(HOUSTON) — Two women have been arrested for allegedly stealing a 14-week-old French bulldog puppy worth thousands of dollars from a Texas pet store.
The alleged theft occurred at approximately 12:25 p.m. at the Petland Woodlands store in Shenandoah, about 30 miles north of Houston. Local police received a call from the pet store saying that two women had just run out of the establishment with a puppy, according to a report from ABC News’ Houston station KTRK-TV.
“[The two women] asked to see a French bulldog, which we allowed them to see per our protocol, and they immediately took the dog and ran out the door,” Petland Woodlands manager Andrew Jones told KTRK. “Our employees went outside to get a description of the vehicle.”
Jones said his employees immediately called 911 and that authorities found the two women near the Woodlands Mall, attempting to reattach the license plates onto a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser that they allegedly fled the scene of the crime in.
“They were smart enough to take the license plate off but not smart enough to wait until they were further away before they put it back on,” Jones told KTRK.
Both women were taken into custody on July 5, shortly after the incident. It was unclear what charges they face.
The puppy, named Mario, who is worth an estimated $10,000, was returned to the pet store, where he is doing well and receiving a lot of attention, according to Jones.
Jones said it’s not the first time that this kind of theft has been attempted at one of his stores.
“This happens more often than we would like to say,” he told KTRK. “French bulldogs are very highly sought after and, as a result, it is what people are attempting to steal.”
Jones said his business has procedures in place to prevent such burglaries, including a security system with 36 different cameras and additional staff members on the clock.
The store also asks for proof of identity if someone expresses interest in buying a puppy but does not require ID just to play with the dogs because it is important for the animals to get as much play time as possible, according to Jones, who said he will be evaluating if this is the safest and most secure procedure.
“We are relieved that Mario was safely returned to his Petland family and that he is unharmed,” he told KTRK. “Our thanks to the dedicated men and women of the Shenandoah Police Department for responding immediately and helping us bring Mario home.”
(NEW YORK) — When Lara Adekoya started baking cookies at the start of the pandemic, she never anticipated that a year later, celebrities like Issa Rae, Jenna Dewan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melissa Benoist and Lena Waithe would be lining up to order from her Los Angeles business, Fleurs et Sel.
“What I’m doing is reaching beyond just the backyard,” Adekoya, 28, told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “It’s refreshing to have their support, because these are people that now know who I am, and they know that I make really great cookies.”
Her Hollywood clientele isn’t just limited to celebrities either. The business owner has catered to Amazon Studios, A24, the Oprah Winfrey Network, HBO’s Insecure set and, most recently, National Geographic. But even though Fleurs et Sel has quickly risen as a business that’s only a year old, its success is anything but a fluke — Adekoya said she hustled to make a name for herself.
“I’m customer-obsessed and social media-driven, and I use those skills to create community through my cookies,” the baker of Nigerian and Japanese descent said. “I hope that my voice transcends communities and transcends different cultural groups so people know that we, as young Black women, we are capable of doing so many things.”
Adekoya’s venture started when she was laid off during the pandemic as a designer shoes salesperson at Nordstrom. Like many Americans, the pandemic prompted her to reimagine her career goals. According to a survey by Prudential, 50% of workers admitted that the pandemic made them rethink their careers, and another study by Microsoft found that 41% of employees are considering leaving their current employer this year.
Despite the career change, Adekoya said her job at Nordstrom was invaluable to the success of Fleurs et Sel because of the work values and connections she built there.
“The key to me working in designer shoes was building relationships, because in order to be successful, my work was strictly commission driven, so it was up to me to make money — I wasn’t going to be there and not hustle,” she said.
Two important relationships she cultivated there were with female entrepreneurs Aderiaun Shorter and event planner Mindy Weiss, the latter who is known in Hollywood for throwing lavish parties for the Kardashians, Justin Bieber, Ciara and many others. When Adekoya started sharing her baking hobby on social media, her two former Nordstrom clients were the first to buy cookies and promote her. That’s when her idea for Fleurs et Sel really kicked off.
“I got a new entire following, and I was introduced to a new crowd that I would have never otherwise been exposed to,” Adekoya said. “Aderiaun and Mindy are both self-made women entrepreneurs, and they were both instrumental in mentoring me as a woman entrepreneur in this new space.”
The women’s support helped leverage Adekoya’s presence on social media, which in turn exposed her to high-end clientele. Adekoya credits community word-of-mouth and digital promotion for the social media craze of Fleurs et Sel.
“When I have encountered the celebrities, they too have shared their excitement and love for Fleurs et Sel on social media,” the baker said. “They are part of our online community, and they have helped strengthen and solidify our reach and success.”
Adekoya’s time at Nordstrom also came full circle when she was invited by Rick Caruso, the real estate mogul behind L.A.’s premiere shopping center, The Grove, to do a pop-up event right across from the Nordstrom where she used to work.
“They’ve had Lululemon, Yves Saint Laurent, they had Skims most recently, big names,” the businesswoman said. “They’re not housing just anyone, not anyone can just have a pop-up there.”
The pop-up event at The Grove was so triumphant, the event sold out in two hours.
“Hundreds of people were there for me and the cookies, and [Caruso’s team] was like ‘Whoa,’” Adekoya said. “It was the first day, and I had a line from the pop-up all the way to the valet, and I sold out in two hours.”
Selling out of popular treats like the bae bar or the vanilla bean sugar cookie might be easy for Adekoya, but creating the products comes with a lot of work and sacrifice. The baker said she’s no stranger to staying up past midnight or waking up at 4 a.m. to fulfill orders from her Culver City kitchen.
“It’s challenged me to be very organized. I have to be — I’m the only person behind Fleurs et Sel,” she said.
Adekoya has managed to thrive beyond the pandemic to establish herself as a legitimate force in the cookie industry. She’s working on two new flavors coming later this summer, including a vanilla chai cookie, and will continue expanding Fleurs et Sel.
“I’m a multicultural woman, and look at what I’m doing — and especially during this time, with all of these cultural and social movements, it is so amazing to have this much support and this diverse of an audience,” she said. “Everyone’s here for the cookies, but also to share in community.”
Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — At least 28 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead and 117 others remain unaccounted for since a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County last month.
The partial collapse occurred around 1:15 a.m. on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. Approximately 55 of the oceanfront complex’s 136 units were destroyed, according to officials. Since then, hundreds of first responders have been carefully combing through the pancaked layers of debris in hopes of finding survivors.
The part of the building that remained standing was cleared of any people or pets before it was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity. However, it was too dangerous for surviving residents to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, officials said.
“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Surfside on Monday. “We cannot lose any more people.”
The massive search and rescue mission is now in its 13th day, as teams are able to operate at full capacity and search in areas that were previously inaccessible. At least four more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage since the demolition.
“The heavy equipment is now able to move around the site as needed,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said at the press conference. “The looming threat of that building, the dangerous situation where debris could fall down is now eliminated.”
Burkett told reporters that the search and rescue operation will continue 24 hours a day until everyone is pulled from the rubble. But the hope that more people would be found alive appeared to be fading, as no survivors have been discovered in the debris since the morning of the partial collapse. Among those recently found dead was the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter.
Meanwhile, 190 people who were living or staying in the condominium at the time of the disaster have been accounted for and are safe, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who has stressed that the figures are “very fluid.”
Video released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Monday night showed crews working atop the pile, braving the elements as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the Sunshine State.
The incoming storm, which has weakened from a hurricane, initiated the discussion about demolishing the rest of the building and fast-tracked the process, according to Burkett. Elsa made landfall in Cuba on Monday and by early Tuesday, the storm’s center was about 50 miles west of Key West, according to the National Weather Service.
The cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation.
Built in the 1980s, the Champlain Towers South was up for its 40-year recertification and had been undergoing roof work — with more renovations planned — when it partially collapsed, according to officials.
A structural field survey report from October 2018, which was among hundreds of pages of public documents released by the town of Surfside late Sunday, said the waterproofing below the condominium’s pool deck and entrance drive was failing and causing “major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas.”
A slew of lawsuits against the Champlain Towers South Condo Association have already been filed on behalf of survivors and victims, alleging the partial collapse could have been avoided and that the association knew or should have known about the structural damage. A spokesperson for the association told ABC News they cannot comment on pending litigation but that their “focus remains on caring for our friends and neighbors during this difficult time.”
The association’s board released a statement last Friday saying its surviving members “have concluded that, in the best interest of all concerned parties, an independent Receiver should be appointed to oversee the legal and claims process.”
“We know that answers will take time as part of a comprehensive investigation,” the statement continued, “and we will continue to work with city, state, local, and federal officials in their rescue efforts, and to understand the causes of this tragedy.”
After attending three exhibitions of his artwork in Florida in May, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen will be on hand for two similar events this weekend: Saturday, July 10, in New Jersey’s Atlantic City and Sunday, July 11, in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
The Florida exhibits were among the first public events Allen participated in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he tells ABC Audio that it’s been “really fun to get back out there and do something in person.”
He adds, “[T]here’s nothing like…meeting up with new people…and see[ing] what their take on my artwork is.”
Allen says the new exhibition, dubbed “Wings of Hope,” features seven or eight new pieces, including some additions to his “Legends Series” of portraits saluting late musicians who have influenced or inspired him.
“[O]ne of them [is] Johnny Cash…He’s the original bad boy,” Rick notes. “[A]nd another one [is] Kurt Cobain, who basically turned the music industry on its head with that brand of…raw [music].”
Allen also created new portraits of Eddie Van Halen for the series.
“[T]he sad news of [Eddie’s death]…really kind of floored me,” Rick says. “I didn’t know him that well, but I’d met him a few times through friends. And that was such a huge shock.”
For fans interested in how Allen’s art events work, he explains, “When I first get to the gallery…I’ll say hello to everybody,” while noting that he generally spends a lot of the time in a private room being “introduced to people that have bought pieces.”
He adds, however, “I always make time for everybody.”
Paintings and high-res prints of his pieces will be on sale at the events.
A new curve ball and a new villain emerged Monday night on The Bachelorette.
Following last week’s jaw-dropping rose ceremony, Tayshia Adams announced that Blake Moynes, who starred in her season, would be joining the other 14 men in the quest to win Katie’s heart.
Blake received a chilly reception from the other suitors, especially after it was revealed he would get the first of two one-on-one dates.
Their day of horseback riding turned personal after Blake inquired about Katie’s sex-positive outlook. That led to her retelling her story about experiencing a non-consensual sexual encounter and opening up about how the guilt she suffered eventually gave way to her openness about discussing “healthy sex.”
Blake’s declaration that he’d never do anything to make Katie feel “scared” of him “in any form” won him the date rose.
The evening was capped off with a private concert by American Idol winner Laine Hardy, who performed his new song, “Memorize You.”
Later, 13 of the men competed in an intense game of “Bash Ball” — a mash-up of basketball and rugby — emceed by Bachelor Nation favorites Wells Adams and Franco. Katie abruptly ended the battle when Michael got hurt following a cheap shot by Hunter.
However, at the after party, Hunter wooed Katie by showing his “dad” side and broke out some pictures of his kids. The gesture earned him the date rose.
Katie’s one-on-one date with Andrew S., who is Black, included a candid conversation about their future together, particularly her feelings about the possibility of raising mixed race children.
“One of my exes…she was worried about you know, having mixed children,” he recalled. “And I know her heart and I know her character and she’s not racist…but she was worried about going to a grocery store and someone asking, ‘Are these your kids?’ and that was tough for me.”
After acknowledging that she felt “so naive as a white woman of the struggles you have experienced as a Black man, especially a Black man trying to date a white woman,” she added firmly, “I think our love could be so beautiful and our children would be just as beautiful as that love, and I don’t give a flying f*** when people want to look at me.”
Explaining that Andrew made her laugh and that they “shared a lot,” Katie rewarded him with the date rose.
Meanwhile, a new villain emerged on Monday. Hunter, not satisfied with earning a rose, hogged up Katie for a good portion of the pre-rose ceremony. His actions angered the other men, who feared their chances of impressing Katie were dwindling fast.
The rose ceremony brought Katie a step closer to finding love as Andrew M., Josh and Quartney were sent home.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, know that you are not alone. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) offers help 24/7 at 800.656.HOPE or RAINN.org.
(NEW YORK) — Child drownings are on the rise, according to a new report, and experts warn that the pandemic has also put kids at an increased drowning risk this year.
“It was really hard for people to access swimming lessons last year,” Dr. Ben Hoffman, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention, told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “And from what I understand this year, it still remains challenging, because things have booked up pretty early.”
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently found an increase in pool- or spa-related fatal drowning incidents among children under age 15. There were a total of 404 fatalities in 2018, compared to 395 in 2017 and 392 in 2016.
While there was a decrease in non-fatal injuries in 2020 — 5,800 injuries related to pool or spa submersions in children under 15 compared to the 6,300 in 2019 and 6,400 in 2018 — the report states that the decrease was likely due to COVID-19, which saw the shutdown of public spaces nationwide.
Now, with the country reopening, experts say that we could see those numbers rise once again.
“Year over year, we’ve almost doubled our drownings, unfortunately,” Dr. Patrick Mularoni, a pediatric emergency physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, said.
Of those reported fatal drowning incidents between 2016 and 2018, 75% involved children under age 5, and 83% occurred at residential pools.
Last June, Emily Friske was isolating with her family in Valley Center, California, when her daughter Addie wandered off to the family pool. Friske later found Addie in it, on her side and not breathing.
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare,” Friske told Good Morning America.
A former EMT, Friske and her husband, Jordan, performed CPR on Addie until an ambulance arrived.
“I thought, ‘This can’t be happening to us,'” Friske said.
Addie didn’t have a pulse for 20 minutes, and doctors worried she would have brain damage as a result, but she was awake within 24 hours. Her pediatrician called her recovery “miraculous” and told the family that doing CPR made all the difference.
“Please learn CPR,” Friske urged other families.
Learning CPR is among the CPSC’s top advice for how families can visit the pool safely this summer, particularly as experts warn that the pandemic has only increased the risk of drownings for children.
“As we enter the summer months, parents and caregivers must be mindful of the pandemic’s impact on their children’s swimming ability and water safety skills,” Robert Adler, the CPSC acting chairman, said in a statement.
Other advice from the CPSC includes never leaving a child in or near water unattended and installing proper barriers around a pool.
“Make sure that you designate someone to keep an eye on the children in and around the water each and every time,” Nychelle Fleming of the CPSC said.
But chiefly among these tips is making sure children know how to swim.
“As pools start to open up, I think it’s very important for parents to sign their children up for swim classes and get those kids learning how to swim,” Mularoni said.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Cincinnati 6, Kansas City 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 8, Chi White Sox 5
Tampa Bay 9, Cleveland 8
Detroit 7, Texas 3
Boston 5, LA Angels 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 5, San Francisco 3
NY Mets 4, Milwaukee 2
Miami 5, L.A. Dodgers 4
Pittsburgh 11, Atlanta 1
Philadelphia 13, Chi Cubs 3
Washington 7, San Diego 5
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Montreal 3 Tampa Bay 2 (OT) (Montreal leads series 3-1)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 99, Dallas 96
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
It’s official — Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton tied the knot.
After much speculation, the “Slow Clap” singer confirmed the news on Monday by sharing a trio of stunning photos from their big day.
“July 3rd 2021 dreams do come true,” Stefani, 51, captioned the Instagram post that showed the newlyweds overlooking the countryside as Shelton embraces her from behind.
Another picture shows a snapshot of the pair in the back of what appears to be a limo while a third shows them kissing beside their five-tier wedding cake.
Page Six also posted photos of the wedding festivities taking place at a chapel built on the sprawling estate.
The two reportedly got hitched at Blake’s ranch in Oklahoma on Saturday, after they were spotted applying for a marriage license earlier in the week, Peoplereports.
Earlier this month, Gwen shared snaps from her bridal shower on Instagram. “I got kidnapped by family to celebrate that I’m getting married!” she said in a post on her Instagram Story. She captioned another post, “Feeling loved, feeling blessed.”
Gwen and Blake got engaged last October after dating for five years. They first met on the set of The Voice, where they both served as coaches. Their relationship began in the wake of Gwen’s split from rocker husband Gavin Rossdale and Blake’s very public divorce from another country superstar, Miranda Lambert.
Since announcing their relationship, the two have released a handful of high-powered duets, including a Christmas song for a holiday album of Gwen’s as well as two hit country singles, “Nobody but You” and “Happy Anywhere.”
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — Search and rescue teams have recovered four additional bodies in the pile of rubble from a collapsed building in Surfside, Florida, following the demolition of the remaining building, according to officials.
First responders were able to search in areas previously inaccessible due to the instability of the portion of Champlain Towers South that still stood following the partial collapse on June 24, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters at a press conference Monday morning.
Three bodies were recovered in the morning and an additional body was found in the afternoon, according to officials.
The death toll now stands at 28, with 117 still unaccounted for, Levine Cava said. The newly accessible areas were likely where a lot of the master bedrooms were located, where people were sleeping, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters.
While the demolition was critical to expanding the search for bodies closer to the standing building, it was also necessary as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the U.S. with winds that “could have brought it down in a matter that could not have been as controlled or predicted,” the mayor said.
The demolition went “exactly as planned,” and the building fell away from the pile that collapsed, Levine Cava said.
“Only dust landed on the existing part,” she said.
Crews received the “all-clear” about an hour after the demolition started around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, and first responders resumed the search by 1 a.m.
Levine Cava emphasized that search and rescue crews “took every action we possibly could” to search for pets that remained in the building prior to the demolition. Multiple full sweeps of the building, which included searches in hiding places such as closets and under beds, were conducted “at great risk to first responders,” the mayor said.
In areas of the building that were not accessible, ladders were used to place live animal traps on balconies, and doorways were opened to give pets the means to escape if they were able to, Levine Cava said. Drones with thermal imaging were also used.
“We went to truly great lengths to take every step that we could,” she said.
Levine Cava described the decision to collapse the entire apartment building as “devastating,” acknowledging the “great tragedy” for the surviving residents of the building, in addition to those who lost loved ones.
“To lose your home and all your belongings in this manner is a great loss as well,” she said.
Officials said it was too dangerous for survivors to enter the building to retrieve their belongings, DeSantis said.
“Obviously it wasn’t worth that risk,” he said. “We can not lose any more people.”
FEMA has been successful in signing families up for assistance, and the city has raised millions of dollars from donations around the world to assist survivors as well, Levine Cava said.
Although the forecast for Tropical Storm Elsa has the center of the storm on the west coast of Florida, there will still be intermittent heavy rain and localized flooding as well as strong gusty winds and the possibility of tornadoes in the region, which could still affect search efforts, said Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service South Florida.
(ALTOONA, Iowa) — A boy is dead and another child is in critical condition after a raft overturned on a water ride at an amusement park.
The accident occurred at 7:35 p.m. local time on Saturday at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, when a boat on the Raging River ride overturned with six riders on it, according to a statement from the amusement park.
Three of the passengers were rushed to hospitals in critical condition while a fourth passenger suffered minor injuries, the Altoona Police Department said in a statement.
Eleven-year-old Michael Jaramillo died on Sunday as a result of his injuries, police said. Another juvenile was still in critical condition as of Monday afternoon, according to the police.
“Altoona Fire and Police were on the property and responded immediately,” Adventureland Park in its initial statement on Saturday night. “We want to thank them as well as Des Moines, Ankeny, Bondurant, Pleasant Hill and Delaware Township Emergency Services for their fast response … Our thoughts are with the affected families at this time.”
Adventureland Park said the ride had been inspected the day before and “was found to be in good working order” at the time of the accident. The Raging River ride will remain closed for more inspection.
The park released a second statement on Sunday night about the death of an injured rider.
“Adventureland is saddened to learn of the passing of one Guest involved in the Raging River accident on the evening of 7/3/21,” the statement said. “This investigation is ongoing and the ride remains closed. Adventureland is working closely with both the State and local authorities, and would like to thank them again for their efforts. At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the Guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were onsite.”
This is reportedly not the first fatal accident to have taken place in connection with the Raging River ride at Adventureland Park.
According to the Des Moines Register, 68-year-old Adventureland Park employee Steve Booher died in 2016 while working on the ride. He was helping riders get out of the rafts at the end of the ride and fell onto the conveyor belt, suffering a fractured skull along with a major brain injury, the paper reported. Booher died four days later.
Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration subsequently fined the theme park $4,500, according to the Des Moines Register — the maximum the agency could assess for that type of violation.
An investigation into Saturday’s incident is ongoing and the ride will remain closed during that time.
