It’s already Week 14, and I have to say, that is so depressing. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Christmas. It’s the best time of year. I spend way too much money on decor for my home, and I love it. But man, when the season is almost over, it always feels like it’s too soon.
Northeast
Routine school day turns tragic as staffer dies after student allegedly boots her in chest: DA
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A 53-year-old staff member at a Massachusetts school died Thursday after being struck in the chest by a 14-year-old student during an incident inside a dormitory, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
The district attorney’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that on Wednesday at 6:55 p.m., a 14-year-old student attempted to leave her dorm building at the Meadowridge Academy in Swansea, Massachusetts, without permission.
As staff, including 53-year-old Amy Morrell, and other employees intervened to stop her, the student allegedly kicked Morrell in the chest.
The staffer collapsed and staff immediately performed CPR and called 911, the DA’s office said. Swansea EMS transported her to a hospital, where she remained overnight in critical condition. The following afternoon, Morrell was pronounced dead. Authorities have not yet released an official cause of death.
Meadowridge Academy staff member Amy Morrell died after a 14-year-old student allegedly kicked her in the chest. (Amy Morrell / Facebook)
VICTIM’S GIRLFRIEND AMONG 9 TEENS ARRESTED IN 16-YEAR-OLD’S BEACH TOWN MURDER
The unidentified 14-year-old student was charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and arraigned Thursday in Fall River Juvenile Court. The investigation is being handled by Swansea Police and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol County DA’s office.
According to Meadowridge Academy, the school is a residential therapeutic school in Swansea serving youths ages 12 to 21 with behavioral, mental health or trauma-related challenges. It’s located about 50 miles south of Boston.
The Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office is investigating Amy Morrell’s death. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
911 CALLS, POLICE REPORT DETAILS DARK TIMELINE TO ARIZONA GIRL’S TRAGIC DEATH
In earlier years, Meadowridge garnered scrutiny in a report by the Disability Law Center, which found substantiated incidents of abuse and neglect between 2014 and 2016. However, the report concluded that the school had taken extensive corrective actions, such as increasing surveillance video placement, revising reporting protocols and enhancing staff training.
A spokesperson for Meadowridge Academy told Fox News Digital the community is “deeply saddened” by Morrell’s passing, and that support services are being made available for both students and staff.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Amy’s family during this difficult time,” they said.
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III speaks during a media event held on July 22, 2025, at the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Friends and family described Morrell as deeply committed to her role, someone who “loved her job.”
“It never crossed my mind. Never thought of it. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call today,” Andrew Ferruche told WCVB-TV.
Read the full article from Here
Northeast
University of Delaware student accused of ‘frightening’ plot to attack campus police
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A University of Delaware student was arrested and charged at the federal and state levels after authorities disrupted an alleged plot targeting the University of Delaware Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware announced that Luqmaan Khan, 25, of Wilmington, was taken into custody Monday following a traffic stop in the city.
During a search of his truck, patrol officers from the New Castle County Police Department found a .357 caliber Glock handgun loaded with 27 rounds that was “inserted into a microplastic conversion firearm brace kit,” as well as three more 27-round magazines, an armored ballistic plate and a marble composition notebook, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“In the handwritten notebook, Khan discussed additional weapons and firearms, how they could be used in an attack, and how law enforcement detection could be avoided once an attack was carried out,” prosecutors added. “The notebook referenced a member of the University of Delaware’s Police Department by name, and included a layout of a building with entry and exit points under which the words ‘UD Police Station’ were printed.”
FBI TIP LEADS NYPD TO 16-YEAR-OLD ARRESTED WITH LOADED GUN INSIDE SCHOOL
The New Castle County Police Department said multiple weapons were found inside Luqmaan Khan’s truck following a traffic stop in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, Nov. 25, 2025. (New Castle County Police Department )
Khan was federally charged with illegally possessing a machinegun, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
University of Delaware interim President Laura Carlson said Khan was an undergraduate student at the time of his arrest.
“The University has temporarily separated the student from the University, including a ban from all UD campuses while legal matters are being resolved. We have been working closely with law enforcement throughout this matter and are sharing this information with you now that we have been cleared to do so,” she said in a statement to the campus community.
“There are no known or immediate threats to the University of Delaware community,” Carlson added. She described how authorities released “evidence of a plan that targeted the University of Delaware Police Department.”
“This is frightening to all of us,” Carlson said.
SUSPECTS IN FOILED HALLOWEEN TERROR PLOT PICTURED PRACTICING AT MICHIGAN GUN RANGE: FBI
The New Castle County Police Department said it stopped a “potential threat targeting the University of Delaware Police Department.” (Google Maps)
The New Castle County Police Department (NCCPD) announced Tuesday that Khan is facing multiple charges at the state level, including felony counts of possession of a large capacity magazine and carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.
“On Monday, November 24, 2025, at approximately 11:47 p.m., Patrol Officers from B-Squad were conducting a property check in Canby Park West when they observed a white Toyota Tacoma in the parkland, after hours,” police said. “Officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver, and sole occupant, 25-year-old Luqmaan Khan of Wilmington.”
“Officers developed probable cause to order Khan out of the vehicle, and he refused to comply. Subsequently, Khan resisted arrest and was taken into custody by the officers,” it added.
The following day, a search that included the FBI was carried out at Khan’s residence in Wilmington.
“Within, law enforcement recovered a Glock 19 9mm handgun equipped with an illegal machinegun conversion device, commonly called a ‘switch.’ Law enforcement also recovered a .556 rifle with a scope and a red dot sight, eleven more extended magazines, hollow point rounds of ammunition, and a two-plate tactical vest equipped with a single ballistic plate,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The New Castle County Police Department said on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, that, “Luqmaan Kahn was arraigned and committed in lieu of $107,200 cash bail and subsequently turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for additional criminal charges.” (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“This case is a quintessential example of federal and state law enforcement collaborating to neutralize a grave threat to Delaware before the worst could come to pass. I want to thank our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI and the NCCPD for their exceptional work. As always, we are proud to work with them to keep Delaware safe,” acting U.S. Attorney Julianne Murray said in a statement.
Read the full article from Here
Boston, MA
FIFA releases Boston World Cup 2026 national teams and schedule for matches at Gillette Stadium – The Boston Globe
Saturday, June 13, 9 p.m.: Haiti vs. Scotland, Group C.
Tuesday, June 16, 6 p.m.: Norway vs. whoever emerges from the qualifying playoff tourney between Iraq, Bolivia, and Suriname, Group I.
Friday, June 19, 6 p.m.: Scotland vs. Morocco, Group C.
Tuesday, June 23, 4 p.m.: No. 5 England vs. Ghana, Group L.
Friday, June 26, 3 p.m.: Norway vs. No. 3 France, Group I.
The June 26 matchup will feature arguably the two top strikers in the world, Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappe.
For a Round of 32 game Monday, June 29, the winner of Group E will play one of the third-place finishers from Groups A, B, C, D, or F. Should the US national team perform below expectations in a Group D it is favored by most to win, there is a chance it could play at Boston Stadium in that June 29 match.
A July 9 quarterfinal match will be played at 4 pm.
While Brazil is one of the teams that will not be playing at Gillette, local organizers are still pleased with how everything shook out, both from a high-caliber soccer perspective and seeing a robust group of international fans visit greater Boston and pump dollars into its economy.
“We got two highlight matches, which is amazing,” said Brian Bilello, Boston 26 board chair and president of the Revolution. “We’ve got France-Norway, where you wind up with two of the top five players in the world in Mbappe and Haaland playing against each other, that match is going to be a pretty special one.
“And the other top Pot 1 team is England, which is always a popular team and that should be a fun match against Ghana.”
For fifth-ranked Brazil not to play in Boston will come as a disappointment to many, especially in Framingham with its large Brazilian population. But Bilello, without elaborating, fueled widely available rumors that Brazil will play France in a friendly at Gillette on March 28.
“We know our Brazilian fans are going to be somewhat disappointed but hopefully we have a way of making them happy this spring with something else,” said Bilello.
Besides Brazil, the final draw eliminated these teams from visiting Boston: Group I’s Senegal, and Croatia and Panama from Group L.
There are 16 host cities, 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
Martha Sheridan, a Boston 26 honorary board member and president/CEO of Meet Boston, said she was “generally very pleased” with the draw results.
“We’re getting folks from Norway and England and France, who tend to travel well for their matches,” said Sheridan. “And I also love the fact that we have Morocco and Haiti, which from a local perspective is just lovely. The community can have some pride in their teams because we do have a considerably high Haitian (in Boston) and Moroccan population (in East Boston and Revere).”
With approximately 32,000 hotel rooms available in Boston, Sheridan does not expect any challenges in accommodating visitors.
One unknown is if fans from Haiti will be allowed to visit. Haiti is on a list of countries that the Trump administration has banned its citizens from traveling to the United States for terrorism and national security concerns.
“My hope is that the federal government is wanting to have a very successful World Cup here in the US, so maybe they will look differently at those bans in light of the fact that Haiti does have a team coming here,” said Sheridan.
FIFA spent Friday night and into Saturday morning figuring out the final pieces of the logistical puzzle of placing the 48 teams in those venues, balancing travel, time zones, recovery, and preparation factors.
The Revolution’s training center near Gillette will be used by national teams in the days before each match.
Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., will be paired with one team playing in Foxborough as a base camp for the duration of its tournament survival. Other Boston area locations may yet be announced. (FIFA controls the process.)
With Scotland and Norway each playing two matches in Boston, chances increase they will want to set up a base camp in the area.
“Now that we know who’s coming, the excitement is just going to continue to build,” said Sheridan. “It will be here before we know it and we cannot wait to welcome the world to Boston.”
Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers mailbag: Will Pittsburgh trade for Kyler Murray?
Maybe I also dread this time of year a lot as of late because the Steelers are always in the midst of a collapse, as they are right now. They are 6-6, have lost five of their last seven, and are heading to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Ahead of that, though, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag.
Q: Can we start over? – ChippedHam
A: If by this you mean rebuild, I’d welcome it with open arms. Trade Cam Heyward for a Day Three pick. Trade T.J. Watt for a Day Two pick (no, you aren’t getting anything better than that. Certainly not a first-round pick). Trade Highsmith in a package to move up in the draft for a quarterback. Trade Mike Tomlin to the Giants or Titans. Hire Klint Kubiak. Draft one of the top quarterbacks and definitely start a new era in Pittsburgh.
Q: If you had the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft would you select a QB? If so who would it be? If not a QB, who would you select? Who You Got:
- #11 BYU vs #4 Texas Tech
- #3 Georgia vs #9 Alabama
- #2 Indiana vs #1 Ohio State
- Duke vs #17 Virginia – Pittsblitz56
A: Fernando Mendoza is the easy choice. He’s the best quarterback in the Nation. If it can’t be a quarterback, Rueben Bain to put opposite of Herbig after all of the trades I would make. I’ll actually do a piece to show my “Trade Everyone Draft.”
Conference Championship Picks: Texas Tech, Georgia, Indiana, Virginia
Q: Please, please, please, tell me the Steelers won’t go after Kyler Murray. I’ve lived in AZ (huge Pitt fan), my whole life. K1 is too short, too fragile, and not a good QB, 6.5 years have shown this. Please make me be able to sleep at night…lol – Muchodiablo
A: I’d like to say no, but it wouldn’t shock me if they went after him. I’m not a Kyler guy, either. At this point, this is just who he is. For every great game he has, he’ll have three mediocre performances where it looks as if he’s never seen a football. Hard pass from me. Draft a guy and start over.
Q: With a backup LT, can Aaron handle any more hits like he did the past few weeks? Are the Steelers ready to shut him down after the next big hit and just see what they have Rudy? And are you confident the 2026 draft is the year to draft the next Terry/Benjamin or Pickett? – Polamolicules_Dude
A: Andrus Peat actually played solid against the Bills, and the Ravens’ pass rush isn’t great. There’s nothing to see with Rudolph. We know what he is – he’s a backup quarterback. If they wanted to see what they had, they should start Will Howard (they won’t). I’m far from a college football quarterback expert, but Fernando Mendoza looks like he’ll be very good on Sundays. Dante Moore looks good. Ty Simpson could fit what Arthur Smith wants to do and could be something. It’s a fine trio of guys, just completely different from who many expected to be the cream of the crop.
Q: All of your concerns are valid. But just to play devil’s advocate…. the realist in me thinks that next year is where we fully embrace the rebuild. If we were flirting with a top 5 selection this year, maybe there’s a shot at getting your next franchise QB, but the class ain’t looking great. The point is, we won’t be drafting high enough to get our franchise QB this year, so let’s load up on talent to surround that guy with when he gets here in a year or two.
If they take that approach, I’m probably ok with a bridge year of Murray. Probably wouldn’t move the needle overall, but he’s elusive enough that he’d make our offense a degree or two more exciting to watch. Defenses would just have to play a little more honest to respect his escapability… and if we’re gonna suck next year anyway, why not make the offense a modicum more exciting to watch? At least the drives may see the chains move a few times before ending in a turnover as opposed to 750 3&outs per game.
I’m not saying I WANT it… I’m just saying that’s probably a mild upgrade over recent approaches… signing another QB in their late 30s who doesn’t have their legs anymore. – ThePen_IsMightier
A: I just really don’t want to sit through another mediocre season, man. Of course, when training camp rolls around, I’ll be excited and let myself believe it could be different, but deep down, I’ll know it won’t be. The class is fine, in terms of QBs, and the Steelers can trade up. That’s how the Bills got Josh Allen, and it’s how the Chiefs got Patrick Mahomes. Gotta rip the band-aid off and start over. I’d be incredibly excited for a rebuild.
Q: Fender or Gibson? The Rolling Stones or the Beetles? Or is it Beiber or Rodrigo, cough… (sorry, I just vomited in my mouth) Dodge, Ford, or the brand for losers? Scotch or Bourbon? – Les Norton
A: I don’t know who Fender or Gibson are. I think both the Rolling Stones and Beetles stink (I’m 26, to be fair. Both far precede me). If I had to pick a truck, I’d probably pick a Tacoma, but I did get a Bronco for a rental once for the Combine, and I didn’t want to take it back. Plus, I owned a Malibu for a while, and it was a pain, so probably Ford. I’m very basic when it comes to drinks. I like Jameson, so I guess I’m splitting the difference with an Irish Whiskey.
Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
-
Politics4 days agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Technology1 week agoNew scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages
-
Ohio2 days ago
Who do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
News4 days agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
World4 days agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Texas11 hours agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Politics1 week agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
World1 week agoTrump yanks G20 invitation from South Africa over false genocide claims