Sunken treasures in North Carolina found by three local teens

By
Monica Pop
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The waterways of North Carolina had been hiding a true treasure for over a thousand years until three teens accidentally stepped on a century old canoe they believed to be a log at first some two years ago.

The canoe, which belonged to the Waccamaw Siouan Indians, was settled close to where an 18th century French slave ship was recovered in 1996. The ship, which was initially called La Concorde, was captured in 1717 by notorious pirate Blackbeard who later remained it Queen Anne’s Revenge. When the wreck was brought to the surface, there were a bounty of artifacts discovered, like the anchor and loaded canons of all sizes.

The dugout canoe, which predates Queen’s Anne Revenge by hundreds of years, was retrieved from Lake Waccamaw’s swampy waters in April 2023 as it took two years for a plan to be made for it to be taken out without damaging it. If sunken artifacts are mishandled, or improperly exposed to air they can easily crumble.

Wikipedia Commons / Joey Nobles

Michael Jacobs, the Waccamaw Siouan Chief, said, “That canoe at 28 feet long would have carried many a brave,” and added: “We feel like in our heart, it’s a history that we’re still exploring and understanding because this is the first time we’ve had access.”

The canoe was discovered by teens Eli Hill, Jackson Holcomb, and Creek Hyatt in the summer of 2021. “I stepped on it and I thought it was a log,” said Hill. “I tried to pick it up and it never came up. So, we kept digging at it and it just kept going. And then the next day, we came back and we started digging some more and it just kept going.”

The teens’ families contacted The North Carolina Office of State Archaeology who sent a team to explore further. When the canoe was finally taken out this year, a number of members of the Waccamaw Siouan Tibe were there to witness the historical moment. “Our history is still unfolding. When the colonists made contact with our tribe, there’s a lot of the things that we hailed as historical and meaningful to us that we’re still putting together,” Jacobs said.

“We’re looking forward to examining it, running some tests on it, really finding out and going back to our elders and getting the history of it to where we can teach the truth to our people and know that we’ve got concrete evidence to stand on,” he added.

Flickr / Alan Sharp

This is an important discovery because it shows that the tribe was there long before the colonists came in the 16th century.

This, however, isn’t the first canoe to be found in the the alligator-infested waterways in southeastern North Carolina.

Those living in the Carolinas who are interested in the artifacts of Queen’s Anne Revenge, as well as of the canoes, can arrange a visit at the conservation lab where this new discovery will be treated before it is taken to the Waccamaw Siouan tribal grounds in Buckhead, NC.

For more on this incredible discovery go to the video below.

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She delivered pizza to rusty trailer for years, but never saw the inside – One peek made a startling discovery

By
Monica Pop
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If you have lost your faith in humanity, fear not, because there are always people out there whose hearts of gold and whose kind deeds help restore it.

Angela Nguyen has been working at Domino’s for a very long time and she has delivered thousands of pizzas over the years.

Among the rest, she has delivered pizza to a man named Lee Haase every Saturday; no exception. But then, out of the blue, the orders stopped. While not many would care in such situation, this raised a red flag for Angela who decided to check on her most loyal and most regular customer.

YouTube

When she arrived to his home, she noticed that a large part of the roof had been missing due to the powerful storm which had happened shortly before. Sadly, Lee couldn’t possibly afford to fix his house. Around the same time, he had also lost his son in a snowmobile accident and he was at a very bad point in his life.

Angela tried locating Lee, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, Angela’s daughter, who also delivers pizzas, learned that he was living in a rusty trailer located near his home.

Unfortunately, the trailer didn’t have heat, water, a sewage outlet, or electricity.

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Angela felt sorry for Lee, so she decided to do something about it.

“I thought we gotta do something. We can’t let a human being live like this,” she said. The first thing she did was getting an electric heater for him after which she started a crowdfunding campaign. To her surprise, it gathered the attention of many members of the community who decided to step up and donate. In a matter of two months, $32,360 were raised. “Every single one of us enjoyed doing this. This ain’t all for Lee. We all benefited,” Angela said.

Lee was then able to get a new trailer and start his life over.

GoFundMe

Angela went a step further, and instead of pizza, she delivered Lee a new home.

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6-month-old boy killed, 3 injured when stolen car crashes into pick-up – rest in peace

By
Monica Pop
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A horrific accident which claimed the life of a 6-month-old baby boy took place Sunday evening in West Garfield Park after a stolen Hyundai Sonata crushed into a Ford pickup truck that was seen driving northbound on Kostner.

The Hyundai then hit a light pole while the truck went head on into a large tree. Unfortunately, on the back seat of the truck was a baby boy later identified as Cristian Uvidia. The baby was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital on Monday afternoon while his mother and two sisters were listed from serious to critical when they were rushed to the facility.

The entire ordeal was caught on the surveillance camera of a man named Shawn Walker who witnessed the crash.

“The baby wasn’t breathing, so we started doing CPR,” Walker said. “My main thing was so we could get a pulse back into the baby.”

The Hhyndai Sonata was stolen by two teenagers aged 14 and 17 who at the time of the tragic accident were joyriding. They have both been taken into custody and charged with the crime of possessing a stolen vehicle.

“Our lives were impacted completely forever. The joy of our life was taken. His life was priceless,” Annelisse Rivera, a relative of the family told CBS News. “The fact that his life was taken in one second for somebody that was like looking for a stolen car – as if his life amounted to a price of a car.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family of Cristian with the funeral expenses. It read how the event of his death came about, “he suffered from an impact that fractured his skull, causing his brain to swell and eventually killing him.” 

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It further read, “We are devastated, and we are broken. We will miss his sweet smile, as he was a joy to everyone that he met.”

Part of the money raised will be used for the medical expenses of Cristian’s mother and two sisters who are now in stable condition.

Rest in peace little one.

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Giant service dog gives all for little girl with rare disorder so family thanks him with ‘best day ever’

By
Monica Pop
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Everything a girl named Bella needed for her life to change for the better was a new dog. But George is unlike other dogs out there. He’s a service dog who fills Bella’s days with joy and laughter and helps her regain her independence back.

Namely, Bella was diagnosed with Morquio syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder in which the body cannot process certain types of sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans. As a result, it leads to abnormal curvature of the spine, short neck, knock knees, and hip problems. In Bella’s case, her parents were told that their daughter would eventually need a wheelchair and won’t be able to move on her own.

When the family welcomed George in their lives, who’s giant by the way, he helped Bella walk by providing assistance.

A harness with the words “service dog” and “do not pet” is fastened on his back so that people know he isn’t just a pet.

He and Bella are now inseparable and he never leaves her side.

“Bella attended school for only half a day before leaving to play at the home of her buddy Hunter. Because he gets to nap on the couch while Bella plays, George loves going over there,” her parents wrote.

“Then, tonight, we went to the cinema with some friends and, you guessed it, watched Star Wars Rogue One once more. This time in 3D at the IMAX. The 3D version was quite impressive. Then, after getting some ice cream, we went home and went to bed. A fun-filled day. Bella and George are now traveling,” they added, describing an ordinary day in the lives of these two best friends.

As a thank you for his loyalty and his dedication, Bella wanted to give Gorge something in return. She and her mom and dad then came up with the idea to contact BarkPost, a well-known website that hosts events referred to as “Dog’s Best Days” and give George a day to remember.

Among the rest, the two friends got to share a hamburger together and got to walk on snow, something George enjoys. They did a bunch of fun things together and had a lovely day.

Thanks to George, Bella doesn’t need a wheelchair and enjoys the independence her service dog provides to her. “George is joyful and he’s always happy, and he’s always there to cheer you up. He is my best friend,” Bella says of her best pal.

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Neil Diamond opens up about Parkinson’s diagnosis in new interview: ‘I was in denial’

By
Monica Pop
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Neil Diamond, who has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time, is experiencing some hard times when it comes to his health.

The Sweet Caroline singer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease back in 2018, but he has had a hard time accepting the reality. As a result, he spent years living in denial before he finally came to terms with the devastated condition which affected his everyday life and his music career.

Even though he accepted that the disease is there to stay, he recently confessed that he doesn’t believe he’s able to live with it for a very long time.

Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

“I can’t really fight this thing, so I had to accept it, this Parkinson’s Disease,” 82-year-old Diamond said during an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning.

“There’s no cure. There’s no getting away from it. You can’t just say, ‘OK, enough already. Let’s get back to life.’ It doesn’t work like that. But I’ve come to accept what limitations I have and still have great days.”

He also opened up about the time he was delivered the news that he knew would change everything for him.

“When the doctor told me what it was, I was just not ready to accept it,” he revealed. “I said, ‘Oh, OK. I’ll see you, you know, whenever you wanna see me. But I have work to do, so I’ll see you later.’”

Ray Tamarra / Contributor

2017 was the year Diamond toured the United States and Europe as part of his 50th Anniversary tour, but he was forced to cancel the 2018 Australia and New Zealand leg of the tour, saying Parkinson’s had made it too difficult to continue touring.

“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years,” Diamond said in a press release at the time.

During the past couple of weeks, he has been feeling some calmness which has helped him come to peace with his health issues. “I like it,” Diamond said. “I find that I like myself better. I’m easier on people, I’m easier on myself. And the beat goes on, and it will go on long after I’m gone,” he said.

Neil Diamond truly is a legend and one of the best and most famous musicians and song writers there are. We pray he manages to control the disease and continues living happy and fulfilled life.

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Missing 16-year-old girl found alive after months– her family thought she ran away but the truth was very different

By
Monica Pop
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Alinka Castaneda, teenager living in L.A. was reported missing in January and her family has gone through devastation as they hadn’t heard of their loved one in months.

According to police reports, Castaneda was last seen entering an unknown vehicle in the early morning of January 1, on South Carodale Avenue, after she left her family home in Carson, California.

A footage obtained from a nearby doorbell camera showed a man approaching the girl moments before her disappearance.

Initially, the family believed that she might have run away, but as time passed by, they were more certain that it wasn’t the case. Then, they received a phone call from Castadena.

“In this phone call, she actually shared with her sister and her mom that she didn’t know where she was then and wouldn’t be allowed to leave. She sounded like she was under duress and stressing out,” Moses Castillo, a retired detective and a private investigator working on the case, shared with KTLA. Castillo revealed they were dealing with a case of kidnapping and that the suspect was an adult man known to the police. He didn’t reveal any further details at the time.

Castaneda was listed as a “critical missing juvenile,” by the police who asked for the public’s help in locating her and citing “concern for her well-being.”  

Shutterstock

In order to be able to get the help from the public and anyone who could have certain information about the case, $100,000 had been offered as a reward. Thankfully, this helped the police track down the suspects and take the teen to safety.

After almost three months, Castadena has been reunited with her family.

It remains unknown whether any arrests have been made.

We are glad this teenager is home and safe.

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Willie Nelson confirms the reason why he’s still touring at 90 years old

By
Monica Pop
-

Willie Nelson‘s career spans more than six decades and although he will be turning 90 in a matter of days, he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

On the contrary, he’s always on tours and still finds the energy to entertain audiences from all over the country and beyond.

Nelson was first introduced to music and instruments when was still very young. In fact, he has written his first song at the age of just 7 and by the age of 13, he performed with Bob Wills, the inventor of Western swing music. He and his sister Bobbie, who plays in his band, were raised by their grandparents, Alfred and Nancy Nelson, who both studied music courses. Nelson picked the guitar and never let it go, not even today.

Over the course of the years, he has won 10 Grammys and received 50 nominations. Among the rest, he earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

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Speaking of his decision to tour at the age of almost 90, Nelson told AARP that it is not necessary for him, but it does him good.

“Working is really good for me, no matter what kind of show it is,” he said.

“The fact that I’ll be there for two days with a lot of my good friends coming out…saying hello and singing with me makes it a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

Nelson isn’t the first performer who continued entertaining audiences passed the age of retirement. Take Dick Van Dyke (97), Michael Caine (89) and David Attenborough (96) for example.

Getty Images / Rick Kern / Stringer

For these legends, as well as for Nelson, age is just a number. “Norman Lear, a good friend of mine, turned 100 not long ago, and I told him, ‘I’ve been telling everybody it’s just a number,” he told AARP. “Am I right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, it’s just a number.’”

Whenever he’s tours come to an end, he’s always ready for a new one. “Jokingly, I retire after every tour,” Willie said. “But I’m always ready to go back again. I like the bus. I have everything I need on the bus. I never have to go into a hotel room anywhere. It’s not that bad.”

Nelson’s enthusiasm is unmatched. And when it comes to his voice, it’s still as it used to be, and he hasn’t lost any of his ability to make people happy whenever he performs.

“I think singing is good for my voice,” he said in a recent interview. “I don’t do anything to harm it much anymore. If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

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