Midwest
Iowa woman celebrates 102nd birthday by collecting canned goods for those in need: 'Very happy'
A woman in Iowa celebrated a big birthday in a big way.
Trudy Handleman turned 102 years old on March 5 – and her one wish was to run a canned food drive.
Handleman, a resident at Quartet Senior Living Village in Bettendorf, Iowa, told Fox News Digital that she successfully collected 402 cans.
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The cans were delivered to a local Friendly House food pantry on Thursday.
“They were very grateful,” Handleman said during a phone call with Fox News Digital. “[They] gave me a tour of the building and talked about the other sources of contributions. They do beautiful work over there.”
“I was very happy to have the cans, and they were so bright and pretty here in the lobby,” Handleman said. (Emma Anderson)
After deciding that she wanted to give back to the community for her birthday, Handleman settled on a canned food drive as the most feasible option.
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“I’m kind of bound here in this building,” she said, laughing. “And so, it had to be something that we didn’t have to [hit] the streets to do … so it just sort of fit in.”
Handleman, who turned 102 on March 5, decided that she wanted to give back to the community for her birthday. (Emma Anderson)
“And then it took fire, it took wind, and so many people wanted to join – not only the residents, but the staff and neighbors, and it just took off,” she went on.
“We did beautifully, and it made me feel very happy.”
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While Quartet visitors were anxious to chip in, Handleman said that a local grocery store donated cans from their shelves to boost her collection to 402 cans.
Handleman told Fox News Digital that her food drive turned out “beautifully.” (Emma Anderson)
Handleman encourages others to pay it forward on their birthdays — and choose the kind of contribution that works best for them.
“I wouldn’t want to have that same task with coats or boots or something,” she said.
“Let everybody choose [their] own – but do let your heart tell you that you could do something and then find out what that ‘could do’ is. And go for it.”
“Giving back helps us connect with others and engage with our purpose, which is essential for our well-being.”
With 102 years in the rearview mirror, Handleman shared some of her best life advice.
“Just take care of yourself and take care of your friends and your family and all be a unit,” she said.
“I really don’t know how to give advice to anybody for longevity. You either have it or you don’t.”
Health benefits of giving back
In addition to helping others, acts of goodwill or philanthropy could actually improve your health and extend your life, according to Dr. Chris Scuderi, a family practice physician in Jacksonville, Florida.
“Giving back helps us connect with others and engage with our purpose,” he told Fox News Digital. “Connection and purpose are essential for our well-being.”
Handleman dropped off the 402 cans of food at a local Friendly House food pantry on March 7, 2024. (Emma Anderson)
Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory detailing the health risks and dangers associated with loneliness and social isolation, Scuderi noted.
“Those include a higher risk of both physical and mental illness, like cardiovascular disease and depression,” he said.
“It’s very important to have something to live for, especially as we age.”
“Loneliness can be as dangerous for our health as smoking, so we need to stay connected and not become isolated from others. Giving back, whether through philanthropy or volunteering, helps us engage with our purpose by helping those in need.”
In his own practice, Scuderi said he often tells his older patients that they have wisdom and time, and encourages them to use both to find their purpose.
“I challenge them to spend at least one hour a month volunteering, which helps us stay active, connected and involved in something greater than ourselves,” he said.
In addition to helping others, acts of goodwill or philanthropy could actually improve your health and extend your life, a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Research has shown that purpose is “incredibly important” in terms of aging, Scuderi pointed out.
“A 2019 study found that those with the highest sense of purpose lived longer on average, and those with the lowest didn’t live as long,” he said.
“I talk with my patients about this often, reminding them that focusing on something that truly means something to them – whether it’s giving back to a food bank or spending time at an animal shelter – helps them stay healthy and promotes longevity.”
“It’s very important to have something to live for, especially as we age.”
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com.com/lifestyle.
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DETROIT – What started as a seemingly routine home repair quickly unraveled into something far more troubling for one Detroit family.
A man appeared to be posing as a contractor — arriving in construction gear and accompanied by two teens — showed up April 7 at a west side Detroit home, offering to do brick work for about $300. But according to the homeowner’s daughter, the situation started to seem fishy — and expensive — fast.
Tameka Kelly said the trio told her 76-year-old mother they were with “State Line Construction” and began working almost immediately.
“I just felt used and taken advantage of,” Kelly said, looking back at the situation.
“They kept working — kept putting cement down, I said, ‘you might want to tell them to stop.’ He said, ‘well right now it’s $1129.’ I said, ‘my mother‘s not paying you $1000,’” Kelly said.
At one point, the man even offered to repair the bottom of the home’s wheelchair ramp — something Kelly said her sister, who lives with her mother, relies on daily. But she refused because something just didn’t sit right.
“I gave him the $300,” Kelly said, hoping they would just leave. “I thought, well, he knows where my mom lives. I don’t want him coming back trying to do something to my mom‘s house or something to our vehicles.”
Kelly later tried to confront the man, who identified himself as Brian Lopez, and called the number on the invoice.
“When I called he was like, ‘no no no brickwork no brickwork’ I said, ‘yes you did. You were just here. I said I don’t forget a voice,’” she said.
But the biggest red flag came when she looked closer at the address listed on the invoice.
The address — 70 West Maple in Troy — turned out to be a McDonald’s.
“I really got upset when I found out that address was to a McDonald’s,” Kelly said.
Initially, Kelly said when she tried to file a report with Detroit police, she said they told her the situation was a civil matter and she could not file one. She then filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
Now, Detroit police tell Local 4 they will be taking Kelly’s fraud report, and once that is completed, an investigation will follow.
State Line initially told Local 4 they were not familiar with a Brian Lopez, then an attorney for State Line construction told Local 4 that, after checking the company’s records, there is no Brian Lopez that works for the company. As a matter of fact, the attorney said, State Line Construction does not do cement or residential construction. He said they focus on electrical work.
Attempts by Local 4 to reach the man going by the name Brian Lopez with the number given were unsuccessful.
Kelly said she felt compelled to speak up to prevent others from falling victim.
“I’m really upset about it, and I don’t want it to happen to anybody else,” she said.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Marvin Bynum, adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School, was named to BizTimes Milwaukee’s list of Notable Leaders in Law.
Bynum, shareholder and real estate attorney with Milwaukee-based Godfrey & Kahn, teaches a course on real estate transactions at Marquette. He has experience with a range of property types, from sports facilities to manufacturing plants and office spaces, and works to help clients navigate transactions including development, financing, leasing, acquisitions, dispositions and low-income housing tax credit-financed projects.
Notable Leaders in Law is part of BizTimes Milwaukee’s Notable series, which recognizes leaders in the southeastern Wisconsin business community.
Six alumni were also named to the list:
- Jim Brzezinski, managing partner and CEO of Tabak Law
- Adam R. Finkel, partner at Husch Blackwell
- Jeremy Guth, shareholder and attorney at O’Leary-Guth Law Office S.C.
- Keith Kopplin, shareholder at the Milwaukee office of Ogletree Deakins
- Isioma Nwabuzor, associate general counsel and assistant corporate secretary at Modine Manufacturing Co.
- Joe Pickart, partner at Husch Blackwell
Minneapolis, MN
Man convicted of murdering Mariah Samuels set for sentencing Monday after skipping previous court date
A Minneapolis man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend is set to learn his fate Monday after he skipped his original sentencing date on Friday.
A jury found 51-year-old David Wright guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, first- and second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm last week. The premeditation conviction automatically triggers a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Wright was scheduled to be sentenced Friday afternoon, but did not show up to court. The judge asked Wright’s attorney if he was ill or refusing to show up, but the attorney declined to answer on grounds of attorney-client privilege.
Monday’s sentencing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Wright killed 34-year-old Mariah Samuels in September outside her home in the Willard-Hay neighborhood of Minneapolis, minutes after she posted about his abuse on social media. Family members said Samuels had broken up with him after a few months of dating. She had a restraining order against him.
Samuels’ sister Simone Hunter called Wright “a dangerous person” who “should never see the light of day again” after his conviction.
Friends and family say Wright acted out throughout the trial, including missing previous court dates and removing himself from the stand.
Both Samuels’ family and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty criticized the court for not doing more to ensure Wright showed up at the sentencing.
“This is why people think they can murder people in front of their dad’s house and get away with it. There’s no repercussions for these things, they don’t care about these women who are dying on a daily basis. And the least that they could have done is demanded that he come over here in shackles like the monster that he is,” Hunter said Friday. “I’m astounded.”
Samuels’ family has also accused the Minneapolis Police Department of not doing enough to keep her safe. Chief Brian O’Hara last year ordered her case to be reviewed and officers to be retrained on domestic violence.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
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