15-year-old girl dies after suffering stroke due to COVID, family says

A Georgia family says their 15-year-old girl died after suffering a stroke. (GoFundMe)

Bremen, Ga.

A 15-year-old girl from Georgia has died after her family says she had a stroke that caused irreversible brain damage.

Katelyn Bowling, 15, died this week after suffering a stroke due to COVID, Katelyn’s aunt, Sonya Bowling, shared through a GoFundMe account.

According to the family, it caused irreversible brain damage that affected her motor skills before she died on Wednesday.

Sonya Bowling said her niece also had cerebral palsy.

Bremen City Schools said they are “deeply saddened” at the passing of one of its students.

“Please remember the Bowling family in your thoughts and prayers,” school officials shared.

Funeral services for Katelyn are scheduled for Sunday at the Hightower Funeral Home.

College students raise thousands of dollars to help security guard visit his family in Nigeria

College students raised thousands of dollars to help a security guard visit his family in Nigeria. (GoFundMe)

Providence, R.I.

A group of college students in Rhode Island helped gift their favorite security guard a surprise trip home.

According to Providence College, students living in Raymond Hall came up with a plan and the idea after learning that James Mogaji, an overnight security guard for their building, had not visited his family in Nigeria in more than a decade.

One of the students, Brandon Reichert, started a GoFundMe on Feb. 29 to share Mogaji’s story and the group’s goal of raising money on his behalf.

Within a week, the group was able to raise enough money to present Mogaji with a gift of a $3,000 trip.

“He truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He greets everybody with a smile and always welcomes conversations no matter what time of the night you run into him,” Reichert shared.

A heartfelt video of the group surprising their beloved security guard with the trip has gained thousands of views and comments since being shared earlier this month.

The students said they wanted to show Mogaji how much they appreciated him.

“We were able to gift James with enough money for him to travel to Nigeria to visit his family in June! I’d like to thank everyone who donated as you can see what an impact you made on such an incredible man,” Reichert said.

The group’s fundraising efforts have currently raised nearly $30,000 and they said all further donations will be given to Mogaji at the end of the school year to help fund another trip for him.

Florida mother arrested after trying to sell 18-month-old daughter for $500, police say

Jessica Woods, 33, was arrested and booked into jail on charges of child neglect, abandonment, selling or surrendering a minor for property or money and child abuse. (Putnam County Jail)

Palatka, Fla.

A woman in Florida is facing several charges after reportedly trying to sell her baby.

According to the Palatka Police Department, Jessica Woods, 33, was arrested last week after a worker at an area business said Woods left her daughter with them after attempting to sell the child.

Police said the worker notified them about the incident on March 5.

According to authorities, Woods was loitering around the worker’s place of employment before the unidentified worker asked the mother if she or her child needed any help.

Woods reportedly told the worker that she didn’t need anything but offered to sell her daughter for $500. When they refused to purchase the toddler, Woods allegedly walked away and left her daughter behind.

The worker then brought the child to the Palatka Police Department and told them what happened.

Police and the department’s victim advocate program took care of the child until the Department of Children and Families took custody.

Officers said they located Woods on March 7 and took her into custody. She was booked into the Putnam County Jail on charges that included child neglect and abandonment and three counts of child abuse.

Woods’ 18-month-old has since been placed in foster care.

Lottery winner hits $3 million jackpot after checking ticket left in nightstand for weeks

Melena Hill won $3 million in a Mega Millions drawing after realizing she had the winning numbers weeks later. (Virginia Lottery)

Portsmouth, Va.

A Virginia woman recently cashed in her Mega Millions lottery ticket after waiting weeks to check she had indeed the winning numbers.

According to the Virginia Lottery, Melena Hill’s $3 million ticket had been sitting in a nightstand drawer since January.

She reportedly bought the ticket for the Jan. 9 drawing using Easy Pick, allowing the computer to randomly select six numbers for her.

When the winning numbers were drawn, Hill’s ticket matched the first five numbers, missing only the Mega Ball number.

Lottery officials said Hill spent an extra dollar for a Megaplier option when she bought the ticket and ended up tripling her jackpot to the $3 million prize amount.

Upon realizing she’d won big; she said it was an amazing moment.

“I screamed a little bit. My stomach had butterflies,” Hill said.

The lucky winner bought her ticket at Murphy USA, a gas station located at 6261 College Drive in the Suffolk area.

Drawings for Mega Millions are held on Tuesday and Friday nights.

According to lottery officials, the odds of matching the first five numbers are 1 in 12,607,306.

High school girls basketball player collapses, dies during game, reports say

Amari Crite, 14, died while participating in a basketball game this week, reports say. (GoFundMe)

Momence, Ill.

A girls high school basketball player reportedly collapsed and died this week in Illinois.

According to multiple reports, 14-year-old Amari Crite died on Thursday after collapsing on the court while playing a home game at Momence High School.

The Daily Journal reports that Momence School District Superintendent Shannon Anderson issued the following statement that read in part:

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our 9th-grade students on January 25, 2024. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this tragic loss.

“Our primary focus right now is on supporting one another and providing the necessary resources for our community to cope with this loss.”

Amari’s family has created a GoFundMe to help them during this difficult time.

“Our precious baby girl passed away last night January 25 when she collapsed at her basketball game. We are asking for any and everyone to help us give her the proper homegoing she deserves,” organizer Michelle Crite wrote.

According to school officials, grief counselors were at Momence High School on Friday to help students deal with the loss of their classmate.

The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office also shared their condolences.

“The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office stands with the Momence School District during this difficult time. Friends, family and classmates are all in our prayers,” the sheriff’s office wrote online.