Office Depot employee no longer with company after refusing to print Charlie Kirk image

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Julie Dunmire

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    KALAMAZOO, Michigan (WXMI) — An Office Depot store near the Crossroads Mall in Portage is making national headlines after a video surfaced showing employees allegedly refusing to print a poster memorializing Charlie Kirk.

It’s a video seen across the country: employees at the Portage Office Depot appearing to call the image propaganda and refusing to print it.

James Asher, Chair of the Kalamazoo Young Republicans, placed the print order.

“They told us that they looked up who it was for, and that they just wouldn’t do it. And I thought that was unacceptable,” Asher said.

Asher described the poster.

“The picture literally just said the legendary Charlie Kirk 1993-2025, and it was a nice picture of Charlie, black and white, it wasn’t political propaganda. This was for a prayer vigil,” he said.

While he joked about the situation—

“I’ve lived in Kalamazoo my entire life, and I think they might be a Spirit Halloween in a couple weeks,” Asher said—he stressed the seriousness of the matter.

“So I want to ask you, because you can see these people in the video. Were you worried at all when you took that video, that their safety might be at risk for what was going on?” FOX 17 reporter Julie Dunmire asked.

“I just want to say, if this is how people show themselves on camera, imagine how they show themselves off camera. I think it goes back to the point that yeah, they may have had the right refuse me service, but people also have a right to know where they’re shopping. I think that goes to show that we have to be able to show the evil in the world, so that’s what I did. I pray for them. I hope they’re safe I don’t want any ill will to happen to them— so if anyone is thinking like that— I hope they would never do anything. These are humans that just showed a very unfortunate side of themselves,” Asher said.

In a statement posted on X, Office Depot said the employees involved are “no longer with the organization.”

Legal experts say the incident highlights changing workplace dynamics and the risks of viral moments.

“Is this caution more so prevalent now, more so now, amidst this world where everyone is talking about Charlie Kirk? Should people be conscientious of what they’re putting out on social media, and how they’re conducting themselves when it comes to employment?” Julie Dunmire asked.

“Without a doubt. Especially as we’ve become more polarized, when it comes to this political discussion.” said Cooley Law Professor Mark Dotson.

“You might not realize how sensitive your employer is to the politics, the optics of things, until a situation like this occurs,” Dotson said.

Asher says he paid $56 for a print he never received, but believes the incident may have sparked a broader conversation.

“I think it did go wild, because we’ve seen across the country, like you said, a lot of these situations. I think this is the first situation where we have it recorded, of someone being refused service for a Charlie Kirk poster,” Asher said.

Over the weekend, security measures were visible at the Office Depot store. On Monday, security was also observed at the store.

Asher returned to the store on Monday, and printed off an image. He says he is thankful for Office Depot’s apology, and them printing off a poster for him.

This story was initially reported 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.

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Family’s 35-year dollhouse dream finds permanent home at Michigan museum after daughter’s tragic death

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Zachariah Wheaton

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    GRAND HAVEN, Michigan (WXMI) — A massive Victorian dollhouse with an emotional backstory has found its permanent home at the Midwest Miniatures Museum in Grand Haven, bringing closure to a family’s decades-long journey of love and loss.

The Juliana, named after Julia Poland, stands as more than just an intricate miniature display — it represents a daughter’s dream that her family refused to let die.

Julie grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where she and her sister would often commission their father, Jim, to build them dollhouses. The idea for this extravagant house came from Julie’s fascination with the Victorian age. She purchased the first pieces of wood for the project in 1989.

“I had built them smaller dollhouses before, but I had no idea that her plans were going to amount to this,” Jim Poland said.

With a design in mind and dimensions all mapped out, Julie reached out to her father for help with construction.

“I was the designated carpenter, so I cut the wood, did the routing that was necessary, and clamped boards together,” Jim Poland said. “She purchased all the wood, she purchased the windows, and she did the painting initially.”

But before they could finish, Julie tragically passed away in an automobile accident in 1995 while attending nursing school.

“We were building the house and everything. But then, when she died in an automobile accident in 1995 then it just sat there for 20 years,” Jim Poland said.

After decades of collecting dust, the family met artist Vicky Bickell, who vowed to finish what Julie started.

“I had all of Julie’s books and notes and drawings and clippings,” Bickell said. “Anything that I could find that was hers I would use in the house. So in the kitchen where she had a certain kind of table that was made to look like oak, everything in the kitchen would be oak.”

In total, it took nine years to finish and a couple of years just to find a museum with the space to hold it — something Julie’s mother and sister couldn’t help but chuckle at.

“I told her at first that she pictured the most complicated dollhouse she could,” Jerry Poland said.

Julie’s family made the trip to Michigan in September for a ribbon cutting and to see their Juliana in her final home, helping bring closure that’s long overdue.

“Coming in here and seeing the dollhouse is just gorgeous. She’s perfect,” Jerry Poland said.

“It certainly is one of a kind,” Jim Poland said.

“It definitely feels like it’s at its home and it’s at its place. It just couldn’t be a better home for it,” Jenny Poland said.

This story was initially reported 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.

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TempleLive closure leaves couple without wedding venue one month before wedding date

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Sydney Ferguson

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    WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — The TempleLive event venue in Wichita closed its doors recently, leaving the various weddings, concerts, shows and other events expected to take place there scrambling to figure out what’s next.

A couple originally from Wichita is one of many impacted by the closure. When Randy Nguyen and Makayla Williams started planning their wedding, they knew they wanted to get married here in their home town, even after moving across the country to North Carolina.

Together they decided TempleLive, housed in Downtown Wichita’s Scottish Rite Center, was the perfect place.

“It has like a historic feel to it. It’s got a nice stained [glass] window that’s really nice — a grand, like, stairs that we were planning to get married on,” said Nguyen.

The two had decided on a Victorian-style wedding that relied heavily on the building’s architecture. The plan was to enhance the interior with greenery and white flowers, and ultimately say “I do” in front of hundreds of friends and family.

The venue is big enough that Nguyen and Williams expected to have the wedding and reception all in the same place.

“That’s kind of what I envisioned, was just the entire day being in this venue, and now we don’t have that,” said Williams.

The soon-to-be newly weds learned just a month before their wedding that TempleLive is going out of business. This news and plans to attend a friend’s wedding brought them back to town this weekend to search for another venue.

“I reached out to the coordinator here that we had been working with, and even she had just found that out as well,” said Williams.

“Even though she’s out of a job now, she still went above and beyond and tried to help us out,” said Nguyen. “As far as like the owners, no word from him.”

Williams learned of the closure from a vendor who read it in the Wichita Business Journal. In the article, Lance Beaty, Founder and CEO of Beaty Capital Group which owns the TempleLive brand, cites financial issues for the closure.

Nguyen and Williams say there’s been no response from Beaty, despite booking the venue over a year and a half ago in February of 2024.

The two have been forced to start over just a month before their October 11th wedding date.

“October is the busiest wedding month, and Wichita is completely booked up, and we also have over 300 guests, so that also makes it really hard,” said Williams.

Despite the setbacks, the couple says they’re just hoping to get their $2000 deposit back and avoid postponing the wedding.

“We kind of, like, know now that we’re not going to get the wedding that we had in mind this whole time, but yeah, we’re just trying to make the best of it,” said Nguyen.

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Firefighter’s social media posts following death of Charlie Kirk spark debate

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Lily O’Brien

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    SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kansas (KAKE) — Following the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, a Sedgwick County firefighter posted on social media about his distaste for Kirk.

The firefighter posted on Facebook, quoting someone’s description of Kirk and saying “Rest in P***,” also saying Kirk became “a statistic he advocated for,” in reference to Kirk’s prior comments on the Second Amendment.

Another post reshares a photo of the moment Kirk was shot, appearing to mock the often-used line of “thoughts and prayers” as “tots and pears.”

At issue: whether the firefighter, as a public-serving employee, is protected in expressing his personal or political opinions on a personal Facebook page.

“Freedom of Speech does have consequences,” said one comment.

“I don’t think you should lose his job because of a social media post. If that were the case, half of Wichita would be unemployed,” read another, on a different post.

Most of the public comments about the firefighter’s post say someone working in public safety should not make fun of death and violence or be politically divisive, given their service to everyone, no matter one’s political beliefs.

“It sucks that your taxes are being used to employ a person who publicly celebrates the assassination of anybody, let alone a non-violent husband and father,” said a post, sharing the incident.

“I think his stance raises serious concerns about how he would perform on calls. If he saw any indication someone has a view other than his, do you honestly think he could put that aside in an emergency?” asked a commenter.

“Of course, you’ve got the First Amendment up here,” said Dr. Russell Arben Fox, a professor of political science at Friends University. “But you might have all sorts of department policies down here.”

In the Sedgwick County employee’s code of ethics, employees are guided to “show regard for the diversity, needs, feelings, opinions, and beliefs of all people,” which is why some are calling for the firefighter to be fired.

“His freedom of speech is to be protected, but that does not safeguard him from the consequences of his actions on the public’s confidence in him as a public servant,” read another comment.

The discussion around his posts comes after a series of people, including college professors, have suspended or lost their jobs across the nation for comments relating to Kirk and his death.

“Are they held to a higher standard in some kind of constitutional sense? They can’t be, because we’re all equal citizens,” said Fox. “In practice, are they? Yeah. That’s because the institutions they work for choose to set those things up.”

The Sedgwick County Fire Fighters Local 216 union distanced itself from the post, making this statement:

“To all those we serve, Local 2612 firefighters are held to the highest standard and want to assure the public that we are here to answer the call no matter what, where and when. Local 2612 does not condone behavior that mocks or glorifies political violence or any violence for that matter. The actions of one or even a few, do not represent the organization as a whole. We want those we serve to know, you should always feel safe to call 911 if and when needed.”

Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty took to social media himself, calling the comments disgusting, cold-hearted, and very unfortunate.

He said the Fire Chief and County Manager would update Commissioners on the matter on Monday.

Segdwick County released the following statement:

“Sedgwick County Government is aware of recent remarks made on social media regarding current national events. The views expressed do not necessarily represent Sedgwick County Government. We remain dedicated to providing a healthy, safe and welcoming community.

This is a personnel matter and no further information will be disclosed.”

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Family grieves after oil filter dispute turns deadly

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Alyssa Munoz

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — A family is mourning their loved one after he and his coworker were shot and killed in Southwest Albuquerque.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened at O’Reilly Auto Parts store near Coors Boulevard SW and Blake Road SW Sunday evening.

Witnesses told deputies Richard Newman, 47, and his 18-year-old coworker, Jesus Valdez, were arguing with a customer, Ismael Tena, over an oil filter. Tena’s father told BCSO they went to the store to exchange the oil filter and asked for two extra containers of oil since the originals were wasted due to “incorrect filters.”

According to the arrest affidavit, Tena got upset and grabbed two oil containers and walked out. Deputies said Newman and Valdez followed Tena outside, where he grabbed a gun and shot both men.

“He was a hard worker, a provider. He did everything. Everything for us,” said Michael Newman, Richard’s son. “He cared. He did anything for anyone that he possibly can do. That weight will forever weigh heavy on us.”

Tena told deputies he feared for his safety as “both employees were shoving and punching him.” BCSO said in the criminal complaint that they didn’t see any markings consistent with Tena’s statement.

“We are numb and we’re grieving. We’re all coming together to try to endure this tough moment in our lives. But, as a family, we will get through this. He wouldn’t want us to cry for him,” said Michael Newman.

Richard’s wife, June Newman, said she’d known her husband since the third grade and had been married for 30 years.

“He was the sole provider. He did everything for us. I got sick, so sick, and you know, he took me to all my appointments because I can’t drive. He handled my medication,” June said.

Tena has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder.

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Probation officers accused of sharing information with ICE

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Jason McNabb

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — New Mexico’s State Ethics Commission has accused probation and parole officers of sharing sensitive information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leading to multiple detentions and deportations.

A declaratory judgment suit alleges that employees of the state’s probation and parole offices have been providing sensitive information, like immigration status, to ICE about probationers and parolees both before and after July 1, when the state’s Non-Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information Act went into effect.

“The Ethics Commission is saying we have this law in place that says the probation department can’t disclose the whereabouts and the locations of the people who are on parole and probation. But that’s exactly what they’re doing, according to the Ethics Commission,” said KOAT legal expert John Day.

Day explained that the Ethics Commission filed this action to ensure they have the grounds to move forward with an actual lawsuit.

“They’re saying, Judge, we want you to interpret the laws, federal laws and state laws that show that we have permission to go ahead and do this. So it’s not an actual action yet against the corrections department secretary, but it’s sort of a shot. Across the bow, sort of a warning shot,” he said.

According to the suit, these information disclosures directly led to three people on probation being either held in detention by ICE or deported. The declaratory judgment includes email evidence showing a probation officer communicating with an ICE agent, asking, “Hello, I got your info. Are you able to tell me anything on this guy?”

KOAT reached out to the New Mexico Office of Corrections about this suit, but they had no comment at this time. The state’s Ethics Complaint Commission also declined to comment but issued a news release stating, “Seeking a declaratory order at this stage ensures that any future actions by the commission to enforce the Non-Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information Act are fully compliant with both state and federal law.”

“It’s going to be an interesting situation to see whether a judge agrees. And if a judge agrees, how far down the road does the ethics commission get in challenging the governor’s administration?” Day said.

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Hope Fellowship Church founding pastor John McKinzie resigns over ‘sexual sin and moral failure’

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Steven Rosenbaum

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    Texas (KTVT) — The founding pastor of Hope Fellowship Church, which draws thousands of worshippers each week, has resigned after confessing to what church leaders described as “sexual sin and moral failure,” according to an email sent to the church community.

In the email sent Tuesday morning, leaders announced the departure of John McKinzie. According to the letter, McKinzie confessed during a meeting with church leadership on Sunday and offered his resignation Monday, which the board accepted.

The letter did not provide details on his admission. An attached FAQ stated, “John admitted to sexual sin and to a pattern of consensual behavior that made him unfit to continue in his role as pastor.”

The FAQ also said the “Directional Leadership Team, Board, Elders and Pastoral Lead Team” will oversee the church until a new lead pastor is named.

As of Thursday morning, Hope Fellowship’s website no longer mentioned McKinzie and instead listed Angela Linz and Aaron Alexander as co-interim lead pastors. An archived version of the site indicated McKinzie and his wife have four children.

John McKinzie and the stabbing of Austin Metcalf

CBS News Texas spoke with McKinzie in April following the death of Austin Metcalf, a Frisco high school student who was fatally stabbed at a district track meet. Karmelo Anthony, another Frisco ISD student, is charged with Metcalf’s murder. A trial is currently scheduled for next summer.

McKinzie offered a trauma workshop for members of the Hope Fellowship congregation, which includes the Metcalf family. A number of other congregants were at the scene including other students, teachers and first responders.

“I can’t speak for the whole community, but I certainly speak to our church. And I just felt like it was important to help us focus in the right direction,” he said.

McKinzie also spoke about the harms of social media, at a time when misinformation and vitriol were spreading about the case online.

He urged the church to pray for the Metcalf family, as well as Anthony and his family.

“Everyone matters to God. And if they matter to God, they matter to me. They matter to us. And I’m praying for him daily, praying for his family, praying for my friends, the Metcalf family, praying for our students, praying for our community,” McKinzie said.

Hope Fellowship student pastor removed earlier this year

McKinzie’s resignation is the second instance of a Hope Fellowship pastor being dismissed for sexual behavior this year.

In January, the church announced it had fired student pastor Jerry Nickerson after he admitted to having “inappropriate contact with a minor” a decade prior.

Nickerson told church leadership it happened while volunteering in a youth leader role at another church. In an email sent to the congregation at the time, McKinzie wrote that Nickerson came forward with the information on Monday after being confronted about “past incidents” over the weekend.

“We believe that this behavior is disqualifying to those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse,” McKinzie wrote in the email.

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Remembering the victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing 62 years later

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Zoe Blair, Brittany Decker, Mya Caleb

Click here for updates on this story

    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Birmingham commemorated the lives of Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, and Denise McNair, who were killed 62 years ago when a Ku Klux Klan bomb exploded in the basement of 16th Street Baptist Church.

A special ceremony was held Monday at the church to honor their memory.

Bells tolled at 10:22 a.m., the exact moment the bomb detonated, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony.

The Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir performed, and former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley spoke. Baxley reopened the cold case in 1971 and prosecuted one of the Ku Klux Klan members involved in the bombing.

“The tragedy is that four girls that were full with promise, possibility, potential lost their lives,” said Rev. Arthur Price Jr. of 16th Street Baptist Church.

He added, “People were angry and their anger turned into activism. The activism turned into action. And that action made people agents of change. Because in 1964, we get the Civil Rights Act passed. In ’65, the Voting Rights Act passed.”

A visual reminder of the day is also present at Kelly Ingram Park across the street, where figures representing the four girls stand in tribute.

To honor those lives, Birmingham Black Lives Matter and state representatives held a commemoration ceremony Tuesday evening.

State Rep. Mary Moore spoke at the ceremony, detailing how she was supposed to be at the church that day.

“I always ask people, does anybody ask the significance of that Sunday? That was Youth Day at 16th Street,” she said. “They had sent out a message to all of us that had participated in the marches to be here for Youth Day all day from Sunday school through the 11:00 hour”

But, Representative Moore didn’t make it before the bomb went off.

“We had a lot of cars coming,” she said. “Our car stopped so the men got out to repair the car. Then when they did that, by that time, one of the deacons came out, running out the church, telling us that we couldn’t make it to 16th Street.”

Though they were blocks away, they still heard the blast.

“Not only could people hear it, but it shook the houses.”

Moore says she’s proud of the nationwide change the bombing sparked, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but she’s disappointed in where the country stands now.

“As a 14 year old, I thought that what me and my friends was doing by marching in this park and doing our part to get freedoms for ourselves, that we would be the one that changed America,” Moore said. “We did for a little bit, but I don’t know if it was a true change, especially in today’s climate when you see the level of hate.”

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Student found hanging from tree at Delta State University

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Richard Bourne

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    CLEVELAND, Mississippi (WAPT) — Delta State University has identified the person found dead on campus as Demartravion “Trey” Reed, 21, a student of the university from Grenada.

“Our community is deeply saddened by this loss. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those impacted by Tre’s loss,” said Delta State University President Daniel Ennis.

Delta State University police Chief Michael Peeler said Reed was found just after 7 a.m. Monday hanging from a tree on the central campus of DSU near the school’s pickleball courts.

“Pending an investigation, further investigation and also from the medical examiner’s office, we won’t have more information until that part has been done,” Peeler said.

Click here to watch the university’s press conference.

The Bolivar County coroner’s office took Reed’s body, and medical experts will determine what led to his death.

The president said counselors and support services are available to students.

The campus chapel was opened for students and staff for prayer in this difficult time, and Ennis said a prayer service was in the process of being planned.

Delta State police said the campus is safe.

The discovery of Reed forced the cancellation of classes and all activities Monday, including events celebrating the university’s centennial.

Ennis said he would be meeting with school leadership to determine whether classes and activities would resume as normal Tuesday.

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Father-son duo complete all 65 U.S. Tri-points

CNN Newsource on September 16, 2025

By Brian Colleran

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    SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont (WPTZ) — Robert and Gordon Simpson like to hike. They have completed all of the state high points in the lower forty-eight. While completing Oklahoma’s high point, Robert noticed something on his phone.

“While I was on top of the mountain, I looked at my phone and I saw that there was a tri-point just a 1/2 a mile away. I said “What’s a tri-point? Found out that’s where three states come together. So, we found this marker from 1881. An oblisque that they drug out in the middle of the desert in 1881 and I was fascinated…I said how many of these tri points are there? Turns out to be 65.” the 61-year old told us.

That moment started the father and his 11-year old son on a journey to find and complete the thirty-eight “dry” tri-points in the United States. They would eventually reach all sixty-five on the spots where three states come together. Twenty-seven of them are on water, places like Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the Mississippi River.

The Simpsons joined us on NBC5 In Depth to share about their love of hiking, exploring and becoming the first Americans to complete all the tri-points in the country.

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