Woman and 3 grandchildren found safe after getting lost on hike: Sheriff’s office
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office released these images of, from left, Tonda Michelin, Melody Bangs, Michael Lawton, Dale Moser. (Greenville County Sheriff’s Office)
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) — A woman and her three grandchildren who went missing while on a hike in South Carolina have been found safe, authorities said Tuesday.
The four family members — Tonda Michelin, 53; Melody Bangs, 14; Michael Lawton, 11; and Dale Moser, 9 — were found by search and rescue teams, according to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, which said all four “are okay!”
They had been missing since Monday evening, authorities said.
One of the children called 911 shortly before 7 p.m. Monday to report they had been lost for approximately three hours in the area of Caesars Head State Park, according to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
The group’s vehicle was subsequently located at the Raven Cliff Falls trailhead, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities had not received any additional calls because the phone died, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
An “urgent” search and rescue effort was underway in the area of Caesars Head and Raven Cliff Falls, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. The hikers were ultimately found on the Bill Kimbrell trail, it said.
Dozens of personnel from multiple agencies were involved in the search on the ground and air. Helicopters, drones, UTVs and other tools were used, authorities said.
“Search teams are working in rugged terrain and utilizing air, ground, and other resources to locate the hikers as quickly and safely as possible,” the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said earlier Tuesday.
The Raven Falls trailhead was closed amid the search, the sheriff’s office said.
Desmond Holly in a photo released by police. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
(EVERGREEN, Colo.) — A 16-year-old student — who authorities say opened fire at his Colorado high school on Wednesday, wounding two classmates and then turning the gun on himself — was believed to be “radicalized by some extremist network,” officials with the local sheriff’s office said.
The gunfire at Evergreen High School broke out at about 12:24 p.m. local time, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Three students were taken to the hospital in critical condition following the gunfire, including the suspected shooter, who was injured by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the suspect died in a post on social media Wednesday evening.
The suspect was identified as 16-year-old Desmond Holly, Jefferson County Sheriff officials said during a press conference on Thursday. An image of the shooter was also released by officials.
Officials determined the weapon was a revolver that was “fired a lot.” Shots could be seen fired at windows and lockers, authorities said on Thursday.
The suspect allegedly went through the school trying to “find new targets,” but came upon “roadblocks” as doors were locked and he could not keep shooting victims, the sheriff’s department said.
While authorities are still looking into the shooter’s motive, they believe he was “radicalized by some extremist network,” and that he had a “mission,” officials said. Authorities said they are trying to better understand that network, and are searching his phone, home and locker to learn more on who he was communicating with before the shooting.
The sheriff’s office said on Thursday “no one has been released” from the hospital, despite earlier reports from hospital officials saying one of the injured had been released.
Previously, authorities said on Wednesday a fourth student was also transported to the hospital with an unknown injury, but the sheriff’s office said on Thursday they “think it’s just three” who were injured.
The families of the victims are expected to release photos and statements on Thursday, officials said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was “devastated” by the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families as they grapple with this senseless act of violence,” Polis said.
After the shooting, the school was placed in a lockdown and officials swept the campus.
“This is the scariest thing you’d think could ever happen,” said Jefferson County sheriff spokesperson Jacki Kelley at a news conference on Wednesday.
“Students and staff were amazing. They did their job and they did it well. Lives were saved yesterday,” Kelli said on Thursday.
(NEW YORK) — A proposal from the Trump administration to revise the Endangered Species Act could have critical impacts on the most vulnerable animals, plants and habitats throughout the U.S., according to environmental advocates.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of the Interior outlined several rules within the ESA that it plans to roll back.
Included in the proposed revisions are changes to the listing of protected species and critical habitat (50 CFR part 424), which would be based on the “best scientific and commercial data available,” according to the Interior Department.
This would make economics a factor in what was previously science-based decision-making, Susan Holmes, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition, told ABC News.
“For example, if the Trump administration determined that the economic harm to a golf course would be greater than protections for the Florida panther, then they could make that determination,” she said. “It would essentially potentially put money over the science.”
The Interior Department has also proposed changes to the 4(d) provision, which casts a blanket protection over threatened species, which presumptively prohibits killing or harming them unless federal agencies outline species-specific alternatives. The revision would require species-specific rules tailored to each threatened species instead.
“Overturning the 4(d) rule would remove protections for threatened species, make it more difficult to list species in need, reduce habitat conservation and open loopholes to undermine protections for imperiled species,” animal welfare group Humane Society of the United States said.
Conservation group Defenders of Wildlife said it would also deprive newly listed species from “automatically receiving protections from killing, trapping, and other forms of prohibited ‘take.'”
This could impact species now proposed for listing, such as the Florida manatee, California spotted owl, Greater sage grouse and Monarch butterfly.
“The rule provides an important safety net for vulnerable wildlife, giving species time to recover their populations before they become critically endangered,” Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals, said in a statement.
The Interior Department said the change “aligns service policy with the National Marine Fisheries Service’s longstanding species-specific approach.”
The Trump administration is also proposing to restrict the amount of habitats that are protected under the ESA (50 CFR part 17). The rule would narrow the definition of “critical habitat” to exclude currently unoccupied but historic habitat.
According to the Interior Department, the revised framework provides “transparency and predictability for landowners and project proponents.”
“Habitat is the number one reason why species go extinct,” Holmes — from the Endangered Species Coalition — said. “We know, to protect a species, we have to protect the habitat where they live, where they breed, they feed.”
The move reaffirms the federal government’s commitment to “science-based conservation that works hand in hand with America’s energy, agricultural and infrastructure priorities,” Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said in a statement.
“By restoring clarity and predictability, we are giving the regulated community confidence while keeping our focus on recovery outcomes, not paperwork,” Nesvik said.
Changes on a rule on interagency cooperation (50 CFR part 402) would make it easier for federal agencies to greenlight projects such as mining, drilling, logging and overdevelopment without fully assessing the impact on threatened and endangered species or their habitats, according to Defenders of Wildlife.
The Endangered Species Coalition’s Holmes told ABC News that “there would be less compliance, less consultation between the federal agencies.”
The proposal seeks to return to the 2019 consultation framework by reinstating definitions of “effects of the action” and “environmental baseline,” according to the Interior Department.
Since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, it has saved 99% of listed species from extinction since its inception, a study published in 2019 found. It has since become one of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws.
Wildlife and environmental advocates condemned the proposed revisions.
Revisions to these rules would “drastically weaken protection for endangered species,” Holmes said.
“These devastating proposals disregard proven science and risk reversing decades of bipartisan progress to protect our shared national heritage and the wildlife that make America so special,” Andrew Bowman, president and CEO at Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement.
The Humane Society of the United States described the move as “yet another attack on wildlife” by the Trump administration.
“The proposal to repeal this rule is completely reckless,” Block said. “Even if they are listed as ‘threatened’ under the ESA, species could become extinct without its protections.”
Environment advocates also accused the Trump administration of failing to “read the room” in terms of how Americans feel about protecting nature.
Polling data published in June 2025 found that four out of five Americans support the ESA, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The polling also found that 81% of Americans say they are concerned about the environment, including the welfare of animals and including nature, and that 70% factor the value of nature into government decision-making.
In addition, 84% of those polled believe the U.S. should focus on preventing endangered species from becoming extinct, and 78% support the goals of the ESA.
“Trump’s attacks on the Endangered Species Act seriously misread the room. Most people are not going to allow the sacrifice of our natural world to a bunch of billionaires and corporate interests,” Kristen Boyles, an attorney with environmental law group Earthjustice, said in a statement.
The attempt to alter the ESA follows other attacks against wildlife by the Trump administration this year, including proposals to rescind the Roadless Rule and Public Lands Rule, according to the environmental organization Sierra Club.
If the proposed rules were to come into effect, they would benefit industry and developers, the advocates said.
“The Trump administration is stopping at nothing in its quest to put corporate polluters over people, wildlife and the environment,” Sierra Club Executive Director Loren Blackford said in a statement. “After failing in their latest attempt to sell off our public lands, they now want to enable the wholesale destruction of wildlife habitat for a short-term boost in polluters’ bottom lines.”
In a statement to ABC News, the White House said the proposed rules will streamline protections under the ESA.
“President Trump is cutting red tape across the administration — including at the Department of Interior, where he is making it easier to delist recovered species and focus protections where they are truly needed,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told ABC News in an emailed statement. “Joe Biden expanded bureaucracy and sowed confusion, but President Trump and Secretary Burgum are returning power to Americans by eliminating regulatory barriers and respecting private property while maintaining core conservation goals.”
A 30-day period of public comment is in place following the Interior Department’s proposal.
(NEW YORK) — A top ICE official struggled to answer questions about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s potential deportation during an evidentiary hearing on Thursday, and admitted that someone else helped draft his sworn declaration submitted in the case.
John Cantu was called to testify about why the government is not planning to deport Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica and is instead preparing to remove him to the West African nation of Liberia.
When pressed by Abrego Garcia’s attorneys about the contents of the sealed declaration regarding the government’s communication with Costa Rica, their client’s preferred country of removal, Cantu said he did not understand parts of his declaration.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers accuse the government of having “cycled through” four third-country destinations — Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, and now Liberia — without providing “the notice, opportunity to be heard and individualized assessment that due process requires.”
After not being able to answer several questions from Abrego Garcia’s attorneys, Cantu said he received “verbiage” for his declaration from a State Department attorney.
“Sitting here today, you could not tell me whether anyone from the State Department has been in touch with Costa Rica since August 21, to determine whether communications have changed?” asked Sascha Rand, an attorney for Abrego Garcia.
“That’s right,” Cantu replied.
“Mr. Cantu, when you say Costa Rica is not an option for removal … where does that come from?” U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis interjected.
“Counsel,” Cantu said referring to the State Department attorney.
“The point has been made that this witness knows zero information about the content of the declaration,” Xinis said.
Cantu later admitted he had no involvement in Abrego Garcia’s case prior to November and said his only involvement was a “five minute Teams call” with the Department of State attorney.
Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution — after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which he denies.
He was brought back to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, to which he has pleaded not guilty. His criminal trial is scheduled to begin in January.
Abrego Garcia’s deportation is currently blocked by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis pending the resolution of the habeas case challenging his removal. He is currently in a detention center in Pennsylvania.
His attorneys say the U.S. government has disregarded Abrego Garcia’s “statutory designation” of Costa Rica, despite the country’s previous assurances that it would accept him and give him refugee or resident status.
