Police: Running car kept baby alive after mom died

Police in Dayton, Ohio, said a running car heater helped keep a 6-month-old alive as her mother sat dead in the front seat.

Investigators don't know how long Brittany Russell and her daughter, Haven Edwards, were in the car in the lot of Twin Manor Apartments before the property manager found Russell slumped over the steering wheel around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said she was shot in the head and the baby was unharmed.

"Thank goodness the car was left running with the heater on," said Lt. Andrew Booher, commander of Dayton Police Homicide Unit. "I think that had a huge impact on ensuring the baby survived."

Dayton and Middletown police are working together to establish Russell's history and a timeline of the events leading up to her death. The 29-year-old has no history in Dayton, and investigators are working to determine why she traveled to the city. Both agencies are interviewing people close to Russell to assist in the investigation, which is being lead by Dayton police.

The timeline begins around 12 p.m. Tuesday, when Russell persuaded a babysitter to let Haven leave with her, even though she is not the custodial parent. Chris Edwards, the father, told Middletown police he did not give Russell permission to leave with the baby.

When Edwards called Russell, she told him she would return by 7 p.m. but she didn't show, according to a release from Middletown Police. When he called again, Russell told him she would return later that night.

Edwards reported Haven missing around 5 a.m. to Middletown police. Dayton Police found the infant and her mother's body around 9:30 a.m.

Edwards initially told police this wasn't Russell's typical behavior and he was worried about her safety. Russell had a drug history he told police, according to the news release. Booher said police were told Russell had been clean for a while. No drugs were found in the car with her.

Read More

Boy Who Fought Cancer and Found the Love of His Life at Age 8 Has Died

8-Year-Old Boy Who Found 'True Love' While Facing Terminal Cancer Dies 'Surrounded by Love,' His Mom Says. David Spisak, an 8-year-old boy who found his 'true love' while contending with terminal cancer, has died.

"Our little man's last moments were laying with his mommy and daddy in the middle of the night, with a house full of family, friends and loved ones after days of being surrounded by love," his mom, Amber Spisak, wrote in a Facebook group where she chronicled the young boy's cancer battle.

"This day was supposed to come about 9-10 months ago, but David just wasn't done living yet, so he made his own timeline and defied the rules," the post continued. "The almost 7 years of cancer were so very hard, but nothing like the last few days."

Amber wrote that the last clear thing the family heard the young boy from Chesapeake, Virginia say was. "David wants to be a hero."

"I'm not ready to say things happen for a reason or a message of rainbows and sunshine just yet, but our baby boy was a fighter, a beautiful soul, a force to be reckoned with and of all the things, he is most definitely a hero," she continued.

David was diagnosed with leukemia at age two. After undergoing extensive chemotherapy and receiving two transplants, David beat cancer three times. Then, in March, his cancer returned. Facing this fourth diagnosis, David's parents made the decision to stop David's treatments and allow him to live a normal life away from hospitals and painful procedures.

Doctors predicted that without treatment, David would only live for four to six weeks, but months passed, and David began to look better. When he returned to school to start second grade in September, he met a girl who captured his heart.

He told his parents he had a "crush" on 7-year-old Ayla Andrews, a girl from art class.

"In art class, I told her I liked her and she just had a surprised face so we started dating," David told WTKR in November.

When David became too sick to attend school, Amber found notes from Ayla saying that she loved and missed him. So she reached out to Ayla's mom to plan a date to lift her son's spirits.

David brought Ayla a teddy bear and roses, and she pushed him around in his wheelchair, helped him bowl and shared pizza with him.

"She's definitely had an impact on his spirit, and I haven't seen this side of him in a long time," Amber told WTKR.

She added, "The best part was watching the way they just needed to be close to each other and their conversation never got shy or quiet. That was all they needed to be happy."

At the end of the date, David stood up from his wheelchair and walked for the first time in a month.

"He was just so determined for her, he really pushed himself for her," Amber told ABC News. "Once we realized that this wasn't the typical elementary school crush, once we saw this heartfelt connection that they have, we were so happy that she came into his life and that he came to her life for some reason."

Read More

The life and death of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln’s childhood home

This cabin, seen May, 1931, is where Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, parents of Abraham Lincoln, were married by a Methodist Circuit Rider in June 1806. The cabin is now property of the state of Kentucky, and is in Old Fort Harrod State Park at Harrodsburg. (Photo: AP)

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, held the office from March 1861 until April 1865. John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. 

Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Kentucky; his family moved to Indiana in 1816, then to Illinois in 1830. Lincoln was elected to the Illinois State Legislature in 1834. He was against slavery. Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846; he didn’t seek reelection at the end of his term. He joined the Republican Party, formed mainly in opposition to slavery that was extending through the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act allowed voters to decide whether their territory could have slaves or be free. Lincoln fought the Kansas-Nebraska Act in debates. 

  

Young lawyer

Abraham Lincoln as a lawyer in Springfield, Ill., 1837. (Photo: AP)

 

In May 1860, the Republicans chose Lincoln as their presidential candidate. He won the election and began serving in March 1861. The Confederacy, formed by seven Southern slave states before Lincoln took office, seceded from the Union. He was the president of the United States through the Civil War, which started in April 1861. On Jan 1, 1863, during the Civil War, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that all individuals who were held as slaves “henceforward shall be free.”

Lincoln was reelected in 1865, and on April 9, 1865, the confederacy’s commander of the Army of Virginia, Gen. Robert E. Lee, surrendered to the Union general, Ulysses S. Grant, and the civil war was over. Lincoln was able to end slavery. John Wilkes Booth fatally shot Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., and he died the following morning. (AP)

 

Early portrait

A circa 1847 photo of Abraham Lincoln,
courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. (Photo: AP)

Husband and wife

Mary Todd Lincoln with her husband, Abraham Lincoln, in a photograph from the Smithsonian Institute. (Photo: AP)

 

Senate debate

This painting depicts the Lincoln-Douglas debate between Republican Abraham Lincoln, standing, and Democratic incumbent Stephen A. Douglas during the Illinois senatorial campaign of 1858. (Photo: AP)

Fifth debate

Knox College displays its banner supporting presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln as he speaks before a crowd during his fifth debate with Sen. Stephen A. Douglas in Galesburg, Ill., on Oct. 7, 1858. Artist Victor Perard drew this sketch of Old Main, the central building on the Knox College campus.  (Photo: AP)

 

 

First presidential inauguration

President Abraham Lincoln stands under cover at center of Capitol steps during his inauguration in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 1861. The scaffolding at upper right is used in construction of the Capitol dome. (Photo: AP)

 Father and son

The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) with his son Thomas. (Photo: Henry Guttmann/Getty Images)

 

Meeting with the general

President Abraham Lincoln visits with Union Gen. George McClellan at his headquarters in this Oct. 4, 1862, photo. Lincoln removed McClellen from command after the Battle of Antietam for failing to pursue and destroy the Confederate Army, which was under the command of Gen. Robert E. Lee. (Photo: AP)

 

Antietam

Abraham Lincoln, center, Gen. John Alexander McClernand, right, and  Allan Pinkerton in Antietam, Maryland, in October 1862. (Photo: Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG Via Getty Images)

 

On the battlefield

President Abraham Lincoln with General George McClellan at his headquarters on the battlefield of Antietam in Maryland. (Photo: MPI/Getty Images)

Emancipation Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln meets with his cabinet to refine the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862. (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

 

The end of slavery

President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, in Washington, ending slavery in the U.S. (Photo: AP)

Second inauguration

The scene in front of the Capitol during Lincoln’s second inauguration on March 4, 1865, just six weeks before his assassination. (Photo: AP)

 

Presidential portrait

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln by photographer Alexander Gardner, taken in 1865, that is now  in the Library of Congress. (Photo: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

Assassinating the president

Depiction of the assassination of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

 

Deathbed

The deathbed scene after President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded in Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, is shown in this rare picture. The picture shows Mrs. Lincoln kneeling beside the bed and members of the cabinet behind it. This picture was supposed to have been given to a friend by Mrs. Lincoln shortly after the funeral, and then passed down through the family from generation to generation. (Photo: AP)

 

Lincoln’s coffin

View of President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral, with his coffin being pulled down the street, in 1865. (Photo: Alexander Gardner/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

The funeral

President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession in the streets of Washington in 1865. (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Read More

Flying manhole cover kills driver in Boston

BOSTON -- Massachusetts State Police say a manhole cover crashed through a windshield on a major Boston highway during the morning commute Friday, killing a driver. Authorities say the metal manhole cover became "dislodged and airborne" before it slammed into a car in one of the southbound lanes just before 8 a.m., CBS Boston reports.

 

 

The driver was an adult woman, but authorities were not releasing further details about her identity pending proper notification of next-of-kin, State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in statement reported by the station.

He said the manhole cover came loose at about 7:50 a.m. and that the vehicle it hit continued forward before striking a wall on the left shoulder of the highway and coming to a stop.

It's unclear what caused the manhole cover, normally situated in the left southbound lane near the exit of the O'Neill Tunnel on I-93 South, to become dislodged. That is part of an ongoing investigation, Procopio said.

Two lanes of the highway were shut down while the investigation was underway Friday.

Read More

All The Participants For The 2016 NBA All Star Celebrity Game

2016 NBA All Star Celebrity Game – The 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend kicks off tonight with the All-Star Celebrity Game at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. The game will be held in a USA vs Canada format, with actor Kevin Hart coaching the USA team and Drake coaching the Canada team.

Drake’s Canada team features 2-time MVP Kevin Nash and Toronto Raptors’ Demar Derozan as assistant coaches, and tennis player Milos Raonic and seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady among his team.

Kevin Hart would be assisted by Isaiah Thomas and Andre Drummond on the bench, with actors Nick Cannon, Jason Sudeikis and Michael B. Jordan all starring.

2016 NBA All Star Celebrity Game

Read More

Arms Deal: EFCC Apprehends Amosu’s Wife, Recovers $1M In Soakaway Pit

Mrs. Lara Amosu, wife of the former Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (rtd), has been apprehended by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with respect to the ongoing investigation into the $2.1 billion arms procurement fund.

 

Lara’s arrest came fortnight after her husband was whisked away by the anti-graft agency over his involvement in the diversion of funds meant for the purchase of arms. It was believed that she was arrested after the sum of N3 billion was traced to her bank accounts – money believed to be part of the sum her husband is being probed for.

It was learnt that her lawyer has been battling without success to get her released. New Telegraph reports that other properties traced to the former CAS were also being held by his wife and children.

A reliable source reported that the EFCC discovered N17.5 billion in the accounts of wives of three airforce chiefs. The monies were scattered in various banks accounts.

“Shortly after Amosu was picked up in Abuja, his wife, Lara, was subsequently arrested. Investigations conducted showed that some of the monies the former Chief of Air Staff made through some contracts and procurements in NAF were traced to his wife’s accounts.

“About N3 billion was traced to the wife’s accounts while some assets acquired by the former service chief was in her name and some others in her company’s name.
“So, Lara is an accessory to a crime. The proceeds with her are from the arms funds. As we prosecute her husband, she must also be held accountable,” the source said.

It was gathered that the EFCC retrieved $1 million cash from Amosu’s residence in Badagary, Lagos. The money, in foreign currency, was retrieved when EFCC operatives carried out a search on Amosu’s residence in Badagry.

The source said: “In continuation of the investigation into the arms probe, the EFCC operatives took Amosu to his residence in Badagry. After a thorough search of the residence, a fresh small ‘soakaway’ pit was discovered in the compound. The operatives suspected foul play, which informed the breaking of the ‘soakaway’. Surprisingly, $1 million was found in it. The money was subsequently confiscated.”

Read More

Adele Is Stunning On The Cover Of Vogue’s March 2016 Issue

Adele continues her winning streak with a stunning cover for Vogue Magazine’s March 2016 issue.

The 27-year-old star looked flawless as photographed by Annie Leibovitz,  in a custom beaded floral Burberry dress and Dior Fine Jewelry earrings.With her short locks left down and pushed back. In the accompanying story, the record-breaking singer dishes about her sensational third album, her upcoming world tour, fame, family and more.

The March 2016 issue of Vogue hits newsstands on February 23. Until then, check out all those stunning shots below;

 

 

 

 

 

Images: vogue.com

Read More

Breadseller Turned Model

When it’s time for your story to turn,no force can stop it and that’s the case of Olajumoke Orisaguna the breadseller who walked into TY Bello’s set a few weeks ago and is now enjoying divine favor.

The 27-year-old mother of two who was recently signed to Few model management, has been gifted a fully furnished luxury apartment in Lagos by top real estate company ,Sujimoto whose boss has also offered to sponsor her education.

The Ex-breadseller was pictured today with  the CEO, Sijibomi Ogundele, her husband Sunday and her 14-month old daughter.

 

 

Read More

VIDEO: AKA x Diamond Platnumz – Make Me Sing

This is the Official Collaboration of AKA from South Africa and Diamond Platnumz From Tanzania, the song produced by Tudd Tomas from Tanzania and the Video was shot in Joburg South Africa by Director Nicky.

ENJOY!

  AUDIO DOWNLOAD: AKA x Diamond Platnumz – Make Me Sing (6.3 MiB, 128 hits)

Read More

DOWNLOAD MUSIC: YQ – Ready to Marry

YQ is here with another melodious tune after his recently released visuals for the classic collaboration, ‘That Girl’, which featured Ice Prince.

This soul-rendering beautiful piece of R & B is titled ‘Ready to Marry‘, in anticipation of St. Valentine’s Day and to appreciate womanhood. ‘Ready to Marry’ was produced by budding Psalmy Jazzy.

ENJOY!

  DOWNLOAD: YQ - Ready to Marry (3.8 MiB, 8 hits)

Read More

MUSIC: Showstarr – Dem Never Born Dem

Showdown INC frontline artist, Showstarr, premieres his first official single titled DNBD which stands for DEM NEVER BORN DEM.

This Street hop/Club jam is produced by Xtreme Sam and features slangs for people who want to stay positive.

  Showstarr - Dem Never Born Dem (4.1 MiB, 28 hits)

Read More

PHOTO: Father let's his kids play with huge 19ft pet python

Eric LeBlanc, 43, loves reptiles so much he lives with hundreds of snakes and lizards. A fire at his reptile store killed some of his animals so he moved the rest into his home where they frolic with his kids. Despite the danger the animals could pose he has no problem allowing his three children Erica, three, Larry, four, and Katie, seven, to handle them.

“The worst bite my daughter got was from a bearded dragon,” said Eric.

“My son got bit in the forehead one time by a ball python when he was around two-years-old.

“He opened one of the tubs after me and basically startled it – the python jumped up and bit him on the nose.”

His store is undergoing repairs and while the reptiles live the family, he is trying to raise his children to have no fear of them.

He said: “They make great pets. They don’t have fleas and are low maintenance so you don’t have to take them to a vet regularly like a dog or a cat.

“I have Shelby a seven-year-old albino lavender reticulated python – these are some of the biggest snakes in the world.

“Obviously the bigger the snake the bigger the teeth, so it’s dangerous – but Shelby is very placid. She is over 19ft long and believe me I know what she is capable of.

“When you hold her you can feel her moving you – she is like one big muscle.

“When she is playing with the kids she really pulls them.

“They can really feel the strength of her – you’ve got to have total respect for these animals and that’s what I have.”

He doesn't seem to be putting his children in danger however as he insists they are safe and won't leave them without supervision. He said: “In this country everybody has an opinion.

“Some people think it’s safe for kids to shoot guns.

“I won’t let my kids shoot guns but I’m comfortable with them being around reptiles – I guess we’re all pretty individual in how we bring our children up.”

“My kids have been bitten by pythons and dragons but they’re always fine,” added Eric.

“Growing up I was bitten by snakes, dogs and lizards but my biggest accident was when I fell from a tree – anything can happen – kids will be kids.”

He says the children now know so much about snakes they can tell different kinds snakes apart and know to leave them alone or approach them. Eric also owned a 7ft 2ins crocodile monitor lizard called Jellybean, which was allowed to play with his children – unfortunately he died in the fire.

Read More

Tragedy struck as one die in multiple motor accident along Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway

 

One man was killed and four others were seriously injured after a multiple crash that resulted in cars getting burnt at Oweyo village along Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway, Oyo state today February 12th. The victims were taken to the State Hospital, Oyo. 

 

 

 

 

Read More

SURE-P office in Abuja gutted by fire

The Subsidy Re-Investment Programme, SURE-P office in Area 11 Emeka Anyaouku road, Abuja, is currently on Fire. Men of the fire service have arrived the scene and are working to put out the fire.

Scroll to see more photos

 

 

 

Photo credit @Ibrahimu14

Read More

Taylor Swift Reacts To Kanye West’s Lyric

Taylor Swift’s management has reacted to Kanye West’s lyrics on ‘Focus’ off his forthcoming album where he declared he could “f*ck Taylor Swift” and that he “made that bitch famous”.

According to Taylor Swift’s management, Taylor Swift was not aware that those lyrics would be placed in the song and she considers it ‘misogynistic’.

Taylor Swift’s younger brother, Austin, on the hand shared an instagram video of him throwing his $950 Moonrock Yeezy Boost 350 trainers in the trash, in support of his sister.

Read More

From Beyoncé & Jay Z to Kim Kardashian & Kanye West: Relationship Coach Weighs in on Celeb Romances!

Beyoncé and Jay Z and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are two of Hollywood's most iconic couples. While we think these relationships are solid, what does a professional think about these celeb romances?

Dr. Darcy Sterling from E!'s upcoming reality show Famously Single (set to premiere this spring), is sounding off on Hollywood's hottest couples in the exclusive video above.

So what does she think about Beyoncé and Jay Z?

"I love Beyoncé and Jay Z," Dr. Sterling reveals. "They have managed to ride the waves of public scrutiny, I just love them for that."

 

How about Kim and Kanye?

"They seemed to be doing great," Dr. Sterling says. "They are another example of a couple that's under so much scrutiny all the time."

Even though the couple is constantly in the public eye, they make it work and keep their relationship strong and that's what's important!

While Dr. Sterling has a lot of positive things to say about these two couples, she doesn't have much to say about Kim's sister Kendall Jenner and her rumored boyfriend Harry Styles.

"I got nothing on them," Dr. Sterling reveals.

Read More

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom Are Super Happy Attending Kanye West's Fashion Show Together

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom were all smiles on Thursday.

Khloe and her ex stepped out for Kanye West's album release party and Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at Madison Square Garden and the two looked cozy and content as they sat together in the audience.

The 36-year-old former NBA star looked healthy and happy in his first public appearance since being released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles almost a month ago. He's since been continuing his recovery at a facility near Khloe's home in Calabasas, California.

Lamar kept things casual in a long camo jacket and black shirt while Khloe classed things up in a beige, curve-hugging jumpsuit and a luxuriously furry, pink coat.

"Kanye invited him to come, and it's a big deal for him to be able to come," Kris Jenner shared with ET before the big event. "I'm excited. For him to have this, you know, this is a milestone for him to be able to travel. So, baby steps. But this is a big one. This is a huge step for him."

From looking at Lamar and Khloe together at the fashion show, it's hard to imagine the athlete was clinging to life just months ago. From his smile to his presence with the Kardashian family, Lamar appeared as healthy as ever.

Rumors have been swirling recently that Khloe and Lamar, who called off their divorce in the midst of his hospitalization, may be rekindling their relationship. Khloe's recent split from boyfriend James Harden only added fuel to the fire.

Read More

Two shot at Arizona high school, police say

PHOENIX - - Two people were shot at a high school in Glendale, Arizona, a police officer said on Friday, and a media report said one person had died. 

The police officer declined to provide further details on the incident at Independence High School and a spokeswoman for the police department in a Phoenix suburb could not immediately be reached for comment.

Phoenix television station ABC15 reported at least one person had died in the shooting, citing unnamed sources. Police could not confirm any deaths, the station said.

Concerned parents gathered outside the school, looking for their children, and a section of the street that the school is located on was closed, Phoenix television station KPHO reported.

It was not immediately clear if a shooter was in custody.

Read More

Ciara Struggles Abstaining from Sex with 'Beautiful' Beau Russell Wilson

 

Ciara has “Goodies” for Russell Wilson – but they’re still in the jar.

In a new interview with Cosmpolitan, the singer shares an update on the couple’s commitment to abstain from sex until they marry.

“It’s going pretty good – we’re hanging in there,” she says at first.

Then Ciara, 30, explains her struggle is real: “I’m not gonna lie. I’m human, so it is not easy, especially when I look at him and I think he is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen – that I’ve ever laid my eyes on, to be honest,” she said of the 27-year-old footballer’s handsome looks.

So how does the star deal with temptation when her ripped Seattle Seahawks quarterback is close? “I’m like, Look the other way! Look the other way!”

And while intercourse might not yet be in the cards, Ciara says their definition of abstinence leaves room for affection. “You get to hug and you get to have a nice good kiss, but you have to be careful not to go too far so you don’t end up in the place you’re trying to avoid being in,” she explains.

Thanks in part to the limitations, Ciara is confident she and Wilson and are “growing with each other.”

She adds of their connection: “We get to have really healthy conversations and focus on each other as people. That is very important to me and him. It’s very valuable. We’re just enjoying ourselves and going one day at a time and praying and staying positive. Being strong here!”

Following the pair’s stunning debut at a White House state dinner last April, Wilson explained their personal decision in an interview focused on his Christian faith.

“I said to her – and she completely agreed – ‘Can we love each other without that?’” he told Pastor Miles McPherson at San Diego’s Rock Church in July. “If you can love somebody without that, then you can really love somebody.”

Wilson also asked for the audience’s help: “I ain’t gonna lie – I need ya’ll to pray for us,” he said. “Because I know you have seen her on the screen now. If there’s a 10, she’s a 15. Pray for me, keep my mind clear, keep my heart clear.”

Despite their temptation, Ciara and Wilson have yet to announce plans to wed. She was previously engaged to rapper Future, with whom she shares 21-month-old son, Future Zahir.

Earlier this week, PEOPLE confirmed Ciara is suing her ex-fiancé in a $15 million lawsuit for libel and slander after Future criticized her parenting style on Twitter. A source told PEOPLE, “She just wants what’s best for her and her baby.”

Read More

Police: Fort Worth teacher had sex with student

A teacher at an all-boys school in Fort Worth is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student and taking him to Oklahoma without telling his parents. Alina Leung, 29, is charged with sexual assault of a child, unlawful restraint and improper relationship between a teacher and student. 

Leung was in a relationship with a 16-year-old student at Young Men’s Leadership Academy, where she taught sixth and seventh graders, for more than a year, according to her arrest affidavit.

He would visit her in her classroom and grade papers for her, with other students present. Last October, they started messaging each other on Facebook and watching movies at her apartment, the affidavit says.

He was 15 at the time.

Police said she told the boy she wanted to wait until 2017, when he turned 17, to have sex with him because it would be legal then. But he told police that he kept asking her if they could have sex and in November, they did, court records state. During winter break, police said, she drove him to Oklahoma and toured the University of Oklahoma with him.

“The victim’s parents were unaware that the suspect took him to Oklahoma,” Leung’s affidavit states.

The boy’s dad found out about the alleged relationship in late January after the teen left his Facebook profile logged in on the family computer. The parents told the school’s principal, and police were notified.

“I hope you’re not filling my head with fairy tales,” Leung wrote in one Facebook message to the boy, according to court records. “I mean it when I say I love you and want to be with you forever.”

In another message, records say, Leung told the boy she didn’t want “anything bad to happen to either of us” and said they needed to “watch out for the outside world.” The two also sent each other sexually explicit photos, police said. 

A spokesman at Young Men’s Leadership Academy said Leung is on paid leave. He declined to comment on the allegations against the teacher by saying that the district doesn’t comment on “employee disciplinary matters.”

The Star-Telegram reported that Leung was being held in the Mansfield Jail Thursday morning, though it appears based on jail records that she was released later in the day after posting bond.

Read More

Woman charged with killing infant son, stuffing him in freezer at her father’s Homestead home

Paola Vargas-Ortiz has spent the past four weeks at a mental-health facility, ever since police found her infant son dead in a freezer at her father’s Homestead home. 

On Thursday, Miami-Dade homicide detectives visited the clinic and she was released into their custody. Vargas-Ortiz, 37, was escorted to jail. She has been charged with killing 4-month-old Hugo. Investigators determined that he died from a lack of oxygen and had a piece of cotton stuffed high in his nostril.

After checking in to the Turner Guilford Knight correctional facility on a charge of manslaughter, a judge let Vargas-Oritz go home. She will remain under house arrest as long she is supervised by a family member. 

“This case presents significant mental-health issues that we plan to litigate in court,” said her attorney Sam Rabin. 

The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office declined to comment on the case. The gruesome nature of Hugo’s death last month and his mother’s meltdown shocked law enforcement and grabbed the public’s attention. 

According to police, it was a little before 3 p.m. on Jan. 17 when Vargas-Ortiz dialed 911 from somewhere along the old Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys and told the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that she was going to commit suicide. 

Then she hung up. 

Police scrambled to Marathon and, using the GPS from her cellphone, found Ortiz-Vargas about 70 yards from the north end of the bridge. She said she was depressed and that she had ingested rat poison. She told police she had tossed Hugo into the chilly waters below. Then she led them to her blue 2011 Ford Escape. Inside the vehicle, police noticed a baby seat and children’s toys. Pressed about the infant, Vargas-Ortiz began to cry, police said, and said, “I think I need a lawyer.” 

A brief search of the waters under the bridge by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission was called off after Vargas-Ortiz changed her story and told police Hugo was home in Homestead being cared for by family.

Then she changed that story, telling Monroe Sheriff’s Deputy Rosa DiGiovanni, “I was bathing it (Hugo) and it slipped out of my hands,” the report says. The Miami-Dade medical examiner has not issued a formal report yet but did not find water in the baby’s lungs.

Police said distraught family members searching for Vargas-Ortiz called her cellphone. An officer answered it. Her brother wanted to speak with his sister or his nephew. Monroe County Deputy Rosa DiGiovanni said he told Vargas-Ortiz’s brother “that I could not say anything but that he could go and ask police at his house.” 

By then, Monroe County cops had already called Homestead police, who raced to the family home at the Isle of Oasis, a walled-in subdivision. Inside, they found Hugo tucked away in the freezer, dead.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article59838741.html#storylink=cpy

Read More

10 Most Corrupt Countries, Ranked By Perception

People demonstrate against a rise in electricity prices in Lagos, Nigeria. (AFP/Getty Images)

Corruption lingers at the core of many of the world's underdeveloped nations.

Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa, is perceived to be the most corrupt among 60 countries evaluated, according to data from the 2016 Best Countries rankings. The rankings are a characterization of 60 countries based on a survey of more than 16,000 people from four regions.  

In the survey, respondents answered how closely they related each of the 60 countries to the term "corrupt." Respondents were given no further specifications of the term, so interpretation of the word "corrupt" was left to survey respondents.  

Elections in Nigeria face scrutiny, even though government accountability is seen as having improved. In 2015, President Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari became the first opposition party candidate to win an election. As part of his presidential campaign, Buhari promised to crack down on corruption.

"When you fight corruption, it fights back," Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, said in a TedX talk in Berlin.

Nigeria's former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, is scheduled to face trial on charges of fraud and money laundering, according to Bloomberg. It is the country's first high-profile corruption trial since Buhari took office.

In November, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari attributed this incident – and other alleged abuses of power – to the country's inability to defend itself from other threats, including Boko Haram, an extremist group that began its conquest in 2009 to create an Islamic state.

Russia, seen as the second-most powerful country in the world, is also seen as the sixth most corrupt. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Colombia – a country synonymous with illegal drug kingpins like Pablo Escobar – gives Nigeria a run for its money as the second most corrupt country, based on perception.

Below are the 10 countries perceived to be the most corrupt, according to data from the 2016 Best Countries rankings.

Country Name	Corrupt Rank	Best Countries Overall Rank
Nigeria	1	57
Colombia	2	49
Iran	3	58
Pakistan	4	56
Mexico	5	27
Russia	6	24
Algeria	7	60
Egypt	8	39
Kazakhstan	9	55
Bolivia	10	54

Read More

The Kardashians Shut Down the Yeezy Front Row, Family Style

It was clear right from the start that Yeezy Season 3, one New York’s most hyped shows, would be an epic affair. Part album listening, part Vanessa Beecroft installation, the event was broadcast in movie theaters across the globe. Of course Kanye West’s nearest and dearest got the full 360 experience on the front row at Madison Square Garden, and his in-laws were all dressed in extravagant coordinating ensembles. From big sister Kourtney to daughter North, the entire family was clad in pastel pink and white fluffy furs designed in collaboration with Olivier Rousteing of Balmain.

Mrs. West was certainly looking her best in a winter white Deco-inspired dress to match her sleek new blonde hairdo. The most adorable fashion moment of the show, though, was seeing little North West swaying to the beat of her daddy’s new album, dressed in an adorable mini Balmain look.

Read More