Police searching for couple, dog missing from nudist community
(REDLANDS, Calf.) — Police are searching for a couple and their dog who went missing from a California nudist community on Saturday.
Stephanie Menard and Daniel Menard were reported missing on Sunday, according to the Redlands Police Department.
The couple was last seen at their residence on Olive Dell Ranch — a family nudist resort — at around 10 a.m. on Saturday. Their unlocked vehicle was found down the road from the residence that day, according to police.
Stephanie Menard’s purse was found inside her residence along with both their cellphones, according to police.
The couple’s dog, a white shih tzu named Cuddles, is also missing.
“There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car,” friend Tammie Wilkerson told Los Angeles ABC station KABC. “She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones — things they would never have left at home.”
She added, “They’re very sweet people. There’s not a mean bone in their body at all.”
Daniel Menard also suffers from dementia and is diabetic, according to police.
(NEW YORK) — As schools and libraries across the country face record-breaking attempts to remove books from shelves, most Americans are opposed to book restrictions in public schools, according to a new survey.
In 2023, the American Library Association (ALA) documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship, as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials and resources.
The targeting of unique book titles increased by 65% from 2022 to 2023, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA.
These efforts have increased alongside state legislation restricting certain school content on topics like race, sex, gender and more.
However, a new study by the Knight Foundation — a nonprofit that provides grants for journalism and the arts — found that two-thirds of Americans oppose efforts to restrict books. There are more strong opponents than strong supporters of book restrictions, with a 3-1 divide among respondents.
The study found that 62% of Americans oppose their state government legislating what content is allowable in school books.
Public school parents are more likely to be in favor of book restrictions, but more than half of parents (59%) still oppose book restrictions. This is lower than the 67% opposition rate among non-parents.
About 7% of parents with reading-age children reported their child reading an age-inappropriate book from school, and 25% of pre-K-12 parents are concerned about this happening in the future.
Classroom or library content restrictions are often based on concerns about what is deemed “age-appropriate” for certain ages — as is the case in legislation in Florida, Utah, Texas and other states.
More survey participants said it is a bigger concern to restrict students’ access to books that have educational value than it is for them to have access to books that have inappropriate content, especially when it comes to students in middle school and high school.
Six in 10 survey respondents saw age appropriateness as a legitimate reason to restrict students’ book access. However, the report found that far fewer say it is legitimate to block access to books that contradict parents’ political views, religious beliefs or moral values.
Most public school parents are confident in the appropriateness of their school’s book selections. The study also found that 78% of all adults say they are confident that their community’s public schools select appropriate books for students to read.
Though the public feels strongly about the issue — 62% call it highly important — very few have taken action themselves on the issue. Only 3% have personally engaged in the debate, according to the report — 2% engaging to maintain access and 1% to restrict access.
Conservatives are over-represented in the support for book restrictions, making up 57% of book restriction supporters but only 27% of all adults, according to the Knight Foundation. Conservatives are also less likely to feel politically represented in public school books.
(NEW YORK) — A geyser explosion in Yellowstone National Park sent dozens of visitors running Tuesday morning, officials said.
Videos taken of the event show the dramatic moment, with water and debris raining down over the park’s Biscuit Basin thermal area, about two miles from Old Faithful.
The geothermal explosion damaged the boardwalk, but did not cause any injuries, officials said.
The Biscuit Basin has been temporarily closed while geologists investigate the event.
Hydrothermal explosions are somewhat common in the area, occurring when underground water suddenly turns to steam.
Similar eruptions occurred at Biscuit Basin in 1959, 1991 and 2009.
(CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis.) — More than two dozen people were injured, including three critically, after a wagon overturned at an apple orchard in Wisconsin, authorities said.
The incident was reported Wednesday morning at Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in Chippewa Falls.
Elementary school-age children, parents and other chaperones were on a field trip at the time and were on a wagon ride, according to Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes.
A tractor was pulling two wagons at a “low speed” on a public road when the accident occurred, Hakes said.
One of the wagons began to lose control and turn sideways as it descended a hill and overturned, resulting in injuries to both children and adults, Hakes said.
“It’s a traumatic day for a lot of people,” Hakes told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency personnel were dispatched for a “tractor accident involving two hay wagons with kids and adults,” Chippewa Fire District Deputy Chief Cory Jeffers told reporters.
The fire department activated its mass casualty protocol so that outside agencies could help respond to the incident, Jeffers said. One helicopter from the Mayo Clinic was called in, he said.
Twenty-five individuals were transported from the scene to various agencies, Jeffers said. One patient was transported via the helicopter and nine via ambulance, Hakes said. Some were also transported in personal vehicles, he said.
Three people have life-threatening injuries and five have serious injuries, according to Hakes.
Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire received seven patients from the incident who are being treated for minor to serious injuries, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Hakes said he believes all patients are in stable condition.
Authorities did not release additional details on the victims, including how many were children.
Hakes called the incident “heart-wrenching.”
“As a parent myself, it’s a parent’s greatest fear that something happens to their children,” he said.
He said he responded to the scene and helped calm the children and reunite them with their parents.
“The children were extremely brave, very resilient,” he added.
The scene has since been cleared, Jeffers said. All of the children who were still at the scene have been reunited with their families, he added.
The children attended St. Mark Lutheran School in Eau Claire, the school’s principal confirmed.
“At this point, we are focusing on reuniting the children with their caregivers,” Principal Peter Micheel said in a statement to ABC News. “Whenever we face a challenging time, we commit everything to the Lord’s care and trust his guiding hand.”
The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard
ABC News left a message with the orchard seeking comment.
Chippewa Falls is located about 12 miles northeast of Eau Claire.
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.