MADISON, Alabama – A couple failed to appear in court Thursday for their trial for criminally negligent homicide, in the 2012 death of their daughter. Kristopher and Joy Lynn Speigner were scheduled to appear for a bench trial in Judge Schuyler Richardson’s courtroom, but the two didn’t show up. Joy Speigner’s bond has now been revoked, because she has some new charges against her in south Alabama, where the couple now lives. READ MORE HERE

FLINT, Michigan — A former Flint police sergeant is accused of over 16 counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, with 6 of the counts for conduct with children under the age of 13. 66-year-old Lawrence Woods was arraigned this morning at 68th District Court. He is currently being held with no bond. At a press conference today, Flint Police Chief James Tolbert said that there have been four raids on Woods’ former residences. They found hundreds of pictures of child porn, and not “run of the mill.” The pictures were taken at Woods’ former homes, hotels and the Flint Police Department. A total of four locations were used. The incidents happened between 1996 and 2000. The ages of the victims range from 11- to 30-years old, according to Chief Tolbert. There are at least 50 victims. Chief Tolbert is hoping more will come forward. READ MORE HERE

A mother has revealed shocking photographs of her autistic twin boys being strapped in and restrained at a specialist school run by a principal with links to notorious Melbourne cult ‘The Family’. The pictures were taken when her 11-year-old boys were in their primary years and Tracey Hayes is now calling for an education inquiry into the school. The disturbing images are the first photographic evidence of the restraint and seclusion used against autistic children in schools across Australia, which dozens of parents have spoken out about in recent years. READ MORE HERE

Liz Ferro started a non-profit 5-years ago called Girls With Sole. Her organization uses free fitness and wellness programs to empower the minds, bodies and souls of girls who have experienced abuse of any kind or who are at-risk. They team up with Residential Treatment Centers and schools, and bring the programming directly to the girls where they are. The programs help girls heal and learn to cope in a healthy way, and also focus on self-esteem and empowerment for purposes of prevention and awareness. 

Girls with Sole launched in Cleveland, Ohio with just four girls; since then, Ferro has worked with over 800. She partners with social service agencies, schools, juvenile detention centers, and local hospitals to target girls ages 9 to 18. When they sign up, the girls get free running shoes, sports bras, water bottles, a fitness journal, and free entry into at least two 5K races a year. And Ferro does her best to introduce them to a variety of fitness programs so that the girls can find their thing, be it yoga, football, volleyball, basketball, or running.  

Liz was in the foster care system and was also sexually abused by her next door neighbor when she was 8. After she was adopted she was forced to keep it a secret after her mom found out about it. Although she had many dark years – she is now able to help others as a result of her own experiences.

Her book, “Finish Line Feeling” was published two years ago, and it tells her story and how she started Girls With Sole. The proceeds from the book benefit her organization…and it’s her goal to be national by the year 2020! The girls in her programs receive free copies of her book, along with their curriculum and free running shoes and sports bras. The book is also a catalyst for her to raise awareness of the crucial topics of abuse, and having a voice.

Girls With Sole | www.girlswithsole.org

See Girls With Sole on the NBC TODAY Show

Liz Ferro’s Author Page

Purchase “Finish Line Feeling” Here

Read about Girls With Sole on YAHOO Beauty

Girls With Sole – Rocky River, OH – Charity Organization

Liz Ferro (GirlsWithSole) on Twitter

Girls With Sole ‘brings the happiness’ out of girls

Women That Inspire: Liz Ferro of Girls With Sole 

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ABOUT LIZ:

Liz Ferro (Girls With Sole)

Liz Ferro is the author of the book “Finish Line Feeling” and has personally crossed many finish lines. She has completed 32 marathons (2 of them 50K Ultras), 5 Ironman Triathlons and countless road races and triathlons of every distance.  The empowerment gained from sports led her to found the non-profit organization Girls With Sole. Currently she is working on the 50 States For Sole campaign.  She is running a marathon in all 50 States to raise funds and awareness for Girls With Sole programming.

She is the recipient of  the 2011 Classic Woman Award from Traditional Home Magazine;  the 2011 American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland Hero Award;  the 2012 Longines Women Who Make a Difference Award from Town & Country Magazine; and Girls With Sole was chosen Best New Charity of the Midwest Region by the CLASSY Awards in 2012.

Girls With Sole has been featured in Ohio Magazine, Runner’s World Magazine, Traditional Home Magazine, Live Well Magazine, Town & Country Magazine, and Family Circle Magazine.

Liz Ferro is a mom, wife, athlete, motivational speaker, author, and the Founder and Executive Director of Girls With Sole.

Mystery respiratory virus affecting children across the U.S.

AOL BREAKING NEWS — More than 900 children and teenagers across Colorado have been sickened by a mysterious respiratory illness that is putting patients in hospitals’ intensive care units for treatment, according to local doctors. The disease, which is called human enterovirus 68, has not been seen previously in Denver, Dr. Raju Meyappan, who works at the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, according to CBS affiliate KCNC-TV. HLN says doctors believe human enterovirus 68 may be related to a similar strain that causes the common cold. READ MORE HERE

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What parents should know about Enterovirus D68

Illinois hospital tells children not to visit due to mystery virus

Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country

Fever, coughing, mouth blisters: Hundreds of Midwest kids affected

Children’s hospitals in 10 states report spike in respiratory illnesses

Respiratory virus affecting thousands across U.S.

Mysterious Respiratory Illness Sickens More Than 1,000

Mystery Virus Hospitalizing Kids Goes from Midwest to All States

Rare Respiratory Virus Now Making Its Way Across the U.S.

Mystery Respiratory Virus Spreading in Children Across the Country 

Bizarre lung virus hospitalizing hundreds of kids across the Midwest, with 30 children admitted each day in Kansas City alone

Human skull found near where Holly Bobo went missing

Police in Tennessee are investigating whether human remains found in Decatur County woods on Sunday may be that of murdered nursing student Holly Bobo, whose body has not been found since she disappeared over three years ago. Officials say two people out looking for ginseng came across a human skull in the area, which is 10 miles from the home of Zach Adams, one of two men charged with kidnapping and murdering the 20-year-old. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it was too early to tell whether the remains could be linked to Bobo, who was last seen on the morning of April 13, 2011, walking into woods with a man in hunting clothes near her family’s home in Darden. READ MORE HERE

Redfoo reveals he was victim of bullying as mixed race child and opens up about mother’s abusive ex boyfriend in candid interview

Redfoo may have made a name for himself as a wild-haired, leopard-print wearing party rocker. But underneath the brightly colored exterior, the X Factor judge hides a tough past of school-yard bullying and domestic abuse. Opening up about his difficult childhood on a special edition of Sunday Night this week, the former LMFAO singer revealed he was called ‘Oreo’ and ‘zebra’ while being chastised for being of mixed race. READ MORE HERE

A maintenance worker found a ‘deceased human fetus’ in a trash can at a Dallas high school

A staff member has found what is being described by police as a ‘deceased human fetus’ in a bathroom at a Texas high school. Authorities in east Dallas are now looking for a student they believe gave birth inside Woodrow Wilson High School during class time on Friday. A maintenance worker made the disturbing discovery in a trash can in a second-floor girls’ bathroom around 2:30pm. READ MORE HERE

Arrest made after girl’s body found in shallow grave

Arizona authorities have made an arrest in connection with the disappearance and murder of 8-year-old Isabella “Bella” Grogan-Cannella. Justin James Rector, 26, of Bullhead City, was charged Thursday with kidnapping and first-degree murder. The girl’s body was discovered Wednesday in a shallow grave near her home, police said. The body has since been visually identified as Bella. Authorities have not yet revealed a cause of death. READ MORE HERE

ACCUSED MURDERER – ARRESTED:

MEIGS COUNTY, West Virginia — A search for a missing Kanawha County teen has turned into a murder investigation. Ericka Brown, 16, was found dead Saturday and the man accused of answering her ad on Craigslist is now charged with her murder. Brown was reported missing on Aug. 10 from her home in Poca. Her body was found Saturday morning along the Ohio River in Portland, Ohio, in Meigs County. Investigators said it was wrapped in a clear tarp with a cinder block attached. Now, Ernest Roach, is charged with killing her, but that’s not the only charge he’s facing. READ MORE HERE

Convicted child molester gets probation, leaves country

Officer: Convicted Jeffersonville man, Norman Matthews, takes family to Africa, violates probation

JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA — A Jeffersonville man convicted of child molesting in a Clark County court last week is believed to have fled the country with his wife and their two children. Officials have reported Norman Matthews, 58 and his family have fled to Ghana, Africa, the home country of Matthews’ wife. The couple traveled with their 5-year-old son and the woman’s 6-year-old daughter. A $100,000 warrant was issued for Matthews in Clark County Circuit Court No. 1 on Tuesday. The warrant was issued for alleged probation violations committed by Matthews: leaving the area without permission, having contact with the victim of the child molest conviction and having unsupervised contact with another child. READ MORE HERE

Two Adults, Two Children Dead In Murder-Suicide

TULSA, Oklahoma –Police say four people found shot to death inside an east Tulsa apartment Tuesday morning died in a murder-suicide. Officers say a roommate found the four at the Bradford Townhouses in the 2100 block of South 109th East Avenue at 12:35 a.m.  Police said the roommate also found a two-year-old girl sitting on a couch. “The only witness we have right now is a minor child that’s been traumatized so it’ll take a forensic investigator to even attempt to interview a child that young,” said Tulsa Police Officer Demita Kinard. Homicide detectives say it appears a 35-year-old man shot his 22-year-old wife and then their two children, a five-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy, before killing himself. The surviving toddler was not his child, according to police. Officer Kinard says the girl has been reunited with her mother. READ MORE HERE

Man accused of shaking baby, causing serious injury

CRAVEN COUNTY – Deputies have arrested a man accused of shaking his 4-week-old son, causing breathing difficulties to the baby. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office said 19-year-old Jacob Isaak Pinyan is charged with felony child abuse causing serious physical injury. According to the Sheriff’s Office, investigators received a report on Wednesday of a 4-week-old baby suffering from symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome. The infant started having difficulty breathing and was taken to a hospital by his parents, deputies said. READ MORE HERE

DALLAS – A community is in shock after the body of a 5-year-old girl was found in an apartment complex in northeast Dallas on Sunday afternoon. Police have taken the girl’s 17-year-old cousin Angel Lizandro Sanches-Zenteno into custody.  He became a suspect in the girl’s death after an eyewitness identified him as the last person seen with her. READ MORE HERE