
Homeless San Francisco man blinded in fireworks accident, family launches fundraiser
Lynn Kyle Scribner, who has been experiencing homelessness, was injured while lighting a firework in the city's Lower Haight neighborhood, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his niece, Valerie Klinker.
'The second I put the flame to it, three of the mortar things shot up directly into my eye — pop, pop, pop,' Scribner told KTVU, which first aired the video. 'I thought my whole face was gone.'
He was rushed to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery. Despite their efforts, Scribner said he was told he would not regain vision in his right eye.
He said they had to put his eyeball back together 'piece by piece.'
'My uncle is not just any man — he is the most selfless, generous person I know,' Klinker wrote on the fundraising page. 'Alongside his partner, he has always put others before himself, sharing what little he had, offering a warm smile, and teaching us the true meaning of compassion and resilience. Now, they both need the kindness of others to help them through this most difficult chapter of their lives.'
The fundraiser aims to cover Scribner's medical care, vision rehabilitation, housing, and basic needs for him and his partner, Mark Jackson.
The couple had recently been approved for housing through San Francisco's DAHLIA affordable housing program, but the injury has delayed their move. They are currently staying in motels and shelters.

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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Texas floods washed away their possessions. Volunteers are helping reunite them.
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Rafferty is part of a loose network of first responders, volunteers and good Samaritans who have fanned out across the region to help reunite Texans with the cherished belongings, family heirlooms and everyday household knickknacks that were swept away when floods ripped through Kerr County over Fourth of July weekend, killing more than 130 people and leaving at least 100 missing. This week, NBC News spoke with people in the region about the objects that have turned up in the floods' aftermath — and why they matter. In some cases, seemingly trivial items have taken on far greater emotional significance in the wake of the deadly floods. These are some of their stories. The jewelry Patty Hyatt was inside her mobile home with her 8-year-old grandson and her new beagle puppy early July 4 when her son called. The floodwaters were rising fast and they needed to get to higher ground as soon as possible, he told her. 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It turned out that during the flash flooding, Hyatt's orange clamshell necklace and other pieces had been fortuitously held together by a pink string — a bracelet that a student had made for Hyatt more than a decade ago. In that, Hyatt saw rich symbolism. 'The children have always held me together,' Hyatt said. 'They're still holding me together.' The totem pole Ten years ago, Shelby Johnson bought something on a lark from a merchant in San Antonio: a hand-carved and painted totem pole. She named it 'Oonka Oonka.' The totem pole was a highlight of her annual spring break parties, and it stood proudly on the back porch of her boyfriend's house, located on a secluded stretch between Center Point and the town of Comfort. Flash-forward to the chaos of July Fourth: Johnson, 53, and her boyfriend, J.R. Haas, fled to higher ground in their trucks before the floods deluged his house. 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Brandon and Shanndel, who build custom pickup trucks for a living, found children's toys along the riverbed, too — a tiny doll with long blond hair, a 'Paw Patrol' stuffed animal. They gathered up as much as they could. The Hamricks plan to drive out to the camp to hand-deliver the sign to the surviving owners. The memorial bench Four years ago this month Patricia Jernigan's daughter Shannon died from breast cancer. She was 50. The two women lived together in Texas Hill Country. They enjoyed their lives in the area; Shannon was a material program manager for the supply chain at A7 Defense & Aerospace and in her spare time admired Kerr County's population of white-tailed deer. In honor of Shannon's life, Patricia installed a commemorative bench at Lehmann-Monroe Park, a 27-acre patch of land west of the Guadalupe River. The park was thrashed during the floods, and the bench was apparently swept away to nearby Louise Hays Park. 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Boston Globe
11 hours ago
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Fall River gathers in prayer and generous support for Gabriel House fire victims
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Yahoo
16 hours ago
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81-year-old lives in car parked outside of dilapidated South Memphis home
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An 81-year-old South Memphis woman has fallen on hard times and needs help. One of her neighbors called WREG to inform us that the woman was living in her car in the driveway of her dilapidated home. Christine Marshall, 81, is hoping people can come together and help her out. If you drive along South Parkway West in South Memphis, you will see a dilapidated blue house with a Hyundai sedan in the driveway, that's where you'll find Marshall, who neighbors call, 'Mama.' She is non-verbal and communicates with a pen and notepad. She wrote to WREG that she has throat cancer. Mama told WREG she had lived in the home for 30 years, until a neighbor's tree that extended over her roof for years, later collapsed, leaving permanent damage to her home. Insurance will not fix it, and the home is now unlivable, so Mama has slept in her car for the last three years. Darron Rivers, who lives in the neighborhood and gives Mama water bottles and ice cubes to stay cool, says this can't go on. 'This don't make no sense, the tree must have fell on it, and didn't nobody do nothing but put this rag on top, cause last year when I looked at it during the winter, it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense,' said Darron Rivers, neighbor. 'And it's hot out here, and her house is falling in, she's sleeping in her car, ain't nobody around here paying her no attention, you've got four churches over here that does what? Nothing!' said Rivers. A GoFundMe has been set up to help Christine Marshall. Friday, Christine Marshall's son, who set up the GoFundMe account, posted the following update: 'I want to thank the city of Memphis and the people from out of state for putting their arm around me and showing that they have love for me. I didn't realize so many people cared. When you do right by people right follows you everywhere you go and I tried to do that all my life thank you and God bless you.' Antoine Hardin Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword