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Ohio mom uses social media, side hustles to make ends meet during government shutdown: ‘No days off’

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Ohio mom uses social media, side hustles to make ends meet during government shutdown: ‘No days off’

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Natalie Folino is making ends meet for her family. 

The stay-at-home mom of three from Dayton, Ohio, is harnessing the power of social media and side hustles to get her family through the federal government shutdown. 

“Currently, my husband is an essential employee for the Department of Defense, which means that he is still going to work every day,” Folino told Fox News Digital in an interview. “He’s commuting 40 minutes every way, but we are just not receiving a paycheck, which is a little problematic for a family like mine, who is a single-income family.”

Folino was already growing her social media brand before the shutdown, but now her side hustles are taking on a whole new significance. Due to the shutdown, her family has been without her husband’s income for 29 days and counting.

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Natalie Folino is doing other people’s laundry, walking dogs and documenting her journey on her growing social media platforms. (Natalie Folino / Instagram)

To help keep her family afloat this month, Folino has taken on numerous side hustles and is documenting them on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, where she has amassed nearly 200,000 followers combined and more than 2 million likes on TikTok alone.

Her goal for October is to earn $5,000 — an ambitious target. (Spoiler alert: she did it!)

“I have to earn $160 every single day. No days off, we have just a couple of days to go,” Folino told Fox News Digital.

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SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN IS LEAVING OUR TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES HIGH AND DRY

Folino isn’t new to earning extra cash on the side. She began documenting her side hustles about two and a half years ago to help pay for her children’s increasingly expensive soccer activities. Over time, her experience juggling odd jobs has primed her with skills for financial emergencies like the one her family is facing this month.

“Overall, we are dipping into our savings,” Folino said. “I know that we are in a more blessed position than lots of people, so nothing for our family has actually changed other than the fact we’re kind of moving my earnings around a little bit.”

Folino has showcased a variety of side hustles, including laundry services, dog walking, social media monetization, coaching calls and even affiliate shopping links. In her videos, she notes charging $70 for two bags of laundry and $25 for dog walking.

SHUTDOWN FIGHT CASTS A SHADOW OVER JOBS AS TRUMP PREPARES FOR LARGEST FEDERAL RESIGNATION IN US HISTORY

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In her videos, Folino said her earnings have ranged from as high as $431 on some days to as little as $22 on others. She noted that she could have earned even more this month, but because she lives in a large Air Force community, some of her clients have also been affected by government furloughs and layoffs, further exacerbating the strain on the local economy.

While families with government employees can’t control the federal shutdown, Folino said people can control how they respond to challenges.

“There may be circumstances that are entirely out of your control. But there are a couple of things that I think that you can control,” she said.

Natalie Folino, a mother of three daughters ages 12, 10, and 9, completes a laundry service side gig at her home in Dayton, Ohio.  (Natalie Folino / Instagram)

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“I think that you could control your attitude and your outlook and I really think that you can control your work ethic. I am definitely a pull yourself up by your bootstraps-type mentality and I think that if you set a goal, and you’re willing to just really work and put yourself out there, there’s really no limit to it.”

In a video posted on Thursday, Folino shared an update with her followers on her efforts to earn $5,000 in the month of October, saying not only did she hit her goal, but she surpassed it by $224.

A visibly emotional Folino thanked her followers for their support and revealed that she will donate her earnings from the last two days of October to those in need in her community.

“Anything is possible,” she said.

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North Dakota

Iowa State wrestling rolls North Dakota State in Sunday road dual

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Iowa State wrestling rolls North Dakota State in Sunday road dual


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Iowa State wrestling left little to chance on the road against North Dakota State, rolling to a 36-3 win over the Bison on Jan. 11.

The Cyclones won nine of 10 bouts against NDSU, including two by major decision, two by technical fall and a win by fall for MJ Gaitan. Iowa State left the dual with four ranked wins as well.

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The highlight bout of the dual was the opener at 125 pounds between Iowa State’s Stevo Poulin and No. 17 Ezekiel Witt. Poulin got a nice 7-1 win by decision over Witt, with a takedown into a two-point turn in the second period helping decide it. At 5-5 entering the dual, it was a good sign for No. 14 Poulin as he looks to get back on track.

Evan Frost earned the second ranked win of the day at 133 vs. No. 30 Tristan Daugherty. He walked away with a 9-0 major decision with two takedowns and a two-minute ride in the second period. Anthony Echemendia followed it up with a 21-6 technical fall vs. Michael Olson at 141.

To close the first half of the dual, Jacob Frost hung on for an 11-5 win by decision over No. 25 Max Petersen. Frost got out to an early lead with two takedowns in the first period, but had to fend off a late surge in the third period with a takedown to put the match away at 11-5.

Vinny Zerban had a nice bounce-back effort at 157, defeating former NCAA All-American Gavin Drexler at 157. After taking a loss earlier in the week vs. Arizona State, Zerban went wire-to-wire vs Drexler in a 12-5 decision and nearly had a major decision had he not conceded a takedown late in the third period.

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Iowa State came out of intermission still rolling. Connor Euton earned a 11-2 major decision over Boeden Greenley at 165, followed by a win by fall for Gaitan at 174 over three-time Iowa state champion Max Magayna and a gritty 4-1 sudden victory for Isaac Dean over No. 26 Aidan Brenot at 184.

CJ Carter was unable to help secure a shutout win for ISU with a 10-4 loss by decision to Devin Wasley at 197, but Yonger Bastida ended the dual on a high note with a 19-4 technical fall over Shilo Jones. at heavyweight.

Iowa State moved to 6-1 in duals. Kevin Dresser’s team has the Cyclone Open up next on Jan. 18, but no dual until Jan. 23 vs. Northern Colorado.

Iowa State wrestling vs. North Dakota State results

  • 125: Stevo Poulin (ISU) over Ezekiel Witt (NDSU) (Dec 7-1)
  • 133: Evan Frost (ISU) over Tristan Daugherty (NDSU) (MD 9-0)
  • 141: Anthony Echemendia (ISU) over Michael Olson (NDSU) (TF 21-6 4:11)
  • 149: Jacob Frost (ISU) over Max Petersen (NDSU) (Dec 11-5)
  • 157: Vinny Zerban (ISU) over Gavin Drexler (NDSU) (Dec 12-5)
  • 165: Connor Euton (ISU) over Boeden Greenley (NDSU) (MD 11-2)
  • 174: MJ Gaitan (ISU) over Max Magayna (NDSU) (Fall 1:39)
  • 184: Isaac Dean (ISU) over Aidan Brenot (NDSU) (SV-1 4-1)
  • 197: Devin Wasley (NDSU) over CJ Carter (ISU) (Dec 10-4)
  • 285: Yonger Bastida (ISU) over Shilo Jones (NDSU) (TF 19-4 4:53)

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.





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Ohio

Ohio 15-year-old turns himself in after allegedly fatally shooting younger brother

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Ohio 15-year-old turns himself in after allegedly fatally shooting younger brother


CANTON, Ohio (WOIO/CBS Newspath/WKRC) – A 15-year-old from Ohio turned himself into the police after allegedly shooting and killing his 12-year-old brother, prompting a manhunt.

The shooting took place just before 11 p.m. on Friday in the family’s apartment, authorities said. The child was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.

Police searched for the suspect, who they considered armed and dangerous, for over 12 hours, until investigators determined that the victim’s 15-year-old brother was likely the shooter.

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The 15-year-old turned himself in to authorities on Saturday afternoon and was charged with reckless homicide. Police did not announce whether or not the shooting was accidental, nor how the 15-year-old obtained the gun.



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South Dakota

Iowa football lands explosive running back L.J. Phillips Jr.

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Iowa football lands explosive running back L.J. Phillips Jr.


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IOWA CITY — South Dakota transfer running back L.J. Phillips Jr. has committed to Iowa football, he announced on Jan. 11.

Phillips had a breakout 2025 season, rushing for more than 1,900 yards, along with 19 touchdowns. He also added 28 catches for 195 yards receiving and one touchdown. Phillips was named a second-team FCS All-American by Phil Steele.

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Phillips, listed at 5-foot-9 and 225 pounds, will come to Iowa with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

After rushing for more than 4,100 yards in his high school career, Phillips spent three seasons at South Dakota. During his time with the Coyotes, Phillips rushed for nearly 2,220 yards, along with 23 touchdowns. A majority of that production came in 2025. Phillips rushed for 96 yards while maintaining his redshirt in 2023 and then 176 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2024.

But his numbers exploded last season with some ridiculous performances. Phillips rushed 35 times for 301 yards and two touchdowns against Northern Colorado. He had four rushing touchdowns in two separate games. That includes a 244-yard, four-touchdown outing against Murray State. Phillips finished the season averaging 6.5 yards per rush.

Iowa has seen a pair of departures via the transfer portal in its running back room — Jaziun Patterson and Terrell Washington Jr. Patterson ranked third on the Hawkeyes in rushing yards during the 2025 season with 296.

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Iowa still projects to have a talented running back room for the 2026 season. Kamari Moulton, who led Iowa with 878 rushing yards last season, still has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Nathan McNeil showed potential in his true freshman season. Xavier Williams tallied 285 yards on the ground as a redshirt freshman.

And now, Iowa adds another weapon to that room in Phillips. The Hawkeyes’ running back unit looks to be stacked entering the 2026 season.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com



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