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Family of Native American woman missing since 2021 seeks closure, attorney says

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The family of a Native American woman who has been missing since 2021 is hoping for answers and closure, their attorney said, as a suspect faces assault and carjacking charges in connection with her disappearance.

Ella Mae Begay was reported missing from her home near Sweetwater, Arizona, by family members on June 15, 2021, and has not been seen or heard from since, according to the FBI. Her Ford F-150 pick-up truck was seen leaving her residence that morning possibly heading toward New Mexico, authorities said.

This week, a New Mexico man was arrested in connection with Begay’s disappearance, the Department of Justice announced. Preston Henry Tolth, 23, appeared in federal court Friday in Flagstaff, Arizona, for an arraignment and detention hearing, following an indictment by a federal grand jury last month for assault resulting in serious bodily injury and carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury.

According to the indictment, Tolth is alleged to have assaulted Begay, then-62 years old, within the confines of the Navajo Indian Reservation on or about June 15, 2021, and then taken her Ford pick-up truck across state lines “by force, violence, and intimidation, resulting in serious bodily injury” to the victim, who is identified in the indictment by her initials.

A Department of Justice spokesperson did not comment further on the case in response to an ABC News inquiry.

“I think the hardest part for the family is knowing that their family member is out there and she’s still out there, and they just want to bring her home,” Darlene Gomez, an attorney for Begay’s family who attended Friday’s hearing, told ABC Albuquerque affiliate KOAT. “It’s incredibly, incredibly hard for them to listen to the details of how she became battered and left out in the middle of the reservation somewhere and that they cannot find her.”

“Her body needs to be found. This family needs closure,” Gomez told KOAT. “She needs to be put to rest in the proper way.”

ABC News did not receive a response from Tolth’s attorney to an email seeking comment.

A conviction for the assault charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a conviction for the carjacking charges carries a maximum of 25 years.

The investigation, which is part of the Department of Justice’s efforts to address cases involving missing and murdered indigenous persons, is ongoing, prosecutors said.

“This indictment is an important first step in determining the truth about what happened to an elderly victim on the Navajo Nation,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in a statement.

As of Oct. 11, 2022, more than 192 Native Americans have been verified as missing through New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, according to the FBI.

Nearly 2,000 volunteers help search for missing Minnesota mother

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WINONA, Minn.) — Nearly 2,000 volunteers turned out on Friday to help search rural terrain for any clues in the disappearance of a Minnesota mother who has been missing for a week under “suspicious” circumstances, authorities said.

Madeline Kingsbury, 26, of Winona, has been missing since March 31, police said. The mother of two did not show up to work that day and failed to pick up her children from day care that afternoon, which is “extremely out of character for her,” police said.

On Friday, more than 1,860 volunteers searched areas in Winona and about 24 miles south in Rushford, the Winona Police Department said.

“This is tough terrain, and we are grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who are taking their personal time to assist with the search,” Winona Police Chief Tom Williams said during a press briefing.

There are currently no suspects or persons of interest in the case, authorities said.

Williams said they have received hundreds of leads and that the investigation remains “incredibly active.”

“We are working relentlessly to find Maddi and determine the circumstances around her disappearance,” Williams said.

Kingsbury and her children’s father dropped the children off at a day care shortly after 8 a.m. on March 31 before returning to her home in Winona, according to Williams. The children’s father told police he left the house in Kingsbury’s van around 10 a.m., but when he returned later that day, Kingsbury was not there, Williams said at a press conference earlier this week.

There is no indication Kingsbury left home on foot or in another vehicle, and her cellphone, wallet and ID were found in the house, Williams said.

Williams declined on Friday to say whether the father of the children is participating in the search or clarify how he has been cooperating with authorities.

Authorities have called for volunteers to help with search efforts on Saturday.

Judge reverses FDA approval of abortion drug after 23 years

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(AMARILLO, Texas) — A federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled to suspend the abortion drug mifepristone, which was approved by regulators 23 years ago and has now become one of the most common methods of abortion in the country.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled to suspend the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. The ruling is paused for seven days so the federal government may appeal.

Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, held a hearing on the issue on March 15 in Amarillo, Texas, where the conservative plaintiffs in the case argued the Food and Drug Administration was wrong to approve mifepristone.

About half of all abortions in the U.S. were medication abortions as of 2020, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such methods usually rely on mifepristone in a two-drug regimen along with misoprostol.

Erik Baptist, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that filed the lawsuit, said after the hearing that the judge needed to provide a check on the FDA, which he said ignored safety concerns with mifepristone — an allegation the government and most medical doctors refute.

“The FDA never had the authority to approve these drugs and remove important safeguards,” Baptist said.

Government lawyers defending the FDA said at the hearing that the government has reviewed extensive data and found no such safety concerns.

“The public interest would be dramatically harmed” by siding with the plaintiffs, said Julie Straus Harris, an attorney for the Justice Department, while Baptist urged the judge: “Relief must be complete and nationwide.”

Outside, pro-abortion access advocates were blunt. “There are a whole host of reasons why this court should just dismiss [the lawsuit] out of hand,” said Carrie Flaxman, senior director for public policy litigation and law with Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

An appeal is likely.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Manchester Orchestra premieres video for ’The Valley of Vision’ track “The Way”

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Manchester Orchestra has premiered the video for “The Way,” a track off the band’s new album, The Valley of Vision.

The clip brings the record’s cover artwork to life through, as a press release puts it, a “hyper-realistic human character creation” and “cinematic use of state-of-the-art game engine technology.”

“I’ve learned a lot from losing people I love and knew that making this video could be a great way to sum up my experiences,” says director Campbell Logan. “I think by bravely confronting and exploring the loss that haunts us we can find a great deal of love that we can transmute into peace and gratitude. I wanted to create a visual narrative about that process.”

You can watch the video for “The Way” streaming now on YouTube.

Manchester Orchestra released The Valley of Vision in March alongside a virtual reality film. They’ll launch a U.S. tour in support of the album alongside Jimmy Eat World in July.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Buckcherry shares new ’Vol. 10’ track, “Let’s Get Wild”

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Buckcherry has premiered a new song called “Let’s Get Wild,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, Vol. 10.

“Let’s Get Wild” is out now via digital outlets. It’s the second Vol. 10 cut to be released, following lead single “Good Time.”

Vol. 10, the aptly titled 10th Buckcherry album, arrives June 2. It also includes a cover of the Bryan Adams song “Summer of ’69.”

Buckcherry will be on the road touring the U.S. throughout the spring, summer and fall, including dates with Skid Row.

Report: Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan biopic to begin shooting in August

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Bob Dylan fans have been waiting a long time for the planned Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet in the lead role, and it sounds like it’s finally closer to happening.

The film’s director, James Mangold, broke the news to Collider that the movie is expected to begin shooting in August, with Timothée doing his own singing in the film.

Mangold says he was interested in the project because “it’s such an amazing time in American culture,” sharing that it will explore “a young 19-year-old Bob Dylan, coming to New York with $2 in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years.”

He adds, “It’s so beyond belief, it’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in America, the American scene, different characters from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, to Pete Seeger, to Joan Baez. All have a role to play in this movie.”

“I’ve never seen a movie like this”: Vin Diesel and company give a peek under the hood of ‘Fast X’

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

On Friday, Universal Pictures gave fans a peek under the hood of the upcoming 10th adventure in the Fast and the Furious franchise.

The snippet shows not only action-packed scenes from the movie, but interview segments with its stars, including Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez and John Cena.

“I’ve never seen a movie like this,” Diesel teases.

Cena, returning as a good guy after his heel turn as Dom Toretto’s brother Jakob in Fast 9, notes, “Everything is bigger, better, and it hits you like a right hand to the jaw.”

Director Louis Leterrier adds, “It is true entertainment on a massive canvas. … With a new villain, new stakes — real stakes.”

Momoa plays the baddie Dante, who is seeking revenge on Diesel’s Dom and his “family” for killing his drug kingpin father during the events of Fast 5.

“It’s exciting to be a piece in the puzzle of something so very important to pop culture,” Momoa notes.

“I do suggest for the audience out there to prep. It’s a big one,” warns Rodriguez, returning as Letty.

See for yourself May 19.

Diddy now claims he was joking about paying Sting $5K a day for “I’ll Be Missing You”

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Diddy now claims he was joking about paying Sting K a day for “I’ll Be Missing You”

After making headlines by claiming that the amount of royalties Sting gets from Diddy‘s song “I’ll Be Missing You” is $5,000 a day, Diddy now claims it was a big joke.

Earlier this week, Diddy replied to a clip of Sting confirming that he makes $2,000 per day in royalties from “I’ll Be Missing You” because it samples “Every Breath You Take,” his 1983 number one hit with The Police, Diddy wrote, “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”

But on Friday, Diddy took to Twitter to walk back his comment.

“I want y’all to understand I was joking! It’s called being Facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for Missing You,” Diddy wrote. “He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history.”

The whole thing is really semantics, though. Diddy used the sample without permission, which caused Sting to take legal action: He sued for a chunk of royalties and won. So while Sting may not have personally “charged” Diddy for the sample, the fact remains that he gets a percentage of whatever royalties the song earns, whether it adds up to $2,000 per day — that’s $730,000 per year — or more.

In 2003, Sting told Rolling Stone, “Those guys just take your s***, put it on a record and deal with the legality later … I put a couple of my kids through college with the proceeds, and me and [Diddy] are good pals still.”

Chlöe opens up about dealing with depression on the ‘Tamron Hall Show’

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Chlöe opened up about her mental health on Friday’s episode of the Tamron Hall Show.

Recalling how she was feeling some years ago, Chlöe shared, “You know when you get stuck in that moment for too long and it feels a little too long being there?”

She confirmed to Tamron she’d been dealing with depression.

“It didn’t have anything to do with my career or my music, it was all personal, internal things. And I think when you figure things out that make you question your entire life, you look at yourself like, ‘What did I do wrong? Am I good enough?’ Things like that,” she said.

Chlöe notes her family, godmother and music helped “pull me out of it.”

“All of them kind of helped lift me back up into better spirits,” the singer says.

She hopes sharing her story will help others who may be experiencing depression.

“I want people to know, because I don’t want there to be a young woman or a young fella out there feeling alone, like there’s something wrong with them, because it’s not,” Chlöe says. “And especially right now with this generation and social media and everything all in your face and you’re comparing your worst self to everyone’s ‘fake’ best self, and with FOMO and things like that.”

“If I could just help one person feel less alone and inspired to go talk to someone or lean on a family or friend … then I know I’ve done my job,” Chlöe continued. “This is greater than myself.”

Similarly, Chlöe’s album, In Pieces, sees her discussing her past experiences with hopes of assisting others. “It was therapy for me and now I can use it to hopefully help someone else,” she says.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Graham Nash reveals David Crosby had COVID-19 when he died

April 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby passed away January 18, and now his Crosby, Stills & Nash bandmate Graham Nash has revealed that he passed away after contracting COVID-19.

“He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band,” Nash shared on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast. “After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick. And he’d already had COVID, and he had COVID again.” He adds, “And so he went home and decided that he would take a nap, and he never woke up. But he died in his bed, and that is fantastic.”

Nash says many people didn’t expect Crosby to live as long as he did, noting he expected him to go “20 years ago.”

“I mean, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing,” Nash offers, although he says it was still a shock.

Nash has previously said that he and Crosby had been mending fences before Crosby’s death, and Nash says he was pleased they had been “getting closer towards the end.”

“He had a good life. I mean, what incredible music he made. He was a fantastic storyteller,” he says. “I loved him dearly. In looking back at what separated us, it was just foolish stuff, really. The music is the most important part of our relationship.”

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