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After Hurricane Helene, Virginia couple welcomes new home built by volunteers

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After Hurricane Helene, Virginia couple welcomes new home built by volunteers

A Virginia elderly couple who nearly died during Hurricane Helene had their home rebuilt by a group of volunteers and nonprofit organizations, making it one of many homes set to be rebuilt for storm victims.

Carl and Linda McMurray’s new home, which was built by the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), was celebrated Friday in the company of local leaders during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. 

The overall project to rebuild victims’ homes is expected to cost about $1.4 million. Funding comes from a mix of public and private sources, including Washington County, the Town of Damascus, the United Way, individual donors and private foundations.

FAMILY THAT LOST 11 IN HURRICANE HELENE MUDSLIDES SAYS COMMUNITY SACRIFICED ‘LIFE AND LIMB’ TO SAVE EACH OTHER

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, left, joins the couple for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new home after it was destroyed in Hurricane Helene. (Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Office)

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Last October, when floodwaters ripped the McMurray home apart, the couple were forced to take shelter on the second floor and wear life jackets. The house began to collapse, and Carl was swept downstream by the heavy rainwater before eventually clinging to a tree for hours until he was spotted by a neighbor and rescued by helicopter nearly four hours later.

Linda, meanwhile, remained trapped alone on the darkened second floor of what remained of their house, using just the light from her watch to see and Afghan blankets to stay warm. 

“All night I kept praying, repeating the Lord’s prayer and the 23rd Psalm,” she said, according to a local news report.

She was rescued 16 hours later. The couple, married 57 years, believed the other had been lost to the flood until they were reunited.

“There are still so many families that need to have the exact same sense of opportunity and option and rebuilding that Linda and Carl have today,” Youngkin said during his speech. “There were heroes everywhere, and that was a moment when we needed heroes,” Youngkin added. “The number of water rescues was astounding, and that is something to say amen to.”

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“Neither knew if the other had survived, but when Linda finally walked into Carl’s hospital room, their prayers were answered,” Youngkin said.

PUPPIES RESCUED FROM HURRICANE HELENE TO BE REHOMED WITH MILITARY VETERANS

Residents of Dandridge, Tennessee, described the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene as “gut-wrenching.” One resident said the debris was so thick, she felt she could “walk on the water.” (Jill Cody)

MDS offered free labor and thousands of volunteer hours to build the McMurrays’ new home. Its Amish counterpart, Storm Aid, sent skilled workers weekly to assist onsite. Volunteers often rotate in for a week at a time, tackling multiple homes and offering expertise in everything from roofing to framing.

Each home costs about $130,000 to build, Youngkin’s office said. Homeowners are asked to contribute roughly 10% – between $11,000 and $12,000 – from their Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance. The rest is covered by Trails to Recovery, a nonprofit organizing the rebuild. They pay for materials, coordinate trades like plumbing and electrical, and work directly with MDS to keep construction on schedule.

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A full-time MDS project manager stays onsite for weeks at a time to keep things moving.

TRUMP PRAISES ELON MUSK AS ‘PATRIOT, A BRILLIANT GUY, AND A FRIEND OF MINE’ AMID DOGE EXIT

Gov. Glenn Youngkin joins Hurricane Helene survivors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of their new home. (Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Office)

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that struck the Gulf Coast in late September 2024, caused widespread devastation across southwest Virginia, particularly in Grayson, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties as well as the city of Galax.

The storm led to the closure of hundreds of roads and bridges, leaving many people isolated in their towns. Nearly 310,000 Virginians lost power and 3,700 farms were reportedly affected, resulting in more than $630 million in damages.

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After the devastation, Youngkin established the Office of Hurricane Helene Recovery and Rebuilding to coordinate state and federal recovery efforts. The office is led by Chief Transformation Officer Rob Ward.

Virginia has not received the $4.4 billion in federal funding requested by Youngkin in November for recovery from the disaster. In January, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Damascus, a town on the southwestern edge of the state that was one of the hardest-hit areas and criticized the previous administration’s response to the devastation.

“The local government’s working, the state government is working as hard as it can, the local communities and the nonprofits and the churches are working at breakneck speed, and yet you have the federal government out there, the biggest institution with the most money, that’s not doing its job. It just drives home how much better we can do,” Vance told Fox News Digital when asked about FEMA’s response to hurricane-damaged areas across the Southeast.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

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Disgraced teacher accused of using Google Docs to groom underage student before alleged sex crimes

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Disgraced teacher accused of using Google Docs to groom underage student before alleged sex crimes

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A Palm Beach County, Florida, science teacher is behind bars after investigators say he used a shared Google Doc to secretly communicate with a student before engaging in sexual acts with her at school and inside his apartment, according to an arrest affidavit. 

Elias Gordon Farley, 26, a former teacher at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, was arrested after the student reported the alleged abuse on Nov. 18. 

The teen told detectives the interactions began as casual conversations during the previous school year, but over the summer, Farley allegedly created a shared Google Doc in which the two wrote messages back and forth.

Investigators said the file later contained explicit entries describing sexual activity and planning when they would meet privately.

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FORMER MISSOURI SUBSTITUTE TEACHER GETS 10 YEARS FOR TRADING STUDENTS MONEY, DRUGS FOR SEX

Elias Gordon Farley, a former teacher at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, is facing felony charges after police say he engaged in a months-long sexual relationship with a student.  (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)

According to the affidavit, the student said the relationship became physical in mid-September inside Farley’s office, where he touched her beneath her clothing. She told detectives the encounters continued for weeks in both his office and a classroom. 

By late September and into October, she said the pair were engaging in sexual acts, including oral sex and, at one point, intercourse inside a classroom on campus.

The student also described visiting Farley’s apartment twice in early November after recognizing details he had mentioned about its location and layout. She told deputies that several sexual encounters occurred during those visits.

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NEBRASKA TEACHER ALLEGEDLY OFFERED TO ‘SHARE’ BOYFRIEND WITH STUDENT IN SEX TRAFFICKING CASE

A teacher was accused of using Google Docs to talk to an underage student before sexual encounters. (Google Maps)

Detectives later executed a search warrant and said they found bedding, condom wrappers and furniture matching her description. Farley’s roommate confirmed he had not been home on the dates the teen said she visited.

School surveillance video reviewed by deputies also appeared to support her account, showing Farley and the student entering his office together on Nov. 7 and later entering a classroom for about an hour.

The situation came to light after the student confided in an art teacher on Nov. 14 and showed her bruises and bite marks she said came from Farley. Administrators were informed the next day, suspended Farley immediately and reported the matter to child welfare authorities.

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A former science teacher at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Palm Beach County was arrested after allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. (iStock)

Farley refused to speak with detectives after being read his Miranda rights, according to the affidavit.

Farley was booked into the Palm Beach County Main Detention Center Dec. 4 and is being held on $500,000 bond, jail records show. He faces charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and offense against a student by an authority figure.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Donna Klein Jewish Academy said it is cooperating fully with the investigation and called the situation “a difficult time for all of us at Donna Klein.”

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TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUALLY ABUSING 15-YEAR-OLD STUDENT WEEKS AFTER GIVING BIRTH: REPORT

“We are approaching this serious situation with the utmost care, keeping the well-being of our students, faculty and families at the forefront,” a spokesperson said.

The school said it is working closely with families, teachers and staff to ensure they have the support they need, adding that its priority is maintaining “a safe, compassionate and educational environment for all.”

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The spokesperson said no additional details would be released “out of respect for the privacy of our community” but that Farley is no longer employed at the school. 

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The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at 561-688-3000.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

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Florida teens in custody after 14-year-old girl found shot to death, burnt: sheriff

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Florida teens in custody after 14-year-old girl found shot to death, burnt: sheriff

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Two teen boys in Florida are accused of fatally shooting a 14-year-old girl and setting her on fire along a wooded walking trail last week in what authorities are calling a “horrific” killing.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters Thursday that the body has been identified as Danika Troy. He said Danika’s mother reported her as a runaway on Monday.

“Unbeknownst to the mother, Danika was murdered the previous night,” Johnson said.

A passerby discovered Danika’s body along a wooded area off Kimberly Road in Pace, a town about 16 miles northeast of Pensacola, and called 911, Johnson said.

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MIGRANT TEENAGERS CHARGED IN FATAL STABBING OF HOMELESS MAN IN CHICAGO

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters that the suspects were supposedly friends with the victim from school. He said investigators were still working to determine a motive. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators quickly identified the suspects as 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins and 16-year-old Gabriel Williams and took them into custody.

“This is where it gets really horrific,” Johnson said.

Kimahri Blevins, 14, is facing premeditated first-degree murder charges. Authorities are seeking to charge him as an adult. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)

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Williams allegedly stole his mother’s handgun and shot Danika.

“It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14. You’re 16,” Johnson said. “Shoot her multiple times, and then they set her on fire.”

Gabriel Williams, 16, is facing premeditated first-degree murder charges. Authorities are seeking to charge him as an adult. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)

Johnson said investigators are still working to determine a motive.

“They have been interviewed, but the motive that they’re giving doesn’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case, so we don’t have a legit motive,” he told reporters.

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TEEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER IN SHOOTING OF 11-YEAR-OLD BOY IN NEW YORK: ‘AN UNIMAGINABLE TRAGEDY’

Blevins and Williams supposedly knew the victim from school, according to Johnson. He believed the two teens have had previous “run-ins” with law enforcement, though he could not immediately say if they had earlier arrests.

Blevins and Williams are being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice on premeditated first-degree murder charges. 

“You don’t want to go out and see a burnt child with bullet holes,” Johnson said. “That’s not something you sign up for.”

Johnson said no parents have been charged at this time, though investigators are “looking into it.”

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The sheriff’s office is working with the State Attorney to charge both teens as adults.

“If you do an adult crime, you gotta do adult time,” Johnson said.

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Florida college student who allegedly shipped 1,500 rounds of ammo to dorm had AR-15 under bed

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Florida college student who allegedly shipped 1,500 rounds of ammo to dorm had AR-15 under bed

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A Florida college student who allegedly ordered 1,500 rounds of ammunition to his dorm room also had a semi-automatic rifle under his bed, according to authorities.

Constantine Demetriades, a 21-year-old senior at Rollins College, was arrested by Winter Park police on Wednesday and charged with possession of a weapon on school property after the ammunition order was reported to police by the school’s assistant campus safety director, according to an arrest affidavit, WKMG reported.

After the purchase was flagged, the assistant safety director searched Demetriades’ dorm and allegedly discovered an unloaded AR-15 under his bed inside an unsecured black carrying case with one loaded magazine and five empty magazines, as well as a tactical vest, knives, a black security vest and ear protection.

FLORIDA OFFICER SHOT IN FACE DURING SERVICE CALL TIED TO MENTAL HEALTH DISPUTE; SUSPECT KILLED

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Constantine Demetriades, 21, was charged with possession of a weapon on school property. (Winter Park Police Department)

Demetriades, who said he likes to shoot as a hobby, told police he had the rifle on school property because he had recently returned from a Thanksgiving trip to New Jersey, where he said the guns were purchased and registered legally, according to the affidavit.

He said he did not have ill intentions and that he usually stores the firearm at a friend’s home off school property, the affidavit stated. He also said he only brought the gun to campus on one other occasion.

Constantine Demetriades said he did not have ill intentions. (Getty Images)

While Florida allows open carry, Rollins College bans all weapons on campus. Demetriades allegedly said he is aware that weapons are not allowed on campus and that his New Jersey concealed carry permit does not apply in Florida.

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The college said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that he is banned from campus until the situation is resolved, adding that an internal investigation has been opened.

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED IN WEALTHY BEACH TOWN OVER ALLEGED TIKTOK SCHOOL-SHOOTING THREAT

While Florida allows open carry, Rollins College bans all weapons on campus. (Getty Images)

“On Wednesday, the College received a report indicating a violation of our weapons policy,” Rollins College said in a statement. “After receiving this information, we immediately initiated an investigation.”

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“We quickly identified and contacted the student, who cooperated fully with College officials and local law enforcement as we investigated the matter further,” the statement continued. “The student was arrested and is not permitted to be on campus while the College proceeds with the student conduct process.”

The school said Demetriades was additionally charged with a violation of the college’s weapons policy, and will go through the on-campus conduct process.

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