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Male, 47, suspected of massacring his wife and 6 children before taking his own life, officials say

A Michigan husband and father is suspected of fatally shooting his wife and six children before taking his own life last week, authorities said.

Ottawa County Sheriff’s Capt. Jake Sparks said investigators believe that 47-year-old Kristopher Karolkiewicz killed his wife, 39-year-old Amanda Karolkiewicz, and their six children — four boys, ages 15, 12, 11, and 5, and two 11-year-old girls — before killing himself.

‘This is an unspeakable tragedy that we may never completely understand.’

“The manner of death for Amanda and the six children was ruled homicide. The manner of death for Kristopher has been ruled suicide,” Sparks stated.

Deputies assisted firefighters at 11:42 a.m. Friday responding to a call about a house fire in the Riverwood neighborhood of Grand Haven, which is on the coast of Lake Michigan and a little over 30 minutes west of Grand Rapids.

Firefighters entered the two-story residence and discovered eight people dead in various rooms. Investigators later determined that all of the victims had suffered gunshot wounds before the blaze was set.

Autopsies confirmed the identities of the deceased as Kristopher and Amanda Karolkiewicz and their six children, four of whom were the couple’s biological boys; their two girls had been adopted. The children’s names have not been released.

“This is an unspeakable tragedy that we may never completely understand … but we’ll do our best to find the answers and to honor the memory of those victims,” Sparks pledged.

Investigators believe Kristopher used a handgun in the killings; no suicide note has been found so far.

RELATED: Deadly Seattle shooting: Arrested suspect is just 15 years old; cops say there were 2 other suspects — 1 killed, 1 unknown

While the official cause of the fire remains under investigation, preliminary evidence indicates it was intentionally set after the killings, Sparks shared. Investigators found multiple areas where the fire appeared to have been ignited, including the home’s first floor and basement.

“I can tell you that no suspects remain at large in this incident at this time. The investigation at this point shows that this was a murder-suicide with the fire being started after the murders,” Sparks said.

The family’s pets, including several dogs and at least one cat, also died in the fire.

Sparks noted that the violence may have commenced the night before and continued into the early morning hours, with neighbors having reported smelling smoke early in the day, though a precise timeline is still being established.

The motive remains unknown.

The American Heart Association confirmed that “Kristopher Karolkiewicz was an employee … from September of 2023 until earlier this month, July 2026, when his employment ended,” WWMT-TV reported.

Amanda worked as a substitute teacher at Grand Haven Area Public Schools, WDIV-TV reported. District Superintendent Kristin Perkowski called the tragedy a “devastating incident.”

“It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge reports of a devastating incident in Grand Haven Township earlier today involving the loss of multiple lives, including several school-aged children,” she wrote, according to WZZM-TV.

Amanda also was a children’s author, and a biography from one of her books notes that her passions were “special needs and trauma-informed advocacy, mindfulness, reading, dining out, traveling, and exploring the Lake Michigan shoreline.”

Steve and Becky Lawwill, the parents of Amanda and the grandparents of the six children, issued a statement Monday to WWMT saying, “Our daughter Mandy was a kind and devoted soul who loved her family and her students.”

“We treasured every moment we had with her and her six children, and words cannot adequately express our devastation,” the Lawwills added. “We pray for God’s peace and comfort as we grieve their deaths and honor their lives.”

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​Handgun, Homicide, House fire, Michigan, Suicide, Grand haven, Fatal shootings, Crime 

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‘We’re just in a world of trouble’: Las Vegas markets say SNAP cuts force them to reduce workers and store hours

The Trump administration’s changes to food welfare benefits are forcing grocery markets in Las Vegas, Nevada, to fire workers and reduce their store hours.

Many on the left have decried the changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which restricted benefits from people who are able to work or don’t have disabilities.

‘You can tell that everybody’s panicking, and that’s what everybody’s talking about is how they’re going to feed their families.’

According to the KVVU-TV report, the cuts are affecting stores so much that they are making drastic decisions.

“I think we’re just in a world of trouble right now,” said Mario Berlanga, the owner of Mario’s Westside Market.

He said his sales have decreased by 30% compared to a year ago, forcing him to shorten hours.

“Over 20 people have lost their job because there’s just no business,” he added.

He said he’s never seen anything like this in the 27 years of the shop’s existence, and families are panicking over the cuts.

“When you’re used to feeding your family of four or five with $200 and now you have to do it with $80 — you really watch and see what you can pick up,” Berlanga added.

“You can tell that everybody’s panicking, and that’s what everybody’s talking about is how they’re going to feed their families,” he continued.

Another owner told KVVU that the cuts had affected more than half of his shoppers at his Eastside store.

“Now all the homeless people come in here, they don’t have money,” the owner said. “All of them were thirsty.”

He has also cut hours and laid off a worker.

County Commissioner Tick Segerblom told KVVU that the cuts were hitting his district hard because many low-income wage-earners use the benefits to supplement their food purchases.

RELATED: Able-bodied 38-year-old man goes viral for response to Trump food stamp restrictions: ‘That’s some bulls**t!’

The City of Las Vegas also released a statement about the cuts.

“The changes to the SNAP program are federally mandated, and the city does not have control over them,” officials said. “The city understands that these changes have been difficult not only for businesses but also for those in need who rely on these federal programs. The city has worked to get the word out about programs to assist those in need, such as local food pantries and charities.”

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​Trump administration, Supplemental nutrition assistance program, Food stamps, Welfare, Economy, Politics 

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The truth about Flock cameras: ‘We are the sheep, and they are controlling us’

What started as a plan to track license plates has evolved into something far more expansive, according to automotive expert Lauren Fix. And on “Stu and Dave Do America,” she warns that the rapid expansion of surveillance technology is only getting worse.

“So, you’ve heard about the Flock cameras. Why do they call them ‘Flock’? That’s my first question. Are we the flock?” Fix asks, before answering, “Oh, yes we are. We are the sheep, and they are controlling us.”

“The truth is, they’re supposed to track your license plates, but they don’t. They track the car, the picture of your car, the bumper sticker on your car, … wherever you’ve been. Do you have a cargo container on your roof? Do you have a bike rack? Do you have a dent? Do you have a scratch? All of that is being tracked,” she continues.

“And it’s not just at one intersection. It’s at every intersection,” she adds.

And Americans aren’t happy with the heightened surveillance.

“One guy got arrested for sitting in a lounge chair. Like, he brought a folding chair out and on a pole like you would use in a pool, he put a piece of cardboard in front of the camera, and he got arrested for obstructing justice,” Fix explains.

“So, again, it was a misdemeanor, but it’s still all B.S.,” she says. “So, the bottom line is, why do you need to have these cameras on the roads?”

But they’re not just on the roads.

“They’re in parks. They’re in schools. They’re at Home Depot. They’re on every single FedEx truck. And don’t worry, they just put it on 400,000 school buses that are supposed to stop when people bypass the bus, where kids are loading and offloading,” Fix explains.

“They’re supposed to take a picture of that person, and you get a ticket,” she continues, noting that the families bringing their children out to the bus are then being photographed too.

“But it gets worse. So many people have complained about these Flock cameras that many cities, including Los Angeles, said, ‘You know what?’ The city of Los Angeles said, ‘We’re going to cancel our contract. Instead, we’re going to go with another company called Axon,’” she says.

This company, Fix warns, makes Flock cameras “look like child’s play.”

“They’ve moved it to the whole next level. They have gone even farther, and they’re making contracts with people that have ended their Flock camera systems,” she explains.

“They will be putting their cameras on every single light post. No permits, no requirements, just putting them on every single light post. That’s about 450 million around the world. And that means every light post on every street will have a camera,” she continues.

Fix claims there’s also a link between the new “kill switch” in cars and this new surveillance system.

“These dots are connected, and I will tell you, you’re not going to be happy,” she adds.

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​Dave landau, Flock cameras, Home depot, Kill switch, Lauren fix, License plates, Los angeles, Stu burguiere, Surveillance technology, Blazetv show 

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Florida violence prevention program’s ‘neighborhood change agent’ faces 560 years in prison

A gun violence prevention program in Orlando, Florida, that received $1.5 million of federal funding abruptly closed down on Thursday after several controversies, including the arrest of a “neighborhood change agent.”

Operation New Hope CEO and President Reggie Fullwood said in a message to the group’s community partners that it had “suspended” operations and terminated all “neighborhood change agents,” as well as peacekeepers, mental health therapists, and job coaches.

Prosecutors said the leaks resulted in lost evidence, unrecovered assets, and at least one suspect fleeing arrest.

A source told WESH-TV that the situation was discussed on Friday at the Orlando City Hall.

“Since assuming responsibility for the contract in January, we have encountered numerous employee arrests, significant breaches of trust, and a lack of accountability that have compromised the integrity and effectiveness of the program,” Fullwood said.

He confirmed to WESH that a former state juvenile justice probation officer who was arrested for allegedly leaking information to drug traffickers worked for the organization as a change agent.

Crystal Lawson, 32, was fired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February 2022 over a battery charge. Lawson had been given access to the state’s court records database at her job, and that access was not shut off after she was fired.

An arrest warrant indicated that Lawson was making dozens of unapproved searches on the database and that secret search warrants from the database ended up in the hands of fentanyl traffickers.

Investigators traced the leaks to a person nicknamed “Mel Baby” — and identified him as Melvin Lawson, the father of Crystal Lawson. He allegedly bragged about having the unauthorized access to the state records.

Prosecutors said the leaks resulted in lost evidence, unrecovered assets, and at least one suspect fleeing arrest.

Lawson could face up to 560 years in prison over the 113 felony counts of computer crimes and one other felony count.

RELATED: Social media influencer arrested after mom’s terrifying discovery of cellphone video of her 2-year-old daughter

Lawson was given a bond of $10,000 per felony count, which added up to $1.14 million.

She posted bond and was released.

WESH indicated that it was unclear whether the allegations against Lawson were connected in any way to the Community Violence Intervention program.

The city launched the CVI program in 2022, and Saving Our Streets began operating as part of that mission in 2023. In 2024, the program expanded after receiving a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

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​Federal funding, Violence prevention, Florida, Fentanyl, Crime 

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‘Why do you have to announce it to the world?’: Trump REBUKES Netanyahu publicly over Iran’s nukes

President Donald Trump aired some of his frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just ahead of a scheduled meeting at the White House.

The joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began 151 days ago, and while the president has expressed his interest in ending the conflict, many stumbling blocks lie in the path toward peace.

‘I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved.’

Trump was questioned during an interview via telephone with Fox News about comments Netanyahu made referring to Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected Iranian nuclear site.

“Well, I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

“We have the finest, because of the space wars, we have the greatest cameras in the world. We know exactly what’s going on. But no, I heard Bibi announce that. I said, ‘Why didn’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?'” he added.

“I know exactly what’s going on at ⁠Pickaxe,” he said. “It’s not a big problem.”

He went on to say that he would “take out” the supposed Pickaxe facility if Iran continues to reject a peace deal.

“We took out their ⁠nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal,” he said. “If we don’t make a deal, we’ll take it out very easily.”

Video of the president’s comments can be viewed on the Fox News YouTube channel.

The meeting between Netanyahu and Trump lasted about an hour and is said to have been very positive.

“It was a conversation marked by full partnership, mutual support, and a shared understanding of our common objective: to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons, as well as other goals,” Netanyahu said after the meeting.

RELATED: Inside the rift: Trump claims Netanyahu has ‘no f**king judgment’ after strike threatens Iran peace deal

The president, meanwhile, said talks with Iran stalled over disagreements about nuclear weapon development.

“We can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion, and they’ll come out and say, … ‘We didn’t discuss nuclear,'” the president said while speaking to Fox News. “Well, that’s all we discuss, because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon. They understand that. And we have had some very good talks.”

He reiterated his threat to resume military strikes on Iran unless a deal is reached.

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​Donald trump, Benjamin netanyahu, Iran, Nuclear threat, Politics 

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Glenn Beck addresses Toronto billboard that triggered a police investigation over ‘hate speech’

Last week in Canada, Toronto police stopped a Rebel News digital billboard truck after a passerby called in a possible hate crime — simply because of what the billboard said.

The billboard boasted a paid advertisement from the Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights, which advocates for women’s safety in sports.

“Not for speeding, not for a bad tail light, but officers were responding to a complaint about the message on the side of the truck being a hate crime,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck says, shocked.

The message on the truck read: “Women and girls deserve safety on the field, privacy and dignity in the locker room, and fairness on the podium.”

The billboard also included a claim that men are competing in women’s sports, alongside a website address and a call to sign a petition.

“That’s it. That’s the crime in Canada,” Glenn says.

“Now, police investigated. They didn’t take any enforcement action. They let the truck drive away. Rebel News says this is the second time now in Toronto police have gone over a truck with paid advertisement, and the outcome doesn’t change what happened because the investigation is the sentence,” he continues.

“Remember, governments can make your life a living hell. Somebody made a phone call, cruisers rolled, officers stood on the pavement deciding whether the sentence about locker rooms was a criminal act,” he adds.

And what this means, Glenn explains, is that “if you’re thinking about putting an advertisement up on the side of a truck, you’re now risking the next police stop.”

“That cost gets paid no matter what the charge is,” he says.

“You may disagree with the ad, that’s fine. You might agree with it, that’s fine. Think it’s wrong about the science, wrong about the numbers, wrong about the whole question. Fine. That’s what you’re supposed to do with an argument you think is bad,” he continues, “You beat it.”

“Nobody was threatened. Nobody was told to go and do violence to anybody. A group of women bought advertising space to make a claim about the rules of sports in this country.”

“That’s an argument, and now it’s, you know, over before it even begins,” he adds.

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​Glenn beck, Hate crime, Rebel news, Transgender, Womens rights, Lgbt, Canada, Blazetv 

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This ‘lifelike’ fembot teacher is so problematic she’s already been put on pause

Kids in the Salamanca City Central School District were almost a pilot program for a robot tech company.

The fight is not over for the Salamanca, New York, residents though, as the state could push through the robo-teacher program after making a few adjustments.

‘[This] marks the beginning of a new era.’

On Friday, the school district announced that its pilot project with company Realbotix, which operates “AI-powered robots for companionship, entertainment, and customer service,” has been paused.

The pilot is “currently on hold while we work through enhanced student data privacy agreements with [the] New York State Education department,” the school district wrote.

The district planned to use literal fembots; a female robot named Sally with a “lifelike appearance,” New York Focus reported. With silicone skin and long, brown hair, the robot would remain in a seated position and have a wide range of upper-body movements and facial expressions.

Students would then be reduced to numbers — described as identification codes — when interacting with the robot. The codes would allow the robot to pull up data about the child’s learning history, allegedly providing personalizing support based on their past communication.

RELATED: Can you trust a machine to decide if a human wrote this?

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

The robot, which came with a $57,590 investment, was planned for release this fall and is coupled with an AI teacher’s assistant program that students can interact with on a laptop through an avatar.

Realbotix CEO Andrew Kiguel told the New York outlet that the children will be able to interact with the robot teacher in the following manner:

“They’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m student number 1234,’ and then the robot will be like, ‘Hey, we were talking about this yesterday, do you want to continue that conversation?'”

Kiquel claimed the deployment of the robot would be “a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics.”

The CEO then claimed the use of the robot will be the new normal.

“Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education.”

RELATED: Thousands of lawyers caught using AI — and it’s only getting worse

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa reportedly had sent a letter to the district superintendent saying that the state “remains concerned about the effect that a humanoid robot may have within a high school classroom.”

Rosa added, “Many parents, teachers, and stakeholders are understandably concerned about the presence of artificial intelligence technology in classrooms, particularly when it involves robots that resemble humans.”

Kiguel said that while his company respects “any decision the school makes,” they stand “firmly behind [the program] as a supportive tool designed to assist teachers and students, not replace them.”

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​Robots, Artificial intelligence, New york, High school, Tech