Kelly Monaco to leave ‘General Hospital’ after more than 2 decades on soap opera

FILE -- Kelly Monaco arrives at the 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, June 24, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Los Angeles

Actress Kelly Monaco is reportedly set to leave “General Hospital” after spending 21 years on the show.

People reports that Monaco, 48, is leaving the soap opera later this fall.

Monaco has played the role of Sam McCall on “General Hospital” since 2003.

The details of her character’s exit were not being immediately shared but the Soap Opera Network has reported that Monaco’s character will be killed off.

Variety is reporting that Monaco’s character is coming to an end due to the soap opera’s storyline.

The 48-year-old actress joined the ABC soap opera after working on a spinoff series “Port Charles” from 2000 to 2003.

Monaco has been a part of more than 2,200 episodes of “General Hospital.” She received a Daytime Emmy nomination for her performance as Sam McCall in 2006.

Monaco’s reported exit comes as several former cast members have returned, including Jonathan Jackson, who reprised the role of Lucky Spencer for the first time in nearly a decade.

Holocaust survivor dies after eating Boar’s Head deli meat linked to listeria outbreak, family says

Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli meats in July, expanding an initial recall after a liverwurst sample tested positive for listeria. (WFSB 3 | MGN)

Newport News, Va.

A Virginia family shared they had to recently say goodbye to a loved one who died after eating deli meat from Boar’s Head.

Last month, Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli meats after a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria.

The recall includes more than 70 products, including liverwurst, ham, beef salami and bologna made at the company’s plant in Virginia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this month that a third person had died in connection to the listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats.

On Tuesday, WVEC reported that person was 88-year-old Gunter Garshon Morgenstein after speaking to his family.

“We’re all still in shock, for all of the things you know that he’s seen and been through in his life to come to that, you know, lunch meat,” his son, Garshon Morgenstein, told WVEC.

Garshon Morgenstein shared that his father grew up in Germany and was a Holocaust survivor.

He also said his father would enjoy eating lunch meat, including liverwurst, thanks to his European roots.

“He always ate lunch meat, always Boar’s Head,” Garshon Morgenstein shared. “I don’t eat liverwurst, but that was something that he ate and those types of things because he was European.”

According to the family, Gunter Garshon Morgenstein fell ill on July 8 and died 10 days later.

The man’s son said he reviewed his father’s shopping purchases and it included Boar’s Head deli meat.

The Morgenstein family shared they are actively pursuing legal action against Boar’s Head while warning others against buying the company’s deli meat.

The CDC reported on Aug. 8 that the recall alert of the Boar’s Head items remained active with 43 illnesses and three deaths connected to the meat that was distributed to stores nationwide.

Record number of homebuyers are backing out of deals, Redfin reports

According to Redfin, nearly 60,000 purchase agreements were canceled in July - the highest percentage of any July on record. (WDBJ)

U.S. homebuyers are backing out of their real estate deals at a record rate.

According to Redfin, nearly 60,000 purchase agreements were canceled in July - the highest percentage of any July on record - and sales of existing homes fell at an annual rate of 2%.

“Many house hunters are getting cold feet because housing costs remain high. Economic uncertainty is also high, with recession fears on the rise,” Redfin data journalist Lily Katz wrote.

Pending sales of both existing homes and newly constructed homes also dropped to the lowest level on record last month aside from April 2020 when the pandemic brought the economy to a screeching halt.

Redfin reports they declined 2.9% from a month earlier and 5.8% from a year earlier, both the biggest declines in nearly a year.

Mortgage rates have seen a slight decline over the past few months but that hasn’t necessarily helped while still staying above 6%.

“The Federal Reserve is expected to start cutting interest rates in September and continue through 2025, but markets have priced in a fairly fast pace of rate cuts already, which means homebuyers are unlikely to see a large drop in mortgage rates in the near future,” Katz shared.

Redfin Senior Economist Elijah de la Campa said waiting for mortgage rates to fall isn’t the best strategy either.

“If you have the means to buy and have been thinking about doing so, now actually might not be a bad time,” de la Campa shared. “That’s because mortgage rates have fallen enough to boost your purchasing power, but not enough to bring tons of buyers off of the sidelines and drive up competition.”

When it comes to encouraging signs for homebuyers, Redfin mentions the total supply of homes for sale rose a record 13.7% year over year in July, and only a third of homes sold for more than their asking price, down from 38% a year earlier and the lowest since July 2020.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old Virginia mother, has been missing for weeks. (City of Manassas Park Police Department)

Manassas Park, Pa.

Police in Virginia have taken the husband of a missing mother into custody after searching the family’s home Thursday.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt was last seen in Manassas Park weeks ago and is now presumed dead, according to Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo.

WJLA reports that her husband, Naresh Bhatt, has been charged with prohibition against concealment of a dead body in connection to her disappearance.

Officers responded to the Bhatt home on Aug. 2 following a welfare check request from her employer.

However, police say her husband didn’t report her missing until three days later.

Naresh Bhatt had been previously named a person of interest in the case and stopped cooperating with the police investigation, Lugo shared.

The couple’s infant daughter, who turned 1-year-old over the weekend, was also taken out of the family home by authorities.

Police said additional investigative leads may lead to further charges against Naresh Bhatt who is currently being held without bond.

The Manassas Park Police Department said it is continuing its investigation into Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance.

Infant dies after being left in hot car; mom forgot to drop her off at day care, police say

Police say Hilda Adame was arrested in connection with the death of her 22-month-old daughter. (Corpus Christi Police Department)

Corpus Christi, Texas

A Texas mother is facing charges following the death of her child who was left in a car during triple-digit temperatures.

The Corpus Christi Police Department said 33-year-old Hilda Adame was arrested in connection with the death of her nearly 2-year-old daughter Tuesday.

Police say she forgot to drop off her daughter at day care that morning and ended up leaving her in the back seat of her vehicle while she went to work.

According to authorities, officers were called to Adame’s work, Tom Browne Middle School, at about 1:30 p.m. regarding an infant who was left inside a vehicle.

KRIS reports that Adame’s daughter, Harley Adame, was left inside the parked vehicle from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. before Hilda Adame went back to her SUV and realized Harley was still inside.

The mother then took her daughter to the nurse’s office where they started CPR until medics arrived.

Harley was taken to the Driscoll Children’s Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly before 2 p.m.

Corpus Christi police said Hilda Adame was arrested on charges that included injury to a child and abandoning or endangering a child causing imminent bodily injury.

According to AccuWeather, the high temperature in Corpus Christi reached as high as 102 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, including an excessive heat warning for the area.