Every morning in her Shreveport, Louisiana, classroom, teacher Angela Hall gathers her preschoolers in a circle. Amidst the giggles and chatter, the children often take note of who is absent.

On a recent Monday, one child pointed out, “Braylon, he’s not here,” as Hall recalled. Braylon Snow, who had just celebrated his fifth birthday, was tragically one of seven siblings killed by their father in a devastating shooting that also claimed the life of their cousin.

This horrific event has deeply impacted the Shreveport community, leaving teachers like Hall to confront a whirlwind of emotions from both students and parents. The tragedy has created an atmosphere of grief and confusion in classrooms.

At Johnnie L. Cochran Head Start, where Hall teaches, Braylon’s absence was likely felt keenly. Hall’s daily routine involves asking her students to scan the room and identify friends who are missing, making Braylon’s absence all the more poignant.

In Hall’s classroom at Johnnie L. Cochran Head Start, it’s likely students noticed Braylon’s absence immediately. Each day, Hall instructs her students to look around for friends who aren’t there.

“When they come back tomorrow, we can tell them, ‘Hey, we missed you, we’re glad you’re back’” she tells them.

But Hall wasn’t ready to tell the students that the boy she described as a “cool little dude” wasn’t returning. She kept circle-time moving. Numb and heartbroken, she lasted until noon and then went home.

“I’m no good to my babies right now because I just feel like I need to be in a moment of silence and just pray,” she said.

Preschool comes to an end

At Head Start, preparation’s for next month’s graduation ceremony have been in full swing. Hall, an organist and pianist at her local Baptist church, wrote a song for the ceremony.

Students, who dress in caps and gowns for the festivities, have been busy learning the words, excited about the prospect of starting kindergarten in the fall. Hall was working hard to make sure they were ready.

Just last Thursday, she pulled Braylon’s mother aside during morning drop-off, boasting that Braylon was writing his first and last name. Braylon also was getting so independent, squirting syrup for his pancakes onto his plate by himself. He didn’t even need a reminder to wash his hands.

“Braylon doesn’t give me any problems,” she told his mother.

Braylon greeted Hall — known to her students as “Mrs. Hall” — each day with a small wave.

As the year progressed, she nudged more gap-toothed smiles from him. He loved his time on the playground — playing chase, tag and even partaking in “a little wrassling.” She laughed as she remembered it.

“He was for the majority of the time kind of a quiet little soul in the classroom,” she said. “When he did get a little extra energy or something, it was just a joy to see him smile and laugh.”

News of the shooting emerges

But then came Sunday. After church, she went to her mother’s house. It was then that she stumbled across an article about the shooting.

The number of victims was so high she struggled to comprehend it. Then she learned Braylon was among the victims. She also knew one of his brothers. He had been a Head Start student at the school last year.

“I just broke down and just started crying,” she said.

The same thing happened Monday morning at drop off when she locked eyes with a parent. Neither could say anything; the preschoolers were all around them.

“I just immediately broke down,” she said. So too did the parent and a teacher’s aide.

She is relying on her faith now. She prays for the dead, for the families and also for the teachers.

“And I’m just praying for all the educators that were connected to these children because it’s tough because my parents’ babies, they become my babies. And I treat them like they’re my own. So I’m just really praying that he sustains us all during this time.

“Just give us that strength.”

CHICAGO (WLS) — The annual parade organizers are set to address their recent decision to cancel the event for the second consecutive year.

The Cinco de Mayo Parade organizers have cited ongoing concerns about immigration enforcement as the primary reason for calling off this year’s celebration.

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This marks the second year the parade has been canceled due to immigration policies established during the Trump administration.

This cherished event, which honors Mexican heritage, traditionally draws crowds to Little Village during the first week of May.

The parade has faced numerous interruptions over the years. From 2018 to 2022, it was not held, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and disagreements between its organizers and city officials. Additionally, two years ago, the parade had to be rerouted following incidents of gang violence, which led to several arrests.

The Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce and Casa Puebla said many families are still experiencing fear and uncertainty following ramped up enforcement during Operation Midway Blitz.

Organizers said community members have withdrawn from public gatherings.

Perched high in Turkey’s mountainous terrain lies an enigmatic geological structure that some experts speculate might be the remnants of Noah’s Ark.

The biblical narrative recounts how this enormous ark preserved human life and a pair of every animal species from a devastating deluge that occurred over 4,300 years ago.

Currently, American researchers examining the Durupınar Formation close to Mount Ararat have discovered evidence of concealed tunnels, aligning with descriptions found in scripture.

Andrew Jones, an independent investigator with Noah’s Ark Scans, employed ground-penetrating radar to reveal a network of ‘corridors’ that converge on a central void he refers to as the atrium.

Jones connected this find to the biblical depiction of the Ark, which describes the vessel as having three internal levels designed to accommodate Noah, his kin, and pairs of animals.

‘God told Noah to bring the animals in. And so these animals would have stayed there, plus Noah and his family,’ Jones told GB News.

‘What’s interesting is that these voids are lining up below the ground – and they’re not just random. These tunnels also follow a pattern. GPR is just a way to look below the soil using radar.’

He added further studies using infrared thermography (IRT), a heat-sensing technology that can uncover hidden structures underground, have also suggested the presence of a ship-shaped hull buried deep in the soil.

High in the mountains of Turkey, a mysterious geological formation sits that some researchers believe could be the remains of Noah’s Ark

A team of American researchers working at the Durupınar Formation near Mount Ararat has uncovered evidence of hidden tunnels as described in the biblical account

Located just 18 miles south of Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest peak, the Durupınar Formation has only been known to the modern world for less than a century.

According to local reports, heavy rains and earthquakes in May 1948 washed away the surrounding mud, revealing the mysterious formation. It was then discovered by a Kurdish shepherd.

The Bible states that Noah’s Ark came to rest on the ‘mountains of Ararat’ after a 150-day flood that drowned the Earth and every living creature not sheltered inside the wooden vessel.

What’s intriguing is that the formation sits near a mountain with a peak that some believe matches the ark’s shape and dimensions.

According to biblical measurements, the ark was ‘300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high,’ roughly 515 feet long, 86 feet wide and 52 feet tall.

The idea that the ark landed on Mount Ararat has long sparked debate.

While many scientists argue that the formation is a naturally occurring geological feature, others are convinced it points to something far more extraordinary.

The team at Noah’s Ark Scans firmly believes the latter.

In 2024, Jones revealed that he and his team uncovered angular structures as deep as 20 feet beneath the surface, features that could represent rooms below a deck-like platform

The researchers added further studies using infrared thermography (IRT), a heat-sensing technology that can uncover hidden structures underground, have also suggested the presence of a ship-shaped hull buried deep in the soil

Jones told GB News that he and his team collected 88 samples from inside and outside of the ship in 2024.

Soil testing in the area showed extremely high levels of potassium, consistent with massive amounts of decomposed lumber.

‘However, due to the extremely cold climate, many parts of the Ark are still intact and petrified. It spends almost six months out of the year completely frozen,’ Noah’s Ark Scans explained in an X post.

In 2024, Jones revealed that he and his team uncovered angular structures as deep as 20 feet beneath the surface, features that could represent rooms below a deck-like platform.

In Genesis 6:14, the Bible describes the ark: ‘Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.’

‘This is not what you’d expect to see if the site were simply a solid block of rock or the result of random mudflow debris,’ Jones told The Christian Broadcasting Network.

According to the Bible, the massive vessel saved humanity and every kind of animal from annihilation during a catastrophic flood more than 4,300 years ago

‘But it is exactly what you’d expect to find if this were a man-made boat, consistent with the biblical specifications of Noah’s Ark.’

The team has also performed soil testing, uncovering what Jones described as ‘some interesting things.’

‘We noticed that the grass growing within the boat-shaped formation is a different color compared to the area just outside it,’ Jones said, suggesting this could point to a man-made origin rather than a natural one.

William Crabtree, another member of Noah’s Ark Scans, added that a tunnel appears to run from the tip of the formation toward the middle, and it is large enough to walk through.

‘The ultimate goal is not just soil test, which is great, or GPR scans, but to get inside the ship somehow,’ Jones told Patterns of Evidence.

‘Core drilling, getting samples deep inside of it to where we see the substructure, these voids, put a camera in it. This is an opportunity coming up that possibly will allow us to do that next season. 

‘Whatever happens, whenever God opens doors, we will continue working on the site.’