Month: October 2025

By Abner Sosa

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    FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — The University of Arkansas is installing Ten Commandments posters in classrooms across campus, following the implementation of a new state law that requires public schools and universities to display them.

The initiative stems from Act 573, legislation passed earlier this year mandating the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom and building in the state’s public education system.

A Christian nonprofit, Counteract USA, donated 500 posters to the university to comply with the law. The group was founded by former University of Arkansas student Abigail DeJarnatt. She declined an on-camera interview but told 40/29 News the goal is to “remind students of moral values” and ensure compliance with state law.

“This is Arkansas law. And so, any opportunity that we have to remind students at the University of Arkansas that right and wrong, meaning and purpose are real, that there is a God who sees them and knows them and loves them, we’re going to take that opportunity,” DeJarnatt said.

The move has sparked renewed debate about the separation of church and state. Chris Sweeney, who leads the Ozarks chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said his organization believes the law is unconstitutional.

“We continue to believe that Act 573 is plainly unconstitutional,” Sweeney said. “For atheist, Jewish, or nonreligious students, it is coercive. And we understand that we’re going to fight back.”

Sweeney added that the Freedom From Religion Foundation is working with the American Civil Liberties Union to prepare legal challenges.

“We’re going to continue with legal challenges,” Sweeney said. “We have decades of precedent behind us that favor the separation of church and state, and we’re leaning into that.”

DeJarnatt emphasized that Counteract USA did not draft Act 573 but is helping schools follow the law as written.

“We didn’t write the law,” DeJarnatt said. “We’re just taking advantage of a law that exists, and a separation of church and state is not a principle or a phrase found anywhere in our founding documents.”

On campus, students expressed mixed reactions.

“Personally, I’m a Christian. I do believe in God. I believe in Jesus and what he did 2,000 years ago. And I think it’s a great thing,” said senior Jace Windom.

First-year Camryn LeBlanc took a different view, “I’m not religious personally, so it’s not like I care so deeply about it. I just feel like they shouldn’t be putting money into kind of pushing religion.”

DeJarnatt said students who want other faiths represented should contact their legislators. Under Act 573, all Arkansas public classrooms must display the Ten Commandments, either through donations or voluntary contributions.

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WBZ

By David Wade

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A woman who was run over and impaled by an e-bike is on a mission to get them better regulated in Massachusetts as their popularity grows.

It’s rare to see Lynne Forester and her husband Gary sitting still. Their iPad is proof, filled with photos from their international hiking trips.

“We’ve hiked 200 miles at one time, and 112 miles another time. We’ve done ten walks like that,” Lynne said.

At home, Lynne walks five miles on the Cape Cod Rail Trail every morning. But one morning last month, disaster struck. An e-bike slammed into Lynne. Somehow, the handlebars impaled her left eye. Her eye is still completely shut and the prognosis is unclear.

“I remember being hit. I remember my hands being under my face and blood was pouring out of my eye and then I went unconscious,” she recalled.

At the scene, first responders used the Jaws of Life to cut the handlebars from Lynne’s face. She spent 24 days in the hospital.

“I’m better than I thought I would be, accepting the damage to my eye,” she said.

Lynne knows she’s lucky to be alive. Last summer, Minh Dang, a father of three in Braintree, was hit and killed by an e-bike in Boston’s Back Bay. His family said he loved gardening, coffee, and being a dad.

So how could that happen from a bicycle?

E-bikes make going faster easier, thanks to a built-in battery that gives riders a boost while pedaling up to 20 miles per hour.

Mark Vautour at Landry’s Bicycles can hardly keep them in stock.

“They’re tremendously popular and growing,” Vautour said.

There are basically two types of e-bikes:

Class 1, which uses pedal assist only. Class 2, which has both pedals and a throttle.

They’re convenient and fun – when you ride under control. Whether you pedal or hit the throttle, once you reach 20 miles per hour, the battery shuts off.

The law in Massachusetts says if you go faster than 20 miles per hour using a motor, you need a license, registration, and a helmet. But police say a lot of people are modifying their bikes.

A quick search on YouTube shows dozens of videos explaining how to change the settings. Within minutes, riders can manipulate the settings to get their bikes up to 40 miles per hour.

Police across Massachusetts have been sharing videos of crashes and near-crashes, many involving teenagers.

In Mansfield, Police Chief Ronald Sellon told the town’s Select Board that they need to have a discussion about tighter rules on local bike paths. He says modified e-bikes are especially dangerous – powerful enough to reach speeds more like mopeds or motorcycles.

“I don’t think that folks realize that by law, that takes it from something that your 14- or 15-year-old can ride with a bicycle helmet – to you know you need a license, it needs to be registered,” Sellon said.

Many towns are already changing rules and posting warnings. At the State House, lawmakers are debating what else can be done.

The answer is still unclear. State Senator Barry Finegold, a Democrat from Andover, is pushing hard.

“Make it be common sense. If these things are like motorcycles, then get them licensed like motorcycles,” he said.

Meanwhile, get well cards and doctor’s appointments are piling up for Lynne Forester. Her left eye remains closed, and she still doesn’t know if she’ll ever see again.

“From what I know, the muscles that open your eye are not working,” she said.

She wants everyone to hear what happened to her and she wants e-bikes off all trails.

“I said it the first day I woke up, I said, ‘That’s going to be my mission,'” she said.

State law currently bans e-bikes on unpaved bike paths and kids under 17 have to wear helmets. Some towns want to ban them on all paths and make adults wear helmets as well.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By David Wade

Click here for updates on this story

    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A woman who was run over and impaled by an e-bike is on a mission to get them better regulated in Massachusetts as their popularity grows.

It’s rare to see Lynne Forester and her husband Gary sitting still. Their iPad is proof, filled with photos from their international hiking trips.

“We’ve hiked 200 miles at one time, and 112 miles another time. We’ve done ten walks like that,” Lynne said.

At home, Lynne walks five miles on the Cape Cod Rail Trail every morning. But one morning last month, disaster struck. An e-bike slammed into Lynne. Somehow, the handlebars impaled her left eye. Her eye is still completely shut and the prognosis is unclear.

“I remember being hit. I remember my hands being under my face and blood was pouring out of my eye and then I went unconscious,” she recalled.

At the scene, first responders used the Jaws of Life to cut the handlebars from Lynne’s face. She spent 24 days in the hospital.

“I’m better than I thought I would be, accepting the damage to my eye,” she said.

Lynne knows she’s lucky to be alive. Last summer, Minh Dang, a father of three in Braintree, was hit and killed by an e-bike in Boston’s Back Bay. His family said he loved gardening, coffee, and being a dad.

So how could that happen from a bicycle?

E-bikes make going faster easier, thanks to a built-in battery that gives riders a boost while pedaling up to 20 miles per hour.

Mark Vautour at Landry’s Bicycles can hardly keep them in stock.

“They’re tremendously popular and growing,” Vautour said.

There are basically two types of e-bikes:

Class 1, which uses pedal assist only. Class 2, which has both pedals and a throttle.

They’re convenient and fun – when you ride under control. Whether you pedal or hit the throttle, once you reach 20 miles per hour, the battery shuts off.

The law in Massachusetts says if you go faster than 20 miles per hour using a motor, you need a license, registration, and a helmet. But police say a lot of people are modifying their bikes.

A quick search on YouTube shows dozens of videos explaining how to change the settings. Within minutes, riders can manipulate the settings to get their bikes up to 40 miles per hour.

Police across Massachusetts have been sharing videos of crashes and near-crashes, many involving teenagers.

In Mansfield, Police Chief Ronald Sellon told the town’s Select Board that they need to have a discussion about tighter rules on local bike paths. He says modified e-bikes are especially dangerous – powerful enough to reach speeds more like mopeds or motorcycles.

“I don’t think that folks realize that by law, that takes it from something that your 14- or 15-year-old can ride with a bicycle helmet – to you know you need a license, it needs to be registered,” Sellon said.

Many towns are already changing rules and posting warnings. At the State House, lawmakers are debating what else can be done.

The answer is still unclear. State Senator Barry Finegold, a Democrat from Andover, is pushing hard.

“Make it be common sense. If these things are like motorcycles, then get them licensed like motorcycles,” he said.

Meanwhile, get well cards and doctor’s appointments are piling up for Lynne Forester. Her left eye remains closed, and she still doesn’t know if she’ll ever see again.

“From what I know, the muscles that open your eye are not working,” she said.

She wants everyone to hear what happened to her and she wants e-bikes off all trails.

“I said it the first day I woke up, I said, ‘That’s going to be my mission,'” she said.

State law currently bans e-bikes on unpaved bike paths and kids under 17 have to wear helmets. Some towns want to ban them on all paths and make adults wear helmets as well.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Matt Flener

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KMBC) — The family of Charles Adair has asked Wyandotte County for a $25 million settlement after the death of the 50-year-old in the Wyandotte County Detention Center this summer.

The request is included in a notice of intent to file a lawsuit filed Monday by Adair’s family attorney Ben Crump.

The letter sent to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County claims excessive force by Wyandotte County deputy Richard Fatherley, bystanders’ liability, improper training and alleges Adair’s wrongful death.

“This proposal is founded on the substantial evidence indicating that Charles Adair met his demise due to the actions of individuals who were obligated to safeguard him, without any justification whatsoever,” the letter said.

On July 5, Adair died after Wyandotte County Deputy Richard Fatherley kept his knee on Adair’s back for nearly 90 seconds, court documents say.

Adair was arrested July 4 for traffic violations.

According to court documents, Adair received medical treatment for a wound on his leg. He entered the detention center with multiple health issues, including hypertension, diabetes and schizophrenia.

On Adair’s way back to his cell from his medical treatment, court documents say Adair began to argue with officers and yell.

Several deputies described Adair as incoherent.

Court documents detail what body camera video from inside the detention center shows, down to the second:

8:36:18 – Adair is taken out of his wheelchair and placed stomach down on the bunk in his cell with his hands cuffed in front of him and his knees on the ground. Adair can be heard yelling for help.

8:36:22 – Deputy Richard Fatherley places his left leg and knee on Adair’s lower back and his left hand on Adair’s left shoulder. Fatherley can be heard saying, “You’re done, stop, give me your hands.” Adair responds, “Okay.” Adair then works his handcuffed hands under his body up toward another deputy.

8:36:37 – Another deputy appears in the video to help take off Adair’s handcuffs.

8:36:46 – Adair is seen moving for the last time on the body camera video.

8:37:40 – An unnamed deputy removes the handcuffs from Adair. Fatherley continues to hold Adair down with his knee on Adair’s back as other deputies leave. Adair is not seen moving and he is still face down on the bed.

8:37:48 – Fatherley takes his knee off Adair’s back and leaves the cell.

This timeline shows Fatherley had his knee on Adair’s back for approximately 1 minute and 26 seconds.

Minutes later, two unnamed deputies and a nurse entered the cell to find Adair unresponsive.

Lifesaving measures were attempted and EMS was called, but Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.

Fatherley is charged with second-degree murder, or in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter. However, Fatherley has not been arrested but summoned to court in November.

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By Nick Sloan

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    BONNE TERRE, Missouri (KMBC) — Lance Shockley was executed by lethal injection Tuesday evening for the 2005 murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Graham Jr.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe denied clemency Monday, saying the killing of a state trooper investigating Shockley’s criminal actions “was an attack not only on a dedicated law enforcement officer, but on the rule of law itself.”

“Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated,” Kehoe said in a statement. “Missouri stands firmly with our men and women in uniform.”

Shockley, 48, was pronounced dead shortly before 6:15 p.m. in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

He was convicted of first-degree murder for ambushing Sgt. Graham outside his home in Carter County.

Prosecutors said Shockley shot Graham from behind, paralyzing him, before firing again in the face and shoulder.

Graham had been investigating Shockley for his alleged involvement in a fatal drunk-driving crash that killed a passenger.

Minutes before his execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution.

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By Norman Seawright

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Investigators are working to determine the cause of a house fire on Monticello Avenue in Newburg that sent one person to the hospital early Tuesday morning.

The fire left neighbors shocked and grateful for the quick response by firefighters.

Frances Floyd was walking her dog when she noticed smoke rising from the home.

“I started to change my mind, but then something told me just to go ahead and walk the dog this morning,” Floyd said. “As I was coming down the street, I saw the smoke going up.”

Floyd immediately called 911 and tried to alert anyone who might be inside.

“I started hollering and saying, ‘Hey, is anybody back there?’” she said. Two men, including the boyfriend of another neighbor, Shantel Burks, stopped to help.

“We heard the windows, the glass breaking, popping on the windows, and the smoke was really coming out,” Floyd recalled.

Burks said she heard an explosion, and her boyfriend realized the house was on fire.

“He woke up, he was like, ‘Do you smell it?’ And I came out and said, ‘The house is on fire,’” Burks said.

Firefighters from Fern Creek, Jeffersontown, and Okolona responded to the emergency within minutes of the 7 a.m. dispatch. Assistant Fire Chief Dewayne Hutchens praised the swift action of his team, which contained the fire before it could spread to neighboring homes.

“No damage to the surrounding houses. The fire was knocked out fairly quickly, but there was some pretty moderate to severe damage inside the home,” Hutchens said.

While firefighters searched the home, they discovered a victim who had not been able to escape. The person was rescued and transported to the hospital.

“We were not alerted to their presence. We actually had to find them within the home,” said Hutchens.

“They’re good people. I see him cutting grass, doing his thing, and I love to see him,” Burks said.

“I just hope they’re okay, whoever was in there,” Floyd said.

Hutchens said that Metro Arson is investigating the fire but said foul play is not suspected. There is no update yet on the condition of the victim.

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By Jim Keithley

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    GORHAM, Maine (WMTW) — A Maine couple has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of a Gorham mobile home park after their 2-year-old son drowned in the community swimming pool.

On May 22, 2024, Oakley Schmidt slipped away from his parents and got through a fence surrounding the pool at Friendly Village. The boy was found floating facedown in the pool, and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Jake and Natasha Schmidt claim Friendly Village’s owners put profits over people and ignored safety issues involving the pool fence.

Legal-Ease attorney Jeffrey Bennett, who is representing the couple, said video captured by mounted surveillance cameras shows Oakley outside the gate and then inside the pool area.

“Holes have been punched through the fence and the location of the gate, which act as a makeshift ladder that allows children to climb up and over the gate,” Bennett said.

Oakley’s parents attended a press briefing about the lawsuit on Tuesday at the Legal-Ease offices, but did not speak.

“Jake and Natasha do not deflect their responsibility whatsoever,” Bennett said. “But as anyone with children knows, no matter how careful you are, no matter how attentive you are, there comes a time when a child darts off.”

Bennett said the Schmidts have suffered mental anguish and emotional distress. He added a hefty $150 million award from a jury would send a message to other corporations.

“The mobile home park was aware of the danger, knew of it and intentionally ignored it,” Bennett said. “A few hundred dollars toward the replacement of that gate would have prevented this tragedy.”

Legal-Ease has requested a jury trial, which would not happen for at least a year.

Maine’s Total Coverage has attempted to contact the owners of Friendly Village for comment on the lawsuit multiple times, but no one has returned calls or emails.

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