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Washington doctor dies during Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike at age 74

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Washington doctor dies during Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike at age 74

The National Park Service recently identified a hiker who died in the Grand Canyon last week as a beloved 74-year-old Washington state doctor.

Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center staff received a report on May 15 of an unresponsive hiker on the North Kaibab Trail, about half a mile below the North Kaibab Trailhead.

Dr. Dennis Smith, of Olympia, Washington, was attempting a rim-to-rim hike from the South Rim to the North Rim when authorities and friends said he collapsed on the trail.

Dr. Dennis Smith pictured on a hike in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Tom Helpenstell)

HIKER, 33, DIES AFTER HIKING ARIZONA MOUNTAINS IN EXTREME HEAT, 4 OTHERS RESCUED

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Though there is limited cell phone service in the canyon, the incident happened close enough to the top that they were able to call for a park service helicopter. Medics restarted his heart, but it later stopped again, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

His cause of death is under investigation by the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to the park service.

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Fellow doctor, Tom Helpenstell, who worked with Smith for more than 30 years, told Fox News Digital the pair ran across the canyon when it was hotter, and he believes it was a “freak” accident.

“I think it was 100 degrees or close to it, but he’s really good about hydrating,” Helpenstell said. “He’s always drinking fluids. … He’s way too smart to be pushing beyond his limits. I think this was just a freak thing.”

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Dr. Dennis Smith in bodysuit

Dr. Dennis Smith worked in general orthopedics. (Photo courtesy of Tom Helpenstell)

After doing a short stint in the Navy, Smith, a former family practice doctor, became an orthopedic surgeon. He then started his own practice, Olympia Orthopaedic Associates, where he met Helpenstell in 1994.

“We worked together in the same office and assisted each other every Tuesday in surgeries for 30 years,” Helpenstell said. “He and I have run across the Grand Canyon three times, doing Ultra Trail-type running. Probably two years ago, he decided not to do running [anymore], so he was hiking with a group out of Tucson, Arizona, where he spends the winters.”

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Before deciding not to keep running, the pair ran up Mount Whitney together, completed full Iron Man competitions and Olympic-distance triathlons together, and climbed Mount Rainier.

“He’s super active, super fit,” Helpenstell said. “This was not even a run, this was a hike. I don’t want to downplay it. Grand Canyon’s a big day, for sure, but this was completely out of the blue.”

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Dr. Dennis Smith in bike outfit

Dr. Dennis Smith was described as someone who was “super fit.” (Photo courtesy of Tom Helpenstell)

In addition to Smith’s athletic feats, Helpenstell said he was highly respected in his community for his work in general orthopedics, where he did trauma, hip and knee replacements. 

“He would jump in and take care of anyone at any time. Really, really great,” Helpenstell said. “Within the surgeon community, we’re the carpenters. … Even when he retired from his regular work [in 2021], he stayed on and took call for us and stayed up at night doing cases. He kept his hand in it, until just about a year and a half or two ago. He was an amazing man.”

Dr. Dennis Smith headshot

Dr. Dennis Smith started a practice in Washington state in the late 1980s. (George Rose/Getty Images, Olympia Orthopaedic Associates)

“He read like crazy,” Helpenstell said. “He was like an encyclopedia. We would always joke, we don’t need Google, we have Dennis. He was really into health and nutrition, and what diets are the right ones to take, and what supplements. I mean, the guy was crazy about staying healthy. He had switched to playing pickleball because he thought it would make his brain learn new things, which would keep him from getting Alzheimer’s or anything like that. He was more focused than anyone I know about staying healthy and living long, which makes this hard.”

Dr. Dennis Smith running at race

Dr. Dennis Smith runs a race, is pictured standing on the first place spot on the podium. (Photos courtesy of Tom Helpenstell)

Smith leaves behind his wife, Evelyn, who would have celebrated their 50th anniversary on Sunday, and four children. 

He also leaves behind numerous grandchildren who he enjoyed hiking and running with.

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DOCTOR AND CANCER SURVIVOR GEARS UP TO RUN 7 MARATHONS ON 7 CONTINENTS IN 7 DAYS

The NPS urged all visitors to Grand Canyon National Park, particularly those planning to hike or backpack in the inner canyon, to prepare for extreme heat.

Park rangers strongly advise against hiking in the inner canyon during the hottest part of the day, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Hikers and backpackers attempting rigorous distances, such as rim to rim, through the inner canyon, are encouraged to be self-reliant to prevent emergency situations for themselves and responders. 

“Be aware that efforts to assist hikers may be delayed due to limited staff, the number of rescue calls, and employee safety requirements,” according to the park service.

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Officer’s smooth dance moves convince partygoers to turn down music

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Officer’s smooth dance moves convince partygoers to turn down music

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An Oklahoma police officer’s smooth moves while issuing a noise citation have gone viral.

The officer with the Tulsa Police Department was caught on video dancing at a party while onlookers recorded with their phones and cheered him on at approximately  9 p.m. on Sept. 27. 

“The caller said her neighbors had been playing loud music all day, and she wanted to file a complaint,” the department’s Facebook post with the video of the dancing officer said.

“Since this was the second time officers got called out there for the same issue, Officer Greene did issue a nuisance sound citation… but while he was there, he took a few minutes to also show off his dance moves!”

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OFFICERS’ UNEXPECTED PIZZA DELIVERY GOES VIRAL AFTER HOLIDAY TRAFFIC STOP ARREST

Tulsa Police Officer Greene dances while issuing a noise citation at a party on Sept. 27, 2025.  (Facebook/Tulsa Police Department)

Tulsa PD’s video of the dance had been viewed more than 1.1 million times as of Monday afternoon. 

VIDEO SHOWS NEW JERSEY STREET TAKEOVER ERUPTING WITH MOB SHOOTING FIREWORKS AT POLICE

Officer Greene TPD dances while issuing citation

Tulsa Police Department’s Officer Greene appears to be doing a choreographed group dance.  (Facebook/Tulsa Police Department)

“The fact that TPD posted the video after the complaint makes it even funnier,” one Facebook user wrote. 

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Officer Greene TPD dances does choreographed dance

Onlookers are telling Tulsa PD’s Officer Greene the moves while recording him dancing.  (Facebook/Tulsa Police Department)

The department did post a comment on the video explaining the ordinance that the partygoers allegedly violated. 

“The people out there appreciated his style, and also agreed to turn down the music,” TPD wrote. “Nice moves, Officer Greene!” 

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Voting underway in 2025 election that may determine if Republicans hold House in 2026 midterms

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Voting underway in 2025 election that may determine if Republicans hold House in 2026 midterms

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Early voting is now underway in California in a special election that will make a huge impact on next year’s battle for the U.S. House majority.

California voters are deciding whether to pass a ballot proposition this November which would dramatically alter the state’s congressional districts, putting the left-leaning state front-and-center in the high-stakes political fight over redistricting that pits President Donald Trump and the GOP against the Democrats.

California state lawmakers this summer approved a special proposition on the November ballot to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature. Ballots began being mailed out on Monday.

The effort in California, which could create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts, aims to counter the passage in the reliable red state of Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-leaning House seats. Failure to approve what’s known as Proposition 50 would be a stinging setback for Democrats.

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WHAT STATES ARE NEXT UP IN THE CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING BATTLE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles.  (Jose Sanchez/AP photo)

Two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender, is spearheading the push to pass the proposition.

“If we lose here, we are going to have total Republican control in the House, the Senate and the White House for at least two more years,” Newsom emphasized in a recent fundraising appeal to supporters. “If we win here, we can put a check on Trump for his final two years.”

The push by Trump and Republicans for rare mid-decade redistricting is part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

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TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS OVER KEY 2025 ELECTIONS

Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

Missouri last month joined Texas as the second GOP-controlled state to pass congressional redistricting ahead of next year’s elections. The new map in Missouri is likely to give the GOP another right-leaning seat.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with Fox News Digital, in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept. 5, 2024

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas in August signed into law new congressional maps that redistrict ahead of next year’s midterm elections. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)

But unlike Texas and Missouri, California voters need to weigh in before giving redistricting power back to the legislature in Sacramento.

“Heaven help us if we lose,” Newsom said in his fundraising pitch. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for Democrats.”

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Proponents and opponents of Proposition 50 reported raising more than $215 million as of Oct. 2, with much of the money being dished out to pay for a deluge of ads on both sides.

One of the two main groups countering Newsom and the Democrats is labeling their effort “Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab.”

Also getting into the fight is former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was the last Republican governor of California.

During his tenure as governor, Schwarzenegger had a starring role in the passage of constitutional amendments in California in 2008 and 2010 that took the power to draw state legislative and congressional districts away from politicians and placed it in the hands of an independent commission.

“That’s what they want to do is take us backwards — this is why it is important for you to vote no on Prop 50,” Schwarzenegger says in an ad against Proposition 50. “Democracy — we’ve got to protect it, and we’ve got to go and fight for it.”

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As ballots start reaching mailboxes across California, a panel of federal judges in Texas is hearing a case in the legal battle over the passage of the new congressional maps.

If redistricting in Texas is blocked, it’s not clear how the ruling would impact California. 

Newsom this summer indicated that California could continue with its nonpartisan redistricting commission if other states rescinded their efforts to change their maps. But that language was not included in the proposition now on the ballot.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes moves in his home state of California and in Texas to implement mid-decade congressional redistricting

Former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California opposes efforts by Democrats to temporarily suspend the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission. (Tristar Media/WireImage)

Even before Trump initiated his redistricting push, Ohio was under court order to redraw its maps. That could boost Republicans in a one-time battleground state that now leans right.

Republicans in the GOP-dominated states of Indiana and Florida are also mulling congressional redistricting. And Democrats in heavily blue Maryland are weighing a redistricting push.

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Other states considering altering their maps are Democrat-dominated Illinois and red states Kansas and Nebraska. 

Meanwhile, Democrats could pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah, where a judge recently ordered the GOP-controlled legislature to draw new maps after ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering. 

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Oklahoma troopers, ICE detain 120 illegal immigrants in three-day interstate enforcement sweep

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Oklahoma troopers, ICE detain 120 illegal immigrants in three-day interstate enforcement sweep

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Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol recently arrested more than 100 illegal immigrants in a three-day crackdown.

In an Oct. 6 statement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that the operation targeted “threats to public safety along I-40 in Oklahoma.” It took place between Sept. 22 and Sept. 25.

“ICE ran records checks on foreign-born nationals that OHP encountered during patrol,” the DHS’s statement said. “As a result, 120 illegal aliens were taken into custody for immigration violations, 91 of which were operating a commercial motor vehicle with commercial driver’s licenses (CDL).”

OKLAHOMA GOV. STITT, ICE BUST 120 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN HIGHWAY CRACKDOWN, SLAMS BIDEN BORDER FAILURES

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Among the 120 suspects, past convictions included DUIs, illegal re-entry into the U.S. and money laundering, as well as human smuggling and assault.

ICE and Oklahoma Highway Patrol officials arrested 120 illegal immigrants in a three-day operation along I-40. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Some of the illegal immigrants were also convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a controlled substance.

Two suspects were also arrested in connection to a nearby cannabis grow site.

In a statement, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said that the suspects had “no business operating 18 wheelers on America’s highways.”

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ICE agent wearing a black shirt

Federal and state officers targeted commercial truck drivers during a multi-day immigration enforcement sweep in Oklahoma. (Getty Images)

“Our roads are now safer with these illegal aliens no longer behind the wheel,” said Sheahan.We encourage more state and local law enforcement to sign 287(g) agreements to help remove public safety threats and receive reimbursement funds available to our law enforcement partners.” 

ALABAMA CONDUCTS FIRST STATE-FEDERAL CHECKPOINT OPERATIONS WITH ICE, DETAINING OVER 20 PEOPLE

The arrests came just weeks after a suspect, who was deported several times before, allegedly caused a DUI-related crash in California.

ICE HQ

The DHS described the Oklahoma operation as part of a broader effort to address threats on major freight routes. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Norberto Celerino, 53, faces six counts of murder in relation to the Sept. 7 crash. He is accused of driving under the influence in Napa County.

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Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report. 

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