CHICAGO (WLS) — On Friday afternoon, the first group of sailors will embark on the famed Chicago-to-Mackinac race, a voyage attracting over 250 participants eager to reach the iconic Mackinac Island finishing line.

In the fleet is seasoned sailor Rich Stearns, age 71, who has competed in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac more than 50 times. For him, this year’s race offers a deeper significance.

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On Thursday, Stearns was busy fine-tuning final preparations and verifying weather conditions before setting off.

With decades of experience under his belt, the pre-race rituals have become second nature to Stearns, though the past decade has presented him with hurdles far more significant than the typical last-minute race preparations.

Approximately ten years ago, Stearns was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which led to an extensive period of medical treatment. Both he and his wife found solace and stability in dedicating their time to working on his boat.

“A lot of people when they get cancer think, ‘I’m gonna die. It’s over. Give up.’ Look, it’s a beautiful day out, and I’m here. I woke up this morning. Life is good,” he said.

Stearns, who began racing sailboats at age 7, believes his cancer is under control and is now focused on encouraging men to get regular checkups.

“Nobody wants to talk about it. Women talk about breast cancer all the time but men can’t seem to talk about this,” he said.

Rush University Hospital, where Stearns received treatment, issued a statement saying in part, “Richard Stearns is a proud example of people not only thriving after a cancer diagnosis but using their experience to raise awareness and support other patients and families.”

Stearns hopes to start that conversation within the community he knows best.

“I think that’s the goal to begin with is get it out there in the sailing community at least. It’s a big community.”

To find out more about the cause, visit give.rush.edu.

The first racers are expected to reach Mackinac Island early Monday morning, depending on wind conditions.

A man in North Carolina is accused of breaking into his former partner’s apartment and tragically stabbing his 5-year-old son to death before fleeing to a nearby Taco Bell.

The suspect, Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles, 31, is facing charges of first-degree murder, according to a statement from the Pineville Police Department released on Thursday.

Police were called to the Sabal Point Apartments in Pineville just after midnight on Thursday following reports of an assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, officers discovered the young victim suffering from multiple stab wounds.

In a bid to save the child’s life, the officers administered emergency medical treatment and rushed the victim to the hospital in their patrol car.

The boy was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Echoles’ ex-girlfriend, who is also the child’s mother, said the man broke into the apartment, entered their son’s room and closed the door, according to an arrest affidavit, WGHP reported.

She said she heard a commotion and went to the bedroom and opened the door, at which point Echoles fled, according to the affidavit. She found her son bleeding and unresponsive, covered in stab wounds to his head, neck and arms, and she immediately called 911.

The woman and another child in the home were unharmed.

Echoles was later arrested at a nearby Taco Bell, according to police.

Police said this was a domestic incident and not a random act of violence. The motive for the attack is unclear.

Echoles has a previous criminal history of assault.

This includes a conviction in North Carolina for assault on a woman in an October 2020 incident. He also has multiple other assault-related cases going through the court system.

He has been accused of two assaults on women this year. In one case, he allegedly beat a woman with a belt. In the other, he threw keys at a woman after he borrowed her car and refused to return it.

Echoles is being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond. His next court date is scheduled for July 30.

In a Southern California beach community, sunbathers were sent scurrying for safety as two enormous sea lions unexpectedly emerged from the ocean in San Diego.

Capturing the dramatic scene on Instagram on July 7, Dion Ruzicka shared a video showing these formidable sea creatures charging onto the shore, sending beachgoers into a frenzy under the sunny California sky.

One of the sea lions lunged forward unpredictably, causing a startled reaction among those on the beach. As the massive animal raced across the sand, the shocked visitors shrieked and dashed away with the growling creature in pursuit.

Just moments later, chaos intensified as a second sea lion entered the fray, causing the terrified crowds to flee toward higher ground or even dive into the surf to evade the pursuing pair.

The more the onlookers ran, the more the bulky sea lions were spurred on, engaging the escaping beachgoers in an uncanny chase across the sandy expanse.

“Oh my God,” one person could be heard saying, in the midst of the chaotic scramble.

It didn’t matter whether the visitor was young or old, the sea lion just kept chasing them.  Finally, both animals dived back into the ocean and swam away at a quick pace.

It is not the first time such an encounter has happened in the popular La Jolla spot. A year ago, a video showed a pair of sea lions chasing beachgoers around before finally leaving.

San Diego has warned the public about the potential dangers of going near wildlife living in the area.

“With the increase in the sea lion population, Point La Jolla has become a popular tourist destination for the public to view these wild animals close up,” a message on the city’s website read.

As a result, interactions between sea lions and the public have increased.

“Members of the public have been observed trying to touch, take selfies, and get as close to sea lions as possible which is a dangerous situation for both the public and the animals,” it added.

Officials suggest people watch the animals from the boardwalk and keep their distance from the sea lions.

While it is unclear what lead to Tuesday’s chase, the summer months are pupping season for these ocean animals. Mothers and fathers become protective of their young ones, and will display aggressive behavior, if they sense a threat, per officials.

“These interactions are not only dangerous for both humans and wildlife, it may be a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act which helps to safeguard these animals,” the city said.

The California Post has reached out to the La Jolla Parks and Beaches group for further comment. 

A brief smile flashed across Amber Robinson’s face.

This rare moment of normalcy occurred as she strolled with her husband, Matt, toward the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah. It was Tuesday morning, and they were returning for the second day of a crucial five-day hearing to determine if their son Tyler will face trial for the alleged murder of Charlie Kirk.

However, as Amber approached the line of waiting news cameras, her smile quickly faded.

Inside the courtroom, the Robinson family knows that even the slightest display of emotion can add to the unfolding drama, so they maintain a stoic demeanor.

Throughout graphic testimony that was intense enough to make Judge Tony Graf visibly react and drove Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, to tearfully exit the courtroom, the Robinsons exhibited steadfast composure.

The stakes could not be higher: prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 23-year-old Robinson.

Yet neither parent has made any visible effort to catch their son’s eye, nor has he turned around once to look for them.

The first break of emotion came on Wednesday, when Amber was seen swallowing hard, blinking repeatedly and staring down as a police officer testified about interviewing her after Robinson’s arrest. 

She appeared to be fighting back tears.

The Daily Mail was among only a small number of outlets with a reporter inside the courtroom. Despite the global attention surrounding the case, just 13 journalists were granted seats in the designated media area. 

Away from the watching eyes of the courthouse, however, in the small southern Utah community of Washington, where the Robinsons raised Tyler and his two younger brothers, a fuller portrait has begun to emerge of a family trying to preserve what remains of normal life under the shadow of a case that stunned the nation. 

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, longtime neighbor Kristin Schwiermann said that while the Robinsons have remained outwardly functional in the 10 months since Kirk’s death – still going to work each day and venturing around the neighborhood – the strain upon them is clear.

Schwiermann, who has known the family for nearly 20 years, said they have been taking more camping trips in recent months, an apparent attempt to step away from the noise surrounding Robinson and return, however briefly, to the kind of family life neighbors remembered them having before his arrest.

Back then, she said, the Robinsons were known as a close-knit family who kept largely to themselves and worked hard and went on camping and hunting trips together.

It is unthinkable to Schwiermann that the young man accused of assassinating one of America’s most recognizable conservative activists could be the same quiet, respectful and gifted boy she spent years watching grow up.

‘It hurts my heart to look at him now,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t ever expect that out of Tyler.

‘His parents have always been great and taught their kids well… he was smarter than smart, and he blew it all with one shot.’

That perception of Robinson’s parents has shaped the way they have been treated in the neighborhood since their eldest son was arrested last September.

In some high-profile murder cases, the families of the accused often become pariahs themselves, left to absorb the public’s rage for crimes they did not commit, or to shoulder suspicion that they must somehow have known, failed to see, or failed to stop what was coming.

Sue Klebold, the mother of Columbine gunman Dylan Klebold, knew that burden well.

Nearly two decades after the massacre, she recalled in a documentary being told by a stranger, ‘I forgive you for what you’ve done.’ Her response was blunt: ‘I haven’t done anything for which I need forgiveness.’

Schwiermann said the Robinsons have been spared that kind of judgment in Washington.

Instead, she said, neighbors have largely kept their distance out of respect, avoiding discussion of Robinson’s alleged crimes – while quietly making clear that Amber and Matt have not been cast out.

‘We try to keep it light to get away from it; otherwise, it will eat all of us, too,’ Schwiermann said. ‘We’ve all kind of just stood back and just prayed for them.’

Over the holidays, in an act of community support, the neighborhood organized a ‘12 Days of Christmas’ effort for the family, with different households leaving food, gift cards and small offerings at their home.

Schwiermann, who makes small clay nativities, left one for Amber with candy packed around it.

She later received a heartfelt text from Amber thanking her for the gesture.

The support the Robinsons are receiving locally is rooted partly in the tight-knit community’s Mormon faith.

It is also shaped by what happened in the final hours of the manhunt to find Kirk’s suspected shooter.

After authorities released images of the suspected gunman in the aftermath of the shooting on the Utah Valley University campus, Robinson’s parents recognized their son and confronted him, according to officials.

Prosecutors have alleged that Robinson made incriminating statements to his family, and that, after he spoke of wanting to take his own life rather than turning himself in, they helped broker his peaceful surrender.

To Schwiermann, the actions of Amber and Matt say a lot about who she believes they are as people.

They were not parents trying to shield their son from accountability, she said, but parents who helped ensure he survived long enough to face it.

‘We don’t judge,’ Schwiermann said. ‘You can tell they’re loving parents and they’re a great family.’

She then alleged: ‘It’s just one bad deed their son did that created chaos. I don’t think Tyler thought of that. He was thinking of himself in that moment, his hate. And I don’t think he thought about his family or the effect this would have on them.’

But the compassion extended to Amber and Matt has not softened Schwiermann’s view of Tyler Robinson or what she thinks should happen to him if he is found guilty.

She said she supports prosecutors seeking the death penalty and believes neighbors can feel sympathy for his parents without excusing the killing of Kirk, a 31-year-old husband, father and founder of Turning Point USA, of whom she had great admiration.

‘If he did it and he admitted it, I feel that’s how it should go,’ she said.

‘I know that would be devastating for the family… but I also think Amber would understand why I feel that way.’

Schwiermann worked as a custodian at Riverside Elementary School where Robinson attended as a child.

She said she saw him almost every day. He was polite, reserved and bright enough to be placed in the school’s gifted and talented program.

He was not the most popular of children, but he was not a loner either.

As he got older, she would spot him only in passing – walking home from school, outside with his family, or around the neighborhood.

He was never, she said, a loud or troubling presence.

‘He didn’t change,’ she said. ‘He was always quiet, very reserved, very respectable.’

The family was much the same.

Amber, whom Schwiermann knew best, often left for work early in the morning and returned around dinner time. She is employed as a social worker. Matt, meanwhile, owns and operates a countertop manufacturer specializing in granite and stone.

‘They kind of kept to themselves a lot of the time because they were either working or out doing those family things together,’ Schwiermann said.

‘Amber in particular was very close to her boys.’

Having lived next to and known the Robinsons for 18 years is what has made the allegations against Tyler Robinson so difficult for Schwiermann to reconcile.

In court this week, prosecutors have presented video, forensic evidence and testimony they say place Tyler on the UVU campus before and after Kirk was shot during a town-hall style debate on September 11, 2025, including DNA evidence.

Defense attorneys have challenged parts of the prosecution’s case, including the reliability of the DNA evidence, while Judge Graf weighs whether prosecutors have met the threshold to send Robinson to trial.

Schwiermann said she does not know exactly what may have motivated Robinson to allegedly fire a single, fatal shot to Kirk’s throat.

But she believes the internet and the many dark corners users can stumble into may have transformed him from the person his family and neighbors thought they knew into someone more hateful or radical.

‘The internet leads to rabbit holes,’ she said. ‘I think a lot of kids go wrong through having the wrong friends, and finding them on the internet.’

She said Tyler’s intelligence may have accelerated that alleged spiral.

‘The smarter you are, the more you can find online,’ she added.

Schwiermann said she cannot imagine what Erika Kirk has endured, sitting in court and facing the man accused of killing her husband, and leaving her two young children fatherless.

But she also thinks of Amber Robinson, forced to sit silently and emotionless, only feet from her son, while hearing the outline of the case that could one day end with his execution.

‘On both sides, they’re both moms – Erika and Amber,’ Schwiermann said. ‘And I’m sure it’s hard for Amber to sit there and go, I’m sorry. Because I’m sure that’s how she feels.’

She paused on the thought of Amber and Matt one day returning to Washington after the case against their son plays out, however long that might take, however it may end.

‘We’re not going to hang it over their heads,’ Schwiermann said. ‘It’ll be the world that does that.

‘If he’s found guilty, they’re always going to think my son killed somebody, and that’s hard. But if they’re surrounded by all of us, I think they can go through life a little less burdened.’

Robinson’s preliminary hearing is scheduled to conclude Friday, after which Judge Tony Graf will decide whether prosecutors have established probable cause to send the case to trial.

If the case moves forward, Robinson will enter a formal plea at arraignment.

Additional reporting by Ruth Styles.