Author: CNN Newsource

By Martin Augustine

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    KANSAS CITY (KMBC) — One Lee’s Summit, Missouri, man with a familiar face brings energy and spirit to his Chiefs fandom. But that’s not the only thing he’s passionate about.

Matt Black is an opera singer and fixture of the opera scene in Kansas City, usually cast in at least a couple of shows a year at the Lyric Opera.

He’s played all sorts of roles, which is a big part of the fun – pairing his love of singing with the excitement of diving into new characters.

Of course, there’s one role he might be best known for.

Black is also known for the character he calls “Almost Andy Reid.”

He’s garnered plenty of social media attention with his performance, and he was even hired as an extra for one of Reid’s TV commercials. A production assistant on set even tried to take him to Reid’s dressing room, thinking he was the real deal.

Black has a natural resemblance to Chiefs head coach, but he’s also studied how the real Reid walks and talks.

“Fortunately, a lot of that comes naturally because we’re both big guys,” he said with a laugh. “Although he’s lost weight and looks great. Coach, eat a cheeseburger, you hear me!”

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By Alyse Jones

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — An Oklahoma teacher is making her classroom a safe space for students in more ways than one.

As the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is just days away from freezing on Nov. 1, Morgan Schmidt, a leadership teacher at Putnam City High School in Oklahoma, is addressing food insecurity by transforming her classroom into a food pantry for students.

Schmidt initially provided hygiene products like soap, deodorant and feminine products to her students. For the teacher, creating a shame-free space to help meet students’ needs has been a goal for years.

“It’s right by the door, so they don’t have to say a word to me. They can just walk in, grab what they need and go,” Schmidt said.

Now, Schmidt is expanding her efforts to include food, creating a pantry where students can take what they need without feeling embarrassed.

“It’s scary to ask for help, and sometimes it can be embarrassing, and they’re kids. They don’t deserve to be hungry,” she said.

Putnam City Schools has food pantries in every high school, accessible to elementary and middle school students, as well. The district also offers after-school snack and supper programs through counselors.

“A lot of our kids, they’re self-conscious of that. They’re embarrassed. They don’t want to look like the kid that needs help,” Schmidt said.

To address this, Schmidt created a pantry where students can come and go without questions.

She reached out on Facebook for donations and received nearly 200 items in less than 24 hours. Schmidt is encouraging students to spread the word about the Pirate Pantry to peers who might need a meal.

“If those SNAP benefits aren’t going to be available, teachers are going to take care of our kids. Yes, you might not be mine biologically, but you’re in my class. You’re in our school. You’re our kids,” Schmidt said.

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By Eddie Messel

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    OMAHA (KETV) — This might come as a surprise to some, but the biggest Taylor Swift fan may be from Omaha.

Frank Uryasz, 95, started a Taylor Swift fan club at the Remington Heights Retirement Community in Omaha in hopes of attracting the singer’s attention and a visit.

The initiative began when a worker expressed disappointment to Uryasz that Swift hadn’t responded to her letters.

“That’s when she said what am I going to do and I said I know some people,” Uryasz said.

The 95-year-old took action by starting his own Taylor Swift fan club.

“We limited the club to 10 originally and then 20 and now it’s 100,” he said.

The club is pretty exclusive.

“Someone has to sponsor you if you’re not a member of Remington,” he said.

The fan club has gained attention from Swifties nationwide, including Molly from North Carolina, who sent cookies and friendship bracelets to Uryasz and the club.

“Very interesting that someone would go through that much trouble to make bracelets for us,” Uryasz said.

When asked what he would say to Taylor Swift if she were to watch, Uryasz expressed his desire for her to visit.

When asked what he would say to the superstar if he had the chance, Uryasz said, “I’d say please come and see us, we need you very much and with his permission I’d give her a hug.”

Efforts to bring Taylor Swift to Omaha are underway, with plans to hand-deliver an envelope to her circle in Kansas City.

“It’s of course a picture of me, what else do you need?” Uryasz said.

The envelope contains not only a picture of Uryasz but also letters to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift, as Uryasz is a lifelong Chiefs fan.

“We’re having a wonderful time with this and we hope to get the two of them to come, if not one. Kelce will have to stay home and play football,” he said.

With his walker adorned with a custom T-Swift decal, Uryasz and the club are hopeful for some good “karma.”

“If things go right, I can’t say anything but thank gosh,” he said.

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By Ava Rash

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    FORD CITY, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — During Jessica Mauthe’s preliminary hearing in Armstrong County on Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police troopers said four dead babies were found inside her home, some of which they say had been there for years.

Mauthe faced a judge and Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, but had no comments about her case.

Troopers testified that the dead babies were found in various parts of the home she was renting on Oak Lane, including her children’s toy room closet.

Troopers said that during an interview with Mauthe, she detailed each birth and how at least two of the births dated back five to six years, one as recent as a year and a half to two years ago.

Those births, a trooper said, happened in her bathroom. She then allegedly took the dead infants and hid them away in the home.

Authorities say the investigation began when Mauthe was evicted from a home in Cadogan Township. The landlord previously told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that while clearing the home, he discovered a deceased baby wrapped in plastic in a closet.

Her attorney, Chuck Pascal, said there was no scientific evidence provided during the hearing, and she could have dreamed up the whole scenario she told police.

“You have got to question everything Ms. Mauthe may have said, whether it was accurate or not; she may not know,” he said. “I want everybody to keep an open mind until the end of the case.”

A judge sided with the commonwealth and held all charges against Mauthe, including homicide and involuntary manslaughter.

The case will now head to the court of common pleas.

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By Caleb Califano

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    FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPBF) — A man is facing several felony charges after deputies say he led them on a dangerous chase through multiple populated areas of St. Lucie County Monday evening before crashing in Fort Pierce.

Deputies say 34-year-old Brian Lassonde of Altamonte Springs was behind the wheel of a U-Haul truck that sped through a Winn-Dixie parking lot in Lakewood Park around 5 p.m. Monday. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office says Lassonde forced multiple cars off the road and even intentionally hit two of them as he fled down a Turnpike feeder road.

Body camera video shows the chaotic end to the chase, when Lassonde crashed near Avenue H and U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce. The truck hit several vehicles, damaged traffic signs, and broke a water main. One woman was taken to the hospital with injuries.

“This was a significantly dangerous situation, and there was a blatant disregard by this driver for anybody’s safety or well-being in the public,” said Andrew Bolonka with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.

Vlad Bradescu, owner of Swift Grill near the crash site, said the scene was unlike anything he’d seen before.

“It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t believe he made it all this way,” he said. “I was just hoping everyone was okay. It was just more about figuring out what he did and why.”

Bradescu said his restaurant lost water for about five hours due to the damaged water main.

Lassonde was taken into custody and is facing multiple felony charges, including three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

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By Tony Atkins

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    MAITLAND, Florida (WESH) — A proposed – and partially built – swimming pool is creating tension between longtime neighbors in a Maitland community.

The dispute centers on one man’s plan to build the pool in his front yard.

Jason White and Robbie Taylor have lived across the street from each other for more than 20 years. But White says they haven’t spoken in years, and the pool project has made things worse.

“They started construction. They dug the hole. There’s some rebar, rough-in plumbing so far. Then a hold was held on the permit,” White said.

White believes the front-yard pool violates Seminole County’s land development code and could cause flooding issues since his home sits downhill from Taylor’s.

“My biggest concern is flooding,” White said. “I live downhill, and that’s how my house was bought. I can deal with it, just like their house was bought with a weird yard.”

On Monday, the Seminole County Board of Adjustors approved Taylor’s plan to continue building the pool after a temporary stop on the permit.

“The applicants proceeded with construction, but it was stopped when it was discovered that the pool was issued in error,” said Kathy Hammel, the county’s principal planner.

For now, a black tarp covers the front yard project. The board’s approval allows construction to continue as long as the pool isn’t visible from the street.

“We do want our privacy, so we’ll definitely have something that’s going to be blocking it,” Taylor said.

Hammel noted the county will still need to review fencing plans. “We need to be mindful of the variances for the fence,” she said. “A six-foot private fence may not meet the setbacks.”

Some neighbors, like Rick Anderson, say they don’t see a problem with the front-yard pool.

“It’s a tough situation,” Anderson said. “From a visual standpoint, most of the neighborhood does not see it as a detriment.”

But White disagrees.

“It’s going to decrease my property values, increase my flooding chances, and it’s just an eyesore for my front yard,” he said. “I look in my front yard, I’m going to see somebody in a pool.”

White said he plans to appeal the board’s decision to the Seminole County Board of Commissioners.

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By Gina Tomlinson

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    CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — A video shows a pair of kids riding bikes through owl nest territory in southeast Cape Coral, and now FWC is investigating.

In the footage, you can see a child on a dirt bike and a kid on a bicycle driving straight over marked burrows on the corner of Southeast 10th Avenue and 43rd Street, yesterday.

The neighbor who shot the video says it went on for nearly 20 minutes until he yelled at them to stop.

“It looked like it was on purpose,” said neighbor John Kinnett. “There’s an awful lot of open ground to ride on…it didn’t have to be right there.”

The clip quickly spread online, with people pointing out the threatened species is protected under both state and federal law. Disturbing or damaging their burrows can lead to fines or even jail time.

Janet Windisch, the corresponding secretary with Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, met Gulf Coast News at the lot marked with PVC pipes and wooden perches.

“We can see that these burrows are active. There’s some in there right now,” said Windisch. “Per state and Cape Coral regulations, you need to stay ten feet away from the burrow. It causes stress to them. It causes them fear. It could have collapsed the burrow or injured an owl.”

A 2019 city ordinance that allows Cape Coral Police to act on wildlife harassment cases concerning burrowing owls. Neighbors say it’s a tough situation, but not one without a lesson.

“They’re not supposed to be on the private property anyway,” said Diane Dramko, another neighbor. “We need to punish the kids, but educate the kids. And that’s the first step. I think we do need a lot more education that’s out there.”

Gulf Coast News talked to the mother of the children in the video. She says, “They’re aware and have disciplined the kids.”

As the investigation continues, at least a couple of owls were spotted returning to their burrows Tuesday. Wildlife experts say that’s a positive sign and a reminder that in Cape Coral, sharing space with wildlife comes with responsibility.

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By Breana Ross

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    UNION BRIDGE, Maryland (WBAL) — Longtime residents on a Carroll County street randomly stopped receiving mail after a small change left a big impact.

It was a mail mystery over the past week for 13 homes on Clear View Road, where the ZIP code changed from Union Bridge to Westminster — which took residents by surprise.

Kathy Jones has lived on Clear View Road for 34 years. She now has a new mailing address, and not because she moved to a new home. It’s because she now has a new ZIP code.

“They are not changing everybody’s on the road,” said David Roberts, Jones’ neighbor. “They are changing from this address, 1700, all the way to the end, so both carriers have to turn around in the middle here and go back in the other direction. It made no sense to them, didn’t make any sense to us.”

Jones told WBAL-TV 11 News she received a letter last week from the U.S. Postal Service that informed her of the change to the ZIP code.

“It said in the letter, ‘effective immediately,’ and we hadn’t been getting our mail (for the) last two weeks,” Jones told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Roberts was the first to notice the mail issue days before anyone received the letter.

“I had a package that was supposed to be delivered, and it said that it was out for delivery. When I got home, it said it was returned to sender and it said the address was bad,” said Roberts, a 29-year resident.

The change left residents scrambling between post offices to get their undelivered mail.

“I’ve driven down there Saturday and I drove yesterday. It’s 6 miles one way to the post office,” Jones told WBAL-TV 11 News. “We are in-between a rock and a hard place, and this affects only 13 families, and they are not in their 20s. There’s nobody here that lives here that’s 20. They are older people or disabled, and they need their mail.”

“Besides not getting my mail, having to run every day down to Union Bridge to try to find it, or to go to Westminster twice, trying to get my package, let alone, now, we are saying (to) everybody in our whole life, ‘We have to change our ZIP code,'” Roberts told WBAL-TV 11 News.

And, they have to make changes to important documentation.

“I’ve changed some. I want to change with my bank, which is Truist Bank, and it says it’s an invalid address and it wouldn’t let me change it,” Jones told WBAL-TV 11 News.

“Just trying to figure out what you need to change when you haven’t physically moved is a big inconvenience,” Roberts told WBAL-TV 11 News.

The big question residents asked was, why the sudden change?

“I called everyone you can possibly think of and nobody knows anything,” said Marcia Burns, a 13-year resident. “I’ve done from the county to our senators, the commissioners, the tax office. You name it and I’ve done it, and we still have no results.”

A U.S. Postal Service representative told WBAL-TV 11 News, “The Postal Service takes these matters seriously, is aware of the issue and is looking to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.”

“It’s a major inconvenience, let alone that last year I just got my driver’s license renewed, so now I’m like, ‘Do I have to go get a new driver’s license?’ and all of that,” Roberts said. “Just trying to figure out what you need to change when you haven’t physically moved is a big inconvenience.”

A representative of Carroll County told WBAL-TV 11 News, “Carroll County is aware of constituents’ concerns and has been in touch with members of the federal delegation, asking for assistance to rectify the issue.”

“I just want it settled,” Jones told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Residents said they were told their mail would soon be forwarded from the Union Bridge post office to Westminster for delivery, but that has yet to happen as of Tuesday.

“My hope is that they would just put it back to what it was, that I’ve been told that’s probably not going to happen again. But I don’t know who are the people that made the decision, because I can say they weren’t around when these houses were built,” Roberts said.

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