School Stabbing Spree: 20 Hurt

A student flashing two knives went on a stabbing rampage through the classrooms and halls of a high school outside Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning, authorities said. At least 19 students and a security guard were hurt, some with life-threatening injuries. The suspect, a 16-year-old sophomore, was in custody and being questioned by police, authorities said. His motive was unclear, said Dan Stevens, a Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman. The first photo of the suspect emerged several hours after the mayhem. NBC News is blurring the face of the teen in the photo, from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, because of his age. He had not been charged or identified. READ MORE HERE

Alex Hribal Identified As Suspect In Murrysville School Stabbing

EXPORT, PA — Police have identified and charged a 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing and slashing 21 fellow students and a security guard at a Pennsylvania high school. Authorities say Alex Hribal was being charged as an adult following the Wednesday morning attack in Murrysville, 15 miles east of Pittsburgh. READ MORE HERE

Alex Hribal, Franklin Regional Stabbing Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Police have identified 16-year-old Alex Hribal as the suspect in a mass stabbing Wednesday at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Twenty-four people were injured in the attack, including 21 students who were stabbed. Eventually, police say, Hribal was wrestled to the ground by the school’s assistant principal, Sam King, and a security guard known as “Sarge.” READ MORE HERE

• The DA says 4 people are in critical condition, including one who was “eviscerated”
• Alex Hribal, 16, faces 4 counts of attempted homicide, 21 counts of aggravated assault
• Teachers use students’ hoodies as tourniquets on injured teens, student says
• An assistant principal tackled the accused attacker, authorities say  READ MORE HERE

Student Victim ‘Chillin at Children’s’ After Stabbing

One victim of the stabbing spree at a western Pennsylvania high school took a moment to snap a selfie and let his Instagram followers know he was OK. Nate Scimio posted the photo and the caption “Chillin at Children’s” Hospital shortly after the stabbing rampage at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville. READ MORE HERE

‘Panic and chaos’ in mass stabbing

updated 9:52 PM EDT, Wed April 9, 2014

A male sophomore went on a stabbing spree at his Pittsburgh-area high school, an emergency management agency spokesman said.

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Stabbing shatters peace in quiet, upscale community

updated 6:53 PM EDT, Wed April 9, 2014

The peace of mind Paula Fisher sought for herself and her children when she left Pittsburgh nearly two decades ago was shattered outside Franklin Regional Middle School.

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A history of violence in U.S. schools

updated 11:18 AM EST, Mon December 23, 2013

Here is a list of incidents of school violence from 1927 to the present.

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Texas stabbings: Teen charged with murder

updated 10:16 PM EDT, Wed September 4, 2013

A teenager has been charged with murder in stabbings at a Houston-area high school that left one student dead and three others injured.

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Traumatized teachers need help

updated 6:25 PM EST, Fri November 22, 2013

Americans have been repeatedly shocked by school violence this year. For teachers, this is the beginning of an unwanted journey.

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Does your child’s school have a security plan?

updated 10:14 PM EST, Tue January 14, 2014

Do you feel confident that your school is prepared in the event of violence?

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Talking to kids about tragedy a tough task for parents

updated 2:13 PM EDT, Wed April 9, 2014

How do you approach such tough topics with your children?

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Mental health services make schools safer

There is no single or simple solution to making schools safe. It is a multi-faceted, on-going effort that requires commitment and participation.

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5 tips on talking to kids about scary news

updated 5:24 PM EDT, Mon April 15, 2013

When tragic events flash across the news, parents might find themselves awkwardly fielding questions from their kids.

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What really makes schools safer?

updated 3:21 PM EST, Fri December 13, 2013

Planning. Drills. Detailed instructions for whatever might happen. What’s “enough” when it comes to making schools safer?

 

When I started writing publicly about my healing from sexual abuse, I did it to validate my own history and journey and to inspire hope in other survivors. It’s been wonderfully empowering to record my triumphs and to share the process with thousands of fellow journeyers. However, being so public about such intimate feelings and experiences has been costly. For the most part, I count it a bargain compared with the expense of silence, but that resolve isn’t always very convenient or comfortable. One of the recent costs for being so vocal is a lawsuit from my parents. They are suing me for defamation of character and emotional distress. Through their case, they want to shut down OSA and silence my voice. READ MORE HERE

Family Secrets and Keepers of the Lie

Family Sexual Abuse – Incest Survivors – Incest Help

Incest Dark Family Secrets – YouTube

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Family Secrets (2007)

In this message series Pastor Garry takes an up-close look into the life of the dysfunctional family of Ruth and Boaz. This family history included incest and prostitution! Could they have a future?

Fnd out how they made it, and how you can make it too. This is a six-part video illustrated message series.

• Message One – The Secrets To Enduring Difficulties
• Message Two – The Secret Plan Of God
• Message Three – The Secret To A Lasting Love
• Message Four – The Secrets To A Blended Family
• Message Five – The Secrets To Being A Man After God’s Own Heart
• Message Six – The Secrets to Avoiding Shame

Boy, 6, ‘was punched and forced to live on hot dog and oil “shakes” by his abusive parents’

A six-year-old boy was starved, beaten and only fed gruesome hot dog, carrot and oil ‘shakes’ by his abusive parents, prosecutors have claimed. The boy’s father, Christopher Sefton, and his wife Lori Lloyd allegedly abused the boy for months at their Auburn, Washington home – even keeping the child out of school to hide his bruises. The couple, who allegedly began abusing the boy in October as punishment for imagined misbehavior, now face felony charges. READ MORE HERE

Babysitter ‘tattooed children he was looking after’… then parents tried to remove inkings with a hot RAZOR blade when they got home

A Virginia tattoo enthusiast is facing child abuse charges after he allegedly inked two children he was babysitting without their or their parents’ consent. Alexander Edwards, 20, of Rustburg, was taking care of his family friend Melissa Delp’s two daughters on December 22, 2013, while she and her boyfriend, Daniel Janney, were out. According to ABC News, he used a home kit to tattoo the pair, who were both under the age of 13.  One of the girls reportedly had her name tattooed on her shoulder. It’s not clear her sister got inked or what that tattoo was. READ MORE HERE

FLINT, MI — In a six-minute video posted to Facebook, an 11-year-old boy is smacked in the face and hit with a belt more than 50 times. “I watched the video and I was disturbed by it,” says David Leyton, the Genesee County prosecutor. At least three adults watch the lashings, saying on the video, the boy is being punished for having false information on his Facebook page. “We made two arrests. We’re seeking at least one warrant at this time,” says Collin Birnie with the Flint police department. READ MORE HERE

Evenflo has recalled select 2011-2014 car seats and booster seats due to bad buckles. The company says these models use a harness crotch buckle, which can become lodge in place over time making it difficult to get the child out of the seat. Evenflo says it has received no injury reports in connection with the use of the buckle on the seats being recalled.

Affected seats are as follows:

• Momentum 65, Momentum 65 LX and Momentum 65 DLX with model number prefix 385; manufactured March 4, 2013 – Aug. 26, 2013
• Chase, Chase LX and Chase Select with model number prefix 306; manufactured June 12, 2012 – Oct. 3, 2013
• Chase LX and Chase DLX with model number prefix 329; manufactured Aug. 23, 2011 – March 3, 2014
• Maestro and Maestro Performance with model number prefix 310; manufactured Aug. 22, 2011 – Oct. 17, 2013
• Symphony 65, Symphony 65 E3, Symphony LX, Symphony DLX and Snugli All-in-One with model number prefix 345 or 346; manufactured Oct. 2, 2012 – Aug. 26, 2013
• Titan 65 and SureRide DLX with model number prefix 371; manufactured June 20, 2012 – Oct. 17, 2013
• Secure Kid LX, Secure Kid DLX, Secure Kid 100, Secure Kid 300, Secure Kid 400 and Snugli Booster with model number prefix 308; manufactured Dec. 13, 2011 – March 3, 2014

READ MORE HERE

SPOKANE, Washington — An Airway Heights man has been arrested after police say he kidnapped a 2-year-old boy from Spokane early Wednesday morning. Richard Welch was arrested on a charge of first-degree kidnapping and third-degree rape of a child. According to authorities, Welch admitted to detectives that he had been at State Line Showgirls earlier in the evening and then went to the VA Medical Center emergency room at 3 a.m. because he claimed he was having problems with migraines.  READ MORE HERE

ICE launches national cyber safety campaign to help protect kids from online sexual predators
Goal of Project iGuardian – teach young people to ‘think before you click’

MISSION VIEJO, California – Determined to curb the escalating number of children falling prey to sexual predators online, representatives from federal and local law enforcement, along with a leading children’s advocacy organization, announced Tuesday the launch of Project iGuardian, a first-of-its-kind national cyber safety campaign spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). READ MORE HERE

DAYTON, Ohio — A West Carrollton man was in federal custody Friday following his arrest on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. The arrest follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Greater Cincinnati Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the West Carrollton Police Department. Alan Johnson, 23, made his initial appearance in federal court Friday afternoon to answer to the charges. He was ordered held pending a detention hearing scheduled for a later date. READ MORE HERE

Houston, TX – Ellen Wermeling, a 32-year-old counselor at Aldine MacArthur High School, has been charged with repeatedly having sex with a student. According to police, an investigation was launched after the student told a school staff member that he and Wermeling had engaged in sex on multiple occasions. Investigators say the student contacted Wermeling through her Instagram account on Feb. 28 and she agreed to pick him up so they could “hang out” at her residence. READ MORE HERE

How do you forgive a sexual abuser? 

It’s been forty-one years since those bully boys stole my body, mind, and bits and pieces of my shattered soul. They posed as interested neighbors, ready to help my ancient babysitter. They’d take me off her hands, lessen her load. Which is strange if you knew me back then. I wasn’t a handful. I’d already learned the art of being invisible. And if I wasn’t occupying myself alone, I found ways to please people. I was a good little girl. Innocent, even.

Those friendly boys (brothers, boy scouts) took me into the woods. They invited friends to take turns. They violated me under too-tall evergreen trees. They took me home with them, stealing more of me in their bunk beds, a sheet draped over the bottom bunk so they could do it “privately,” all while their June Cleaver mom hummed pop tunes and made cookies just two rooms away. I wonder if she knew.  READ MORE HERE

Six Things to Know About Sexual Abuse and Forgiveness

Forgiving the parents after childhood sexual abuse

On Forgiving Your Sexual Abuser, and Yourself

Forgiving Your Abuser – About Holistic Healing

My journey of Healing and Forgiveness after Surviving Childhood

How Acknowledging Your Anger Can Help You Forgive 

Do I Need to Forgive to Heal from Abuse?

Clare’s story of childhood abuse – Forgiveness Project

Craig Lewis, 32, inflicted a broken back and catastrophic brain injuries on baby Kieron Barley

A man has been jailed for just eight years after shaking and killing his partner’s son in a fit of rage. Craig Lewis broke Kieron Barley’s back and the toddler spent the last weeks of his life in agony after medical staff failed to diagnose the fracture. Kieron was in and out of hospital for four days after Lewis smashed him into the ground in a fit of anger.  READ MORE HERE

Mother told detectives she had left him home alone on a regular basis and had done it about 20 times before

A young mom has been charged with child abuse after she left her young son home alone while she went to work and then didn’t return until the next day. When Megan McKeon returned to her home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 20 hours later she found her young son, Austin Davis, lying face up with his eyes open. He was immobile and showed no signs of life. Investigators say McKeon’s home, described as a cabin at a local campground, was in chaos, with human waste and partially eaten food tossed around. READ MORE HERE

Man sentenced to death for beating, raping and fatally strangling girlfriend’s 4-yo daughter while she was out of town

A jury in North Carolina handed down the death penalty Thursday to Jonathan Douglas Richardson, 25, who they convicted of murdering his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter.  During the trial, it was revealed that Richardson tortured little Teghan Skiba for 10 days while his girlfriend of six months was on a trip – physically and sexually abusing the girl as well as strangling her with a power chord.  Richardson brought the girl to Johnston Medical Center in July 2010, telling doctors she fell off her bed. But medics found signs of much more serious trauma, as her body was covered in bruises and bite marks. READ MORE HERE