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Lost mother’s handwritten notes save her and 9-year-old son stranded in remote California wilderness

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Lost mother’s handwritten notes save her and 9-year-old son stranded in remote California wilderness

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A mother and her young son were rescued after getting lost in a California forest, thanks to quick thinking, a handwritten note and timely action by rescuers. 

It happened on Saturday, July 12, when a routine training exercise for the Calaveras County Volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) Team turned into a real-life rescue mission in the rugged terrain near Spicer Reservoir.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., Calaveras County Dispatch received a report of a 49-year-old mother and her 9-year-old son who were overdue from a trip to Camp Wolfeboro. The pair had left Sacramento the day before but had since gone silent – no calls, no texts and no check-ins, according to the reporting party. 

Concerned for their safety, a deputy was immediately sent to investigate. Fortunately, the Search and Rescue (SAR) team was already training nearby and quickly joined the search.

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Mother and son rescued from forest after leaving handwritten notes (Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office )

A location-sharing app provided by the reporting party helped narrow the search zone, officials said. Air support from the California Highway Patrol was also called in to assist.

A breakthrough in the search came from a promising lead – a 911 text from nearby campers who reported seeing a vehicle that matched the missing family’s description the day before. With this critical tip, officials said searchers zeroed in on the area. 

Then, early in the evening, searchers discovered a handwritten note at a remote intersection. It was from the missing mother, pleading for help.

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HIKER DISAPPEARS IN WILDERNESS AFTER TAKING ‘SHORTCUT’ THAT LEADS TO VOICE FROM THE WOODS

A mom left a trail of notes to help lead rescuers to her location after getting lost in a California forest with her son.  (Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office )

The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office shared an image of the note, showing the directions the mother had laid out to help find them. 

“HELP. Me and my son are stranded with no service and can’t call 911,” the note read. “We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!”

Following a series of similar notes left along the route, rescuers tracked the pair to their vehicle, roughly a mile down the road.

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However, the remote location and thick forest canopy posed another challenge as cell and radio signals were blocked, “making standard radio or cell communication impossible.” 

Officials said the rescue team utilized an amateur radio frequency, commonly known as “HAM radio,” to establish communication.

HIKER DISAPPEARS FROM ‘EDGE OF THE WORLD’ CAMPGROUND ON TRIP WITH FATHER

Members from the Calaveras County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team located and rescued a mother and her young child after they got lost in a forest.  (Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office )

After broadcasting “emergency traffic” on the HAM radio, their call was immediately answered by a retired El Dorado County Communications Supervisor who was a HAM Operator monitoring frequencies from his home.

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“This HAM operator then contacted the El Dorado 911 center, which provided the information to Calaveras Dispatch, and the SAR command post was notified,” officials said. 

Rescuers used recovery equipment to free the family’s vehicle and safely escorted them back to the command post, where they were reunited with anxious loved ones.

Officials said that the rescue mission revealed just how quickly technology can fail in remote areas. 

Authorities later revealed that the mother had been following a GPS route that diverted her onto remote backroads. When the signal dropped, the pair became disoriented deep in the forest.

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Despite the dangerous circumstances, officials said the duo made several smart decisions that contributed to their safe rescue. They left notes at intersections, used hazard lights at night, and relied on basic survival skills. Notably, the young boy used a whistle in short bursts to help signal their location, officials said. 

Authorities highlighted that their most important move was informing someone of their itinerary and expected return, critical information that helped launch the timely rescue.

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco mayor says he convinced Trump in phone call not to surge federal agents to city

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San Francisco mayor says he convinced Trump in phone call not to surge federal agents to city


San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie told CBS News Friday that he was able to convince President Trump in a phone call several months ago not to deploy federal agents to San Francisco.

In a live interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil, Lurie, a moderate Democrat, said that the president called him while he was sitting in a car.

“I took the call, and his first question to me was, ‘How’s it going there?’” Lurie recounted.

In October, sources told CBS News that the president was planning to surge Border Patrol agents to San Francisco as part of the White House’s ongoing immigration crackdown that has seen it deploy federal immigration officers to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans and most recently, Minneapolis.

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At the time, the reports prompted pushback from California officials, including Lurie and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

However, shortly after that report, Mr. Trump announced that he had called off the plan to “surge” federal agents to San Francisco following a conversation with Lurie.

“I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post on Oct. 23. The president also noted that “friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge.”

“I told him what I would tell you,” Lurie said Friday of his October call with Mr. Trump. “San Francisco is a city on the rise, crime is at historic lows, all economic indicators are on the right direction, and our local law enforcement is doing an incredible job.”

Going back to the pandemic, San Francisco has often been the strong focus of criticism from Republican lawmakers over its struggles in combatting crime and homelessness. It was voter frustration over those issues that helped Lurie defeat incumbent London Breed in November 2024.

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Lurie, however, acknowledged that the city still has “a lot of work to do.”

“I’m clear-eyed about our challenges still,” Lurie said. “In the daytime, we have really ended our drug markets. At night, we still struggle on some of the those blocks that you see.”

An heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, Lurie also declined Friday to say whether he supports a proposed California ballot initiative that would institute a one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires.

“I stay laser-focused on what I can control, and that’s what’s happening here in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “I don’t get involved on what may or may not happen up in Sacramento, or frankly, for that matter, D.C.”



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Denver, CO

Here’s how the NFL typically handles the top seeded team’s Divisional Round schedule

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Here’s how the NFL typically handles the top seeded team’s Divisional Round schedule


As the number one seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos could end up playing on either Saturday or Sunday. It all comes down to which teams win during Wild Card weekend.

Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about the potential Divisional Round schedule and he said nothing is finalized. However, the NFL has been known to follow a certain schedule that could end up with the Broncos playing on Saturday if either the Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers win on Sunday and they’d play the following Sunday only if they had to wait until Monday for the outcome of the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers game.

The other thing with that extra week off is about preparation. One of the better questions the media asked of Payton on Friday was whether or not they do more advanced scouting on potential opponents they have not yet played this season.

“Look, there are four options,” Payton said. “One is in the division. We’ve played one two years in a row—or it feels like that with Houston. Buffalo. We’ll break down kind of all four and then look at… We’ll have personnel reports on the four… You do have enough time to look at third down, look at personnel packages, study situational football. I think that’s pretty common when you look at playoff history. A lot of times, you end up with a division team sometimes in the first round. I know that’s happened a number of times over the years with me. It’s hard to gauge how these other games are going to go not having spent much time looking at New England. [We’ve] seen Jacksonville. It’s one of those where you just watch them. You’re working while you watch them. You’re working on each plan, and then you go from there.”

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I came away feeling like Payton and the Broncos know two of their potential opponents fairly well. The other two will get some high level review, but nothing super deep as there just isn’t enough time. That is saved for this coming week when the opponent is finalized.

Payton and his staff have some great experience coaching in the playoffs, so this young Broncos team should be well-prepared for their football game.

Frankly, I like the idea of the Broncos getting their game out of the way early. Give Payton and his staff an extra day to begin the prep work needed for the AFC Championship game provided they come out with a win in the Divisional Round.



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Seattle, WA

Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026

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Seattle Seahawks land 2 players on list of potential salary cap cuts in 2026


No matter how the playoffs go for the Seatte Seahawks, general manager John Schneider and his team are looking at a very busy offseason ahead.

In addition to their usual preparations for the 2026 NFL draft, Seattle has a ton of important players who are about to become unrestricted free agents. That list includes special teams superstar Rashid Shaheed, running back Ken Walker and defensive standouts Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant.

It’s going to be really difficult to keep that entire group together, even with a lot of cap space projected to be open in 2026. The Seahawks may have to create room with some salary cap casualties after the season is over.

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On that note, Over the Cap has listed a pair of Seattle players as potential cap casualties. Let’s review both of them.

OLB Uchenna Nwosu

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Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) dives for a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) in the second half at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

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Coming in at No. 46 on OTC’s list is veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, who has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit just over $20 million. Nwosu has been valuable when he’s on the field but he’s also missed a ton of time due to injuries and it will be difficult to justify his cap hit with so many other players to pay.

Seattle can save a little over $11.5 million if they cut Nwosu, before June 1 or after. However, they would also take on a dead money hit north of $8.5 million, which takes a lot of the flavor out of those cap savings.

In 45 games with the Seahawks, Nwosu has tallied 19.5 sacks, 52 QB hits, 24 tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles and eight pass breakups.

That’s a lot of good production across the board as an all-around defender, but he’ll turn 30 years old before next season is over and there are a lot of mouths to feed for Mike Macdonald’s defense.

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Over the Cap projects there’s a 58.5% chance that the Seahawks will wind up cutting him. Our best guess is that will be the case, especially if they want to pursue someone like Maxx Crosby on the trade market.

K Jason Myers

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Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks place kicker Jason Myers (5) kicks a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi’s Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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The only other Seahawks player who made the list (at No. 77) was placekicker Jason Myers, where the team has an interesting choice to make.

Myers has been around since the 2019 season and he’s come through for them more often than not. In 117 games he’s converted 200 of 232 field goal attempts, coming out to 86.2%. On extra point attempts he’s gone 292/307 for 95.1%.

Those are very solid numbers for an NFL kicker, and when you have a solid option at this position you don’t mess with it.

Another factor working in Myers’ favor is that Seattle really can’t save all that much money by cutting him. According to OTC’s numbers the Seahawks would create $5.1 million in cap room by cutting him, with a dead money hit of $1,875,000.

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Five million might get Seattle a decent backup for their interior offensive line, or another contributor to Mike Macdonald’s defense. It’s not enough to really move the needle for this roster, though.

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OTC gives it a 52.5% chance that Myers will get cut, but we don’t see that happening. If they want to lower his cap hit, the Seahawks can create a little over $3 million for 2026 with an extension. That’s the only move they should be looking to make at this spot.

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