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Published May 11, 2017

Fox News

NOW PLAYINGUnited Airlines changing passenger policies

Amid renewed scrutiny of how airlines treat passengers, a mother of two from Missouri claims she was forced to urinate in a cup after a flight attendant reportedly refused to let her use the restroom during a United Airlines flight in April.

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A mother of two from Missouri claims she was forced to urinate in a cup during after a flight attendant reportedly refused to let her use the restroom during a recent United Airlines flight.

Nicole Harper, who says she suffers from an overactive bladder, was traveling from Houston back home to Kansas City, Mo. on April 10.

"I get out of my seat to go to the bathroom, the flight attendant gets on the intercom and says I need to return to my seat," Harper recalled to FOX 4.

Harper says she attempted to make her way to the restroom multiple times but was continuously told to stay seated.
UNITED PASSENGER CLAIMS TRIP WAS CANCELED AFTER FILMING FIGHT OVER LUGGAGE
"They very rudely [said] that I was not allowed to get out of my seat and at that point I said `well I`m either going to need to go to the bathroom or you`re going to have to give me a cup to pee in or something,'" she said.

Shockingly, Harper says, the attendant then handed her two cups. While she was still seated, Harper proceeded to relieve herself surrounded by other passengers.

"It`s so degrading because there are passengers, strangers, that I have to basically do this in front of," she said.

After going to the bathroom, Harper claims she was then taken back to the plane's restroom to empty the cups and forced to hold onto them until she left the plane. The mother of two says that the crewmembers were unapologetic, extremely rude and "proceeded to basically treat me as if I was a criminal for doing this."

According to KSHB, Harper has since filed a complaint with both United Airlines and the Department of Transportation. The incident occurred just one day after a 69-year-old passenger was infamously dragged off a United flight for refusing to give up his seat to airline crewmembers on a full flight to Kentucky.

Harper hopes that sharing her story will bring more awareness to how airlines are really treating people.
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"The more that people speak out about situations that have happened and being mistreated that hopefully there will be a shift in a way that these companies do business," she said.

This isn't the first time an airline passenger claims to have been mistreated for needing to use the restroom. In April, a Milwaukee man was reportedly kicked off a Delta Air Lines flight after going to the restroom while the plane waited to takeoff on the runway.

United Airlines sent the following statement to FOX 4:
Customer safety is always our first priority. Initial reports from the Mesa Airlines flight attendants indicate that Ms. Harper attempted to visit the lavatory on final descent and was instructed to remain seated with the seat belt fastened per FAA regulations. The situation as described by Ms. Harper and our employees is upsetting for all involved. We have reached out to Ms. Harper and our flying partner Mesa Airlines to better understand what occurred.

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Missouri mother says United attendant forced her to urinate in cup

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A mother of two from Missouri claims she was forced to urinate in a cup during after a flight attendant reportedly refused to let her use the restroom during a recent United Airlines flight. Nicole Harper, who says she suffers from an overactive bladder, was traveling from Houston back home to Kansas City, Mo.

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Man put in jail after feeding his son to pigs

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A judge in Kansas has sentenced a man to life after he was convicted of murdering his seven-year-old son, torturing him and recording the abuse.

Michael Jones, 46, must serve 25 years for killing his son Adrian. The boy's step-mother, Heather Jones, 31, has already been jailed for the same crime.

Officials say Adrian enduring horrific torture in his last year of life, and was fed to pigs after his death.

A Kansas politician has introduced a law requiring people to report abuse.

Representative Louis Ruiz introduced Adrian's Act, which would require family members or residents of the household to report abuse to authorities.

Under current Kansas law, only "mandated reporters", such as healthcare workers, teachers, social workers, and law enforcement officers are obligated to report abuse.

"If you witness child abuse, I don't care if you're a mandated reporter or not, we should report these things," said Adrian's grandmother, Judy Conway, who praised the bill.

The little boy's remains were found in a barn on a property rented by the Jones family in November 2015.

He is believed to have died from starvation months earlier.

Investigators had gone to the home after receiving reports of domestic abuse.

While the couple was awaiting trial, their landlord discovered photos and videos on their computer meticulously documenting the horrific abuse Adrian had endured.

During sentencing, Detective Stuart Littlefield choked back tears as he described the final year of Adrian's life, which he said was the worst crime he had seen in his 23-year career.

"Imagine the screams of a 7-year old boy", Mr Littlefield said describing the abuse.

"And when his killers could no longer stand the stench of his body he was fed to pigs," he said.

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Kansas man jailed for killing and torturing son he fed to pigs - BBC News

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A politician pushes for law change after boy suffers years of torture by parents before starvation.

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American Idol' to return to TV on ABC

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Snapchats no longer have to disappear after 10 seconds

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fraternity hazing gone wrong and waited 12 hours to get help for dieing/dead  boy

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China says it tested new missile in northeastern sea

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U.S will be sending between 3000 t and 5000 troops to afghanistan

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danaya vann - Almost 20 million kids are getting free lunch

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danaya vann - Almost 20 million kids are getting free lunch

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The number of children fed through the National School Lunch Program has expanded dramatically in the last few decades. This is partly due to the growing number of children living in poverty. In 2013, 21% of kids were living in poverty compared with 15% in 2000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

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North Korea insults: Pyongyang's putdowns target Obama, Clinton, Kerry

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In another life, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's propaganda chief could have had a heck of a career as an insult comic.

The latest screed from Pyongyang's unnamed prince of prose (or princes -- it's unclear how many write these gems) was delivered Monday in response to Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., asserting Kim Jong Un was a "whack job."

Like previous statements, it bucked all norms for engaging in international repartee:

"It is a serious provocation that Gardner, like a psychopath, dare to bear the evil that dares our highest dignity," the statement said, according to a translation. "It is America's misfortune that a man mixed in with human dirt like Gardner, who has lost basic judgment and body hair, could only spell misfortune for the United States."

The real-world reference point behind some of the putdowns, most of which are disseminated by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, is unclear. Gardner, for instance, has a full head of hair.

But KCNA has been dealing out hits against U.S. and international politicians for years, perfecting a style that's veered from jaw-dropping to shockingly racist.

Among the worst insults directed at former President Barack Obama, North Korea in 2014 branded him a "juvenile delinquent," "clown" and a "dirty fellow." Obama, the KCNA statement said, was somebody who "does not even have the basic appearances of a human being."

Earlier that year, an unidentified North Korean spokesperson called ex-Secretary of State John Kerry a "wolf donning the mask of sheep" who had a "hideous lantern jaw."

Kerry's predecessor, Hillary Clinton, was described in 2009 as "by no means intelligent" and a "funny lady."

"Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping," an unnamed North Korean source said.

The reclusive regime has also made former South Korean President Park Geun-hye a popular target, alternately naming her as a "senile granny," a "tailless, old, insane b----," and "a traitor for all times."

On the last description, North Korea may have scored a late victory. Geun-hye was forced out of office amid an influence-peddling scandal.

Kim Jong Un's staff was no easier on former President George W. Bush's administration: Bush was called a "hooligan" who looked like "a chicken soaked in the rain," Vice President Dick Cheney was "mentally deranged" and a "most cruel monster and bloody-thirsty beast" and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was termed a "political dwarf, human scum or hysteric."

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North Korea insults: Pyongyang's putdowns target Obama, Clinton, Kerry

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In another life, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's propaganda chief could have had a heck of a career as an insult comic.

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Warriors sweep Jazz end of story.

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18th holy! Yanks' sweep wows country, Cubs 6 hours and 5 minute game

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"I'm excited. Exhausted, but excited that we put our team on top," Hicks said. "They're a great team. We're a good team, too. To come in and beat them is a plus for us."

Schwarber made the catch of the game for the second out of the 12th when he raced 116 feet, then dived over the wall along the left-field foul line and into the stands to grab Chase Headley's foul pop fly. As the inning ended, Schwarber was bear-hugged by teammates.

"I'm going to play hard and try to make every catch," Schwarber said. "I guess I just stuck the glove out and it went in there."

Said Cubs manager Joe Maddon: "How about that play? It was very Derek-esque [Jeter]."

* Schwarber goes into seats for thrilling catch

The Cubs forced extra innings when they scored three runs in the ninth against their former closer, Aroldis Chapman, who had given up one earned run over 11 1/3 innings this season but blew his first save situation since rejoining the Yankees.

New York led, 4-1, in the ninth when Chapman entered, and he walked Russell and served up a single to Jon Jay. One out later, Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez each hit RBI singles before Chapman struck out Schwarber. Kris Bryant was intentionally walked to load the bases, and then Chapman hit Anthony Rizzo on the left forearm to force in the tying run. Tyler Clippard replaced Chapman and got Ben Zobrist on a groundout to send the game to extras.

"To come back and get those [runs] against Aroldis, bully for us," Maddon said. "That was some really great at-bats right there culminating in a hit by pitch. That's not easy to do, to get three runs against that fella under these circumstances."

The two teams combined for a Major League-record 48 strikeouts, topping the previous high of 43 that was set in a 20-inning game between the Angels and A's on July 9, 1971. The previous Wrigley Field high was 37, set May 31, 2003, between the Cubs and Astros.

"For the most part, man, epic strikeout performance," Maddon said.

This also was the longest Interleague game in Major League history by innings.

* K-mazing: Yanks-Cubs sets strikeout record

It was a pitchers' duel for seven innings between Luis Severino and Chicago's Jon Lester, both of whom struck out nine. Lester, making his 30th career start against the Yankees, threw 120 pitches, the most since he threw 122 while with the A's on Aug. 7, 2014, against the Twins.

Severino limited the Cubs to four hits and one run, on Baez's game-tying homer in the third inning.

The game was still tied at 1 in the seventh when Castro reached base on a throwing error by Bryant. Then rookie Aaron Judge tripled off Lester to put the Yankees back on top. An inning later, Jacoby Ellsbury launched a two-run home run off Justin Grimm to provide the three-run lead New York took into the ninth.

"It's a gritty performance by our guys," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We had the 4-1 lead and weren't able to hold it. We had some brilliant performances by guys out of the bullpen and stretched further than they normally go. It's a crazy game."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Yanks get started early: The Yankees tested Lester in the first. Ellsbury singled to lead off, but Contreras picked him off at first. Lester then walked Hicks and Matt Holliday singled. Both advanced on a double steal, and Hicks tallied on Castro's groundout to go ahead, 1-0. The Cubs now have given up 39 earned runs in the first inning in 31 games.

Bye-bye Baez: It looked as if Baez might have to leave the game when he fouled a ball off the top of his left foot with two outs in the third. But he stayed in, and launched a 2-2 pitch into the left-field bleachers to tie the game at 1. Hicks never saw the ball, looking lost as he stood in left with his arms raised. It did go high into the night. According to , the home run had an exit velocity of 104.5 mph and a launch angle of 39 degrees. It registered a max height of 143 feet. Baez's home run tied Rizzo's blast on April 26 for the highest launch angle for the Cubs this year.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
This was the Cubs' longest game by innings since an 18-inning game Aug. 15, 2006, at Houston.

INJURY UPDATE
X-rays were negative of Rizzo's left wrist, where he was hit by the Chapman pitch. Baez was to be examined Monday after fouling a ball off his foot. Jason Heyward was not available because of a sore knuckle on his right hand.

"Luckily, it's nothing significant," Rizzo said. "I thank my parents I drank my milk when I was a kid. I have some decent bones."

QUOTABLE
"A crazy game. It would have been nice to have won it. We lost two crazy games against these guys on this homestand. What are you going to do, man? Just move it forward."-- Maddon

WHAT'S NEXT
Yankees: The Yankees travel to Cincinnati and will open a two-game Interleague series with the Reds on Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Masahiro Tanaka (4-1, 4.46 ERA) will try for his fifth straight win against Rookie Davis (1-1, 7.36), a former Yankees farmhand who was dealt to Cincinnati in the 2015 Aroldis Chapman trade.

Cubs: Jake Arrieta will open the Cubs' three-game series in Denver on Monday night. The right-hander has posted three straight quality starts and is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three career starts vs. the Rockies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 CT.

Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

Bryan Hoch has covered the Yankees for MLB.com since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch, on Facebook and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat.

Carrie Muskat has covered the Cubs since 1987, and for MLB.com since 2001. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings. You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat and listen to her podcast.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yankees beat Cubs in 18 innings for a sweep

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CHICAGO -- It took 6 hours and 5 minutes, a record-setting number of strikeouts, more than 500 pitches from 15 pitchers, and a daring catch by Kyle Schwarber before the Cubs and Yankees settled matters Sunday night.

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Snapchats no longer have to disappear after 10 seconds

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Snaps no longer have a time limit.

As part of a slate of new features announced Tuesday, Snapchat users can now select the new "infinity" icon to let friends view a photo snap for as long as they want.

"We've all felt the frustration of not being able to fully enjoy a Snap -- even after replaying it -- and we wanted to give you the option of allowing the recipient to enjoy your Snap as long as they'd like," the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.

After a user taps to close the snap, it will delete as usual. Previously, you could send photos that would disappear after one to 10 seconds.

Related: Snapchat unveils new 3D filters

In that same vein, Snapchat also launched looping videos on Tuesday. Tap the "looping" icon after taking a video snap to have it replay repeatedly, until your friend closes it or advances to additional posts on your Snapchat Story. Stories are photo and video posts shared by users that disappear after 24 hours.

You can now also draw with emojis by tapping the doodle tool and selecting an emoji.

Snapchat also added a new tool called "magic eraser." By tapping the scissors tool and the stars icon, users can erase something in a photo snap -- like a stray piece of trash on the ground.

Tools will now show up vertically along the right-hand side of the screen, rather than appearing horizontally on the top right. Snapchat said this format will allow the company to add more creative tools to that space in the future.

Recently, Snapchat launched new 3D lenses and made stories searchable. Meanwhile, Facebook has launched Snapchat copycat features like its own version of Stories.

In other Snapchat news this week, the app's parent company Snap will report its first quarterly results as a public company on Wednesday.

CNNMoney (New York) First published May 9, 2017: 12:00 PM ET

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Snapchats no longer have to disappear after 10 seconds

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Snapchat launched new tools including looping videos and a "magic eraser."

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Shaquille O'Neal says he'll run for sheriff in 2020

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NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal says he is thinking about running for office, telling an Atlanta TV station that he will try to become sheriff in 2020.

O'Neal didn't clarify to WXIA where he would enter a sheriff race. The 2000 NBA MVP holds residency in Florida and Georgia.

"This is not about politics for me. It's something that I always wanted to do. It's just about bringing people closer together," Shaq said Friday. "You know, when I was coming up, people love and respected the police, the deputies. And I want to be the one to bring that back, especially in the community that I serve."

O'Neal is an honorary deputy in Georgia's Clayton County and has been a reserve police officer in Los Angeles; Miami Beach; Tempe, Arizona; Golden Beach, Florida; and Doral, Florida.

Despite limited experience, he said he could put together the right people to help him in the job.

"I know how to run the team," O'Neal said. "My style is going to be to surround myself with guys that have been doing it way longer than I've been doing it, surround myself with smarter people. And I know it'll be successful."

While O'Neal says he is ready to run a sheriff's office, he plans to steer clear of managing a city.

"Mayor no, I would never run for mayor," O'Neal told WXIA.

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Sheriff Shaq? O'Neal considering election run

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Shaquille O'Neal has been a reserve police officer in multiple cities during and after his NBA career. Now the Hall of Famer says he wants to run for sheriff in 2020.

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The Royals beat the Tampa bay rays last night 7-3

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A rabbit breeder in the U.K had a 3 foot rabbit brought on a plane and it ended up dead. The owner is threatening legal action on United Airlines for improper care of the rabbit.

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The mysterious case of the dead giant rabbit continues to haunt United Airlines.

The owners of Simon, a 3-foot-long Continental Giant rabbit found dead after a transatlantic United flight, want compensation from the airline and an investigation into its policies for transporting animals.

Lawyers for the group of Iowa residents who bought Simon have sent a letter to United threatening legal action if it doesn't respond within a week.

The death of the giant rabbit is just one of the PR nightmares United has run into in recent weeks. News of it emerged at a time when the airline was already reeling from the huge backlash over one of its passengers being violently dragged off a flight.

Three men pooled their resources to buy Simon for $2,330 from a British breeder with plans to make him a star attraction at the Iowa State Fair, according to their lawyer Guy Cook. They expected 10-month-old Simon would eventually inherit the crown of world's largest rabbit from his father, Darius.

In the letter to United, Cook accused the airline of a "failure to provide Simon the appropriate measure of care he deserved, which resulted in Simon's death."

United said in a statement Monday that it has received the letter and is reviewing it. "Our United team takes its responsibilities in transporting pets seriously, and is saddened by Simon's death," it said.

Related: A 3-foot-long giant rabbit is found dead after United flight

The rabbit's previous owner in the U.K. said that United had been in regular contact and the matter had been resolved to her satisfaction.

But Cook said that United hasn't done enough.

"My clients have suffered damages and United has taken no action to rectify this matter with my clients," he said.

Related: The new age of airline rage: Why everyone on board is on edge

What caused Simon's death after a flight from London to Chicago in April remains unclear.

United said he arrived at Chicago O'Hare airport "in apparent good condition" and was seen moving about in his crate about 35 minutes later. But shortly after that, a worker "noticed Simon was motionless and that he had passed away."

The problem now, according to Cook, is that United cremated Simon's remains without permission from his breeder or owners. United "cannot prove they acted responsibly, as they destroyed the proof," he said.

The letter to United demands that it hand over all records of the airline's investigation into the death, including any CCTV footage. The owners are also seeking compensation, including for "the economic loss of Simon's future attraction as the 'World's Largest Rabbit.'"

CNNMoney (Hong Kong) First published May 9, 2017: 4:10 AM ET

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United: Owners of dead giant rabbit want airline to pay up

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The owners of a 3-foot-long rabbit found dead after a United flight, want compensation from the airline and an investigation into its policies.

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A new haul of ancient human remains has been described from an important cave site in South Africa.

The finds, including a well-preserved skull, bolster the idea that the Homo naledi people deliberately deposited their dead in the cave.

Evidence of such complex behaviour is surprising for a human species with a brain that's a third the size of ours.

Despite showing some primitive traits it lived relatively recently, perhaps as little as 235,000 years ago.

That would mean the naledi people could have overlapped with the earliest of our kind - Homo sapiens.

In a slew of papers published in the journal eLife, Prof Lee Berger from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Prof John Hawks from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, and their collaborators have outlined details of the new specimens and, importantly, ages for the remains.

The H. naledi story starts in 2013, when the remains of almost 15 individuals of various ages were discovered inside the Dinaledi chamber - part of South Africa's Rising Star Cave system.

At the same time, the researchers were exploring a second chamber about 100m away, known as Lesedi ("light" in the Setswana language which is spoken in the region).

The finds from Dinaledi were published in 2015, but remains from the Lesedi chamber had not previously been presented, until now.

The latest specimens include the remains of at least three individuals - two adults and a child.

One of the adults has a "wonderfully complete skull", according to Prof Hawks. This tough-looking specimen is probably male, and has been named "Neo", which means "a gift" in the Sesotho language of southern Africa.

Examination of its limb bones shows that it was equally comfortable climbing and walking.

The fact that Homo naledi was alive at the same time and in the same region of Africa as early forms of Homo sapiens gives us an insight into the huge diversity of different human forms in existence during the Late Pleistocene.

"Here in southern Africa, in this time range, you have the Florisbad skull, which may be an ancestor or close relative of modern humans; you've got the Kabwe skull, which is some kind of archaic human and possibly quite divergent; you've got evidence from modern people's genomes that archaic lineages have been contributing to modern populations and may have existed until quite recently," said Prof Hawks.

"You have this very primitive form of Homo [ naledi] that has survived alongside these other species for a million years or more. It is amazing the diversity that we are now seeing that we had missed before."

As to how H. naledi held on to its distinctive characteristics while living cheek-by-jowl with other human species, Prof Hawks said: "It's hard to say it was geographic isolation because there's no boundary - no barrier. It's the same landscape from here to Tanzania; we're in one continuous savannah, woodland-type habitat.

He added that the human-sized teeth probably reflected a diet like that of modern humans. In addition, H. naledi had limb proportions just like ours and there is no apparent reason why it could not have used stone tools.

"It doesn't look like they're in a different ecological niche. That's weird; it's a problem. This is not a situation where we can point to them and say: 'They co-existed because they're using resources differently'," Prof Hawks told BBC News.

The researchers say that finding the remains of multiple individuals in a separate chamber bolsters the idea that Homo naledi was caching its dead. If correct, this surprising - and controversial claim - hints at an intelligent mind and, perhaps, the stirrings of culture.

By dating the site, researchers have sought to clear up some of the puzzles surrounding the remains.

In 2015, Prof Berger told BBC News that the remains could be up to three million years old based on their primitive characteristics. Yet the bones are only lightly mineralised, which raised the possibility that they might not be very ancient (although this is not always an accurate guide).

In order to arrive at an age, the team dated the bones themselves, sediments on the cave floor and flowstones - carbonate minerals formed when water runs down the wall or along the floor of a cave.

Several techniques were used: optically stimulated luminescence to date the cave sediments, uranium-thorium dating and palaeomagnetic analyses for the flowstones and combined U-series and electron spin resonance (US-ESR) for dating three naledi teeth.

By combining results together, they were able to constrain the age of the Homo naledi remains to between 236,000 and 335,000 years ago.

"We've got a geological bracket based on flowstones overlying the fossils and we've had direct dates on the teeth themselves," said John Hawks.

The team sent samples to two separate labs to perform their analyses "blind". This meant that neither lab knew what the other was doing, or what their analytical approaches were. Despite this, they returned the same results.

"This is now the best dated site in southern Africa - we threw everything at it," said John Hawks.

Many mysteries remain about this intriguing member of the human family tree. Not least of them is H. naledi's evolutionary history up until the point the remains show up in the Rising Star cave system.

Researchers currently envisage two possibilities. The first is that H. naledi represents one of these earliest branches of Homo - perhaps something like Homo habilis. It retains a rather primitive anatomy while evolving in parallel with the branch of the human family tree that eventually results in modern humans.

The other possibility is that it diverged more than a million years ago from a more advanced form of Homo - perhaps Homo erectus - and then reverted to a more primitive form in some aspects of its skull and teeth.

Follow Paul on Twitter.

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Amazing haul of ancient human finds unveiled - BBC News

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Yet more remains are presented of the extraordinary naledi people who appeared to cache their dead.

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47,725, or about 8% of the homeless population, are veterans

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Later this month, The San Francisco Chronicle will lead an effort to flood the Bay Area with stories and news reports on the city's homelessness crisis. Working with local television, print, and online news outlets, this coordinated effort will create a wave of coverage about this pressing issue, hopefully forcing the public and area politicians to put some major energy and resources into finding real, lasting solutions.
Are you a homeless services organization? Our free Homeless Services eBook is full of expert advice that comes from years of helping human services organizations.
For many cities, solving homelessness is an ongoing challenge. So, what does homelessness look like in 2016? The following statistics are alarming:

1. 564,708 people in the U.S. are homeless. According to a recent report, over half a million people were living on the streets, in cars, in homeless shelters, or in subsidized transitional housing during a one-night national survey last January. Of that number, 206,286 were people in families, 358,422 were individuals, and a quarter of the entire group were children.

2. 83,170 individuals, or 15% of the homeless population, are considered "chronically homeless." Chronic homelessness is defined as an individual who has a disability and has experienced homelessness for a year or longer, or and individual who has a disability and has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years (must be a cumulative of 12 months). Families with at least one adult member who meets that description are also considered chronically homeless.As the National Alliance to End Homelessness explains, "While people experiencing chronic homelessness make up a small number of the overall homeless population, they are among the most vulnerable. They tend to have high rates of behavioral health problems, including severe mental illness and substance use disorders; conditions that may be exacerbated by physical illness, injury, or trauma."

1. 47,725, or about 8% of the homeless population, are veterans. This represents a 35% decrease since 2009. Homeless veterans have served in several different conflicts from WWII to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of veteran homelessness in the nation (145.8 homeless veterans per 10,000). 45% of homeless veterans are black or Hispanic. While less than 10% of homeless veterans are women, that number is rising.

2. 1.4 million veterans are at risk of homelessness. This may be due to poverty, overcrowding in government housing, and lack of support networks. Research indicates that those who served in the late Vietnam and post-Vietnam era are at greatest risk of homelessness. War-related disabilities or disorders often contribute to veteran homelessness, including physical disabilities, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression and anxiety, and addiction.

3. 550,000 unaccompanied, single youth and young adults under the age of 24 experience a homelessness episode of longer than one week. Approximately 380,000 of that total are under the age of 18. Accurately counting homeless children and youth is particularly difficult. The National Alliance to End Homelessness explains, "Homeless youth are less likely to spend time in the same places as homeless people who are in an older age range. They are often less willing to disclose that they're experiencing homelessness or may not even identify as homeless. They also may work harder to try to blend in with peers who aren't homeless."

4. 110,000 LGBTQ youth in the U.S. are homeless. This is one of the most vulnerable homeless populations. A substantial number of young people who identify as LGBTQ say that they live in a community that is not accepting of LGBTQ people. In fact, LGBTQ youths make up 20% of runaway kids across the country. Family rejection, abuse, and neglect are major reasons LGBTQ youth end up on the streets. Additionally, homeless LGBTQ youth are substantially more likely than heterosexual homeless youth to be victims of sexual assault and abuse. LGBTQ homeless youth are twice as likely to commit suicide compared to heterosexual homeless youth.

5. Fifty percent of the homeless population is over the age of 50. These individuals often face additional health and safety risks associated with age. They are more prone to injuries from falls, and may suffer from cognitive impairment, vision or hearing loss, major depression, and chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis.

6. 830,120 year-round beds are available in a range of housing projects. About half of those beds are dedicated to people currently experiencing homelessness. This includes

Emergency Shelters that provide temporary or nightly shelter beds to people experiencing homelessness.

Transitional Housing that provides homeless people with up to 24 months of housing and supportive services.

Safe Havens that provide temporary shelter and services to hard-to-serve individuals.

The other half of these beds are targeted at recently homeless populations. Rapid Rehousing provides short-term and medium-term rental assistance, housing relocation, and stabilization services to formerly homeless people experiencing homelessness. Permanent Supportive Housing provides long-term housing with supportive services for formerly homeless people with disabilities. Other Permanent Housing provides housing with or without services, but does not require people to have a disability.

As shocking as these statistics are, there are so many great organizations working tirelessly to end homelessness in the U.S. and around the world. Get inspired by their work and success, continue reading some of the Social Solutions case studies that feature clients who work with the homeless population!

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Later this month, The San Francisco Chronicle will lead an effort to flood the Bay Area with stories and news reports on the city's homelessness crisis. Working with local television, print, and online news outlets, this coordinated effort will create a wave of coverage about this pressing issue, hopefully forcing the public and area politicians to put some major energy and resources into finding real, lasting solutions.

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A 15-year-old boy killed by police after pointing a BB gun at them wrote a suicide note indicating he planned to have officers shoot him.

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Ohio boy's suspension over gun photo 'liked' on Instagram is dropped, family says

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Adolf kiefer a 1936 Olympic swimming gold medalist who was Americas oldest living Olympic champion dies at the age of 98

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Mr. Kohl - Neiman Marcus sells ripped, worn sneakers for $1,400

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Mr. Kohl - Neiman Marcus sells ripped, worn sneakers for $1,400

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Sarasota News | Mysuncoast.com and ABC 7

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(WWSB) -- You thought "muddy jeans" were bad? Just wait until you see these shoes.

Neiman Marcus is jumping on the faux-busted fashion trend by selling a pair of destroyed sneakers on its website for more than $1,400.

The "Future Destroyed High-Top Sneaker" by Maison Margiela will run you $1,425 a pair. The high-top shoes have holes and frayed material, and some might say they look more like a dog's chew toy than an avant-garde fashion statement.

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Neiman Marcus sells ripped, worn sneakers for $1,400

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(WWSB) -- You thought "muddy jeans" were bad? Just wait until you see these shoes.