Council tax: we all hate it. So why won't ministers reform it?
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Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
American Airlines passenger forced to crawl off flight due to humiliating oversight
A disabled teenager was forced to crawl off an American Airlines flight because she was not given an aisle chair - sparking an internet uproar after her outraged mother shared shocking video of the incident. Susan Grove, of Rockwall, Texas, shared the jaw-dropping clip of her daughter, Ava, who uses a wheelchair, awkwardly crawling through an empty airplane's narrow aisle on June 28. 'The aisle chair never came, so our special needs daughter had to crawl off the plane,' Grove captioned the TikTok. An aisle chair is a slimmer wheelchair specifically made to move people with limited mobility on and off airplanes. Grove claimed she and her husband, Joe, tried to lift Ava up and bring her off the aircraft, but she weighs 150 pounds and 'carrying her down the small aisles is very difficult.' 'This cannot happen to special needs people/families,' Grove asserted, expressing frustration with the bizarre ordeal. The video garnered nearly 18 million views, with many commenters saying they were horrified her child had to exit the plane in the humiliating manner. People also urged Grove to contact American Airlines and notify them of the situation, which took place on a flight from Philadelphia to Copenhagen. 'Your daughter is incredible. If my aisle chair didn't arrive, I would still be on that plane,' one woman commented. 'In the whole airport they couldn't find a wheelchair!' another added in disbelief. 'This is horrific. So sorry this happened to you! Unacceptable!' someone chimed in. While some skeptics questioned why Grove was filming instead of helping her daughter, she clapped back, explaining the importance of documenting the moment. 'I am videoing so this never happens again and, yes, you can hear me encouraging because we had just finished a 7 hour flight (and a horrible 4 days of travel with AA) and I know she was exhausted,' she wrote. Later in the day, Grove told viewers she had been on three other American Airlines flights over the past four days, and there had been 'several instances' involving Ava. She contacted the airline's special services and left them a voicemail outlining all of her grievances, including the awful way her daughter had to depart the plane. A representative called her back, offering her just $75 each for her, Joe and Ava for their troubles. 'I said that that wasn't acceptable,' she explained adding she requested to speak with a manager, but was unable to do so. The representative said they would be launching an investigation to figure out why an aisle chair was not available. The next day, Grove posted a third video, chronicling her back and forth with American Airlines. In an email, a spokesperson expressed apologies for Ava's flight experience and credited Grove with 28,500 bonus miles to her AAdvantage account - the equivalent amount to make up for her daughter's trip. Ava's ticket was also fully refunded. Grove said she still wanted to speak on the phone with someone from the airline to fully get her point across. 'Giving miles and refunds, sure, that's part of the process, but what occurred showed me that so much more conversations need to happen around these types of situations,' she said. The comment section of the final video was flooded with people who were severely discontent with the consolidation Grove walked away with. 'I just checked online it calculates it's about 28k pts = 485 usd sue them!' someone wrote. 'theres no way they equated points and a refund to having your daughter crawl on the dirty floor,' another said.
The Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tragic pics of youngest victims in Texas floods from twin sisters, 8, to family member, 9, of Kansas City Chiefs owner
The flash floods that tore through Central Texas last week took the lives of over 100 people, with the count still rising as crews search for missing victims. Many of those victims were children as young as 8 years old and some are still missing. 5 5 Here are some of the youngest victims revealed, from summer camp attendees to sisters on family vacation. Anna Margaret Bellows, 8 Houston resident Anna Margaret Bellows, a camper at Camp Mystic, was confirmed as a victim by the Houston Chronicle. She was 8. Patricia Bellows, her mother, told ABC13 Houston that she had "unending gratitude for the brave camp counselors who safely evacuated so many campers, and the two camp counselors who gave their lives trying to protect my baby." Linnie McCown, 8 Austinite Linnie McCown was another 8-year-old camper at Camp Mystic who fell victim to the deadly floods. Her father, Michael, wrote in a social media post: "She filled our hearts with so much joy we cannot begin to explain. We are going to miss her so very much but know she's up there shining bright." The Washington Post wrote an article following Michael through Camp Mystic as he searched for his daughter. During his walk around the camp, he found another girl's body as he looked for Linnie. What we know so far... Torrential rain sparked deadly flash flooding around the Guadalupe River in Texas in the early morning of July 4 At least 105 people lost their lives, mostly in Kerr County, and rescue teams continue to search for missing people, but hope for survival is dimming Families of some Camp Mystic girls have confirmed their deaths Haunting pictures show empty bunks after 27 girls and counselors were killed A woman was rescued by clinging to a tree after being washed 20 miles downstream Two brothers told of their brave escape from a flooded cabin The victims include the niece of the Kansas City Chiefs' owners, a dad who died while saving his wife and kids, a beloved high school coach, and sisters who were found dead with their hands locked together Mourners gathered for a vigil Monday night to honor the victims Mary Stevens, 8 Mary Stevens was also among the victims at Camp Mystic. The 8-year-old girl was from Austin. Camp Mystic director's tragic final act to save girls from Texas floods as wall of water tore through cabins killing 27 "You have left the most positive impact on everyone who knew you. I'm the luckiest that I got to be your mom and I will never stop loving you and trying to live life as you did," her mother, Stacy Stevens, wrote, according to the Austin American-Statesman. "Fearless. Enthusiastic. Compassionate. And full of joy." Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, 8 Twins Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence were killed during the flooding, and the 8-year-old girls were also Camp Mystic campers. David Lawrence Jr., their grandfather, confirmed their deaths. 'Hanna and Rebecca gave their parents John and Lacy and sister Harper, and all in our family, so much joy,' he said, according to the Detroit Free Press. 'They and that joy can never be forgotten.' The youngest victims of the Texas floods Multiple children have been confirmed to be dead after the catastrophic floods. Anna Margaret Bellows, 8 Linnie McCown, 8 Mary Stevens, 8 Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, 8 Mary Kathryn Jacobe, 8 Hadley Hanna, 8 Renee Smajstrla, 8 Sarah Marsh, 8 Janie Hunt, 9 Eloise Peck, 8 Lila Bonner, 9 Lainey Landry, 9 Blair and Brooke Harber, 13 and 11 Mary Kathryn Jacobe, 8 Mary Kathryn Jacobe also died at Camp Mystic, her death confirmed by FOX 26 Houston. "Our hearts are shattered and our words fail us,' a cousin wrote on social media. "God called Home our angel cousin, Mary Kate." Hadley Hanna, 8 Hadley Hanna, another Camp Mystic attendee, was among the 27 campers and counselors killed. Her parents sent a statement to KDFW Fox 4 asking for privacy. "The constant spotlight and inquiries — however well-intended — add to our distress. We appreciate your empathy, your prayers, and understanding." Renee Smajstrla, 8 5 Renee Smajstrla was having "the time of her life" at Camp Mystic before the tragic flooding, her uncle, Shawn Salta, said. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic." Sarah Marsh, 8 Sarah Marsh was also killed during the floods at Camp Mystic, according to The 8-year-old was from Alabama. 'Our family is completely devastated by the loss of Sarah and her dear friends at Camp Mystic. This is a tragedy that no parent can prepare for, and it will never be right this side of Heaven," her family said in a statement. "While we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, we request privacy as we navigate the unimaginable steps ahead." Janie Hunt, 9 Janie Hunt, a Dallas resident, was at Camp Mystic for the first time when she died. Janie was a family member of Kansas City Chief co-owner Clark Hunt. "How do we trust a God who is supposed to be good, all knowing and all powerful, but who allows such terrible things to happen — even to children," Tavia Hunt, his wife, posted on Instagram. "Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods in Wimberley and the tragic loss of so many lives — including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friend's little girls." Eloise Peck, 8, and Lila Bonner, 9 Best friends Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner also died at the camp. The two were cabin mates and had just finished second grade at the same school. "Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals," Missy Peck, Eloise's mother, told KDFW Fox 4. "She passed away with her cabinmate and best friend Lila Bonner who also died." Bonner's family said in a statement: "In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time.' Lainey Landry, 9 Lainey Landry, a 9-year-old Camp Mystic camper, also died due to the flooding, according to nonprofit A Voice For The Voiceless. Houston ABC 13 reporter Travis Herzog wrote that her parents "want everyone to know she is tough, sweet, and super funny," before her body was found. Blair and Brooke Harber, 13 and 11 5 The Harber sisters were on family vacation near the Guadalupe River when the flash flooding occurred. About 12 hours later, their bodies were discovered together, holding hands. "They were believers and one of their favorite classes was religion," Jennifer said of Blair and Brooke. "Blair and I had a conversation about God and heaven two weeks earlier. They had their rosaries with them."
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Dear Richard Madeley: ‘The pet name my girlfriend has started calling me is hurtful'
Dear Richard, A few weeks ago I confided to my girlfriend that I wasn't happy with my weight. At the time she was very nice and understanding but later she used a 'pet' name for me that in another context could be used cruelly about an overweight person (forgive me for not saying what it was). I told her that it wasn't very kind and she apologised – but she's used it twice since then. Several of my male friends have nicknames that they obviously don't like, but they know that if they make a fuss it'll just get worse so they put up with it. I've been spared this, but I didn't imagine I would have to deal with it in my relationship. How can I nip it in the bud? — B, via email Dear B, OK, let's extend your girlfriend the benefit of the doubt here. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that she genuinely doesn't comprehend how upsetting you find her use of this particular 'nickname'. Perhaps when you spoke to her about it you were trying not to make too big a deal out of the issue. Maybe you were too laid-back, too casual. You didn't want to come across as oversensitive. So – she hasn't since repeated the slur out of malice: she honestly doesn't understand the effect it has on you. So tell her. If you don't, every time it happens will be like pressing on a bruise. It will hurt more and more. Not a recipe for happy coupledom. So as I say – tell her. Not in a blaming or accusatory way (we're giving her the benefit of the doubt, remember?). But be crystal clear about how it leaves you feeling, and ask her not to use it again. I'm sure she'll agree – she did the last time you spoke to her about it, didn't she? But if that turns out to be lip service, and she says it again… well, I'm sorry to say you may have a problem. She'll be actively and knowingly trying to hurt you, and/or revealing that she is dissatisfied with your physical appearance. In which case, a conversation of a very different order may be required. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
