Month: December 2019

Most times when a company starts up, they keep an eye out for their competition. Even between the most amicable of rivalries, it’s rare to see someone go well out of their way to help another business.

But this is about more than a business.

Pixie Adams runs Moonlight Coffeehouse in Oak Grove, Oregon. Dave and Tina McAdams opened up “The Local Coffee Company” earlier this year nearby.

Before Dave and Tina opened their shop, though, they got to know Adams (and vice versa) and became good friends — perhaps in part because Dave and Pixie had both beaten cancer.

TRENDING: Rebel Yell Rings Out as USMC Major Warns Virginians Are Close to Tipping Point

While Dave beat cancer the first two times, doctors gave him a grim prognosis in recent weeks, saying he had about two months to live.

“For those of you who may not have heard, Dave’s battle with cancer has come to a point where modern medicine can not do anything more than keep him comfortable,” The Local Coffee Company shared on Dec. 1. “He’s home on palliative/hospice care and we’re cherishing every moment we have with him.”

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for him to be LovedDeeply in return before be goes to be in the arms of our Savior—and of course, we’re still hoping and praying for a great big miracle—we want God to show off!!”

It was tough to manage their finances, and Dave’s illness definitely impacted their work. Adams knew that pain.

“Being a small business, we generally don’t have a lot of financial reserves,” Adams told Inside Edition. “We don’t have paid time off. The worry is, what happens if we get sick, or something happens to us, there isn’t a big safety net. It was important to me to do something that would financially help them.”

So, as an act of goodwill toward her friends and competition, Adams shut down her shop for a day and worked for free at The Local Coffee Company instead.

“Yesterday, our family here at Moonlight Coffeehouse had the opportunity to serve another local coffee shop in our community who’s owner is in hospice care for a terminal cancer diagnosis,” The Moonlight Coffeehouse shared on Dec. 12. “Our owner Pixie Adams spent the entire day working for The Local Coffee Company for FREE as she hosted Moonlight Takes Over The Local Coffee Co Fundraiser to help raise money for owners Dave McAdams and Tina McAdams!”

RELATED: Good Samaritan Pays 36 Families’ Electric Bills After Spending Christmas in the Dark in 1983

“There were HUNDREDS of responses on our social media and The Local had the highest sales day in their history! We had cars lined up almost the ENTIRE day! There was thousands of dollars raised to help support The Local and pay for medical expenses! To say it was an incredible success is an understatement!”

“There aren’t words enough to express how grateful we are for the chance to be there for another brave cancer warrior and help keep their beautiful small business successful while they savor their remaining time together. Dave and Tina, you have all our love! <3 <3 <3 And to our Community…..you make doing what we do a privilege and an honor. Thank you for your never-ending support! <3 <3 <3.”

“I feel like it’s so easy to get caught up in the competition in business,” Adams said. “I wanted to do something for them that I knew was going to make a difference in more than a superficial way. To me, it will always be community over competition, and friendship over business.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

A massive multi-agency law enforcement operation has resulted in what may be the largest ever takedown of an MS-13 syndicate on U.S. soil, New York prosecutors announced Friday afternoon.

According to ABC News, 96 of the violent Salvadoran street gang’s New York members and associates have been indicted on 77 counts including illegal weapons sales and possession, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Law enforcement sources have told reporters this historic special grand jury indictment and resulting arrests — the product of a nearly two-year federal wiretapping investigation — are likely to make the gang’s infamously violent Long Island outfit “inoperable.”

“The goal of this investigation was to deliver a major blow to the gang’s leadership, operations and recruitment in our region,” Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a Friday news conference. “We did exactly that.”

“MS-13 is a ruthless, savage gang that commits acts of violence to recruit, retain and control its members and exact revenge on its rivals as well as to extort innocent members in our community,” Sini said.

“Our message is simple, law enforcement will do what it takes to protect our communities,” Sini continued. “And to MS-13, we are coming for you.”

TRENDING: Rebel Yell Rings Out as USMC Major Warns Virginians Are Close to Tipping Point

The 96 defendants — primarily arrested Thursday and Friday morning, according to the New York Post — ranged in age from 16 to 59 and included both U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants.

Outside of Suffolk County, cooperating officials are said to have arrested more than 200 more MS-13 affiliated individuals across the U.S. and in the gang’s home base of El Salvador.

Sini also told reporters that the investigation had foiled as many as seven alleged murder plots in Suffolk County, turning up substantial amounts of cocaine and the deadlier opioid fentanyl, as well as handguns, long guns, machetes and $200,000 in cash.

The machetes in particular, however, were emblematic of the gang’s often “savage” modus operandi, the district attorney added.

Similar appeals have been made in recent years by President Donald Trump, who has on numerous occasions emphasized MS-13’s cruel and unusual criminal behavior in public calls for Congress, and the American people, to provide him a stronger mandate with which to increase security measures along the southern border.

Trump calls MS-13 members “animals,” says: “They come in on Long Island. We send ICE, & they get in there and they get them out, and it’s like we are liberating a town. In this day and age. It’s like a foreign invader finally is being taken out…They cut people up.” pic.twitter.com/Wd1pn4dG20

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 7, 2018

“They kidnap, they extort, they rape and they rob. They prey on children,” Trump said of the gang at a Suffolk County rally in 2017, according to ABC. “They shouldn’t be here.”

RELATED: Pittsburgh Steelers Player Arrested on Two Counts of ‘Terroristic Threats’

“It’s time for every member of MS-13 to be in fear. Look over their shoulder. Look in their rearview mirror,” the president continued, “because ICE and its partners are coming hard, and we’re coming strong.”

MS-13’s influence on Long Island has been strong for many years now, with law enforcement estimates regarding the gang’s membership in the area varying dramatically from hundreds to thousands, according to the New York Post

Unquestionable, however, is the gang’s impact on the region.

It was the gang’s involvement in the brutal 2016 murders of 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas and 15-year-old Nisa Mickens that first publicly galvanized then-candidate Trump and other Republican leaders against MS-13.

Cuevas and Mickens were attacked by several of the gang’s youth members on the way to basketball practice, CBS News reported.

Both died of cutting injuries and blunt force trauma to the head in what then-Suffolk County police commissioner Sini called an “unmatched” showing of “brutality.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Twenty-seven of America’s state capitols will feature nativity scenes this Christmas as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The Thomas More Society, a national not-for-profit law firm, has partnered again with the American Nativity Scene, an organization dedicated to the display of nativity scenes in every state capitol throughout the United States, to keep privately funded manger scenes in the public square for Christmas.

“This is a landmark year as we have crossed the half-way mark,” Thomas Olp, vice president and senior counsel at the Thomas More Society, said in a joint press statement. “More than 50 percent of our nation’s state capitols will feature Christ – the very reason for Christmas. It is an exciting opportunity to share our Christmas message with the public, as the Constitution allows us to do.”

The Thomas More Society serves as legal counsel for the American Nativity Scene in placing the manger scenes and defending their placement, if necessary, in public places across America.

Ed O’Malley, president of the American Nativity Scene, noted that the number of nativity displays placed in 2019 represented a dramatic increase.

“We welcomed six new state capitol nativity scenes this Christmas, with manger displays debuting in Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina,” he said. “That’s the largest number we’ve added in any year since we launched this initiative in 2012.”

“By leveraging this beloved holiday, we provide an invitation to everyone to seek peace on earth and goodwill to all,” O’Malley added.

He said each state capitol display “celebrates the manger scene uniquely, but most incorporate celebrations with Christmas carols, prayers, and public figures speaking to mark the occasion,” according to the press release.

“Privately funded Christmas displays are legally allowed in a traditional public forum such as a state capitol, county complex, or city hall lawn,” O’Malley observed. “We are committed to our goal of keeping Christ in Christmas across the nation.”

In 2014, the Pew Research Center reported a survey that found 72 percent of Americans agreed that religious symbols on government land during the Christmas season are acceptable. Only 20 percent of those surveyed said they should not be allowed at all.

The two organizations have assisted with nativity displays at the state capitols in California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas.

Christmas nativities are also displayed at the state capitols in Arkansas, New Jersey, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and the governor’s mansion in Oklahoma.

Actress-comedian Whitney Cummings said she got in trouble last year for saying “Merry Christmas” to a television production crew.

Cummings revealed the incident during an appearance Wednesday on the late-night talk show Conan on TBS.

“Last year, I was working on a TV show, got in trouble with Human Resources for saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to an intern,” she said. “I was leaving, like on the 18th or whatever today was, and I was like, ‘Bye guys, Merry Christmas.’”

Cummings said when she returned to work, she was called into HR and notified that an intern was upset about the reference to Christmas. The comedian didn’t reveal the TV show where she worked.

Conan posted a clip from Wednesday’s show, with the story beginning around the four-minute mark.

Cummings said that she wasn’t being sincere about wishing her co-workers a “Merry Christmas.”

“I don’t even care how your Christmas was. It was just a formality. It’s what you say when you leave,” she said.

Host Conan O’Brien chimed in, “In these times we’re in, that could trigger someone or offend them if it’s not their holiday.”

Cummings said she was told the intern was agnostic. “I can’t guess your holiday based on what you look like,” she said.

Since emerging as a popular stand-up comic, Cummings has segued into television, scoring a hit as a co-creator of the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, which ran from 2011 to 2017 and continues to live on in syndication.

Cummings also worked briefly on ABC’s rebooted Roseanne before it was canceled after just one season and re-tooled as the Roseanne-less The Conners.

Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com

While in the classic Christmas story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” the Grinch takes all the decor from the Whos and then has a change of heart, many modern-day vandals aren’t quite so easily moved.

If you’ve ever displayed inflatable Christmas decor on your front lawn, perhaps you know this first-hand: There are groups of (generally young) people who take great joy in tackling Santas, snowmen, reindeer and pretty much anything that is inflatable and displayed unattended outdoors.

But the tackling often proves fatal to such installations, and what was once a jolly front yard can look a little sad after a group of vandals runs through it. The Vincenti family experienced that on Dec. 8, when their Santa Claus inflatable was popped, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The Vincenti kids, aged 5 and 3 according to the Aberdeen Police Department’s Facebook post, were heartbroken over the loss. When Aberdeen Police Officer Cynthia Mowery showed up on the scene for a damage report, she could see what a toll the destroyed decor was having on the 6-year-old, and her heart grew several sizes.

TRENDING: Rebel Yell Rings Out as USMC Major Warns Virginians Are Close to Tipping Point

“When I was taking the report, I looked up and their [older] son was standing there looking out,” the cop, who also happens to be a mother and grandmother, told The Baltimore Sun. “It was so sad, he looked so upset, and that weighed on my heart all night. When I woke up the next morning, I just knew what I had to do.”

With the help of her squad, she brought some Christmas cheer to the family’s yard once more.

“Officer Mowery was not going to let a vandal ruin a families Christmas spirit this year,” the Aberdeen Police Department shared in a Facebook post on Monday. “After learning that a homeowners Christmas decorations were vandalized Officer Mowery took action.

“Officer Mowery purchased new decorations to replace the damaged ones. Officer Mowey made this purchase in the middle of the night, so when the children woke (boys ages 5&3) they would be surprised.”

The post went on to say that while the officer wasn’t asking for recognition, this kind act wasn’t out of the ordinary for her. She’s only been on the force for a year after working with them as a civilian, but she’s clearly making a difference.

“This is not the first time she has demonstrated an act of kindness that goes above and beyond the call of duty,” the post continued. “Officer Mowery does not seek recognition for her good deeds but we had to share. Officer Mowery’s actions are the definition of the true meaning of Christmas!!!”

“I’ve always had an interest in the field of law … when I accepted the position at the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, it sparked that love of law enforcement again,” she told The Baltimore Sun.

“My husband and I talked, our children were grown and out of the house, it was a good time to go ahead and make it happen.”

The Vincenti parents “surprised” their kids with the news by placing their Elf on the Shelf sitting on the front window, looking outside. The kids noticed immediately, and their dad urged them to look outside, too.

RELATED: Scrapyard Finds Over $26,000 Inside Old Safe, Donates It All To Charity

“I said ‘let’s open the door and find out what he’s looking at’ and we went out there and he was just ecstatic, losing his mind because there’s all these decorations after the one decoration had previously been removed,” Richard Vincenti said.

“I don’t know how to explain the happiness that they had. They were very grateful.”

Mowery has been very modest about her deed, explaining that others helped as well and that she just wanted to do something nice for the kids.

“My goal was to try to help,” she explained. “I’m a mom, I’m a grandmom. I saw how upset that family was and I just wanted to help them.”

“And if it helps with the way the perception is with law enforcement, that’s fantastic. Aberdeen has a great agency, we work with a lot of people that care about the community.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

A hospice care program in South Carolina isn’t able to grant every wish from its patients, but when Jenis James Grindstaff told the chaplains that he wanted to be baptized, a team of nurses, transportation staff and others rallied together to make sure his wish could come true.

“I thought, ‘We’re going to make this happen,’” Chaplain Terrell Jones said, according to a media release from Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.

Grindstaff, who lives with his son Craig and daughter-in-law Pam, receives in-home treatment from the hospice program at the South Carolina-based hospital.

“The hospice team is wonderful,” Pam said.

“They’re very kind in the way they talk to him. They make him laugh.”

TRENDING: Rebel Yell Rings Out as USMC Major Warns Virginians Are Close to Tipping Point

Spartanburg Regional says on its website that through hospice service, it aims to care for the “‘whole person,’ not just the illness.”

While talking with a chaplain, Grindstaff expressed his desire to get baptized before his death.

The news initially came as a surprise to his family, according to the hospital’s media release.

“He’s always read the Bible, but he had never been baptized,” Grindstaff’s other son, Jim, said of his father.

“He wanted to show he believed more than anything else.”

Jones met with Grindstaff in September, and the two discussed what he’d like his baptism to look like.

“He wanted full immersion,” she recalled. “He said, ‘I don’t want sprinkles.’”

Due to Grindstaff’s medical issues, however, the staff had to creatively plan how to ensure his safety.

Thankfully, a facilities team member remembered that the Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home had a 60-gallon tub specifically designed for patients unable to step in and out of a traditional bathtub.

RELATED: Man Dying of Cancer Has Final Request To Be Baptized Fulfilled

Patients are able to step into the tub through a door that then seals and quickly fills with water.

The cost for the transportation from Grindstaff’s son’s home to the hospice facility was at least partially paid for by the Spartanburg Regional Foundation’s Hospice Special Needs fund, according to the media release.

On Dec. 11, Spartanburg Regional posted a heartwarming video of the baptism, which has since gone viral and encouraged thousands of people.

Jones prayed over Grindstaff while nurses helped support him in the specialized tub.

Family members were also able to be there to support him during such a monumental moment.

“My beloved son, Jenis James Grindstaff, I now at this time, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Ghost, and in Jesus’ name,” Jones said as she baptized Grindstaff.

Tameka Irvin, the hospice home’s nurse manager, said she sees these moments as precious blessings.

“I look at it as a ministry,” Irvin said. “Being able to honor wishes like this baptism is heartwarming.”

“Seeing that smile on his face fills my heart with joy.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.