BIG STONE GAP, VA - Six inmates at the Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, allegedly stabbed three correctional officers in a violent attack on Friday morning. According to the Virginia Department of Corrections, five of the six inmates involved in the attack are confirmed members of the violent MS-13 gang from El Salvador. The MS-13 gang member inmates are in the United States illegally.
The vicious attack occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m. According to the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC), the five Salvadoran Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang members have each been convicted of violent crimes including aggravated murder, first and second-degree murder, and rape. The sixth inmate is serving a sentence for second-degree murder and is a confirmed member of the Sureno 13 gang and is from the United States.
Two officers suffered serious injuries and were admitted to a local hospital. They are reported to be in stable condition. In all, five officers were injured in the attack and required medical attention outside the facility, according to VADOC. Click here to read more.
WASHINGTON D.C. - The Supreme Court’s conservative justices signaled Wednesday they are open to allowing the Catholic Church to launch the country’s first publicly funded religious charter school, despite arguments from opponents who say the school would violate the Constitution’s ban on government-established religion.
The justices heard arguments on an Oklahoma court decision last year that rejected a state contract to open the planned online-only charter school, known as St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. If the justices overturn that decision, they would allow, for the first time, a charter school receiving state funds to teach an explicitly religious curriculum.
The school’s supporters say a ruling in favor of St. Isidore would clear the way for a new form of public education that would advance religious freedom and school choice.
But as the justices discussed how the case intertwined with religious liberty during more than two hours of oral arguments, they also signaled interest in whether a religious public charter school would be a government entity or private actor — and how a potential ruling in St. Isidore’s favor could affect charter school programs across the country. Click here to read more.
VINELAND, N.J. - Investigators say a New Jersey father who confronted a man and his 17-year-old son after an alleged assault on his daughter was beaten to death with a metal baseball bat.
Eric Hannah, 55, and his 17-year-old son were taken into custody April 20. They are accused of beating 54-year-old Louis “Gus” Serbeck to death at their home in Vineland, New Jersey, where his daughter reported an alleged assault the day before.
Gus Serbeck and his daughter went to the Hannahs’ home for what was meant to be a conversation about the alleged assault, but the incident quickly turned physical, according to the criminal complaint.
The Hannahs allegedly struck Gus Serbeck in the head several times with a metal baseball bat and a metal flashlight. He died en route to the hospital. His daughter was also hit in the head during the fight. Click here to read more.
An alarming new movement insists that sexual attraction to minors is not a psychiatric disorder to be managed but an identity to be affirmed. Leading this effort is B4U-ACT, a Maryland-based organization founded in 2003 to support pedophiles, or as they call them, “Minor-Attracted Persons” (MAPs). From May 2 through May 4, 2025, the group will host a conference in Ohio to train mental-health providers in “affirmative MAP therapy,” which seeks to help clients accept their “age of attraction” as an intrinsic and valid part of their identity. This approach abandons clinicians’ traditional risk-management focus when treating pedophiles and raises serious concerns about public safety.
Historically, mental-health professionals have classified pedophilia as a paraphilia, a psychiatric disorder characterized by an abnormal or harmful sexual interest in anyone or anything other than a legally consenting adult. For decades, clinicians treating pedophilia have sought to manage clients’ harmful impulses, prevent abuse, and protect potential victims. Researchers and clinicians working in this tradition aim to understand the condition and develop prevention strategies. Click here to read more.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Self-checkout is checking out, and Target shoppers are not happy about it.
Target has pulled the plug on many of its self-checkout machines. The retailer announced it will now limit self-checkout to customers with 10 items or fewer. Those with fuller carts will be directed to staffed checkout lanes, which the company says it is expanding to improve efficiency.
According to Target, internal pilot tests showed the new policy improved speed and customer satisfaction at select stores.
Target has been grappling with staggering losses due to what retailers call "shrink," a term that includes shoplifting and inventory errors. In 2023, the company reported nearly $500 million in shrink-related losses compared to the previous year, according to Business Insider.
In one dramatic case that captured national attention, a California woman was convicted of stealing over $60,000 in merchandise from Target stores by using self-checkout machines during a 100-visit crime spree. ABC7 News reported that she would scan items, insert a small coin or bill, and simply walk out the door. Click here to read more.
