Actor Drake Bell‘s marriage has reportedly hit a sour note, with his wife Janet Von Schmeling filing for divorce after four years of marriage.
According to TMZ, Von Schmeling filed the documents on Thursday and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. She also stated that the couple had been separated since September.
Von Schmeling is requesting primary legal and physical custody of their 2-year-old son Wyatt, with visitation rights for the Drake & Josh star, per the documents obtained by the outlet. She also is seeking spousal support.
The divorce news comes just one week after he was “considered missing and endangered” and then found later the same day.
Following the incident, Bell took to social media to joke about the situation, tweeting, “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?”
Blink-182 is officially confirmed to play Coachella this weekend.
The reunited punk trio will play the festival’s second weekend this Sunday in place of headliner Frank Ocean, who dropped off the lineup after sustaining a leg injury on the Coachella grounds leading up to his weekend one performance.
Blink’s set begins 9:20 p.m. PT on the main Coachella Stage. The schedule also includes a to-be-announced performance on the Coachella stage at 10:25 p.m. PT.
Last week, Blink was announced as a last-minute addition to the weekend one Coachella lineup just a day before the festival was set to begin. They played Friday on the smaller Sahara Stage.
That first Blink Coachella set marked their first show back since reuniting with Tom DeLonge in 2022. The group will launch a full U.S. tour in May.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — An American Airlines employee at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was killed in a “crash incident” Thursday, authorities said.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time, officials said. The airline employee was injured outside the terminal where aircraft park at their gates, the airport said in a statement.
Austin-Travis County EMS responded and the employee was pronounced dead at the scene, the airport said.
“Our thoughts are with this employee and all those impacted by today’s tragic event,” the airport said.
The employee worked for American Airlines, the airline confirmed.
“We are devastated by the accident involving a team member at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS),” the airline said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and our local team members. We are focused on ensuring that all involved have the support they need during this difficult time.”
The Austin Police Department said it is investigating a “crash incident” at the airport.
There are “no significant impacts” to airport operations at this time, the airport said.
Anthrax has canceled the band’s upcoming European tour dates.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the thrash outfit writes, “Due to a series of logistical and scheduling issues, we won’t be able to make it to Europe this summer for the festivals we were set to perform at.”
“We’re really disappointed about this, and want you to know that a solid – and overdue – European tour is a priority for us,” the post continues. “Lots of exciting things are in the pipeline, so stay tuned.”
Anthrax previously canceled a European tour scheduled for 2022, likewise citing “logistical issues,” as well as “2022 costs that are out of our control.”
Taylor Swift and The National’s Aaron Dessner onstage in Tampa, FL; Octavio Jones/TAS23/Getty Images for for TAS Rights Management
Two of Taylor Swift‘s #1 hits were apparently almost The National songs.
The pop superstar collaborated with the band’s Aaron Dessner on her two 2020 albums, folklore and evermore. They spawned the singles “cardigan” and “willow,” respectively, which both reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. As frontman Matt Berninger tells The Telegraph, he tried to make National songs out of the music Dessner wrote for “cardigan” and “willow.”
“I’d taken a swing at [‘cardigan’] and ‘willow’ and a couple of others, and I wasn’t having a lot of luck, so Aaron sent them to Taylor,” Berninger says. “I always have a lot of music to work on, and I am looking for something to connect emotionally.”
“The reverse has happened too, where Aaron wrote something for Taylor, and I dove right in,” Berninger explains. “It works both ways.”
In addition to Dessner’s work with Swift, The National as a whole guested on the evermore song “coney island.” Swift will return the favor on The National’s upcoming album, FirstTwo Pages of Frankenstein — she’s featured on a song called “The Alcott.”
(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) — A Colorado school bus driver faces 30 counts of child abuse after he braked hard in an apparent attempt to teach students on the bus a lesson, according to school and court records.
Brian Fitzgerald, 61, had recently started driving for the Douglas County School District when the incident occurred the afternoon of March 1, according to school records obtained by Colorado Springs ABC affiliate KRDO.
In camera footage from inside the bus, released by the school district, the driver can be heard telling Castle Rock Elementary School students to be in their seats before saying, “You guys want to see how dangerous that is?”
The students are then seen being thrown against the seats in front of them after the driver appeared to abruptly hit the brakes while driving around 9 mph.
“Did you get that?” the driver then says. “That’s why you need to be in your seat. Turn around and sit down properly.”
The surprised students can be heard saying “Why would he do that?” and asking each other if they are OK. One student can be seen taking out a cellphone and calling someone to report what happened, saying, “The bus driver hit the brakes, and somebody got hurt so badly and is, like, bleeding on the cheek.”
Later, the bus camera video captures the driver telling a parent that he is a substitute bus driver and that he was “trying to get them to get in their seats.”
“I was coming to a stop and I hit the brakes hard because they weren’t, they were not listening. So, I’m sorry if she got hurt,” he said.
A misdemeanor complaint was filed against Fitzgerald on April 12 that includes 29 charges of child abuse with no injury and one count of child abuse with bodily injuries, online court records show. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on May 12.
Fitzgerald did not respond to calls and messages from ABC News.
In a letter to the school district dated March 1, obtained by KRDO, Fitzgerald apologized for his actions and expressed concerns about what he described as “a repetitive historical pattern of improper student management” on the bus he was driving that day.
“I am sincerely sorry for my choice of actions today in my efforts of training students,” the letter stated. “I am still 100% responsible for my actions in trying to both educate and control students on the bus. Being a new driver, I did not make the best decision and if I were able to redo what I did I would rethink my decisions.”
The Douglas County School District hired Fitzgerald as a bus driver in October 2022 and he had finished his training days before the March 1 incident, according to internal school records reviewed by KRDO. He had previously only driven special education students before being asked to fill in on a route and drive a general education bus for the first time on March 1, according to the records. An investigation found that he “did brake check” the students while approaching a stop sign, according to the records obtained by KRDO.
A Douglas County School District spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that Fitzgerald is no longer with the school district. Thanks to parents and the principal who reported the incident, the school district was able to “take swift action and ensure this driver was never again allowed behind the wheel of a [district] bus,” the spokesperson, Paula Hans, said in a statement.
“The video is incredibly difficult to watch. Riding a bus to and from school should be a happy, enjoyable experience for students,” Hans said. “The behavior and actions of this bus driver are completely unacceptable.”
(NEW YORK) — Eighteen attorneys general are asking for the initiation of a recall of Kia and Hyundai car models that lack anti-theft controls.
In recent months, Kia and Hyundai models manufactured between 2011 and 2022 have seen increasing rates of theft following social media challenges urging people to steal the cars with the help of a screwdriver and USB Cable. Some of the thefts have been posted on social media using the hashtag #KiaBoyz.
“Thefts of these Hyundai and Kia vehicles have led to at least eight deaths, numerous injuries and property damage, and they have diverted significant police and emergency services resources from other priorities,” the attorneys general wrote in a joint letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A voluntary service campaigns by Hyundai and Kia to allow drivers to get software updates was an “insufficient response to the problem,” the attorneys general wrote.
The recalls will take months and “more troubling, an update is not even feasible for a significant percentage of the affected vehicles,” the letter said. The attorneys general added that the voluntary service campaign “is unlikely to remedy as many vehicles as necessary in a timely manner.”
“The absence of anti-theft measures in cars manufactured by Kia and Hyundai has resulted in a significant increase in auto thefts — and collateral public safety issues — across the District and country. In the District, Kias and Hyundais accounted for a significant portion of cars recovered in 2022, and an even greater portion in 2023,” Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who signed the letter, told ABC News.
In 2022, thefts of Hyundai’s and Kia’s increased nation wide. In Los Angles, the city saw an 85 percent increase in car thefts in 2022, Kia and Hyundai’s made up the three quarters of the entire increase of stolen cars in the city. In Minneapolis, thefts of Kia’s and Hyundai’s increased by 836 percent. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin Kia’s made up 58 percent of all stolen cars in 2022.
In a statement to ABC News, Kia says that it has contacted over two million owners and lessees to inform them of the software updates. More than 165,000 have installed the update, according to the company, which also says it has provided 39,000 free steering wheel locks to more than 275 law enforcement agencies.
“Kia remains very focused on this issue and we continue to take action to address the concerns these Attorneys General have raised. We are committed to working with them and law enforcement agencies across their respective states to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it,” the statement said.
Hyundai Motor America told ABC News that “it is important to clarify that an engine immobilizer is an anti-theft device and these vehicles are fully compliant with federal anti-theft requirements.”
“Thieves discovered a specific method by which to bypass the vehicles’ security features and then documented and promoted their exploits on TikTok and other social media channels,” Hyundai added.
Hyundai says the company has taken “comprehensive action,” including making engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021 and fully rolling out a free anti-theft software upgrade two months ahead of schedule.
Attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, the state of Washington and Washington, D.C., all signed the letter.
In 2022, thefts of Hyundais and Kias increased nationwide. Los Angles saw an 85% increase in car thefts in 2022, with Kias and Hyundais making up almost three-quarters of the increase of stolen cars in the city, according to the letter. In Minneapolis, thefts of Kias and Hyundais increased by 836%, and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kias made up 58% of all stolen cars in 2022, the attorneys general said.
(NEW YORK) — 19 attorneys general are asking for the initiation of a recall of Kia and Hyundai car models that lack anti-theft controls.
In recent months, Kia and Hyundai models manufactured between 2011 and 2022 have seen increasing rates of theft following social media challenges urging people to steal the cars with the help of a screwdriver and USB Cable. Some of the thefts have been posted on social media using the hashtag #KiaBoyz.
“Thefts of these Hyundai and Kia vehicles have led to at least eight deaths, numerous injuries and property damage, and they have diverted significant police and emergency services resources from other priorities,” the attorneys general wrote in a joint letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A voluntary service campaigns by Hyundai and Kia to allow drivers to get software updates was an “insufficient response to the problem,” the attorneys general wrote.
The recalls will take months and “more troubling, an update is not even feasible for a significant percentage of the affected vehicles,” the letter said. The attorneys general added that the voluntary service campaign “is unlikely to remedy as many vehicles as necessary in a timely manner.”
“The absence of anti-theft measures in cars manufactured by Kia and Hyundai has resulted in a significant increase in auto thefts — and collateral public safety issues — across the District and country. In the District, Kias and Hyundais accounted for a significant portion of cars recovered in 2022, and an even greater portion in 2023,” Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who signed the letter, told ABC News.
In 2022, thefts of Hyundai’s and Kia’s increased nation wide. In Los Angles, the city saw an 85 percent increase in car thefts in 2022, Kia and Hyundai’s made up the three quarters of the entire increase of stolen cars in the city. In Minneapolis, thefts of Kia’s and Hyundai’s increased by 836 percent. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin Kia’s made up 58 percent of all stolen cars in 2022.
In a statement to ABC News, Kia says that it has contacted over two million owners and lessees to inform them of the software updates. More than 165,000 have installed the update, according to the company, which also says it has provided 39,000 free steering wheel locks to more than 275 law enforcement agencies.
“Kia remains very focused on this issue and we continue to take action to address the concerns these Attorneys General have raised. We are committed to working with them and law enforcement agencies across their respective states to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it,” the statement said.
Hyundai Motor America told ABC News that “it is important to clarify that an engine immobilizer is an anti-theft device and these vehicles are fully compliant with federal anti-theft requirements.”
“Thieves discovered a specific method by which to bypass the vehicles’ security features and then documented and promoted their exploits on TikTok and other social media channels,” Hyundai added.
Hyundai says the company has taken “comprehensive action,” including making engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021 and fully rolling out a free anti-theft software upgrade two months ahead of schedule.
Attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, the state of Washington and Washington, D.C., all signed the letter.
In 2022, thefts of Hyundais and Kias increased nationwide. Los Angles saw an 85% increase in car thefts in 2022, with Kias and Hyundais making up almost three-quarters of the increase of stolen cars in the city, according to the letter. In Minneapolis, thefts of Kias and Hyundais increased by 836%, and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kias made up 58% of all stolen cars in 2022, the attorneys general said.
(COLE, Okla.) — At least three people are dead in Oklahoma after a string of tornadoes broke out Wednesday night, officials said.
There have been eight confirmed tornadoes in the state, according to the National Weather Service. Three tornadoes were confirmed in Iowa.
McClain County Emergency Management confirmed that a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was over Cole, Oklahoma, Wednesday night. The McClain County Sheriff’s Office confirmed at least two deaths and said there were multiple injuries.
Overall, there were at least 15 reported tornadoes across three states: Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa. In addition, huge hail — some the size of a softball — was reported from Illinois to Texas.
Cole was “hit significantly,” Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Eric Foster said. There are “power lines down everywhere” and major damage to infrastructure, according to Foster, who said hundreds of first responders are on the scene.
On Wednesday night, the McClain County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that it was responding to “reported injuries & persons entrapped within their shelters,” and that power lines were down and there were outages. McClain County is just south of Oklahoma City.
Due to storm damage, Oklahoma State Highway 74 to State Highway 76 was closed, according to the McClain County Sheriff’s Office.
Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee reported there was significant damage to its campus, but reported there were no injuries. Students living in three on-campus building were relocated on Wednesday night, according to a tweet.
The university also canceled classes on Thursday and Friday.
The cross country storm is moving east and is producing severe weather outbreak with tornadoes, huge hail and extreme straight line winds. On Thursday, severe weather will stretch east from Texas to Illinois, including major cities such as San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis and Little Rock, Arkansas. The biggest threat will be damaging winds and huge hail.
Severe weather will move into the Southeast over the weekend and will stretch from the Carolinas down to Georgia. Cities in the bull’s-eye will be Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; and near Raleigh, North Carolina. Damaging winds will be the biggest threat Saturday.
The same storm will bring a threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms all the way to Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City Saturday evening.
Major flooding ongoing in the upper Mississippi river in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin is expected to get worse this weekend. The river is expected to continue to rise though the end of the week and into the weekend, reaching levels not seen in decades.
Alec Baldwintook to social media late Thursday afternoon, hours after learning charges against him in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were dropped.
The photo, apparently from a different day, shows Baldwin smiling serenely, with his eyes closed, resting his head against hers. “I owe everything I have to this woman,” he captioned the picture, adding, “(and to you, Luke).”
The latter is an obvious reference to his attorney, Luke Nikias.
Earlier in the day, Nikias responded to the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office’s decision to drop charges against his client, stating, “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”
Baldwin, 65, had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting cinematographer Hutchins, 42, on the New Mexico set of the Western in October 2021. The actor was practicing a cross-draw when the gun fired, striking the cinematographer and director Joel Souza, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over Hutchins’ death.
The movie is resuming production with a new safety team and Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, as one of its executive producers.
