Miracle in New Mexico: Baby Abandoned in Dumpster Found Alive

Currents News Staff

Store owner Joe Imbriale is recalling the moment Hobbs Police asked to review security footage from his store after a baby was believed to have been thrown in it.

“What are what are we looking for here?” Joe asked police. “I turned around, she goes, ‘we’re looking for somebody that dumped a black garbage bag in the dumpster.’ And I said ‘please do not tell me it was a baby,’ and she grabbed my shoulder and said, ‘yes.'”

Joe said this should not have happened.

“There’s other ways to give a baby away, but you don’t dump it,” Joe said while holding back tears. “You just don’t. I’m sorry.”

The security video received from Joe lays out what happened on Jan. 7. You can see on the security video it is 2 p.m. when a white car pulls up to the dumpster and a woman exits the driver side of the car, opens the back passenger door, grabs a black bag and throws it into the dumpster. She then proceeds to leave.

“The girl just drives up like it’s a piece of trash, reaches in the back of a car, dumps it,” Joe says, “and just drives off. No remorse.”

Fast forward to 7:42 p.m. when a group of people appear to be looking through the dumpster when they come across a black bag. You can see a woman pull out a baby and begin walking with it.

Minutes later police arrive at the scene.

“Luckily, we had dumpster divers back there,” Joe said, “and they pulled it out and they didn’t even know what was in the bag.”

Meet the 83-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Enrolled at Harvard University

Currents News Staff

With 83 birthdays behind her, Mrs. Barbara Ingraham of Dallas still isn’t ready to retire…from learning.

“I still want to be able to go out and be challenged,” Barbara says. “I got bored… and I decided that I needed to do something mentally to stay busy.”

So when she’d had her fill of puzzles during the pandemic, the great grandmother decided to take on a new challenge: Harvard.

“It was the best school I could go to, and hardest school I felt like I could go to,” Barbara says.

With her family’s full support, later this month, Barbara will begin her fourth semester at the elite school studying economics, history and working hard.

“I have a routine. I start it at night at 10:00 and study until 2:30 in the morning.. and if I’d studied longer, I probably could have done better, but that was my routine,” she says.

All the while, she’s having fun.

“I almost feel guilty that I’m having such a good time,” she says.

Barbara is taking all of her classes online, but says she hopes to one day visit the campus. Already she’s being called a ‘billboard for lifelong learning’ and already has a real-life billboard in Dallas.

“I couldn’t process it the first time that Stan and I pulled up to look at it,” Barbara says.

Barbara says she’s enjoying both the applause and the challenge, she says the message isn’t just meant for her.

“There was a lady out there and I got out of the car and walked over to her and I said, ‘why are you taking a picture of this’? And she said, ‘because I want my mother to see this. So I knew what she meant. She wanted her mother to get on the ball and do something!’” Barbara says.

That’s because she says dreams don’t come with expiration dates.

“We’ve done a lot of living,” Barbara says, “but we still have a lot of living to do.”

The Worst Fires in NYC History

Currents News Staff

Mayor Adams called Sunday’s disaster one of the worst fires in the city within the past three decades.

Here’s a look at some of the city’s worst fire tragedies.

In 2017 just days after Christmas, a fast-moving fire engulfed an apartment building located near the Bronx Zoo, killing 13 people.

In 2007, a fire in High Bridge, the Bronx, believed to have been caused by a space heater killed 10 people, most of whom were children.

And in 1990, a man set fire to the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killing 87 people.

Despite Omicron, National March For Life Will Happen

Currents News Staff

The national March For Life event in Washington will still go on this year, despite a surge in omicron cases.

If you go you’ll have to wear masks and follow city COVID restrictions for all indoor events.

Last year’s march was virtual because of the pandemic and the violence on January 6.

While the March For Life never releases projected attendance figures, experts estimate this year’s event could reach pre-pandemic levels.

Immunocompromised? This Is How Long the CDC Says to Wait Before Your Fourth Shot

Currents News Staff

Starting this week, some at-risk Americans can become eligible for a fourth COVID vaccine shot.

According to recommendations from the CDC, doses will be given to people with immuno-compromising diseases who received their booster five months ago.

The agency initially recommended a six month wait, but shortened it in hopes of addressing the current surge of infections.

MTA Suspends Three Subway Lines Due to COVID Related Staffing Shortages

Currents News Staff

The MTA is also feeling the effects of the surge, suspending the B, W and Z lines all week because of COVID related staffing shortages.

These suspensions have become routine as the city and transit agency deal with the omicron variant.

Last week, officials with New York City Transit said the agency was dealing with crew shortages numbering in the hundreds.

Chicago March For Life Event Turns Rowdy as Cardinal Cupich is Heckled at Rally

Currents News Staff

Chicago’s March for Life event on Saturday turned rowdy after some members of the crowd booed and heckled Cardinal Blaise Cupich.

According to organizers it was only a small portion of the crowd taking part.

Organizers also dispelled reporting by the Chicago Tribune saying the Cardinal had to be escorted by security away from the rally, saying he was always planning to leave after his speech and security has always accompanied him out.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 1/10/21

Pope Francis is praying for the victims of yesterday’s massive fire in the Tremont section of the Bronx.

New York’s Cardinal Dolan visited the Bronx fire scene, thanked God for the FDNY and says he wants to see how the Church can help.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis gave his “state of the world” address today highlighting issues of human and geo-political concerns.

Sixteen babies were baptized by the pontiff at the Sistine Chapel for the first time since the pandemic began.

Why You Should Think Twice About Running a Space Heater in Your Apartment

Currents News Staff

It was a tragic scene – heavy smoke filled stairwells in the building as people tried to escape. Among those 17 people, eight children lost their lives. As Currents News reported earlier, open doors allowed the Bronx fire to spread so rapidly. What are some tips that can be done if a fire or smoke is seen inside your apartment to make sure you’re safe?

James Bullock, Retired FDNY Deputy Chief and President of the New York Fire Consultants and New York Fire Safety Institute, joined Currents News to talk about preventative measures people can take to stop fires from spreading.

The city has set up a donation page for anyone who wishes to help the victims of that deadly Bronx fire. Just go to www1.nyc.gov for more information.

Family of St. Simon Stock Parishioners Recover After Losing Home in Bronx Fire

By Jessica Easthope

Guillermo, Maxwell and Marta Sanchez lost everything, but today they’re counting their blessings.

“It could have been any one of us, by the grace of God we managed to get out,” said Maxwell Sanchez who was on the sixteenth floor of his 181^st Street apartment building with his father, Guillermo.

When the flames broke out, Marta thought her husband and son were dead. She was at her parish, St. Simon Stock when she got a call from a neighbor that brought her to her knees.

“I said my family died, I just prayed, I believe in God and I said God you know how much I believe in you, take care of my family,” she said.

The family wasn’t reunited until after Guillermo and Maxwell waited for hours for firefighters to help them navigate the thick black smoke. The Sanchezes are one family of hundreds who are being assisted by local organizations and Catholic Charities of New York.

“It’s so important extending our humanity despite the challenges we have to first know the people, we have to learn about them and just touch them first and we’ll serve whatever role necessary in each person’s case,” said Father Eric Cruz, Bronx Coordinator for Catholic Charities of New York.

Local parishes and food pantries are getting together donations and Catholic Charities is assisting with everything from burials, to housing and immigration services but Father Cruz says the first step is letting them know help is on the way.

“We can’t just dive in, it’s a process, we have to make that initial contact, let them know that we’re there for them, we’re going to be there for them in prayer and in life they will not travel and walk alone,” he said.

Despite their loss, the Sanchez family says they’re the lucky ones.

“The screams from the neighbors from different floors it keeps replaying in my head. It definitely strengthened all of our faith in God and we just have so much to be thankful for,” said Maxwell.

The Sanchezes haven’t heard if they’ll be able to return to their home or if there’s a home left, but for now they’re continuing to thank God.