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Central Florida students receive free prom attire from nonprofit

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Central Florida students receive free prom attire from nonprofit


ASSIGNED BY FLORIDA’S ATTORNEY GENERAL, CENTRAL FLORIDA STUDENTS ARE GETTING READY FOR THE BIG DANCE. IT IS PROM SEASON, AND MOST FAMILIES WILL SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS PER STUDENT. BY THE TIME YOU ADD UP THE TICKETS, THE TRANSPORTATION, AND EVEN DRESSES AND TUXES. WESH TWO GAIL PASCHALL-BROWN IS LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM THIS EVENING. GAIL YOU FOUND AN ORGANIZATION THAT’S HELPING STUDENTS WITH SOME FREE STUFF? YES, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE. I MEAN, THE AVERAGE PROM DRESS CAN RUN ANYWHERE FROM 150 TO $300. WHAT ABOUT TAXES? IF YOU’RE RENTING THEM 200 OR MORE. SO 26 HEALTH IS TRYING TO MAKE PROM FUN. NOT FRUSTRATING BY OFFERING FREE ATTIRE AND ACCESSORIES. ONE YEAR. JOANNE LARCOMBE IS A MOMMY ON A MISSION. SHE’S TRYING TO FIND THAT SPECIAL PROM ATTIRE FOR HER SON AND DAUGHTER AT PROM ON MAGNOLIA AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. IT’S FREE PROM DRESSES AND SUITS BY 26. HEALTH 26. HEALTH IS A NONPROFIT HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES SERVICES TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT. SUPPORTERS SAY PROM SHOULD BE A CELEBRATION, NOT A FINANCIAL BURDEN. PROM IS SO EXPENSIVE IT’S $111 FOR A TICKET FOR PROM. IMAGINE BUYING A COUPLE $100 SHOE. OR, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR KID LOOKS SNAZZY. THEY DON’T WANT TO GO WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE A NICE SUIT. SO IT’S SUCH A BLESSING. I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR IT. SHE FOUND THIS PROM DRESS FOR HER DAUGHTER, ELIZABETH. YOU’RE ON FIRE. SHE FACETIMED HER SON GEORGE TO MAKE SURE HIS SUIT WAS JUST WHAT HE WANTED. WITHOUT THIS, I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE HAD A PROM SUIT. OR AT LEAST A NICE ONE FOR OUR PROM. SO I’M REALLY GRATEFUL THAT MY MOM IS ABLE TO GET ME A SUIT AND THAT I’M ABLE TO GO WEAR SOMETHING NICE AT PROM. APRIL 11TH IS GEORGE’S PROM AT LAKE BUENA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL, AND SO IS DARIAN BEVAN’S PROM AT EVANS HIGH. ACTUALLY, IT’S CRAZY BECAUSE I WASN’T GOING TO GO TO PROM BECAUSE I COULDN’T AFFORD A SUIT. SO LIKE AN HOUR OR TWO, IT CAME IN MY EMAIL. I WAS LIKE, OH, MOM, I COULD GO. YOU JUST GOT TO BUY THE TICKET, I COULD GO, I WAS LIKE, YEAH, HE’S HAPPY. THAT’S GREAT BECAUSE THE TICKETS ARE EXPENSIVE, AREN’T THEY? YEAH. IT’S LIKE 132 A PERSON. WOW, ISN’T THIS BEAUTIFUL? SO HOW DID 26 HELP GET ALL OF THESE DRESSES AS WELL AS SUITS? WELL, A SOCIAL MEDIA REQUEST WENT OUT AND 26 HEALTH EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS PARTNERS DONATED 325 ITEMS FOR THIS EFFORT. WE BELIEVE IN GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. SO THIS WAS A BRAINCHILD OF OUR STAFF, OF OUR STAFF, AND THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE FUNDS TO PARTICIPATE IN PROM. AND THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF OTHERS, ALL THE STUDENTS WILL LOOK FABULOUS AT THEIR PROM. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. AND THEY WERE. THEY WERE SO PRETTY AND SO HANDSOME. THIS IS 26. FIRST TIME DOING THIS. AND THE CEO SAYS, OH MY GOODNESS, WH

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Central Florida students receive free prom attire from nonprofit

Updated: 10:49 PM EDT Apr 3, 2026

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Central Florida students are getting ready for prom season, and many families will spend hundreds of dollars per student on tickets, transportation, and attire.However, one organization is helping students with free prom attire and accessories.The average prom dress can cost $150 to $300, and tuxedo rentals can be as much as $200 or more, especially for designer options.26Health, a nonprofit health care organization, aims to make prom fun and not frustrating by offering free attire and accessories.Joanne LaComb is a mother on a mission, searching for special prom attire for her son and daughter at “Operation Prom” on Magnolia Avenue in Orlando.”You know prom suits are so expensive. It’s $111 for a ticket for a prom. Imagine buying a couple hundred suits, you want to make sure your kids look snazzy. They don’t want to go without looking like a nice suit. It’s such a blessing. I’m so grateful for it,” George LaComb, a student at Lake Buena Vista High School, said.She found a prom dress for her daughter, Elizabeth and FaceTimed her son George to ensure his suit was just what he wanted.”Without this, I don’t think I would have had a prom suit, or at least a nice one for our prom. So I’m really grateful that my mom was able to get me a suit and I’m able to go wear something nice to our prom,” LaComb said.April 11 is LaComb’s prom at Lake Buena Vista High School, and it is also Derrion Bivins’ prom at Evans High School.”Actually, it’s crazy, I wasn’t going to go to prom because I couldn’t afford a suit, so like an hour or two, it came in my email, ‘Oh, mom, I can go, you just got to buy the ticket.’ I can go. It’s like, yeah, we was happy,” Bivins said. “That’s great because the tickets are expensive. Yeah, it’s $130 per person.”A social media request went out, and 26Health employees and partners donated 325 items for this effort.”We believe in giving back to the community, so this was a brainchild of our staff, and they wanted to be able to do something for individuals who may not have had the funds to participate in prom,” Latrice Stewart, 26 Health president and CEO, said.Thanks to the generosity of others, all the students will look fabulous at their proms. This is 26Health’s first year doing this, and the CEO said it has been an incredible experience because giving back is what they do.

Central Florida students are getting ready for prom season, and many families will spend hundreds of dollars per student on tickets, transportation, and attire.

However, one organization is helping students with free prom attire and accessories.

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The average prom dress can cost $150 to $300, and tuxedo rentals can be as much as $200 or more, especially for designer options.

26Health, a nonprofit health care organization, aims to make prom fun and not frustrating by offering free attire and accessories.

Joanne LaComb is a mother on a mission, searching for special prom attire for her son and daughter at “Operation Prom” on Magnolia Avenue in Orlando.

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“You know prom suits are so expensive. It’s $111 for a ticket for a prom. Imagine buying a couple hundred suits, you want to make sure your kids look snazzy. They don’t want to go without looking like a nice suit. It’s such a blessing. I’m so grateful for it,” George LaComb, a student at Lake Buena Vista High School, said.

She found a prom dress for her daughter, Elizabeth and FaceTimed her son George to ensure his suit was just what he wanted.

“Without this, I don’t think I would have had a prom suit, or at least a nice one for our prom. So I’m really grateful that my mom was able to get me a suit and I’m able to go wear something nice to our prom,” LaComb said.

April 11 is LaComb’s prom at Lake Buena Vista High School, and it is also Derrion Bivins’ prom at Evans High School.

“Actually, it’s crazy, I wasn’t going to go to prom because I couldn’t afford a suit, so like an hour or two, it came in my email, ‘Oh, mom, I can go, you just got to buy the ticket.’ I can go. It’s like, yeah, we was happy,” Bivins said. “That’s great because the tickets are expensive. Yeah, it’s $130 per person.”

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A social media request went out, and 26Health employees and partners donated 325 items for this effort.

“We believe in giving back to the community, so this was a brainchild of our staff, and they wanted to be able to do something for individuals who may not have had the funds to participate in prom,” Latrice Stewart, 26 Health president and CEO, said.

Thanks to the generosity of others, all the students will look fabulous at their proms. This is 26Health’s first year doing this, and the CEO said it has been an incredible experience because giving back is what they do.

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FBI says suspects tried to rob Offset outside a Florida casino when he was shot in the leg

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FBI says suspects tried to rob Offset outside a Florida casino when he was shot in the leg


The rapper Offset was ambushed by a “large group” of people who tried to rob him outside a Florida casino last week when he was shot in the leg, the FBI said Tuesday.

Federal investigators said that they are still searching for the suspects who assaulted Offset last Monday night outside of Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, just north of Miami. Throughout the assault, a single shot was fired into Offset’s leg before an unsuccessful attempt to remove the rapper’s watch, the statement said. Offset, who rose to fame as part of the influential hip-hop trio Migos, was hospitalized for a couple of days, but swiftly returned to the stage at a performance at a music festival at the University of Arkansas on Saturday.

The suspects fled the scene in two Chevrolet SUVs that went in separate directions: A black Suburban that fled towards Hollywood, Florida, and a Tahoe that fled southbound towards Miami.

Following the shooting, officers detained two people, but law enforcement hasn’t shared evidence to directly tying either one to the shooting.

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One of the people detained was rapper Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt. He was arrested in connection with an altercation that occurred before the shooting, the Seminole Police Department in Florida said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license. His lawyer, Dawn M. Florio, told The Associated Press last week that Lil Tjay did not have a gun and was not charged with any weapons or gun-related crimes. He was swiftly released after posting bond.

Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, launched his career with Migos, one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. The Atlanta trio is celebrated for their rapid-fire triplet flow, an often-imitated delivery that changed the trajectory of trap.

The group had several multiplatinum selling singles, including “Bad and Boujee,” which went No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Stir Fry,” and “Narcos.” Migos released four full-length albums across their career.

More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.

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Florida teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner on cruise ship

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Florida teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner on cruise ship


A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the 6 November death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival cruise ship, the US justice department said Monday.

Timothy Hudson was initially charged in February and subsequently indicted on 10 March. But the breadth of the case was not known until a seal was lifted Friday, weeks after US district judge Beth Bloom in Miami said he would be prosecuted as an adult at the request of the government.

Anna Kepner, Hudson’s stepsister, had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship with her family. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with two other teens, including the younger stepbrother.

The cause of Kepner’s death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.

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Email and voicemail messages seeking comment from Hudson’s attorneys about the charges were not immediately returned Monday. Hudson, whose name was disclosed through his signature on documents filed in federal court, has remained free in the care of an uncle since his arrest in February.

Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, released a statement, saying the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity”.

“At the same time, we are deeply troubled that, despite the seriousness of the charges, he has not been taken into custody,” Kepner said. “The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family.”

In a written statement, US attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said, “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss. A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters.”

Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian school in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul”.

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Teens are rarely prosecuted in federal court. Hudson pleaded not guilty when he was initially charged in February, though the proceedings were not public because of his age – and neither were court documents. He was seen at the courthouse wearing a ball cap and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face.

A judge on 6 February said Hudson must wear an electronic tether while living with an uncle. The order was changed to allow him to join his father for a few days recently at a landscaping business, newly unsealed court records show.

Prosecutors objected to Hudson’s release, citing dangerousness, and asked a judge Monday to revisit that order now that he has been charged as an adult. Defense lawyers were given a week to respond.

“He committed these crimes against a victim with whom he had no apparent relational strife, and whom he was being raised to view as a sibling,” assistant US attorney Alejandra López said in a court filing.



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16-year-old from Florida charged with sexually assaulting, killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise ship

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16-year-old from Florida charged with sexually assaulting, killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise ship


MIAMI – A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.

The teen, identified by the government as T.H., was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2, but the case was sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered that he would be prosecuted as an adult, the department said.

An email and voicemail seeking comment from T.H.’s lawyer about the indictment were not immediately returned.

Anna Kepner had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with two other teens, including the younger stepbrother.

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The cause of Kepner’s Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.

Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, some 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”

Teens prosecuted in federal court are extremely rare. T.H. was seen at the Miami courthouse on Feb. 6, wearing a ball cap and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face. But his status at that time was not fully known because his age barred public disclosures by his lawyer, the government or the court.

Experts believe the case is in federal court, and not a state court where teens are commonly prosecuted, because Kepner died in international waters.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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