Latest news with #ParklandHighSchool
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mom Dies Unexpectedly Outside of Daughter's High School Graduation: 'I Watched Her Take Her Last Breath'
A mother in North Carolina collapsed and died while walking through the parking lot before her daughter's high school graduation last week Jean Byrd is being remembered by loved ones as the "most caring person you will ever" meet The family has since launched a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to "make sure she gets her last wishes" of being buried by her father in Pennsylvania A mother unexpectedly collapsed and died in a parking lot moments before her daughter's high school graduation in North Carolina. On May 23, Jean Byrd was at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C., ahead of her daughter Meilean's graduation when she died "just 200 feet" from the ceremony, her family wrote in a GoFundMe campaign description and told local NBC affiliate WXII. Marquan Matthews — Byrd's son, who was inside the venue at the time — recalled getting a phone call from his aunt about the incident, before a security guard drove him in a golf cart to the parking lot, WXII reported. He then performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Byrd died of cardiac arrest, according to the GoFundMe description, which was written by her son. "This was a curse," Matthews told WXII. "This was a curse because I sat there and watched my mom's soul lift out of her. I watched her take her last breath." "So it was very hard for me, and it's still hard for me to this day because I barely get any sleep," he added. "I just see them last few moments of my mom, just being gone." Meilean, who walked across the stage and earned her diploma from Parkland High School shortly after, had no idea what was happening at the time, per WXII. A guidance counselor was waiting for her and told her that her mother "had an accident," before Meilean was escorted out and to the hospital, the graduate told the outlet. "I thought it was like a car accident, so I wasn't really scared," Meilean said through tears as family consoled her. Three days before Meilean's high school graduation, and Byrd's death, her youngest son, Marsuan, attended his eighth-grade graduation ceremony. Matthews wrote on the GoFundMe page that his mother "had the honor of seeing him" walk across the stage at the event. He launched the family's fundraising campaign in an effort to "make sure she gets her last wishes" of being buried by her father and other family in Pennsylvania. As the son wrote, his mother — who was known as "Ma Dukes" — "shared a lot of infectious love through many years, touching the souls of the lost and being a saint to many who needed it." "We never thought that on this day, a day filled of joy, would be the worst day of our lives," Matthews continued. "As my sister was graduating high school, our mother is lying on the ground fighting for her life. As my sister is walking across the stage, I'm doing CPR on my mother. She died an hour later on my sister's graduation." Byrd, who was a "fighter," according to her son, had "a constant battle with heart issues" and previously suffered "two heart attacks." "She was so resilient and such a warrior, fighting for all her kids no matter how much pain and suffering she was in," Matthews wrote. "No matter what our mother went through, she always stayed positive and figured out a way. No matter how bad my mom was hurting, she still made people smile and feel at home in their hearts with every person who crossed paths with her." "Many lives were positively impacted by the love and resilience of our mother, and we're extending an invitation to you to help give my mom the celebration she always wanted and deserves. Mommy we love you, I'm lost without you, and I pray you give me the guidance you did once on this earth to make you proud. Rest In Paradise my beautiful lady," he concluded the note that was signed by family. Funeral services for Byrd will be held on June 14, per the GoFundMe. Read the original article on People
Epoch Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
DNC Feud
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin on Thursday rebuked DNC Vice Chair David Hogg 's plan to fund primary challenges against some incumbents within his own party. Hogg, a 25-year-old survivor of the Parkland High School shooting and one of the best-known DNC officials, and Leaders We Deserve, a progressive political organization founded by Hogg and others in 2023, announced the intention to primary Democrats on their website on April 15. After Hogg came out as a leading proponent of the push, Martin was critical, saying that the DNC needed to be a 'referee' with its officials remaining neutral on primary contests. 'Let me be unequivocal : No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,' Martin said during an appearance on Fox News. 'If you want to challenge incumbents , you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can't be both the referee and also the player at the same time.' Hogg took the opposite stance in an X thread on Thursday, defending the push, saying that he could remain affiliated with the DNC in his official capacity while also working against Democratic incumbents that progressives perceive as weak. Related Story 4/24/2025 'This moment requires us to have the strongest opposition party possible to stop [President Donald Trump ] ... and to provide a real alternative to the Republican Party for voters that we simply do not have right now,' Hogg said. 'As we're seeing law firms , tech companies, and so many others bowing to Trump, we all must use whatever position of power we have to fight back. And that's exactly what I'm doing.' Hogg also said he isn't breaking any rules by targeting certain Democratic incumbents for replacement. 'The role of the DNC is to set the Presidential primary calendar, set the Presidential debate schedule, to help strengthen our state parties, play a key role in building our data infrastructure for the party, and to be the campaign in waiting for whoever the next Democratic nominee is,' Hogg wrote. 'Nothing I'm doing is at odds with any of that.' Leaders We Deserve announced the push earlier this month, indicating that they were seeking a change in the status quo. 'Too many elected leaders in the Democratic Party are either unwilling or unable to meet the moment and are asleep at the wheel while Trump is demolishing the economy, challenging the foundations of our democracy, and creating new existential crises for our country by the day,' a page dedicated to the topic reads. The group said Washington has an incumbent-favoring culture. 'Today's party politics has an unwritten rule: if you win a seat, it's yours for life. No one serious in your party will challenge you. That is a culture that we have to break.' The organization is seeking to replace long-serving incumbents with new, younger Democrats and has committed $20 million to that end. 'Younger leaders simply bring a different level of urgency that we just aren't seeing in our politics right now,' the statement said, referencing young Democrats' perception of urgency on issues like climate or gun control. 'Our politicians have failed to make [democracy] work for the people, and instead made it work for the special interests, destroying our future.' The escalating feud fits into a larger identity crisis for the Democratic Party in the wake of Trump's sweeping 2024 electoral victory, when he took all seven swing states as well as the popular vote. Since then, Democrats have been scrambling to articulate their platform and stances amid Trump's much more aggressive second term. Meanwhile, young progressive Democrats —including figures like Hogg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—have increasingly sought to assert a presence over the party. At the end of the 117th Congress , mounting pressure from younger Democrats led three longtime House leaders—Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), all of whom were octogenarians—to step down, making way for the ascent of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other younger Democrats. — Joseph Lord BOOKMARKS Britain's highest court has ruled that the words 'woman' and 'sex' refer to 'a biological woman and biological sex,' in a landmark decision that follows years of confusion, anger, and campaigning. The Epoch Times' Guy Birchall on nine things to know about the ruling—and its implications. A judge on April 24 blocked Trump's directive that officials require people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, The Epoch Times' Zachary Stieber . Groups challenging the order 'are substantially likely to prevail,' the judge ruled in granting an injunction. A slowdown in U.S.–China trade activity amid tariff tensions is starting to show up in industry data. The Epoch Times' Andrew Moran what the data shows as both the U.S. and China maintain sky-high tariffs on one another. Trump sat down for an interview yesterday with Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg , who broke the 'SignalGate' story after being improperly added to a group chat with senior government officials, The Epoch Times' Samantha Flom . Trump announced the interview on Truth Social, saying he would meet with Goldberg and fellow Atlantic journalists Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker later that day.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Winston-Salem residents concerned about pedestrian safety near Parkland High School
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — Concerned community members are once again calling on Winston-Salem leaders for pedestrian safety improvements near Parkland High School. The intersection of Peters Creek Parkway and Brewer Road remains a hot topic after several people spoke during public comment at the Winston-Salem City Council meeting on Monday. This comes nearly three months after FOX8 last reported on safety concerns for pedestrians trying to cross the road in the heavily traveled area after a student was hit by a car near the school. During public comment at the meeting, residents once again brought up a lack of sidewalks and dangerous crossings. The city says some projects are moving forward. Residents say it's taken too long. 'Don't think I've ever seen a school situated adjacent to such a busy road,' a resident said during public comment. Some Winston-Salem community members are still frustrated, pointing to a city study that identified these same concerns around Peters Creek Parkway and Brewer Road over a decade ago. 'Among the concerns that they listed about Peters Creek Parkway were things like the speed limit being high, the sidewalks basically being nonexistent,' said Olivia Doyle with Hate Out of Winston. For many, it raises concerns with students crossing the road in that heavily travelled area with Parkland High School sitting near the intersection. Doyle said it raises several questions. 'We were looking at this 2014 study, and we were like, 'Wait. How is it that the city conducted?' They gathered data more than a decade ago, and yet still now in 2025, we're having to push and push and push for sidewalks … for pedestrian safety infrastructure,' Doyle said. Winston-Salem's director of transportation says change is in motion. 'NCDOT has designed pedestrian traffic signals, and our staff is in the implementation phase … installing those pedestrian traffic signals,' Winston-Salem Director of Transportation Jeff Fansler said. The city is currently working on a traffic signal upgrade project at Peters Creek Parkway and Brewer Road. It's expected to be completed before the new school year in August. As for sidewalks, officials say they've been trying to secure funding. Back in February, the city put out a request for a firm to design the Brewer Road sidewalk project. It's meant to improve safety between West Clemmonsville Road and Buchanan Street, including new ADA-accessible walkways, crosswalks and curb improvements in front of Parkland High School. City officials say momentum is growing. 'The current pedestrian improvements there at the specific intersection at Peters Creek does allow folks to cross the parkway while we wait for the larger, more comprehensive sidewalk project. Not funded today, but we're still pursuing that project,' Fansler said. The design process for the sidewalk project for the North/South leg of Brewer Road just east of Parkland High School will be taking place throughout this year, and construction is expected to start in 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
'It's been long enough': Victims' families anxious as 'Desert Killer' execution date nears
The execution of serial killer David Leonard Wood will end a nearly 40-year saga for nine El Paso families, but the victims' survivors will continue to cope with pain, heartbreak and three unsettling questions. "I tell people hold your breath for 37 seconds, because I have been holding mine for 37 years," said Marcia Fulton, the mother of 15-year-old Desiree Wheatley who was killed by Wood. Wood, known as the "Desert Killer," is set to be executed after 5 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville Unit prison. The execution could be postponed as Wood and his attorney continue to fight in court to save his life. The execution comes 37 years and six months since the first victim was found buried in a shallow grave in September 1987 in Northeast El Paso. Wood has been connected to the serial murders of nine victims between 12 to 24 years old in 1987 and 1988. More: Killer still on death row 30 years after murder of Desiree Wheatley, five women in El Paso The bodies of Desiree, Rosa Maria Casio, 24, Ivy Susanna Williams, 23, Karen Baker, 20, Angelica Frausto, 17, and Dawn Marie Smith, 14, were found in shallow graves in a desert area in Northeast El Paso. Some had been stabbed, others strangled and some raped. Two other girls and a woman — Marjorie Knox, 14, Cheryl Vasquez-Dismukes, 19, and Melissa Alaniz, who would have turned 13 a week after her kidnapping — were never found. "It's been very painful for my mom because she holds out hope that she is still alive," said Yolanda Alaniz, Melissa's sister. "She doesn't want to believe that she's one of the victims." All of the victims had one thing in common — they were reportedly last seen alive with Wood or had a connection to him. Wood, a native of Tom Green County, which includes San Angelo, dropped out of Parkland High School in ninth grade and worked as an auto mechanic for some time. He had an affinity for motorcycles. Wood, 67, may take the locations of the missing victims' bodies to his own grave. 'I've done everything I could to prove my innocence ... I've given enough body specimens from every part of my body on multiple times to create 15 crime scenes," Wood told USA TODAY in a jailhouse interview at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit prison in Livingston, Texas. "Believe me, there's nothing I haven't done to cooperate, to show I had nothing to do with this case. More: 'I'm angry': Death Row inmate David Leonard Wood says he's innocent as execution nears Desiree Wheatley, called Desi by her family, was a caring, innocent girl with a bright future, her mother said. "She was a very interesting young lady," Fulton said. "She could have done some amazing things if she had lived. She was very honest and open. One day she came home from school and said, 'Mom, what does gullible mean?' I said, 'Well, it means you believe what people tell you.' And she said, 'Well, I was voted most gullible at school today.' "Next year she comes back from a different school and she says, 'Mom, I was voted most gullible again,'" Fulton said as she laughed. "She was not as gullible as much as she was so trusting. And that's what I think got her into this much trouble." Desiree was celebrating the last day of school June 2, 1987, at a friend's house. Wearing a T-shirt signed by all her classmates, Desiree left the celebration and walked home with a group of friends. Desiree and her friends went to a Circle K convenience store on Rushing Drive — a few blocks from her home near Veterans Park in Northeast El Paso. The group then separated. Desiree got into a tan-colored truck driven by Wood, several witnesses told police. This was the last time Desiree was seen alive. "They turned around and said goodbye to each other," Fulton said. "When her friend turned around to say goodbye again, she saw a pickup truck stop where Desi was and then saw Desi get in. That was David Leonard Wood's truck." More: 'Desert Killer' David Leonard Wood to be executed nearly 40 years after murder spree Desiree was supposed to be home by 9:30 p.m., but after not arriving by 10 p.m., her family knew something was wrong. 'We called all her friends to see where she was and they said they left at 9 p.m., which would have put her at home by 9:30,' Fulton said. 'I called the police immediately and, of course, they were saying, it was the last day of school and they were partying. I told them, 'She's missing, she did not come home.' 'And they go, 'Well, she could have run away.' And I said, 'No, we weren't having any problems. I said, 'You never call for a curfew extension, so you can run away.'' Months went by with no information on Desiree. Fulton found out her daughter's body was found Oct. 20, 1987, in a shallow grave in a desert area along the 12000 block of McCombs Street about five miles from her home. "It was five months," Fulton said. "Every time the phone rang, I'd almost hit the ceiling hoping it was her or the police telling me they found her. Not knowing was bad, but knowing wasn't any better." Melissa Alaniz, 12, the youngest of the victims, had previously run away from home, but came back two days later. Police attempted to make Melissa sound like a rebellious child, but she was the opposite, her sister Yolanda Alaniz said. Melissa's age has been reported as being 13, but Yolanda Alaniz said Melissa was actually 12 — a week away from turning 13. "She was so young," Melissa's mother Alicia Alaniz said. "She was just a very sweet girl. This is very painful for me. There is not a day that doesn't go by and I don't think about her. I pray every day for her." Melissa asked for permission from a family member to go to a Circle K convenience store on March 7, 1987. She never returned home. More: Murdered, missing women tied to serial killer David Leonard Wood 'I worked at a bingo hall and I came home around midnight and my mom said that Melissa hadn't come home," Yolanda Alaniz said. "At first I said, 'Oh, mom, she'll be home. Don't worry, don't worry.'' Melissa's disappearance came months after Wood was released from prison, serving seven years of a 20-year sentence for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. Wood was released on parole Jan. 15, 1987. 'I get upset because this happened in March and Wood got out from prison not even a few months earlier,' Yolanda Alaniz said. 'I don't even remember the police talking to me or asking me any questions. We were pretty much on our own. There was really nothing we could do.' El Paso police initially treated Melissa's disappearance as a runaway case. The Alaniz family said there are no signs pointing to a runaway case. Melissa took no clothes or belongings with her, and she was not upset with her family. 'They didn't take it seriously," Yolanda Alaniz said. "As far as they were concerned, she was just a runaway.' It wasn't until Desiree's body was found that Melissa's case got more attention. Melissa and Desiree both attended H.E. Charles Middle School. 'I think that if they would've taken it seriously about Melissa, I think this wouldn't have happened with the other young ladies, and it really makes me upset,' Yolanda Alaniz said. El Paso police first mentioned the possibility of a serial killer in El Paso on Oct. 22, 1987 — the day before two more bodies were found. "There's no need for undue alarm or panic, concern, yes," said John Scagno, the El Paso Police Department chief at the time. Melissa, Desiree and the other girls' cases were connected by police because of the similarity of the circumstances of each disappearance. 'Melissa is still missing,' Yolanda Alaniz said. 'They linked the cases because of the similarity. But Melissa is still missing. I just hope we find Melissa and the other girls who are still missing. 'You're always going to have hope, but after all these years, she hasn't come home. She took nothing with her. The similarities of it all with the other cases, with the witnesses coming forward, it kind of all makes sense. But you will always have hope.' Wood is currently being held on death row at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit state prison in Livingston, Texas. He will be moved to the Huntsville Unit prison March 12, the day before the execution. Wheatley is planning on attending the execution. This is the second time an execution date has been set for Wood. He was set to die by lethal injection on Aug. 20, 2009, but he was granted a stay by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — just 24 hours before the lethal drugs were to flow through his body. "I'm ready," she said. "I'm more than ready for this to happen because it already got stopped once. I'm like, 'No, we're not going to stop this again.' I'm really still holding my breath because I don't know for sure if it will go through or he'll get another stay. I'm hoping not. "It's been long enough now that they should have had everything they need to make sure that he is the right person. And I'm sure he is." The Alaniz family is not planning to attend the execution. "I don't know that I'd want to be a part of seeing him," Yolanda Alaniz said. "That's not what I'm really interested in. I am not interested in seeing him being executed. I just want answers.' Yolanda Alaniz said the only thing she has to say to Wood is to ask to provide her family with information on what happened to Melissa. "I would tell him there's a God that loves him, that loves Melissa, that loves these other young ladies," Yolanda Alaniz said. "Life doesn't end here. Life goes beyond this world. I would plead with him to please tell us the truth. I would show him a picture. I would show him pictures and ask him to tell us the truth. We just want to know the truth." The sister of Marjorie Knox, who went missing Feb. 14, 1987, and still has not been found, said the execution will not bring any healing to her family. Marjorie, of Chaparral, New Mexico, went missing after attending a Valentine's Day party at Veterans Park in El Paso. "How could it bring closure?" Cheryl Knox Price asked. "Quite frankly, how could it bring closure if we don't have any answers? He's going to be executed on March 13th and he won't say anything because he's still maintaining his innocence." Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@ or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT. Times reporter Trish Long contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: David Wood faces execution decades after killing El Paso women, girls
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parents react to proposed Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools redistricting maps
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — On Wednesday night, many passionate community members gathered to learn and discuss three proposed redrawn district boundaries for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. The reason? To diversify the schools, especially after the school district received a $1 million federal grant to diversify its 81 schools. To do so, it starts with redrawing residential boundaries. Tori Boysen is a realtor who is worried that if the school system approves any of these maps, the property value in Clemmons will go down because some students would be assigned to attend Parkland High School 'There's not a great way to get from Clemmons to Parkland High School. You either get all the way through I-40 and around or go through Davidson County. It doesn't seem feasible to drive through another county to get back to your county to go to school,' Boysen said. Meanwhile, Clemmons parents like Patricia Devine are worried about their child's social life. 'Originally, I was shocked, frustrated, a little angry. Not because Parkland is a bad school. It is mostly because my son has grown up with these children that go to West Forsyth for the past eight years. All of these friendships that he has made and gained and the community that we have gained would be separated,' Devine said. Additionally, Devine is concerned about how teachers will adjust to the change. 'I know that there are a lot of teachers that work at Title 1 poverty schools. There are other teachers that work in the more affluent schools. How do you prepare these teachers to have children that read at a second-grade level that should be reading at a seventh-grade level?' Devine said. The next community meeting will happen Thursday night at the Fulton Family YMCA at 4 p.m. The final redistricting map is not due to be presented to the board of education until this fall. The new boundaries would go into effect in the 2026-20027 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
