Hartford, CT
News
The Ice Bucket Challenge Is Going Viral Again: Here's Why It's Back The Ice Bucket Challenge Is Going Viral Again: Here's Why It's Back
The Ice Bucket Challenge Is Going Viral Again: Here's Why It's Back More than a decade after the "ice bucket challenge" raised millions for ALS, the viral phenomenon has been rebooted with a new mission. The social media challenge from the mid-2010s was revived by the Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club at the University of South Carolina. MIND posted its first Instagram video of the challenge on Monday, March 31. The ice bucket challenge is now a fundraising effort for the mental health support group Active Minds. The movement has generated more than $195,000 in donations as of Monday, April 21. The group's founder, South Carolina junior…

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by Chris Spiker
Harrisburg, PA
News
LISTEN: Cody Balmer’s 911 Call Before Firebombing Gov. Shapiro’s Residence Mentions Palestine LISTEN: Cody Balmer’s 911 Call Before Firebombing Gov. Shapiro’s Residence Mentions Palestine
Listen: Cody Balmer’s 911 Call Before Firebombing Gov. Shapiro’s Residence Mentions Palestine Just hours before Molotov cocktails were hurled into the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, a man now charged in the attack made a chilling 911 call claiming Gov. Josh Shapiro was targeting Palestinians and hurting his family. Cody Allen Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, is accused of breaking a window at the Governor’s official residence with a hammer and throwing incendiary devices inside while Shapiro, his wife Lori, and their children were sleeping early Sunday, April 13. In a 911 call obtained by Daily Voice on Friday, April 18, Balmer told dispatchers: “Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know t…

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by Jillian Pikora
Harrisburg, PA
News
‘Irritable And Agitated’: Cody Balmer’s Mom Sought Help Days Before Governor’s Mansion Arson ‘Irritable And Agitated’: Cody Balmer’s Mom Sought Help Days Before Governor’s Mansion Arson
‘Irritable And Agitated’: Cody Balmer’s Mom Sought Help Days Before Governor’s Mansion Arson Days before the firebombing at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, the mother of accused arsonist Cody Balmer pleaded with police, fearing her son was suffering from a mental health breakdown, Penbrook police announced in a release on Tuesday, April 15. On April 10 — just three days before the Molotov cocktail attack that forced Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family to evacuate — Balmer’s mother, Christie, contacted the Penbrook Police Department to report that her son had left home without explanation. She told officers that she believed he stopped taking his medications about a year ago and …

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by Jillian Pikora
Mamaroneck, NY
Police & Fire
Homeless Man Cuts Bus Seat With Knife, Follows Victim In Mamaroneck: Police Homeless Man Cuts Bus Seat With Knife, Follows Victim In Mamaroneck: Police
Homeless Man Cuts Bus Seat With Knife, Follows Victim In Mamaroneck: Police A 35-year-old man was taken into custody after allegedly damaging multiple properties in Westchester with a knife, including businesses and a seat on a Bee-Line bus, police said.  Jeremie Preson, who is homeless, was arrested on Friday, April 11, following multiple reports of his alleged use of a knife to damage property in the Village of Mamaroneck, the village's police department announced.  The first such report came in at around 2:01 p.m. on Friday, when Village of Mamaroneck Police received a 911 call about a man using a knife to damage a wall at a business on the 100 block o…

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by Ben Crnic
Schenectady, NY
Schools
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At Capital Region Campus: Cops School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At Capital Region Campus: Cops
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At Capital Region Campus: Cops A school employee was placed on leave after allegedly having inappropriate conversations with students at a campus in upstate New York, police said. Schoharie County resident Paul Hallock, 65, of Cobleskill, was arrested Thursday, April 10, following a New York State Police investigation into alleged misconduct at William H. Golding Middle School. An investigation found that Hallock, who works as a lunch monitor at the school, engaged in inappropriate conversations with multiple students between October 2024 and February of this year, according to police. Troopers opened a formal investig…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lower Paxton, PA
News
Man Shot Dead, House Set Ablaze In Lower Paxton Murder-Suicide, Fundraiser Launched Man Shot Dead, House Set Ablaze In Lower Paxton Murder-Suicide, Fundraiser Launched
Man Shot Dead, House Set Ablaze In Lower Paxton Murder-Suicide, Fundraiser Launched A fundraiser has been launched for Gary Gibson, who was fatally shot by his girlfriend Alysse Saucedo in a murder-suicide that ended with their house set on fire in Lower Paxton Township. Officers and firefighters were called to 6524 Fairfax Drive around 10:20 a.m. on Sunday, March 30 for a house fire with possible entrapment, according to a release by the Lower Paxton Township Bureau of Police the following day. Inside the smoke-filled home, first responders found Saucedo, 33, unresponsive in a second-floor hallway. She was pulled from the home but never regained consciousness, authorities…

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by Jillian Pikora
Lebanon, PA
News
Lebanon County Trooper In Four Fatal Shootings, $3M+ Settlements Promoted To Corporal Lebanon County Trooper In Four Fatal Shootings, $3M+ Settlements Promoted To Corporal
Lebanon County Trooper In Four Fatal Shootings, $3M+ Settlements Promoted To Corporal A Pennsylvania State Police trooper involved in four fatal shootings — with civil settlements exceeding $3 million — has been promoted to corporal, officials confirmed. Trooper Jay Splain will assume his new rank effective Saturday, April 12, while continuing to serve in the department’s Member Assistance Program, a confidential peer support unit for PSP personnel and their families. Latest Fatal Shooting: Lebanon County Arrest Attempt Splain most recently fatally shot Andrew J. Dzwonchyk, 40, of Jonestown, during an arrest attempt at a home on the 60 block of Ridge Drive in Union Township …

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by Jillian Pikora
Stone Ridge, VA
Lifestyle
These Are Top Signs You Need A Vacation, Survey Reveals These Are Top Signs You Need A Vacation, Survey Reveals
These Are Top Signs You Need A Vacation, Survey Reveals If your mind starts drifting to sandy beaches while you're still staring at your inbox, you're not alone. A new survey finds that nearly six in 10 Americans are mentally “out of office” before they even set their OOO message. And seven in 10 say they’re already in vacation mode three days before departure. The poll, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of CheapCaribbean, analyzed the habits and mindset of 2,000 American adults when it comes to preparing for a getaway — and the results suggest many are long overdue for some time off. Among those surveyed, 47 percent of employed respondent…

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by Joe Lombardi
Somerville, MA
News
Netflix’s ‘The Clubhouse’ Reveals Red Sox’s 2024 Season On, Off Field Netflix’s ‘The Clubhouse’ Reveals Red Sox’s 2024 Season On, Off Field
Netflix’s ‘The Clubhouse’ Reveals Red Sox’s 2024 Season On, Off Field Netflix aims for a home run with its latest sports documentary, "The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox."  The eight-part docuseries offers an unprecedented look into the Boston Red Sox's 2024 season, providing fans with intimate access to players, coaches, and executives as they navigate the highs and lows of life in the MLB. ​ "The Clubhouse" not only offers a behind-the-scenes look at the team's dynamics but also delves into personal stories that transcend the sport, making it a compelling watch for both baseball enthusiasts and those interested in narratives of personal triumph.​ …

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by Vira Mamchur Schwartz
Killingly-Danielson, CT
Police & Fire
Killingly Man Strangled Cat, Stabbed Woman In Neck Amid ‘Downward Spiral': Police Killingly Man Strangled Cat, Stabbed Woman In Neck Amid ‘Downward Spiral': Police
Killingly Man Strangled Cat, Stabbed Woman In Neck Amid ‘Downward Spiral': Police A Connecticut man in a "downward spiral" allegedly strangled a cat to death and attacked a woman with a knife, authorities said. Mackenzie Anderson, 26, of Killingly, was arrested Thursday, April 3, and charged with malicious killing of an animal, disorderly conduct, assault with a weapon, and unlawful restraint, Connecticut State Police said. Troopers responded to a Killingly home on Saturday, March 29, after a woman reported that Anderson had attacked her. He denies the claims, police said. A neighbor called 911 after the woman banged on their door around 7 a.m., pleading for help. The …

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by Josh Lanier
Bristol, PA
News
'He Died Trying To Save His Son:' Remembering The Bristol Family Killed In Train Crash 'He Died Trying To Save His Son:' Remembering The Bristol Family Killed In Train Crash
'He Died Trying To Save His Son:' Remembering The Bristol Family Killed In Train Crash A Bucks County dad is being remembered as a hero after and two of his sons were killed by an Amtrak train, officials confirmed. GoFundMe photo Christopher Cramp died trying to save his son on Thursday, April 3, according to Nick Emeigh, director of NAMI Bucks County. “If there’s anyone who would give his own life trying to save someone else, it would be Chris. He was a hero.” Bucks County Coroner Patricia Campi identified the trio as 56-year-old Cramp, 31-year-old David Cramp, and 24-year-old Thomas Cramp. Both David and Thomas Cramp also had children, those who knew the family…

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by Cecilia Levine
Englewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Suicidal Ridgewood Man Pulled From Edge Of Cliff In Dramatic Rescue, Cops Say Suicidal Ridgewood Man Pulled From Edge Of Cliff In Dramatic Rescue, Cops Say
Suicidal Ridgewood Man Pulled From Edge Of Cliff In Dramatic Rescue, Cops Say A 28-year-old man from Ridgewood was rescued from the edge of the cliff at Rockefeller Lookout Monday evening, March 31, after threatening to jump, authorities said. At 4:46 p.m., the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police were alerted by a family member that the man was suicidal and threatening to jump, PIPPD Chief Steven R. Shallop said. Officers rushed to the scene and quickly found the man standing at the edge of the cliff. “Members of the Parkway Police built a rapport with the male and were quickly able to calm the scene,” Shallop said. The Port Authority Police Emergency Servi…

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by Cecilia Levine