Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray News) – A 15-year-old was arrested in connection with a mass shooting that took place near Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday night.
Police Chief Lawrence Revell announced Monday morning during a press conference that Anthony Rivers III was charged with 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
At least 11 people were shot and injured, including six minors who, the chief said, did not appear to be the intended targets. The youngest victim was 11 years old. Revell said he believes one of the victims is a FAMU student.
Tallahassee Police Officers respond to shooting near FAMU's campus(wctv)
“It is incredibly troubling when violence of this magnitude occurs in the very community I grew up in,” Revell said.
The shooting happened just hours after a homecoming football game at Bragg Memorial Stadium, where the visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions beat the Rattlers, but it is unclear whether the shooting was related to the game.
Police believe the shooting likely stemmed from a fight between two or three people.
Copyright 2026 WCTV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Vance home is filled with laughter, love, and joyful anticipation as Usha Vance, wife of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, shares the family’s excitement about the upcoming arrival of their fourth child. But it’s little Mirabel — now four years old — whose tender eagerness has truly warmed hearts everywhere.
“She is just so excited to meet her baby brother,” Usha Vance
revealed in an exclusive interview. “Every single day, she comes up to me, wraps her arms around me, and says, ‘Mom, I want to play with him.’ Watching her love already growing for him is one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen.”
Mirabel, who has two older brothers — Ewan and Vivek — has embraced the idea of becoming a big sister once again with remarkable enthusiasm and affection. Her gentle hugs, constant chatter about her baby brother, and heartfelt joy are reminders of how deeply connected this close‑knit family truly is.
For Usha and J.D., those small, beautiful moments bring an overwhelming sense
of happiness. “Seeing Mirabel’s excitement and the way she already loves her soon‑to‑arrive brother fills our hearts with so much joy,” Usha said. “It’s these simple, loving gestures that make every challenge worthwhile.”
Though the Vances balance a life of public service with keeping their family’s private milestones close to their hearts, this season of love and expectation stands out as something truly special. With Mirabel leading the way in hugs and affection, there’s no doubt the newest member of the Vance family will be welcomed with laughter, warmth, and endless love from his adoring siblings.
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump has clocked about 70 hours aboard Air Force One so far this month, racing from rally to rally across the United States to try to bolster his Republican Party in the midterm elections.
Also along for the ride: an entourage ranging from aging boxing champions to Cabinet members to relatively unknown aides who help craft Trump’s words and ideas. The passenger list for Trump’s marathon through the sky signals who has the ear of the president.
“It can say what his priorities are,” said David Cohen, a professor of political science at the University of Akron. “Who he surrounds himself with are the people he is going to be listening to. They’re the ones who are going to be whispering in his ear and talking softly in private quarters to the president of the United States.”
Nicki Minaj arrives on Air Force One, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich.(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Here’s a look at who has had access to power in the confines of Trump’s plane this month.
The inner circle
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently finished treatment for breast cancer, is a frequent flyer. Trump has called Wiles, who co-managed his 2024 campaign, the “most powerful woman in the world.” As Air Force One ascended from Greenville, North Carolina, after Trump’s 15th rally in 20 days, Wiles gave reporters her take on how it went as she walked up the aisle.
“Great,” she said. “They’ve all been great, honestly.”
Other insiders who’ve made the manifest: special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been trying to negotiate an end to the Iran war that has weighed on Republicans’ midterm fortunes; deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
The most frequent Cabinet member aboard has been Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a billionaire who previously ran the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. A Trump buddy going back to the 1990s, Lutnick can often be heard laughing at the president’s jokes. His role at Trump’s rallies has been to highlight new factory investments that Trump uses to try to convince his supporters that the economy is doing well.
Punching above their weight
Bill Pulte has joined Trump for at least five legs of the midterm marathon so far, a sign that his status inside the administration is far higher than his title — director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — would suggest.
The scion of a homebuilding company, Pulte is a Trump pal who was for a brief period also the acting director of national intelligence and oversaw layoffs in that office. He has led pressure campaigns on Federal Reserve officials such as Jerome Powell and Lisa Cook. Pulte has also passed along policy ideas such as changing the 30-year mortgage to 50 years, an idea that has since been abandoned.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has also flown with the president, notably on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 on a lengthy West Coast swing. Carr has sought to use his regulatory powers over broadcast networks to chastise them over their coverage of the president.
Personal aides who keep Trump going
Chief among the retinue of assistants around the president is Natalie Harp, an executive assistant who is on most of Trump’s trips. Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office Operations, is not far behind her in air miles. Chamberlain Harris, Nauta’s deputy, is another frequent traveler. She also serves as a member of the Commission of Fine Arts, one of the government bodies with a role in reviewing the White House ballroom and other Trump construction projects.
Although Trump likes to ad-lib, the speechwriting director, Ross Worthington, has joined him repeatedly on the plane this month. The president’s stump speech features a promise of $5,000 checks if Republicans keep their House and Senate majorities after the Nov. 3 election. He also tends to highlight new factory projects and investments in the communities he visits.
Margo Martin, a communications adviser who posts videos of Trump on social media, has joined the tour, as has White House communications director Steven Cheung. Katie Zacharia, who was the White House press secretary for five days, spent two of them with the president on a trip to Alaska, Nevada, Arizona and Montana.
Plenty of political strategists
Trump is surrounded on these trips by White House and external consultants making strategic choices for the midterms, including Matt Brasseaux, his political director, who previously worked at the Republican National Committee.
Johnny DeStefano, who was a top aide in Trump’s first term, temporarily rejoined the White House this summer to work on midterm strategy and has been seen on Air Force One, as has former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair.
Celebrities hitch a ride
Going into what could be some rough midterm races, Trump has brought aboard with him some of the biggest names in boxing: Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Evander Holyfield. In a 1997 heavyweight championship bout, Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield’s right ear. They did not fly on Air Force One at the same time.
Towson University professor Martha Kumar said that presidential travel during a campaign can be intense and that presidents often have passengers who can keep the environment relaxed even as the work continues. “You want to have people around you that make you feel comfortable,” Kumar said. “When you think about it, it is really stressful. You want some relief.”
On Sunday, Cheung posted a video in which he was interviewing the rapper Nicki Minaj aboard Air Force One as it took Trump to Michigan for a campaign rally. Minaj praised the president, and the White House’s goal is to have Trump wrap up his midterm blitz by having a celebrity with him at each stop.
Who else has hitched a ride with Trump? Retired NASCAR champion Richard Petty went to North Carolina, former NFL coach Jon Gruden to Ohio, and retired NFL running back Todd Gurley to Georgia. Influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul also traveled with the president. The celebrities have had cameos in Trump’s rallies.
Congress gets onboard
The goal of Trump’s travel over the past month has been to help Republicans keep control of Congress.
As the White House’s liaison with the House, Jeff Freeland has been on Air Force One with multiple lawmakers. Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina flew with the president, as have multiple Texas House members, including Reps. Beth Van Duyne and Brandon Gill, as well as Reps. Brian Jack of Georgia, Tim Moore of North Carolina and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
John Barrasso of Wyoming, the second-ranking Republican senator, has flown multiple times with the president this month, as has Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is considering a presidential bid in 2028.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google
HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY/Gray News) - An Alabama special needs teacher is facing child abuse charges after deputies say she poured hot sauce on a student’s tongue.
Heather Varner Hunter, a 46-year-old special needs teacher at Cottonwood Elementary School, allegedly used hot sauce to punish a student for sticking out their tongue in September. A Houston County Sheriff’s Office investigation followed.
Jail records show Hunter was arrested Monday afternoon. She is no longer employed by the Houston County School System, according to Superintendent Brandy White.
Heather Varner Hunter, a special needs teacher, is facing child abuse charges after deputies say she poured hot sauce on a student’s tongue.(Source: Houston County Sheriff’s Office)
White said the school system cooperated fully with authorities, and all information has been turned over to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Hunter was named Teacher of the Month in March, according to 95.5 WTVY-FM. She said she had taught at Cottonwood for eight years and spent 18 years as an educator.
Hunter was released after posting a $2,500 bond.
Copyright 2026 WTVY via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A 28-year-old woman is facing charges after a shooting that police say started as a confrontation over a man.
According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, Aaliyah Street was arrested on Monday, Oct. 26, for attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, and aggravated assault.
Aaliyah Street(East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office)
The charges stem from a shooting that happened earlier that day.
Police said they responded around 3:45 p.m. to Prescott Road and found the shooting victim, who told them the shooting happened on Mohican-Prescott Crossover.
During their investigation, detectives say they learned the victim confronted the suspect about a man, and at some point, the suspect pulled out a handgun and began shooting.
Police say the victim is expected to survive her injuries.
According to police, Street drove to the Port Allen Police Department, where she told them what happened. She was taken into custody and brought to East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, where she was booked.
Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline.
Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Recent online reports have circulated claims that Donald Trump stumbled while boarding Air Force One en route to Florida.
These accounts suggested the former president was preparing for critical discussions regarding the Ukraine war, including a speculated meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The rumors quickly gained momentum on social media, driven by sensationalist narratives questioning Trump’s physical health and overall stamina during a period of significant international focus. The narrative was intensified by unverified allegations involving a White House physician, who supposedly risked their career to reveal a hidden medical diagnosis after a reported fall.
<
However, journalists and fact-checkers note there is no official video footage, medical documentation, or confirmed statements to validate these claims. Representatives for Donald Trump have dismissed the viral stories as exaggerations, asserting that minor missteps on aircraft stairs are frequently mischaracterized by the media for political or sensationalist purposes.
Expert Analysis and Verification
Independent medical experts have also intervened, cautioning the public against making diagnostic conclusions without verified data. They emphasize that occasional stumbles are not definitive indicators of serious underlying health issues. This wave of speculation occurred against a backdrop of intense geopolitical tension, as Russia launched large-scale strikes across Ukraine.
The convergence of potential diplomatic maneuvers and unsubstantiated health rumors illustrates how domestic political narratives can become entangled with global events, highlighting the critical need for credible sourcing and official confirmation in the modern information ecosystem
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — DNA connects serial killer Ted Bundy to the death of another Utah teenager, authorities announced Tuesday, exactly 52 years after her body was discovered in the woods by a hunter.
Bundy has been dead since 1989, but the tally of his confirmed victims continues to grow due to advances in DNA testing. He killed at least 30 women and girls in multiple states in the 1970s, and many more escaped or survived with injuries.
Investigators are satisfied that Bundy was responsible for killing 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in 1974, a death that had long been listed as a cold case, Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said at a news conference.
They were able to close the case by making crucial connections with DNA found on Smith and Laura Aime, another Bundy victim whose case was resolved last April in Utah County. Bundy’s DNA was on file in Florida, where he was convicted and ultimately executed.
Besides that evidence, Smith’s death showed hallmarks of Bundy’s “pattern, motive, means and opportunity,” Olson said.
Decades-old evidence was key to the case
Utah’s state crime lab got new technology in 2023 that extracts DNA from samples even if they are small, degraded from age or contain DNA from multiple people.
“This case demonstrates the importance of preserving evidence,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera, whose department has also investigated homicides linked to Bundy.
“We have to solve these cases to the best of our ability,” she said, explaining the importance of tapping science, even so many years later. “Nobody is just going to walk away and just blame everything on Ted Bundy, even though many cases have been that way. Here in the state of Utah, we take it very seriously.”
Smith’s relatives were contacted about the findings but declined to attend the news conference and declined to speak to reporters, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said. Her parents are deceased.
Smith’s father was police chief in Midvale, south of Salt Lake City. She was at a pizza parlor and a restaurant before she disappeared on Oct. 18, 1974, The Salt Lake Tribune reported at the time. Nine days later, her body was found in Summit County.
“With every case closure, may we stomp the memory of Ted Bundy out,” Utah County Sgt. Mike Reynolds said.
Bundy investigations are not finished
Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida in 1989 after being convicted of three murders, including the killing of two women at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University.
He gave a series of confessions in his final days, including to some crimes that were previously unknown to police. Not all of those cases have been confirmed.
Besides Florida and Utah, authorities said Bundy had victims in Colorado, Idaho and Washington state. They said they’re especially working to solve the 1974 death of 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox of Utah.
Solving the Smith homicide “does not close the book on Ted Bundy,” said Det. Ben Pender of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which has the Wilcox investigation. “Information kind of leads to Ted Bundy but again we’re not for certain on Nancy Wilcox. We’re going to continue to work that case.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
