Ill Oregon teen's wish becomes reality thanks to ‘amazing' community support
Seventeen-year-old Brian, known affectionately as 'Bubs,' is currently battling respiratory failure with courage and heart. The Reedsport teen dreamed of not only a parade, but a carnival in his hometown to share with everyone.
With the help of Make-A-Wish, Brian's dream became a reality, and then some.
'Seeing him happy is one of the best things on the planet,' said Brain's mom Amber Reynolds. 'Brian loves this community and has such amazing support.'
The whole town of Reedsport went all in for 'Bubsfest' — packing it with carnival games and big smiles. Additionally, Brian also received a key to the city 'as a symbol of our admiration, gratitude and unwavering support,' said Reedsport Mayor Linda McCollum.
Volunteers poured their hearts into the project, including Kim Fredrickson, whose daugther was once a Make-A-Wish kid and just celebrated 35 years of being cancer-free.
'It feels awesome. (We) just wanted to do as much as we could,' she said.
'It just makes you proud to be a part of it,' added volunteer Trish Hoffman.
From face painting to food trucks, the celebration was a masterclass in community.
Volunteer Colby Jim says it's a reminder of what happens when people show up for each other.
'When somebody is hurting or somebody's going through something, we all come together. We band together and show that support,' he said.
This is the story of a town united by joy, love and a whole lot of heart.
'It's been overwhelming. I'm grateful for all the love and support,' Reynolds said.
Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Oregon has helped over 5,000 kids.
To learn more or give back, visit their
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
What to know if you're going to the Chicago Air and Water Show
Eyes will turn to the skies this weekend for the Chicago Air and Water Show. One million or more spectators are expected along the lakefront Aug. 16-17 to watch demonstrations by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team and a variety of other civilian and military aircraft. Here's what to know about this year's show: how to get to the lakefront (or avoid it), weather conditions, a full lineup of performers and more. No, the event is free. North Avenue Beach is show center, but good sight lines can be found at Ohio Street Beach and along the lakefront from Fullerton Avenue south to Oak Street Beach. Nearby parks and playing fields are generally less crowded. 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Rehearsal is scheduled for Friday. The beaches will open at 6 a.m., but there are no public seating areas and parking is not available at North Avenue Beach. The schedule is subject to change and determined on show days. The lineup includes: U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds: Founded 72 years ago, the demonstration team has performed here since 1960. More than 120 enlisted members prepare and service eight F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Six perform formation flying and solo routines during a typical demonstration. U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights: Appearing here since the 1960s — when they would land in Lake Michigan — this team of soldiers has jumped with David Ross, former Cubs catcher and manager, actor Vince Vaughn and comedian Bill Murray. Other Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard demonstrations: A-10 Thunderbolt II; C-17 Globemaster III; KC-135 Stratotanker; 122nd Fighter Wing and 434th Air Refueling Wing; 182nd Airlift Wing U.S. Marine Corps.: MV-22 Osprey; Air Station New River U.S. Coast Guard: Air and Sea Rescue Demonstration Civilians: Chicago Fire Department Air and Sea Rescue Unit; Chicago Police Department helicopter; Kevin Coleman; Susan Dacy; Ed 'Hamster' Hamill; Tom Larkin (Mini Jet Airshows); Bob Richards (Muscle Biplane Machaira); Bill Stein; and Warbird Thunder Pedestrians: Bridges, tunnels or underpasses at Fullerton Avenue, Division Street, Scott Street, Chicago Avenue, North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach provide easy access to the lakefront and North Avenue Beach. Public transportation: Extra service and capacity will be provided throughout the weekend. Use Regional Transportation Authority's Trip Planner tool to map your route. It's recommended passengers purchase tickets ahead of time or through the Ventra app to avoid long lines. Chicago Transit Authority and getting there by 'L': The CTA will provide extra service on some lines, but the No. 72 North Avenue bus will be rerouted. Take the Red Line to stations at Chicago/State or Clark/Division, which are within walking distance of show center. Or, take the Blue, Green, Orange, Brown or Pink lines to the downtown area and walk east. The closest CTA station to the North Avenue Beach entrance is the Brown Line's Sedgwick station. Metra: Extra service will be provided on four of Metra's 11 lines with expanded passenger capacity, too, during the weekend. Customers disembarking at Metra's Union Station or Millennium Park Station can board CTA's No. 151 buses to Oak Street and North Avenue beaches. Alcohol is prohibited and bicycles might not be accommodated all day Saturday and Sunday. Bike: Bringing your own bike? Bikes are allowed on the beach. Renting one? Divvy's closest station to North Avenue Beach is at DuSable Lake Shore Drive and North Boulevard. Plan your ride at Parking: No parking is available at show central. Millennium Garages' four, underground locations offer discounted online parking packages for purchase in advance and a free shuttle from Millennium Park Garage, 6 S. Columbus Drive, to and from near North Avenue Beach. Shuttles depart the garage every 20 minutes starting at 9 a.m. Pickup and drop-off is at inner DuSable Lake Shore Drive, half a block south of LaSalle Street. Last shuttle departs for the garage from North Avenue Beach at 3 p.m. Spothero also offers nearby parking options. All bags will be searched upon entry. What you can bring to the show: Leave at home: The forecast calls for hot, humid conditions with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s and heat indices near or above 100 degrees. Sunday has a 6slight chance of an afternoon thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service's Chicago office. It happens. Foggy and wet conditions delayed performances in 2022. In case of severe weather: Temporary shelter from rain, high winds, lightning or hail is available at various nearby underpasses (Diversey Harbor, Fullerton Avenue and LaSalle Drive) and pedway locations (Division Street, Scott Street, Oak Street and Chicago Avenue). Yes! Spectators can pay $20 per vehicle for entrance to the parking lot at Gary/Chicago International Airport, where they can watch aircraft take off and land. Herb Hunter is the show announcer based at North Avenue Beach. He's a former military pilot and United Airlines captain. Play-by-play coverage will be on WBBM-AM 780 and 105.9 FM. For those who are low vision or blind, there will be an audio description both days of the show that is accessible via Zoom. Vertical green signs with white letters and numbers called pole markers are attached to all light poles along the lakefront. Lost? Injured? Witness criminal activity? Look up, call 911 and give the letter/number on the pole nearest your location to help first responders locate you. Or, use the pole marker to let friends and family know where you are. Sources: Tribune reporting; Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Can homegrown teens replace immigrant farm labor? In 1965, the U.S. tried
I sank into Randy Carter's comfy couch, excited to see the Hollywood veteran's magnum opus. Around the first floor of his Glendale home were framed photos and posters of films the 77-year-old had worked on during his career. 'Apocalypse Now.' 'The Godfather II.' 'The Conversation.' What we were about to watch was nowhere near the caliber of those classics — and Carter didn't care. Footage of a school bus driving through dusty farmland began to play. The title of the nine-minute sizzle reel Carter produced in 1991 soon flashed: 'Boy Wonders.' The plot: White teenage boys in the 1960s gave up a summer of surfing to heed the federal government's call. Their assignment: Pick crops in the California desert, replacing Mexican farmworkers. 'That's the stupidest, dumbest, most harebrained scheme I've heard in my life,' a farmer complained to a government official in one scene, a sentiment studio executives echoed as they rejected Carter's project as too far-fetched. But it wasn't: 'Boy Wonders' was based on Carter's life. In 1965, the U.S. Department of Labor launched A-TEAM — Athletes in Temporary Employment as Agricultural Manpower — with the goal of recruiting 20,000 high school athletes to harvest summer crops. The country was facing a dire farmworker shortage because the bracero program, which provided cheap legal labor from Mexico for decades, had ended the year before. Sports legends such as Sandy Koufax, Rafer Johnson and Jim Brown urged teen jocks to join A-TEAM because 'Farm Work Builds Men!' as one ad stated. But only about 3,000 made it to the fields. One of them was a 17-year-old Carter. He and about 18 classmates from University of San Diego High spent six weeks picking cantaloupes in Blythe. The fine hairs on the fruits ripped through their gloves within hours. It was so hot that the bologna sandwiches the farmers fed their young workers for lunch toasted in the shade. They slept in rickety shacks, used communal bathrooms and showered in water that 'was a very nice shade of brown,' Carter remembered with a laugh. They were the rare crew that stuck it out. Teens quit or went on strike across the country to protest abysmal work conditions. A-TEAM was such a disaster that the federal government never tried it again, and the program was considered so ludicrous that it rarely made it into history books. Then came MAGA. Now, legislators in some red-leaning states are thinking about making it easier for teenagers to work in agricultural jobs, in anticipation of Trump's deportation deluge. 'I used to joke that I've written a story for the ages, because we'll never solve the problem of labor,' Carter said. 'I could be dead, and my great-grandkids could easily shop it around.' I wrote about Carter's experience in 2018 for an NPR article that went viral. It still bubbles up on social media any time a politician suggests that farm laborers are easily replaceable — like last month, when Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that 'able-bodied adults on Medicaid' could pick crops, instead of immigrants. From journalists to teachers, people are reaching out to Carter anew to hear his picaresque stories from 50 years ago — like the time he and his friends made a wrong turn in Blythe and drove into the barrio, where 'everyone looked at us like we were specimens' but was nice about it. 'They are dying to see white kids tortured,' Carter cracked when I asked him why the saga fascinates the public. 'They want to see these privileged teens work their asses off. Wouldn't you?' But he doesn't see the A-TEAM as one giant joke — it's one of the defining moments of his life. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Carter moved to San Diego his sophomore year of high school. He always took summer jobs at the insistence of his working-class Irish mother. When the feds made their pitch in the spring of 1965, 'there wasn't exactly a rush to the sign-up table,' Carter recalled. What's more, coaches at his school, known at University High, forbade their athletes to join. But he and his pals thought it would be the domestic version of the Peace Corps. 'You're a teenager and think, 'What the hell are we going to do this summer?'' he said. 'Then, 'What the hell. If nothing else, we'll go into town every night. We'll meet some girls. We'll get cowboys to buy us beer.'' ' Carter paused for dramatic effect. 'No.' The University High crew was trained by a Mexican foreman 'who in retrospect must have hated us because we were taking the jobs of his family.' They worked six days a week for minimum wage — $1.40 an hour at the time — and earned a nickel for every crate filled with about 30 to 36 cantaloupes. 'Within two days, we thought, 'This is insane,'' he said. 'By the third day, we wanted to leave. But we stayed, because it became a thing of honor.' Nearly everyone returned to San Diego after the six-week stint, although a couple of guys went to Fresno and 'became legendary in our group because they could stand to do some more. For the rest of us, we did it, and we vowed never to do anything like that as long as we live. Somehow, the beach seemed a little nicer that summer.' Carter's wife, Janice, walked in. I asked how important A-TEAM was to her husband. She rolled her eyes the way only a wife of 53 years could. 'He talks about it almost every week,' she said as Randy beamed. 'It's like an endless loop.' University High's A-TEAM squad went on to successful careers as doctors, lawyers, businessmen. They regularly meet for reunions and talk about those tough days in Blythe, which Carter describes 'as the intersection of hell and Earth.' As the issue of immigrant labor became more heated in American politics, the guys realized they had inadvertently absorbed an important lesson all those decades ago. Before A-TEAM, Carter said, his idea of how crops were picked was that 'somehow it got done, and they [Mexican farmworkers] somehow disappeared.' 'But when we now thought about Mexicans, we realized we only had to do it for six weeks,' he continued. 'These guys do it every day, and they support a family. We became sympathetic, to a man. When people say bad things about Mexicans, we always say, 'Don't even go there, because you don't know what you're talking about.'' Carter's experience picking cantaloupes solidified his liberal leanings. So did the time he tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in 1969 during Operation Intercept, a Nixon administration initiative that required the Border Patrol to search nearly every car. The stated purpose was to crack down on marijuana smuggling. Instead, Carter said, it created an hours-long wait and 'businesses on both sides of the border were furious.' In college, Carter cheered the efforts of United Farm Workers and kept tabs on the fight to ban el cortito, the short-handled hoes that wore down the bodies of California farmworkers for generations until a state bill banned them in 1975. By then, he was working as a 'junior, junior, junior' assistant to Francis Ford Coppola. Once he built enough of a resume in Hollywood — where he would become a longtime first assistant director on 'Seinfeld,' among many credits — Carter wrote his 'Boy Wonders' script, which he described as ''Dead Poets Society' meets 'Cool Hand Luke.'' It was optioned twice. Henry Winkler's production company was interested for a bit. So was Rhino Records' film division, which explains why the soundtrack features boomer classics from the Byrds, Bob Dylan and Motown. But no one thought audiences would buy Carter's straightforward premise. One executive suggested it would be more believable if the high schoolers ran over someone on prom night and became crop pickers to hide from the cops. Another suggested exploding toilets to funny up the action. 'The mantra in Hollywood is, 'Do something you know about,'' he said. 'But that was the curse of it not getting made — because no one else knew about it!' Carter continues to share his experience, because 'as a weak-kneed progressive, I always fancied we could change the situation ... and that some sense of fair play could bubble up. I'm still walking up that road, but it seems more distant.' A few weeks ago, federal immigration agents raided the car wash he frequents. 'You don't even have to rewrite stories from years ago,' he said. 'You could just reprint them, because nothing changes.' I asked what he thought about MAGA's push to replace migrant farmworkers with American citizens. 'It's like saying, 'I'm going to go to Dodger Stadium, grab someone from the third row of the mezzanine section, and they can play the violin at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.' OK, you can do that, but it's not going to work,' he said. 'I don't get why they don't try to solve the problem of fair conditions and inadequate pay — why is that never an option?' What about a reboot of A-TEAM? 'It could work,' Carter replied. 'I was with a group of guys that did it!' Then he considered how it might play out today. 'If Taylor Swift said it was great, you'd get people. Would they last? If they had decent accommodations and pay, maybe. But it would never happen with Trump. His solution is, 'You don't pay decent wages, you get desperate people.'' He laughed again. 'Here's a crazy program from the 1960s that's not off the map in 2025. We're still debating the issue. Am I crazy, or is the world crazy?'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's New Netflix Deal Is Being Described as a ‘Downgrade'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are officially continuing their relationship with Netflix, but it has a new name. Long gone is the $100 million deal they nabbed in 2020; in comes a fresh term: 'creative partnership.' The Hollywood Reporter described the multiyear, first-look deal as a 'downgrade,' but it is the same contract they gave Barack and Michelle Obama after their initial production deal ran out. The one notable aspect of the new partnership is that neither power couple is exclusively tied to Netflix — they can take their work elsewhere if the streamer passes. More from SheKnows Meghan Markle's Minimalist Royal Style Has a New Fan - And It's Not Kate Middleton Meghan is also staying in business with the streaming network for her As Ever brand. 'We're proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As Ever brand,' Markle said in a statement to the media outlet. 'My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally and celebrates our shared vision.' The Aug. 11 announcement was not surprising, and SheKnows even predicted that it would work out this way for the Sussexes in July. The British tabloids will try to spin this as a failure, when in reality, Hollywood is tightening up their budgets due to the rough economy, and Netflix isn't doing massive production deals anymore. Netflix sounds happy to be in business with Meghan and Harry, describing them as 'influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere,' in a statement. The Sussexes even have a list of projects to come with the network, including Season 2 of With Love, Meghan, their romantic feature film, Meet Me at the Lake, and a short documentary, Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within. The news about Harry and Meghan aligns with what Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has been saying all along because he is one of their biggest cheerleaders in Hollywood. 'We're a passive partner in Meghan's company, and it's a big discovery model for us right now,' Sarandos told Variety in March. 'I think Meghan is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture. When we dropped the trailer for the Harry & Meghan doc series [in 2022], everything on-screen was dissected in the press for days.' He continued, 'The shoes she was wearing sold out all over the world. The Hermès blanket that was on the chair behind her sold out everywhere in the world. People are fascinated with Meghan Markle. She and Harry are overly dismissed.' Harry and Meghan are still in business, so every critic who predicted their demise might need to find a new narrative. Before you go, click to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's milestones since leaving the royal family. Best of SheKnows 13 Famous Women You Totally Forgot Elvis Dated Celebrities Who Died Tragically Young: Kelley Mack, Lucy Markovic, & More Our Favorite Photos of Dazzling Couple JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette Solve the daily Crossword
