Category: Opinion

A 6-year-old girl is speaking out after escaping a kidnapping attempt outside her home.

Ken’Adi Nash was taking out the trash at her Hamilton home when a man grabbed and tried to take her.

“This guy walks by and he touched me. He pulled me,” Ken’Adi said.

Nash said she screamed when he grabbed her, and she believes that’s why he let go of her. The family”s doorbell camera captured the attempted kidnapping on video.

Police said the man grabbed Ken’Adi stepped forward, and then tried to drag her along with him.

“He wouldn’t have let go of her if she wouldn’t have pulled and screamed like she did,” Ricky Nash, Ken’Adi’s dad, said.

Ken’Adi ran into the house and alerted her dad, who got in his car to follow the man while calling the police.

“I chased him like he still had my kid,” Ricky said. “Definitely didn’t want him to be able to go snatch another kid.”

The police arrested 33-year-old Deric McPherson, and he’s being charged with abduction and inappropriate grabbing.

Ricky, his wife Mandie, and Ken’Adi said they are all still shaken up by the incident.

“It’s forever etched in our minds — that scream,” Mandie Nash said. “So it’ll always be with us.”

Ricky and Mandie said they taught all four of their daughters how to fight off attackers, and they believe if it wasn’t for Ken’Adi’s smart action, the outcome could have been different.

“I’m so proud of her. So proud of her,” Mandie said. “Because as soon as she screamed, he let go. So obviously, you know, it does work.”

A child advocate at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Callahan Walsh, said that Ken’Adi’s response was the correct one.

“She did everything right in this case,” Walsh said. “She was kicking, screaming, pulling away. It’s exactly what we teach kids what to do when a would-be abductor tries to grab them. In fact, there’s a lot to learn from these attempted abductions.”

Walsh said that from analyzing attempted abductions for more than a decade, it’s been shown that more than 83% of the time, when a child prevents an abduction, its due to something they did proactively, like kicking and screaming.

“She’s the reason why she’s home safe tonight,” Walsh said.

A video that captured a woman being kicked off an Alaska Airlines flight for wearing a crop top deemed to be “inappropriate” has gone viral.

Ray Lin Howard, who is known by the stage name Fat Trophy Wife, said Alaska Airlines employees removed her from a flight because they said her outfit was not appropriate for travel. The airline staff insists that her outfit was too revealing.

Although the incident happened in August 2021, it was recently reposted on TikTok. Howard recorded the interview with the police who escorted her off the flight.

In the clip, Howard says she was wearing a sports bra and black leggings when a flight attendant requested she put on a t-shirt during a flight last year.

She chose to put on a high-necked pink crop top on, but the flight attendant returned and told her: “You can’t wear this, your stomach is showing, and it is inappropriate.”

According to Ms. Howard, Alaska flight staff approached her three times to complain about her outfit.

“I said, ‘I am covered up, I’m fine’ but she kept going. I said, ‘If you are going to kick me off, then kick me off. I have done what you have asked me to do, I want you to leave me alone’.” Howard told the police officer.

The officer acknowledged that Howard did not commit a criminal offense, he said that the issue was regarding the airline’s dress code.

The passenger replied: “I looked it up, I am within the dress code. I am being harassed and now I am being detained. You pulled me off the plane in front of my child… I wore an outfit, that is what happened.”

“The dress code on Alaska is casual, and the requirement is simply a neat and well-groomed appearance. Clothing that is soiled or tattered and bare feet are never acceptable,” Alaska Airlines said.

“You are expected to use good judgment, but customer service agents will have the final authority to refuse travel for inappropriate attire or appearance,” the carrier added.

The video has garnered more than one million views. Thousands of social media users have commented on the incident.

Recently, a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said the company is in contact with Ms. Howard. “We are committed to finding out what happened and taking the appropriate actions. It is our goal to provide caring service to all of our guests. When we don’t live up to that goal, we do everything we can to make it right.”

Police have charged a man with reckless conduct after he unintentionally fired his gun inside a Walmart on Sunday, injuring four people.

During the incident, Michael Walton, 29, mishandled his weapon in the store. The bullet ricocheted and hit Walton and three other people. According to authorities, the gun was fully loaded and it was confirmed that only a single bullet was discharged from the weapon.

Lovejoy Police responded to reports of shots fired inside the Walmart on Tara Boulevard in Hampton and confirmed that none of the injuries sustained were life-threatening.

“The gun was in his waistband not holstered and loaded. The gun slipped down his leg, he attempted to grab it, and was somehow manipulating the weapon and discharged the firearm,” Sgt. Akeem Turnbull of Lovejoy Police said.

“One of the victims also got hit in the leg. The other one got hit in the back of the leg and the other one got some bruising. All of them were towards the lower portions of the bodies,” Sgt. Akeem added.

Police reported that Walton failed to handle his weapon with a “reasonable standard of care,” adding that his “actions put all other patrons and employees of the business at risk.” Walton was charged with reckless conduct and booked into Clayton County Jail.

A Connecticut father is facing unthinkable child abuse charges after forcing his child to eat his own feces.

A two-year investigation also determined that Kevin Grant, 33, forced his children to hit each other with a spiked baseball bat, according to an affidavit.

Grant was previously charged with second-degree assault and other charges for forcing his stepson to sleep in a closet for months and making him drink hot sauce until he vomited.

According to the charges Grant forced his four children, ages 5 to 11, to witness their siblings’ torture.

In one instance, Grant locked one of the children in a closet as a form of punishment. When the child asked to go to the bathroom, Grant gave him a box to defecate in while he was still locked inside the closet.

The father then forced the child’s crying siblings to watch as he made the child eat his feces as he told them, “this is what happens when you don’t behave,” the affidavit said.

Two of the boy’s siblings attempted to sneak their brother some milk, but when they were caught, Grant beat one of them with a belt “so badly that he thought he was going to die,” according to the charging document.

Grant is also accused of putting firecrackers in one of the children’s pants and laughing as they went off.

Police said Grant was taken into custody on August 10 and charged with reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a child, and intentional cruelty to persons.

Grant was arrested on a $50,000 bond.

The depraved father is awaiting trial for similar charges from the original investigation, which began in October 2020.

Grant’s wife, Kaitlin Elizabeth Baptiste, 29, was also arrested back in October 2020 on charges including the risk of injury to a child and second-degree reckless endangerment because “she was aware” that Grant was abusing the children and did nothing to stop it.

Rapper Busta Rhymes stopped mid-show to confront an audience member who would not stop touching him, and a video of the exchange went viral online.

The woman continued reaching onto the stage to touch Rhymes, even after he slapped her hand away repeatedly, as seen in a video that was shared on TikTok. After she continued to reach toward him, Rhymes yelled “stop the music” and told her and other members of the crowd to “back up.”

“Ayo, shorty, you’re with your man, right?” Rhymes asked the woman, from the edge of the stage, as other performers joined Rhymes at the edge of the stage.

Rhymes turned to the man that appeared to be with her. “That’s your girl? What kinda s**t you on that you’re gonna let her continue to grab at me?” Rhymes asked the man, who just looked confused.

“See, I’m a grown man. I’ll f–k your girl, bro. I don’t want to f–k your girl,” Rhymes told him as the crowd cheered him on. “Tame your girl,” he told the man.

“This is a weird day, a weird time,” Rhymes continued. “She touched me and shit, y’all got them little funny ass camera phones [filming], and I don’t agree with that. She might do some police s–t. I’m not with it.” He finally told the man to “take your girl and tell her to stand behind you.”

https://youtu.be/oYrlGg2ud3U

People in the crowd pulled the woman away from the stage as he finished with, “stand behind your man, sweetheart.” People had various reactions to the incident, with some finding it funny, while others thought Rhymes went too far.

Rhymes has a history of telling it the way he sees it. In August 2021, he told an audience that “COVID can suck a d**k.” He was also one of the first people that got physical with an audience member who attempted to stab comedian Dave Chapelle in May.

Video footage captured the moment catastrophe struck off the Italian coast.

The Italian Coast Guard released videos of the 130-foot superyacht My Saga sinking into the Mediterranean Sea.

The yacht was traveling from Gallipoli to Milazzo when it began taking on water at the stern Saturday evening.

The Coast Guard dispatched two patrol vessels to rescue the nine people on board, and a tugboat to tow the vessel back to port in Crotone

The vessel was partially submerged during the rescue effort and listed to starboard — nine miles off the coast of Catanzaro Marina.

Footage captured the moment when the vessel’s bow went up into the air. Rescuers were forced to forfeit the operation and the steel-hulled yacht quickly disappeared beneath the waves stern-first.

The Italian Coast Guard said harsh weather and sea conditions, in addition to the increasing incline of the vessel on its starboard, made retrieving My Saga “impractical.”

My Saga was the first yacht of its caliber that Monaco Yachting and Technologies had built by 2007. The yacht was purchased by an undisclosed owner in 2022.

The Italian Coast Guard has launched an “administrative investigation” into the cause of the incident.

Shortly after being transported by ambulance to the Brunswick hospital Monday morning, authorities say a Georgia man jumped behind the wheel of the vehicle that transported him and sped away.

The 20-year-old ambulance thief led law enforcement on a reckless pursuit through three counties before his apprehension in Liberty County, according to the police report.

Vantwan Rhameke Rowe of Brunswick was returned to Glynn County, where hospital police arrested him. Rowe was booked into the Glynn County Detention Center Monday, charged with entering an automobile with intent to steal, felony theft, interference with government property, willful interference with emergency medical professionals, and fleeing to elude the law. He is being held on more than $600,000 for the felony theft charge.

Rowe pulled into oncoming traffic on U.S. Highway 17 in McIntosh County several times, forcing vehicles off the road, McIntosh County Sheriff’s Col. Danny Lowe said. McIntosh County is preparing additional arrest warrants for Rowe, charging him with fleeing to elude the law and theft by receiving stolen property, Lowe said.

The ambulance incurred significant damage in the pursuit, which ended when the vehicle ran off the road at U.S. Highway 17 near Interstate-95 in Liberty County.

The incident unfolded when a county fire-rescue ambulance crew transported Rowe to the hospital at 2415 Parkwood Drive in Brunswick at about 1:53 a.m. Monday, according to a police report. At the loading zone outside the emergency room, Rowe exited the ambulance and ran around outside of the vehicle.

Rowe got into the cab of the ambulance from the passenger’s side door, slid behind the wheel of the vehicle and drove away, police reported.

According to Brunswick police, “it was discovered the male began to run around the unloading zone at the hospital, eventually gaining access in the ambulance by opening the passenger door.”

Glynn County police picked up the pursuit northbound on U.S. 17. Rowe weaved across lanes on U.S. 17, driving recklessly while reaching speeds of 80 mph as county police pursued, police Capt. Michael Robinson said. County police deployed spike strips in an unsuccessful attempt to flatten the Ambulance’s tires at U.S. 17 and Jack Harman Road, Robinson said.

The pursuit crossed over into McIntosh County, where Mc. McIntosh County deputies took charge of the chase. Glynn County police then followed as “observers only,” Robinson said.

Lowe said that McIntosh County deputies also deployed spike strips several times attempting to stop the runaway ambulance.

Several motorists had to cede the southbound lane of U.S. 17 in McIntosh County to avoid a collision when Rowe pulled into the oncoming lane, Lowe said. Liberty County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined the pursuit when Lowe entered that county.

McIntosh County deputies put down more spike sticks on U.S. 17 at this point, Lowe said. Rowe allegedly drove the ambulance off the road at U.S. 17 and I-95, just north of the county line, and then he jumped from the vehicle and ran, Lowe said. Ultimately, Glynn County police apprehended him at a nearby service station, Lowe said.

“He was trying to get to the interstate when he ran off the road,” Lowe said. “He ran across the street to a Sonoco station, and that’s where Glynn County police got him.”

Harry Styles started the first night of his Madison Square Garden residency by going out of his way to give relationship advice to a fan named Ingrid.

The pop star put the entire concert on pause to call Ingrid’s ex-boyfriend from the stage, and the video of that call is making its rounds online.

“Dear Harry Styles, my ex called after seven years — what do I do?” Ingrid inquired of the singer in a handwritten sign she held up at the concert. Styles stopped everything to address her while on stage and asked her some pointed questions about the duration of her ill-fated romance. The crowd erupted with excitement as the superstar learned Ingrid had been involved with a man named Josh for one year before they broke up. Josh had suddenly resurfaced after 7 years, and Styles phoned him on the spot to see if he could get some answers.

The unexpected call generated tremendous excitement from the crowd. “Call him, call him!” they cheered loudly.

Styles leaned into the audience and asked permission to call Josh. “Do you trust me?” Styles asked Ingrid. She immediately passed her phone through the crowd to Styles on the stage. He dialed the number right from Ingrid’s phone and kept the microphone close to the speaker so the whole crowd could hear.

“Hello Josh? Hello? Is that Josh? Is that Josh?” Styles asked.

There was no response, so Styles returned the phone and gave some last words of advice. “Ingrid, I wish you all the happiness,” Styles said. “It’s not with Josh. There’s someone else who’s gonna treat you with respect. They’re gonna love you for who you are,” Styles said.

“Josh? It’s never Josh!” Styles quipped.

An Alaska Airlines flight traveling to San Diego returned to Seattle on Monday after experiencing an “unusual vibration” on the left side of the aircraft shortly after departure.

The airline said on Tuesday that the cowling – part of the metal paneling that covers the aircraft’s engine – on Alaska Airlines Flight 558 detached from the aircraft when it landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The flight landed safely, with no injuries reported.

There were a total of 176 passengers and six crew members on the flight.

“The aircraft, a Boeing 737-900ER, is now temporarily out of service while our safety team investigates,” Alaska Airlines said.

The plane’s pilots have more than 32 years of combined flying experience.

“They, along with our flight attendants, handled the incident with tremendous professionalism and care. We also greatly appreciated the patience of our guests during this event,” the company noted.

According to court documents, U.S. Navy service members seeking religious exemptions from the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate have been transferred into deplorable living conditions and, in some cases, are unable to leave while awaiting termination from the military.

The First Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit in November on behalf of 35 active-duty SEALs and three reservists seeking a religious exemption from the mandate. The case has since been amended to include all Navy service members seeking religious accommodation as part of a class action lawsuit.

The Supreme Court blocked a lower court order in Texas in March that would have forced the Navy to halt the implementation of the vaccine mandate. Now, the case is still being litigated in lower courts across the country, and unvaccinated SEALs and other sailors who have not yet been terminated by the United States government are stuck in limbo, with the military forcing many of them into less-than-desirable alternative housing or barring them from traveling outside their base.

Sailors recounted deplorable conditions on large U.S. vessels in a June court filing by First Liberty in the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division District Court, where they remain while their cases are adjudicated.

U.S. Navy service members who are seeking religious exemptions to DOD's COVID vaccine mandate have been transferred into deplorable living conditions and, in some cases, are unable to leave while awaiting termination from the military. @1stLiberty https://t.co/kmJ25ZUzOy

— Kelly Laco (@kelly_laco) August 24, 2022

Another Navy technician who has served for more than nine years testified in writing that their performance rating began to suffer after they requested a religious exemption.

According to another recent filing by First Liberty, the Navy has not granted a single religious exemption to the mandate — there are currently 4,244 pending — but has granted 19 permanent medical exemptions, 189 temporary medical exemptions, and 3 permanent medical exemptions.