As an intense heatwave gripped Arizona, a grandfather is now facing a life-altering surgery. Following a fall in Bullhead City while temperatures soared to 120 degrees, he will have his right leg amputated above the knee, as shared by his family.

On August 3, 72-year-old Grant Siler’s routine walk took a turn for the worse. After tripping in the sweltering heat, his body temperature shot past 105 degrees.

According to the family’s GoFundMe, Siler lay on the blistering ground for at least an hour before someone discovered him. The fall resulted in severe burns across his body, heat stroke, and a critical condition where multiple organs began to shut down, prompting the urgent fundraiser.

Emergency responders rushed him to a specialized burn ICU in Las Vegas, where he is undergoing treatment. Upon his arrival, the medical team diagnosed him with severe heat stroke and organ shock, amid efforts to stabilize his condition.

“He is in constant pain, can barely move, and has undergone two debridements. Also, he will soon need to undergo surgery for amputation, the extent is not yet known,” the GoFundMe reads.

During surgery, a surgeon found that tissue in Siler’s right leg was so severely damaged it was unlikely to fully heal, according to an update posted to the fundraiser.

Siler is scheduled to have his right leg amputated above the knee on Aug. 31, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.

“The plan now is to have an above-knee amputation. The Dr’s feel he will overall heal faster and have better pain control this way,” the fundraiser reads.

“We can all imagine that after any amputation, the road to recovery is long and hard…physically, mentally and emotionally,” it continued.

His wife, Vicki, has been traveling one-and-a-half-hours each way to be with her husband as she continuing to work to support the family’s financial obligations. The family said the couple will also soon have to face medical bills to help with Siler’s recovery.

The family is accepting donations to help with home renovations, home medical supplies, prosthetics and other added costs.

Siler’s daughter, Heather Crook, recalled an incident in which he dropped an 80-pound cinderblock on his foot but did not even take a Tylenol.

“He’s hurting really bad,” Crook told FOX 10. “He’s the ‘get up and walk it off’ type.”

“So for him to holler out in pain … it’s really hard to hear. That’s not the kind of person that he is,” she added.

In a show of Hollywood solidarity, actor John Cusack has backed Mark Ruffalo amid the latter’s heated exchange with Paramount. The dispute arose when Ruffalo accused the tech giant Oracle of utilizing “antisemitic tropes,” a claim Paramount pushed back against vigorously.

Cusack expressed his support on X, lauding Ruffalo’s articulated defense. “Solidarity — well said,” Cusack commented, highlighting Ruffalo’s focus on Oracle’s connections with the Israeli military and the company’s leadership entanglements.

The controversy ignited after Ruffalo criticized Oracle’s executive vice-chair, Safra Catz, who also serves on Paramount’s board. Ruffalo reposted a video featuring Catz discussing Oracle’s technologies, which she claimed had assisted the Israeli military following the Hamas attacks that occurred on October 7, 2023.

Ruffalo further linked his criticism to the Ellison family’s proposal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for a staggering $111 billion. He remarked on Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his son, David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, expressing concern that such a deal could threaten editorial independence and job security by consolidating media power, bringing entities like CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. under one family’s control.

In an Instagram story, Ruffalo warned of the ramifications of Oracle’s technologies on global media. He wrote, “These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will likely be incorporated into one of the globe’s media giants, potentially impacting everyone. Look how she revels in what we have seen as genocide, built upon an oppressive apartheid system, powered by Oracle,” painting a grim picture of technology’s dark side.

Paramount subsequently issued a statement saying it was “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked” in what it characterized as a business dispute.

“Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong. They’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe,” a company spokesperson added.

Ruffalo fired back Saturday, telling Fox News Digital the accusation that he is antisemitic was “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.” He maintained that criticism of the Israeli government, military technology contracts or the executives behind them should not be equated with criticism of Jewish people.

“Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary,” he said.

“The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.”

“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for serious national security review, and regulators still haven’t given the public a real answer. Until they do, the merger shouldn’t move forward. Now is the time to dive boldly into all these issues, not step back or concede,” he added.

The potential merger has also drawn legal scrutiny from a coalition of 12 state attorneys general challenging the deal. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed not to close the transaction until five days after a court rules on the merits of the states’ claims or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

In a statement noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Jim Berk said, “Words matter, and so does the willingness to draw a line when legitimate debate gives way to antisemitic tropes. We commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism.”

Film critic Christian Toto, the founder and editor of Hollywood in Toto, told Fox News, “I’m guessing Mark would rather John Cusack have stayed silent on the matter!” Toto then pointed to controversial comments that Cusack has made on the situation in the Middle East. 

Toto continued, “More importantly, the issue in play is getting more attention now that antisemitism is flaring up in the culture at large and within the Democratic Party. That hasn’t bled into Hollywood, Inc., yet, but it might sooner than later. Maybe a good example of that fracture is happening with the Paramount merger fight. Some Hollywood groups and Democrats are requesting a resolution to the matter, while others have dug their heels in, battling the merger at all costs.”

He concluded, “This could get ugly, becoming a Blue on Blue battle within La La Land that could cause real damage to careers.”

A young pilot, who survived a harrowing crash landing in the Atlantic Ocean, has shared her experience of this alarming event.

Faith Tenkley, 23, was piloting her family’s aircraft from Fort Myers to the Bahamas to collect her parents when she encountered mechanical issues. This left her with no option but to make a swift decision to ditch the plane in the Atlantic, avoiding a dangerous attempt to land at Boca Raton Airport.

Approximately 15 miles west of Boca Raton, Tenkley explained to Gulf Coast News that she began experiencing mechanical difficulties mid-flight.

Originally, she intended to direct the plane to a Florida airport for an emergency landing. However, her plan changed dramatically when she discovered that the landing gear had failed.

Concerned about the heavy fuel load aboard, Tenkley realized that landing on a runway without operational landing gear could lead to a crash landing and possibly ignite a fire.

And by that point, she said the right engine of the twin-engine aircraft had also failed leaving Tenkley rapidly running out of options.

Rather than attempting a landing at the airport, she headed to the ocean.

The young pilot ultimately managed to find a clear stretch of ocean alongside the beach and guided the stricken aircraft toward the water.

Against the odds, the landing was smooth and the plane remained intact as Tenkley managed to get out of the plane unaided and without injuries.

A lifeguard reached her within about a minute, she said, with a fire rescue boat arriving close behind.

The extraordinary sequence unfolded in front of shocked beachgoers in affluent Boca Raton, where families had been enjoying their morning when they suddenly found themselves watching the small plane descend toward the sea.

‘It was a flawless water landing,’ witness Michael Arizzi told WPBF. 

His wife Alexis added, ‘Yeah, she was in control the entire time. I was very impressed. That’s why we were confused about what was going on at first.’

Tenkley, who has been flying since graduating high school, said in a statement on Sunday that she felt ‘incredibly fortunate’ to walk away unharmed.

‘I am incredibly fortunate and relieved to share that I was able to swim away from this incident,’ she said. ‘After deciding a landing at Boca Raton Airport was not the safest option I continued to the coast.’

The 23-year-old said her ‘primary focus’ was keeping everyone safe as she steered toward open water, successfully avoiding nearby buildings and swimmers. 

‘I want to express my deepest gratitude for the concern and support following my unexpected water landing yesterday,’ Tenkley said. 

‘I want to extend my thanks to ATC [air traffic control] for being prepared, as well as the lifeguards, firefighters, and police officers whose rapid response and professionalism ensured everyone’s safety. As well as any witnesses who called for help.’

The twin-engine Piper went into the sea around two miles east of Boca Raton Airport at around 9:40am triggering an emergency response from police, lifeguards and the US Coast Guard. 

The FAA will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The aircraft involved belongs to a family of twin-engine planes manufactured by Piper Aircraft decades ago.

Piper PA-30-series aircraft were produced between 1961 and 1972 and were configured to carry either four or six people.

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office faces the pressing task of identifying 56 bodies discovered in deteriorated conditions at the South Chicago Chapel earlier this month. Currently, only nine of these cases remain unresolved, according to officials.

In a revealing conversation with the ABC7 I-Team, Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar remarked that handling such a significant number of cases is a first for her and her team.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

“In the 22 years I’ve been here, I’ve never encountered an instance where 56 cases arrived simultaneously at our office,” Arunkumar explained when asked to recall any similar past events.

Forensic teams within the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office have been putting in extra hours to determine the identities of the deceased. While identification is straightforward when bodies are well-preserved, typically involving either family recognition or fingerprint verification, the improperly stored remains from the funeral home necessitate more intricate identification techniques.

“Many were in moderate to advanced stages of decomposition, making visual identification impossible,” Arunkumar noted. “This complicates and delays our identification efforts.”

For cases involving severe decomposition, investigators rely on X-rays and dental examinations. Technicians scan the remains for medical devices and surgical implants that can be matched to records. Arunkumar said a double knee replacement helped positively identify one individual found at South Chicago Chapel.

SEE ALSO | Investigation continues after decomposing bodies found at Chicago funeral home | LIVE Updates

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, we urge you to reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for immediate help.

As scrutiny intensifies over the tragic events involving Lindsay Clancy, a seasoned prosecutor is stressing the importance of not overshadowing the core issue at hand: the accountability of a parent in the unimaginable act of taking a child’s life. The prosecutor vocalized concern that growing public sympathy for the Massachusetts mother could detract from the tragedy involving her three young children.

Lindsay Clancy faces alarming accusations of having taken the lives of her children—Cora, aged 5, Dawson, aged 3, and Callan, just 8 months old. According to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, the harrowing incident unfolded when she allegedly attempted to end her own life by leaping from a second-story window, after her husband was sent out to fetch takeout and visit a pharmacy.

The case has captured national attention, sparking a wave of support for Clancy both online and at the courthouse. However, experts caution that this tide of sympathy may be inadvertently drawing focus away from the real victims—the children who lost their lives.

“Nobody who murders children is a victim no matter what they’re suffering through,” said Jonathan Hatami, a veteran child abuse prosecutor. “You’re never a victim if you murder people because victims don’t do something. Something happens to them.”

The defense does not dispute that Clancy caused the deaths — but she has pleaded not guilty and is contesting criminal responsibility.

Hatami has spearheaded a number of high-profile cases against child abusers in Los Angeles, California, including the murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who was tortured and killed by his mother and her boyfriend. Gabriel’s killing exposed a series of missed red flags by the county’s Department of Children and Family Services and inspired a Netflix docuseries.

“Gabriel Fernandez was tortured and murdered by his mom and her boyfriend — however, there were a lot of other people…that were responsible,” Hatami told News Media. “There were a lot of people that missed signs through the eight or nine months of Gabriel’s torture. There were a lot of people in government, in law enforcement, social workers, who missed all these different signs that really could have saved Gabriel — and they didn’t do it. However, Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre were ultimately responsible for the torture and murder of Gabriel and were prosecuted for that and they were convicted of that.”

In Clancy’s case, he argued, many of the people and systems around her deserve scrutiny — but that should not turn her into the central victim of the story. In his view, she’s been too much of the focus.

“Instead of about the three victims who were innocent kids,” he said.

While failures of government and the child welfare system were investigated after Gabriel’s murder, that didn’t take responsibility away from the killers, he said. And in the Clancy case, he said he sees a risk that the focus on her mental health could eclipse the three children who were killed in their own home.

“I didn’t see people out in the streets cheering on Pearl Fernandez because there were other people that were somewhat responsible for what happened to Gabriel,” he said. “And the same thing plays in this case. Lindsay admitted to strangling her three children to death. She admitted to strangling them to death with exercise cords.”

Clancy’s defense has said she sought help repeatedly as she struggled with depression, sleeplessness, suicidal thoughts and voices urging her to harm herself and the children.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has argued that Clancy was under the effects of postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors allege she acted deliberately and understood what she was doing was wrong.

“If you murder your children, you need to be held accountable and responsible for that,” Hatami said. “No matter what the whys are, no matter what reasons are.”

If convicted of any of the three counts of first-degree murder she faces, Clancy would see a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“Your children should be your life. And if you take their life, you should, as a person, want to be punished for that,” Hatami said.