Former Mets pitcher narrowly escapes death in Venezuela earthquakes thanks to elevator malfunction

Thousands are feared dead in Venezuela after two massive earthquakes, but a former MLB pitcher is one of the lucky ones.

Jenrry Mejia, who now pitches in the Venezuelan Major League, said that divine intervention in an elevator saved his life during the earthquakes.

Speaking to a Dominican radio station, Mejia said he had just finished working out at the Hotel Eduards in La Guaira when, instead of going to the floor where he was staying, the elevator took him to the lobby, allowing him to escape.

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"I was in the gym area. And at that moment, I took the elevator to leave," Mejia told "Mañana Deportiva."

"In fact, I had pressed number 6, which was where my floor was. But … I think it was God because instead of going up, it went down to the basement," he continued. "The door opened directly into the lobby. That’s when I came out and the building started to collapse."

Mejia helped an older man out of the hotel and believes the two of them are the only ones to make it out of the hotel alive.

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"The others are still there, trapped under the rubble," he said.

The hotel, according to the New York Post, citing local reports, was hosting the families of players and staff members from the Delfines and the Guerreros de Lara baseball teams, with relatives of former MLB players Eliezer Alfonso and Gorkys Hernández missing.

Mejia pitched parts of five seasons for the New York Mets, becoming their closer in 2014, one year before they made it to the World Series. However, he ultimately became the first baseball player to be banned from Major League Baseball for life for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy.

Mejia was suspended for 80 games for his first offense in 2015. After pitching in seven games, he tested positive again and was given a 162-game suspension. The following February, he tested positive for a third time, prompting his ban. He has since applied for and been granted reinstatement but has not pitched in the major leagues since. He did play minor-league ball for the Boston Red Sox organization.

The death toll has risen to 589 with thousands reported missing.

Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.

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source https://www.foxnews.com/sports/former-mets-pitcher-narrowly-escapes-death-venezuela-earthquakes-elevator-malfunction

New high-tech jacket pulls drinking water from thin air, researchers say

Engineers have developed a jacket capable of converting water vapor from the air into drinking water.

A team of University of Texas engineers developed the jacket as part of their broader invention, AirGel, a technology that uses hydrogel material and solar energy.

"Water scarcity threatens two-thirds of the global population, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable and accessible clean water solutions," the researchers wrote in a Science Advances report on their development of a field‑portable, solar‑powered, water-harvesting device.

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"AirGel provides a complementary solution to existing water-processing systems," said Yaxuan Zhao, one of the UT researchers who developed the technology, in a UT press release. "It can produce water using only air and sunlight, and it can deliver water directly to the point of need."

"This differs from a centralized system that might need to transport water a long distance, which can increase the cost and the energy demand," he went on. 

"Since our system is portable, modular and only relies on solar energy, it can be used in many applications, such as outdoor activities, for household or community needs, and even disaster relief."

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The wearable prototype could be valuable to soldiers, emergency responders and others who spend time in remote outdoor environments, the researchers said.

"The fabric absorbs moisture from the air, then releases it when heated by sunlight, so the water can be condensed and collected," stated the news release.

In testing, the wearable prototype jacket proved to be a much less bulky, more efficient and portable method of harvesting water compared to conventional materials, which often involve a box or panel, according to researchers.

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The jacket produced about 14 to 30 ounces of water, depending on humidity levels, which amounts to between a threefold and 10-fold improvement in performance compared to other materials, the release said.

The research team used the same technology in a separate device, which pulled "a record amount of drinking water from the air in the hot, arid climate of the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and the more humid environment of Austin," the news release said.

"The important advance here is that the team did not simply make another material that absorbs water," Keith Johnston, co-author and chair professor of the Cockrell School of Engineering's McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, said in a statement.

"They designed a pathway for water to move quickly, from vapor in the air, to liquid on the fiber surface and then into the textile. That transport design is what allows the material to work not just in a small lab test, but in a wearable system."

UT's research commercialization unit, Discovery to Impact, has a patent pending on this technology, and is considering using it in other forms of outdoor gear, such as tents, and for various other applications.

Zhao and fellow graduate researcher Weixin Guan won international innovation awards for the AirGel technology, which received a Patent Acceleration Certificate from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, UT reported.

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"[We] hope to send AirGel to places globally that need water most, where we can further study their field performance and cost-effectiveness to bring AirGel one step closer to practical implementation," Guan said.

source https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/new-high-tech-jacket-pulls-drinking-water-from-thin-air-researchers-say

Pro wrestling star Jonathan Gresham talks first PRODUCE event, expresses love and concern for the sport

Jonathan Gresham is one of the biggest stars on the independents circuit and he will be one half of the headlining event on Monday when he goes up against Fuminori Abe.

Gresham and Abe will participate in a new wrestling series presented by Orange Crush. The event is called "PRODUCE Volume 1: The Octopus." It will take place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, at 8 p.m. ET.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

The show, backed by Adam Abdalla, will also feature a musical performance by Abel Ferrara.

"The one thing I think – attention to detail and consistency over time," Gresham told Fox News Digital when asked what fans can expect from the event. "I think that’s something that is missing in modern wrestling and that’s something that’s something Adam and I talk about quite a bit."

Gresham said that his idea of what pro wrestling can be in the grand scheme ultimately drew him to the event.

"I think for the most part some time ago I started to flirt with the idea about what pro wrestling can be and I think at the same time so many people around the world start to flirt with the same idea. I think we are probably the first duo to take advantage of that thought process and put it on display for an audience," he told Fox News Digital. "So, I don’t know, maybe six years ago now, it was definitely before the pandemic, the pandemic really brought it home for me to really start exploring this idea more and more deeply."

He said fans should expect to see two competitors who truly love professional wrestling.

"This is not me trying to sound braggadocios. I feel like there’s several athletes across the pro wrestling space that feel the way that I do about their work. I believe that these individuals exist, but I’m going to talk about myself right now and Abe. I think on Monday you’re going to see two people who are in love with pro wrestling perform for you," he said. "I’m a firm believer in there’s two sides of the coin here.

"There’s one side where there’s individuals that love the idea of being a professional wrestler. They love the fame, being on television, the moves, the fans clapping for them and all that stuff. I am in love with pro wrestling. I understand professional wrestling on a different level, on a more visceral level than most people and I feel like Abe feels the same way about his craft. So, on Monday, you’re gonna see two people in the main event that are in love with pro wrestling and perform for you."

Gresham expressed an admirable passion for pro wrestling.

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He described the current state of the sport as being on a "spectrum" and a concern about pro wrestlers being properly trained.

"Currently, modern wrestling, I look at it on a spectrum, it’s gotten so far to one end to where, on a weekly basis, on television, at most indie shows that we go to, we see these young athletes, people that have never made it to television, and quite frankly just starting their life, just starting their career, take these big risks," he said. "And these promoters are perpetuating this thought process by rewarding the people continuously risking their bodies. I see people diving from balconies, missing tables, just doing some of the most ridiculous things and this way of thinking has left the independents and is now taking place on national television and I just don’t think it is sustainable for the wrestling community going forward."

He said when he started to come up through the business, there were three "platforms" in which a pro wrestler could evolve into – Lucha Libre, deathmatches or pure wrestling. He said a wrestler first starting out could subscribe to a certain style. He said, now, wrestlers are "walking around aimlessly" trying to figure it out for themselves.

Gresham is trying to change the structure.

"I hear a lot of older veterans talk about the evolution of wrestling and I think it’s just the idea of, well, yes, social media, and the misunderstanding of different genres and styles of wrestling and that misunderstanding came from different regions of the world and we have taken those misunderstandings and built this new homogenistic style that has no real reason outside of right here, right now, getting what I want, instant gratification," he told Fox News Digital of what changed in the business. "There is very little attention or care to build to things like I would like to say our predecessors did. I think that’s kind of it. The biggest issue is the promoters that, for lack of a better word, don’t really understand what their job is, who are perpetuating the issue by rewarding the young men and women that are going out of their way to do these crazy things – jumping off of balconies, crazy moves every match. And the individuals that understand psychology, that understand character, that cut the promos before the shows, these people are going unrewarded.

"Meanwhile, the people that show up and do the craziest moves and do the five-star matches every show are getting pushed. But then when those individuals get the opportunities to go on television and get an opportunity to go on TNA, AEW, WWE, normally those opportunities are eight-minute matches that, right out of the gate, when you’re about to go out, turn into four-minute matches."

Gresham lamented indie wrestlers going from the 15-minute classic matches on an independent promotion to finally getting TV time, which more often than not, sees their potential of having an eight-minute match get trimmed down to four minutes.

"So, that’s when you get this super homogenistic style that everybody is trying to replicate over and over again. Because, I mean, at one point, it was working, it was new, everybody was chasing it," he said. "It started around 2006 or so and then it just got progressively crazier as time went on and now we’re like in the thick of it and I really fear that we’re gonna see people on national television seriously get maimed and injured because of this style and the promoters are perpetuating this issue."

Gresham will continue to hone in on his own style of wrestling when the first PRODUCE event occurs at the end of this month.

Joey Janela, Effy, LaBron Kozone, Mance Warner, Man Like Dereiss, "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams and Mad Dog Connelly are expected to be featured on the show. Gresham is listed as a co-producer and Abdalla is listed as the creative director.

source https://www.foxnews.com/sports/pro-wrestling-star-jonathan-gresham-talks-produce-event-expresses-love-concern-sport

Former Florida special education teacher arrested for alleged sexual relationship with teen boy, police

A former Florida high school special education teacher has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with the 17-year-old brother of one of her former students.

Michelle Lynn Hancock, 41, of Palm Bay, is charged with transmitting information harmful to minors, using a computer to seduce or solicit a child, traveling to meet a child after using a computer to lure them, lewd and lascivious touching, sexual battery by an authority figure, and soliciting or engaging in conduct with a student, according to Brevard County jail records.

CALIFORNIA MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL NABBED IN CHILD SEX STING

Hancock was arrested Wednesday after police responded to a suspicious pickup truck on the side of the road, where she was found inside with the teen. Both allegedly admitted to having engaged in sexual activity.

A Brevard Public Schools spokesperson told Florida Today that Hancock was no longer employed by the district.

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"We are deeply troubled by these allegations. The District remains committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students," the district said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Palm Bay Police Department and the school district for comment.

Hancock was a special education teacher at Heritage High School, where she met the teen after having previously taught his older brother, according to an affidavit obtained by People.

The teen had withdrawn from the high school and enrolled in virtual classes, authorities said. However, he began visiting Hancock at the school and stated they had kissed in her classroom.

They maintained a relationship before briefly separating, local media reported.

However, the pair began texting each other again and re-engaged in sexual activity a month ago, authorities said. Hancock would also send the teen photos of herself that were "sexual in nature," police said.

Hancock is being held in the Brevard County jail on a $525,000 bond.

source https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-florida-special-education-teacher-arrested-alleged-sexual-relationship-teen-boy-police

South Dakota mayoral candidates separated by just two votes in shockingly close race, recount expected

Out of more than 36,000 votes cast in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mayoral runoff contest, the candidates are shockingly separated by just two votes.

Christine Erickson, a former South Dakota state representative and former Sioux Falls city council member, is leading state Sen. Jamie Smith, who is also a former state House member, by that razor-thin two-vote margin.

The candidates have 18,280 and 18,278 votes respectively.

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Smith, who plans to request a recount, said during a phone call with Fox News Digital on Thursday that "every vote does count," noting, "This is exactly an election that shows you that."

While the race was nonpartisan, Smith is listed as a Democrat on the South Dakota legislature's website, while Erickson, who served in the state House over a decade ago, is listed as a Republican on the site.

SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR SURVIVES CROWDED PRIMARY -- FOR NOW

"Thank you Sioux Falls! To my family, friends and supporters, I couldn’t have done this without you. This election exemplified that every single vote truly matters. To the people of Sioux Falls, even with a close margin, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to lead Sioux Falls forward for the next four years," Erickson said in a Wednesday statement.

"Even though the polls have closed, the fight continues. We know there will be a recount and I feel confident going into this next phase. My team and I are prepared to make sure the recount moves forward fairly with accuracy and transparency," she continued.

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"Congratulations also to Jamie for a hard fought campaign. Sioux Falls has a bright future, and we will come together to make sure our community thrives today and for generations to come. My promise is the same as it was on day one of this campaign: I will lead with common sense and make sure city government serves you, the people. I’m excited to get to work," she concluded.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/south-dakota-mayoral-candidates-separated-two-votes-shockingly-close-race-recount-expected

Biden judge rejects Trump's sanctuary cities lawsuit, says even a win wouldn't solve DOJ's problem

A federal judge has tossed the Trump administration's lawsuit against four New Jersey sanctuary cities, ruling the Justice Department targeted local policies that largely mirror a statewide immigration directive — meaning a court victory wouldn't eliminate restrictions on ICE cooperation.

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin of the District of New Jersey, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, on Wednesday dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City and Paterson, ruling the federal government lacked standing because striking down the cities' policies would not remedy its alleged injuries.

"The Federal Government's case has a fundamental flaw — it treats the Challenged Policies as though they operate in isolation. They do not," Padin wrote. "New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive is a statewide directive that, like the Challenged Policies, limits voluntary cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement beyond what the law requires."

The lawsuit was part of President Donald Trump's renewed immigration crackdown following his return to office. Since declaring a national emergency at the southern border on Jan. 20, 2025, the administration has aggressively targeted so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, arguing that local policies limiting cooperation with ICE obstruct federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution.

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The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in May 2025, arguing the four cities' sanctuary policies violate the Constitution's Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, including limiting voluntary cooperation with ICE, restricting information sharing, declining to honor certain immigration detainers and barring participation in civil immigration enforcement beyond what federal law requires.

Newark, Hoboken and Jersey City each adopted executive orders declaring themselves "fair and welcoming" or "sanctuary" cities, while Paterson implemented police procedures designed to comply with New Jersey's immigrant protections. The cities have argued the policies preserve community trust and allow local police to focus on state and local crime rather than federal civil immigration enforcement.

But Padin did not address the question of whether the sanctuary policies are constitutional. Instead, she ruled the federal government lacked standing because New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive independently imposes many of the same restrictions on law enforcement agencies across the state.

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The directive, first issued under former Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018 and codified into state law by Gov. Mikie Sherrill earlier this year, limits when state and local police can cooperate with federal immigration authorities on civil immigration enforcement.

Because the statewide directive wasn't challenged in this case, Padin concluded that even if she struck down the cities' policies, many of the same restrictions would remain in place.

"Even if the Court enjoined the Challenged Policies," she wrote, "its injuries would persist."

NEW JERSEY'S BAN ON PRIVATELY OPERATED ICE DETENTION CENTERS STRUCK DOWN BY COURT

That directive has already survived multiple legal challenges. The Third Circuit upheld it after New Jersey counties argued it conflicted with federal immigration law, and the Justice Department later sued New Jersey directly over the policy, lost and did not appeal.

"No judgment here could invalidate the ITD or relieve municipal law enforcement officers of their independent obligation to follow it," Padin wrote.

The opinion also faulted the government for failing to identify concrete injuries caused solely by the cities' policies. While the Justice Department cited several instances in which ICE detainers allegedly were ignored, every example involved the Essex County Correctional Facility, a county-operated jail that is not a defendant in the lawsuit and is governed by the statewide directive.

"The Federal Government must plead facts that substantiate its feared harm," Padin wrote.

Padin dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning the administration isn't barred from bringing the case again if it can overcome the standing issue.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-judge-rejects-trumps-sanctuary-cities-lawsuit-says-even-win-wouldnt-solve-dojs-problem-6-25-2025

The 17-year-old who said he designed the US flag

Who designed the U.S. flag?

Betsy Ross?

How about the widespread decades-long claim that a 17-year-old high school junior from Lancaster, Ohio, Bob Heft, made the first 50-star flag and sent it to the White House to be approved as our current stars and stripes?

"I, of course, designed the flag of our country, the current flag," said Heft. "It’s not just a piece of cloth, it's the fabric of America."

This compelling and uniquely American story is told in the first episode of "Crazy America History with Eric Shawn," now streaming on Fox Nation.

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Heft sewed his flag as part of a high school history class project. He then sent it off to President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959, asking him to adopt his design as the nation's new flag when Hawaii became the 50th state. 

Eisenhower's chief of staff Wilton B. Persons sent Heft a letter thanking him. In an exchange of correspondence with White House officials, Heft pressed his claim that the design that the president chose was from him.

"I made and flew the first 50-star flag in the United States," he wrote. "The flag was first flown March 7, 1959, and there are none recorded before this date...it has been displayed in the White House in Washington and also the Governor's mansion and capital building in our state of Ohio."

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Heft, who died in 2009, spent his life touting his claim, speaking to school groups, veterans and reporters about his making the 50-star flag.

But is his story even true?

And why haven't you heard of Bob Heft?

He did create his 50-star flag before the design's official adoption by the Eisenhower administration, and he was able to get his flag flown over at least 40 state capitol buildings from 1960 to 1962. The states included New York, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Utah, Nebraska and Alaska. It flew for five hours over the Texas state capitol in Austin on Oct. 5, 1960, but Gov. Price Daniel wrote "it would have been displayed all day except for a rain and high wind which started about 12 p.m."

Ohio Gov. Michael DiSalle wrote Heft that he was "pleased to verify your story that yours was the first 50-star flag displayed in Ohio on Ohio property."

But was Heft really the first, or were officials fooled?

It is the tale of the teenager who lived his life for Old Glory.

And wait until you see what we do with his flag at the end of our episode!

Watch "Crazy American History with Eric Shawn," now streaming on Fox Nation.

source https://www.foxnews.com/us/17-year-old-said-designed-us-flag