West
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.
FIVE HELICOPTERS NEEDED TO SAVE INJURED SOLO CLIMBER ON CALIFORNIA’S SECOND-HIGHEST PEAK
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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
New SF supervisor supports reopening Great Highway on weekdays
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Alan Wong, the new supervisor for District four in San Francisco, has publicly expressed his support for reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. This statement comes amid ongoing debates surrounding the highway’s conversion into a park last spring, which was met with mixed reactions from the community.
The Great Highway was transformed into a public park earlier this year, a change that many residents have embraced, while some local neighbors have pushed back. Joel Engardio, the former supervisor who supported this conversion through Measure K, was recalled this year, highlighting the division among constituents in District four.
Wong, who was appointed as supervisor following Engardio’s recall, filed paperwork to run for the elected position on the board. His term is set to last until January 2027, during which he aims to solidify his platform around reopening the Great Highway.
In his statement, Wong emphasized, “I believe my values align with a majority of Sunset residents who support reopening the Great Highway to cars on weekdays. As a result, I am prepared to be one of four supervisors needed to sponsor a ballot initiative to restore that compromise.” This suggests Wong’s intent to address community concerns head-on while building a wider consensus.
Prior to its conversion, the Great Highway allowed vehicles during the week and served as a park on weekends, a compromise Wong supports restoring. He aims to return to this model in response to feedback from local constituents.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
Denver, CO
Bo Nix’s footwork is “a lot better” as he plays under center more. Coincidence?
On the first of Bo Nix’s four touchdown passes against Green Bay, he did what he does more frequently than any quarterback in football.
Nix escaped from the pocket and took off running. He moved up and to the left before hitting Michael Bandy for a 20-yard catch-and-scamper.
The next three touchdowns, though, are where the Broncos offense can dream about a deep postseason run or even more.
Nix, operating from the gun, delivered strikes of all shapes and sizes and did so with clean footwork in the pocket.
He identified coverage, took a short, one-step drop and fired a perfectly placed low ball to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Then a three-step drop to get the ball up and down with beautiful pace and timing to Courtland Sutton one-on-one up the right sideline.
Nix polished off the fourth touchdown when he five-step dropped, hitched up in the pocket twice and uncorked a rocket up the seam for Troy Franklin on a motion and route concept the Broncos have made hay on most of the year.
The Packers game represented a breakout as Nix completed 23 of 34 passes for 302 yards and the four touchdowns, but his game’s been heating up more broadly over the past month.
He had an efficient day in a much different style against Las Vegas, completing 31 of 38 passes and engineering three battering-ram touchdown drives. He threw for 616 yards in the two weeks before that in wins over Washington and Kansas City.
In those four games, Nix has completed 69.5% of his passes for 282.5 yards per game and thrown five touchdowns and an interception. Before that stretch, he completed 60.9% and averaged 212 yards per game.
What’s changed? Start from the ground up.
“I think his footwork has got a lot better,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “And the way he handles himself in the pocket, trusting the protection. We’ve talked about it all year and the last four games he’s done a really good job of that.
“He’s moving when he needs to and he’s hanging in there when he needs to.”
Head coach Sean Payton earlier this season said the quarterbacks get some specific footwork drilling done during a normal game week but not a ton. They’ll work a particular concept or drop between periods, but for the most part, the work is plan-specific.
Nix, though, has been working on his own pocket presence in his own ways in recent weeks.
“I think he’s probably one of the best … at learning from mistakes, and looking in the mirror and seeing what his weaknesses are,” tight end Evan Engram told The Post.
“He’s sitting in there, he’s trusting the protection, he’s letting it rip. And that’s something that he saw. And he worked on. And like – I can’t say how hard that is. I’ve never done it in my life. You’ve got freakin’ monsters rushing you, every play. And credit to the O-line, too.
The staff also appears to be doing a better job of helping get Nix into good rhythm. Part of that is by playing more frequently from under center. The touchdowns outlined above came out of shotgun, but one commonly held belief is that playing from under center helps keep footwork clean because a quarterback is forced to do it coming back from the center.
Since the Broncos returned from their bye week, the uptick has been notable.
Denver averaged 29.4% of offensive snaps under center the first 11 games. Over the past three, the number is 42.8%.
Nix has attempted nearly half as many passes from under center the past three games (25) as he did in the first 11 (51). That’s partly because he’s playing more from under center, though Denver’s under center pass rate has also jumped up from 24.5% over the first 11 games to 29.3% the past three weeks.
Nix only completed 1 of 6 passes against Green Bay for 16 yards from under center but the week before, he was 10 of 10 for 71 yards against Las Vegas.
“Each game is different relative to when we look at gun runs, under center runs, try to self-scout ourselves enough to where there’s enough play-action maybe under center, drop back,” Payton said between Vegas and Green Bay, adding that he thought Nix made a quick transition to playing under center even though he hardly did it in college.
“I think that hasn’t been a big learning curve. I think it’s gone pretty smooth.”
Particularly since the bye week, the Broncos have leaned more and more into it. Payton and Lombardi say the usage is dependent on individual game plans.
The longer this uptick continues, though, the more it looks like a philosophical shift.
Broncos reporter Luca Evans contributed to this story.
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Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks Injury Updates: Status of trio of DBs
There were Seattle Seahawks injury updates on Friday regarding three defensive backs coming out of the Hawks’ overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.
Seahawks’ Derick Hall suspended one game for stepping on player
Here’s a look at the updates, as well as insight from head coach Mike Macdonald and additional information from ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler.
• The biggest concern for the Seahawks coming out of the game is safety Coby Bryant, who has a knee injury. Macdonald said in a press conference Friday that Bryant would “get imaged,” meaning undergo an MRI. Fowler reported on social media that, per sources, Bryant is “expected to miss ‘some time’ based on initial tests.”
• Cornerback Riq Woolen has a knee concern of his own, but Fowler reported that it’s “not considered serious” and that, per a source, Woolen “more so got ‘banged up.’”
• Versatile defensive back Nick Emmanwori was evaluated for a concussion late in Thursday’s game, but Macdonald said he cleared concussion protocol.
The Seahawks improved to 12-3 with their win over the Rams, giving them a one-game lead over Los Angeles for both first place in the NFC West and the No. 1 seed to the postseason out of the NFC. The Seahawks also clinched a playoff spot with the dramatic comeback victory.
The next Seahawks game will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28 on the road against the Carolina Panthers (7-7). Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 7 a.m. that day with the pregame show.
More Seattle Seahawks coverage
• Macdonald explains Seahawks’ game-winning 2-point decision
• Brock Huard: The reason Sam Darnold was able to beat Rams
• Where Seahawks’ No. 1 seed odds stand after epic win
• Stacy Rost: Seahawks dramatically flip script to beat Rams
• Anatomy of a comeback: How Seattle Seahawks stunned Rams
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