High school football player killed shielding girls from gunfire to receive Ashe Award

Zaevion Dobson, a high school football player who was shot to death while shielding two girls from gunfire, will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs.The 15-year-old Dobson will be the youngest person ever to win the award, which has been given annually since 1993. The award recognizes individuals who embody the spirt of Ashe, who dedicated his life to human rights advocacy.

Dobson, a sophomore at Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, died Dec. 17 while protecting friends from a shooting. Knoxville police said the girls shielded by Dobson were unhurt.

''There's nothing more courageous than somebody sacrificing their own life for somebody else,'' said Maura Mandt, the ESPYs executive producer.

In the days after Dobson's death, President Obama sent a tweet praising the teen's actions and saying, ''He was a hero at 15. What's our excuse for not acting?'' Obama cited Dobson again in a January speech on gun violence and called his decision ''an act of heroism a lot bigger than we should expect from a 15-year-old.''

Dobson's mother, Zenobia Dobson, will accept the award on his behalf during the July 13 ESPYs ceremony in Los Angeles. Dobson's brothers, Zackelyn Dobson and Markastin Taylor, also are expected to attend.''He would light up the room,'' Zenobia Dobson said. ''He was just so sweet. He had a warm spirit. His spirit was awesome, amazing. He was an amazing son. He was so sweet. He would always compliment me. He would always compliment his friends.''

Zenobia Dobson said her son was passionate about football and often would watch video of his favorite players to research them as much as possible. He rooted for the Denver Broncos and considered recently retired Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch one of his favorite players.

She also said her son had a history of standing up to bullies.

''He would stop bullies from bullying,'' she said. ''He got bullied at a young age. He stepped up to the bully, and once he stepped up to the bully, he wasn't afraid. If he saw kids getting bullied, he'd step in and say, 'Don't bully them.' ''

She added that ''there's not a day that goes by that I don't cry'' when she thinks about her son.

''I'm just so honored to be his mother,'' Zenobia Dobson said. ''I will always love him in my heart, but since his passing, I love him even more. I draw closer to him every day. I visit him at the cemetery every day, and I just talk to him every day, every single day. Even when I wake up in the morning, his picture is right there on my dresser and I can look at him. Even if my eyes are closed, I still say, 'Good morning, Zaevion,' or 'Good night, Zaevion,' 'I love you, Zaevion,' `I miss you, Zaevion.' ''

In Sssickness and in Health: Groom Gets Bitten by Rattlesnake Less Than an Hour After Wedding

This couple took the phrase, "in sickness and in health" literally when the new groom was bitten by a rattlesnake — and the wedding photographer made sure they had enough memories to last a lifetime.

Maddie Mae, who calls herself an adventure wedding photographer, told InsideEdition.com that the Colorado couple wanted to take pictures at the nearby Horsetooth Reservoir before the reception.
But as the newlyweds took their first pictures as a married couple, disaster struck.
Laura and Johnny Benson walked ahead as Mae snapped photos behind them on a trail. Suddenly, the groom felt something hit his leg.
"At first he wasn't really sure he had gotten bit. He bent down and rolled up his pant leg," Mae said.
Then he saw the two tiny puncture marks, characteristic of a snake bite. Then came the sound of the telltale rattle.
"None of us panicked. We were just trying to figure out the best way to handle it," the photographer explained.
Despite the bite, Mae said, "they stopped posing, but I didn't stop photographing."

As luck would have it, they spotted a park ranger moments later in their secluded hike, but at first he didn't seem to realize the severity of the situation.
"He responded, 'Congratulations!'" Mae said, assuming that the ranger only saw the groom and bride in her wedding dress. "I don't think he heard us."
Finally, they were able to flag him down and bring him over.
The ranger ordered Johnny to lay on his ground and elevate his leg as he called paramedics.
"[It was] a really serious deal," Mae said. "We had no idea what the prognosis was going to be. Rattlesnake bites could have been very serious."
Meanwhile, guests at their wedding were already waiting at the reception.
"Laura was the first person to chat with one of her bridesmaids, and she picked a non-hysterical one, who has a really good head on her shoulders" Mae explained.
"They eventually made an announcement. They decided the party was going to continue to go on," Mae continued. "Nobody left, it was amazing."

Luckily, the couple received good news at the hospital. He was in fact bitten by a rattlesnake, but no venom was released.
"He was showing no symptoms, no pain, no discoloration," Mae explained. They were released within 20 minutes of arriving at the hospital.
When they finally appeared at their own wedding reception, "All 184 guests were cheering and laughing and just so happy they were there."

Culled from Yahoo

Dead Child’s Dad Allegedly Took Her From Hot Car to Refrigerator

The Texas man who was arrested Tuesday in the death of his infant daughter, whom he had allegedly left in a hot car for about four hours, then placed her in his refrigerator and attempted to perform CPR before officials arrived to declare the child dead, according to court documents.

Deputies were alerted at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday that a 6-month-old infant was unresponsive at a home in Melissa, which is roughly 40 miles north of Dallas, according to the Collin County Sheriff's Office.The father, Michael Thedford, told police he had returned home with the child in the back seat of the family's 2016 Honda Odyssey around 9 a.m. Tuesday morning after dropping off his other two children, ages 5 and 3, at day care, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Thedford had forgotten about the baby and went inside to sleep, he told police.

Thedford, 33, awoke about four hours later, around 1 p.m., and realized he had left the child in the car and found her unresponsive when he removed her from the car seat, court documents stated. He then brought the 6-month-old into the house and placed her into the refrigerator for an undisclosed amount of time before calling 911, according to the affidavit.

Prior to first responders’ arriving to the home, Thedford placed the child on the kitchen floor and attempted to administer CPR on her, the affidavit says. The child was on the kitchen floor when police arrived, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Thedford was arrested and charged with manslaughter after he was questioned by authorities. Prior to questioning, Thedford was informed that he was not under arrest, to which he allegedly responded something to the effect of, "That's going to change," according to the affidavit.He was released on $20,000 bond Tuesday, and it’s unclear whether Medford has obtained a lawyer or entered a plea.

Thedford informed police that he is an unemployed high school teacher and that his wife of 12 years works as a veterinarian in Plano, Texas. He told police that the day started with his 3-year-old daughter’s waking him up after 7 a.m. Tuesday, at which point he began getting the children dressed for day care, the affidavit stated. His wife had already left for work, and Thedford did not plan to take the 6-month-old to day care because she had been running a fever, according to the affidavit.

The baby was seated in the middle row of the car on the passenger side. She was dressed in long sleeves and footed pajama bottoms in order to sweat out the fever, the affidavit stated.

The ambient temperature in McKinney, Texas, about 10 miles away, was 91 degrees Fahrenheit at noon that day, according to the affidavit.

The cause of the child's death is under investigation. The Collin County Medical Examiner's office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Culled from ABCNews

Swedish soccer player gets red card for farting during game

The fart heard 'round the world is an underdog story.

It's the tale of a humble fart, unloosed on the world in a moment of innocence in the anonymity of a game between Swedish soccer clubs nobody had ever heard of. Its maker is Adam Lindin Ljungkvist, a left back for Järna SK's reserve team. They were playing Pershagen SK.He already had a yellow card.

He also had "a bad stomach," per the Guardian. So, as he told Länstidningen Södertälje, which we're going to guess is either a newspaper or a cheap, self-assembled coffee table, "I simply let go."

There this whole besotted odyssey would have ended. But this little fart was destined for greater things. For global fame. Perhaps fortune. Maybe even a straight-to-TV movie on Lifetime and a spot on Oprah's bench. Because the referee, Dany Kako, who cares not for your farts, showed Ljungkvist a yellow card.

Which is to say that he almost certainly became the first player in a century and a half of organized soccer to be sent off for cutting the cheese on the field. He and his fart are forever famous. Thanks to that red card.

"Yes, I was shocked," Ljungkvist told the paper/coffee table. "It's the strangest thing I have ever experienced in football."

An opponent agreed. Kristoffer Linde testified that he "was standing a good distance away but I heard the fart loud and clear. It's the strangest thing I've seen on a pitch, and I've been playing football since I was eight years old."

Ljungkvist, baffled, needed closure. "I asked the referee, 'What, am I not allowed to break wind a little?' " Ljungkvist continued, sensing that the world and the history books would need more information. " 'No,' he replied. … I don't get it but maybe he thought I farted in my hand and threw the fart at him. But I did not."

The referee explained himself. "I perceived it as deliberate provocation," Kako said, adding that he'd once given a player a yellow for peeing by the field as well. "He did it on purpose and it was inappropriate. Therefore, he received a yellow card."

Ljungkvist then re-litigated the matter to Aftonbladet, which definitely is a newspaper. "To provoke anyone with a fart is not particularly smart or normal," he said. "It's nonsense – I just broke wind and got a red card. I spoke to the referee afterwards, I was annoyed, but there were no bad words. I just said he was a buffoon."

The chilling reason why so many people are talking about this photo of a girl standing on the toilet

When mom Stacey Feeley saw her 3-year-old daughter standing on the edge of the toilet lid, she initially thought it was comical and wanted to send it to her husband. Then, the young girl explained herself and Stacey broke down. Her daughter had been balancing on the edge of the toilet because she was practicing the lockdown drill procedure she learned at school, the one that teaches them how to hide from shooters in the bathroom.

“At that moment all [innocence] of what I thought my three-year-old possessed was gone,” wrote Stacey, when sharing this powerful story on Facebook.

Though standing on the toilet may be a simple action, its implications are far greater. Realizing this, Stacey is now asking politicians to see their own children, grandchildren, and future generations in her own daughter. These young people will live in a world influenced by the decisions they make. “They are barely 3 and they will hide in bathroom stalls standing on top of toilet seats,” continued Feeley. “I do not know what will be harder for them? Trying to remain quiet for an extended amount of time or trying to keep their balance without letting a foot slip below the stall door?” The thought of young children worrying about such things is terrifying – especially since they’re concerning themselves with something that shouldn’t be a threat to their safety in the first place.

While Stacey conceded that gun control most likely won’t double as foolproof crime control, she does think it will help. She emphasized her point by asking the following questions: “Why on earth are there not universal background checks? Where is a universal registration database? Why are high capacity magazines ever permitted to be sold to anyone other than direct to the military? Is that really necessary to protect yourself or hunt for that matter? What about smart guns, where are they?” Stacey mentioned that it’s unreasonable to ask that the 2nd amendment be abolished, but it’s also impractical to not allow the Constitution to evolve.

Yahoo

6-year-old develops bacterial skin infection after swimming at Huntington Beach

A Newport News mom says her child has a severe case of impetigo after swimming at Huntington Beach on Saturday.

Nicole Sullivan says her daughter, six-year-old Bella, had a scratch on her face when she went swimming.

Sullivan says she progressively started to develop some redness and swelling. By Tuesday, it turned into a painful, itchy infection.

"I thought maybe it was just poison ivy so I put some caladryl lotion on it and some Benadryl," she says. "Tuesday morning she woke up and both eyes were completely closed shut and she was completely swollen, her face, her neck, her arms also."

When she took her to the doctor, Sullivan says Bella was diagnosed with impetigo due to the bacteria from the water getting inside of her cut.

According to the Mayo Clinic, impetigo is common in infants and children and usually appears as red sores on the face especially around the child's mouth.

Environmental Health Manager for the Peninsula District, Gary Hagy, says the water levels tested below the standard back on June 9th, so there was no advisory when Bella went swimming.

There was a swimming advisory due to higher than acceptable levels of bacteria in the water on June 8th, but it was lifted the next day.

Hagy says the bacteria can include human waste.

Unless there is an advisory, they usually test the water once a week, on Tuesdays. He says surface water can fluctuate often, it's never constant and there is always going to be a risk.

He recommends to not submerse an open cut in the water or go into the water after a heavy rainfall for at least 24 to 48 hours.

There have been three swimming advisories since May 25th.

Hagy says they have been working with city officials, including public works, to determine the cause of the high bacteria levels, but they have not found a reason so far.

"If you plan to take your child to the beach, see if they have any openings in their skin, hold off on going to the beach perhaps if you do see anything like that or cover them up really well," says Sullivan. "I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to other kids, it's very painful."

12 Children Found Inside Home of Bucks County Man, Who is Charged with Sex Assault

Twelve girls, ranging in age from six months to 18 years old, were found Thursday inside the home of a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, man, who has been charged with sexually assaulting one of the girls from 2012 to 2015, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Lower Southampton Police Department.
One of the alleged victims, now 18, told police she is the mother of two of the girls in the house and that the suspect, Lee Kaplan, fathered both, including the six-month-old, the complaint said.

Police are also investigating an allegation that the teenage mother was sold by her parents to Kaplan. The parents, who live in Lancaster County, are in custody, police said."This child gave birth to two other children through an inappropriate relationship," Lower Southampton Lt. John Krimmel said.

Kaplan, 51, lives in the 400 block of Old Street Road in Feasterville, where he and the children were found, according to the complaint. He bought the home, which was built in 1926, back in 1988 according to county real estate records.Kaplan remains jailed on $1 million bail. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

Neighbor Jen Bets said she made the tip call to authorities, bringing them to the home.

"It's never the wrong time to do the right thing," Bets told NBC10's Christian Cazares. "There were signs."
"(She was) too young to be the wife, too old to be holding his hand," Bets said. She would often see Kaplan walking down the street with girls, holding hands with one of them.

"It took too long," Bets said of response to the home, which she said she had spoken with nieghbors and police in the past about. "I just want them to get help and get back and be happy. They're so sad and fearful everytime I see them. That's what made me call."

NBC10.com is not identifying the parents, who also are in custody and being held on $1 million bail, to maintain the alleged victim of a sexual assault's anonymity.Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said the parents, who live in Lancaster County, claim all of the children are theirs.

"They purport to be the parents of all the children, but I don't know if we believe them," Heckler said.

He said he could not say how long the children had been at Kaplan's house.
"It will be until into next week before I can stand in front of cameras and say X, Y, Z happened," Heckler said. "We have miles to go."

The police complaint said Kaplan "had told other neighbors that no children live there."

But one nearby resident, Denise Horst, said she saw the girls often.

"I've ridden by this house (and) I've seen young girls, various ages of children, dressed mostly in Amish clothing," Horst said. "Often afraid, like they would once he'd come out of the house, the male would come out, they'd go running into the house." She said she also saw one of the young girls pregnant.

"I was wondering what was going on," Horst said. "It looked like these girls were scared." Lower Southampton police said that police did not find any identifying documents for any of the girls.

"We are still investigating that. Bucks County is investigating that along with other agencies to help identify their genealogy and who their parents actually are," Krimmel said, adding that all are now in protective custody.

Culled from NBC news