The lone survivor of the lightning strike that killed three people outside the White House was saved by quick-thinking Secret Service agents — and her Dr. Martens boots, according to her mom.
Californian student Amber Escudero-Kontostathis was struck last Thursday while raising money in Washington, DC, for refugees — even though it was her 28th birthday.
While three others were killed in the strike — including a fellow young Californian — Escudero-Kontostathis was revived by agents who raced to the scene with a defibrillator, her mom, Julie Escudero, told the Ventura County Star.
“The Secret Service men saved her,” Escudero said. “I’ve been trying to find out their names so I can personally thank them. They revived her.”
Amber Escudero-Kontostathis was the lone survivor of four hit by lightning outside the White House last Thursday — her 28th birthday.LinkedIn
In a series of emotional Facebook updates, Escudero detailed how doctors believe the lightning that struck her daughter “went through her toes and out her left arm.”
That likely meant her daughter was saved by the thick rubber “Airwair” soles on Dr. Martens’ boots absorbing some of the impact, her mom speculated.
Escudero-Kontostathis — who was with her husband, Achilles, in DC — has already left intensive care and taken her first steps unaided, said her mom, who flew from California to be by her daughter’s side.
“The trauma doctor came up [Friday] and said she’s an ‘absolute miracle,’” her mom told the local outlet.
Amber Escudero-Kontostathis was the lone survivor of four hit by lightning that was caught on camera striking at the foot of the White House last ThursdayREUTERS
In her Facebook posts, Escudero also detailed how her daughter “is literally blowing all the doctors away with the progress her body is making.”
Still, she is suffering “unbearable” pain from a large burn on her stomach that makes it feel like it’s “on fire” — and is suffering crushing “survivor’s guilt” after learning the three others hit all died, her mom said.
Escudero-Kontostathis had a Monday meeting scheduled with a trauma counselor.
And she has also “made the connection to the other 3 wonderful people who passed,” her mom said, referring to bank VP Brooks Lambertson, 29, as well as James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, childhood sweethearts from Wisconsin celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary.
The three killed included James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, childhood sweethearts from Wisconsin celebrating their 56th wedding anniversaryFacebook/WISN 12 NEWS
“She wants to reach out to their families,” her mom said Monday. “She cares so much for others, it will be hard for her.”
Escudero-Kontostathis is also anxious about missing the start of her masters-degree course at John Hopkins at the end of this month.
Escudero said she was “beyond grateful and humbled” that friends had started a GoFundMe that as of Monday afternoon had raised more than $40,000 to help with medical costs.
“I literally fell to my knees when I saw the GoFundMe page. I truly have no words!” she said.
As Netflix struggles to keep consumers subscribed to its streaming service, its mobile games venture is looking like a flop. CNBC reported that according to app analytics company Apptopia, Netflix games have been downloaded 23.3 million times in total, and on average, there are 1.7 million daily users. This means that fewer than 1% of the streaming giant’s subscriber base — around 221 million subscribers — are interested in Netflix’s games.
Netflix told TechCrunch it doesn’t disclose the number of players. However, the Apptopia’s report can shed light on just how unpopular its gaming offering is.
In comparison, leading mobile games like Subway Surfers, Roblox and Among Us each have more than 100 million downloads, per Apptopia. Netflix has a long way to go before it can reach this level of popularity.
Netflix recently lost nearly one million subscribers, so it’s not hard to see why the company wants to invest in more games. Netflix Games launched in 2021, and currently offers more than 25 games through the Netflix mobile app. The company intends to double its catalog by the end of 2022 and release over 50 games.
While Netflix hasn’t disclosed how much it’s spending to develop its mobile game division, the company has acquired three game studios: Boss Fight Entertainment, Night School Studio and Next Games. As TechCrunch has previously reported, the Next Games acquisition cost the streamer approximately $72 million.
In July, Netflix announced three new games, including award-winning titles Into the Breach and Before Your Eyes. Its catalog also includes a variety of games connected to popular Netflix shows, like “Stranger Things,” “Queens Gambit,” “Shadow and Bone” and “Too Hot to Handle.” If Netflix continues to explore leveraging its own IP for new games, that approach could draw in more subscribers.
However, shows that have been out for a while and don’t have a solid fan base probably won’t do as well as games based on “hot” series like “Stranger Things” for example. When season four of “Stranger Things” premiered, the two Netflix games based on the show — Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game — saw a bump in downloads, Apptopia told TechCrunch.
To play a Netflix mobile game, subscribers can find them free in the streaming app in the dedicated games row. Players are redirected to download a separate app for each game. Once downloaded, only Netflix subscribers can play the games, which are available on Android and iOS devices.
At almost 85, actress and activist Jane Fonda says it took her 70-something years to “become young”, and that feeling as good as she does now is something of a miracle.
Ahead of her new role in an animated movie, Fonda speaks exclusively with Stellar about what her late, lauded father taught her about life and regret on his deathbed, why she has never truly felt like a classic Hollywood icon, and her rubber-band trick for treating heartbreak.
You recently said, “I am younger now [at age 84] than I was in my 20s”. How do you stay young?
I don’t think that it’s true of everyone, frankly. How we are in our 20s – at least in the first part of our lives, before we understand that we can actually put an oar in the water and steer our life in a different direction, if we so choose… until I got to that point in my life, I was lost, I didn’t know what to do or who I wanted to be. I was very unhappy and I felt old and didn’t feel like I would live for very long. So to be almost 85 years old and to feel like I do now is a miracle to me. I have been very intentional in trying to … make myself a better person, make my life have more meaning. [The artist] Picasso once said, “It takes a long time to become young” and that’s sure true for me. It took 70-something years for me to become young.
When you say “become young”, what do you mean?
Young, [as in] light, not feeling a great burden on my shoulders. Learning how to be present, learning how to accept what comes, learning that we don’t have any control… something bad will happen, been there, done that and I survived. It’s much easier being older than it is being younger. It’s so hard to be young! There’s nothing but questions: “What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to know? Don’t give up, keep going and try to learn from all this, so when you get a little older, you can get more agency over your life.
You’ve spoken previously about not living a life of regrets. How have you influenced your decisions in Hollywood – and your life?
when my father [the late actor, Henry Fonda] was ill, it took him a long time to die. I would sit by his bedside of him. He didn’t speak much when he was young and healthy, and you don’t change when you’re on your deathbed. What I realized [was] he was going to die with regrets, when it was too late to do anything about it. It’s not the dying that I am scared of, it’s the coming to the end of life with a lot of regrets when it’s too late to do anything.
And that came to me at about the age of 60, so I thought, “All right, that means you have to live now until the end of your life in a way that will minimize the regrets and to go out feeling pretty OK about what you’ve done.” Regrets are usually about what you didn’t do … rather than the things you did. I am trying to do what I feel needs to be done before the end, right now, in my life.
You’ve been married three times and previously stated: “Part of the reason I get into a relationship with a man is that I feel he can take me down a new path”. How do you reflect on the defining relationships of your life?
Well, all of my three husbands definitely took me down paths that I probably would not have gone down had I not married them. And then, in between the marriages, I have had boyfriends that didn’t take me down any new paths, that really had nothing to teach me, and I got bored pretty fast. I feel like I needed to always be learning and growing and expanding, and my husbands have all helped me do that.
What is your advice for dealing with heartbreak?
Put a rubber band around your wrist and when you get really angry or sad, snap it. That sudden pain, it changes the neural pathways in your brain, and will help you kind of come out of it for a minute. Then, write him a letter, pour your thoughts out – but don’t send it.
Years from now, you’ll read it and be amazed at how different you are when you read it, than the time you wrote it.
Between projects, such as the 1968 movie Barbarella and Netflix series Grace and Frankie, and now your voice role in new animated film Luck, on Apple TV+, you’ve had incredible longevity and diversity in your acting career, and you’ve won two Oscars for Best Actress. What has your experience been as a woman working in Hollywood?
I’ve never felt part of Hollywood, really. I mean, I know it sounds strange to say that because my father was a movie star, Henry Fonda, but he was not really part of Hollywood. I didn’t go to Hollywood parties much. I mean he did, sometimes. It was not a life that was totally focused on glamor and Hollywood. My life has never been, either. Most of my friends are activists and not involved in Hollywood. I have plowed ahead, even when it looked like my career would be over. I just try to stay relevant, I guess.
You’re the voice of Babe, The Dragon, in Luck. What drew you to the role?
She is the president of the Kingdom of Luck, where they create luck. Human beings are not allowed there because it’s thought they’ll bring bad luck with them. It’s a story about a young girl named Sam, who is in the foster care system and who has nothing but bad luck. With the help of some of the creatures in the kingdom, she manages to get in and teaches the dragon that bad luck is really the other side of the coin of good luck, that the two go together. That good luck doesn’t mean anything without bad luck, and vice versa. It’s like, life doesn’t have meaning without death.
The climate crisis is the main subject of your activism, as founder of the Jane Fonda Climate PAC (Political Action Committee). What is your message to lawmakers – in the US and globally – about the state of the environment?
I have to say, the people of Australia understand the climate crisis better than most. I mean, boy, you just can’t catch a break with the fires and flooding. We have to look at what the scientists say. We have to cut our fossil fuel emissions – the pollution that happens when we
burn coal and gas – in half by 2030. In the US, that’s four election cycles. That’s a very short period of time. It’s a massive challenge that requires not just laws and policies to be passed, but a new way of thinking. Think about nature differently, think about our responsibility – this is particularly true in the United States, stop thinking about me, me, me. It’s pretty scary and we don’t have a lot of time. We have to do everything we can, all of us.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will reportedly be suspended for one game and slapped with a $20,000 fine for his “weak-gutted dog” spray directed towards Panthers player Jaeman Salmon.
Stuart produced the stunning comments after the Raiders’ loss to the Panthers on Saturday. It was triggered by Salmon kicking Raiders hooker Tom Starling during the game.
“I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well,” he said.
“He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now.”
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news corp Journalist Phil Rothfield reported on NRL 360 that Stuart will likely be stood down from coaching the Raiders’ clash with the Dragons on Sunday.
“I spoke to them (the NRL) about 15 minutes ago and Ricky Stuart will not be coaching the Canberra Raiders this weekend,” Rothfield said.
“In the next 24 hours they will announce, the NRL, a one-week suspension and a $20,000 fine.”
NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent revealed Stuart had spoken to Jason King at the Integrity Unit and revealed the “personal” story behind the attack on Salmon.
“I rang the NRL today, they are aware of it and they will put their investigation together and such is the personal nature of this investigation there will be things that will not be going into the written report,” he said.
One game suspension harsh on Ricky? | 03:27
“King will speak to (Andrew) Abdo, disclose some of what’s happened, but out of respect for the personal nature of what it actually is about, it will be kept out of the written submission.
“Whether that damages Ricky in his overall fight to not get suspended, I don’t know. When I asked him about that he was prepared to live with the consequences of that.”
Rothfield confirmed that the NRL is “aware” of “all the personal details” and while Stuart has not revealed anything publicly, he “did tell the Integrity Unit every single detail.”
Rothfield added: “This is something that’s been boiling away at him for over a decade and he hasn’t been able to have closure on it. It’s his own kids from him… I’m not defending him but I’m trying to give context on what triggered what happened.
Kent, who had also heard about Stuart’s looming one-game suspension, slammed the NRL for entertaining a suspension when the investigation had not yet completed.
“The investigation is not even over yet and you’re saying — and I’ve heard the same — one game for Ricky,” he said.
Salmon family calls for action on Stuart | 03:00
“I’ve got no problem with them fining him, but to suspend him for this… (News Corp journalist) Dave Riccio was speaking on radio saying how the NRL has come out and basically for some time now has been saying coaches aren’t ‘t paying enough attention to the ends, we might need to start suspending them.
“That’s in one area, then in the second area we’ve got all these people saying this is well-beyond what anyone else has done so he needs to be suspended. The two things don’t actually correlate, yet people are marrying it up together to give him one game.
“It looks like a Kangaroo court the fact that the disciplinary hearing is not even over and we’ve all heard he’s going to get a game — it’s not even over yet.”
Paul Kent said the NRL ”knows the truth” and
“It’s not a good look and I accept that but it’s not about whether it is right or wrong.
“To suspend a game for that
“Any person that gets hung out for defending their family, and I get its the wrong ga
“The NRL should sit there and says it’s not a personal matter
However, news corp journalist Michael Carayannis believes the ban is “fair.”
ARL to decide Grand Final location soon | 05:25
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“I would have much rathered if Ricky confronted Jaeman after the game in the sheds and sprayed him one-on-one… but you can’t be doing that in public. He essentially slandered him — he can’t be unpunished,” Caryannis said.
“I think the one-game suspension is fair. You can’t be doing that.”
Kent said the NRL “knows the truth” behind Stuart’s reaction and reiterated that the issue for him is the suspension.
Caryannis responded by asking “what’s the deterrent then?”
Meanwhile, Rothfield revealed that Stuart will be the first coach to cop a one-game suspension.
“It’s never ever happened before in the game,” he said.
Watching five-year-old Arlo Brigg bouncing around her central Queensland home, it’s hard to believe this little girl survived a stroke.
Four months ago, the bright, energetic child was playing with her sister one Saturday morning when her mum, Ange, noticed something wasn’t right.
“[Her sister] Banks did something to make her giggle, and that’s when I noticed a really slight drop in her face,” Ms Brigg said.
“I initially said to [my husband] Clay: ‘Do you think she’s having a stroke?'”
Trusting her instincts, she called an ambulance and the emergency doctor at Rockhampton Hospital told the family it was likely to be Bell’s palsy.
Ms Brigg says doctors in Rockhampton told them Arlo had Bell’s palsy.(Supplied: Ange Brigg)
Bell’s palsy is a sudden weakness or paralysis in one side of the face and is caused by inflammation or damage to nerves, according to the federal Health Direct website.
Ms Brigg, worried then-four-year-old Arlo had been misdiagnosed, pushed for scans but said that staff told her it was “very rare for children to experience a stroke.”
“[Arlo] went to say something to me and I couldn’t recognize her speech,” Ms Brigg said.
“I again said: ‘Is she having a stroke?’ And they said, ‘No, it can’t be a stroke, but we’re going to do the CT scan just to be sure’.”
Arlo’s parents said they were told the CT scan, taken about 1pm Saturday, found “no unusual signs of any sort of brain activity” and “came back as looking normal.”
The Royal Flying Doctor Service flew Arlo from Rockhampton to Brisbane. (Supplied: Ange Brigg)
But the following morning at the hospital, when Mr Brigg went to dress Arlo, he found his little girl paralyzed down the right side of her body.
“The doctors came in at 8 o’clock, examined her and went back [to the CT scan from Saturday] and they saw something,” he said.
Arlo was diagnosed with an ischaemic stroke, meaning it was caused by a blood clot.
Ange and Clay Brigg say the care Arlo received in Brisbane was outstanding.(Supplied: Ange Brigg)
She spent 38 days at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane regaining her strength and learning how to walk and talk again.
“Arlo [did] intensive-style therapy daily — one hour of speech, one hour of occupational therapy and one hour of physiotherapy a day,” Ms Brigg said.
“Some days were harder than others. The level of care that we got in Brisbane from the rehab team, the nurses, the neuro team, was just outstanding.”
Arlo lost all strength in the right side of her body.(Supplied: Ange Brigg)
Stroke happens in children
Lisa Murphy, acting chief executive of the Stroke Foundation, said about 600 Australian children had a stroke every year.
“Stroke can happen in children; it’s not just a thing that happens in older Australians,” Dr Murphy said.
Facial droop, one-sided paralysis, seizures, headaches, nausea and slurred speech are some of the most common symptoms.
Like Arlo, these symptoms can come and go before the person noticeably deteriorates.
“Stroke is always an emergency, so always call triple-0, don’t go to your GP, don’t go to bed and sleep it off, call an ambulance,” Dr Murphy said.
Arlo spent 38 days at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.(Supplied: Ange Brigg)
amazing rehabilitation
Four months on, Arlo’s rehabilitation has moved ahead in “leaps and bounds.”
“When I first met her, she couldn’t stand on [her right] leg and balance,” physiotherapist Johanna Scully said.
“Now, she’s able to stand on that leg, balance and do an activity with the other foot. So yeah, lots of big gains.”
Arlo attends therapy at All Sorts Developmental, which provides pediatric services in Rockhampton, Yeppoon and Mackay.
“It’s always tricky for those families, especially when they’ve got a kid that’s tracking quite well and then this massive medical incident occurs,” Ms Scully said.
“It is a long-term journey for her and things will change over time.”
Johanna Scully is one of Arlo’s physiotherapists in central Queensland.(ABC Capricorn: Erin Semmler)
But Ms Scully said children in rural and regional areas often missed out on the level of support readily available in cities.
The Children’s Hospital supports the provider via telehealth and sends equipment.
“It is really important [regional communities] have access to that; we just have to be creative in how we go about things,” Ms Scully said.
“These families have lives here, they can’t just pick up and move to Brisbane.”
Arlo’s progress in rehabilitation has astounded everyone.(ABC Capricorn: Erin Semmler)
Bounding towards a full recovery
The Briggs said Arlo’s stroke was “the biggest scare” and brought new highs and lows.
“As a family, we have to work as a team more than ever… we always keep the mindset too that Arlo was able to walk out of the hospital,” Ms Brigg said.
“Life could have been a lot worse for us and a lot different.”
Ange and Clay say Arlo’s strength and resilience has amazed them.(ABC Capricorn: Erin Semmler)
They said watching Arlo improve had helped everyone cope.
“Seeing her now running and jumping, moving her arm and picking things up with her fingers on that right-hand side is really great,” Ms Brigg said.
“Her speech and comprehension is fantastic.”
Arlo has transitioned back to kindy and is excited to start prep next year.
“We’re pretty confident that Arlo’s going to make a full recovery,” Ms Brigg said.
Now 5, Arlo has returned to kindy a couple of days a week.(Supplied: Ange Brigg)
A message to parents
The Briggs warned other parents to know the signs of stroke.
“Go with your gut, you know your kids better than anyone else, and stroke does happen in children, unfortunately,” Ms Brigg said.
“But also, children being so young and resilient, you can see how determined they are to get back to their normal self.”
Arlo’s little sister Banks has helped her stay positive through her recovery.(ABC Capricorn: Erin Semmler)
Thushan Malawana, Rockhampton Hospital emergency department clinical director, said she could not comment on an individual’s treatment due to patient privacy.
“I can assure community members that Rockhampton emergency department staff are trained and resourced to diagnose and treat strokes,” she said.
“Strokes in children are extremely rare and diagnosing conditions in small children can be very challenging.
“In cases such as this, our team liaises closely with pediatric neurological specialists at the Queensland Children’s Hospital to assist with highly specialized guidance.”
Stroke survivors and their families can find support via the Stroke Line on 1800 787 653, via Our Family Stroke Journey or Little Stroke Warriors.
Former President Donald Trump appears to have flushed ripped-up government documents down the toilet after all, new photos revealed on Monday.
New York Times’ reporter Maggie Haberman obtained the document dump photos for “Confidence Man,” her forthcoming book on the Trump White House.
Despite Trump’s denials, the photos show scraps of paper in two toilet bowls with his distinctive handwriting on them.
Former President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the final remarks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. (Shafkat Anowar/AP)
“Some (Trump) aides were aware of the habit, which he engaged in repeatedly,” Haberman told Axios, which published the incriminating potty pics. “It was an extension of Trump’s term-long habit of ripping up documents that were supposed to be preserved.”
According to the report, one of the photos is of a toilet in the White House while another is from a foreign trip.
[ Trump denies White House toilet document dump ]
It’s impossible to tell the subject of the destroyed documents. But the name “Stefanik,” apparently a reference to upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.), is legible on one piece of paper.
Trump derived the new report through his spokesman, Tyler Budowich.
“You have to be pretty desperate to sell books if pictures of paper in a toilet bowl is part of your promotional plan,” said Budowich.
The twice-impeached president was notorious for ripping up documents in his frequent rages, forcing aides to collect scraps that later had to be taped back together and submitted to the National Archives.
Trump also took several boxes stuffed with records, including papers marked “CLASSIFIED” with him to his Florida estate when he left the White House on Jan. 20, 2021.
The actions could violate the Presidential Records Act, which says that such records are government property and must be preserved.
A woman who took issue with a range of plus-sized yoga statues being sold at Woolworths has been roasted online.
The shopper took to TikTok to share a video panning across a range of unique garden ornaments, featuring plus-sized bodies posing in different yoga positions.
The woman asked “what the f**k?” she was with the range, ending the video with a confused look.
“I need answers, I don’t get it” she titled the video.
“What are these and who would buy them?”
The $16 statues feature in the gardening section at Woolworths and show female bodies in different yoga poses.
“What the f**k is with this range at Woolworths?” she asked in the now-viral TikTok video.
“Look at that. Look at this one. What the f**k?”
The short clip has since racked up nearly 30,000 views – but the reaction was likely not what she was hoping for.
Many commented on the TikTok video asking why the woman had a “problem” with the ornaments and expressed that they actually “loved” them.
A lot of TikTok users also accused the woman of being “judgmental” about the shape of the bodies and asked if she would have an issue if the statues were smaller.
“You’re being fatphobic. Just some queens doing yoga” someone said.
“What’s the issue?”
“They are magnificent, shifting our mindset about these bodies is long overdue.”
“Body positivity. Every size and shape is beautiful,” another said
“And it’s being reflected in our day to day realities, this awesome. Love it.”
“You sound super judgmental, what’s wrong with body positivity?” asked a TikTok user.
“Love how she thought most people would agree with her lmfao.”
News.com.au understands that the items are a range of limited edition yoga statues that are on sale at selected Woolworths supermarkets, for a limited time only.
Almost every major camera manufacturer has either openly discontinued its point-and-shoot line of cameras or has not produced a new one in many years, according to a new report. In short, smartphones have all but totally replaced compact cameras.
The compact camera market, colloquially known as point-and-shoot cameras, has been experiencing a massive collapse in worldwide shipments over the last decade and a half. Since 2008, when worldwide shipments reached 110.7 million cameras, the market has significantly shrunk and failed to 3.01 million units as of 2021 — a 97% drop.
Nikkei reports that in response to the market’s contraction, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Fujifilm, and Sony have all either dramatically scaled back productions or outright admitted that there will be no further compact cameras.
“Although we are shifting to higher-end models, we have strong support for lower-end models, and will continue to develop and produce them as long as there is demand,” Canon tells Nikkei.
Canon denies that it isn’t planning to make new compact cameras, but it hasn’t released a new one since 2019.
Sony’s response echoes Canon’s and the company says that it is not discontinuing new product development in the compact camera space, although Nikkei notes the company hasn’t made a new “Cyber-Shot” camera — its compact camera line — since 2019.
Nikkei reports that Nikon has stopped developing cameras that would fall under its “Coolpix” line, the company’s branding for compact point-and-shoot style cameras. Nikon tells Nikkei that it still sells two high-magnification models and that future production volume will be determined by the market, which as noted, isn’t growing.
Panasonic, which at one point owned the top share of Japan’s compact camera market, tells Nikkei that it has been reducing the volume of point-and-shoots that it has been producing over the last several years in response to the shrinking market. Additionally, while it plans to keep making current compact cameras for the time being, it will focus on developing high-end mirrorless cameras aimed at enthusiasts and professionals, including a camera that it plans to release next year that it is developing in conjunction with Leica .
Nikkei claims Fujifilm has ceased production on its compact camera line “FinePix” and is not actively developing new models for it, instead focusing its efforts on higher-end models like the X100V and above.
Ricoh, which owns the Pentax brand, and OM Digital aren’t mentioned in the story, but Ricoh seems unfazed by the market contraction and has notably released two point-and-shoot cameras in the last year: the WG-80 and the GR IIIx (and later along with its special edition). Ricoh seems immune to making decisions in line with market trends, as it has also stubbornly refused to make a mirrorless Pentax camera, going so far as to say that the brand “cannot go mirrorless.”
It has been a long, slow process, but the death of the point-and-shoot appears all but complete at the hands of the smartphone, whose imaging capabilities manufacturers continue to improve.
Image credits: Elements for header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
Adelaide Football Club Chairman John Olsen and CEO Tim Silvers have penned the following letter to Members and fans:
We aspire to have everyone – players, coaches and staff – reflect on their time at the Crows in a positive manner and we are saddened that this has not been the case for everyone.
It has been confronting to hear Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins describe their experiences during the 2018 pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast, as well as the subsequent hurt they have carried.
We apologize to Eddie, Josh and any other player, coach or staff member, who had a negative experience during this time.
Equally we are sorry to hear Bryce Gibbs express his disappointment at the way in which the camp and events surrounding it were handled and its impact on the playing group, and we acknowledge there are others who may feel the same way.
The most important thing we can do now is listen and offer our support.
We know that moving on as a Club will be difficult. Everyone will do it in their own time and in their own way, and we sincerely hope that with the passage of time the healing process can take place.
There has been a significant amount of change at our Club over the past couple of years. Most notably, the key leadership positions of Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Men’s Senior Coach and Men’s Head of Football have all changed hands.
In recent times there has also been a cultural shift and the focus is firmly on prioritizing others. This is a genuine intent that stretches beyond the football department and permeates throughout our organisation. It’s a whole club approach.
We are committed to emerging from this painful and challenging period and getting better. While we cannot rewrite history, we remain determined to learn from the past.
The family of Gabby Petito announced plans to file a $50m wrongful death lawsuit against Utah police on Monday, claiming that officers in the small desert town of Moab, who stopped Petito and boyfriend Brian Laundrie last year, failed to recognize their daughter was in a domestic violence situation.
The notice of a forthcoming claim alleges that when officers stopped the couple on 12 August 2021, they did not recognize that Petito, 22, was in danger.
Body-cam film later showed a visibly upset Petito speaking to officers on the side of the road.
Instead of intervening, the officers allowed the couple to proceed on a cross-country van trip after requiring them to spend a night apart.
The fight between the couple happened weeks before authorities say Laundrie strangled her. Petito’s body was found on 19 September near Grand Teton national park in Wyoming.
Laundrie, 23, later killed himself in a Florida swamp after being named the sole person of interest in her disappearance. His body of him was found last October. A notebook contained a confession to her murder of her.
“If the officers had been properly trained and followed the law, Gabby would still be alive today,” attorney James McConkie said in a statement. At a press conference in Salt Lake City, McConkie said that “officers fail to recognize the serious danger that she was in, and failed to investigate fully and properly.”
He referred to “clear signs that were evident that morning that Gabby was a victim and that she was in serious need of immediate help”.
Appearing by video at a news conference to announce the claim, Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, described watching the body-cam video as “very painful”.
An independent investigation earlier this year found that Moab police made “several unintentional mistakes” when they intercepted Petito and Laundrie. In a report, police said it was very likely that Petito “was a long-term victim of domestic violence, whether that be physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.”
Petito’s family have already sued Laundrie’s parents claiming they knew since about 28 August last year that Petito was dead because their son had told them.
Instead of telling Petito’s family, or responding to their pleas for help, the Laundrie family issued a statement saying “it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is re-united with her family”.
A Florida judge is allowing that claim to proceed.
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