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Social media search helps find a woman’s lost service dog
The story went viral on the internet and now, thanks to a vigilant following, Gracie Langham’s dog “Mav” has been found and was returned to home.
METAIRIE, La. — A community came together through social media to help a Metairie woman find her emotional support dog who ran off following a car crash.
The story went viral on the internet and now, thanks to a vigilant following, Gracie Langham’s dog “Mav” has been found and returned home.
Langham tells WWL Louisiana’s Meg Farris that Mav was spotted with someone in Pensacola Florida.
On Saturday Langham met with the person in Florida who happily reunited Mav with his owner who had been desperately searching for him since the car crash on Halloween over a week ago.
“Last night at 9:17pm we received a tip that Mav was potentially with a family in Pensacola, FL. This information proved to be accurate, and this morning Mav was happily and safely reunited with his owners in Pensacola!!!! We will not be disclosing the name of the tipster until they give us permission to do so. THANKS BE TO GOD! We are so thankful and appreciative to all who have given their time, efforts, and resources in our search to find Mav. This would not have been possible without you. We are forever grateful for the power of this community and the kind hearts of many. Thank you!!!!!,” said an update on the search in a social media post on a Facebook page dedicated to finding the lost dog.
“We’d like to express our extreme gratitude to the doctors and staff at Clearview Vet Hospital, Excel Signs and Graphics, and the many other businesses and community members who donated to helping get the word out about Mav being missing!”
Now that Mav has been found, we need some time to rest and recharge. For this reason, we will not be providing any additional information or addressing any comments at this time so that we can focus on doing what we need to do for ourselves. Thank you for understanding this and respecting what we need. Thank you.”
On Halloween, it had rained, and the streets were wet and slick. Langham told WWL she was driving with her adolescent golden retriever, Mav when she made a turn in Metairie at Clearview and Utica and skidded out.
“All of the airbags deployed, and Mav was very scared, and I was very scared, and I had to kick the door out. He sprinted away from me, and I was screaming his name, and running as fast as I could behind him, but I lost him,” she said.
Startled by the commotion after the crash Mav ran off and after Langham launched a plea on social media, the public search began.
Mav is an emotional support animal offering emotional support to Langham, an LSU dental student, who helps her cope after she lost both of her grandparents recently.
Mav’s family with the Humane Society of Louisiana offered a $5,750 reward for the golden retriever.
Mav has a microchip implant to identify him which may have helped with the search.
Langham says she is so happy that Mav was found safe and being checked out by a veterinarian.
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Police investigate body found at south Indianapolis gym
Family told 13News that 39-year-old Derek Sink visited a tanning bed on Friday and was found dead there Monday morning.
INDIANAPOLIS — UPDATE: Planet Fitness has released the following statement:
“We were deeply saddened by the passing of one of our members, and the franchise owner is working with the local authorities in their investigation,” said Chief Corporate Affairs Officer McCall Gosselin. “At Planet Fitness, we have robust operational brand protocols in place, as the safety and well-being of our members is our top priority. We are working closely with our local franchisee to ensure they are upholding those brand protocols.”
13News reached out to the Marion County Health Department and the Better Business Bureau. Both tell us they are aware of IMPD’s investigation, but are not launching any of their own at this time.
Police are conducting death investigation at a south Indianapolis gym after a man was found dead in a tanning bed Monday morning.
A sign on the door of the Planet Fitness on Hardegan Street, near U.S. 31 and County Line Road, Nov. 11 said, “tanning is currently unavailable.”
Family confirmed to 13News that 39-year-old Derek Sink went into a tanning bed on Friday, Nov. 8 and was found dead there Monday morning. Family said Sink struggled with drugs and a needle was found in the room with him.
The cause of Sink’s death has not yet been determined.
Sink’s aunt said they reported him missing on Friday. She said he was wearing an ankle monitor that helped investigators determine he never left the gym.
A woman who was at Planet Fitness that morning, before law enforcement showed up, said she and other members noticed a foul smell in the building that got worse near the tanning rooms. Now, she said she’s wondering how something like this could happen.
“The tanning bed has a door, I believe, but still, why are we not concerned that the tanning bed has been closed for three days, potentially?” Elizabeth Len asked.
Sink’s family called him a loving person. They said they hope to see stricter policies on cleaning and an end-of-day checklist for staff to prevent this from happening again.
13News reached out to IMPD and Planet Fitness. Police could only confirm they were investigating a death at that location and did not elaborate on the circumstances.
A spokesperson for Planet Fitness said they’re looking into what happened with the local franchise owner.
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MPD, NAACP announce initiative to address neighbor disputes
The announcement came just weeks after Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was shot by his neighbor John Sawchak after a months-long dispute.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police and the Minneapolis NAACP announced a strengthened partnership Tuesday to address neighbor disputes in the city.
The announcement came just weeks after Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor John Sawchak after a months-long dispute.
“Mr. Moturi called the police several times. He did everything he was supposed to do. Unfortunately, the Minneapolis Police Department alone was not able to provide that help for him,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
Police say the department receives more than 2,000 neighbor/tenant complaints a year, which amounts to about 45 calls a week.
Chief O’Hara says these cases are challenging for police to deal with on their own.
“These are often complicated cases and all of them are difficult for police to deal with, particularly those that are civil and do not rise to criminal issues or violence,” O’Hara said.
NAACP Minneapolis President Cynthia Wilson says community groups have long been involved in solving neighborly disputes, but a stronger partnership with police will help community leaders reach more residents who need help.
“This initiative was created to give more options,” Wilson said.
“We’re not going to solve every situation, but we are being proactive.”
Wilson says community leaders are still working out the finer details of how this strengthened partnership will work.
She says residents who are experiencing problems can still call the police for help, or one of several community groups that are involved in this new partnership.
“You’ve got social workers, you got community crime prevention, you got community engagement, inspectors, there are so many different arms to this that will allow us to impact the community effectively,” Wilson said.
Some of these community groups involved in this strengthened partnership include the Minneapolis Unity Community Mediation Team, NAACP Minneapolis, Indigenous Protector Movement, Little Earth Residents Association, New Salem Baptist Church, Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center, Voice of East Africa Women, Nuestra Lucha and Quorum.
Wilson says she and other community leaders are also looking for volunteers and mediators who may be interested in joining their cause.
Hours after this announcement was made, the Minneapolis City Council listened to concerns from the community during a scheduled public comment period Tuesday afternoon.
Dozens of community members showed up at the meeting to raise concerns about how Minneapolis Police handled Moturi’s complaints regarding his neighbor John Sawchak.
Some community members demanded changes such as asking Chief O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey to step down from their positions.
Other community members urged the Minneapolis City Council to wait until MPD’s internal investigation is complete before making any significant changes to the department.
During a press event Tuesday Chief O’Hara said the internal investigation into the Moturi case is still ongoing and there is no timeline for when the investigation will be complete.
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DOJ sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s purchase of Amedisys
The suit follows Minnesota-based UnitedHealth’s acquisition of LHC Group Inc., another home health and hospice provider.
MINNETONKA, Minn. — The Justice Department is suing to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys, citing concerns the combination would hinder access to home health and hospice services in the U.S.
The antitrust complaint was filed in Maryland federal court Tuesday. In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the government is challenging UnitedHealth and Amedisys’ proposed merger because “patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options.”
The suit follows Minnesota-based UnitedHealth’s acquisition of LHC Group Inc., another home health and hospice provider. Since that transaction’s completion last year, the Justice Department said, UnitedHealth and Amedisys have emerged as the two largest providers of home health and hospice care in the country.
The department argues that eliminating competition between UnitedHealth and Amedisys “would harm patients who receive home health and hospice services, insurers who contract for home health services, and nurses who provide home health and hospice services.”
Four states’ attorneys general — from Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey and New York — are joining the Justice Department in the antitrust complaint.
UnitedHealth is seeking to add Amedisys to Optum, its subsidiary that provides care as well as pharmacy and technology services. Optum said Tuesday the acquisition “would be pro-competitive and further innovation.” It said it plans to “vigorously defend (itself) against the DOJ’s overreaching interpretation of the antitrust laws.”
Louisiana-based Amedisys added that it also remains committed to the deal, which it believes “will create more opportunities to deliver quality, compassionate and value-based care to patients and their families.”
Beyond its Optum unit, UnitedHealth Group also runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers, UnitedHealthcare. Last month, UnitedHealth reported a third-quarter net income of $6.06 billion on revenue of $100.82 billion.