Hero fishermen save 38 dogs on the verge of drowning in Mississippi lake



A group of fishermen in Mississippi are being hailed as heroes after saving 38 dogs on the verge of drowning in a lake.

Three fishermen were on a fishing trip in Lake Grenada. Bob Gist – a 61-year-old from Arkansas – went fishing with his friend Brad Carlisle from Tennessee.

Suddenly, the men heard more than three dozen dogs barking.

Gist told Fox News, "Pretty soon we saw some dogs on the horizon in the water."

Fishing guide, Jordan Chrestman, noticed that the dogs were in the water after chasing a deer into the lake.

Gist later learned that the dogs were part of an annual fox run that takes place in the area.

Gist stated, "We went on fishing for about 10 or 15 more minutes, and Jordan [Chrestman] said, 'Hey guys, if you don't mind, we really need to go check on those dogs because they're way out there in that water.'"

The boat navigated Lake Grenada to get close enough to the dogs.

"We're just flabbergasted because it’s dogs everywhere," Gist explained. "They’re all going in different directions because they can no longer see the bank on either side."

Gist added, "They were on the verge of drowning because now they have been treading water for an hour."

The fishermen loaded 27 dogs into the boat and took them to shore. Then they went back and rescued 11 more for a total of 38 dogs rescued.

He noted, "We got back over to the ramp with that last bunch of dogs… [and] we were having to drag them out of the boat because they didn't want to get out of our boat. They were scared they were going back to the water. It was terrible."

Gist continued, "When we first started there was this white one that Brad tried to reach for and the dog bit at him. He moved closer to me, so I tried to reach for him, and he tried to bite me, so we left him. When we came back for the second load it was probably 30-45 minutes later. By that time, he was ready to get in the boat. He wasn’t biting anybody."

Gist pointed out that Chrestman was the true hero of the dog rescue.

"If Brad and I had been there in a boat by ourselves, we wouldn't have known anything was wrong, but that 20-something-year-old kid – I'm 61, so I'm calling him a kid – he knew something needed to be done," Gist said.

The dog owners were reportedly thankful for the fishermen saving their dogs from drowning in the lake. The dog owners offered money to Chrestman as a reward for saving the dogs, but he allegedly refused to accept the money.

Gist posted a photo of the 27 dogs riding in his boat on his Facebook page.

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North Carolina church buys up then burns thousands of struggling families' medical debts



A church in North Carolina has again unburdened thousands of families who were struggling with medical debt, setting their obligations ablaze.

Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem bought up and canceled nearly $3.3 million in medical debt belonging to 3,355 families.

According to the Dispatch, this is the second year that members of the church have taken part in the Debt Jubilee Project, which assumes past-due medical bills of residents in the area. Through the project, congregants previously purchased $1.65 million of debt, liberating 1,356 people in Forsyth and Davidson Counties.

When an individual fails to pay down an outstanding medical bill, the medical company that is owed will frequently hire a debt collection agency. When the agency similarly fails in its collection efforts, the debt is sometimes sold to a third-party collection agency for pennies on the dollar to help recoup the loss.

The Dispatch indicated that these third-party agencies have the legal right to either collect or forgive the debts. In partnership with RIP Medical Debt in New York, the Debt Jubilee Project exercised its right to do the latter.

Rev. John Jackman, the pastor of the church, told the Dispatch, "Most of these families were making a go of it until someone has to go into the hospital for a few days or to the doctor for a serious [medical condition]. … We can’t fix the system, so this is something we can do."

Jackman told WXII-TV that the Jubilee Project with RIP Medical Debt "raised $15,000 and with that, we were able to go in and bid and buy $3,295,863.64 in medical debt in Davidson County."

On March 26, the church held a symbolic debt-burning ceremony.

"Some of the poorer folks that we deal with get a medical bill of $1,000 or $3,000. It might as well be $10 million; they just can't deal with it," Jackman said. "For them to get the letter that says that’s forgiven, I think, is such a relief."

"You got to eat, and you got to take care of your children. ... You've got to do what you have to do just to live," Mary Bertstone, a member of the congregation, told WXII-TV. "And that[medical debt] is never going to rise to the top and it's always going to make you feel bad."

\u201cThe members of Trinity Moravian Church in North Carolina purchased nearly $3.3 million of local residents\u2019 medical debt for just $15,048.\n\nThen, they held a debt jubilee ceremony and burned up the debt, canceling it all.\u201d
— More Perfect Union (@More Perfect Union) 1681240402

Trinity Moravian Church and its members will reportedly continue burning debts, one county at a time. According to the Debt Jubilee Project, it will seek to help families in Yadkin, Surry, Stokes, and Rockingham Counties next.

“It feels good,” Jackman said. “Even if we don’t know them personally, to know that we have helped families by decreasing their burden, it’s a good feeling. That’s how God operates.”

The informal motto of the Moravian Church is reportedly "in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love."

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Shaquille O'Neal pays huge $25,000 bill for every patron at a Manhattan restaurant: Report



NBA star Shaquille O'Neal reportedly paid the tabs of all restaurant patrons at a Manhattan eatery on Sunday night.

The tab, according to reports, came to more than $25,000.

What are the details?

The good deed unfolded at the Jue Lan Club in New York City after the basketball legend arrived at the restaurant.

According to Bleacher Report, O'Neal "proceeded to purchase dinner for the eatery's entire staff along with covering all of his fellow diner's [sic] bills, which he told restaurant workers to only reveal to the customers after he left the establishment." The bill covered approximately 40 tables, according to reports.

A source told the New York Post that Shaq "left them the biggest tip they've ever received." The restaurant, which specializes in Asian fare, features an expansive menu with offerings ranging in price from $12 to $40 and upward.

Complex has reported that the basketball legend has a net worth of more than $400 million.

O'Neal has yet to speak out on the reports at the time of publication.

Anything else to know about this?

In 2017, O'Neal said that he enjoys gracious tipping and helping out those in the hardworking service industry.

"When I'm at restaurants, I am a big tipper," he told late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel during an interview about his propensity toward generosity. "I like to show people my appreciation. So when they come up to the table, I say, 'The quicker I get my order, the bigger your tip will be.' And then the food will come fast."

He added that he'll even sometimes ask servers to name their price — and pointed out that some aren't terribly shy about stating their needs.

"When we get ready to leave, I’ll ask them, 'What do you want?' And the most someone said was $4,000. And I said, 'OK. No problem,'" he recalled.

Teen McDonald's employee leaps through drive-through window to save choking customer



A 15-year-old McDonald's employee executed a dramatic rescue after a customer began choking in her vehicle, which was idling outside the restaurant's drive-through window.

What are the details?

Sydney Raley of Edina, Minnesota, said that her Saturday shift at the chain restaurant's Eden Prairie location began uneventfully, just like many others.

She told CNN that the day had been fairly routine, "making coffee, making drinks. Going into the lunch rush, it was all normal."

Sydney told KARE-TV that all changed as she was handing food out through the service window and a woman in apparent distress caught her eye.

"I noticed that she was coughing profusely and her daughter just had this look on her face like sheer terror," the teen recalled. "I could tell oh, crap, she’s choking! Just seeing that visceral reaction I knew we need to act fast."

Sydney said that she jumped out of the window and helped the woman out of the car while telling the woman's young daughter to call 911.

"I started doing the Heimlich maneuver, but I’m not really strong so it didn’t work the first couple times," the 15-year-old hero continued — and that's when she called over a bystander who was parked in the lot waiting for food.

The bystander, who remains unnamed at the time of this reporting, was able to successfully dislodge a chicken nugget from the panicked woman's throat.

Police said that the teen's quick-thinking bravery earned her two fresh $50 bills from the responding officers.

"Our crime fund gave every officer fifty dollars to hand out to wherever we feel the need, [including] if somebody did outstanding work, above and beyond," Sgt. Scott Mittelstadt told KARE. "She is well-deserving of that money."

Sydney added, "It could’ve ended a lot worse but I am super thankful for that bystander who helped so much. Because I am decent at first aid, but if it weren’t for him and our efforts together, it could’ve ended so much worse."

'She can remember anything — do anything'

Sydney's parents, Tom and Stephanie, told the outlet that their daughter was diagnosed with autism when she was younger and that her condition has only enhanced her abilities for quick thinking.

"I always tell her she has a gift, because she's autistic," Tom told the station. "She can remember anything — do anything. It's crazy."

Stephanie added, "She remembered all of the [first aid] training as a script in her head and was able to jump into action right away, just because it was stored up there and she can recall anything she reads and hears."

Sydney said that she feels accomplished and emboldened to serve her fellow man.

"You feel as though like — huh — I’m actually capable of contributing to society and actually like capable of making a difference."

Tom told CNN that his daughter and her autism diagnosis are nothing short of inspiring.

"We always worried it was going to be a challenge for her, and it's done a complete 180," he said. "It's actually been a blessing and a gift at this point. All the things we worried about never happened."

'Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero'

Franchise owner-operator Paul Ostergaard told CNN that he and the rest of the staff couldn't be more proud of Sydney and her heroism.

"We are incredibly proud of Sydney and her quick, heroic actions over the weekend to help one of our valued customers," Ostergaard told CNN in a written statement. "Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero and we are incredibly lucky to have her as a highly-valued crew member at our Eden Prairie restaurant location. We are excited to see all of the well-deserved recognition she has received from the community and will continue to celebrate her courageous efforts of literally jumping out of the drive-thru window to provide aid to a customer in need."

Chick-fil-A employee wins a car at a company raffle — and immediately donates it to a co-worker in dire need. Then she's hit with another wave of good fortune.



A 17-year-old Chick-fil-A employee won a new car during a company Christmas raffle, but gave it to her friend and co-worker who commuted to the job on a regular basis on a bicycle.

What are the details?

According to Today, 17-year-old Haley Bridges of Appleton, Wisconsin, gifted a vehicle to her 19-year-old friend and co-worker, Hokule'a Taniguchi, who had been commuting to and from work on a bicycle all fall and winter long.

Bridges told the outlet that her co-workers aren't just her fellow employees: they're her second family.

"I started working at Chick-fil-A in late August," she told the outlet, noting that she and Taniguchi became fast friends in the following weeks. "I love working here. Not only are the people that work here amazing, but it has taught me so many new things. I always look forward to going to work, I get to see my second family."

Bridges said she was in attendance at the 2020 Christmas banquet when she received five raffle tickets to win the grand prize — a car.

"The car was the only raffle where we couldn't pool our tickets, one ticket per person," Bridges recalled. "Our friend group and some other friends decided to all put one in for her. We were all very nervous that someone else would get chosen, but we kept our hopes up."

Bridges said that she couldn't believe her ears when she heard her name announced as winner of the new vehicle.

"Once my name was called by one of the bosses, Hoku and I looked at each other, this is when she started to cry," Bridges added. "I've never seen her emotional side much. She is a very happy person and very funny and goofy as well. We looked at each other and I started to cry as well. ... My heart felt as if I was racing and we both stood up and ran to each other. Everyone in the room felt like they were gone, it felt as if it was just us two in the moment. We hugged each other hard and cried so much. Everyone was either crying or clapping. We all had a big group hug with everyone near us and it felt so unreal experiencing this."

She added, "No one deserves it more than Hoku."

Bridges was met with another huge stroke of luck after the good fortune of receiving — and giving away — the new vehicle.

"My aunt held a fundraiser to get [her own car loan] paid off!" she revealed. "I was paying monthly for the car, and it took a chunk of my paycheck."

What else?

Taniguchi told WLUK-TV that she feels incredibly blessed to be a part of the Chick-fil-A family.

"I really just started crying, because I was so happy, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh! I can't believe this is real!'" Taniguchi recalled of the moment she realized she would have a new car. "Now I can go grocery shopping. I can, like, go to work, like, five minutes before now instead of, like, two hours earlier just to get here on time. There's a million more opportunities and possibilities for me now!"