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Man, dog disappear in Grand Canyon after apparently taking homemade raft on Colorado River
A man and his dog are missing after apparently taking a homemade wooden raft on the river that runs through the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said Wednesday.
The man was identified by park officials in a news release as Thomas L. Robinson of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Robinson abandoned his vehicle at Lees Ferry, a fishing and boat launching point in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The site is often used as a launch for for whitewater rafting trips along the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, according to park officials.
National Park Service
A photo of the raft that it is believed Robinson used to attempt to travel down the river with his small dog shows just a few long planks assembled together, along with a paddle and life vest.
National Park Service
A missing persons investigation is ongoing, the park service said. Anyone with information about Robinson or who may have seen him is asked to contact the Grand Canyon Dispatch Center.
Robinson is described as a 5’10” White man with brown hair and hazel eyes. The dog is a white 11-year-old Welsh Corgi, according to the NPS.
The Colorado River runs nearly 1,500 miles, from the Rocky Mountains to Mexico, according to American Rivers, a site that catalogues information about the nation’s waterways. In the Grand Canyon, the river continues to deepen and widen in the national landmark, according to the NPS. Whitewater rafting is common in the river.
Water flowing down the Colorado River from Glen Canyon takes fewer than three days to reach Lake Mead, according to CBS affiliate KLAS-TV.
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Topeka, Kansas — When Angelica Chernytska and her mother Larysa left war-torn Ukraine earlier this year, they never expected Topeka, Kansas, would quickly feel like home.
“I was overwhelmed, that is how I can describe my feelings,” Angelica told CBS News.
That’s because the people of this Midwestern city have created a modern-day welcome wagon.
“It’s very rewarding to see the children thrive in school, not afraid of sirens,” said Yana Ross, president of the nonprofit group Top City Promise.
Ross, who immigrated from Ukraine herself, started the volunteer group to help new immigrants, mostly Ukrainians so far, with almost all expenses for three months, including a place to live.
Larysa said she “was overwhelmed” to walk into a fully furnished apartment the day after she arrived in Topeka.
What is unique is how the group has partnered with the community to ensure the immigrants have more than just a roof over their heads. A Latter-day Saints church welcomes the newcomers to pick up free food, while a Catholic church stores donations that furnish the homes.
Topeka Public Schools has gone as far as hiring a director of cultural innovation, Dr. Pilar Mejía, who helps ease the transition for children.
“We need to strengthen our community from the ground up, and it starts with the children, and so we need to make sure that everybody feels like they’re important,” Mejía said. “They are seen, they are welcomed.”
Topeka Public Schools now has an international flair. In the district of almost 13,000, Ukrainian and Spanish are the most common languages after English. More than 200 refugees have benefitted from the program and the helping hand extends to all nationalities.
Lisbeth Amador came from Nicaragua with her husband and 6-year-old daughter Sury. The couple have jobs, a car and a good school for Sury.
“I love it,” Amador says of her family’s new home. “…It’s different, my life here.”
The cost of welcoming a family can range anywhere from $300 to $10,000 depending on needs. Top City Promise relies on fundraising and the big hearts of the people who call Topeka home.
“Community is what makes Topeka different, because of the desire of the Topeka community to help, to help them to be successful,” Ross said.
