Chicago teacher may be out of a job after posting 2-word message supporting ICE online

FIRST ON FOX: A Chicago area physical education teacher is on administrative leave and facing calls to lose his job over a Facebook post last week offering support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“GO ICE,” the teacher at West Chicago’s Gary Elementary School, posted on Facebook last week. Shortly after the post was made, activists in the predominantly Hispanic community quickly began sharing the post and calling for action to be taken against the teacher, who Fox News Digital is not naming due to safety concerns.

“Imagine working as a teacher in an elementary school in West Chicago where the Latino community is highly populated and promoting ICE, sick AF,” one social media post said. 

Another commenter called the teacher a “f****** piece of s***.”

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Activists began circulating a flyer online, with a Change.org petition, calling for the employee’s job and for students to stay home from school in protest, saying, “the casual way in which he publicly promoted the actions of ICE in our area is inappropriate and unsuitable for an educator.”

“The best way to show our district that we need action to be taken – is to show them that keeping this teacher will disrupt the emotional welfare and therefore, the education of our students,” the flyer said.

Fox News Digital could not independently locate the employee’s comment or the Facebook post that the employee was responding to and his account appears to have been deleted. The Change.org petition described the comment as being “in response to a community article.”

Local leaders also got involved, including Karina Villa, an Illinois state Senator representing the 25th District, who posted a message saying she stands in “unwavering solidarity” with families upset about the “disturbing comments reportedly made by an educator.” 

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Villa went on to acknowledge that freedom of speech is a “protected right” but “as educators we have the responsibility to our students and their families to create a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

In an email sent to parents by the district’s superintendent, Kristina Davis, and obtained by Fox News Digital, the district explains that “the employee submitted a written resignation” on Friday before an investigation could take place, but the employee then withdrew that resignation before the board could approve it, therefore allowing him to come to work on Monday.

“The district has obtained legal counsel to conduct an investigation beginning on Monday,” Davis wrote. “The district will share additional information as appropriate. District 33 remains committed to providing safe, caring, and inclusive learning environments for all students. Thank you for your continued partnership.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to West Chicago Elementary School District 33 for comment and specifics on what, if any rule, the teacher violated by posting support for law enforcement on Facebook.

The city of West Chicago held a “listening session” on Monday at the request of Mayor Daniel Bovey, that included a Spanish translator, where a variety of parents and locals expressed concerns about the post, including a woman who said “kids do not feel safe” as a result of the post and another woman who said the post was “cruel.”

On Monday afternoon, a district spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the teacher had been placed on leave after a Monday meeting. 

“On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the District learned of concerns regarding a disruptive social media comment made by a District employee on his personal account,” the statement said. “The teacher initially submitted his resignation. Later that day, he withdrew his resignation before the Board had an opportunity to take action.”

The statement continued, “Following a meeting with District administration today, the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and will not be permitted on any District property while on leave.”

“We understand that this situation has raised concerns and caused disruption for students, families, and staff. We want to ensure our schools are safe spaces, and we look forward to seeing all students back in school tomorrow. Thank you for your patience, trust, and partnership during the ongoing investigation.”

The spokesperson did not respond when asked by Fox News Digital what specific policies the teacher had potentially violated by supporting law enforcement on Facebook. 

Democrats dig in to block border security funds — but lone senator defies party line

Senate Republicans are moving ahead with a behemoth funding package in their bid to keep the government open and hope to blast through Democratic opposition in the process. 

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Monday teed up the first procedural step for the six-bill funding package, which includes the politically divisive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill, despite warnings from Senate Democrats that they would block the legislation. 

Monday’s action is just the first of several hurdles lawmakers will have to overcome, but important nonetheless given the extreme weather that rocked much of the country and threatened to delay the process altogether. 

SENATE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN BY BLOCKING DHS FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING

Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s, R-S.D., gamble comes as a Friday deadline to fund the government is bearing down on the Senate. Passing the package and sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk would fully fund the government until September, when lawmakers will again need to have passed a dozen spending bills to keep the lights on.

But the immediate fight and one that threatens to derail the GOP’s plan to avert yet another shutdown is over DHS funding. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus have come out en masse against the broader package, including the Homeland funding bill, following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday. 

Schumer and Senate Democrats rapidly mobilized their opposition to the funding bill, despite maintaining a fragile truce with the GOP in their bipartisan government funding negotiations over the last two days.

KEY SENATOR WON’T FUND DHS AS ICE, FEDERAL AGENTS ENTER HIS STATE

Despite shoring up a largely unified front, including several moderate Senate Democrats who crossed the aisle to help Republicans reopen the government last year, Schumer does have one perennial defector.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has consistently opposed any attempt to shut down the government. He notably joined Senate Republicans over a dozen times last year to reopen the government as his colleagues resisted. 

And like those times before, Fetterman is not keen on shutting the federal government down, despite agreeing with Senate Democrats that the DHS bill should be stripped from the broader package. 

He noted in a statement that even shutting down the government would affect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding, given that the GOP’s colossal, “one big, beautiful” bill injected over $170 billion over the next several years into DHS.

SENATE DEMS REVOLT AGAINST DHS FUNDING BILL AMID MINNEAPOLIS CHAOS, HIKING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RISK

“I reject the calls to defund or abolish ICE. I strongly disagree with many strategies and practices ICE deployed in Minneapolis, and believe that must change,” Fetterman said. “I want a conversation on the DHS appropriations bill and support stripping it from the minibus.”

“It is unlikely that will happen, and our country will suffer another shutdown,” he continued. “We must find a way forward, and I remain committed to being a voice of reason and common sense.”

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Fetterman and his colleagues want the DHS bill stripped from the broader package and say that they would support those remaining five bills. But doing that would open up a procedural nightmare in the process and likely lead to a partial government shutdown, given that the House would have to return from a week-long break to weigh in. 

And like the last foray into a possible shutdown, Schumer argued that the onus was on Thune and Senate Republicans, despite Senate Democrats having negotiated the current funding package on a bipartisan basis. 

“The responsibility to prevent a partial government shutdown is on Leader Thune and Senate Republicans,” Schumer said in a statement. “If Leader Thune puts those five bills on the floor this week, we can pass them right away. If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown.”

Search for missing Kansas elementary school teacher ends with tragic discovery

A Kansas elementary school teacher who went missing after leaving a downtown bar late Friday night was found dead in a wooded area near where she was last seen, authorities said.

The Emporia Police Department said Sunday that officers, assisted by K-9 teams, located the body of 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber about 300 yards south of West 4th Avenue, an area where she was last seen on video. 

Police said Rauber was covered in snow and early indications suggest she may have succumbed to hypothermia during the early hours of her disappearance amid a snowstorm that intensified on Saturday.

The investigation into her death is ongoing, and her family has been notified.

CHICAGO TEACHER DISAPPEARS, HUSBAND PLEADS FOR HELP FINDING HER

“We want to thank our community for the outpouring of care and assistance during this situation. We also want to thank KHP [Kansas Highway Patrol], Lyon County Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue of Kansas and the Lyon County Communications Center for their efforts in trying to locate Rebecca. All of the agencies listed poured many hours of manpower, involving many resources in the hope of positive outcome. Our hearts and prayers are truly with the Rauber family,” the Emporia Police Department said in a statement on its website.

Rauber was reported missing early Saturday after leaving the Town Royal bar on foot without her phone, purse or jacket. 

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed her walking alone westbound on West 5th Avenue late Friday night.

CALIFORNIA HIKER FOUND DEAD AFTER STRIKING OUT TO SEARCH FOR MISSING GROUP

Police said residential surveillance footage captured Rauber walking north on Neosho Street from West 5th Avenue at approximately 11:37 p.m., but a review of additional videos from the intersection of 6th Avenue and Neosho Street did not show her crossing at that location.

During the investigation Sunday, police said additional video showed the school teacher in the 700 block of West 4th Avenue at approximately 11:44 p.m. on Friday, about 300 yards from where her body was later found.

The KVOE radio station in Emporia reported that temperatures had dropped into the single digits at the time Rauber left the bar, with wind chills nearing -15 degrees.

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USD 253 Emporia Public Schools Director of Community Relations Lyndel Landgren told Fox News Digital in a statement that Rauber “was a valued member of our school community, and her loss is felt deeply across our district.”

“At this time, we are focused on supporting our students and staff as they process this difficult news. Counselors and district support teams will be available at our schools to provide care and assistance for anyone who needs it,” Landgren said.

Slate writer under fire for questioning motives behind second lady’s pregnancy

Slate Magazine is taking heat for an opinion piece suggesting that Vice President JD Vance and Usha Vance had a fourth child merely for optics.

Slate Magazine writer Heather Schwedel suggested that Usha Vance and her husband were “reckoning with contradictions” as the second lady, who is Indian-American, undermines the vice president’s “MAGA credentials.”

“As the highly educated daughter of Indian immigrants, Usha not only doesn’t burnish Vance’s MAGA credentials; she undermines them. When reports of a possible divorce on the horizon began to swirl in November, it wasn’t altogether surprising. Reckoning with all those contradictions was inevitable, right?” Schwedel wrote on Friday.

The Vances announced this month they are expecting their fourth child in July, and Schwedel suggested the pregnancy was a way to appeal to the MAGA base.

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE DECLARES MARRIAGE TO WIFE USHA ‘IS AS STRONG AS IT’S EVER BEEN’

“In lieu of trading in his wife for a paler model, Vance has found another way to prove himself a good shepherd of the MAGA faithful: He and Usha are expecting a fourth child in July, they announced this week.”

“For all we know, there was never any trouble in their marriage, and the cognitive dissonance is pure projection. But it does make a kind of sick sense that if Vance can’t have a white wife standing next to him as he clearly looks toward the 2028 presidential election, the next best thing is a pregnant one.”

Schwedel noted that having four kids in 2026 is “a bit of a statement” as birth rates and average number of children per household has declined. On a similar note, a Vanity Fair article referred to the Vances as “pronatalism’s poster couple” and noted they “announced the pregnancy on X—a social network owned by fertility-crazed Elon Musk.”

“While that choice doesn’t have to be conservative-coded, it tends to skew that way,” Schwedel wrote. “It’s also a statement in the sense that it follows more literal statements Vance has made about pronatalism and how women need to have more babies, and/or the evils of women who choose not to. In fact, the Vance baby is part of a mini–baby boom at the White House, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, also expecting.”

She added Usha Vance was a “willing participant in all of this” and she “chose to have all those kids, and to leave her career to support her husband, and to stay with that husband, no matter how increasingly awful he seems both as a force in society and as an individual partner to her… [I]f she could ever claim any kind of ignorance, that time is over.”

JOY REID SUGGESTS JD VANCE COULD DITCH ‘BROWN HINDU’ WIFE FOR ‘WHITE QUEEN’ ERIKA KIRK TO APPEAL TO MAGA BASE

Schwedel was slammed by a critic of the vice president, journalist Cathy Young, for suggesting that her pregnancy was a strategy of sorts.

“I couldn’t possibly loathe JD Vance more, but this piece explaining Usha’s pregnancy as a political strategy is … kinda gross?” Young wrote.

“People have kids for all sorts of reasons. A couple I know with 4 kids went off birth control because they figured they didn’t have to worry about it anymore (I think the wife was 43), and that’s how they ended up with Kid 5. We don’t know that the Vances’ pregnancy is planned,” Young said.

Amy Curtis, a writer at Townhall, wrote a piece blasting the Slate piece about Usha Vance, calling it the “nastiest attack” on the pregnant second lady.

“They cannot. Having a husband and children means putting someone before yourself, and that’s anathema to the Left,” Curtis wrote in her piece published by Townhall.

JD VANCE DISCUSSES INTERFAITH MARRIAGE AND RAISING CHRISTIAN CHILDREN WITH HINDU WIFE

Rachel Bovard, VP of Programs at Conservative Partnership Institute, called the Slate piece “misogynist trash.”

“This is — and I mean this with utter sincerity — the most gutter, vile, misogynist trash from @Slate. This level of bitter nastiness could only come from a woman author, which it obviously did.”

“Look in the mirror, Heather Schwedel. There is something deeply twisted in your soul,” she added.

“Why does she take Usha and JD having another baby so personally? Maybe because it shows optimism, bringing another baby into the world, and love,” another account said. 

“Usha is happy, but in Heather’s sad little mind that is unacceptable. Women aren’t allowed to be happy. They aren’t allowed to happily have more children, especially conservative women, especially women who have a law degree. Women can’t choose to have babies and quit work and support their families. To her, that’s the unforgivable sin. Well… that and being married to Trump’s VP.”

Neither the White House, the Vances, nor Schwedel responded to requests for comment by Fox News Digital.

The last second lady to give birth was Ellen Colfax, wife of Vice President Schuyler Colfax, in 1870, during the Ulysses S. Grant administration.

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Librarian allegedly sought ‘sniper’ to kill Trump in disturbing post

A West Virginia librarian has been charged after she allegedly posted videos seeking to recruit assassins targeting President Donald Trump.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in West Virginia announced Sunday evening that Morgan L. Morrow of Ripley, West Virginia, was charged with one count of making a terroristic threat.

The sheriff’s department said that Morrow, a librarian at the Jackson County Public Library, used “social media recruitment of individuals to pursue and assassinate President Trump.”

“Further details will be released as we continue to compile facts and further the investigation,” Jackson County Sheriff RH Mellinger said. “NOTE: This is not meant to be a political – oriented statement. This is an active criminal investigation with documented and troubling concerns.”

‘ASSASSINATION CULTURE’ IS ON THE RISE, ESPECIALLY AMONG WOMEN, STUDY WARNS

The announcement from the sheriff’s department came after Libs of TikTok posted a video that Morrow reportedly posted.

The video was captioned: “Surely a sniper with a terminal illness cannot be a big ask out of 343 million.”

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In the comments of Morrow’s Instagram video, others also proposed the assassinations of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller as well as tech CEO Larry Ellison and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

The Jackson County Public Library posted a statement on Facebook Sunday evening, shortly before the sheriff announced Morrow’s arrest.

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“The comments recently made by an employee do not reflect the mission, values, or standards of conduct of our organization. We take our responsibilities to the public and our supporters seriously and are committed to professionalism, respect, and integrity in all that we do,” the library said.

“The views expressed are made in an individual capacity and do not represent the position of the organization. We are addressing the matter internally in accordance to our established policies and procedures. We remain committed to our mission and serving our community in a manner that upholds our core values.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Jackson County Public Library for additional comment.

Forensic evidence reveals victims’ final actions in Idaho student killings

WARNING: Graphic Content

Unsealed court records have provided a detailed forensic account of the November 2022 University of Idaho slayings, revealing specific injury counts and new analysis regarding the students’ final movements.

According to a supplemental expert disclosure reviewed by Fox News Digital, a bloodstain pattern analyst reviewed autopsy materials, crime scene photographs and laboratory testing to outline anticipated testimony for the trial.

According to the filing, Kaylee Goncalves sustained approximately 38 sharp-force wounds, Madison Mogen 28, Xana Kernodle 67 and Ethan Chapin 17. The filing did not include the full autopsy reports of each victim, but revealed the key autopsy findings.

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According to the report, all four victims were found in their bedrooms, with no evidence they left their room at 1122 Kings Road after being attacked in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

Goncalves and Mogen were discovered together in Mogen’s third-floor bedroom, lying in bed under a comforter.

Investigators found no blood on the bottoms of their feet, indicating neither woman stood after suffering fatal injuries.

Chapin was found on the bed in Kernodle’s second-floor bedroom, partially covered by bedding, and he also showed no blood on the bottoms of his socks.

Kernodle, however, was found on the floor of her bedroom and was the only victim with evidence of movement after the attack. According to investigators, blood was present on the bottoms of her bare feet, showing she stepped in blood and moved around inside her room during the attack.

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The details of the students’ slaying emerged after Bryan Kohberger was sentenced in the killings.

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In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder as part of a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole and is incarcerated at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.

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The Idaho State Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Deadly cancer risk spikes with certain level of alcohol consumption, study finds

Drinking heavily and consistently over an adult’s lifetime could lead to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the journal Cancer by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The study analyzed 20 years of data from more than 88,000 U.S. adults to determine how long-term drinking impacted the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) or precancerous colorectal adenomas (polyps).

The participants reported their average weekly intake of beer, wine and liquor intake during four age periods — 18 to 24, 25 to 39, 40 to 54,  and 55 and older.

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“Heavy drinkers” were identified as having more than 14 drinks per week and “moderate drinkers” had between seven and 14 drinks per week.

The observational research revealed that consistent heavy drinking over adulthood was linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, especially rectal cancer.

Heavy lifetime drinking was associated with a 25% higher overall CRC risk and nearly double the risk of rectal cancer. Moderate lifetime drinking had a lower overall CRC risk.

Compared to light drinkers, the consistently heavy drinkers had about a 91% higher risk of CRC.

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For colorectal adenomas (precancerous polyps), higher current lifetime drinking did not show a strong pattern, although former drinkers showed a significantly lower risk of non-advanced adenoma compared to current light drinkers.

Out of the 88,092 participants, 1,679 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

The authors noted that the research was limited, as it was observational and not based on a clinical trial. It also hinged on self-reported alcohol use.

The findings suggest that consistently heavy alcohol intake and higher average lifetime consumption “may increase CRC risk, whereas cessation may lower adenoma risk,” the researchers stated. Associations “may differ by tumor site,” they added.

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The link between drinking alcohol and cancer is not a new discovery, according to health experts.

In a recent episode of the podcast “The Dr. Mark Hyman Show,” Dr. Mark Hyman, chief medical officer of Function Health in California, detailed how even moderate drinking can impact “nearly every organ system in the body,” due to metabolic stress, inflammation, impaired detoxification and its effect on hormones.

Drinking has been found to increase the risk of many cancers, metabolic dysfunction, gut microbiome disturbances and mitochondrial toxins, Hyman said.

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“Bottom line, alcohol taxes every major system in your body, especially your liver, your brain, your gut, your hormones,” he warned.

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Pinchieh Chiang, a clinician at Circle Medical in San Francisco, shared that taking a break from drinking alcohol for longer periods of time can “reshape health more profoundly.”

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“Over months to a year, we see sustained improvements in blood pressure, liver function and inflammation,” she said. “Those changes directly affect long-term heart disease and stroke risk.”

Chiang added, “Reducing or eliminating alcohol lowers the risk of several cancers, including breast and colorectal, over time.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.

‘Blind Side’ actor on life support after medical emergency, wife says he’s a ‘fighter’

Quinton Aaron is fighting for his life after experiencing a mysterious neck pain which prompted his wife to call for help.

“The Blind Side” star was intubated Friday and placed on life support due to a severe blood infection, his wife Margarita Aaron confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

Doctors are not yet sure what caused the infection and continue to run tests to determine the root of the cause. While Aaron’s medical team said his status is “day by day,” Margarita remained optimistic about his prognosis and said her husband is “a very strong fighter.” 

‘BLIND SIDE’ ACTOR QUINTON AARON DROPS OVER 200 POUNDS FOLLOWING NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

“After the 911 call, we went to the hospital and the doctors determined to put him on an endotracheal tube because his breathing was a little sporadic,” Margarita said. “They’re continuing to run tests right now to find out what the root cause of the issue is.”

She added, “He’s still on antibiotics, blanket antibiotics to just cover whatever the issue might be with regard to his blood.”

The veteran is “making significant progress” each day with “little moments where he’s moving his fingers or trying to open his eyes.”

‘BLIND SIDE’ ACTOR DEFENDS SANDRA BULLOCK AMID CALLS FOR HER TO LOSE OSCAR: ‘STAY HOME, SIT DOWN, GET A JOB’

“Although he seemed like he was a little lucid, he was not very responsive,” she said of a visit with Aaron yesterday. “I did at least get a thumbs up out of him when I chatted with him, which was promising. At this point, the endotracheal tube or the breathing assistance that he has is not doing all the work, thankfully.”

“Although he seemed like he was a little lucid, he was not very responsive.”

— Margarita Aaron

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“He’s doing some of the work as well, which is also promising. They’re going to do a bioluminescent MRI, so there will be more answers at that point as well.”

She added, “He’s a fighter; he’s a very strong fighter, and you know, he is making progress day by day, and I believe God’s got him, and he believes God’s got him.” 

Aaron revealed to Fox News Digital in October that a medical scare prompted a complete lifestyle overhaul. He credited the near-death experience to receiving a wake-up call from God.

“He’s a fighter; he’s a very strong fighter, and you know, he is making progress day by day, and I believe God’s got him, and he believes God’s got him.” 

— Margarita Aaron

“I had this come-to-Jesus kind of moment a few years back,” he remembered. “I was at this waterfront in Mandeville, Louisiana. This is like during COVID, 2021ish. And I used to always go there and sit and just meditate, listen to the water and stuff.”

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He added, “There’s one day I’m sitting there on the wall, and I’m just listening to the water vibe, and then I wake up underwater. So I literally passed out, fell off the wall, and it was like a 12-foot drop, but the water was only three feet deep. I didn’t know that at the time. Well, thank God it was three feet deep, because I can’t swim.” 

Aaron said he heard a voice encouraging him to stand up. 

WATCH: ‘BLIND SIDE’ STAR QUINTON AARON SHARES HOW HE LOST OVER 200 POUNDS AFTER A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

“I literally woke up underwater,” he recalled. “I didn’t have a chance to take a breath and brace myself. When I woke up, I was submerged, and I just felt this pain on the back of my neck and shoulder from going down. But while I’m underwater, I hear this voice say, ‘Stand up.’ And so I stand, like I start trying to get to my feet. The water is pushing me into the rocks, and I’m kinda like hitting my head up against something. I don’t know what it was, but I can’t see, because the water’s dirty brown.”

He managed to climb out of the water and was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors conducted a full-body examination on him and discovered that he had an infection in one of his big toes that had spread to his bone. He later learned that his fall may have been caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication from extremely high blood sugar levels.

“I was in the hospital for a few weeks getting IV antibiotics,” Aaron said. “I almost lost my toe, but thankfully I didn’t. They just cut a piece of it off, and it had to heal.”

Aaron starred as Michael Oher alongside Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw in the ’09 hit “The Blind Side.” The movie was inspired by the real-life story of a Tennessee family that took in and adopted Oher, who would later have a career in the National Football League (NFL). 

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Major airline scraps two signature policies many passengers long depended on

Southwest Airlines is officially ending two signature policies that have long set the carrier apart from its competitors. 

Starting Tuesday, the controversial policies announced last year will raise ticket prices for plus-size passengers and also end the airline’s decades-old open-seating arrangement. 

Southwest first announced in July 2025 that it would end its open-seating policy, partly to boost revenue and in response to what it described as passengers’ growing preference for purchasing premium seating options.

“Our Customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” Southwest executive Tony Roach said in 2025. “Assigned seating unlocks new opportunities for our Customers — including the ability to select Extra Legroom seats — and removes the uncertainty of not knowing where they will sit in the cabin.”

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DITCHES DECADES-OLD OPEN SEATING AFTER YEARS OF HOLDING OUT

Seat options now include Standard, Preferred and Extra Legroom. The airline is also shifting from the A/B/C groups with numbered positions model to a new boarding system using Groups 1 through 8.

SOUTHWEST ROLLS OUT NEW CONDITIONS FOR PLUS-SIZE PASSENGER REFUNDS

For “customers of size,” travelers who cannot fit between the armrests must purchase two tickets in advance, the company stated on its website.

“Customers who encroach upon the neighboring seat(s) should proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel to ensure the additional seat is available,” Southwest Airlines said.

SOUTHWEST ADDS ‘POWERFUL’ COCKPIT ALERT SYSTEM TO DETECT RUNWAY DANGER

The move marks a stark departure from previous policies that many plus-size travelers relied on for flexible accommodations. Under the prior rules, passengers could proactively purchase an additional seat and receive a refund for the second ticket later, or request a free extra seat at the airport if room allows. 

Passengers now must purchase the additional seat during booking to guarantee space and qualify for a refund only if their chosen fare class is not full. In addition, the flyer needs to request the refund within 90 days of the flight. 

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If a passenger does not pre-reserve an extra seat and is determined to need one, the airline will provide a complimentary additional seat only if space is available. If the flight is full, the passenger will be rebooked on another flight with available seating. In addition, if the determination is made after boarding, the passenger may be required to deplane for rebooking.