Anna Mae Robertson: Milwaukee resident who was a member of famed Six Triple Eight during World War II dies at 101
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Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Landlord jailed for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A landlord jailed for decades after he attacked a Palestinian American boy and his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing the Will County Sheriff's Office. The law enforcement agency did not return a call seeking comment on the death. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened. Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy's mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.


CBS News
7 minutes ago
- CBS News
Baltimore community rallies together after multiple fires rip through neighborhood
Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood is coming together after multiple fires tore through Keswick Road within the past eight months. "The thing I learned through the fire was the strength of this community," said Dr. Simone Gibson, the pastor of Pathway Fellowship FMC. In May, a fire ripped through three rowhomes – just a few months after another set of homes went up in flames in October on the same block. In December 2024, six vacant homes were damaged during a fire nearby, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department. In October, two adults died, and multiple families were displaced after a five-alarm fire on the same block of Keswick Road. The fires displaced dozens of residents and damaged Pathway Fellowship FMC after it had just finished renovations earlier in the year. "But we still can't use the rest of our building yet, because it's under construction…our roof needs work," Gibson said. "I want people to know that we are a resilient community. I want them to know that we're not defined by this fire, and that as a result of this fire, I think we've gotten closer." On Saturday afternoon, Gibson's church threw a block party. "The theme is 'unity for our community,' and so we're promoting our unity and working together," Gibson said. The church and the Hampden Community Council teamed up to provide free food, fresh vegetables, school supplies, clothes and more for anyone who needs it. "The fire department is here, the health department is here. So, we wanted to do a holistic event," Gibson explained. "In addition to the fun, we also wanted to provide information to people and make sure they were able to get the resources that are available to them." "We often show up when the community is at its worst, right, when somebody is experiencing a serious emergency," said Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace. "Today, myself and 21 members of the fire department are out here to be a part of the recovery effort, which is really part of what we do." Gibson told WJZ that although the fires may have left burnt pieces, they did not destroy their faith. "God is good, and so we are pressing on, and we are rebuilding," Gibson said. Pathway Fellowship has been back in the church for about three weeks, Gibson said, but parts of it are still under construction as the investigation into the cause of the May fire continues.


Hamilton Spectator
8 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Harold Terens fought in World War II. He's lived almost 102 years, celebrating his birthday a couple weeks early with family and friends in Florida. But he has something more to look forward to. His bar mitzvah. Terens said at his birthday celebration Saturday that his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood when they were kids living in New York, but he did not. 'My mother came from Poland. My father came from Russia. And my mother was a religious Jew. And my father was anti-religious. So they had two sons. And one son, they compromised. One son got bar mitzvahed, the other son didn't,' he said. Early next year, Terens said he will finally enjoy that ceremony. At the Pentagon outside Washington, no less. Terens said that came about when he was talking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on a TV panel and a rabbi overheard the conversation. 'I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103 and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon,' Terens said. Terens turns 102 on Aug. 6. So Saturday's party was a little early. On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — Terens helped repair planes returning from France so they could rejoin the battle. He said half his company's pilots died that day. Terens went to France 12 days later, helping transport freshly captured Germans and just-freed American POWs back to England. Terens was honored in June 2024 by the French as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of their country's liberation from the Nazis. But that isn't all that happened on those Normandy beaches. He married Jeanne Swerlin, now 97. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life. Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,' Terens said. He survived World War ll, was involved in a secret mission in Iran, another time barely escaping a German rocket after leaving a London pub just before it was destroyed. 'My life has been one huge fairy tale, especially with this new wife that I have. Who I love deeply and who I am going to spend the rest of my life till death do us part, as the mayor had us say in Normandy,' Terens said. After the German surrender in 1945, Terens helped transport freed Allied prisoners to England before he shipped back to the U.S. a month later. He married his wife Thelma in 1948 and they had two daughters and a son. He became a U.S. vice president for a British conglomerate. They moved from New York to Florida in 2006 after Thelma retired as a French teacher; she died in 2018 after 70 years of marriage. He has eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Terens gets asked a lot about his secret to longevity. 'I think if you can learn how to minimize stress, you'll go a long way. You'll add at least 10 years to your life. So that is number one. And 90% is luck,' he said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .