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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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HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN

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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Cleveland, OH

Longtime Cavaliers role player named in recent trade rumors

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Longtime Cavaliers role player named in recent trade rumors


Even as the Cleveland Cavaliers begin to turn their season around, rumors of making changes are going to follow them through the trade deadline.

The obvious names mentioned have been the underperforming stars in Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, but it turns out, those may not be the only names on the trade block.

One name who has been named in trade rumors has been long-time Cavaliers Dean Wade, who is currently serving as a fringe starter amongst injuries in Cleveland.

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“I’ve been told that Dean Wade on the Cleveland Cavaliers is very likely to be moved, and he’s kind of preparing to be moved before the trade deadline,” Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints said.

Siegel added he believed Wade had some value in the offseason, but the Cavaliers opted to keep hold of him into the regular season. Teams have kept their eyes on him though, and have checked if he’s available.

He added the Houston Rockets as a team that has done their research on adding a stretch big like Wade, while also naming the Denver Nuggets as a new team that could be interested after facing recent injuries.

Wade has been a member of the Cavaliers since the 2019-20 season. He has averaged 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, acting as a serviceable stretch big in Cleveland’s rotation.

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He has briefly cracked the starting lineup from time to time, making 134 starts in his career so far, but hasn’t been able to hold down a long term spot in the starting unit. He has never started more than 32 games in a season.

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This year, Wade has been one of the few consistently healthy players. He’s played in 33 games, starting 12, and averaged 5.9 points. His shooting splits are currently under his career averages as he’s hitting on just under 40% of his shots.

Wade fills a slightly unique role in Cleveland as a 6’ 9” big who specializes in three point shots. If he leaves, guys like Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Larry Nance Jr. will need to step up to fill those big minutes, while a guy like Max Strus would need to comeback from injury and be productive to make up for the shooting.

Wade’s time in Cleveland has been memorable. Fans will remember his historic game in 2024 where he scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Boston Celtics 105-104. If this is the end of his time here, he should be remembered as one of Cleveland’s best role players this decade.





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Illinois

Former Michigan State QB Katin Houser lands at new Big Ten program

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Former Michigan State QB Katin Houser lands at new Big Ten program


ECU Pirates quarterback Katin Houser has committed to transfer to the Illinois Fighting Illini per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He previously played for the Michigan State Spartans.

Katin Houser played his high school football at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022. Houser had been the 210th-ranked player nationally and the 13th-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. He’d initially attend Michigan State, choosing the Spartans over several Power Four options.

In 2022, Houser’s first year with Michigan State, he would appear in two games and utilize his redshirt. That’s before he played in 11 games during the 2023 season, before transferring out alongside a coaching change at Michigan State. In the end, he landed at ECU.

Houser has spent the last two seasons at ECU. While there, he would play in 21 games over two seasons. In both of those years, Houser would help lead the Pirates to bowl wins. It was the first back-to-back bowl wins for the program since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

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Individually, Houser has found plenty of success too. In 2025 alone, Houser completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns. That was against six interceptions. He also rushed for 181 yards and another nine touchdowns.

For his career, Katin Houser has played in 34 total games. He has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns. That’s against 22 interceptions. He also has 352 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns for his career.

Illinois is coming off two excellent seasons under Bret Bielema, when the Illini were quarterbacked by Luke Altmyer. During that time, Illinois went 19-7 with two bowl wins. For Illinois, it was the program’s first back-to-back bowl wins since 2010 and 2011. 19 wins was also their most wins in program history over a two-season stretch. Now, however, Altmyer is out of eligibility, meaning Bielema needs to find the quarterback of the future.

This offseason will see Illinois overhaul its roster. The Fighting Illini have already had 25 transfers. That includes quarterback Trey Petty. Along with Katin Houser, Illinois has also added transfer quarterback Maurice Smith from the portal. He’s coming from Division II Chowan University. So, it’s safe to say that Illinois isn’t done with its Transfer Portal additions just yet.

One interesting note in the upcoming 2026 schedule. Illinois is set to play at Michigan State, which will act as a kind of homecoming game for Katin Houser. The date and time for that game aren’t set yet.

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Indiana

Unseasonably mild temperatures for central Indiana this week | Jan. 5, 2026

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Unseasonably mild temperatures for central Indiana this week | Jan. 5, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Temperatures in Central Indiana are expected to remain above normal through late this week, with highs near 60 degrees expected by Thursday and Friday. Rain showers are predicted from Thursday through Friday night, with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms.

Today:

Dry and mild, with high temperatures ranging from the mid 40s to low 50s. Just a mix of sun and clouds with light winds should make for a pleasant afternoon.

Tonight:

Lows in the mid 30s to low 40s, with patchy drizzle or fog possible late.

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Tuesday:

Mostly cloudy skies and breezy conditions with wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph, elevating highs into the lower to middle 50s. A few light showers will be possible through the day as well.

Wednesday:

Should be the best day of the week, featuring more sunshine and lighter winds, with highs in the low to mid 50s.

Late week storm system:

Highs on Thursday and Friday are set to approach 60°, which will be pushing a few records across the state.

A warm front moving through Thursday evening will spark scattered showers and possibly some thunderstorms across the area starting Thursday afternoon.

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A stronger storm or two can’t be ruled out.

Showers will continue into the first half of Friday, before the cold front pushes out of the state later in the day.

As the weekend approaches, the cold front will move through, leading to a significant drop in temperatures. Conditions will become cooler and breezy, with spotty flurries possible as temperatures return to seasonal norms for this time of year.

Looking ahead, the weekend is expected to bring a return to cooler temperatures and near-seasonal norms, with potential light snow flurries in the forecast as a cold front passes through Central Indiana.



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