A tragic boating accident in Massachusetts has claimed the life of 24-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, a former Union College soccer player. The incident occurred when Dankert and her friends purportedly commandeered a vessel without permission, resulting in a collision with a pier.

The Massachusetts State Police reported that the recreational powerboat crashed near a runway at Logan International Airport around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. This unfortunate event has sparked significant attention, primarily due to the group allegedly taking the boat after the club had closed for the evening.

According to Lee Gordon, a spokesperson for Brunswick Corporation, which owns the Freedom Boat Club, Dankert and her friends were in Boston’s Seaport District before they allegedly boarded the club’s vessel. The Freedom Boat Club operates globally, offering members an alternative to owning a boat with its extensive network of locations.

Dankert and her friends were in Boston’s Seaport District that night when they allegedly boarded a Freedom Boat Club vessel after the club had closed, according to Lee Gordon, a spokesperson for Brunswick Corporation, which owns the club, told Fox News Digital.

Freedom Boat Club operates as a membership-based alternative to boat ownership with hundreds of locations worldwide.

A damaged recreational boat sits near a pier at Logan International Airport in Boston after a crash Wednesday night that killed former Union College soccer player Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, according to Massachusetts State Police. (Boston Emergency Medical Services)

“The vessel involved in the incident was taken without authorization and operated outside the knowledge and control of the Club, well after the Club had closed for the day,” Gordon said. “This activity did not occur within normal Club operations or established protocols governing access to and use of our vessels.

“We are cooperating fully with all relevant authorities as they work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.

Boston EMS said in a Facebook post that crews responded to the crash overnight in difficult conditions, including darkness and slippery shoreline rocks near the pier.

EMTs worked with Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) fire crews to extricate four people from the rocks, including one critically injured patient.

A former collegiate student-athlete was killed after a recreational powerboat crashed into a pier near a runway at Logan International Airport late Wednesday night. (Getty Images, File)

Following the crash, the boat’s driver, Lawrence Shieh, 40, and two of Dankert’s 23-year-old friends were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. 

The three suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to WCVB.

“Lizzie was an exceptional student-athlete who had a tremendous impact during her four years at Union College,” school spokesperson Phillip Wajda told Boston 25 in a statement.

“Her passing is a profound loss for our campus community,” he added.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is continuing to investigate the crash.

The attorney’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A startling video has surfaced, capturing the dramatic collision of a train with a truck transporting a septic tank in Virginia. The impact resulted in sewage being scattered across the road and left the truck driver with severe injuries.

Authorities in Chesapeake revealed that the driver, who sustained critical injuries, apparently ignored a stop sign and drove onto the tracks on Thursday, as per their initial investigation.

At approximately 4 p.m., the ill-fated truck, laden with a large silver septic tank, was struck by an approaching train in a T-bone collision, vividly depicted in the footage.

The force of the crash sent the truck careening out of control, uprooting a tree as it released a cloud of murky sewage into the air.

Eventually, the wrecked vehicle came to rest by the roadside, with the pungent, hazardous liquid continuing to spill onto the pavement.

“Holy s–t! Holy f–k!” the man who captured the harrowing footage, Azuriah O’Daniel, screamed in terror. “Oh my God, what the f–k?”

First responders rushed to the scene and took the male driver to the hospital. He was in stable condition as of Friday, WAVY reported.

Authorities have not released any further information about his identity. 

Police said the dramatic incident triggered a “minor hazmat situation,” but there was no immediate threat to the public. 

No one onboard the train was injured, according to Norfolk Southern.

The crash is under investigation and the Chesapeake Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for more information. 

An 11-year-old boy tragically lost his life after being attacked by two Cane Corso dogs, despite repeated warnings against his presence around them, a court has learned.

The incident occurred in April 2024 at a residence in Edmonton, Canada, where the young boy, Kache Grist, was staying with his father, Wesley Grist. The dogs’ owner, Crystal MacDonald, is currently facing charges related to this heartbreaking event.

MacDonald, who has pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence causing death, revealed in court that the dogs had a history of aggression. Prior to the fatal attack, the dogs had reportedly assaulted a female neighbor and killed both a Pomeranian and a cat.

At the time of the incident, MacDonald and Wesley Grist were living together as roommates. Kache, who resided in British Columbia, was visiting his father during his spring break when the tragedy occurred.

During her testimony, MacDonald stated that she had expressed her concerns about Kache staying at the home. She pointed out that the dogs had previously attacked a woman in the backyard just two months earlier.

‘I said, “Absolutely not, I don’t think it’s a good idea,”‘ MacDonald told the court, according to CTV News.

Before Kache’s death, the two dogs, named Khaos and Kairo, each weighing more than 100 pounds, mauled Tina Kelepouris, leaving her with three broken ribs, a punctured lung and more than a dozen stitches.

Wesley Grist testified that he was cleaning tools in the garage when Kache went inside to play a new video game. 

When he entered the house, he found his son lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor with the two dogs standing nearby.

Kache Grist, 11, was visiting his father in Edmonton during spring break when he was attacked inside the home by two Cane Corsos in Apil 2024

The two Cane Corsos, Kairo and Khaos, are seen in the yard of the home after Kache’s death 

MacDonald and Kache’s father, Wesley Grist, were roommates at the time

But MacDonald said Grist ignored her warning and arrived at the house with his son anyway.

She testified that she repeatedly told Grist not to leave Kache alone with the dogs and warned the boy that the animals had previously attacked both people and pets.

MacDonald also tried to board the dogs at a kennel during Kache’s visit, but they were turned away because they did not have the required vaccinations.

The day before he died, MacDonald hid Easter eggs filled with chocolate and money around the house for Kache.

On the day of the attack, she said she placed the dogs in their kennels before leaving for work.

Later that day, she received a phone call telling her that Kache had been killed.

An autopsy found the boy died from a bite wound to the neck. The dogs were later euthanized.

Wesley Grist testified that he was in the garage cleaning tools when Kache went inside to play a new video game.

Kache pictured with his mom Kendrah

A photo of one of Crystal MacDonald’s Cane Corso dogs is displayed on her refrigerator

Court heard the boy then let Khaos into the house from the backyard.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Anders Quist asked MacDonald whether she knew the dogs were capable of killing the boy.

‘I knew they were capable of killing anyone,’ she said.

The trial continues. 

LONDON: The United Kingdom has announced plans to deploy military resources to protect the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic move aimed at ensuring maritime security in the region.

This decision could potentially mend some ties with the United States. However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s hesitance to participate in the U.S.-led “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran has stirred discontent in Washington, particularly with President Donald Trump.

President Trump has criticized Starmer, drawing unfavorable comparisons by stating, “He’s no Churchill.” In a recent conversation with Sky News, Trump expressed his disappointment over the perceived lack of British support: “When we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there… And they still aren’t there.”

The British military’s involvement in joint exercises demonstrates their capability to support global operations. In a recent maneuver, British troops participated in the Swift Response 22 exercise at the Krivolak Military Training Center in North Macedonia on May 12, 2022. This exercise, involving around 4,600 soldiers from North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, Italy, France, the UK, and the US, showcased NATO’s ability to deploy forces worldwide and work together seamlessly. (Robert Atanasovski/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier in March, President Trump also criticized the readiness of the British Navy during a meeting at the White House, further adding to the tensions between the two nations.

“We had the U.K. say that, ‘We’ll send’— this is three weeks ago — ‘we’ll send our aircraft carriers,’ which aren’t the best aircraft carriers, by the way,” Trump said, according to Sky News. “They’re toys compared to what we have.”

Two recent reports by a leading military expert and a parliamentary committee may, in part, explain why the U.K. didn’t join the war in an offensive measure.

In a report titled, “Iran War Delivers a Tough Lesson in Hard Power to the U.K.,” Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), wrote, “The outbreak of a new war in the Middle East has led to questions about the U.K.’s relevance in international affairs. Alongside debates about legality and politics, there are some hard truths about military power and the reality of the readiness of the U.K.’s armed forces.”

FILE: Soldiers in action as the British Army demonstrate the latest and future technology used on operations across the globe on Salisbury plain training area on October 29, 2019 in Salisbury, England.  (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

While the report was written with the war still raging on, Savill stated, “Pressure is growing for the deployment of more U.K. forces to the region and direct involvement in strikes, but the government will need to answer difficult questions about prioritization and the effect that it might be trying to achieve. The consequence is that as much as intent and policy drive U.K. involvement, the practical realities will constrain what the U.K. can do.”

Savill added, “On the defensive side, the U.K. has not been idle… [U.K. assets] which also appear to have included some counter-drone units – have been involved in downing Iranian drones while defending Jordan and Iraq.”

President Donald Trump delivers remarks as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer applaud following the signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Oct. 13, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Savill wrote that “The challenge for the U.K. is that in the past few years, the commitments and visible presence of U.K. Armed Forces in the region have been shrinking, as a result of the pressure on the military, and a conscious decision to prioritize elsewhere, most recently in the ‘NATO First’ approach of the Strategic Defense Review of 2025.”

While the Starmer government has committed to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, experts warn that this investment may be too late to restore the U.K.’s ability to project power globally in the near term.

John Hemmings, director of the National Security Center at Henry Jackson, told Fox News, “The U.K.’s military capabilities have been systematically underfunded over the past 15 years, with the Spending Review and cuts starting in 2009 and 2010 under Prime Minister David Cameron. The Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) at the time stated that the world was headed in a much more dangerous state, but the fiscal devastation of the 2008 Financial Crisis pushed the Government into a series of cuts that were intended to be short-term. Instead, the Cameron Government sent the U.K.’s armed services into a spiral of terminal decline that has lasted until this day,” he said.

The Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is moored in the Royal Navy Dockyard in Portsmouth, England, on Oct. 28, 2024. Britain announced on May 12, 2026 that it will deploy autonomous mine hunting equipment, counter drone systems, along with Typhoon jets and HMS Dragon as part of a future defensive mission to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.  (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Hemmings added, “Consider the Royal Navy, the U.K.’s premier service and source of great power reach; only 25 out of 63 commissioned vessels are actual fighting ships. This force size is impossible to service Britain’s overseas responsibilities and has seen cuts of 50% in only 30 years. In 1996, there were 22 frigates, 17 submarines, 15 destroyers, and 3 aircraft carriers. Today’s First Sea Lord must attempt to carry out the same duties with seven frigates, 10 submarines, six destroyers, two aircraft carriers. In addition, the U.K. underfunded new capabilities like domestic air and missile defenses and advanced command and control systems.”

A U.S. Navy ship launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in support of Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)

A second report released last month, by the House of Lords International Relations and Defense Committee titled: ‘Adjusting to new realities: rebalancing the U.K.-U.S. partnership,’ presents several key recommendations where it warned of the over-dependence on the U.S. “Although the U.K. has benefited from closely collaborating with the U.S. on defense, this has fostered a dependency culture leading to a decline in U.K. capabilities and loss of U.K. credibility in Washington. The Government should provide a clear and costed pathway to achieving the commitment to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.”

While the Ministry of Defense did not respond to several requests for comment over the state of forces, Fox News Digital recently reported that the U.K. government said it is reversing an attrition rate in the military, stating that total armed forces strength stood at 182,050 personnel as of Jan. 1, 2026, including 136,960 regular troops, an increase from the previous year.

The government has also pledged what it calls the largest sustained rise in defense spending since the Cold War, with military spending set to reach 2.6% of GDP by 2027, backed by an additional £5 billion (approximately $6.6 billion) this financial year and £270 billion (nearly $360 billion) in defense investment over the course of the current parliament. Britain has also said it aims to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP by the end of the next parliament.

Analysts say while some in the Trump administration see the U.K.’s absence as a betrayal of the special relationship, others may say it is a tough lesson in the limitations of a mid-sized power that has tried to maintain a global footprint on a shrinking budget.

In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, ABC7 is featuring a special series titled “Our Chicago: Breaking Barriers.” The series aims to highlight the diverse cultures and contributions of the AANHPI community.

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

Crying Tiger

In one segment, Eric Horng has a conversation with Thai Dang, the executive chef at Crying Tiger.

Originally from Vietnam, Dang relocated to the United States at the age of seven. As one of nine siblings, his culinary journey began in his own home, heavily influenced by his mother, Tin Thi Do, who was both an inspirational cook and his early mentor.

Dang’s career took a significant turn when he moved to Chicago to join the esteemed L2O restaurant, where he worked under the guidance of chef Laurent Gras. This opportunity allowed him to immerse himself in the world of Michelin-starred fine dining. He later made a name for himself as the chef of Embeya, which earned a spot on Esquire’s list of Best New Restaurants.

His culinary skills further flourished with the opening of HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen in 2017, which quickly gained a reputation as one of Chicago’s premier Vietnamese dining establishments. In 2025, Dang expanded his culinary ventures by launching Crying Tiger in collaboration with Lettuce Entertain You.

Sherrie Tan

Cate Cauguiran interviewed food influencer Sherrie Tan.

Tan is a Chicago-based lifestyle and food influencer best known for her Instagram platform, @sherriesavorsthecity, where she highlights the city’s diverse dining scene and hidden gems.

She grew up in the Philippines, and at 19 years old, moved to New York City to go to culinary school. She was succeeding as a pastry chef and decided to start an Instagram account 12 years ago, just posting pictures of her pastries. Her Instagram really took off with reels and posting new restaurants. She especially likes featuring Filipino spots and introducing Chicago to new kinds of foods.

Dr. Tsai

Judy Hsu interviewed Stephanie Tsai. Dr. Tsai is an oncologist and associate professor at Loyola University Medical Center. She serves as the unit medical director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and specializes in bone marrow transplants, hematology disorders and cellular therapies. Dr. Tsai focuses on advancing cancer treatment, improving patient outcomes and addressing disparities in cancer care, particularly among underserved populations such as Asian American communities. Both of her parents were born and raised in Taiwan and are physicians.

Justice Tailor

Ravi Baichwal interviewed Justice Sanjay Tailor. Born in Maryland to immigrant parents and raised in New Jersey and Delaware, he originally worked in scientific research before pursuing law. After earning his law degree from Loyola University Chicago, he worked as a private attorney, corporate counsel and assistant state’s attorney.

He became a judge in 2003 and served for over two decades in the Cook County courts and Illinois Appellate Court. In 2026, he was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court, becoming the first Asian American justice in the court’s history. He is also known for his work in legal education and his commitment to improving access to justice.

Linda Yu

Once a young girl from China, Linda Yu, became one of Chicago’s first Asian American journalists, breaking ground in an industry where few looked like her. She became one of the city’s most trusted voices.

Hsu sat down with Yu at ABC7 Chicago’s station on State Street to reflect on the legacy she built and the barriers she refused to accept.

“Our Chicago: Breaking Barriers” airs on ABC7 at 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 p.m. Sunday.