West
Mother of Australian surfers killed in Mexico delivers touching eulogy at San Diego beach
The mother of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico delivered a moving tribute to her sons Tuesday at a beach in San Diego.
“Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us,” Debra Robinson said, fighting back tears. “They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together.”
Her sons, Callum and Jake, were allegedly killed by car thieves in Baja California, across the border from San Diego, somewhere around April 28 or 29.
MEXICAN AUTHORITIES REVEAL BIZARRE REASON THEY BELIEVE AUSTRALIANS, AMERICAN WERE MURDERED ON SURFING VACATION
Robinson also mourned the American who was killed with them, Jack Carter Rhoad.
The beachside location where she spoke, across the border from the Baja California city of Tijuana, was no coincidence. She noted that her son Callum “considered the United States his second home.”
Robinson noted that her son Jake loved surfing so much that, as a doctor, he liked to work in hospitals near the beach.
Australian citizen Debra Robinson with her husband Martin address the media on the beach in San Diego on May 7, 2024, following the deaths in Mexico of their two sons during a surfing trip. (Channel 9/POOL via AP)
“Jake’s passion was surfing, and it was no coincidence that many of his hospitals that he worked in were close to surfing beaches,” she said.
Choking back tears, Robinson conveyed a final message that coincided with her sons’ adventurous lifestyles.
“Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory,” she said.
Robinson thanked Australian officials and supporters there and in the United States.
While she thanked Mexico’s ambassador to Australia, she notably did not thank the local officials in Baja California who eventually found the bodies of her sons and Carter Rhoad.
Their killers dumped the bodies of the men into a well about 4 miles away from where they had been attacked at a beachside campsite. Investigators were surprised when, underneath the bodies of the three foreigners, a fourth body was found that had been there much longer. It was unclear if the body was related to the current case.
The fact that such killers are not caught or stopped in the overwhelming majority of cases in Mexico has led some Mexicans to protest that authorities only investigate such disappearances when they are high-profile cases involving foreigners.
Robinson said that her sons’ bodies, or their ashes, will eventually be taken back to Australia.
“Now it’s time to bring them home to families and friends,” she said. “And the ocean waits in Australia.”
Prosecutors have identified three people as potential suspects, two of whom were caught with methamphetamines. One of them, a woman, had one of the victims’ cellphones when she was caught. Prosecutors said the two were being held pending drug charges but continue to be suspects in the killings.
A third man was arrested on charges of a crime equivalent to kidnapping, but that was before the bodies were found. It was unclear when or if he might face more charges.
The third man was believed to have directly participated in the killings. In keeping with Mexican law, prosecutors identified him by his first name, Jesús Gerardo, alias “el Kekas,” a slang word that means quesadillas, or cheese-filled tortillas.
He had a criminal record that included drug dealing, vehicle theft and domestic violence, and authorities said they were certain that more people were involved.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a radio station in the Robinsons’ home town of Perth in Western Australia state that every parent felt for the family’s loss.
“I think the whole nation’s heart goes out to the parents of Callum and Jake Robinson. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a son or a daughter. To lose these two brothers is just awful and my deepest sympathies and condolences and I’m sure the whole nation’s with the parents and with the other family and friends of these two fine young Australians,” Albanese told Perth Radio 6PR.
Albanese said he was reminded of when his only child Nathan Albanese traveled last year at the age of 22 to a musical festival in Spain.
“You do worry, but you think as well that’s part of the Australian right of passage, is traveling around with a backpack and meeting people and it’s how you grow as a person as well so you want to encourage them,” Albanese said.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California — also known as the Sea of Cortez — from the Baja peninsula. Authorities said they were victims of highway bandits. Three suspects were arrested in that case.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco’s free, discounted childcare program adds over 700 new spots
California childcare providers struggle to stay alive
Hundreds of Bay Area child care providers closed their doors in 2020, as many parents worked from home and watched their children on their own. According to the Century Foundation, more than 70,000 childcare programs nationwide are projected to close. This is partly due to the expiration of the federal COVID-19 pandemic support program that kept many centers open.
SAN FRANCISCO – More San Francisco families will soon have access to free or discounted childcare thanks to an expansion of a city program announced Thursday by Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Who’s eligible for free or discounted childcare in San Francisco?
Dig deeper:
Under the mayor’s expansion of the city’s Family Opportunity Agenda, nearly 750 more children will have access to free or discounted care. To be eligible for free childcare, families must earn less than 150% of the city’s annual median income, $230,000. Families who earn under 200% of the median income – $310,000 – will receive a 50% subsidy for childcare.
The program expansion will offer more than 700 childcare spots, with a focus on infants and toddlers in the Sunset, Parkside, Richmond, Mission, Bayview, Portola, Mission Bay, Excelsior, Glen Park, and SoMa neighborhoods, the mayor’s office said.
“The new slots will expand the city’s early childhood system for infants and toddlers by more than 8%—broadening access to affordable, high-quality childcare for working families,” the city said, in part, in a statement Thursday.
What is San Francisco’s Family Opportunity Agenda?
Big picture view:
The mayor’s Family Opportunity Agenda was launched in January to make housing, childcare, education and more necessary resources affordable for San Francisco residents.
“When families have access to quality, affordable childcare, they can stay and build a life in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “For children, it supports their academic and emotional growth long before kindergarten. And for our entire city, it strengthens our future—helping families stay and keeping our communities strong.”
For more information on the city’s childcare program, click here.
How much does childcare cost?
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, full-time childcare for pre-school-age children can cost anywhere between $9,000 and $24,000 per year. For children under the age of two, the cost rises from $11,000 to $29,000, research shows.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2024 shows California has the third-highest costs for childcare across the U.S., at an average $16,945 per year.
The Source: Office of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie
Denver, CO
Ex-Broncos wide receiver lands in UFL; ex-Denver RB joins 49ers
Kaden Davis is taking his talents to the United Football League.
The former Denver Broncos wide receiver signed with the UFL’s Houston Gamblers earlier this week, and he could make his debut as early as Friday evening when the Gamblers face the Columbus Aviators (5:00 p.m. MT on Fox and FuboTV).
Davis (6-1, 193 pounds) entered the league with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Northwest Missouri State in 2022. After spending part of his rookie season on Denver’s practice squad, Davis played for the Michigan Panthers (then of the USFL) in the spring of 2023.
After that, Davis spent time with the Arizona Cardinals (2023) and Detroit Lions (2024) before returning to the Broncos as a member of the practice squad in 2024. He was later cut, re-signed, and cut again by Denver that fall. Davis joined the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad late in the 2024 campaign, and he remained with the Browns in 2025. He’ll now look to impress in the UFL.
Elsewhere on the ex-Bronco front, the San Francisco 49ers signed running back Sincere McCormick, who had a brief stint on Denver’s practice squad last season.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Seattle, WA
Seahawks receiver makes surprise switch to cornerback
The Seattle Seahawks have an extensive history of taller cornerbacks on the roster, but not this tall.
The only reason why this is notable is because Broden was measured at just over 6’5 and weighed under 200 pounds. In addition to Broden’s height, he ran a reported 4.37 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. For context, Broden is taller than Richard Sherman (6’3), Riq Woolen (6’4), and Brandon Browner (6’4). Other reports of Broden’s height (including from Tyrone himself) have him up to 6’7. Unsurprisingly, Broden did not have any prior experience at corner during his college football days, and there’s nothing to indicate he had any cornerback work in high school.
At receiver, his chances of making the active roster are slim and none given the competition ahead of him, so why not have some fun experimentation? I’m not banking on it being much of anything, but I hope it continues into training camp so that fans can see this in person.
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