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.

MARRIED FLORIDA MATH TEACHER, 32, ACCUSED OF CLASSROOM SEX WITH STUDENT DURING LUNCHTIME

"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The teen had withdrawn from the high school and enrolled in virtual classes, authorities said.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.

TRUMP MAKES LATE-NIGHT ENDORSEMENTS IN SIX STATES AHEAD OF TUESDAY PRIMARIES, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA

"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.

DHS TORCHES NEW JERSEY’S PROFANE ‘F---ICE ACT’ AS ASSAULTS ON AGENTS SKYROCKET 1,300%

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

Biden officials circumvented court order in Title IX cases, including males in girls’ sports, docs show

Documents released by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) show that officials in former President Joe Biden’s Department of Education (ED) circumvented a federal court injunction restricting the department’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) enforcement efforts under Title IX, including in cases involving transgender students’ access to restrooms and female athletic teams.

OSC's June 9 letter to the White House said the Department of Education ultimately "fully substantiated" a whistleblower’s allegations that the department’s Office for Civil Rights failed to comply with a federal injunction barring implementation of Biden-era guidance that interpreted Title IX to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The whistleblower, a chief attorney in OCR’s Kansas City office, alleged that the department continued pursuing gender identity, transgender status and sexual orientation claims under Title IX in states covered by the injunction.

The OSC report said that by Sept. 26, 2022, former ED Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon laid out a way for OCR to keep handling SOGI cases in the states covered by the court order.

In that email, Lhamon told staff that the court had blocked the department from "implementing" documents addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in the 20 plaintiff states. But she also told them that "OCR will continue to carry out its statutorily required responsibilities," and said staff should not rely on the three blocked documents when deciding what Title IX means.

Investigators later concluded that this approach was not real compliance with the injunction. The report said OCR leadership had created "a path for carrying out its preferred SOGI policies" in the plaintiff states despite the court order. The report also said OCR regional offices were then directed to act "in defiance" of the injunction.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Lhamon for comment.

The court order stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a coalition of states challenging three June 2021 guidance documents issued after Biden signed Executive Order 13988, "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation."

In July 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee issued a preliminary injunction blocking the department from implementing those documents against the plaintiff states. The Sixth Circuit later affirmed the injunction in June 2024.

The dispute was broader than girls’ sports, but girls’ sports were a major part of the concern.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which joined the Tennessee case on behalf of Arkansas female athlete Amelia Ford and the Association of Christian Schools International, argued that the guidance would force schools to allow males who identify as female to compete on female athletic teams and use female-designated showers and locker rooms.

ILLINOIS SCHOOL FACES CRIMINAL DOJ REFERRAL AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF FORCING GIRLS TO CHANGE WITH TRANS STUDENT

The Education Department initially denied wrongdoing. In a December 2024 report, the department said OCR had not violated the injunction because it was not citing or relying on the challenged guidance documents. The department argued it could still investigate complaints involving sexual orientation or gender identity so long as it grounded its actions in Title IX, its regulations, case law and the facts of each case.

But according to the Office of Special Counsel, the department reversed course after a supplemental investigation. The later report found "significant shortcomings" in the department’s initial response, including a failure to assess available evidence, conduct relevant interviews and directly address whether OCR leadership had failed to follow the injunction.

The department’s own first report said the cases cited by the whistleblower included allegations involving a transgender student’s access to a restroom consistent with gender identity and a transgender student’s participation on a female athletics team consistent with gender identity.

The matter is now closed at OSC, but the watchdog’s letter calls for further accountability inside the Department of Education and before Congress.

ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs said the documents show Biden education officials tried to keep enforcing their gender-identity policies after the court stepped in.

"What apparently Biden administration officials and the Department of Education did is say, ‘Hey, we can’t enforce these policies, but the injunction doesn’t reference the content of the policies,’" Scruggs told Fox News Digital.

Scruggs said the blocked guidance would have had major consequences for schools, including disputes over girls’ sports and private spaces. The policy, he said, would have pushed schools to allow "men in women’s sports" and "men in private spaces."

"The Department of Education was continuing to pressure and enforce these illegal policies," Scruggs said. "So that means, again, more men in women’s restrooms, redefinition of the meaning of sex in federal law as applied to these school districts."

Scruggs said the public release of the records should help expose what happened and prevent similar conduct in the future. "All you can do is shine a light on it," he said, adding that congressional or agency oversight may be needed "to ensure that this doesn’t happen again."

source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/biden-officials-circumvented-court-order-title-ix-cases-including-males-girls-sports-docs-show

Minor crash, stolen Buffalo Wild Wings food lead deputies to alleged murder plot against teen's parents

A damaged street sign along with food allegedly stolen from a Buffalo Wild Wings in Virginia, helped authorities uncover a murder plot against the parents of one of two suspects arrested last week, officials said.

The investigation began on June 16 when authorities responded to a report of reckless driving in Stafford after a vehicle veered off the road and struck a road sign, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies located the vehicle at a Wawa convenience store and detained two suspects: Louis Conely and an unidentified 17-year-old.

Both were found with unopened alcoholic beverages and a tray of food stolen from a Buffalo Wild Wings visible on the vehicle’s dashboard, authorities said. The pair allegedly admitted to stealing the food tray from the restaurant. As deputies searched the vehicle, they found opened alcoholic beverages, multiple knives, medical items and a notebook detailing a murder plot.

ADOPTED DAUGHTER AMONG 2 TEEN GIRLS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF WOMAN FOUND BUTCHERED IN UTAH VACATION RENTAL

Conely, 19, owned the notebook, authorities said. Investigators revealed that the evidence showed the pair had developed two detailed murder plots against the underage suspect's family.

In April, they allegedly sent text messages planning the murders of the 17-year-old’s parents inside their home, discussing how to avoid security cameras and debating whether to shoot the parents or slit their throats, Fox 5 DC reported.

FOUR DEAD AND 29 SHOT IN CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE AS LEADERS TOUT CRIME PROGRESS

A search of the underage teen's bedroom uncovered multiple BB guns, edged weapons and archery equipment, according to charging documents obtained by the news outlet.

Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive.

Conely faces a slew of charges, including two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of felony written threats, petit larceny, unlawful purchase of an alcoholic beverage, drinking while operating a motor vehicle, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, hit-and-run and reckless driving. Conely was held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.

The younger teen is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of felony written threats, and is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

It was not immediately clear how Conely and the teen knew each other.

source https://www.foxnews.com/us/minor-crash-stolen-buffalo-wild-wings-food-lead-deputies-alleged-murder-plot-teens-parents

Irate Republicans accuse Trump of handing Democrats a win after blowing up housing package

The Senate was left in a state of confusion and anger in the wake of President Donald Trump's last-minute declaration that he would not sign into law a colossal housing package filled with his own priorities. 

It comes as Trump is expected to have a closed-door lunch with Senate Republicans who are already frustrated with a laundry list of his recent decisions that have either derailed or blown up their attempts to move forward with his agenda. 

Trump said he wouldn’t sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Package into law, which passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support, unless Republicans ram through the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a voter-ID and citizenship verification package that doesn’t have the votes to succeed in the Senate. 

TRUMP HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR PIVOTAL MEETING AS SENATE GOP DIVISIONS DEEPEN

"Today's Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency," Trump said on Truth Social.

The sudden decision had some Republicans accusing Trump of handing Democrats a victory. 

"There is a huge group of people who really appreciate what the president's doing right now, and it's the Democratic Party," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said. "And we've got to get our act together and stop surprising people and start having … working messages. 

"This housing bill was a very clear, bipartisan effort to address some of the basics of affordability, and we are here," he continued. "It makes no sense."

TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING OVERHAUL TARGETING WALL STREET INVESTORS CLEARS SENATE

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of the chief architects of the housing package, was furious that Trump refused to sign the bill into law. 

"Can I underline crisis three times? We have a bill that Republicans and Democrats have built. It is good for urban America, rural America, first-time homebuyers, renters, seniors, families that are expanding," Warren said. "It's a bill about doing good things. And Donald Trump says he just doesn't care." 

Before torpedoing the housing package, Trump had already earned the frustration of Republicans with his decision to derail the process of reauthorizing the nation’s key counter-terrorism tool, the memorandum of understanding with Iran, and his push for an "anti-weaponization" fund that nearly blew up a $70 billion immigration enforcement package.

The GOP is hungry for a stream of wins to push on the campaign trail as they inch closer to midterm elections where several incumbent Republicans are running in tight races. 

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR WIN AS CONGRESS PASSES HOUSING CRACKDOWN ON WALL STREET INVESTORS

But for now, they are mired in debate over whether they can pass the SAVE America Act, which Trump is expected to push for during the lunch. 

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, described the situation as "inexplicable."

"I mean, this, this is not — I don't know if there is precedent for it," Cornyn said. 

When asked if Trump would be any more successful in generating the votes to pass the legislation, Cornyn acknowledged that the president had a lot of sway, but that if the solution was to eliminate the filibuster, the votes similarly weren’t there.

"At some point, we got to deal with reality," he said. 

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who worked on the housing package, agreed with Trump that Republicans should try to pass the SAVE America Act and explore all options to do so, like attaching it to a third budget reconciliation package or forcing debate on the floor.

But he acknowledged that the votes currently weren’t there to pass it. 

"I will stand on one leg and bark like a dog if that's what it takes to help this pass," Kennedy said. "But you can't make people vote in a way that they don't want to do. I mean, that's what we're up against."

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/irate-republicans-accuse-trump-handing-democrats-win-after-blowing-up-housing-package