Author: CNN Newsource

By Hunter Walterman

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    NORTH PORT, Florida (WFTX) — Families are pushing North Port High School to expand bathroom access as the school tries to address ‘security concerns.’

Multiple students and parents told FOX 4 that only two campus bathrooms are open. Stephanie Holtey said she is the mother of a North Port High School freshman with Type 1 diabetes.

Her daughter’s accommodation plan requires bathroom access at all times, Holtey said, because she has to drink a lot of water to keep glucose levels down. But only two of the school’s 16 bathrooms are open, Holtey said.

“It’s really ridiculous,” Holtey said.

A Sarasota County School District spokesperson pushed back on Holtey’s claims. Communications Manager Kelsey Whealy said more than two bathrooms are open.

“All downstairs restrooms are open and there are restrooms of varying capacities located throughout the campus for students to utilize as well,” Whealy said in an email.

Whealy said the high school did close larger bathrooms and restrict access at times. That’s because of “students attempting to congregate in a confined area,” Whealy said.

Lines can form during “peak times,” Whealy said, as staff control the flow of students entering and exiting the bathroom.

Ongoing repairs to the school’s HVAC system and science wing also restricted access, Whealy said.

Holtey said there is a bathroom open in the locker room and nurses office. But students have to be involved in sports to use the locker room bathroom, Holtey said. And there is only one stall in the nurses office.

On Friday, multiple students and parents told FOX 4 that only two bathrooms are available, including sophomore Alex Galloway. Galloway said it can take at least ten minutes to find an available bathroom.

Galloway said he and his brother filmed videos of multiple locked bathrooms on Thursday.

FOX 4 reviewed at least eight videos which appear to show locked bathroom doors across campus – including downstairs in Building Five.

North Port High School sophomores Janessa Rock and Jaylah Tuzicka also told FOX 4 only two female bathrooms are open on campus.

“They shove about 30 to 20 kids inside of one bathroom,” Tuzicka said. “And it always causes problems.”

Holtey said her daughter was late to class multiple times because of the bathroom situation. On Wednesday, Holtey launched a petition to open all of the bathrooms and hire monitors. Almost 700 people signed the petition as of Friday evening.

Holtey said she didn’t speak with anyone from the school about why bathrooms are closed. But she believes the administration is trying to cut down on fighting and vape use.

“You could go in any period of the day and it’s very likely you’ll walk on on a group of people smoking,” Galloway said. “You go into the bathrooms and most of the time the toilets are clogged because there are boxes and vapes in the toilets.”

Whealy said the school recently made changes to deal with security concerns.

“Some larger restroom areas had to be closed at times due to students attempting to congregate in a confined area,” Whealy said.

The school could make future adjustments, Whealy said, including a digital hall pass for students.

North Port High School has more than 2,500 students, according to the district’s website. Sophomore Janessa Rock said students approached administration about the problem, but it doesn’t feel like they are being heard.

“They just act like, well, it’s you guys fault because you smoke,” Rock said. “When really it’s only a little population of the kids.”

“But they try to make it seem like it’s all of us,” Rock said. “So they group us together, it’s really frustrating.”

Shortly before FOX 4’s story aired on Friday, one parent shared an automated voice message from North Port High School Principal Shannon Fusco.

“Every student deserves a quick and safe access to restrooms throughout the day,” Fusco said. “There are multiple ones open in different areas.”

“We are opening more, and they are monitored,” Fusco said. “We expect that students access restrooms only for their intended purpose.”

FOX 4 asked Holtey what she thinks about the school opening more restrooms.

“More bathrooms? Great,” Holtey said. “All bathrooms? Necessary.”

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By Christiana Ford

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    Michigan (WXYZ) — If you ever felt lost listening to kids talk these days, you’re not alone. Generation Alpha is constantly introducing new words into the mix, stumbling up both parents and teachers. But we’ve got your back.

Today’s class is in session and we’re learning to speak fluent Gen Alpha.

Our instructors: Physical Education teacher Aidan Warzecha and Seventh Grader Hadly Lesnew.

“Being the middle school, we got 900 kids here. We have over 50 in every PE class here, so I’m constantly around them,” Mr. Warzecha said.

Today’s lesson: translating the ever-evolving Middle School Dictionary. According to Mr. Warzecha, the top-tier terms are ‘clock it’, ‘rage bait’, ‘Huzz’, and their ultimate favorite: ‘Six Seven’.

“‘Six, seven’ is the most. I hear ‘clock it’ now recently a ton I see ‘clock it,'” Mr. Warzecha said. “Before you can even instruct. Once you say ‘six’, you know it’s seven, and they are going to erupt.”

What does it mean”

“I believe it came from a basketball player, the Ball family, LiAngelo Ball came up with a song of it, and then I heard that they asked how tall he was and they’re like ‘idk maybe 6 or 7′”, Mr. Warzecha said.

“I think it really popped off when a kid, Mason, said ‘6-7,'” Hadly said.

And just when you thought you had those, the kids hit you with a new one: 41, with the opposite hand motion. And then Bop, that’s like someone who’s had multiple girlfriends or boyfriends.

“It’s like ‘you’re a bop,'” Hadly said, demonstrating how to say it.

Got it. Don’t be a bop. And then there’s Italian Brain Rot.

“It’s like characters, so if you look up-there’s like Brr Brr Patapim, Tung Tung Tung Sahur, Ballerina Cappucina,” Hadly said.

Those are random AI characters over Italian music, and then, there’s perhaps the strangest one, which means nothing.

“It’s just like something people like to say they’ll just like go around and be like ‘stop digging in ya butt, twin,'” Hadly said. “Random stuff on the internet.”

“‘Huzz’ is like a new one as well. I hear it. I got some mixed emotions. What I think it means is like crush,” Mr. Warzecha said. “Maybe next week I’ll be told a new one from one of the students but I learn from them, and right now these are the main ones I’m hearing for sure.”

Translation: just smile, nod and clock it.

“Advice for the parents, I would say, just if you’re hearing any of these different words, let’s make sure we kinda ask the meaning,” Mr. Warzecha said. “We don’t want our kids going around saying things that they don’t know the meaning of it and also that the meaning is good, something we want to be sharing out. For sure.”

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By Faraz Javed, Brandon Speagle

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    Michigan (WXYZ) — A Michigan family has turned their St. Clair Shores home into a haunted walkthrough that rivals professional attractions, proving you don’t need a massive budget to create spine-tingling scares.

Jeffrey Goode, his husband Michael, and their friend Mindy Crabtree have transformed their Masonic Street home into “Mayhem on Masonic,” a Halloween spectacle that’s drawing neighbors and visitors from across the area.

“Each year it’s gotten bigger and bigger. We’ve added a little bit here, a little bit there. It’s been trial and error for the last couple of years,” Jeffrey said.

The trio has been perfecting their fright-fest for nearly four years, with most decorations crafted by hand. This year’s display cost around $120, with pumpkins being the most expensive single purchase.

“The fact that most of it is handmade,” Jeffrey said when asked about the attraction’s unique elements.

Over the years, the group has invested about $5,000 into their spooky collection, with animatronics being their biggest splurge. Their most expensive piece is a $400 dragon that joins other animated creatures purchased during off-season clearance sales.

For the creators, Halloween represents more than just decoration — it’s about nostalgia and community building.

“I have very fond memories growing up and trick-or-treating with my friends and my family. And they don’t do that anymore,” Crabtree said.

The attraction has successfully drawn visitors to a street that typically sees few trick-or-treaters.

“Masonic doesn’t get any trick-or-treaters. We want to bring them,” Crabtree said.

Area residents Hannah Monteith and Bryonna have become regular visitors, appreciating both the local nature of the attraction and its accessibility.

“I love that it’s in the neighborhood and it’s local to us,” Monteith said.

“Especially because most like haunted things or attractions are expensive,” Bryonna added.

The team is already planning next year’s theme — a Nightmare Before Christmas display. Jeffrey has ambitious goals for the attraction’s future.

“My goal is to have a reputation like Tilson Street, like Coleman Street, those things. That’s the reputation that we want,” he said.

Long-term plans include expanding the display across the street and eventually partnering with a charity, with 100% of donations going directly to the chosen organization.

“My overall goal is to move it across the street. Right over there? And be able to use all of that over there. Once we’ve gotten that big and we’re able to do different things and different scenes like that, we’re hoping to pick a charity,” Jeffrey said.

Mayhem on Masonic (23106 Masonic, St Clair Shores, MI 48082) is open to the public day or night and can be found on the Macomb County Haunt map.

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

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By Brett Kast

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    ROYAL OAK, Michigan (WXYZ) — A 13-year-old boy in Royal Oak is back at it this Halloween, bringing the frights and haunts while making a difference in the lives of other local kids.

In 2023, 7 News Detroit brought you the story of then-11-year-old cancer survivor Jackson Amick and his haunted attraction, which raised thousands of dollars for kids fighting cancer at Corewell Health in Royal Oak.

This year, the now-13-year-old has a haunted house that’s bigger and better than ever.

“He has been a Halloween fanatic and has had a huge passion for it since he was 3,” Jackson’s father Thom Amick said.

The front yard of their home has been transformed into a homemade haunted house. Despite the fact it’s made by a 13-year-old and his dad, it’s scarier than you might think.

Thom Amick says the whole display takes them about a month to set up and was first put up in 2019. This year for the third time, it’s also a fundraiser for an important cause.

“We thought a couple years ago, we would combine his passion for Halloween and helping kids with cancer,” Thom Amick said.

Five years ago, Jackson was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent chemotherapy treatment at Corewell Royal Oak. He’s been cancer free since 2022 but has used this haunted display to raise money to buy special chemo shirts for kids at both Corewell and Detroit Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

“A chemo shirt pretty much unzips… you can pull the flap down, so you don’t have to disrobe to access your port and get chemo treatment,” Thom Amick said.

Jackson added, “when you take your full shirt off, you feel more uncomfortable than you do just flapping it down and keeping most of it on.”

In 2023, word spread fast helping Jackson raise over 4,000, delivering dozens of shirts himself.

“We had people from Livonia, Brighton, St. Clair Shores who came out to travel through the haunt, buy shirts or simply make a donation, so it was a wonderful result,” Thom Amick said.

This year, the mission is the same but with new additions like a custom-made creature designed by Jackson and his friends that was made just for him as part of his wish from Make-A-Wish.

As screams turn to smiles — both in the tunnel and at the hospital — Jackson’s haunts continues its mission once again.

“It was wonderful to see at that time an 11-year-olds face to see that both his passions can turn into something rewarding for kids going through the same thing he went through,” Thom Amick said.

The spooky tunnel is open this weekend and then Tuesday through Halloween at 405 Mount Vernon in Royal Oak. You can also buy shirts for $30 with all proceeds helping to buy chemo shirts for kids.

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By Chilekasi Adele

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    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Volunteers came to Catholic Charities in Downtown Pittsburgh to pack dental care kits for those in need on Sunday.

It’s something the 10-27 Healing Partnership did with Catholic Charities. The volunteer event is one of five that took place Sunday morning to honor the 11 people killed at the Tree of Life synagogue seven years ago Monday.

“It’s just a wonderful thing to be a part of,” Jessica Anderson of Whitehall said.

Anderson brought her three kids to Sunday morning’s event: a 14-year-old, a 6-year-old, and a 4-year-old.

“On my way to church this morning, we decided that we were going to stop and make sure we got to volunteer,” Anderson said.

They and others got to work and packed dental kits. The goal was to pack 1,000 of them. They’re for the dental patients at Catholic Charities Pittsburgh.

“We serve over 30,000 clients through our six-county footprint at Catholic Charities,” said Angie Zambito Hill, chief development officer at Catholic Charities Pittsburgh.

Zambito Hill said the work done on Sunday will help those clients get daily service.

Service is something Peg Durachko and her first husband, Dr. Rich Gottfried, valued immensely.

“He and I both volunteered as dentists back when Catholic Charities was located on Ninth St.,” Durachko said.

Durachko was referring to Dr. Gottfried. He was killed in the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018.

Sunday’s volunteer project is in his memory, as is the dental clinic on the third floor of the Catholic Charities building downtown.

“His legacy relates to the way that we serve our clients with compassion and dignity,” Zambito Hill said.

Durachko said she knows Dr. Gottfried would be honored to have his name connected to the facility, part of an organization the two of them gave years to.

“It’s very heartwarming to provide something that we were trained to do that would help another person,” she said.

Sunday did not require as much training.

“It was just kind of a simple task,” Anderson said.

That simple task continues Dr. Gottfried’s legacy throughout Catholic Charities: one of service, but also one of bringing faiths together. Dr. Gottfried was Jewish and gave so much of his time to a Catholic organization.

“His spirit is still here,” Durachko said.

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By Joshua Sidorowicz

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Yilber Feruku diligently pays the tax bill on his Northeast Philadelphia home early every year and says this time was no different.

“We work hard for our money, and I don’t want to pay any interest on anything,” he said. “We cannot even afford it. I have a daughter that goes to medical school.”

Feruku paid his $4,552 property tax bill in January, two months before it was due.

“We don’t want to have to think about bills when we go to sleep,” he said.

So he was shocked to find a balance on his account that was accruing interest when he checked it several months later.

When he called the city, he said he was told they had no record of his payment.

“I was kind of [like], ‘What the hell is going on?'” Feruku said.

What followed was a months-long runaround that left Feruku feeling hopeless until he contacted In Your Corner.

“I have sent at least 30 emails, I have talked to 30 different people,” he said. “They told me that somebody will reach out to you in two days, and then two days went by, two weeks went by, two months went by, no answer at all.”

Feruku even went to his bank, which confirmed the city had withdrawn the money from his checking account. He provided the statement to the city — still, nothing.

By June, Feruku said he was so frustrated and ready to give up, he gave in and paid his balance again, this time with more than $200 in interest.

“It’s like at some point you just want to give up, but it’s hard-earned money,” he said.

That’s when he contacted In Your Corner.

CBS News Philadelphia reviewed his documentation and contacted the city’s revenue department on Feruku’s behalf.

Within a week, the city confirmed it had, in fact, received the January payment.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Revenue said, “Thank you for bringing the matter to our attention. Upon review of the account … our research found that the taxpayer used an incorrect Letter ID when making the payment.”

Any letter or notice you get from the Department of Revenue has a 10-digit Letter ID, according to the city. Taxpayers can use their Letter ID to make payments, respond to an inquiry, or provide requested documentation on the Philadelphia Tax Center website. The error caused the payment to be misapplied, according to the city, which confirmed the funds were now properly credited to Feruku’s account.

The spokesperson did not explain why the city didn’t work with Feruku initially to resolve the issue.

“I really appreciate and I cannot thank you enough,” Feruku said.

Feruku was given the option to either leave the second payment on his account to be applied to his next tax bill or get a refund. He opted for the refund.

So far in 2025, In Your Corner has helped recover more than $120,000 in money, goods and services owed to viewers.

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By Naveen Dhaliwal

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A retired NYPD officer is being called a hero after he pulled a mother and her 5-month-old baby from the East River.

The rescue happened on Sunday at a park in Queens, and it showed instinct and training coming together at the right moment.

What was supposed to be a fun day at the Hermon A. MacNeil Park waterfront turned terrifying when retired NYPD Officer Paul Pinsdorf heard the screams, and then saw a woman walking into the river with a baby.

“She’s saying incoherent things, so I couldn’t really make out,” said Pinsdorf, who was volunteering for a local Halloween event but then found himself running toward the water’s edge. “She was crying, holding it, going deeper and deeper in the water.”

Pinsdorf said his police training immediately kicked in, and, without a second thought, he jumped in.

“I had to forcefully pull her in. She did not want to come back,” Pinsdorf said. “Another 30 seconds and the baby would have been under the water.”

His fellow volunteers called 911 as rescue crews rushed in to help pull the mother to shore.

“The woman was stressing over something,” said Brock Weiner, who is also retired NYPD. “She was fighting him, but she wouldn’t let go the baby.”

Police are still unclear why the woman entered the water, but if it wasn’t for Pinsdorf’s quick actions the outcome might have been very different.

“If Paul didn’t get here when he got there, I don’t know what would have been the outcome,” said retired NYPD Officer Kevin O’Donnell.

Pinsdorf may have left the force, but on this day his sense of duty was as strong as ever.

“It was meant to be, you know, and I would have had a happy ending. I go another minute, we would have had a different story to tell,” Pinsdorf said.

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By Logan Hall

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    SALEM, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The streets of Salem were packed with witches, goblins, and ghosts this weekend as visitors from around the country flocked to the city for the final weekend before Halloween.

The historic city has seen record crowd sizes so far this year.

“It’s just fun to walk around and see so many people getting into the Halloween spirit as well,” said visitor Mira Lopez.

From elaborate costumes to haunted tours and themed pop-ups, nearly every corner of downtown Salem was alive with Halloween energy.

“People are coming here and they’re already excited to be interacting with someone and get fun photo opportunities, so everyone’s been an absolute delight, mostly large families,” one street performer said.

Despite chilly temperatures, crowds have not let up because visiting Salem in October is an annual tradition for many.

“The fun, outgoing craziness of Salem and the Halloween spirit coming about before the holiday,” said Jen Cook, who comes to the city every year with her friends.

The CEO of Essex Heritage, Annie Harris, said the busy season has been a major boost for Salem businesses, though it also presents challenges for city services.

“Certainly, hotels, restaurants, a lot of businesses do very well,” Harris said. “It’s a bit of a challenge for the city, police, fire, EMT, all that but basically it’s good for business.”

Harris said this has been the busiest Halloween season to date, with steady streams of tourists visiting all month long.

City officials estimate that more than one million people have visited Salem this Halloween season, which is a record turnout that residents say has been felt on every street.

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By Jeramie Bizzle

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    Illinois (WBBM) — The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is praising one of its officers for saving a woman who was choking while driving last month in Ford Heights.

A video shared by the office showed a black SUV that slowed down before coming to a stop on the sidewalk on Ellis Avenue, where the woman got out of the vehicle with her hand on her chest.

That’s when officer Zachary Finn pulled over and attended to the woman and performed the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging the item stuck in her throat.

The office said paramedics later arrived at the scene for further treatment, but the woman declined. She was able to drive away afterwards safely.

“Hats off to Officer Finn for his quick thinking and life-saving actions!” the office said.

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By Jose Fabian

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    SANTA CRUZ, California (KPIX) — The Santa Cruz Fire Department said crews extricated one person and a dog after the vehicle they were in went off the municipal wharf.

Around 9:45 a.m., crews responded to a report of a vehicle driving off the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.

Crews from various agencies, including State Parks and police, were at the scene. Rescue crews were able to extricate one person from the vehicle along with a dog.

The fire department has not said if the person and dog were the only occupants in the vehicle.

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