Indiana
Indiana football to visit White House, Fernando Mendoza may skip
The Indiana Hoosiers are on top of the football world and are enjoying the perks that come with being national champions.
One of those spoils involves a trip to the White House to commemorate their achievement later this month, but the most popular player from that team might not be there.
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USA TODAY Sports covered the conflicted decision former Hoosiers and current Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza faces about the White House visit.
Mendoza might not attend due to a scheduling issue involving his new team.
“I believe May 11 is the first day of OTAs,” Mendoza said. “If I’m not mistaken, I have the calendar — I mean, I don’t have a calendar, so… If it is on the first day of OTAs, like I said, I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here. I gotta prove myself. I can’t miss practice … I’m a rookie. I don’t think that’s a good look.”
New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is sure to love the dedication of his future franchise quarterback, but it’ll be interesting to see if Las Vegas can make an exception for Mendoza should he want one.
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Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is expected to make the visit to the White House.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Indiana Football: Fernando Mendoza may skip White House trip
Indiana
Indiana mom killed protecting son during Facebook Marketplace robbery, 18-year-old suspect arrested
A heroic Indiana mother was killed when she stepped in between her son and an 18-year-old gunman who had pulled a firearm on them during a Facebook marketplace sale.
Jean Gragg, 40, and her teenage son were selling a watch to prospective buyer John Ford during an arranged meet-up on the front porch of their Edison Park, Ind., home near the University of Notre Dame on June 10, South Bend Police said.
Gragg’s son had planned to sell the watch to Ford just before 10 p.m.
Family friends said the exchange was common for Gragg’s son, who has made sales through Facebook Marketplace “many times before.”
Ford allegedly pulled out a handgun while he was inspecting the timepiece.
“When Jean stepped in to support her son, the man went over the edge,” family friend Debra McKinley wrote on a GoFundMe.
Gragg, an office manager for H&R Block, wedged herself between the two teens and pushed the suspected gunman away and off her property.
Ford allegedly fired multiple shots at Gragg, who was walking up her driveway back to her home as her horrified family watched.
She was struck in the head by one of the rounds.
Nearby security cameras captured Gragg falling to the ground as Ford ran away, according to court records viewed by WSBT.
Gragg was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition before she was declared brain-dead. She was taken off life support by 6 p.m. on June 13, McKinley said.
“My superhero,” Gragg’s son told WNDU.
Gragg was remembered as a traveler who enjoyed spending time with her son and friends.
“She was a nurturer, if anyone close to her was sick, you could count on her to take excellent care of you,” her family said in an online obituary. “Jean was a dedicated, wonderful mother, very loving and caring, always putting her son first down to her very last breath. (He) was her whole world.”
Ford was tracked down to an apartment complex 2 miles from the scene of the shooting.
Police had also found the suspected gun dumped over a fence at the complex.
Ford allegedly admitted to shooting at Gragg during an interview with police.
He has been charged with murder, attempted murder and robbery in the shooting.
Ford is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail without bond, according to police.
Indiana
‘My whole body did not feel right’: Indiana residents protest data center projects
Protesters in Merrillville, Indiana, gathered outside a private event for Indiana Gov. Mike Braun to voice concerns about data centers. Fox Chicago’s Bret Buganski reports live from the demonstration.
Indiana
‘This is about much more than teeth’: Man surprised with $10,000 in free dental work
Indiana man surprised with free dental work in Pontiac
Jeremiah Johnson has experienced a tumultuous life that has taken him through tragedy, rehab, and prison before getting back on his feet. An avid fisherman, he thought he was visiting Michigan to just go angling. Instead, he was surprised with $10,000 in free dental work.
(FOX 2) – Jeremiah Johnson thought he was coming to Michigan to fish.
After all, the Indiana native is quite the angler. And fortunately for him, he did net a new catch in Crescent Lake. However, his visit to Southeast Michigan was about much more than casting a line.
Afterward, a heartwarming surprise awaited him in the form of $10,000 in free dental work.
Big picture view:
Johnson wore a blindfold as he was walked up to Royal Chiropractic and Dental Center in Pontiac on June 11. Organized by Bassquatch Hunter host Mike McKinstry, he guided Johnson to the surprise — as well as the latest stage of redemption.
Johnson lost his brother at a young age, catalyzing a fall into addiction and eventually incarceration.
“I lost my twin brother when I was really young, went down some dark roads, became an addict then ended up in and out of jail, in and out of rehabs,” he said. “Finally, ended up going to prison, did a few years in prison and came home and met a woman, changed everything, made a family.”
But even as he worked to recover and build a new life, he did so with significant dental issues and missing teeth.
Over the next two weeks, he’ll receive a full slate of dentistry.
“This was supposed to be a fishing trip, which we did get to fish, but then a huge surprise at the end,” he said. “To be able to smile and talk to people without having to worry about how they perceive me.”
Mike McKinstry and Jeremiah Johnson outside Royal Chiropractic and Dental Center in Pontiac.
The Source: Interviews done at Royal Chiropractic and Clinic in Pontiac were cited for this story.
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