While the incident led many online to joke about cats having nine lives, Toast’s rescue offered a small spot of good news amid a disaster that left hundreds of people homeless.

The five-story North Union Apartments complex in Midvale, just outside Salt Lake City, caught fire on Friday morning around 8:00 AM.

Fire crews spent over two days battling the four-alarm blaze, which was likely caused by a mechanical failure and ultimately destroyed all 220 occupied units in the building.

In total, it took firefighters over 60 hours to extinguish the fire.

While many residents managed to evacuate with their pets, Toast was initially missing, leading his owners to fear the worst.

Local animal control officers noted on social media that as time went on, the chances of finding him alive grew increasingly small.

Against the odds, the local fire department announced that they had discovered Toast alive inside the complex, more than three days after the fire began.

The cat had survived inside a closet, one of the few structure points that remained intact after the roof caved in.

Despite the thick smoke and water poured from above, Toast managed to survive.

Emergency workers returned the cat to his relieved owner shortly after his rescue. Aside from being cold, wet, and frightened, Toast was in remarkably good health.

On Facebook, Toast’s owner Ryder Mathis expressed disbelief and gratitude, commenting that he was blown away to learn that his beloved pet had been found alive.

Another resident, Madison Stott, added that the news felt like a dream after days of heartbreak.

Salt Lake County Animal Services shared a video showing the reunion roughly an hour after Toast was pulled from the rubble.

In the footage, Toast meows from inside a pet carrier while a tearful Mathis looks in and eagerly asks if he can take his cat home.

Currently, it’s unclear when residents of the North Union Apartments will be able to go back home.

While a partnership between Airbnb and the United Way of Salt Lake has placed over 40 families in temporary housing, many displaced tenants continue to face a very uncertain future.

The post Cat Survives Utah Apartment Fire By Sheltering In Closet For Days appeared first on Gazette Review.

Days after her family shared that she was in hospice care, her social media confirmed that she had passed away from bile duct cancer-related complications.

Towle, who graduated from Dartmouth in 2023, was working a remote marketing job and creating online content on the side when severe abdominal pain sent her to the doctor.

Shortly afterwards, she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer.

She shared her journey with over one million followers as she documented both the painful reality of her treatment and her love for travel.

Her posts captured moments ranging from using ice packs during chemotherapy to hiking in Spain and taking a solo trip through Europe following gallbladder and liver surgery.

Through her social media posts, Towle was able to reshape how people viewed cancer patients.

Leaders at the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation praised her for giving a voice to young adults with cancer, raising awareness for research, and teaching others to appreciate the present.

As she once shared in a video, bad moments happen, but they do not define the quality of a life.

In 2024, Towle relocated to New York City to receive treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after cancer was detected in her liver.

She marked the transition by posting a video of herself dancing happily on a city street to Taylor Swift’s song “Welcome to New York.”

Around the same time, a group of online trolls gathered on Reddit, where they scrutinized her social media content.

They analyzed her statements, emotional state, wardrobe, hair, and physical symptoms, and questioned the authenticity of her diagnosis.

Convinced that it was all a massive hoax, the online posters analyzed the medical details she shared, concocted false evidence of a conspiracy, and ridiculed her actions.

Certain users contacted her corporate sponsors to demand they terminate their partnerships, while an anonymous individual went so far as to message her healthcare providers directly.

While the online harassment and false claims tormented Towle, she chose not to respond publicly to her critics.

Instead, she stayed focused on producing the videos that served as her primary source of comfort and purpose.

Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1999, Sydney Elizabeth Towle was the daughter of Elizabeth Morrow and Philip Towle. She grew up and spent her childhood in Hobe Sound, Florida.

She attended Dartmouth College, where she earned a degree in government and environmental studies in 2022.

She was preceded in death by her father in 2016. She is survived by her mother and her brother, Austin.

The post Sydney Towle, Who Shared Her Cancer Journey on TikTok, Dies at 26 appeared first on Gazette Review.

During a Tuesday news briefing, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes explained that differing accounts from witnesses have made it difficult to determine exact identities.

He assured the public that once investigators sort out those details, they will share descriptions of the suspect or suspects involved.

According to Barnes, the violence broke out when a targeted gang conflict escalated into gunfire that spread into the surrounding crowd, leaving two people dead and four others wounded.

He added that none of the six victims had any connection to the shooters.

Chief Barnes emphasized that the people caught in the crossfire were completely innocent victims of a meaningless act of violence.

Police currently have a 15-year-old in custody and another shooter died in the gunfire, but officers believe there may still be other suspects involved.

The deceased shooter was identified as 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, who investigators believe was tied to the teenager currently held in custody.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said on Monday that a third suspect might have been involved in the incident.

However, Chief Barnes reassured the community that the general public is not in danger, as the evidence indicates the shooting was a targeted attack rather than a random threat.

Here is a rephrased version that keeps the tone easy to read, uses no direct quotes, and breaks the details into clear, digestible paragraphs:

On Tuesday, police shared that a possible victim checked into the University of Washington with a suspected gunshot wound. However, laws prevent authorities from forcing the hospital to reveal their identity.

Because of this, detectives are urging the individual to contact them directly so they can conduct an interview.

While examining the crime scene, forensic teams collected 14 shell casings from two separate weapon calibers, according to Chief Barnes.

Police found three firearms at the scene, with evidence indicating that at least two of them were used in the shootout.

Barnes noted that one of the fired weapons, an untraceable ghost gun, was found on the 15-year-old suspect.

Officials said on Tuesday that detectives have already questioned all surviving victims alongside several witnesses, and they plan to conduct more interviews over the next few days.

Emergency crews were first called out to the Seattle Center around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. During a Monday briefing, Mayor Wilson clarified that authorities now know at least two individuals traded shots just outside the Seattle Center Armory.

According to Wilson, those two shooters were the teenager currently in custody and the 19-year-old who died.

Court documents show that officers actually detained the 19-year-old alongside the 15-year-old at the same time.

Legal filings from the teen’s detention hearing reveal that the pair got into a shootout with at least one other unidentified person, during which the 15-year-old allegedly shot straight into the crowd.

The post Multiple Suspects at Large Following Shooting at Seattle Food Festival appeared first on Gazette Review.

Justice Saini, the one who sentenced 40-year-old James Desborough, described the circumstances of his case as unique.

Saini, who gave an unusual life sentence, said Desborough was an extremely dangerous person who believed his victims were “worthless.”

According to Saini, Desborough killed his two friends because they were homeless and vulnerable; he thought they wouldn’t be missed even if they were gone due to their messy personal lives.

Saini said Desborough viewed the victims as beneath him. He went on to explain that handing out a life sentence is an extreme measure, reserved for cases of extreme severity.

Law enforcement in Devon and Cornwall said they are now looking back into the deaths of four individuals who stayed at a homeless shelter alongside Desborough and two of his victims.

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley, who leads the major crime team, noted that while investigators currently do not suspect Desborough in those four deaths, the investigation is still ongoing.

Desborough murdered 57-year-old Claudio Aquilino and 43-year-old Daniel Coleman before dismembering their remains and concealing them in a wooded area near a remote shack, which he lived in periodically in southern Cornwall.

Later, while held at Exeter prison awaiting trial, he took the life of his 65-year-old cellmate, Steven Kempster, reportedly after growing angry over his snoring.

Throughout the sentencing hearing, grieving relatives shared statements that emphasized how much the victims were loved.

Coleman’s 14-year-old daughter shared that she had lost her place as a daddy’s girl and that she would never get to see his smile again. She spoke about how terrifying it was to imagine her father’s fear in his final moments, labeling Desborough a villain for his actions.

Aquilino’s family members remembered him as a skilled artist and a fantastic cook. While he suffered with addiction, he was deeply loved.

Speaking on Desborough’s behalf, defense lawyer Sean Brunton KC pointed out that his client had only a single prior offense on his record, which occurred two decades before these crimes.

The attorney described Desborough as a sharp, capable guy who had tons of potential. He also added that he had been polite and easy to deal with throughout the trial.

Aquilino and Coleman, both of whom struggled with long-term addiction, had previously stayed at the same Newquay shelter as Desborough in the Cornish surf region.

After taking their lives, Desborough used the dead men’s cash to buy himself alcohol and drugs.

While a forensic biologist was combing through the woods for evidence, Desborough casually mentioned to them that he had always especially enjoyed the dismemberment scenes in the serial killer show Dexter.

The post Killer Who Dismembered Bodies of Friends Given Life Sentence appeared first on Gazette Review.

The National Weather Service evaluated drone footage and damage reports, and gave the tornado an initial EF3 rating with peak winds near 140 mph.

Weather forecasters initially issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 11:13 a.m. for strong winds; they only mentioned a potential tornado in a subsequent alert at around 11:20 a.m.

This meant residents received no actual tornado warning before the storm hit.

Data from the Wisconsin State Climatology Office shows that this is the highest number of EF3 or stronger tornadoes the state has experienced in a single year since 1984.

According to the National Weather Service, tornadoes at the EF3 level carry extremely powerful winds ranging between 136 mph and 165 mph.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Menasha Police Chief Matthew Albrecht reported that all residents were accounted for and that there were only a small number of injuries.

He explained that the timing played a big role. Because the storm struck on a weekday afternoon, most residents were away at work rather than inside their homes.

After tearing through Menasha, the tornado traveled across Lake Winnebago before disappearing.

In Appleton, the tornado leveled homes and tore off entire roofs.

Aerial drone footage revealed that massive trees were also completely uprooted and split apart.

During the press briefing, Menasha Police Department liaison officer Matthew Roe said officials are still assessing the area, so the full count of damaged homes and buildings is not yet clear.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a state of emergency on Tuesday to help bring relief resources to the affected communities across Eastern Wisconsin.

Officials in Menasha declared a state of disaster while emergency crews worked across the area to evaluate the damage.

Neenah, a nearby city, also issued its own state of emergency after experiencing severe building damage, fallen power lines, uprooted trees, blocked roads, and widespread power outages.

To keep the area secure, the Menasha Police Department put a citywide curfew in place from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. that will remain active until further notice; residents were also placed under a temporary boil water advisory.

Footage captured in Menasha showed houses with torn-off roofs, buildings stripped down to their frames surrounded by rubble, and fallen utility poles alongside uprooted trees. One clip even captured an overturned car resting along the side of a road.

The post Northeast Wisconsin Tornado Tears Off Roofs and Cuts Power to Thousands appeared first on Gazette Review.

According to investigators, 47-year-old Kristopher Karolkiewicz took his own life after killing his 39-year-old wife, Amanda “Mandy”, and their six children.

While the names of the children have not been released, officials shared that the siblings included two 11-year-old girls and four boys, ages 5, 11, 12, and 15. Four of the children were biological, while two were adopted into the family.

During a press conference on Monday, Captain Jake Sparks shared how deeply the incident hit the community; he noted that while they might never fully understand why this happened, police are doing everything they can to get answers.

The scene took place on Friday morning near Lake Michigan, just west of Grand Rapids. Firefighters arrived at the scene after receiving reports about a smoke smell. Initially, they couldn’t determine which house was on fire.

Crews were called back to the house several hours later when neighbors reported seeing white smoke.

Firefighters went inside to fight the blaze and found all eight family members deceased in different bedrooms throughout the home; several family pets, including dogs and at least one cat, also died.

Detectives believe the tragedy actually started the night before. They believe Kristopher used a handgun to kill his family before setting the house on fire.

Investigators found that flames were intentionally set in multiple spots, with the worst damage down in the basement.

Captain Sparks confirmed that police aren’t looking for any outside suspects, as all the evidence points to a murder-suicide.

He emphasized that the department is working hard to find answers for the extended family, the local community, and the first responders who dealt with the scene.

The couple had first met in 2008 while working together at a beverage company and started dating later that summer.

They welcomed their first child on April 25, 2011, a day she described on her blog as the best day of her life.

Over the next four years, the couple had two more sons.

During this time, Mandy transitioned from working in banking to a part-time job at a local insurance agency before eventually stepping away from work outside the home entirely. They eventually expanded their family through adoption.

Mandy’s blog posts frequently highlighted her strong Christian faith, the joy she found in family life, and her deep appreciation for her husband. In 2015, she praised Kris’s devotion to their children, describing him as a selfless father-figure for their kids.

Kris said he felt just as lucky. Heading into their tenth anniversary back in 2019, he posted on Facebook about how grateful he was for the life they’d built together.

The post Michigan Father Kills Wife and Six Kids In Murder-Suicide appeared first on Gazette Review.

Colt Gray was just 14 when he opened fire at the campus northeast of Atlanta on September 4, 2024, killing two teachers and two students while injuring several others.

Since he entered the plea without any prior deal from prosecutors, he now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

The judge will ultimately decide after hearing testimony whether he will ever be eligible for parole.

This guilty plea follows a March trial where a jury convicted the boy’s father, Colin Gray, on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

According to prosecutors, the father gave his son the assault-style rifle used in the deadly attack. His sentencing is set for next week.

The victims who lost their lives were Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, both teachers, and 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo; nine others were wounded.

In court, Judge Nicholas Primm checked in with Gray to make sure he really understood what it meant to plead guilty.

Under state law, a murder conviction carries at least a life sentence. Before deciding whether parole will ever be an option, the judge is hearing from victims and their families.

Family members and surviving students gave heartbreaking statements in court, sharing their grief and asking for the maximum penalty possible.

The mother of one slain student explained that even though adults around the teen missed clear warning signs, Gray was the one who ultimately made the decision to bring the gun to school and pull the trigger.

One of the teacher’s wives talked about how their two young daughters will now have to grow up without their father.

One survivor from the shooting recalled the terror she felt after seeing the gunman; shortly afterwards, she realized she had been hit.

She said she held a friend’s hand and asked others to call her brother because she wasn’t sure if she would survive; she ended up needing multiple surgeries and spent roughly a year learning how to walk again.

The high school principal also addressed the court, stating that such cruel behavior warrants the strictest punishment.

The sentencing hearing will continue on Monday, when the defense team plans to present testimony from a juvenile detention counselor, a psychologist, and the teenager’s grandmother before the judge makes a final ruling on his sentence.

The post Teen Pleads Guilty to 2024 High School Shooting that Left 4 Dead appeared first on Gazette Review.

They are now suing the hospital where the mistake happened, saying the mix-up changed the course of both families forever.

The discovery happened by chance when Kyle Bylin received an at-home DNA test during a Christmas gift exchange.

After uploading his results to a genealogy website, he matched with a woman who turned out to be his biological aunt.

That unexpected connection eventually led to Jeremy Morrison taking his own DNA test, which confirmed the two men had been raised by each other’s families.

The results left both men stunned. Morrison became convinced something was wrong after seeing a photo of Bylin’s brother, who looked strikingly similar to him.

According to the recent lawsuit, Morrison and Bylin were the only babies born at Unity Medical Center in Grafton on January 26, 1988. The lawsuit claims the newborns were somehow sent home with the wrong parents.

The hospital said it found no evidence that its staff caused the switch. However, Bylin, whose birth name was actually Jeremy Morrison, still has the incorrect ID bracelet given to him by the hospital.

It has been two years since the DNA tests revealed the truth, forcing both families to rethink nearly 38 years of memories, relationships and missed experiences.

Evelyn Newton, the woman who raised Bylin, says she will always see him as her son.

At the same time, she feels she lost the chance to experience important milestones with her biological child and believes those lost years can never be replaced.

While Unity Medical accepts that the babies were switched at some point, it says it cannot determine exactly how it happened.

The hospital explained that records from that time no longer exist because so many years have passed, and none of the employees involved in the births still work there.

For Morrison, learning the truth has not changed the way he feels about the parents who raised him. He says they are still his parents, and despite some difficult moments growing up, including his parents’ divorce when he was young, he remembers having a happy childhood filled with sports, school and love.

Today, Morrison lives in Colorado and works as a welding inspector for a wind energy company.

He sometimes wonders how different life might have been if the switch had never happened; he believes he may have stayed in North Dakota to work on the family grain farm alongside his biological father and brother.

Newton said she never questioned whether Kyle was biologically hers while raising him.

While his dark hair stood out as the rest of the family had lighter hair, there were relatives on her husband’s side with similar features.

Since Newton was adopted herself, she also had little knowledge of her own biological family traits.

For Bylin, the discovery answered questions he had carried for years.

After building an academic career far from North Dakota, he often felt out of place during family conversations and wondered why he seemed so different from the people around him. He now believes those differences make much more sense knowing he was raised by a family he was not biologically related to.

Both Bylin and Morrison have since met their biological parents.

While Bylin and Morrison have not yet met in person, they have spoken by phone, and both families are trying to build relationships while accepting that the situation is complicated for everyone involved.

The post Men Sue Hospital After Learning They Were Switched at Birth 38 Years Ago appeared first on Gazette Review.

Parts of the mid-Atlantic, including Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, faced the greatest threat, along with portions of Kansas and Oklahoma.

Those areas were under a level 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather, meaning strong thunderstorms and wind gusts were expected.

Lightning and other severe weather also forced an evacuation of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., before President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July speech.

People at the event were told to take shelter in nearby buildings, and the program was temporarily delayed.

Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks in New York City also kicked off a little earlier than scheduled due to the storms.

Life-threatening Heat Wave Continued

In total, more than 140 million Americans remained under heat alerts Saturday afternoon.

The heat was slightly less intense than Friday, however, it still remained dangerously hot for many areas.

In Washington, D.C., the temperature was 102 degrees, making it the hottest July Fourth on record for the city.

It broke the previous record high of 100 degrees set on July 4th, 1919.

According to officials, 51 people were evaluated for heat-related issues, 12 of whom needed to be taken to the hospital.

On Sunday, temperatures lingered in the upper 80s in New York City. In Boston, the temperature reached the mid-70s.

Thousands of Power Outages Reported

The extreme heat across the U.S. has strained the power grid in some areas.

In total, nearly 800,000 customers went without power.

According to the tracking site PowerOutage, nearly 779,000 homes went without power in the Midwest and Northeast.

The outages came as some areas were expected to face another round of severe weather and dangerous heat on Saturday.

Millions of Americans also dealt with a heat wave that blanketed much of the country.

The post Extreme Heat and Severe Storms Slam Parts of the U.S. appeared first on Gazette Review.