to introduce to young people … in a way that hopefully … they’re not afraid but rather curious about this … plant more seeds … with different communities,” said administrator Paloma Espino of Sarah House.

“There was a resident at the house i was close with … he passed away unexpectedly … it hurt a lot … but it was that experience that thought me life goes on even with death,” said Broomberg.

Their experience at Sarah House was so powerful, students created an entire production exploring themes of death, dying, and care.

“It has really changed the way I think about … to live in the moment and appreciate everything I have,” said student Ada Green of Laguna Blanca School.

While this is the first time these students have worked with Sarah House, they’re hoping it won’t be their last.

“I’m hoping each one will have a better understanding of the end of life and will appreciate their own lives,” said artistic director Peter Lackner of Laguna Blanca School.

The teen cast hopes this production will ignite empathy throughout the community for years to come.

“Death is not the end of life … it’s a part of it,” said Broomberg.

The Sarah House Journals: End of Life Care Through the Eyes of Laguna Blanca Students kicks of on Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m., at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara Street.

All proceeds will benefit Sarah House.

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Two accused of killing Columbia man for insurance money in 2021

KMIZ on May 27, 2025

Matthew Sanders

BENTON CO, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were arrested in Springfield, Missouri, on Sunday and charged with murder in connection with the 2021 death of a Columbia man.

Cody Garrett, 28, was reported missing on June 21, 2021. Benton County deputies found Garrett’s vehicle and remains off the trails near a bike park outside Warsaw, Missouri. An autopsy showed he had died by homicide.

Kayley and Michael Birnbaum were arrested Sunday after new evidence was discovered, according to a Benton County Sheriff’s Office social media post. Charges were not available in online court records Tuesday afternoon.

Michael Birnbaum (Greene County Jail)

Kayley Birnbaum (Greene County Jail)

“We received a call from the family making an inquiry as to what the status of the investigation was. The family was disappointed that so much time has passed and that we didn’t have any additional answers for them, so much so that it piqued our interest to pull that case file and put another fresh set of eyes on it,” Capt. Kelly Lowe, of the Benton County Sheriff’s Department, said. “In doing so, we put a set of eyes on it that was unaware of the case, whatsoever. And as he went through the information that we had gathered, he identified a couple of areas that he believed he could establish some additional information on. And in the process of that, and over the period of about a week, we got two people in jail for for the murder of Mr. Garrett.”

According to authorities, the sheriff’s office conducted new interviews, investigated digital evidence and sent previously untested items to crime laboratories. About a month after Garrett’s family contacted the sheriff’s office, arrests were made. The Birnbaums are accused of planning the killing and carrying it out. The two were arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

A probable cause statement says the Birnbaums killed for $50,000 in life insurance money because one of them was the beneficiary. Garrett had been shot in the hand, arm, body, and head and impaled in the abdomen with a novelty sword. Authorities found a bag of novelty weapons, including a sword similar to the one used to impale Garrett, in the Birnbaums’ home. The couple burned some evidence and threw the pistol in the Missouri River before they left the murder scene.

Kayley Birnbaum told investigators that she and Michael Birnbaum researched remote spots where they could kill Garrett unnoticed; did reconnaissance at the site before the killing; researched cleaning supplies; planned to kill Garrett on a day before a rainstorm to destroy evidence; and lured Garrett to the spot.

“About 150 man hours, if not more, of a single deputy working every lead, every possible avenue that this case could take. This took him out of town, of course, because all of the people involved at the time and the names that he needed to get in touch with are no longer in the area of Benton County. So, a lot of traveling back and forth, a lot of attempts to dig up old information and turn it into new and identify where people were and how to get a hold of them,” Lowe said.

Michael Birnbaum called police on Sunday and turned himself in at the Springfield Police Department. He gave officers a handwritten statement saying he had shot and stabbed Garrett, according to the probable cause statement.

“The Springfield Police Department was outstanding in their assistance with us. Once Detective Johnson identified what he needed to accomplish and what his objectives were, he reached out to them and they provided us not only with assistance, but with additional manpower people to take us around where we didn’t know areas, and they were just astronomical in helping us come together,” Lowe said.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office explained that the investigation’s progress was slowed because they only had one homicide detective handling multiple cases.

“Any homicide investigation is tough because you have everything from evidence to facts to theories to it just you’re going every direction. I think a lot of it at the time was that the staffing levels that we had, the call volume that we had, and then we had just moved into the building. So there was a whole lot of things going on,” Lowe added.

The Birnbaums were in the Benton County Jail on Tuesday with no bond. No hearings had been set in their cases. The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing.

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Redmond woman charged with manslaughter, DUII after crash into building that killed Prineville man

KTVZ on May 27, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: Details on court appearance)

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Redmond woman was arrested on Sunday on manslaughter, DUII and other charges, accused of a fatal crash into a business that killed a Prineville man.

Court records show Ladonna Marie Erickson, 41, was charged Monday by Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn with first- and second-degree manslaughter, DUII, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person. Bail was set at $100,000 when she was arraigned on the charges Tuesday afternoon. Erickson is due for arraignment Friday afternoon on an expected grand jury indictment.

Here’s the news release from Crook County Sheriff’s Lt. Mitch Madden:

On May 25, 2025, at approximately 2:49 p.m., deputies from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and EMS from Crook County Fire & Rescue were dispatched to multiple reports of an injury motor vehicle crash on NW Lamonta Road near NW Grass Lane in Prineville. Initial reports to 9-1-1 indicated that one vehicle had crashed into a building at this location and that the passenger had been ejected from the vehicle. 

Deputies arrived on the scene and located the vehicle and the occupants involved.  Deputies immediately began life-saving measures on the male passenger, later identified as Rodney Stephens, 49, of Prineville, and the female driver, later identified as Ladonna Erickson, 41, of Redmond. 

Medics arrived on the scene and declared Stephens deceased (next of kin was notified) and transported Erickson to St. Charles Medical Center – Prineville with minor injuries. 

The preliminary investigation revealed that Erickson was operating a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer, northbound on NW Lamonta Road just after the corner, and left the northbound lane of travel for unknown reasons, colliding head-on with a building belonging to Fontana Wood Products, causing major damage  It appears that Stephens was ejected from the vehicle.  The Chevy Trailblazer continued for a short distance after colliding with the building. 

Erickson was later contacted and interviewed at St. Charles-Prineville, where she was taken into custody and lodged at the Crook County Jail on the charges of DUII, Reckless Endangering, Reckless Driving, and Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree.  The investigation is ongoing. 

NW Lamonta Road between NW Gumpert Road and NW Sunset Lane was closed for several hours due to the investigation.  It was eventually opened to one lane while waiting for the vehicle to be removed from the scene. 

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Oregon State Police and the Prineville Police Department, Crook County Road Department, Crook County Fire & Rescue, Whispering Pines Funeral Home, and STAR Towing. 

Madden said he had no further information at this time. 

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Unanimous vote gives the green light for community indoor aquatic facility

News-Press NOW on May 27, 2025

Kyle Schmidt

St. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The city council voted 9-0-0 in favor of finalizing the funding agreement between the City of St. Joseph and the YMCA.

The city will contribute $7,000,000 as well as $270,000 over the next 20 years toward ongoing operational costs. YMCA CEO Tammy Killin said she is excited and thankful.

“To get a unanimous vote is pretty amazing,” Killin said.

Many supporters in favor of the pool showed up and spoke at the meeting. Mayor John Josendale said it will be good for the community because it will be a pool that can be used year-round.

“We’re not only able to do swim lessons, you’re going to be able to do aquatics, swim teams and exercise,” Josendale said. “It’s a program that’ll be good for everybody.”

Killin said official renderings will be finalized at some point this summer and the plan is to have contracts completed by August so construction can begin in the fall of 2025.

“We were waiting on this vote to really get that momentum going but we’ve been working on this for a year, but now it’s just all hands on deck,” Killin said. “We’re going to make this happen.”

They YMCA reached their fundraising goal at the end of April.

The planned 35,000-square-foot facility will include a 10-lane, 50-meter lap pool as well as a recreational/therapeutic pool. Other amenities include spectator seats, locker rooms, offices and on-site food and beverage concessions. YMCA staff will also provide swim lessons and water safety classes.

“I’m very pleased to hear the number of people that were in support of it,” Josendale said. “We knew that there were a lot of people that really want it… The people who can’t swim or are afraid of the water, if we can cure that, if we can help people, I think that will help us all.”

Also during the meeting, Ivan Klippenstein was recognized by Mayor Josendale as the new fire chief. He took is oath of office and got his new rank pinned on his uniform.

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