Army veteran’s nonprofit aids former vets facing food insecurity

(SPRINGFIELD, Ohio) — Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed on Friday in the wake of a new threat sent via email in Springfield, Ohio, according to the school district and the mayor.

The elementary schools released students to their parents, officials said.

It’s unclear if the person who sent Friday’s threat is the same person who sent Thursday’s, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.

On Thursday morning, bomb threats were sent via email “to multiple agencies and media outlets” in the city, according to the city commission office.

Explosive-detecting K-9s helped police clear multiple facilities listed in the threat, including two elementary schools, City Hall and a few driver’s license bureaus, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. The county court facilities were also cleared “out of an abundance of caution,” she said.

The FBI is working with local police to help identify the source of the threat, Elliott said.

The mayor said there’s a lot of fear in Springfield in the wake of the threats.

“This is a very concerning time for our citizens, and frankly, a lot of people are tired of just, you know, the things that have been spread about our community that are just negative and not true. We need help, not hate,” Rue told ABC News on Friday.

The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the baseless rumors spread online in the wake of viral social media posts claiming Haitian migrants were abducting people’s pets in Springfield order to eat them. The rumors were amplified by right-wing politicians, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s presidential debate. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

A spokesperson for the city of Springfield told ABC News these claims are false, and that there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community.”

“Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” the spokesperson said. “Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

The mayor added, “Your pets are safe in Springfield.”

Springfield estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county; migrants have been drawn to the region because of low cost of living and work opportunities, according to the city. The rapid rise in population has strained housing, health care and school resources, according to the city. City officials also said the migrants are in the country legally and that many are recipients of Temporary Protected Status.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they “not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who dispelled the rumors this week, said the state would send more resources to Springfield.

The mayor stressed, “Anybody on the national stage that takes a microphone, needs to understand what they could do to communities like Springfield with their words. They’re not helping. They’re hurting communities like ours with their words.”

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(TEXAS) — Robert Roberson, the first person set to be executed in the U.S. based on the largely discredited “shaken baby syndrome” hypothesis, has filed a request for a stay of execution and a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court.

Roberson argues that his federal due process rights were violated when Texas’ highest court refused to consider his bid to reopen the case based on “substantial new scientific and medical evidence.”

The plea comes after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied his requests to either have his sentence commuted to life in prison or to have his execution delayed.

Roberson was found guilty for the murder of his 2-year-old daughter based on the testimony from a pediatrician who described swelling and hemorrhages in Nikki’s brain to support a “shaken baby syndrome” diagnosis, even though there is limited evidence that this is a credible diagnosis.

The hypothesis has come under serious scrutiny in biomechanical studies, as well as a growing body of medical and legal literature. The medical examiner at the time also suspected that Nikki sustained multiple head injuries and considered the death a homicide in the official autopsy.

Roberson is autistic, according to his legal team, which affects how he expresses emotions — a concern that also arose during the trial.

Since his conviction, newly presented evidence found that Nikki had pneumonia at the time of her death and had been prescribed respiratory-suppressing drugs by doctors in the days leading up to her death.

A medical expert who performed post-mortem toxicology reports and reexamined her lung tissue said they found that chronic interstitial viral pneumonia and acute bacterial pneumonia were damaging her lungs, causing sepsis and then septic shock, likely leading to vital organ failure.

Over 30 medical and scientific experts have written to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, asking it to reconsider Roberson’s sentence because it hinged on the “shaken baby syndrome.”

A bipartisan group of 86 Texas House of Representatives members have also spoken in support of Roberson’s clemency request, arguing that a state law enables reviews of wrongful convictions based on changes in scientific evidence. In Roberson’s case, they believe that the new evidence should have led to a new trial.

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(GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, Ariz.) — Breaks in a 12-and-a-half-mile long water main at Grand Canyon National Park that emerged on the heels of catastrophic flash flooding have prompted officials to halt overnight lodging on the canyon’s South Rim ahead of what was expected to be a busy Labor Day weekend at one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Four significant breaks have been discovered in the Transcanyon Waterline that supplies water from the canyon for use throughout the park, officials said.

The busted waterline has forced park officials to temporarily halt park concessions and overnight accommodations, including the El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village, officials said.

“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources. The goal is to restore full operational status for overnight guests on the South Rim as quickly as possible,” National Park officials said in a statement.

It was unclear when water will be fully restored, but officials warned visitors the restrictions will run throughout the Labor Day holiday.

As of Thursday, no water was being pumped to either the South or North Rims of the canyon, officials said.

Only dry camping will be allowed on the canyon’s South Rim, where most campground spigots have been turned off, officials said. Faucets in bathrooms on the South Rim are still working, as well as spigots at the Mather Campground check-in kiosk on the South Rim, but officials are asking visitors to conserve water.

“We are asking residents and visitors to help conserve water by limiting showers to five minutes or less, turning off faucets while shaving or brushing teeth, flushing toilets selectively, washing laundry with full loads, and reporting leaks to the appropriate offices,” park officials said.

The Grand Canyon will remain open for day use, but campfires and charcoal barbecues will be prohibited, officials said.

The announcement follows flash flooding this month that prompted more than 100 rescues, caused major damage to the small village of Supai at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and led to the death of a hiker who was washed away in the flood waters.

But park officials said challenges from the waterline issues were occurring before the Aug. 22 flash flooding.

The Transcanyon Waterline was built in the 1960s and officials believe it has exceeded its expected lifespan. Since 2010, there have been more than 85 major breaks in the waterline that have disrupted water delivery, park officials said.

The National Park Service recently started construction on a $208 million rehabilitation of the Transcanyon Waterline.

“This crucial investment in infrastructure will ensure the park can meet water supply needs for six million annual visitors and approximately 2,500 year-round residents,” park officials said in a statement.

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