Nathan Woessner has been released from the hospital less than two weeks after he fell into a sinkhole and became trapped for hours at the Indiana Dunes.

The 6-year-old boy was discharged from the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital and moved to a rehabilitation facility late Tuesday afternoon, doctors said.

"He will continue to receive rehabilitative therapy elsewhere for several days," hospital spokesman John Easton said.

Woessner's condition was upgraded earlier this week and transferred from the intensive care unit to a general pediatric medicine unit.

“He is eating well, is active and continues to improve," Dr. Barrett Fromme said Tuesday. "The staples used to close a laceration on the back of his head will be removed today."

Woessner's parents told NBC's "Today" show this week their son has been getting up, moving around and even made a trip down the hall at Comer Children's Hospital on Sunday.

On July 12, Woesnner fell into a sink hole at Mt. Baldy in Michigan City, Ind. His grandfather said Woesnner fell into the sink hole around 4 p.m. while walking with his dad, an adult friend of the family and another boy. 

Last Week Woessner was upgraded to serious condition after being told by doctors he may be able to leave the hospital after 10-14 days.

The Mount Baldy area at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore will remain closed indefinitely following the accident.

Mayor Bob Filner will no longer be a keynote speaker at a benefit for sex assault victims, announced the National Women Veterans Association of America announced at a press conference Wednesday.

Filner was slated to appear at the Aug. 30 gala and was also chosen to receive a “Lifetime of Achievement” award by the group. However, since he was chosen Filner has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women and the group has rescinded their offer and award.

The gala serves as a benefit for homeless veteran women of the military sexual assaulted community and has been planned since January.

Now president of the organization Tara Jones will be the keynote speaker at the event. She said at a press conference on Wednesday that Filner’s alleged behavior will not be tolerated.

“The mayor speaking at our event interferes with the moral compass of my organization,” said Jones.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

This is the fourth news conference this week, about mayor Filner's sexual harassment allegations.

No, former President George H.W. Bush has not lost all his hair — he shaved it, for a good cause.

The elder Bush cut his hair to show support for Patrick, the 2-year-old son of one of his Secret Service agents. Patrick is being treated for leukemia and started losing his hair.

Many of Bush's security team members went bald in support for the toddler, too, and Bush decided to join in solidarity.

Bush, 89, and his wife, Barbara, have also helped Patrick in the past. They donated to Patrick's Pals, a fund designed to assist with Patrick's medical bills. The Bushes lost their second child, Robin, to cancer almost 60 years ago.

A man armed with a gun was taken into custody in University City Wednesday evening, police confirmed.

Officers were called to Caminito Plaza Centro and University Center Lane around 4:45 p.m. after a person reported that their neighbor had brandished a rifle.

By 5:35 p.m., police had detained the armed suspect, who surrendered at a nearby apartment.

No further details were immediately released. Police said no one was injured.

Officers diverted traffic nearby on Lebon Drive and Nobel Drive as investigators worked the scene.
 

A man caught on surveillance tape trying to allegedly kidnap a woman at a Chula Vista gas station is now behind bars, police confirmed on Wednesday.

On Jul. 14 at around 11:50 p.m., police say suspect Thomas Paciornik, 25, approached a woman who was pumping gas at a 7-Eleven station on Hilltop Drive and Orange Avenue.

The Chula Vista Police Department says Paciornik stopped his car near the victim’s vehicle and began speaking to the woman, identifying himself as “Tom.”

He allegedly told the victim she was pretty and asked if she would go with him, but the woman refused.

The victim returned to her car and, according to police, that’s when Paciornik opened the woman’s door, grabbed and pulled her arm and again asked her to go with him. He also allegedly kissed the victim.

The woman refused his requests again, and Paciornik became agitated.

Police say he then returned to his car, backed into the victim’s vehicle and blocked her from driving forward. He punctured the woman’s tire and told her she had five seconds to get into his car.

The victim again refused, and eventually Paciornik drove away.

After realizing her tire was flat, the woman pulled into a parking stall at the gas station. At that point, police say Paciornik returned and parked his car so the woman was unable to open her driver side door.

He then continued yelling at the victim, but left shortly thereafter when witnesses told him police were on their way. By the time officers arrived, Paciornik had fled the scene. The woman was not injured.

The entire incident was captured on surveillance video at the gas station (see photo above). Through the video, detectives obtained the suspect vehicle’s license plate number and linked Paciornik to yet another incident.

Detectives learned that on Jul. 15 – just hours after the attempted kidnapping – Paciornik’s car was towed from Viejas Casino in Alpine.

At around 8:30 a.m. that day, police say Paciornik tried to claim his car from the Viejas valet area, but did not have proper documentation. He caused a disturbance, and deputies were called to the scene.

Paciornik was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Using those details, Chula Vista detectives learned that Paciornik matched the description of the man who assaulted the victim at the gas station on Jul. 14.

The victim had told police Paciornik had some lacerations to his face, among other things, and Chula Vista Police Department Capt. Gary Wedge said everything lined up.

Paciornik, still in custody at San Diego Central Jail from the Viejas incident, was then charged with additional counts, including attempted kidnapping, assault with intent to commit a felony, false imprisonment and vandalism.

The suspect appeared in court on Tuesday, and his bail was set at $205,000.

He’s scheduled to appear in court again on Monday.
 

A North County home was severely damaged and the owner will likely lose his license after he hit the gas pedal, gained momentum and plowed his vehicle into his own house.

The incident happened around 7 p.m. in the 13300 block of Twin Circle Court shortly after Lisa Attar asked her 83-year-old husband Fred to put the car into the garage.

Investigators say Fred Attar first backed the car four houses down the street slamming into a car and boat trailer parked in the neighbor's driveway.

He then stepped on the accelerator and careened toward his own home at a high rate of speed officials said.

Neighbor Darius Framrose was in his kitchen when he heard two loud crashes.

"Very sad and unbelievable," said Framrose. "He's lucky nothing happened to him not a scratch."

Parts of the structure then collapsed on top of Attar and his vehicle, officials said.

He was temporarily stuck following the crash, but was later extricated by rescue crews.

"The guys were trying to get him out. I said 'Hold on the foundation is going to collapse on him,'" Framrose said.

Tire tracks indicate there was no braking before impact.

Cousin Muna Dayeh said Attar recently suffered a stroke. He has some paralysis, she said, but is still in good health.

Investigators tell NBC 7 this was a lack of skill likely due to age and not a health problem. It will amount to an insurance claim, not a traffic citation they said.

While police won't be citing Attar this accident will cost him his license. Investigators say to get it back he'll have to pass a written and drivers exam.

A Long Island middle school teacher says he was forced to resign after he appeared on TV as a reality show extra in an episode where he peels off his shirt and frolics with women in a swimming pool.

Stefan Serie, 30, says he had to resign from Merrick Avenue Middle School last month because of the appearance on "Princesses: Long Island," a Bravo show.

Parents and students rallied before a board district meeting Wednesday, urging the school to reinstate Serie. 

"He's a really good coach and teacher," said Rayven Flanks, a blind ninth-grader who says Serie urged him to stick with the school's wrestling team. "He has encouraged me over the years in wrestling and in general life to never give up on my dreams." 

Serie got a letter a week after the June 2 episode aired, telling him he had to report to the school district office.

He was urged to resign, he says.

"They rescinded my tenure, took it away, and said if I do not give them a resignation letter in two days, that I would not receive unemployment benefits," said Serie, who has worked as a teacher for eight years.

His lawyer, Joseph Lipada, said his client was "never given a coherent reason as to his termination." 

Serie said a producer friend approached him about the show. He did not take part in the drinking or fighting shown in the episode, and had no interest in taping another. He said he regrets going on the show and wants his job back. 

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District said in a statement that Serie's resignation was accepted on July 9, but declined to discuss further details.

"If you can be fired for taking your shirt off in a pool, then I don't think too many people would have jobs," said Serie. 

Parent Jeffrey Fein agreed. 

"Whether you agree with the subject matter of the TV show, he still doesn't deserve to lose his job over it," he said at the rally. "He didn't do anything illegal."

Serie and his attorney says they are prepared to file a federal lawsuit to get his job back. 

A teenager who made headlines four years ago for impersonating a Chicago police officer has again been arrested and charged with posing as a cop.

Vincent M. Richardson, now 19, was charged Wednesday with one count of felony false personation of a peace officer, authorities said. He was arrested a day earlier after he went into the VCG Uniform store, in the 5000 block of West Irving Park Road, and posed as an Englewood District officer wanting supplies, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office.

A salesman recognized Richardson from his other brushes with the law and called police, leading to Richardson’s arrest, another store employee said.

Unlike the first time he committed a similar offense as a 14-year-old, Richardson, of the 6300 block of South Marshfield Avenue, is now charged an adult.

In 2009, Richardson made national headlines when he sauntered into the Grand Crossing District station dressed from head to toe in a regulation uniform, fooling officers into assigning him to traffic patrol -- his true identity only discovered toward the end of the shift.

• March 2009: Fake Kid Cop Drove, Made Arrest

Then-Mayor Richard Daley fumed over the incident, calling for heads to roll.

Months after that ordeal, Richardson dressed up as a businessman and pretended to take a test drive at a South Side car dealership before driving away with a Lexus.

In 2010, Richardson was sentenced to juvenile prison for pushing his mother and stealing his uncle’s car while the older man watched television.

A year after he was charged as an adult in a gun case.

Richardson received one year in prison for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to court records.

A New York lobsterman who fell off his boat and was missing for nearly 12 hours was rescued by the Coast Guard about 40 miles from the vessel, floating in the ocean using his rubber boots as a raft. 

Jonathan Aldridge was last seen Tuesday night on the 44-foot lobster vessel Anna Mary. Rescuers began searching for him when a colleague sounded the alarm Wednesday morning, officials said. 

Coast Guard crews from across New England coordinated to search more than 780 square miles of ocean. 

A helicopter crew spotted Aldridge in the choppy ocean waves about 43 miles south of Montauk -- at first just a flash of white floating in the water, briefly disappearing before his motionless body returned to view, video shows.

He was plucked from the ocean around 3 p.m. in a rescue caught on video by the Coast Guard. 

He wasn't wearing a life jacket when he fell off the back of his boat while moving a cooler.

Aldridge was released from a hospital in Cape Cod, Mass. Thursday morning and was on his way back to his family on Long Island.

His father, John Aldridge Sr., said when the family got the call that he was alive, "we just fell apart, the whole house. There was 40 or 50 people here, it was just amazing."

The elder Aldridge said his son is sunburned and has a sore throat, and has some pain under his arms from where he clung to his boots.

"Other than that, he was in good shape," Aldridge said.

His dad isn't surprised his son held on that long.

"He is that type of person," he said.

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• Teen Sisters, Home Alone, Call Cops on Intruder
• Woman Knocked Off Bike, Dragged Inside Van and Beaten: Cops
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An emergency dispatcher in Hartford, Conn., is under investigation after he allegedly made a racial slur over a police radio.

The emergency dispatcher was caught on tape saying: "That's going to be 198 Fairfield Ave., same code again 71, arguing with (N-word) neighbors over trash cans."

The dispatcher corrected himself after making the racial slur inside the Hartford Public Safety Complex as he sent a police officer to Fairfield Avenue on Monday.

Ericka Mitchell, of Hartford, said the landlord was arguing with her neighbor, who is African American, over trash cans and the neighbor dialed 911.

The emergency dispatcher accused of making that slur was put on paid leave Wednesday and is now under investigation. 

"My heart feels like it's at my feet right now. That is definitely labeling and it's wrong," Mitchell said. "To me that person should never have a job.”

The recent incident comes months after a Hartford police sergeant made racial slurs over a police radio as he described people on the street.  He was disciplined and the police chief put him on permanent desk duty.

“It shows disrespect for the taxpayers who pay the salaries of the public service workers in the City of Hartford,” City Councilwoman Cynthia Jennings said. 

Jennings said the recent problems could make minorities reluctant to call 911 and trust Hartford's dispatcher and emergency responders.

"It brings about a question how people are being treated of different races and nationalities," Jennings said.

She said after this week’s alarming dispatch call, there could be some changes at the Public Safety Complex. 

“We need to take a closer look at who is being hired and who is doing the hiring,” Jennings said.
 
Officials at the dispatch center said the worker in question had never made a derogatory statement at work before Monday. 

They added, when he made that racial slur, a few African American employees were right by him and heard it.  They apparently weren’t offended and just thought he mispronounced a word.

The dispatcher is a civilian employee and not part of the Hartford Police or Fire Department.

Chicago Police Department documents, some of them marked as confidential, were found this week in a trash bin in a Wisconsin cemetery.

The manager of Prairie Home Cemetery, in Waukesha, just west of Milwaukee, said the binders contained photos of crime suspects and descriptions.

"The contents had what looked to be a publication of some sorts that said 'police confidential,'” explained manager David Brenner.

He said there were between six and eight of them, each about two inches thick.

"These were records from 2001 [and] 2002, just lots and lots of these," he said.

Chicago police officials said the reports don't contain any sensitive information but it still wasn't clear Wednesday evening who threw them out. A department spokesman said the documents appear to be old reference material, possibly study guides for police sergeants.

Anyone with information about the binders should contact the Waukesha Police Department at 262-524-3833.


 

It doesn't take a genius to know that if you don't schedule an appointment at an Apple Genius Bar, chances are you will have to wait for help.

That did not go over well with one customer, who walked into an Apple store with her baby and requested "new parts," according to a viral video. She threw a tantrum while others in the store looked on.

“I was told by Apple care that I could walk in the store and get the parts,” the unidentified woman yells in a high-pitched voice at an Apple store employee while banging her baby stroller with her hand.

An American TV actress, Porscha Coleman, filmed the rant on her phone at the Grove Apple store in Los Angeles and uploaded it to her Vine account last month, according to The UK Independent.

The short clip has gone viral.

Coleman added this caption to the video: "This lady is goin OFF in the Apple Store! LOL U don’t have an appointment, lady!"
 

Check out the Vine video here:

A grand jury in North Texas has indicted the man accused of killing former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and another man on two charges of capital murder.

Eddie Routh, a former Marine, was arrested in the slayings of Kyle and Chad Littlefield in February.

A judge has issued a gag order in the case.

The Feb. 2 shootings at a gun range in rural North Texas were national news.

The memorial service for war hero Kyle was so big that it was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. His funeral procession to Austin drew thousands.

The case against Routh, who reportedly had been seeking treatment for post-combat stress, seems strong. Police said he confessed to his sister and he was arrested driving Kyle's pickup after a chase in Lancaster, a Dallas suburb.

Routh had sought treatment at the Veterans Administration for his stress, and friends said Kyle was trying to counsel him when Routh turned on him.

His mental health is expected to be a key issue in his case.

Routh has been held in the Erath County Jail on a $3 million bond.

In Midlothian, where Kyle and Littlefield lived, people were grateful Routh had been formally charged.

"I'd rather it be delayed and done right than rushed and have any kind of loopholes where he could go free," said Dennis Deweerd, owner of Ellis County BBQ restaurant.

"It's a great thing," added Kelly Goad. "Midlothian is happy."

NBC DFW's Scott Gordon and Lindsay Wilcox contributed to this report.

A Utah man who was on the run from law enforcement for more than five years was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Wednesday afternoon.

Saigais Rekash Hallchand, 34, was wanted for intent to distribute controlled substances and possessing a firearm during a drug offense. He was discovered by Deputy U.S. Marshals who were conducting surveillance in La Mesa after they received information that Hallchand was in the area.

Officials found more than 100 fake identification documents and credit cards in Hallchand’s possession.

He was arrested without incident and is currently pending extradition to Utah.

A man was seriously injured in a stabbing in Oceanside Wednesday night, according to police.

The stabbing was reported around 7:20 p.m. at a residence on Windward Way and N. Ditmar Street.

Investigators gathered evidence at the home for what they say came in as a hot prowl burglary. Once officers arrived they discovered it was more.

A 22-year old was stabbed in the lower back area and a 17-year old suffered blunt force trauma to the ribs officials said.

One victim told police he walked into the living room and saw four masked men attacking his brother.

Investigators say the victims were brothers and both live at the home.

"We're looking at all the angles as to whether they were led to the house, or something brought them to the house for some reason,” said Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Cosby. Obviously in their minds there was a reason for them to be here but we don't know what it is yet.”

Those suspects took off on foot officials said.

Neighbors say they heard the commotion and to hear what happened is unsettling.

Pamela Mueller said the incident has left her a little scared.

“I have a child. I like to think my neighborhood is safe and we look out for each other,” she said.

Officers say there was no forced entry into the home and it doesn't look like anything was taken.

One of the victims was transported from the scene via Mercy Air to a local hospital.

At Johnny's Rec Room, a senior arcade in Pompano Beach, Fla., two former frequent customers walked in and then right out when they heard about the new rules.

Fliers let seniors know they're now paying for "amusement only," paying for time to play instead of for prizes like grocery store gift cards and prepaid credit cards.

Gale Fontaine, the owner and the President of the Florida Arcade and Bingo Association, has had to adjust to comply with a new state law that banned internet cafes in April. Senior arcades have been an unfortunate casualty of that law, Fontaine explained.

"When they [legislators] were asked why they were changing the way they play the games, they said they wanted to slow the play down. This lady is 94 years old," Fontaine said pointing to a regular customer. "How much more do we need to slow it down?"

The law went into effect roughly a month after nearly 60 people were arrested in connection with a racketeering investigation.

Woman Leaves 4 Kids Alone to Go Clubbing: Cops

Business owners hope the changes are just temporary, as they fight to amend the state law that's changed how they operate and which they say could ultimately shut them down for good.

Over at Oasis Super Arcade and Bingo in Lauderhill, employee Patty Mantesta faced a nearly empty store Wednesday evening.

"Three people since 4 o'clock," she said.

It was dinner time, usually a busy time for the arcade, but there were no takers.

The arcade's owners have had to retrofit machines to accept coins in order to comply. It's a gamble to try to stay afloat and has cost $50,000. Florida state law says they can no longer offer gift cards, so they've gotten creative. Customers earn tickets to buy prizes like towel sets, and earrings. The prizes are suggested by the customers themselves, but many don't love the change.

"How can he stay in business with the few people that come in?" Mantesta asked.

While some seniors are just happy to see these arcades open their doors once again.

"This is our life. Who is it harming?" asked a woman who explained the location serves as a place to socialize and stay busy.

Publix is Putting Service First in Super Market War: Forbes

Others say they may not return.

"I could go to Boomer's or Chuck-E-Cheese's and get more for my money," said a customer who didn't want to give her name.

Attorney Micheal Wolf is working on both political and legal fronts. He said mainstream arcades should be playing by the same rules.

"This law applies not only to Senior arcades and internet cafes, but also to what we would call mainstream arcades--including Boomer's Dave and Buster's and Chuck-E-Cheese's," he said.

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Fire damaged an El Cajon tattoo parlor early Thursday five months after the business owner fought of gun-toting robbers.

Investigators say the fire was set at Classic Tattoo on Broadway just before 1 a.m.

Jimmy Blue and his business partners own the shop and he said they just can't catch a break.

In February, the shop was robbed at gunpoint. One of the owners was struck several times with a gun and suffered serious injuries.

Blue believes the fire may be related to that incident. Now, he says his employees are left without jobs.

“I have 8 employees who just lost their livelihoods, equipment they own totally engulfed in flames,” Blue said.

The shop has been at the location for 13 years. There were no surveillance cameras at the property.

“That’s a long time. Hopefully we get it resolved,” Blue said. “I don’t know what is gonna happen."

“Some kind of justice needs to be served and it needs to be swift and fluent,” he said. “That doesn’t necessary have to deal with the police.”

La Mesa Fire Capt. Bent Koch said there was some smoke and water damage to the nearby pet grooming business. Koch said one pet had to be rescued.

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner admitted Thursday to having online sexual relationships with as many as three women after he resigned from Congress, while a new poll showed his support has eroded following the latest revelations this week.

Weiner stammered and hesitated as reporters pressed him for the number of women he messaged since the 2011 resignation, saying at one point "there were a few," then promising "it's not dozens and dozens." He tried to duck the question by saying he wasn't sure what some would consider an inappropriate relationship.

He finally admitted "I don't believe I had any more than three," in addition to the six he had already admitted to in 2011. Weiner said Thursday he was in therapy and does not consider the problem an addiction.

"I sought help, I got help, I sought the help of my wife, and like problems that people have, this one, thankfully, is behind me," he said.

The new NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll released Thursday found Weiner's favorability rating among registered Democrats has tanked since June, from 52 percent to 30 percent, according to the poll conducted Wednesday. Over that same period, the percentage of Democrats who said they had an unfavorable impression of Weiner spiked from 36 to 55.

His lead over City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has also evaporated; 25 percent of Democrats said they'd now vote for her in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary, and 16 percent said they'd back Weiner. A poll conducted last month had Weiner leading Quinn 25 percent to 20 percent.

"These new revelations have cost Anthony Weiner the lead in the Democratic field," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "His negatives are at an all-time high."

The reversal puts Weiner among a pack of contenders for the second spot in a runoff, which is looking increasingly likely, as no single candidate appears able to break the 40 percent mark. Weiner is now in a statistical tie with Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former Comptroller Bill Thompson, who are both at 14 percent.

In the back of the pack are current Comptroller John Liu at 7 percent, Bronx pastor Erick Salgado at 2 percent and former City Councilman Sal Albanese at 1 percent.

The poll questioned 551 registered Democrats, with a plus or minus 4.2 percentage point margin of error. See the full poll here.

A significant number of Democrats, 19 percent, remain undecided.

The poll focused on the Weiner revelations, which centered on a woman coming forward this week to say she had an online sexual relationship with Weiner, who used the name Carlos Danger, a year after he resigned from Congress. 

Last month's poll showed 59 percent of Democrats saying Weiner deserved another chance. After this week's news, that number dropped to 47 percent, with 45 percent saying he didn't have the character to be mayor.

Weiner's campaign did not immediately comment.

Democrats were split on whether Weiner should drop out of the race, as several candidates and newspapers have demanded. The poll found 43 percent of Democrats said he should quit, and 47 percent said he should keep running, numbers within the 4.2 percentage point margin of error.

Weiner has vowed not to drop out. 

The poll also found that 46 percent of Democrats said the sexting scandal mattered a great deal or a good amount to them when it came to deciding who to support. More than a third -- 35 percent -- said the scandal didn't matter to them at all.

The day after the press conference, Weiner told supporters in an email that he won't abandon his campaign for mayor and promised the scandalous behavior is in the past.

"These things I did, as you have read in the papers, didn't happen once. It was a terrible mistake that I unfortunately returned to during a rough time in our marriage," he wrote. 

While Weiner struggles in the mayoral race, comptroller candidate Eliot Spitzer does not seem hindered by his own sex scandal -- revelations of his involvement in a prostitution ring -- which forced him to resign as governor in 2008.

This week's poll showed that Spitzer has widened his Democratic primary lead over Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

Spitzer leads Stringer 49 percent to 32 percent, the poll found. An earlier poll had Spitzer leading 42 percent to 33 percent.

"These are two campaigns headed in different directions," Miringoff said. "Spitzer is doing well. And Weiner is floundering."