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Longest-serving US prisoner dies at 101 after escaping death penalty 8 times
A man believed to have been the longest-serving prisoner in U.S. history has died at the age of 101, having his execution scheduled and postponed eight times as he maintained his innocence despite a murder conviction in Connecticut.
Francis Clifford Smith died in his sleep in late June at 60 West, a secured Connecticut nursing facility that cares for older people in the justice system, according to the facility.
Smith, who was just months away from turning 102, was cremated without a funeral.
"Essentially, he died of old age," 60 West spokesman David Skoczulek told the BBC. "He had very limited family involvement around his passing but we assured it was appropriate, met his wishes and was dignified."
CALIFORNIA INMATE WHO SPENT 45 YEARS ON DEATH ROW FOR MURDERING PREGNANT WIFE DIES
Smith was 25 when he was first sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of Grover Hart, a 68-year-old night watchman at a Connecticut yacht club, during an attempted robbery on July 23, 1949. Smith was one of two men arrested in connection with the killing. The other man, George Lowden, took a plea deal and initially implicated Smith, although Lowden later said authorities had beaten him into making the statement and refused to testify against Smith at trial.
Over the next 76 years, Smith was scheduled to be executed eight different times, but he was spared on each occasion, according to the Boston Globe.
He continued to maintain his innocence up until his death, his friends told the BBC.
"I’m in here on no evidence at all," he told the Boston Globe in 2023.
Over the years, questions about the evidence against Smith emerged as a witness recanted, Lowden repudiated his earlier statement implicating Smith and another man claimed responsibility for Hart's killing. Those developments contributed to repeated efforts to prevent Smith's execution and obtain a new trial.
"I'm not even sure he was present at the murder," Major Leo Carroll, one of the officers who had interrogated Smith after his arrest, testified to the Board of Pardons right before his eight planned execution, according to the Boston Globe.
A key witness later recanted her account linking Smith to the crime, while Lowden repudiated his earlier statement implicating Smith. Another man serving time in Alabama later claimed that he, rather than Smith, had been involved in Hart's killing.
Smith nevertheless never received a new trial. A judge who reviewed the other man's confession rejected it as not credible, and Smith's murder conviction remained intact.
Smith’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1954.
He served 76 years behind bars, except for three short stints of freedom, including 12 days on the run after he escaped in 1967.
Then, in 1975, he was granted parole and remained free for about 10 months before he was arrested on larceny and weapons charges and returned to prison for violating parole. The Boston Globe reported that he was not ultimately convicted of those charges.
Records indicate Smith declined or refused to participate in several later parole efforts, although he later disputed that characterization and said he could not remember. But in 2020, he agreed to go on supervised parole to the nursing facility where he recently died.
He reportedly had dementia at the end of his life. Connecticut’s Department of Correction has not confirmed this diagnosis but said Smith was struggling with issues associated with old age.
"He was 101 and a half," Andrius Banevicius, the public information officer for Connecticut’s Department of Correction, told the BBC. "He did pretty well as far as longevity is concerned."
Charter plane crashes near remote radar site in western Alaska, killing all 8 aboard
A charter plane carrying two pilots and six passengers crashed at a remote radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, killing all eight people aboard, the U.S. military said via The Associated Press.
The crash occurred at Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, approximately 450 miles west of Anchorage, according to the AP.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson said the flight was chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and confirmed that two USACE employees were among those killed.
"We have received confirmation that the two USACE employees onboard were fatalities. Next of kin have been notified," officials said in a statement. "We are coordinating closely with the appropriate local, state, and federal authorities."
"This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve," U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, said in a statement obtained by the AP.
The twin-engine Cessna was operated by Security Aviation and had been chartered to fly from Anchorage to Cape Newenham, located about 40 miles south of Goodnews Bay, according to KTUU.
Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska region chief, previously told the AP that two pilots and six passengers were aboard the aircraft.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said it launched a search-and-rescue mission after receiving a report of an "aircraft incident" near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, reacted to the crash on X, offering condolences and noting her personal experience flying with Security Aviation.
"I join Alaskans in condolences as we learn of the plane crash in Cape Newenham today," Murkowski wrote. "I've traveled extensively with Security Aviation throughout Alaska, and have met many of their experienced pilots."
"I appreciate the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB, Alaska State Troopers, and the Rescue Coordination Center for responding to the site," she continued. "Alaska is praying for those on board, their loved ones, and the team at Security Aviation."
Fox News has reached out to Alaskan Command, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center for additional information.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
‘Darth Vader’ uses dark side to mock controversial surveillance cameras: 'The Emperor is a fan of Flock'
A man dressed up as the "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader showed up at a San Diego City Council meeting to mockingly defend Flock police surveillance cameras, telling council members "this is what the emperor needs."
He approached the podium at the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee meeting on Wednesday, complete with Darth Vader's trademark heavy breathing heard through the council chamber’s microphone.
The committee members even addressed the man as ‘Darth Vader’ as he appeared to mock the Flock-linked surveillance system, suggesting the surveillance tool could be an asset to the dark side.
"This is what the emperor needs. This technology will help us find the rebel scum and the hidden base on Hoth," the man said, referring to the frozen planet from "The Empire Strikes Back."
He said the technology "will help us find Luke Skywalker as he traverses the universe in his X-Wing. This technology is a necessary, necessary force."
"The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium, because we all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers, they are following children," he said.
He added that he needs the cameras "so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend."
Addressing City Council member Jennifer Campbell, the man said she needs to work on her Jedi mind tricks.
"And how will the people trust this City Council when this City Council continues to vote for surveillance technology that imprisons them? Ms. Campbell, you must work on your Jedi mind tricks," he said before waving his hand to the audience.
In December 2025, the San Diego Police Department signed a one-year pilot agreement for Flock Nova, a separate investigative platform designed to integrate data from various sources. The department later said it was not using the platform and did not plan to integrate its license plate reader data into it. SDPD later told Axios it was not using the platform and did not plan to integrate its license plate reader data into it.
LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS AT HOME DEPOT AND LOWE’S SPARK PRIVACY FEARS
Local activists and some city officials have called for alternatives as public criticism of the cameras continues to mount in communities across the country, Axios reported.
SDPD uses Flock automated license plate recognition cameras at approximately 500 locations citywide, according to the department’s 2025 annual surveillance report. A crowdsourced map maintained by the anti-surveillance project DeFlock lists additional cameras in the area, though its entries are not an official city inventory.
San Diego police say the technology is used for official law enforcement purposes, including locating vehicles connected to investigations. The department says its ALPR database can only be accessed by authorized SDPD personnel and that data is retained for up to 30 days and automatically deleted unless it is preserved as evidence in an active investigation.
Flock offers automated license plate readers, video cameras and audio-detection products. Its license plate readers capture plate numbers along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color, and some Flock systems can identify distinguishing features such as bumper stickers or aftermarket modifications.
Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband has quietly remarried and started over amid her murder trial
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1—800-273-TALK (8255).
When Patrick Clancy took the stand in his ex-wife's murder trial, he had already begun building a new life in New York City, more than four hours away from the Duxbury, Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy killed their kids.
Lindsay Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family's home in January 2023. The prosecution concluded its case Monday morning, and her defense attorney has since begun presenting arguments, asserting that she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis when she killed her children.
Patrick Clancy, a business applications sales executive at Microsoft, has since divorced Lindsay, relocated to New York City and wed Dr. Rachel Danis in a Central Park ceremony in spring 2026. She reportedly moved into Patrick's Upper East Side apartment in 2025.
He moved to New York City in spring 2023, just months after Lindsay Clancy killed their three children, according to public records obtained by the New York Post, and filed for divorce in February 2024.
Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney, said in court that Patrick "suffered one of the worst tragedies that anyone could ever suffer."
"How that guy is not an emotional basketcase is beyond me, and he is trying hard to move on with his life. As the court is aware, they’re divorced, he’s remarried, he has a family," Reddington said.
Danis and Patrick Clancy have no children together, though she has spoken publicly about wanting to become a mother.
LINDSAY CLANCY’S EX-HUSBAND DETAILS PILL USE AS EXPERT SAYS EVIDENCE COULD SHAPE MURDER TRIAL
"I remember when I first froze my eggs, I felt like, I mean, even sometimes still, feel like this black sheep," she said on the Fertility Forward podcast in September 2024. "I think for women, it’s just really hard. We have so much pressure to balance career and personal growth, but like, we’re riddled with this fertility stuff."
Patrick Clancy was seen with his wife, Rachel Danis, on Aug. 13 at an apartment in Manhattan, a source told TMZ.
A shared passion for hiking and fitness brought the couple together, Men's Journal reported.
Patrick Clancy, along with family members, founded the Heard Foundation, which seeks to "change how parents are cared for—so no parent faces perinatal mental illness in silence and no family is left behind."
According to the foundation's website, it was "founded in memory of Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy."
Just days after Lindsay Clancy killed her kids in January 2023, Patrick wrote on a GoFundMe page, "I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have...The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone - me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients."
"The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace," he wrote.
Patrick Clancy remained composed while testifying in his ex-wife's murder trial, though he struggled to hold back tears as he spoke about his children.
LINDSAY CLANCY JURORS VISIT CRIME SCENE IN KAREN READ-STYLE MOVE TO TEST TIMELINE: RETIRED JUDGE
"Cora was into princesses and she had a lot of friends," Patrick Clancy said. "She just liked taking care of people."
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He said that Callan, the youngest child, "was just a happy baby."
LINDSAY CLANCY JUDGE SHIELDS 911 CALL, AUTOPSY PHOTOS IN MOM’S TRIPLE-MURDER TRIAL
Patrick Clancy said Dawson "liked the television show Paw Patrol" and was into firefighters and trucks.
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Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney, noted in an interview with Fox News Digital that Patrick Clancy's own mother, Susan Clancy, was a witness for the defense.
PROSECUTOR CORNERS LINDSAY CLANCY'S CATHOLIC MOTHER-IN-LAW WITH 'MORTAL SIN' QUESTION
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"She is extremely sympathetic to what Lindsay was going through. And if you thought that, you know, anybody would wanna be upset about the loss of their grandchildren, it would be her, correct? She's the father's mother, and she's there supporting Lindsay so much so that she nodded to her as she walked out of the courtroom in this unbelievable, I think, show of humanity," Rotunno said.
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Sheila Cavanaugh, a board-certified chaplain at Brigham and Women's Hospital, testified Thursday that during her visit with Lindsay Clancy on Jan. 31, 2023 — just days after she killed her children — the woman accused of murder told her, "I am so glad my children are safe."
Cavanaugh said she responded that the children were safe in heaven with God, and the two prayed together.
Judge William Sullivan ended court early on Thursday after one witness testified, sending jurors home until Friday.
No, the Dodgers didn't sign Shohei Ohtani or build a superteam because of Mark Walter's loans
The Los Angeles Dodgers have become baseball's evil empire over the last few years, starting with the signing of Shohei Ohtani in late 2023.
They added Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez and Tyler Glasnow that offseason as well, then won the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees. And instead of resting on their laurels, they kept going afterward. The front office signed Tanner Scott and Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki chose LA over the other interested teams and they brought back Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez. Then won the World Series again.
In the 2025-2026 offseason, baseball fans, particularly on X, lost their collective minds and any and all connection with rationality when LA added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz. Nobody could compete with the Dodgers talent, the argument went, and with no weaknesses, they were virtually unstoppable other than with a salary cap.
MLB'S SALARY CAP PROPOSAL WON'T FIX THE LEAGUE'S NON-EXISTENT COMPETITIVE BALANCE PROBLEMS
Fast forward to August, and Tucker's been a below average hitter this year and Edwin Díaz has an ERA around 12. The Dodgers went just 2-11 over a recent stretch against the Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Those Brewers, near the bottom in total payroll, have the best record in baseball, along with the tiebreaker over LA in the race for the best record in the National League.
The Dodgers' financial advantages over most teams, and their success in building consistently competitive rosters, has created a subculture of fans who view LA as the ultimate enemy. Fans who prefer when teams do not try to win, and when billionaire owners pocket more profits instead of signing players. And those fans were given an enormous gift when news broke that one of the team's owners, Mark Walter, was under investigation by the federal government over a series of loans connected to insurance companies he owns and controls.
The details of the investigation are complicated, to say the least, but the short version is that two companies Walter controls, both insurance companies, used investor funds on private-credit deals, essentially making loans directly to businesses. Some of those businesses were also under Walter's control.
This isn't entirely unusual, but the scale of it allegedly seems to go well beyond what's "typical" in these types of investments, and there are questions about how they were handled in investor disclosures.
The scale of the potentially improper loans could be quite significant, with some reports putting it at $16 billion and others at $20 billion. Even for someone as wealthy as Walter, that's a lot of money. Which could explain why he was willing, or even looking, to sell the Los Angeles Lakers after just a year as team owner, for $12.5 billion.
The widespread reaction to this on some corners of baseball internet has been that the insurance company loans meant that the Dodgers payroll and team is based on fraud. Particularly that the massive deferrals built into Shohei Ohtani's contract are part of some sort of Ponzi scheme. That is inaccurate, not what the investigation covers, and viral posts on X are misleading people either through incompetence or purposefully misleading information.
One such example? That the Dodgers pioneered deferred contracts or took advantage of deferrals to sign Ohtani. Deferred contracts have been in place in Major League Baseball for decades, and most teams in the league have either used that strategy or are currently using it.
Rafael Devers has $75 million deferred. Jose Ramirez has $70 million. Alex Bregman has $70 million. Corbin Burnes has $64 million. Dylan Cease has $64 million. Max Scherzer, Anthony Santander, Francisco Lindor, Nolan Arenado, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, Framber Valdez, Christopher Sanchez and Devin Williams are all examples of players with significant deferred compensation.
Yes, the Dodgers have used it more aggressively than other teams, but the assumption that deferred contracts are simply pushed out for free is wrong. Teams are required to put the present value of the deferred amount into specific accounts within roughly two years of the season the money was made. Organizations and owners can't just use the deferral system to offload every dollar to decades in the future, it has to be accounted for in the present day.
Ohtani's specific case, which started the misinformed outrage over deferrals, is even less controversial. The Dodgers didn't demand he take just $2 million in salary and pay the $68 million later, he offered it. And he didn't just offer it to the Dodgers. When deciding between LA, the Giants, Blue Jays and Angels, Ohtani's agent presented the same arrangement to all the interested parties. The Dodgers, Blue Jays and Giants accepted, the Angels didn't. Had he picked the Blue Jays, as was rumored, they'd be the ones with $680 million in deferred payments, not the Dodgers.
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Deferrals are not simply to benefit ownership either. For players in high tax states like California or New York, deferring that money to after their playing days are over can save them millions in taxes. The money is accounted for, safely in an specific investment account, they still receive big paychecks now, but get tens of millions in their retirement each year, when they live in Florida or Arizona, with much lower income tax rates than they pay in LA.
Another supposed controversy? That the Dodgers, and by extension, Walter, own part of the Spectrum SportsNet LA channel. The YES Network is also partially owned by the New York Yankees, along with Main Street Sports Group, Amazon, The Blackstone Group, Red Bird Capital Partners and other investment groups. Welcome to modern financing in the sports world.
Walter, too, owns just 27% of the Dodgers, with the rest broken up among members of the Guggenheim Partners group and other individuals. He may or may not need to sell his portion, but that would leave 73% of current ownership in place.
Opposing fans on X have spent the past few days saying the Dodgers are broke, bankrupt, that this is worse than the Astros' cheating scandal, or that the entire organization is fraudulent and they signed players because of fraud. None of this is remotely accurate.
It was widely reported not long ago that the Dodgers were the first team to bring in over $1 billion in revenue, with the contention being that their television deal is the sole reason for financial advantages over other organizations. The television deal, again, another source of inaccurate information, averages around $325 million per year. That leaves $675 million, at least, in revenue from other income streams.
LA also benefits from an MLB rule that shields some of their television income from the revenue sharing that goes to small market teams, due to the team's bankruptcy under previous owner Frank McCourt. Estimates vary, but most estimate around $55 million to 60 million in revenue sharing that the Dodgers are able to keep. Even if that money were distributed to the other 29 teams, that's $2 million per team, per year, at best. Hardly enough to close the payroll disparity.
The Dodgers are baseball's enemy because their ownership group has shown a willingness to win, and their front office is smart enough to do so. The Mets spend as much, or more, than the Dodgers. They have deferred contracts and signed the richest contract in sports history. They're also bad, so nobody cares.
As is so often the case, though, the facts don't matter. Anger and outrage do. Even if the Dodgers had a smaller TV deal that guaranteed half of its current value, they'd have made more than $830 million in 2025. If Mark Walter sells his 27% stake, it doesn't mean the team will be broke or bankrupt. The deferred contracts have nothing to do with Walter's insurance company loans. Nothing they've done with those contracts is illegal or against MLB rules. Does it matter to the angry masses? No, of course not.
Reality never does.
Paige Bueckers grabs Caitlin Clark’s arm, draws foul in tense moment before halftime of Wings win over Fever
Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers added another memorable moment to their growing on-court rivalry Thursday night, this time in the closing seconds of the first half of Dallas’ eventual 91-85 win over Indiana.
With less than 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Clark controlled the ball as Bueckers played defense. Bueckers then wrapped up Clark’s left arm in an effort to stop the possession before halftime. The Wings notably had a foul to give at the time.
Clark appeared frustrated by the contact as Bueckers continued trying to complete the foul. Clark then reacted and fired the ball down the court, with it sailing near Bueckers’ head before the two teams headed to the locker room.
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The moment sparked a brief exchange between the two star guards, though television microphones did not clearly pick up what was said.
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Bueckers was whistled for a common foul on the play, but the tension seemed to carry into the second half. She was later assessed a technical foul after arguing with an official following a separate foul on Clark in the third quarter.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 37 points, while Clark finished with a team-high nine assists. For Dallas, Arike Ogunbowale scored a team-best 32 points, and Bueckers added eight assists.
Just last week, the Fever and Wings squared off, with Clark and Bueckers delivering matching 29-point performances. Indiana ultimately pulled away for a 98-87 victory, but Clark came away impressed with the Dallas star.
"Obviously, she's an incredible player. [She] makes it really hard on us defensively... Paige is a tremendous player," Clark told reporters during a postgame media availability. "She takes what the defense gives her; she doesn't force anything; she's smooth; she finds the open teammate. So she's just a really tough guard."
Fernando Mendoza throws pick-six in second NFL game as Raiders rookie faces growing pains
And now a reminder that Fernando Mendoza is going to have some difficult moments as a rookie, even though he was the NFL's first overall draft pick and is the hope for a bright future for the Las Vegas Raiders.
On his second pass of the preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday night, Mendoza threw an interception.
And not just any interception, because Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz plucked the ball out of the air and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.
RAIDERS ROOKIE FERNANDO MENDOZA THANKS GOD FOR NFL DEBUT THAT COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH 'MR. BRADY'
No bueno, as they say in Miami, where Mendoza was born and grew up.
Mendoza, clearly downcast, was seen red-faced on the Raiders sideline after the play even as some teammates tried to console him.
Veteran Maxx Crosby, perhaps the Raiders' most accomplished player, was among the first to try to console young Mendoza.
"Yeah, that's football, you know? It's not gonna be perfect, you know?" Crosby told ESPN's Laura Rutledge on the sideline. "He's a rookie. You got to go through, you know, some ups and downs as part of the game, and it's how you respond.
"So that's basically what I just told him, keep being yourself, keep playing."
RAIDERS NEW HEAD COACH KLINT KUBIAK NAMES KIRK COUSINS STARTING QB OVER NO. 1 PICK FERNANDO MENDOZA
This outing was nowhere near as clean or efficient for Mendoza as his NFL debut last week. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a TD pass. More importantly, Mendoza did not throw an interception in that game.
He finished this game completing just over 50% of his passes (8 of 15) and his abysmal passer rating of 42.6 reflected the errant throw returned for a score.
Mendoza was also erratic in the first half before his evening ended. He had the interception, then completed six consecutive throws, then missed on two more throws, although one of those was dropped.
"Part of what [Mendoza] will learn as he moves through this game tonight, if he plays next week, and then throughout his rookie season, when he gets on the field, is that the relationship between defender and receiver is a lot tighter than what it was in college," said ESPN analyst Troy Aikman, himself a former No. 1 overall selection.
"And these guys are that much quicker, and that goes on the inside of the field when they play the ball, as well as on the outside."
Shorter transcript: Guys in the NFL are faster and Mendoza needs to figure that out pronto.
In that regard, perhaps Mendoza's second NFL game and first start will provide exactly that lesson.
Jury awards teens $550K after Oregon amusement park ride left them hanging upside down: report
A jury awarded $550,000 to two teenage girls who were left hanging upside down for nearly 30 minutes when an amusement park ride malfunctioned in Oregon.
The jury voted 10-2 this week to award the teens $275,000 each in their case against Oaks Park and ride manufacturer Zamperla over the June 2024 malfunction of the AtmosFEAR ride in Portland, according to FOX 12 Oregon.
About 30 riders were stranded upside down when the spinning pendulum-style ride became stuck in a vertical position on June 14, 2024.
EXCLUSIVE: TEEN GIRLS RECALL JERSEY SHORE RIDE MALFUNCTION THAT LEFT THEM STUCK HANGING UPSIDE DOWN
Portland Fire & Rescue crews responded and worked with park engineers to manually lower the ride. The riders were brought down safely after roughly 25 minutes and medically evaluated.
Oaks Park said in a statement to FOX 12 following the verdict:
"While we agree that the ride should not have become stuck, we are grateful that all of the riders are safe, and this incident is now resolved," the statement read. "Safety is our top priority, and we will continue to work with ride manufacturers and state inspectors to ensure rider safety."
The family of one of the teens, identified as Evie, said Thursday that the lawsuit was intended to seek accountability.
"We filed this lawsuit to seek accountability and justice. Not only should the ride have never malfunctioned, but the crisis was further exacerbated by the lack of a safety plan at Oaks Park. They did not possess any knowledge of how to fix the ride if it got stuck in the inverted position, and did not have a tool at the park to lower the ride and rescue the riders," they told FOX 12.
"That required calling a 1-800 number to even know how to fix the ride, then wait for first responders to arrive on scene, and for the first responders to provide the tool. Additionally, Oaks Park evacuated the park without providing traffic control, which delayed first responders from being able to enter the park quickly in an emergency, prolonging suffering."
The malfunction occurred on the park's first day of the summer season. Video from the incident showed riders suspended vertically as people gathered below.
A spokesperson for Zamperla and Oaks Park did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Mom of ex-SJSU volleyball star Brooke Slusser leads 8th 'Sophie Night' rally in Dallas before Fever vs Wings
Kim Slusser, the mother of former San Jose State volleyball star Brooke Slusser, helped lead the 8th rally in support of Sophie Cunningham in Dallas on Wednesday.
Kim Slusser and the Texas-based Christian advocacy and policy organization Texas Values held the rally outside of American Airlines Center ahead of the Dallas Wings game against Cunningham and the Fever.
Kim Slusser gave a speech at Thursday's event, sharing her daughter's story of having to share a volleyball team and an apartment with a transgender teammate without knowing the athlete was a biological male. The entire Slusser family was thrust into the national spotlight in fall 2024 when Brooke decided to sign onto Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA, citing her experience at SJSU.
"Almost overnight Brooke was launched into a media frenzy, there were reporters, cameras, social media, and suddenly, people all over the world were celebrating, and in some cases, smearing our youngest daughter. It was overwhelming at times, and nothing our family was ever prepared for," Kim said at her speech.
"And that's why it means so much to our family to be here in our home state Texas, supporting Sophie Cunningham. Sophie chose to use her voice to stand up for women and girls in sports. And what she's standing for is really very simple. Girls deserve a fair chance to compete. They deserve the opportunities created for female athletes. They deserve privacy in their locker rooms and in their apartments."
Kim Slusser spoke to Fox News Digital after her speech about what Cunningham means to her family.
"My daughter Brooke went through a lot at San Jose State University... it's one of the hardest thing our family has ever been through. So to see a woman speak up, and now its' becoming a movement... People are starting to come around and have a little more common sense thanks to Sophie because she's one of the few professional athletes that has come out and spoken up."
Kim Slusser added she is rooting for Cunningham in the game against the Wings, but is open to supporting the Wings and WNBA as a whole if they follow Cunningham's lead.
"I would prefer they acknowledge what the W means in the WNBA. I know they had a meeting last week and couldn't quite figure out what the W stood for so they're going to have to reconvene," she said.
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SEES SUPPORT SURGE AFTER STAR PUTS CAREER ON LINE FOR GIRLS SPORTS
"I think focus on sport and focus on the women and focus on the many, and not on the ideology that they're focusing on."
The Cunningham rallies have shaken the WNBA since the first one in Seattle in July. What started as isolated demonstrations has quickly snowballed into a season-defining narrative, forcing the WNBA to navigate a level of ideological polarization rarely seen in the league.
Since that first rally, a co-owner has been suspended for berating two young girls who supported Cunningham in Seattle, four coaches have come under fire for their answers to questions about their stance on protecting women's sports, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have declared for the WNBA Draft and the league has had to put out a statement after fans at Sunday's Fever vs. Dream game were told to cover their XX-XY Athletics shirts.
While the WNBA and its players' union have fiercely defended their inclusive policies, the persistence of the rallies — and the loud, visible support they have generated for Cunningham’s stance — has introduced a divisive undercurrent to the season. It has forced league executives into defensive public relations postures, dominated sports talk cycles, and sparked intense debates among fanbases, creating a fracture that front offices are struggling to manage.
Ultimately, these ongoing protests have transformed the season into a highly visible battleground for the broader national debate on women's sports.
As the regular season pushes toward the playoffs, the narrative remains heavily anchored to the noise outside the arenas. For the WNBA, navigating the rest of the year will require managing not just the fiercely competitive basketball on the court, but the inescapable, polarizing movement that has firmly attached itself to the league's doorstep.
Venezuelans, Cubans, Colombians arrive in African nation under Trump deportation deal
Authorities in Liberia received the country’s first deportation flight from the U.S. on Thursday under an agreement with Washington to accept up to 1,200 foreign nationals over the next year.
The West African nation, which was expected to receive 20 deportees, received nationals mostly from Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia, Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah told Reuters.
Many of the deportees were sent to Liberia to seek protection from being returned to their home countries, where judges determined they could face torture or other abuse, Liberian officials said. Liberia has said the arrivals reflect its longstanding role as a sanctuary for displaced people.
Officials said the migrants will be "free to depart the country" when desired or apply for formal asylum. The deportees will also receive services from the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. refugee agency, officials said, Reuters reported.
SOUTH AFRICA’S ILLEGAL MIGRATION BACKLASH MIRRORS POLITICAL BATTLES ACROSS THE WEST
According to Reuters, the plane departed from Louisiana and stopped in Senegal before landing in Monrovia at 12:45 p.m. local time.
In a statement Tuesday, Liberia highlighted its history of accepting people "seeking refuge from political and other crises" and said it will not repatriate anyone until legal proceedings are complete.
"The Government of the Republic of Liberia agrees not to return any person transferred to Liberia by the Government of the United States of America to their home country or country of former habitual residence until a final decision has been made regarding any pending protection claims," officials said.
"The Government wants to emphasize that those being brought to Liberia are not criminals and are not being prosecuted in any manner under United States or Liberian law. They are being received as guests of the Republic of Liberia," officials said.
DHS TOUTS MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DEPARTURES AS BORDER CROSSINGS DROP 94% UNDER TRUMP
Liberia said it is not demanding compensation under the deal but will receive "support to help manage the program and strengthen its migration system more broadly."
Reuters said the U.S. awarded Liberia $5 million this year for "migration management activities."
Liberia’s agreement to accept up to 1,200 deportees makes it one of the largest such deals on the African continent.
The U.S. also reached agreements with several other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Reuters said.
Reuters contributed to this report.