July 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Kansas via FBIBy CHRISTINA CARREGA, ABC News

(LINN COUNTY, Kan.) — Federal investigators in Kansas have exhumed the body of a Black man whose “suspicious” 2004 death may be linked to a possible hate crime, officials confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday.

Alonzo Brooks attended a party with friends at a farmhouse in La Cygne on April 4, 2004. His body was found on May 1, 2004 in a creek after a monthlong search.

“From the beginning, there were rumors that Brooks had been the victim of foul play. Some said Brooks may have flirted with a girl, some said drunken white men wanted to fight an African-American male, and some said racist whites simply resented Brooks’ presence,” the FBI said in a press release issued last month.

The small town within Linn County has a current population of over 1,119, according to the 2019 U.S. Census, and is predominantly white.

Brooks, 23, was one of three Black men at the party and his friends left him behind without a ride home, officials said.

When Brooks failed to come home the next day, his family and friends contacted the Linn County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriffs searched for Brooks to no avail, but a month later when his family and friends searched the same areas, his body was found in less than an hour on top of a pile of brush and branches in the creek, the FBI said.

Because of the lapse of time that passed when Brooks went missing and when his body was discovered, forensic testing at the time could not determine a cause of death, officials said.

Brooks’ death was featured on the fourth episode of Netflix’s reboot of the classic true-crime series Unsolved Mysteries. During the episode titled “No Ride Home,” Dr. Erik Mitchell, the forensic pathologist who examined Brooks’ fully-clothed and decomposed body, said there weren’t any “penetrating injuries” from a sharp item or gunshot. Mitchell also said drowning was not a cause of death.

“We are investigating whether Alonzo was murdered,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister, adding, “His death certainly was suspicious, and someone, likely multiple people, know what happened that night in April 2004. It is past time for the truth to come out. The code of silence must be broken. Alonzo’s family deserves to know the truth, and it is time for justice to be served.”

Last year, the FBI reopened Brooks’ case and announced in May a $100,000 reward for information leading up to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Brooks’ death.

The FBI is investigating Brooks’ death as a potential “racially-motivated crime,” officials said.

The cold case investigation intensified on Tuesday when the FBI in Kansas exhumed Brooks’ body. Jim Cross, the public information officer with the U.S. Department of Justice of the District of Kansas could not confirm to ABC News the next steps of the investigation.

“We are asking one or more of them to come forward now and to lay down that burden at last, so that we can ease a family’s suffering, and serve the cause of justice,” said McAllister.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the FBI at 816-512-8200 or 816-474-TIPS or submit a tip online at fbi.tips.gov.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesBy JACQUELINE LAUREAN YATES, ABC News

(PASADENA, Calif.) — Some California hair salon owners have been eager to reopen after being shut down for months amid the coronavirus pandemic, and now they have the green light to reopen with new rules enforced.

After initially being ordered to shut down again earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that salons could resume services if they are held outdoors.

The state’s new guidelines for hair salons include cleaning and disinfecting protocols, providing temperature screenings for employees and customers as well as wearing masks and safe social distancing when possible.

Similar guidelines were also put in place for nail salons that open outdoors. These rules include asking manicurists to use hand sanitizer first, work at single stations and offer color palettes instead of nail polish.

Owners Chad and Grazia Brunochelli of Pasadena-based salon Passione explained to Good Morning America how much they loved their jobs and were willing to work anywhere.

The owners also mentioned that services will be limited. “If we do color highlights, the client has to go home and rinse it out so we prefer just right now to do haircuts and blow-dries.”

While many are eager to get their post-quarantine cuts, experts warn that paying a visit to your salon still comes with potential risks.

“You still have people in close proximity to one another,” Dr. John Brownstein told GMA. “You have to physically be touching another human in order to perform these activities. So there is a potential for risk.”

If you have prolonged contact with individuals over half an hour or an hour, the probability of a transmission event goes up, Brownstein said.

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July 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

izusek/iStockBy LAURA ROMERO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — At The Lawrenceville School, a private high school in New Jersey, students returning in the fall will have access to an app that tracks potential coronavirus symptoms, touchless sinks and a health center with pediatricians and a full time nursing staff.

Buildings will have filters with the “highest level of filtration possible” and 360-degree cameras will allow students to participate virtually, in hopes of reducing class sizes, according to Steve Murray, the Head of School.

But nearly 1,500 miles away, in Oklahoma, Sulphur Public Schools, a district where 60% of students live in poverty and which has seen recent cuts in state funding, purchasing even basic protective equipment for students has become difficult — to the point where the district may resort to cutting staff to cover costs.

As schools across the nation are preparing and releasing their plans for the school year in the midst of a pandemic, some public schools are finding themselves at a disadvantage, struggling to provide internet access to families and having to rely on additional government pandemic relief funds and organizations to purchase protective equipment for students.

Kenya Bradshaw, the Vice President of Policy and Community Coalitions at The New Teacher Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that poor and minority students get equal access to effective teachers, said the overall disparity between private institutions and public schools is nothing new, as public facilities face constant budget cuts, reduced enrollment numbers and low pay for teachers. But with the coronavirus raging in much of the country, the lack of resources in public schools may mean that some students don’t get to come back to school — or could endanger those who do.

“We knew that there were capital improvement needs of schools across the country prior to COVID-19,” Bradshaw told ABC News. “So many schools do not have the proper air and filtration system or air conditioning, let alone the high quality filtration systems that the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is recommending for work spaces. Without adequate resources we’re putting our teachers and children in danger or we aren’t providing kids with the education they need.”

In late March, Congress allocated $13.5 billion from the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act fund to states to distribute to local schools and programs. But for Matt Holder, the Superintendent of Sulphur Public Schools, the funds provided by the government are not enough.

“We were hoping that the CARES funding was going to fill some of that hole and it’s just not going to fill at all, especially with having to purchase so many things,” Holder said. “And obviously our largest expense is personnel so at the end of the day, that’s where the biggest cuts can be made. But before we have to go there, we will make cuts in other places.”

So far, the school district has been able to purchase hand sanitizers, anti-bacterial wipes and several electric disinfectant sprayers.

Holder said the biggest challenge the district faced in the spring when schools closed was providing internet access and laptops to students so they could learn from home. Even though schools are planning to open for in-person classes, Holder says teachers are having to get creative for families who choose the remote option.

“We’re trying to get innovative for students that want virtual learning or for if we do have to close down,” Holder told ABC News. “We might have students come to school buildings to allow them to get internet access or if we have to give out paper packets and pencils, we’ll do whatever to make sure they get an education.”

In San Perlita, Texas, in one of the poorest school districts in the country, the median annual household income is just $16,384, or less than a third of the national median income level.

Albert Peña, the Superintendent of San Perlita Independent School District, said the district will have to divert current resources to pay for protective equipment that will not last through the entire school year.

“We’re going to use some of our accumulated fund balance which is essentially our rainy day fund,” said Peña. “There’s also a little bit of relief available through the CARES fund.”

To ensure every student has face masks available, several public schools in Arizona have reached out to organizations like Masks Now to provide them with face coverings.

“The second largest school district in Tucson reached out to me and asked if we could make 10,000 masks,” said Kelley Anne Johnson, the leader for the Masks Now Arizona chapter. “But we’ve only made about 8,000 totals since April, so I let them know that it is probably not going to be very likely unless we get a ton more volunteers but I’d love to give them what they need because it is important.”

Public school teachers like Lisa Banbury are posting their Amazon wish list on social media, hoping to get school supplies and cleaning products for their classrooms.

Banbury, who teaches first grade in a low-income school district in Wilmington, Del., said she is worried that classes will be remote and the challenges that will bring.

“Even though the district did the best they could to get devices in the hands of the students, a lot of them don’t have WI-FI at home or they don’t have a parent there who can connect them to Zoom,” said Banbury. “During the spring, I had some materials that I actually delivered to some of my students to their houses and I would wave through the window.

“But my focus right now is just figuring out how to make that connection with the kids to let them know that I’m still here for them even though we might not be together,” she said.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Deborah Hausladen of Malvern, Pennsylvania, got the idea for Sneakers for Soldiers after getting a call from her son who was serving in Afghanistan about needing new shoes. – (ABC News)By ERIC NOLL, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A nonprofit that sends sneakers overseas to soldiers in need has seen a surge in donations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Founded in April 2018, Sneakers for Soldiers now ships 300 pairs of shoes per month to military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, with the help of donations from all parts of the United States.

Last year, World News Tonight introduced America to founder Deborah Hausladen — a military mom on a mission to help soldiers, like her son and his comrades, who were serving in Afghanistan — and on Tuesday, she shared an exciting update with anchor David Muir.

“Since last July, when you first aired our story on America Strong, we shipped over 2,600 pairs of sneakers to troops deployed to combat zones and imminent danger areas,” she said to Muir in a video message.

Sneakers for Soldiers received $300,000 in donations in the first week of the original report last year, and participation poured in from across the country, including from schools like Wyoming Valley West Middle School, which raised $5,000.

Each shoe is chosen specifically for the soldier, taking into consideration his or her feet and the conditions in which the soldier is serving. Then, a label is attached to each pair of sneakers with a message from the donor.

Several servicemen and women overseas shared messages of thanks with ABC News, but could not reveal their locations or last names for safety. Corporal Ethan said that the need for sneakers has been even greater this year because of the pandemic back home.

“With COVID-19 restrictions, I was having a really hard time finding a new replacement pair,” he said in a video on World News Tonight. “I’m so appreciative to have [them], thank you.”

Three specialists, Ryan, David and Morgan — whose last names were also omitted for safety — shared another message with Muir thanking the nonprofit for the shoes.

“These sneakers provided us motivation and moral,” Daniel said.

“Back home, things aren’t great right now. We got the pandemic going on,” Master Sgt. David told ABC News. “Just knowing that we’re not forgotten while we’re out here serving makes the time go by so much easier.”

Military families back home, like Shanina and her four children, Lauren, Gavin, Colin and Alyssa, also took this opportunity to express their gratitude.

“[We] want to thank Sneakers for Soldiers for remembering our special soldier. Thank you for sending not only him, but his entire unit sneakers,” Shanina said. “We appreciate you remembering them while they’re away from home.”

Her husband, First Lt. Tony described the exciting unboxing moment to ABC News in a video message.

“When those boxes arrived and we opened them up, I’m talking about adult soldiers, men and women, smiling like Christmas,” he said.

His family shared a video message in reply, saying, “Hi daddy, we miss you, see you soon.”

Click here for more information on Sneakers for Soldiers.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Laura Cavanaugh/Getty ImagesBy JAMES HILL, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell, the former British socialite accused of participating in a sex-trafficking conspiracy with the late Jeffrey Epstein, are asking a federal judge to enter a gag order to prevent prosecutors, FBI agents and attorneys for her accusers from speaking about the case out of court.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan filed late Tuesday, Maxwell’s attorney, Jeffrey Pagliuca, contends that “the Government, its agents, witnesses and their lawyers have made, and continue to make, statements prejudicial to a fair trial” and asks the judge to impose an order, punishable by contempt, that would require compliance with local court rules “to prevent further unwarranted and prejudicial pretrial publicity.”

Maxwell is facing a six-count federal indictment alleging that she conspired with Epstein in a multi-state sex trafficking scheme involving three unnamed minor victims between 1994 and 1997. Prosecutors contend Maxwell not only “befriended” and later “enticed and groomed multiple minor girls to engage in sex acts with Epstein, through a variety of means and methods,” but was also, at times, “present for and involved” in the abuse herself. She also faces two perjury charges for allegedly giving false testimony during sworn depositions in a civil case in 2016.

She was arrested in a surprise early morning raid at a secluded 156-acre property in Bradford, New Hampshire on July 2. The home, dubbed “Tucked Away,” was purchased in late 2019 by an anonymous company in an all cash transaction, according to court filings and public records. Maxwell and an unidentified man had toured the property together with a real estate agent, using the aliases Janet and Scott Marshall, according to the government.

Pagliuca’s letter cites comments made after the arrest during a news conference by the Acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, Audrey Strauss, and by Special Agent William Sweeney, the assistant director in charge of the FBI in New York.

“Because plain vanilla surrenders lack the fanfare and attendant media coverage afforded to secret, armed, raids at dawn,” Pagliuca wrote, “the Government chose to invade Ms. Maxwell’s New Hampshire residence, arrest her and stage a media presentation that included numerous statements that prejudice Ms. Maxwell’s right to a fair trial.”

The letter takes issue with Strauss saying Maxwell lied during previous depositions “because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable.”

It swipes at Sweeney’s characterization of Maxwell as “one of the villains in this investigation” and his description of her time in hiding as akin to a snake that “slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire.”

“Mr. Sweeney offers the Government’s, again flatly wrong, opinions about character and guilt, while at the same time, invoking a semi-biblical reference involving a snake slithering away to a garden in New Hampshire. These types of comments, which serve no compelling law enforcement or investigatory purpose, are prohibited by the local rules of this district,” Pagliuca wrote.

Maxwell’s legal team also contends that alleged victims’ attorneys have made “presumptively prejudicial statements” in multiple media interviews since Maxwell’s arrest.

“It appears that given any opportunity lawyers associated with the prosecution of this case will offer any opinion that damages Ms. Maxwell’s opportunity for a fair trial.” the letter says.

Maxwell, 58, is the Oxford-educated daughter of Robert Maxwell, the larger than life publishing baron whose rags-to-riches story captivated England. She lived an extravagant life among the British elite until her father’s business empire collapsed in the wake of his death. She fled to New York looking for a fresh start and was soon seen in the company of the mysterious multimillionaire Epstein.

Maxwell pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this month and is being held without bail at a federal detention center in Brooklyn, New York.

At a hearing last week, one of the alleged victims, Annie Farmer, called Maxwell a “sexual predator” who allegedly abused her, at age 16, and other children and young women.

“She has never shown any remorse for her heinous crimes, for the devastating, lasting effects her actions caused,” Farmer told the court.

Maxwell’s trial is set to begin in July 2021.

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