Latest news with #Josiah
Newsweek
4 days ago
- General
- Newsweek
Moment 4-Year-Old Who Was Homeless Sees Where He Lives Now: 'Overwhelming'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A boy who lived in a homeless shelter for 14 months has seen his new home for the first time, leaving internet users in tears. Casey posted a clip on TikTok (@autumpoetry) of her 4-year-old's reaction as she opened the door. "I felt sad when he saw the living room and was hesitant to explore," the single mom told Newsweek. "I think he believed that the other rooms weren't ours since we lived out of one room for as long as he could remember." Split view of woman turning key in apartment lock and 4-year-old boy wearing green coat. Split view of woman turning key in apartment lock and 4-year-old boy wearing green coat. @autumpoetry Casey and Josiah had spent 14 months living at Clare House, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania–based shelter that serves single mothers and their children. Before entering Clare House, Casey, whose epilepsy prevents her from being able to drive, had been living with her father in a rural part of Pennsylvania. The "unpredictable" bus routes made it impossible to find steady work, so she turned to the city to seek better access to employment and long-term stability. Her first shelter placement was part of an education-focused program, but she wasn't permitted to work while staying there. Eventually, she was welcomed back to Clare House. "I had an amazing experience," Casey said. "We had Monday night meetings where we would learn life skills, such as meditation and cooking. They helped me stay on budget... set goals and reach them. But more than that they were a shoulder to cry on when things were overwhelming and tough." After getting on a waitlist for income-based housing, Casey waited six months before finally getting the call. The process was intense: background checks, income verification, credit checks, and rental history screenings. On October 15, 2024, Casey and Josiah moved into their new home. "I nearly cried," Casey said. "That night I flipped a box upside down and we ate our McDonalds meal on the box." An initial hesitant Josiah started to become more confident, exploring the apartment and eventually sleeping in his own room after months of adjusting. "[He] has become a very independent little guy," Casey told Newsweek. Casey's heartwarming clip has been viewed 3.4 million times and received thousands of comments, with many asking how they could help. "I'm balling at how he didn't want to leave your side," one user wrote. "His curiosity is so innocent and I know how proud you must feel momma," another commented. Since sharing her story, Casey told Newsweek that many people have been so generous as to buy toys for Josiah's upcoming fifth birthday. She also set up a GoFundMe page to help the pair find a "forever" home. "I am still in shock over all of this," she said. "It's overwhelming but in the best way." As Josiah prepares to start kindergarten in August, Casey is focused on paying off credit card debt—she expects to be debt-free by February. "I hope to slowly begin saving for a house in the city but money is very tight so that will take several year," she told Newsweek. "I hope to start selling my art to make more income so that I can save for a house... I used to love it."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
One Michigan speller remains at National Spelling Bee
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — One Michigan speller remains in the competition as three spellers from West Michigan made it to round three of the National Spelling Bee, ultimately tying for 100th place. The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is taking place this week in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. At National Spelling Bee, West Michigan students get to round three Elliott Covelle of Grand Rapids, Ishika Dirisala of St. Joseph and Josiah Loehrke of Kalamazoo made it to round three, after getting past a spelling round and vocabulary round Tuesday. They were all knocked out in round three, a written test that needed a score of at least 13 to advance. The three West Michigan spellers were among 84 eliminated by the test. Elliott and Josiah on Tuesday told News 8 parent company Nexstar they were proud to represent their communities. 'I'm really proud to be representing Grand Rapids and Kent County,' Elliott said. 'It's really nice to have support from all my friends and teachers and family. It's a good experience.' 'It's a huge honor to be able to represent Kalamazoo … (at) the spelling bee. And I'm trying not to let them down, and I think I'm doing pretty well,' Josiah said. 'I'm glad I'm able to do this.' One student from Michigan remains. Sanvi Mandvekar is an eighth grader at Larson Middle School in Troy on the east side of the state. She passed round one by correctly spelling 'Jumada,' and passed round two by defining 'humdrum.' After the written test, she passed round four by spelling 'innatism,' round five by defining 'titan' and round six by defining 'gruine.' The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals are scheduled for Thursday starting at 8 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Storm sign Titans young gun until end of 2027
Melbourne's shrewd recruitment strategy has come to the fore again with Gold Coast prop Josiah Pahulu to join the premiership heavyweights on a two-year deal. The 21-year-old was the Titans' 2024 rookie of the year after a breakout season and is regarded as one of the NRL's most promising young forwards. He will join the club this week and his deal includes the rest of this year and through until the end of 2027. Gold Coast did try to extend Pahulu beyond this year but were unable to do so. The young gun has played just three games off the bench in 2025 after several concussions impacted his availability earlier in the season. He featured in 19 games last year but did not get a contract bonus for playing a 20th after he was rested late in the season. AAP understands the Titans did offer to pay the bonus as part of an extension offer but his management sought a release, which was granted. "The club and Pahulu have been in discussions for some time but were unable to reach an agreement," the Titans said in a statement. "In the best interests of both parties, Pahulu has been granted a release effective immediately." Pahulu will add starch to a middle forward rotation that already includes Josh King, Tui Kamikamica, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Stefano Utoikamanu. Storm general manager of football Frank Ponissi said the Auckland-born and Queensland-raised Pahulu was an exciting addition to the roster. "Josiah is a talented young footballer and an impressive individual," Ponissi said. "He's a dynamic young forward who has already shown impressive potential early in his NRL career. We're confident he'll make a strong impact and be a valuable addition to the talented group of emerging middle forwards in our squad and coming through our pathways program. "We're excited to see what Josiah can achieve in Melbourne and delighted to welcome him to the club."
Vancouver Sun
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Second World War novel highlights 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and Vancouver shipyards
Jack Wang's debut novel The Riveter may be set during the Second World War, but several of its themes ring true today. A cross-cultural love story set in Vancouver and on European battlefields in the early 1940s, the story focuses on Chinese-Canadian Josiah Chang, a riveter working on Victory ships in a Vancouver shipyard, and office worker Poppy Miller, a jitney-driving singer with an independent streak as wide as the Burrard Inlet. They meet at the shipyard and fall in love. But the story is complicated by her father's disapproval and a law that says if Poppy marries Josiah, she has to give up her citizenship. The couple is separated after an incident at the shipyard sends Josiah into a life-changing rage. Having to flee, he heads east and manages to enlist and make his way into the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Formed in 1942, the unit engaged in key operations in the European theatre, playing a crucial role in the Allied invasion of Normandy during D-Day on June 6, 1944, and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. 'I would love to think this is a novel for a time. On the one hand, it does dramatize the ways in which Canada has been an imperfect nation, like any nation. But at the same time, it also dramatizes, I think, our courageous spirit, our fighting spirit, the ways we sacrificed in the fight against fascism,' said Vancouver native Wang recently from Ithaca, N.Y., where he is a professor in the writing department at Ithaca College. 'It reminds us of how we forged our identity as a nation, which was largely through two world wars.' Wang's historically accurate story takes readers through paratrooper training in the U.S. and Britain, then right into the thick of the European war. 'A lot of Canadians aren't familiar with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. For example, many Americans know about Easy Company from Band of Brothers, but I don't know that all Canadians know that we had a famed parachute battalion of our own,' said Wang. 'I would love to think that this is a novel that can remind people of the sacrifices our country has made and remind us of who we are as a nation.' One member of that famed unit, Richard Mar, a Chinese-Canadian private from Vancouver, was a key figure in propelling Wang forward with this story. 'There was a brief write-up about Richard Mar in a book called The Dragon And The Maple Leaf by Marjorie Wong,' said Wang adding that Josiah, who was a tree faller before becoming a riveter and a paratrooper, was inspired by the cartoon character Johnny Canuck. 'It's just a few brief paragraphs, but it describes how he served in the Ardennes and how he jumped into Germany. That really sort of was the first germ for the story. The idea of a Chinese-Canadian as a paratrooper.' While Josiah's struggles are real, and racism is around every corner, Poppy is also in a battle for independence and a life free from the expected norms of woman in the early part of the 20th century. 'Poppy is very much ahead of her time. Her desire for sexual freedom is a little ahead of her time, and they're both outsiders in society for different reasons,' said Wang. 'I think that's part of what allows them to connect and to understand each other better than they would have otherwise.' While the story lives in the past, Wang's view is very much a reminder that personal freedoms are always in the line of fire and should never be taken for granted. 'I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that, you know, a lot of what I was writing into ultimately was affected by events here in the U.S., including the Dobbs decision,' said Wang referencing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended the federal protection for abortion access that had been in place since Roe v. Wade in 1973. 'For me, the novel is very much a response to the taking away of freedoms that feels like it is happening all around me at the moment. So, I'm running very much against the current tide of what's going on in the world.' The historical part of this work of fiction is meticulous and fascinating. Whether Josiah is riveting a metal plate to 450-foot cargo ships, dancing at the Commodore Ballroom with Poppy, or digging trenches in European dirt, the reader is offered precise pictures of the past. 'I read a lot of books,' said Wang whose previously published works include the award-winning short story collection We Two Alone, and the popular children's board book series Cozy Classics, which he created with his brother Holman Wang. One of those books was Boys Of The Clouds by Gary C. Boegel, which offered first-hand oral history from the actual 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. 'It really gives you a sense of the texture of the day-to-day experience,' said Wang, citing the unit's official war diary as a great resource. Wang also put his boots on the ground, travelling to Fort Benning, Georgia, where the unit trained prior to being shipped off to England. There, he saw the jump towers and the barracks that Canada's first airborne unit utilized. The shipyard part of the story is pulled from the history of the Burrard Dry Dock company, the busiest Canadian shipyard during the Second World War, producing well over 100 ships and employing 14,000 people, 1,000 of them women. 'They had a north yard in North Vancouver. But during the Second World War, they built the south yard on the south shore, False Creek,' said Wang. 'There were books written about the company, including one called Waterfront To Warfront by George Edwards.' A real gem discovered in his research journey was the house organ (a.k.a. the company newsletter called the Wallace Shipbuilder, named after the company's founding family). 'It was a monthly newsletter on all things related to the shipyard, from explaining how Victory ships were built here, to the bowling league results. And it just gave you a really fascinating time capsule of what it was like to be in the shipyard,' said Wang about the newsletters unearthed in the Vancouver Archive. 'They profiled workers, including Chinese-Canadians who worked in the shipyard as welders and so on. So that was just an amazing resource.' dgee@
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
Alaskan Bush People's Rain and Josiah Allegedly Stole $75K Cash, Guns From Family Before Arrests
Alaskan Bush People alum Rain Brown and husband Josiah Lorton allegedly stole $75,000 in cash, guns and other items from a family member prior to their arrests for burglary and malicious mischief on April 11, In Touch confirmed. Josiah's uncle, Jason Ayerst, reported the alleged burglary to authorities in Wauconda, Washington, on March 27, according to court documents obtained by In Touch. He claimed that Rain, 22, and Josiah, 33, had been on his rental home property, where several items were stolen. The items that were allegedly taken included $75,000 in cash, $85,000 in gold coins, $8,000 in wine and champagne, one pistol valued at $2,500, a second pistol valued at $450, one revolver valued at $650 and a bong for marijuana valued at $250. Jason also estimated that the property had about $5,000 in 'vandalism,' including a broken generator and shattered glass. The U.S. Sun was the first to report the news of the stolen items. Jason claimed in the docs that Josiah was the 'only one with whom he has shared the location of the firearms, cash, and other valuable items, fearing that Josiah only had one reason to be at the property, and that was to steal those items.' 'Jason continued to speak about Josiah and that while he was going through his divorce, Josiah had helped him 'stash' his valuable items up at his cabin. Advising that Josiah is the only one who could be in possession of said items,' the report continued before mentioning Rain, whose real name is Merry Christmas Kathryn Raindrop Brown. 'Jason went on to explain that even though he does not have a positive opinion of Merry, he believes that even she would not be capable of stealing from him unless Josiah told her about the location of said valuables.' Jason claimed that a neighbor had video footage of Josiah and Rain on his property. According to the report, the officer also spoke with people who allegedly saw Josiah with guns similar to the ones that were reported stolen in the days after the burglary. He and Rain also allegedly had a wine that matched the description of one of the bottles missing from Jason's home. Rain and Josiah were both arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree malicious mischief on April 11, In Touch confirmed at the time. Additionally, the youngest daughter of the Brown family was charged with second-degree criminal trespass. They were booked into the Okanogan County jail in Washington State and were later released without bail on April 14. Rain appeared in court via Zoom on Monday, April 28, where she pleaded not guilty to all charges. Josiah also pleaded not guilty to all charges. The couple is set to appear in court again in May. Rain broke her silence after the arrest in a cryptic Instagram post on April 19, although it's unclear if she was speaking out about the alleged burglary. 'This is a bible verse I give to ya'll. Judge not lest ye be judged. For with what judgment, ye judge, ye shall be judged,' the post read. In the caption, Rain added, 'It hurts my heart that my rainbows would choose to believe the lies that my old manager who stole $43,000 from me and abused me instead of maybe thinking, 'Oh no who is saying this about Rain? Not, 'Wow what a waste.' It deeply hurts my heart. With all this said, I hope y'all will stick around to hear my side of the story. God bless y'all.'
