Month: October 2025

By Stephanie Moore

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    UNION COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — Two woman in Union County, South Carolina, are accused of pouring gas on a dog and setting it on fire.

A report from the Union County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a home on Linersville Road Friday night.

Arrest warrants for Cassidie Hyatt and Jada Rogers said they caused unnecessary pain and suffering for a dog when they poured gasoline on the animal and set it on fire while it was still alive.

Both were charged with ill treatment of animals and booked into the Union County Detention Center.

We have reached out to the sheriff’s office for an update on the dog and its condition.

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By Arielle Mitropoulos

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    MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — More than a month after a fire tore through their Manchester apartment building, the couple who survived by jumping from a third-story window has been discharged from the hospital and is working to find a new sense of normalcy.

Renee Shinn and her fiancé, Randy McGibbon, told News 9 in an exclusive interview Monday that they were forced to jump from their third-floor apartment on Sullivan Street after waking up to smoke on Sept. 12.

“We opened the front door. The flames were already coming up the front stairs, and they were already at the back door when I woke up,” said McGibbon.

Both were flown to a Boston-area hospital with serious injuries. McGibbon was put into a coma, where he remained incapacitated for several days.

“We got med flighted, both of us. I was in a coma for five days in the ICU,” McGibbon said. “My lungs were filled up with black tar.”

Shinn suffered severe burns to her legs, arms and face.

“I got second- and third-degree burns all over my arms, and I got them on my face too,” she said, showing the severity of her injuries. “My skin was just dripping off of me.”

She was also put into a coma after getting sick with pneumonia.

“I don’t remember much until I woke up from my coma,” Shinn said.

Their apartment building was destroyed in the fire, leaving only rubble and debris behind.

“I haven’t stopped shaking since then,” said McGibbon. “I really almost didn’t make it out … it was too late.”

“Five more minutes and we would’ve died,” Shinn said.

Investigators determined the fire was caused by the improper disposal of smoking materials on the second-floor porch in the rear of the building.

The couple lost everything in the fire, including irreplaceable items, like Shinn’s daughter’s urn.

A GoFundMe has been set up for those who want to help.

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KPIX

By Da Lin, Jose Fabian

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A school in San Francisco is changing how students learn by making artificial intelligence central to their education.

For 13-year-old June Rockefeller, her school experience will be different starting this year.

“I love school so much now. I think it’s just really fun,” she said.

Rockefeller is part of the inaugural class at Alpha, a new school in San Francisco that’s using AI and removing bells, grades and even teachers. AI handles the lessons, and adults are called guides and coaches, who are there to help with “motivational and emotional support.”

Students spend just two hours on core subjects, all taught by AI-powered apps, which, according to the school, do not have chat functionality. Instead, the AI uses a “vision model to watch the screen and coach … on how to learn more effectively.”

The rest of the day is used for hands-on life skills and passion projects, the school said. Ethan Wong, 14, was using AI to design an app for molecular gastronomy. On this day, he learned how to pitch his startup to investors.

“I really enjoy spending less time doing academics and spending more time doing things I love,” Wong said.

His dad, James Wong, admits he wasn’t sure about the experiment until he saw it in action.

“I had not seen that smile when he exited school in a very long time,” James said.

Carson Lehmann, Alpha’s lead guide, said education has been slow to change.

“I want them to see that they can create something, they don’t need any other skills, they don’t need a crazy degree in computer science, they are able to create a functioning app,” he said.

“What needs to be made really clear is that some of the consequences of unregulated and currently unstudied AI in education settings could have potentially really impactful and negative effects on our students,” said Cassondra Curiel, president of United Educators of San Francisco.

And then there’s the price, $75,000 a year, more than many Ivy League schools. Alpha claims students at its other campuses score in the top one to two percent nationally across all grade levels.

The school started with just 15 students, but next fall it aims to enroll 75, with scholarships open to some families. And for Rockefeller, there’s no going back.

“It’s high standards, but it doesn’t stress me out,” she said.

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WBZ

By Logan Hall

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    QUINCY, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Baseball players gathered for a game in Quincy, Massachusetts Sunday, where they attempted to play 100 innings, all to raise money for ALS research.

The group made it to 53 innings, spread out over two days, before it was called due to the impending nor’easter. The home team defeated the visiting team, 66 to 53.

The game is benefiting the Angel Fund, which was founded by Rich Kennedy. His life has been hit hard by ALS; he was diagnosed in 2016 and his father and brother both died of the disease. Nearly a decade into his diagnosis, he said he’s still fighting.

“I’d get into fights all the time but this is the toughest fight I’ve ever been in,” said Kennedy. “Events like this are unbelievable, it keeps me optimistic.”

Over their 22 years of hosting the special baseball game, they’ve raised nearly $1 million.

“Yesterday, we got a $5,000 check, so many of these people know ALS very well, so it’s unbelievable, tremendous camaraderie, it’s fabulous,” said Kennedy.

The donations are meaningful but often the biggest sense of accomplishment comes for the players on the baseball diamond.

“I’ve learned when you get into a tough fight, lot of friends at your back, you can win,” said Kennedy.

In addition to 100 innings of baseball, the Angel Fund also hosts a golf tournament in Haverhill and a walk in Wakefield. They also participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in Wilmington.

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WJZ

By Tara Lynch

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A settlement in one victim’s case could come as soon as next month — more than a year and a half after the cargo ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

According to court records obtained by WJZ, attorneys for Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, one of the six construction workers killed in the collapse, will meet on November 3 to discuss a deal.

The family’s wrongful death lawsuit was filed last September against Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean, the ship’s owner and operator.

If a deal is reached, this would be the first settlement for any of the families.

WJZ reached out to a spokesperson for the ship’s owner and operator, but has not yet heard back.

An independent legal expert told WJZ he isn’t surprised the family of Castillo Cabrera is settling now before their case gets caught up in a potential appeal process.

This is just one step in a lengthy legal battle following the bridge’s collapse that could span years.

“The personal injury wrongful death claimants typically go to the head of the line when it comes to the apportionment of damages,” said Allen Black, a maritime lawyer and professor of maritime law at the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore. “It makes sense for the personal injury claimants for Mr. Cabrera’s estate to come forward now and try and resolve this matter without waiting for the whole limitation of liability issue to be resolved. That issue’s going to take several years.”

Castillo Cabrera was a Guatemala-native who lived in Dundalk. He was 26 years old at the time of the collapse.

He was one of eight men working on the bridge, filling potholes, the night the ship crashed into the bridge on March 26, 2024.

According to the family’s wrongful death claim, Castillo Cabrera’s life “revolved around working hard and being there for his parents and family”.

Castillo Cabrera’s family and the families of two other victims filed wrongful death lawsuits against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited last September, including the family of Miguel Luna, whose wife spoke with CBS News last fall. She says her husband was a hero.

“The only thing I would love for people to know is that, for me, my husband is a hero, alongside his five co-workers,” Maria del Carmen Castellon, the wife of Miguel Luna Gonzalez, said in Spanish.

There is also a fight by the ship’s owner and operator to limit their liability in this case.

Right now, the liability fund is capped $44 million, but if liability is not limited, billions could be available to any claim with physical damages, including paying for the new key bridge.

“Lawyers should never forecast, but I think it’s an uphill battle for the ship interest,” Black said.

This is just one side of what is a very complex case. The judge will likely decide if limited liability should be granted to the owner and operator of the ship next year.

There is also a pending criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Justice.

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KCNC

By Kennedy Cook

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    Colorado (KCNC) — After tragedy struck Evergreen High School, the University of Colorado struck up the band.

“Evergreen, like so many communities, went through a trauma no one should ever have to face,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz.

But just a week later, CU’s leadership began asking how they could help bring a little light, and music, back into the students’ lives.

“About a week after the tragedy, our chancellor reached out to the dean of the College of Music, John Davis, and said, ‘Hey, is there something we can do?'” said Logan Sorey with CU’s band program.

“Within 20 minutes, we emailed back saying, ‘Absolutely. Give us 24 hours and we’ll give you some options,'” said Sorey.

Their favorite option? Inviting Evergreen High’s marching band to take the field at Folsom with their drums, brass, and spirit echoing resilience.

Among them was Maya Hyslop, Evergreen’s drum major.

“I think I’m doing pretty good,” she said with a laugh, surrounded by dozens of new bandmates and with twenty songs to master.

After hours of rehearsal and weeks of anticipation, both bands were ready to share the field and a powerful message of unity.

“I was nothing but impressed with today,” said Sorey. “You never know what headspace people are going to be in. I’ve been talking to my students for two weeks about the excitement for today, and they brought it. They were ready for Evergreen to join us.”

That shared spirit carried through every note, a reminder that music doesn’t just fill stadiums; it heals hearts.

“It’s the same kind of mentality,” Hyslop added. “Take care of your own. And our own, in this case, is the music community.”

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KCBS

By Laurie Perez

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    ALTADENA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — There’s no doubt this will be an emotional holiday season for so many whose last cherished memories are in the Altadena neighborhood, where their homes no longer stand after the Eaton Fire.

With the Ornaments for Altadena collection drive, two women who also lost their homes are hoping to help their neighbors find some joy.

Residents have some of the very last pictures they took of the fires in early January. The snapshots show celebrations of faith and family, festooned with ribbons and wreaths, overflowing with decorations expressing the joy of the season.

“The images of my children in front of the fireplace at our house the night before Christmas were the actual hardest things for me to look at after the fire,” said Ana Medina-Whirledge, an Altadena resident.

Medina-Whirledge and Emily Viglietta’s families were among the more than 6,000 residents who lost their homes during the Eaton Fire, and as the holidays approach, they said there is a renewed sense of loss.

“I’ve got texts from my friends saying all I feel when I think about the holidays this year is dread,” Viglietta said.

For so many, this year, there will be no trimming the tree or lighting the menorah, retelling stories of where each cherished decoration came from. But as they have done so often over the last year, Medina-Whirledge and Viglietta are moving forward and trying to help their neighbors do the same.

A few weeks ago, they started collecting donations of unique, handcrafted, even handmade ornaments, menorahs, and kinaras for fire survivors.

In a short amount of time, they’ve collected a few hundred already, some with sweet, personal notes and stories from one family to another, sharing holiday traditions.

“This one says, ‘I chose this hand crocheted snowflake because it reminded me of my mother who made these for all her family and friends,'” Medina-Whirledge said.

Their dream is to use donations to decorate a path of trees for survivors to enjoy and choose from, helping them to shine this holiday season wherever they’re now living or until they can return and rejoice again in Altadena.

“Even if these, you know, come from other places and they’re not the ones that your mother handed down to you, they still mean something to somebody, and they sent that with that love and with that care,” Medina-Whirledge said.

There are a few ways to donate. The women have a registry where you can buy some ornaments from local artists to donate, you can ship some of your own personal items to them, or drop things off at three local donation sites.

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