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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
CHICAGO — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is urging authorities not to release a person of interest who is currently being interrogated regarding the murder of a Loyola University student.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE has issued an arrest detainer for the individual, who they allege is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.
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As of Sunday afternoon, official charges had yet to be confirmed by Chicago police.
The Chicago Police Department reported on Saturday that they were questioning a suspect linked to the fatal shooting that occurred on Thursday.
The victim, 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, was with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, which is located less than a mile from the university campus, when the incident happened around 1 a.m. on Thursday.
A male suspect approached the group on foot, took out a gun, and opened fire, police said.
Gorman, shot in the head, was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
The student, a New York native, was just months away from finishing her first year of college. Police say she was not the intended target.
Gorman’s family asked anyone with information to come forward.
The family also said private and public services to honor Gorman’s life are being planned for next week in Yorktown, New York.
Gorman’s relatives have described her as “the light of our lives,” saying, “she made people feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was.”
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On Sunday, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called on Congress to allocate funds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ensure its employees receive their paychecks, as the agency has been affected by a shutdown lasting over a month.
Speaking on the “Cats Roundtable” radio show with host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM, Johnson, who previously served under President Obama, emphasized that only the U.S. government has the authority to instruct its employees to work.
“We need to put an end to these funding battles,” Johnson stated. “In the past, they were an annual occurrence, but now they seem to happen multiple times a year. I’m concerned this will only worsen unless strong leadership steps in to put a stop to this chaos. It’s unfair to punish the workers, as they are not to blame.”
Senate Democrats have consistently refused to approve funding for DHS, arguing alongside their House counterparts for the need to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a sub-agency of DHS. This stance follows concerns regarding the implementation of President Trump’s deportation policies and the treatment of undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens in detention.
Demands for reform gained momentum after two U.S. citizens were killed during federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis in January.
The former secretary urged lawmakers to no longer link “policy disagreements with funding the government. Separate the two.”
“Go have the debate about masks, about judicial warrants versus administrative warrants, and a bunch of other things,” Johnson said. “But decouple that from the funding and paying the workforce.”
Johnson also advocated for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. DHS reported Thursday that over 360 TSA officers have left the force since the start of the shutdown.
“They’re there to look for bombs on the airplane you and your family are about to get on,” he said. “So, there needs to be an appropriation to fund this. There are very few agencies of our government that are funded entirely by fees like, for example, the Postal Service.”
Ninety percent of officers under TSA, ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other facets of DHS are deemed essential. TSA officers missed their first paycheck during the shutdown on Friday.
Senate Democrats blocked a bill on Friday to fund DHS. With no clear end in sight, some lawmakers have suggested other methods to stream funds back into the department.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Republicans should reopen the department using a two-step process by passing a bill that funds DHS but not ICE, then pass an ICE funding measure through a reconciliation bill.
“Now, that to me is a resolution to this,” the senator said on C-SPAN’s “Ceasefire.” “I don’t think my Democratic friends are going to like it, but that’s what’s going to happen if we do it that way.”
The White House hopes to circumvent Democratic opposition. Border czar Tom Homan spoke with centrist Democrats on Thursday to help make a deal possible. Homan later told reporters that the White House will “keep talking” with those centrists until a deal is reached.
A man released on pretrial terms found himself back in custody after a significant law enforcement operation in Shelby County. Authorities arrested the suspect on Saturday after discovering a suspicious item believed to be a homemade explosive device.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, collaborating with the Shelbyville Police Department’s K-9 unit, executed a search warrant at a residence located near North 3rd Street and South Meyers Avenue in Herrick. This action took place around 4:30 p.m., marking a critical step in their investigation.
Lawrence Shankland is calling on his Hearts teammates to step up as leaders on the field to push for the championship in the season’s last seven games.
The 30-year-old captain made his comeback to the first team during Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory at home against Dundee. After being sidelined for two months, he entered as a second-half substitute and witnessed Derek McInnes’ squad maintain their lead at the top of the Premiership.
Despite the win, Manager McInnes expressed a desire for the team to embrace a bit more risk in their play. Shankland echoed this sentiment, urging his teammates to challenge each other and elevate their performance to recapture the energy they displayed earlier in the season.
“Some might perceive it as complaining, but I see it as setting high expectations. You can insist on better service and encourage your teammates to connect with you,” Shankland stated.
Shankland is eager to drive standards as Hearts compete for the Premiership title
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland battles with Dundee defender Brad Halliday
“Having more leaders on the pitch will naturally enhance our standards and align with the style of play we’re aiming for. I’m not worried about that,” he added.
‘The squad will get stronger, because we’re getting the boys that have been injured back pretty soon, it looks like.
‘Obviously, the success we’ve had up until now proves that we’ve got a good squad there. When we’re at full strength, we’re really good and that belief will grow as long as we keep winning games.
‘It’s important getting people back, obviously. Every squad in Scotland will have people they see as their talismen and their better players.
‘But I think everybody who’s come into our team this year, every time they’ve been asked to, has done a really good job. Regardless of the amount they’ve had to play, whether that part be little, everybody’s come in and done their job when required.
‘It’s been a huge part of our success this season and I’m sure that’ll be a huge part of it for the rest of it as well.’
Shankland celebrates with team-mates Alexander Kyziridis and Claudio Braga
With every point becoming a prisoner, Shankland is also perfectly open about the fact he is cheering on every side that takes on title rivals Celtic and Rangers these days.
‘Of course! You want everybody around you to lose,’ he admitted. ‘That’s the way the game is.
‘As long as we keep winning our games, we don’t need to concern ourselves too much about that – but come on the other teams!’
Victory over Dundee was crucial for Hearts after losing to Kilmarnock in their previous fixture, but Shankland believes the side deserve credit for always being able to dig in and make amends for bad results.
‘We’ve done it brilliantly this season,’ he said. ‘Our evidence shows that we can bounce back after a defeat. I think that might be almost every time we’ve managed to do it. That’s important.’
Hearts were given a special welcome at the ground by supporters on Saturday and Shankland admits turning up at Tynecastle for matches now is becoming something special with history now almost within the team’s grasp.
‘I tried to come down the wrong street and I realised it was blocked off, so I had to do a quick U-turn and go back the other way to get through it,’ he said.
‘That was brilliant. The boys really appreciate the effort the Ultra boys and the rest of the support have gone to to make it a really enjoyable experience for us.
‘Just coming to play at home is great. We need everybody buying into that, going in the right direction and getting right behind the team.’
Oisin McEntee rises to head home the only goal of the game against Dundee
Shankland crosses the ball during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Dundee at Tynecastle
Shankland was a constant presence on the sidelines during his injury absence and admits the strength of the current Hearts squad made his recovery easier to deal with.
‘I tried not to get frustrated, to be honest. Obviously, the whole injury process is quite new to me,’ he said. ‘I’ve not had too many in my career that have kept me out too long. I think this eight or nine-week one was probably the longest I’ve had.
‘When the team’s all going in the same direction, everybody believing that you’re trying to achieve something, I think that helps the buy-in.
‘Usually, you’re sitting on the side hoping the day will be not too good so that you can get yourself back in, but I feel it was certainly different this time. Everybody in the collective was really good in supporting each other and it was good to be a part of that.
‘I know we’ve got the ability in the squad. You can see the quality we’ve got throughout the game to fill the gaps.
‘That helped me as well, I could be a bit more relaxed about things going forward. There wasn’t too much of a rush to get back as soon as possible. It’s been good.’
Renowned actor Kurt Russell recently opened up about why he and his long-standing partner, Goldie Hawn, favor their Colorado residence over their Los Angeles home.
“What I truly appreciate is that [Hawn] has a deep fondness for Colorado,” Russell, now 75, shared in an interview with Fox News Digital on Sunday, March 22. “Our son Wyatt [Russell] and his wife Meredith [Hagner], along with their two boys, have settled in Colorado. We cherish spending as much time there as we can.”
Reflecting on life in the Centennial State, the Big Trouble in Little China actor expressed, “I’d love to be there more often. There’s a distinctly different lifestyle there. That’s the main reason—I aim to spend as much time there as I can.”
Since rekindling their romance on the set of Swing Shift in 1983, Russell and Hawn, 80, have acquired several properties across the U.S. They currently divide their time among homes in Los Angeles, Palm Desert, California, Old Snowmass, Colorado, and New York.
Kurt Russell has no qualms about his love of hunting animals. Russell, 74, opened up about his views during a Wednesday, March 11, episode of the “Table Manners” podcast. When asked about his opinion on hunting animals, especially elk, he responded, “Well, I thank them for their service.” “By the way, there’s no pleasure in […]
(Hawn shares daughter Kate Hudson and son Oliver Hudson with ex-husband Bill Hudson, while Russel shares son Boston Russell with his ex-wife Season Hubley. Hawn and Russell later completed their blended family when they welcomed Wyatt in 1986.)
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
“We love real estate,” Russell told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Tuesday, March 17. “Our Old Snowmass home is my favorite. It’s a large, beautiful log-cabin lodge on a ranch that we moved into a little over 40 years ago.
He continued at the time, “Goldie and I share a passion for log homes. I never got that out of my system, starting with the one in Maine.”
Now that Russell primarily travels between his properties in Los Angeles and Colorado — much like his character in his new TV show The Madison — he told Men’s Health in a recent interview that he finds a certain level of peacefulness in the Colorado mountains.
“I moved to Colorado when I was 26 years old,” the actor told the publication on March 14. “At a certain point, you find yourself asking whether you’re going to live the life you want to live, or if you’re just going to talk about it. And I decided to make the move and live the life I wanted to live.”
Meredith Hagner is well aware that she hit the in-law jackpot with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell — and her kids are just as happy with their grandparents. “Oh, they’re the best,” Hagner, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly of her husband Wyatt Russell’s parents at the premiere of her latest Apple TV+ project, Bad Monkey, […]
Season 1 of Taylor Sheridan’s hit series The Madison concluded on Saturday, March 21. The show follows the Clyburn family after they leave New York City and “relocate to the Madison River valley of southwest Montana for emotional recovery following a tragedy that shattered the family.”
Russell stars alongside fellow cast members Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Matthew Fox, Beau Gerret, Alaina Pollack, Amiah Miller, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence and Danielle Vasinova.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed on Sunday that the suspect in the tragic killing of Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman is an illegal immigrant who entered the United States during the Biden administration. This individual was initially detained but subsequently released into the country.
According to DHS, the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Jose Medina-Medina from Venezuela, had a previous run-in with the law for shoplifting in Chicago. This incident marks a prior criminal record before the recent allegations of murder.
Law enforcement sources have indicated that Medina-Medina is currently under quarantine due to a potential contagious health issue, which may be tuberculosis. This precautionary measure is being taken by the Chicago Police Department.
In what police describe as an apparent ambush, the shooting that resulted in Gorman’s death occurred on Thursday. Reports from Fox News suggest that the assailant was wearing a mask or some form of face covering during the attack. Medina-Medina is thought to have been residing in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.
In a poignant image, Sheridan Gorman is seen smiling against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline, a snapshot that captures a moment of joy in the city she called home. (Photo credit: Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
Investigators have since recovered a firearm believed to be connected to the killing, sources said, and are awaiting the results of a gunshot residue test.
DHS said in a statement Sunday that Medina-Medina was first apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and released into the country during the Biden administration.
He was later arrested in Chicago on June 19, 2023, for shoplifting and released again — marking a prior criminal incident before the alleged murder.
Sheridan Gorman, a Loyola University Chicago student who was fatally shot near campus, is shown alongside the school’s Lake Shore Campus in Rogers Park.(Alyssa Schukar/The Washington Post via Getty Images; Sheridan G. Gorman/Instagram)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also announced it had lodged an arrest detainer and called on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary city leaders not to release Medina-Medina.
“Jose Medina-Medina was previously released after an arrest for shoplifting in Chicago,” DHS said.
“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“We are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.”
The agency also pointed to broader concerns, noting that ICE has previously urged Illinois officials to honor detainers for thousands of criminal illegal aliens in state custody.
Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national, was also arrested for shoplifting and released before the alleged murder, DHS confirmed.(DHS)
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Gorman, a freshman from Westchester County, New York, was shot in the head after a gunman approached her group of friends walking on the Chicago lakefront and opened fire.
As she attempted to flee, he shot her. Gorman was pronounced dead at the scene, and no other injuries were reported.
The suspect was reportedly identified shortly after the shooting, in part due to a distinct limp, according to local records. The investigation remains ongoing.
One month before Medina-Medina was caught at the border and released into the U.S. in 2023, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified on Capitol Hill that the border was secure. “It is my testimony that the border is secure,” Mayorkas said.
Sheridan Gorman, a New York native, was reportedly only a few months away from completing her freshman year at Loyola University Chicago in Illinois.(Sheridan G. Gorman/Instagram)
“We are again faced with the unbearable truth: our daughter’s life was taken, and our family will never be the same,” Sheridan Gorman’s family said in a statement.
“Sheridan was the heart of our family. She had a rare ability to bring people together—to make others feel included, understood, and loved. She lived with intention, with faith, and with a kindness that defined who she was every single day. She was just beginning her journey, with so much ahead of her.”
Gorman’s family also said, “Three days ago, our lives were shattered in a way no family should ever have to endure.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to members of the media at Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen during a primary election in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. A Senate Democratic primary in Illinois to pick the successor to Senator Dick Durbin could turn on campaign dollars and differences on immigration policy(Credit: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
However, Alderwoman Maria Hadden suggested to Fox 32 Chicago the incident appeared to be a case of Sheridan Gorman being in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”
Hadden said there was no indication of a broader threat, adding that “we don’t believe there is cause for broader community concern.”
“The kids were out doing normal things people do in the neighborhood,” she said. “They may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, running into a person who had a gun.”
“They might have unintentionally startled this person at the end of the pier,” she added. “We don’t believe there is cause for broader community concern,” she assured.
Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.
Savannah, Ga. — Brace yourself for another warm start to the week, as Monday ushers in balmy weather before a cold front introduces storms and a notable cool-down by mid-week.
Temperatures will be mild as Sunday night transitions into Monday morning, with lows hovering in the 60s. The southwest winds that have been persistent will continue, maintaining a breezy atmosphere.
As the day progresses on Monday, expect a shift in wind direction to the west, which will contribute to another day of warm temperatures. Highs are anticipated to soar into the upper 80s, with wind gusts occasionally exceeding 20 mph.
While much of the day is expected to remain free of rain, attention will turn to the late afternoon or early evening, when a cluster of storms is predicted to make its way down the coast.
This weather shift is driven by a cold front, accompanied by conditions favorable for storm development. As the front moves in, it will likely produce a scattered line of showers and embedded storms, descending from the north late Monday.
A few storms may take advantage of the environment and bring damaging straight-line winds, and there is a very low-end chance of small hail.
Storms will wind down overnight Monday into Tuesday. In the wake of the cold front, breezy northeast winds and a cooler day ensue for Tuesday.
Winds will occasionally gust over 20 to 25 mph.
There will also be the opportunity for scattered showers and storms with the front stalled just south of our area, coupled with mid-level disturbances arriving to the region.
Rain chances wind down by Wednesday, but temperatures remain mild for mid-week before a heat dome sneaks into the region.
Thursday and Friday will have a return to the 80s, with Friday looking particularly hot with highs in the upper-80s.
Another cold front arrives by Saturday, bringing at least the chance for passing showers or storms before a cool-down next weekend.
The South Australian election has spotlighted a revitalized Labor government and revealed divisions within the conservative electorate. Premier Peter Malinauskas has celebrated a strong victory, while One Nation has made significant gains.
As most of the votes for the state’s House of Assembly are now tallied, Labor stands firm with 39.1 percent of the primary vote, significantly ahead of One Nation’s 21.6 percent. The Liberal party lags behind with 18.7 percent.
In the Legislative Council, Labor has achieved 36.5 percent of the vote, with One Nation capturing 23.8 percent. The Liberals have garnered only 17.1 percent in this chamber.
In comparison, during the 2022 South Australian election, the Liberals managed to secure 35.7 percent of the primary vote in the House of Assembly and 34 percent in the Legislative Council.
Malinauskas’s victory has expanded his majority, and he expressed feeling “humbled” and “overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude” during his speech on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the scale of the Liberal collapse has prompted deep introspection within the party.
Senior federal Liberal senator Anne Ruston conceded the result carried “sobering lessons” for her party and warned that it had “a lot of work to do to rebuild the trust of Australians”.
South Australian Opposition leader Ashton Hurn said it was “a tough night for the Liberals”, from which “lessons must be learned”.
‘Party of disaffection’
Clement Macintyre, an emeritus professor of politics at Adelaide University, said the result mainly reflected voters’ expectations of a Labor victory and disaffection with the major parties, and he cautioned against overplaying its long-term significance.
“I’m sure a lot of analysis will be talking of existential threats to the Liberal Party, but … we’ve got to wait a bit longer before we’re confident that we’ve seen a serious shift in Australian politics,” he told SBS News.
While Hanson has long rejected the proposition that her party is one of protest, for Macintyre, these results reflect a clear expression of dissatisfaction with the major parties rather than a wholesale political realignment.
“I’m sticking to my view that it is a party of disaffection, that voters are frustrated with the major parties and [are] expressing that with a vote for One Nation,” he said.
He said voters’ choices were often not motivated by support for a particular party’s policies.
“When you look at the reasons people give when they’re asked: ‘Why are you thinking of One Nation?’, they’re not saying: ‘I really like the policies of One Nation’, they’re saying ‘I’m fed up with the majors’.”
While some voters were likely drawn to One Nation’s positions on energy or migration, many were responding to a broader sense of political frustration, he said.
That dynamic, he said, helps explain how One Nation was able to gain ground in a state not traditionally considered part of its support base.
“It’s not what we would think of as traditional One Nation heartland … and yet One Nation have touched a nerve with the South Australian voters,” he said.
Even so, he cautioned against reading the result as the end of the two-party system, noting similar surges have occurred before under different conditions.
At the party’s Adelaide headquarters, supporters were embracing one another in jubilation with as little as one per cent of the vote counted, reflecting early confidence in the scale of the result.
There, Hanson delivered a direct message to Malinauskas, warning that One Nation MPs would now play a disruptive role in state politics.
“I will say to Peter Malinauskas … I’m leaving you some landmines … they’re called One Nation members of parliament,” she said.
“So, I suggest, don’t step on them, because they will explode.”
At the time of publishing, the South Australian Electoral Commission had not predicted One Nation would win any lower house seats.
However, the ABC’s election tally predicts the party will take the seat of Ngadjuri from the Liberal Party — its first lower house seat outside of Queensland — and puts it ahead in three other electorates, two of which are held by Liberal MPs.
In the seat of MacKillop, the ABC is reporting a 23.4 per cent swing away from the Liberals.
In the upper house, voters’ level of support for One Nation will guarantee the party a Legislative Council presence — certainly that of Cory Bernardi, the former federal Liberal senator who announced in February that he had joined One Nation and would lead the party’s ticket in the recent election.
Channelling voter frustration
Macintyre said that, on the ground, there were clear signs that voter attitudes had shifted in a more visible and confident way.
“Once upon a time, people who were going to vote One Nation were almost a bit embarrassed about it … but now there’s plenty of evidence of people brazenly walking up to One Nation saying, ‘I want your ticket’ and rejecting the rest of them,” he said.
Hanson’s appeal, he said, lay in her ability to channel voter frustration into a simple message.
“It’s a bit of a cliche, I know, but we often hear people say Pauline Hanson says what a lot of people are thinking. I think that’s true,” he said.
Support for One Nation was also buoyed by its ability to tap into discontent over cost-of-living, particularly among voters facing acute economic pressures, Macintyre added.
“If you’re a single parent renting a house, struggling to get kids to school … and you’re watching the price of food in the supermarket go up every week … there’s every reason to expect people to be frustrated and turning for political alternatives,” he said.
However, he said much of the political messaging has focused on issues that are beyond the scope of state government.
“A lot of the things that One Nation were campaigning on in South Australia actually are federal policies, not state policies,” he said.
As a result, he said the party’s ability to translate support into meaningful legislative influence in Australia may be limited.
The unpredictable election test
Hanson has been quick to frame One Nation’s success in South Australia as part of a broader national shift, saying on Saturday: “I think the rest of Australia is going to be watching what’s happening here tonight.”
“We’re coming to support you down there,” she added, referencing her party’s candidates who will run in Victoria’s November election.
“Where we are tonight, just to let you know, this is the low tide … I believe that our vote will rise even more.”
But despite the scale of the result, the conditions in which it was delivered may limit its broader significance, Macintyre said.
That sense of certainty shaped the behaviour of voters and parties alike, with Macintyre speculating it allowed those disillusioned to express frustration without risking a change of government.
“If you’re familiar with the phenomenon when we have a by-election, people know that they can express discontent with the government of the day and vote for another party, knowing that it won’t tip out the prevailing government,” he said.
He said a similar dynamic was at play in South Australia, where “a lot of liberal [voters] who were unhappy with how the Liberal Party was, knew that their vote wasn’t going to make a difference, and were able to vote for One Nation, knowing that Malinauskas was going to win and send a message to the Liberal Party”.
The question now, and the real litmus test, he said, is whether support for Hanson’s party holds in a more competitive contest.
“I want to see One Nation do what they’ve done in more ordinary electoral circumstances,” he said.
Left: Kiarra Jones (Arapahoe County Jail). Right: A screenshot of a video of Jones assaulting a child with autism on a Colorado school bus (KUSA/YouTube).
A school bus aide from Colorado is facing imprisonment after a disturbing video surfaced, capturing her hitting at least three nonverbal students with autism. The incident has left parents heartbroken, especially those who believed she was there to safeguard their children.
On Friday, Kiarra Jones, aged 30, was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison, as announced by prosecutors from the 18th Judicial District. Earlier in January, Jones had pled guilty to 10 counts of third-degree felony assault on at-risk children and two counts of misdemeanor child abuse.
Judge Laqunya Baker described the footage as “gut-wrenching” and asserted that a prison sentence was justified given the severity of the actions captured.
During the court proceedings, Kevin Yarbrough, a father of one of the affected children, delivered a poignant statement. “I stand before you today not just as a parent, but as a voice for my son who cannot stand here and speak for himself,” he declared, according to a report by Colorado Public Radio. “My son trusted the adults around him to protect him and was instead harmed by someone expected to care for him.”
“I stand before you today as not just a parent, but as a voice, a voice for my son who cannot stand here and speak for himself, a voice for a child who trusted adults around him to protect him and was instead hurt by someone who was supposed to care for him,” he said, according to a courtroom report from Colorado Public Radio.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the investigation began in 2024 when one of the students came home with bruises on his foot that were not there before. The boy”s mother called the bus director for Littleton Public Schools and asked to review the surveillance video from inside the buses. Video revealed that not only did Jones assault the boy on the day in question but she hit him on several occasions as well as other students. There were at least three victims.
Yarbrough previously told reporters after Jones pleaded guilty that he had “mixed emotions to say the least.”
“It’s frustrating,” said Kevin Yarbrough, per local CBS affiliate KCNC. “My son is not able to speak, so I feel my job as a father is to represent him in court, so it is frustrating. That being said, I am happy that the next step in this process is going forward. I’m happy that after two years of delays, she was finally able to take some accountability for what she did to our kids.”
The Littleton Police Department on March 28, 2024, learned about possible child abuse against a student on a Littleton Public Schools bus . Investigators reviewed video from the bus that showed Jones, a paraprofessional assigned to a student on the bus, hit the boy several times, according to police.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Jones on April 4, 2024, and took her to the Arapahoe County Jail, where she posted a $5,000 bond.
The parents of the three children have since hired a lawyer and said in a previous news conference their children suffered a knocked-out tooth, fractured bones and deep bruises. Jones, an employee with Littleton Schools, accompanied the kids on the bus each day as it took them to The Joshua School, which caters to students with autism.
The parents said they first noticed bumps and bruises on their then-10-year-old son in September 2023, according to local CBS affiliate KCNC. The boy’s injuries worsened over time, they said.
“They took my trust and spit on it,” the father said.
The mother took her concerns to The Joshua School, which told her the injuries did not happen while he was in their care. Littleton Public Schools allegedly told her there was nothing to be concerned about after she questioned them.
“I … got a phone call from Littleton police informing me that an LPS employee had severely abused my child,” she said. “I went to the LPS transportation building and was in utter shock.”
The parents chose to publicly release a surveillance video from the bus on the afternoon of March 18, 2024, that shows Jones elbowing and slapping the boy in the neck and face and stomping on his feet, seemingly unprovoked.
“How could someone that I trusted, someone that I was so friendly with do this to my little boy?” the mother said, fighting back tears. “The torture and torment of my sweet boy could’ve been stopped.”
Two other families reported similar injuries to their children.
The Joshua School said in a statement it first heard concerns from a mother about her child’s injuries in January 2024.
“Self-injurious behavior and unexplained bruising isn’t uncommon in our students, but because of the concern of a mother trying to identify the source of her child’s injuries, we contacted the [Littleton] school district to request a review of transportation footage for anything out of the ordinary,” the school said in a statement. “At that time, we were assured by LPS that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. We then continued to communicate and work with the mother to identify the source of her child’s injuries.”
Littleton schools gave Law&Crime the letter it sent to parents of students on the bus. The district claims it did not learn of the injuries until March 19, 2024. It then began an internal investigation and alerted law enforcement. The district fired Jones the same day.
“This kind of behavior cannot be and is not tolerated. As parents, you trust us with the well-being of your children and you should never have to worry about them being harmed when they are in our care,” the letter said.
Ed C. Hopkins, of the Rathod Mohamedbhai law firm, which represents three families, previously said the District Attorney’s Office notified the families of the additional charges against Jones for her “unspeakable and inhumane acts against autistic students.”
“The families commend the District Attorney’s Office for its diligence and commitment to bring these charges on behalf of our most valuable and vulnerable citizens, our children,” the law firm said. “These unprovoked assaults on a defenseless, severely disabled child are sickening. The limited information currently available indicates that abuse on the LPS bus began well before March 18, 2024. Each family is experiencing an immeasurable amount of pain, heartbreak, anger, and utter disillusionment as they seek justice for their children.”
Australians believe the country is at greater risk of a military attack in the next five years, with anxiety growing that Australia is not prepared for such an event, a new study has revealed.
A recent study conducted by the Australian National University reveals a significant portion of Australians are bracing for potential military conflict in the near future. Approximately 68% of Australians foresee the country becoming embroiled in a military conflict within the next five years, with half of those surveyed expressing concern that Australia itself could be directly attacked.
Among those anticipating such an attack, 43% fear it could have catastrophic consequences for the nation. Despite this, there is a prevailing sense of inadequacy regarding Australia’s preparedness to handle such a severe situation.
Australians fear the country could ocme under a military attack within the next five years. (Renee Nowytarger)
The study highlights that less than 20% of participants feel that Australia is ‘very’ or ‘fully’ prepared for a military conflict. In fact, the majority of respondents perceive the level of preparedness as only ‘slight’ or ‘moderate’.
Professor Rory Medcalf from ANU comments on the findings, stating, “In a time when our security landscape is changing, it would be wrong to assume that Australians are complacent. Most are concerned and want to know more.”
Terrorism has also become a bigger fear since the Bondi Beach shooting last year, with almost three-quarters of Australians rating it a serious issue in February, compared to just 55 per cent when asked the same question in November 2024.
“In a time when our security landscape is changing, it would be wrong to assume that Australians are complacent. Most are concerned and want to know more,” said ANU Professor Rory Medcalf.
Terrorism ha sbecome a bigger fear in the mind of Aussies after last year’s shooting at Bondi Beach. (Jessica Hromas)Petrol bowsers across NSW have begun running out of fuel. The ANU’s study found Australians fear disruption to critical supplies. (Nine)
The Australian government’s terrorism threat level is currently listed as “probable”, which means there is a more than 50 per cent chance of an attack in the next 12 months, or an attack being planned during this time.
Australia’s national spy agency ASIO said there was a “normalisation of provocative and inflammatory behaviours”, and warned the current conflict in the Middle East was resonating in Australia, and could motivate potential attacks.
They said any attack was most likely to be conducted by a lone perpetrator or a small group in a simple and low-cost manner.
“Basic weapons, such as knives, vehicles, explosives, and firearms can maximise casualties when combined with simple tactics,” the agency warns.
The survey, which took in responses from 20,000 people across the country, found non-military threats were viewed as more serious, with AI-attacks, severe economic crisis, and disruption to critical supplies viewed as significant fears for Australians.
With a disrupted oil supply leading to skyrocketing fuel prices and demand for petrol across the country due to the Middle East conflict, Australians’ fears may not be completely unfounded.
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