Month: December 2025

By Waleed Alamleh

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    WYOMING, Michigan (WXMI) — Rashell and Brian Hallam welcomed their baby Axel to the world back in June, but their joy came with overwhelming challenges. What started as a normal pregnancy took a dramatic turn during Rashell’s third trimester.

“We found out we were pregnant shortly after Christmas,” Rashell said.

In December 2024, the Hallam’s were excited about adding a second boy to their family. But by June, during Rashell’s third trimester, something felt wrong.

“I was just constantly tired and I wasn’t ill, but I felt ill all the time, and I could eat, but then it was like, all of a sudden, I had no energy,” Rashell said.

Her doctor determined she needed to stay in the hospital until she reached 34 weeks of pregnancy or Axel’s due date of September. The situation created additional stress for the family.

“We both had a job, so we were both working, and we both, we only have one vehicle, so that was a big issue, too,” Brian said.

The complications continued to escalate. Within hours, medical staff delivered news the Hasllams were not expecting.

“A nurse comes in and says, your baby’s not really having reactions,” Rashell said. “You and your babys heart rate is getting worse, and now he’s starting to suffocate. And I had maybe 10 to 15 minutes to call our family.”

Rashell was told she would have to deliver Axel three months before his due date. A conversation the couple wasn’t prepared.

“You have to promise me that you’re going to, you’re going to be able to take care of our kids,” Brian said. “It broke my heart really like because she’s my rock.”

The emergency C-section was successful, but not without its scares.

“I didn’t hear him, and that, right there, was terrifying,” Rashell said. “Then he made a squeak, and Brain and the doctor were like, he’s breathing, but he has to get a tube down his throat.”

Axel was born June 2 at just 1 pound and 7 ounces, facing numerous medical challenges.

“He had probably two IVs at all times. He was having countless blood transfusions. He had really bad jaundice, and his bilirubin was insane,” Rashell said.

The main diagnosis was NEC, or Necrotizing Enterocolitis, a potentially life-threatening disease that causes holes in the intestinal wall.

“So his little belly was expanding, and he wasn’t able to go to the bathroom correctly,” Rashell said.

Axel continues fighting this condition in the NICU, at Helen Devos Childrens Hospital, his family by his side through it all. But not able to hold him.

“You can’t hug him, you can’t kiss him, you can’t hold him, you can’t move him like the only thing you can do is touch his hand, touch his foot.” Rashell said.

Watching their son struggle has taken a toll on both parents as they juggle family responsibilities and work.

“There were times that I drove up there twice a day because I would get a phone call that he’s not breathing right. And I’d be damned if my baby has something happened and I’m not there,” Brian said.

Despite the challenges, the Hallams draw strength from their baby’s resilience.

“Like this little one year old, if he can smile through all this, all of us should be able to live it, live with like through prosperity,” Rashell said.

The Hallams hope Axel continues to recover. He has surgery planned in the coming months, the family has created a GoFundMe to help with the medical expenses.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXMI’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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 Corey Howard

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    SANDOVAL COUNTY, New Mexico (KOAT) — A Rio Rancho woman is seeking answers after her dog was shot five times on a trail near her home, with the shooter still at large. Nicole Tatum, who regularly walks the trails with her three dogs, said she won’t be returning after the incident.

Ringo, a two-year-old Doberman mix, was found by Tatum about a year ago on a trail near Rio Rancho. “He’s just a sweet, and he just wants to cuddle all the time and be happy,” Tatum said.

The shooting occurred this past weekend, shaking Ringo’s world. Tatum was walking her dogs when a red Jeep appeared. “And he kind of like pauses and slows down, which I don’t understand. And then he drives off. Obviously, the dogs are going to follow. If you slow down and pause, they’re going to have intrigue. And then, he drove right over the hill, right out of my eyesight, and then I hear bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,” Tatum said.

Tatum heard six shots, and two of her dogs were hit, with Ringo’s injuries being life-threatening. “Two of those rounds went through his body. And then a different round had a major artery that goes between the ribs. So, he was bleeding out. If I didn’t get him to the vet, he wouldn’t have made it,” she said.

While operating on Ringo, the vet discovered something unusual about the bullets. “Her husband is a marksman, and so is one of the vet techs… she’s seen gun bullets. She’s seen a .22 in a body, and she’s like, there’s patterns that happen when that goes through tissue, and she’s like, the patterns aren’t there,” Tatum said, indicating a suspected homemade bullet.

Wednesday afternoon was the first time Tatum and Ringo returned to the trail since the shooting. “I haven’t been back since. I don’t feel comfortable walking out there right now,” she said.

The situation took place over a hill near the trail, and investigators are still looking into the incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office. Tatum said both of her dogs are recovering well.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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 T.J. Wilham, Jason McNabb

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The distribution of “I Love Mayor Keller” sweatshirts to the homeless in Albuquerque has sparked controversy and questions about potential election law violations just days before the mayoral election.

Under the city’s election code, anyone spending more than $250 to support a candidate must report it, but so far, no one has claimed responsibility for purchasing the sweatshirts, and each campaign is pointing fingers at the other.

The sweatshirts have become popular on the streets, with one recipient saying, “they’re very nice, comfy and warm, you know. That’s a good gift.” Another added, “I like it ’cause it’s cold and I mean, it keeps me warm.” However, the source of the funding remains a mystery. “We really don’t know much about these sweatshirts, who’s behind it, whether it was a simple joke or whether there are other nefarious reasons behind them,” said a local observer.

The issue has become contentious, with homelessness and crime being top concerns for voters. Mayor Tim Keller implied that supporters of his opponent, Darren White, are behind the distribution, calling it “disgraceful.” Meanwhile, the Republican Party accused Keller of using the homeless as political pawns.

Some homeless individuals believe Keller is responsible, with one saying, “Tim Keller is actually for homeless people, which I am now currently homeless. So, you know, I kinda do support that, you know what I mean? And then it’s like kinda like a you know, a good gesture that he sent out some some hoodies, you know, for kinda keep you warm.”

Paul Gessing of the taxpayer watchdog group Rio Grande Foundation posted about the sweatshirts on his blog, stating, “I am aware of the individual who passed the shirts out, yes.” He added, “I can’t tell you because they don’t want to be notified or made public as somebody who’s doing this kind of I guess you would call a guerrilla marketing or guerrilla campaign tactics.”

Gessing said the person who paid for the shirts is not a Keller supporter and did it to highlight the city’s failure to address the homeless crisis. “Personally, I think it’s brilliant. I think it’s a very interesting technique to highlight an issue and put it in front of the media, in front of average New Mexicans, Albuquerqueans specifically, who may be going to the polls and make sure that they’re aware of this real problem,” he said.

However, whoever is behind the distribution might be violating the city’s election code. “Basically, city law is pretty clear. If a group or an individual supports or opposes a candidate, they have to file or register with the city clerk. Assuming that they spend more than $250,” said KOAT political expert Brian Sanderoff.

He believes the sweatshirts are politically motivated and could fall under election law, noting, “Think about how close this is to the election. If this had happened after the election, probably no one would think twice about this. But here we are, right before an election, and these sweatshirts that say I love Tim Keller given out to homeless people are all around town.”

To determine if the sweatshirts meet the $250 threshold, Todd Martinez of Fully Promoted, who makes similar sweatshirts in bulk, was consulted.

“At at our shop, if we did twenty-four with a similar print like this, you’d be at about twenty-two to twenty-three dollars per hoodie. So a little over five hundred, five hundred twenty bucks to do a job of twenty-four,” he replied.

Martinez said he is not aware of who made the shirts and would have turned the business away if approached, stating, “Whatever your stance is on the mayor, I just think it’s a little bit of a demeaning way to hand them out.”

The city clerk’s office stated that if a complaint is launched, an investigation would be initiated to determine if the distribution is connected to a campaign, and the city’s ethics commission could impose a $500 fine.

Sanderoff noted, “it’s possible that after the fact, if we find out who’s behind it, that city government, ethics commission or the like, someone might file a complaint and some people might be held accountable after the fact.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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.