106-year-old Spelman alumna, fashion pioneer looks back at breaking boundaries and homecoming celebrations

CNN Newsource on October 18, 2025

By Leondra Head

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Homecoming season across the Atlanta University Center continues as Spelman and Morehouse College enjoy their annual tradition.

You can always count on a lively atmosphere as current students and alumni gather on campus to celebrate. One person who knows the feeling better than anyone is Annie Jewel Moore, the oldest living Spelman alumna.

This September, Moore celebrated her 106th birthday. She graduated from Spelman in 1943 with a degree in economics.

“The economics of war, the war was going on during my time,” she said.

After her graduation, Moore was one of the first Black women to study fashion design at Paris’ Ecole Guerre Lavigne and the New York Fashion Academy. She eventually launched her own boutique, Ann Moore Couturiere, in Detroit in 1951.

“I had individual customers and I would do a collection every year. It was across the street from Motown.”

She broke barriers with her work in Vogue in 1953, two years after starting her company.

“If they would have known I was African American, they wouldn’t have accepted it, but I didn’t try to disguise it,” Moore recalled.

She said she put her dress on a white model to increase her chances of getting into the storied magazine.

“She was Caucasian and Vogue hadn’t run any Blacks before then,” she said.

During her time in the industry, Moore crafted timeless pieces, from office wear to dinner party wear. A dress she made in 1967 is on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center.

Spelman’s homecoming wasn’t elaborate back then as it is today, she said.

“I went, and it was a big event for the Spelman students, but it wasn’t a big event for me because I didn’t have a boyfriend,” she said.

Her secret to living a long life? A social life full of laughter with her friends.

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Staff member at Swansea, Massachusetts school dies after allegedly being kicked by student

CNN Newsource on October 18, 2025

By Anna Meiler

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    SWANSEA, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A worker at a residential therapeutic school in Swansea, Massachusetts has died after she was allegedly assaulted by a student on Wednesday night.

Meadowridge Academy staff member Amy Morrell, 53, of Riverside, Rhode Island, was allegedly kicked in the chest by a 14-year-old female student resident.

The student was allegedly attempting to leave a dorm building without permission when the physical interaction occurred at approximately 6:55 p.m., according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Morrell and other staff were attempting to restrain the girl, according to investigators. Shortly after being kicked, Morrell collapsed. Other staff members began CPR and called 911.

Swansea Police along with the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office responded to the school.

Morrell was taken to a nearby hospital overnight and was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon.

Friends and family of Morrell were shocked to hear the news.

“I’m upset, obviously. It just keeps hitting me,” said Andrew Ferruche, a close family friend, adding she truly loved her job at the school despite its challenges.

“I still expect to get a text from her,” Mel Lynch said Friday. Lynch said that she had just seen Morrell for breakfast on Monday.

Morrell’s loved ones described her as “the most patient, kindest person.” They said that she was very funny and was “the life of the party.”

“She definitely cheered people up on a regular basis,” Ferruche said.

Lynch explained that she had met Morrell at a previous job and had stayed in touch. She said that Morrell loved working at the school, having found her calling. Ferruche agreed, saying that Morrell thought that job was “rewarding.”

“She loved those girls,” Lynch said. She added that Morrell was an only child who was “her parents’ world.”

“A real loss. A loss for that school, a loss for us, and I think of her parents,” she said.

Ferruche shared a text message he received from Morrell where she wrote, “Being kind to other people definitely makes me feel better…My job is helping kids with troubles so it’s pretty rewarding.”

But both Lynch and Ferruche are left with questions about how this could’ve happened.

“If this girl was that violent, what was she doing in that setting with other kids?” she asked.

“How many staff members have been hit in the last two weeks alone? That should be the question asked of them,” Ferruche said. “And I guarantee it has been multiple people who have been hit by this same girl.”

Ferruche said he blames the school for the incident and hopes that they institute change so that something like this never happens again.

“This school should have had way better safety protocols. I don’t know if they locked the doors. I don’t know why Amy had to tackle her to get her, stop her from leaving,” Ferruche said.

“Based upon the initial investigation, the juvenile was charged with Assault and Battery causing Serious Bodily Injury,” the district attorney’s office said. The girl, who has not been identified, was arraigned Thursday in Fall River Juvenile Court. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

“The Meadowridge Academy community is deeply saddened by the passing of direct care staff member, Amy Morrell,” the school said in a statement Thursday night. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to Amy’s family during this difficult time. Support services and resources are available to assist students and staff as we grieve this tragic loss.”

According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in the 2023-24 school year, staffers at Meadowridge restrained students 23 times, none resulting in injuries.

A Disability Law Center investigation from 2018 shows a number of police incidents at the school, more than 140 between 2014 and 2016. A high number of calls were for runaways and assaults.

Meadowridge Academy is located on Stevens Road in Swansea. According to its website, it is a “therapeutic residential school providing comprehensive treatment to youth and young adults with mental health issues, behavioral difficulties, and complex trauma histories.”

Swansea is a town in southeastern Massachusetts, about 50 miles from Boston.

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Empowerment event for teens, adults set in UCR, Palm Desert campus

KESQ on October 18, 2025

City News Service

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – An event designed to empower teens and adults through resources and skill-building workshops will take place next week at UC Riverside’s Palm Desert campus.  

“Raising the Future” will be held from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. Oct. 25 at 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive.

The free event will feature networking opportunities for youths and adults, scholarships, free food, entertainment, giveaways, motivational speakers and workshops.

Keynote speaker Richard Montanez, former PepsiCo executive and inspiration behind the film “Flamin’ Hot,”  will share his journey from janitor to author and motivational speaker. Additionally, Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez will be the guest speaker to discuss his insights on justice reform, equity and local empowerment efforts.   

“From introducing people to resources to networking to meeting county leaders and hearing from guests speakers, this event offers a lot to all who come,” Perez said. “It’s a free community event that is open to everyone and is all about providing opportunities, giving an early start and second chances and finding inspirations as we learn from others.”

County and community organizations will be present for educational resources and workshops in leadership, career development and wellness.   

Organizers said American Sign Language and Spanish translation will be available during the event.

Registration was encouraged at www.eventbrite.com/e/raising-the-future-tickets-1555043028559.

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Silver Advisory canceled after 84-year-old man found safe

KMIZ on October 18, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A silver advisory issued on Friday night for an 84-year-old man who went missing at a gravel road southeast of Cairo has been canceled, according to a release from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.

Carl J. Garrison was found safely after he went missing at 3 p.m. Friday, according to an updated advisory.

Previous information indicated he stopped his truck on a gravel road, his significant other got out of the vehicle and he drove off.

The vehicle was described as a white 2023 Ford F150 with Missouri plates reading “6FJH04.” The vehicle was last seen on an unknown gravel road that is southeast of Cairo.

This Ford F-150 was driven by a missing man. [Courtesy Randolph County Sheriff’s Office]

Garrison is described as an 84-year-old white man who is 5-feet, 8-inches tall, weighs 200 pounds and has blue eyes.

The advisory said he has “possible cognitive impairment and hearing impairment.”

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Silver anniversary for Nat’l Monuments postponed amid federal shutdown

KESQ on October 18, 2025

Haleemon Anderson

A celebration in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monuments is being postponed, it was announced today.

“The ‘Monument in Our Back Yard’ is turning 25, but for now the party will have to wait,” Friends of the Desert Mountains said in a statement, Friday.

The celebration, originally set for October 23, will be rescheduled amid the federal government’s shutdown, now approaching day 18.

The kick off celebration, including a time capsule installation at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center on Highway 74, is being postponed to a later date to be determined.

Friends’ Executive Director Tammy Martin said the Visitor Center is closed to the public and staff at the Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service would not have been able to participate due to the shutdown.

“We will celebrate this wonderful national treasure when the time is right,” said Martin.

Please check DesertMountains.org for Friends’ event updates during the shutdown.

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is one of the first National Monuments designated under the National Conservation Lands status. The natural public lands monument was established by an Act of Congress on October 24, 2000, “in order to preserve the nationally significant biological, cultural, recreational, geological, educational, and scientific values found in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains” (Public Law 106-351).

Jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service), and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (ACBCI), the Monument’s boundary encompasses about 280,000 acres, including public lands within the BLM’s California Desert Conservation Area and the San Jacinto Ranger District of the San Bernardino National Forest. Establishment of the Monument reflected the vision of local citizens and national leaders to ensure this special landscape is sustained and protected in perpetuity. 

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Carver Tract sidewalk project to mark completion with ribbon cutting ceremony

KESQ on October 18, 2025

Haleemon Anderson

CARVER TRACT (KESQ) – Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor Manuel Perez will host a ribbon cutting Saturday in the Carver Tract neighborhood, signaling the completion of the infrastructure project to pave sidewalks in the unincorporated community.

Supervisor Perez and the Riverside County Transportation Department invite the community to celebrate this milestone. A community celebration and cleanup are planned, with music, refreshments, light food and activities.

The ribbon-cutting will take place at noon at the intersection of Luzon Street and Corregidor Avenue. A street closure will begin at 5 a.m. through 5 p.m. at the intersection of Luzon Avenue and Lingayan Avenue.

Residents and volunteers will perform street by street clean-up at 8 a.m. the same day.

“This is historic and personal to me,” said Perez. “Carver Tract was home to my grandmother during my college years and, still to this day, home to my aunt and her family. I see this as a responsibility to have infrastructure that provides a better place to live, helping residents walk safely, for kids to get to school, to support healthy activity in the community, and to not have water flood the streets. The sidewalks are an improvement uplifting the whole community, improving the lives for individuals who deserve it and have deserved it for generations.”

With the final phase complete, Carver Tract will have sidewalks for the first time in the 80-year history of the neighborhood, which sits between Indio and Coachella.

The project was a longtime goal of Supervisor Perez, who worked with the county transportation department to get the project funded. Approximately $8.5 million was invested by the county in a two-phase project to install sidewalks along all the residential streets, as well as curbs, gutters and storm drains, giving water a place to go when it rains.

As part of the community clean-up on Saturday morning, Carver Tract residents will have the opportunity to leave bulky items at the curb by 6 a.m. for free disposal. At 8 a.m., residents and volunteers will work street by street cleaning up the community.

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I-70 drivers face delays as major work zone projects continue

KMIZ on October 18, 2025

Mitchell Kaminski

​​COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

​​The Missouri Department of Transportation and law enforcement officials are urging drivers to slow down and stay alert in work zones along Interstate 70, where construction, traffic congestion, and recent crashes have raised safety concerns in Boone and Callaway counties.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F crash reports, 39 crashes involving 82 vehicles have occurred along I-70 between Jan. 1-Sept. 30. Troop F covers much of Mid-Missouri. MoDOT told ABC 17 News in September that eight semitrucks have overturned in work zones.

Despite the wrecks, MoDOT reports no work-zone deaths in the first two quarters of 2025. Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said his crews have responded to more than half-a-dozen crashes in I-70 work zones in eastern Boone County during the past two months.

Construction and delays

MoDOT’s Central District has 12 active construction areas along I-70 in Boone and Callaway counties, with multiple pavement and bridge projects expected to cause delays through 2027.

On the westbound side, work zones include pavement projects near the Highway 54 interchange in Callaway County, Route J, Route M and the Highway 63 connector in Boone County. A long-term bridge reconstruction project between the Highway 54 west ramp and Route M in Callaway County is expected to last through February 2026.

For eastbound travelers, similar construction is underway between Highway 54, Route J and Route Z interchanges, as well as bridge work near Route HH in Callaway County. Several projects will continue into late 2027.

MoDOT officials said the $2.8 billion Improve I-70 Project remains on schedule for completion in December 2030. Nearly 500 people are currently working across the corridor, and MoDOT engineers report several “close calls” in recent months as crews and heavy machinery operate beside moving traffic.

Recent crashes and traffic impacts

Recent incidents have underscored the hazards in the corridor.

Sept. 13: A car overturned near mile-marker 140 in Callaway County, shutting down part of westbound I-70 for nearly an hour. Traffic backed up for miles, and a wide-load vehicle later became stuck after avoiding construction warning signs.

Oct. 4: A multi-vehicle crash near Boonville closed both directions of I-70 around mile-marker 91. At least one vehicle caught fire, and troopers reported heavy smoke and damaged vehicles blocking the highway. No injuries were reported, but the incident kept lanes closed for several hours.

MSHP and MoDOT say they are working closely to identify crash hot spots and increase patrols to curb aggressive driving in construction zones.

With football season underway, MoDOT has been issuing weekly traffic updates ahead of University of Missouri home games, when I-70 traffic volumes typically spike. Officials also remind drivers that fines double in work zones when workers are present.

MoDOT encourages motorists to check traveler information maps and plan for extra travel time through Boone and Callaway counties as construction continues.

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During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, COCC to host a free seminar on how to spot, protect yourself from fraud

KTVZ on October 18, 2025

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Cybercrimes like phishing, extortion and personal data breaches are spiking nationwide, with claimed losses totaling more than $16 billion in 2024, reports the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center — a 33% increase from the year before.

As part of national Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Central Oregon Community College is hosting a free 90-minute seminar, “Community Cybersecurity Training: Practical Tactics for Recognizing and Protecting Yourself Against Fraud,” on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Hitchcock Auditorium on the Bend campus. No registration required.

Here’s the rest of their announcement, in full:

Open to all ages, and with no technical background needed, the hands-on learning experience will be presented by COCC’s cybersecurity faculty and students.

Attendees will gain real-world skills to identify scams before they strike, from fake tech support calls to artificial intelligence-generated voice and video impersonations. Using actual examples from successful scams, the seminar will cover essential digital habits and the psychology behind scam tactics.

“Cybercrime isn’t just a big business problem, it impacts families, retirees and small business owners right here in Central Oregon,” said event organizer Eric Magidson, professor of computer and information systems at COCC. “This event is about empowering our community to stay safe online, and we’re proud that our students are helping lead the effort.”

Cybercriminals, Magidson added, are increasingly using AI to create convincing voices, emails and videos that mimic trusted individuals or institutions. According to the Federal Trade Commission, losses among older adults to impersonation scams have quadrupled since 2020, often costing victims thousands of dollars.

For more information, contact Eric Magidson, professor of computer and information systems, at 541-383-7262 or emagidson@cocc.edu.

In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact campus services at 541-383-7775. For accommodation because of other disability such as hearing impairment, contact student accessibility services at sas@cocc.edu or 541-383-7583.

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Palm Springs Pride suspending promotional ties with Silvercrest Advertising

KESQ on October 17, 2025

Garrett Hottle

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) Greater Palm Springs Pride has suspended its promotional relationship with Silvercrest Advertising after the company’s CEO, William Rodriguez, was arrested this week on homicide charges connected to a 2024 hit-and-run crash that killed 60-year-old Christina Barrington in Cathedral City.

On Friday morning, the Pride organization’s website still listed Silvercrest as a presenting sponsor of the upcoming Palm Springs Equality Walk scheduled for Oct. 25, 2025.

As of 10am Friday morning, the Greater Palms Springs Pride page pspride.org listed Silvercrest as a sponsor. It has since been changed.

News Channel 3 reached out to PS Pride CEO and President Ron deHarte who in a statement acknowledged the listing and announced it has paused all promotional ties with Silvercrest.

“We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent news regarding the arrest and serious charges filed against the CEO of Silvercrest Advertising,” President & CEO of Palm Springs Pride, Ron deharte said in a statemnet. “Our primary thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Ms. Christina Barrington, and we extend our most sincere condolences for their loss in this tragedy. The charges involve a personal legal matter entirely separate from our organization. We are suspending active promotional activities tied to Silvercrest Advertising and have no other sponsorships with the company.”

Screenshot of Pspride.org website as of Friday, Oct. 17 4:24pm shows Silvercrest has been changed to Arenas.

Rodriguez, who founded the Palm Springs-based advertising firm, posted bond Thursday after being booked into the John Benoit Detention Center on charges of murder, felony hit-and-run causing death, and driving on a suspended license tied to a prior DUI.

Prosecutors allege Rodriguez hit Barrington’s scooter after leaving an Eric Clapton concert at Acrisure Arena last October, dragged it for more than 1,300 feet, and left the scene. He’s due back in court Oct. 24 for a felony settlement conference.

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Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg SFB scheduled for Sunday

KEYT on October 17, 2025

Andrew Gillies

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (KEYT) – A Falcon 9 launch of 28 Starlink satellites destined for low-Earth orbit has been rescheduled to Sunday, Oct. 19 between 10:24 a.m. and 2:24 p.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Launch Complex 4E.

A live webcast of the launch will begin about five minutes before liftoff that you can watch here or on SpaceX’s X/Twitter account.

Following first-stage separation, the booster assigned to this mission will return to Earth to land on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship awaiting in the Pacific Ocean.

A depiction of that sequence is shown in the image below.

There is the possibility that one or more sonic booms may be heard across the region associated with the launch, but how far the sound travels will depend on weather and other conditions.

This will be the 11th flight for the Falcon 9 assigned to this mission which previously launched: NROL-126, Transporter-12, SPHEREx, NROL-57, and six Starlink satellites.

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