VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Political asylee, Yanel Valenzuela, visits Friendship Park to see her mother on weekends because she cannot enter the U.S. Valenzuela is not able to return home to Mexico because of her asylum status as a transgender.

Credit, Maria Teresa Fernandez.

Valenzuela applied for political asylum in 2011 and it was granted in 2012. She says, “I can’t go to my home country because of my passport execution in Mexico. This is where I see my mom and unfortunately we cant hug each other.”

The only psychical connection allowed at the park is touching fingertips through the fence. Once a year the park organizes an event called, Door of Hope, to open the border and allow hugging. Border patrol agents carefully select a small number of families to participate. This year Valenzuela was amongst the six families selected.

Credit, San Diego Union Tribune

Valenzuela’s brother, Alex Valenzuela says, “I believe this is a better way than a phone call, at least I can see her face to face. It’s kind of hard I’m not able to hug her or anything.” The first time his two year-old daughter was held by her grandmother was at the Door of Hope event last month.

Credit, Maria Teresa Fernandez.

In recent years the border was completely fenced because of the war on drugs, before families had physical interactions. Law enforcement is not allowed to ask for documentation at the park. Organizations like Undocumented and Unafraid, and Border Angels visit the park in support of immigration. They’re able to meet people who have family in Mexico and provide useful information to them.

Border Angels, Enrique Morones says, “As we’re here at Friendship Park there’s people trying to cross, people dying out in the desert is a sad situation so we want humane immigration policies. I’m living for the day when there is no wall.”

Credit, YES! Magazine.

Around 10,000 people have died while crossing the US-Mexico border since 1994 when Operation Gatekeeper was implemented. Immigration from Mexico has dropped 40% since President Trump has been in office. People from both nations come to Friendship Park to visit their family and friends at the U.S Mexico border.

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By Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from Friendship Park, Border Angels, PEW Research Center.

Photo, Maria Teresa Fernandez, San Diego Union Tribune, YES! Magazine.

Video, CHIRLA.

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Paintball is a competitive sport played professionally around the world. At Hollywood Sports Park in Bellflower, California, everyone is welcomed to play. It’s known as the number one park for paintball and airsoft. The park hosted an event Sunday for people to play paintball recreationally.

Credit, Explore California Pass.

Professional Paintball Player Bear D’Egidio said “paintball is played a variety of different ways. Playing paintball recreationally means you can come with your friends and enjoy a day of paintball.”

D’Egidio has opened four parks in Southern California. He said it’s one of the safest sports to play for all ages. Players gear up with protective body equipment before heading out onto the fields.

Without protective gear, paintball can cause injuries. Last year an 18 year-old was hospitalized in London after a game of paintball. The man suffered from a ruptured liver after being shot with a paintball. United Kingdom Paintball says the sport carries small risks. Andrew Naylor of UK Paintball says the proper training and equipment eliminates those risks. D’Egidio started his own active line for paintball called Giant Tactical.

He gives back to the community by hosting events at his park that benefit children and families. Every few months D’Egidio hosts an event, Giant Tactical Day, specifically for those who support his line. He also hosts private events for professional sports teams and celebrities.

LA Lakers Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell with Bear D’Egidio.

Credit, Hollywood Sports.

Recording artist, Travis Mills said, “a mutual friend of ours came to one of our shows and said we should go paintball this weekend and I said okay. I ended up meeting Bear and I’ve been playing every weekend ever since.” Mills joined the Giant Tatical family and plays every Sunday.

Travis Mills sporting Giant Tactical gear with Bear D’Egidio

Credit, Hollywood Sports.

The paintball fields are built out of movies sets, from movies like Saving Private Ryan, Mad Max, and Water World. The park offers a variety of different games including airsoft and laser tag. They have a rock wall and are currently building a soccer field. The park is opened every day.

 

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Video credit, Bear D’Egidio.

By, Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from Hollywood Sports.

Photo, Explore California Pass.

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How Dangerous is Paintball

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval has slimmed down after being fat shamed since he joined the team. In a recent photo posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Sandoval seems to be in better physical shape this off-season.

Credit, CNN.

Sandoval’s weight have been the butt of jokes throughout the 2016 season. In a game earlier this year, when Sandoval swung at a pitch his belt popped. Gifs of the moment became viral on social media. During spring training in 2015, a journalist tweeted a photo of the third baseman saying it looks like he hasn’t missed any meals during the off-season. Sandoval says he suffered with over eating problems. He has also been called “Kung Fu Panda” from his time with the San Francisco Giants.

Credit, CNN and Twitter.

After receiving much criticism for his weight and performance, Sandoval says he underwent surgery and rehabilitating helped spark the fire to make him win again. Over the past few months, he has dropped a significant amount of weight. He says this gave him the courage to work harder so he can be a part of another Red Sox Championship. Sandoval is a three time World Series champion, and was  the World Series MVP in 2012, and appeared in two All-Star games. Red Sox President of Operations, Dave Dombrowski, says Sandoval is in tremendous shape.

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By, Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from CNN, ESPN, and The Boston Globe.

Photo by CNN.

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Hundreds of people come forward about child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom football community. This stems after a former footballer told police he was allegedly abused while playing in the league.

Credit, The Guardian.

The ex Newcastle United defender, David Eatock, said Coach George Ormond allegedly abused him. Eatock said it happened when he was 18 to 21 years old. Ormond was sentenced to six years in jail in 2002 on a number of offences including assaulting seven boys.

The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children released a hotline number for people to call and speak in confidence to report any child abuse. The National Police Chief Council said they’ve received over 800 calls with a large number of high profiled footballers speaking out. So far 350 people have reported sexual abuse in the U.K football community, among those reports 20 are football players. National Police Chief, Simon Bailey, said he expects the number of reports to continue going up. Manchester police have identified 10 suspects.

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Football Association chief executive, Martin Glenn, said he doesn’t believe allegations that the clubs were paid to be silent and cover up reports of child sexual abuse. Glenn also added he promises to investigate these claims. FIFA released a statement saying they’re aware of the allegations and will be monitoring them closely. England’s Football Association has launched an internal investigation as of Sunday.

By, Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from CNN, BBC, and ESPN FC.

Photo, The Guardian.

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – NFL wide receiver Roddy White felt threatened by an officer during a traffic stop in DeKalb county Georgia. The officer approached White’s car with his hand on his holster. 

Credit, ESPN.

White received two traffic tickets, one for speeding and the other for an expired license. He asked the officer if it was a protocol to approach his car with his hand over his gun. The officer responded saying it was a police protocol. White took to twitter to express what he experienced in hopes that sharing his story he can save someone’s life.

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DeKalb County’s police manual is post online and does not mention anything about putting your hand over a gun during a traffic stop as a protocol.

By, Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from CNN and The Bleacher Report.

Photo, ESPN.

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DeKalb County Police Manual

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Kosovo police stop an ISIS attack during a soccer game Saturday. The attack was planned for a FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Albania and Israel’s national soccer teams.

Credit, The Times of Israel.

The game was scheduled to take place in Shkoder Albania, but because of the threat the venue was moved to Elbasan, Albania. Around 2,000 officers stood by, for safety precaution, during the match. Israel won the game 3 to nothing.

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Kosovo police found weapons and explosive when they investigated the suspect’s home. They also found books and religious materials linking them to ISIS, along with two planned attacks for Saturday. One of the attacks was planned for Israel’s soccer match in Albania, and the other attack in Kosovo. Police have arrested 19 suspects in Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia, which are all neighboring countries. Officials said one suspect has been released after two days but the other 18 suspects are being held for interrogation.

By Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from The Bleacher Report, CNN, and The Times of Israel.

Photo, The Times of Israel.

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – The Chicago Cubs accomplished more than breaking a curse when they won the World Series last week. Since winning the championship title they have became a nationwide sensation.

Credit, Slash Film.

As of Wednesday the Curse of the Billy Goat is over and fans can finally celebrate the Cub’s 108 year awaited World Series win. Fans rushed to sporting goods stores the next morning to stock up on Cub’s merchandise. ESPN says over $70 million dollars in Cub’s retail was sold in the 24 hours after their World Series victory.

Cubs players Anthony Rizzo, David Ross, and Dexter Fowler appeared on Saturday Night Live signing Go Cubs Go with comedian and loyal Cub’s fan, Bill Murray. The Cubs victory song made the Billboard Charts for the first time. The Cubs continued celebrating their victory with a media tour in New York City. Making appearances on morning shows, sports radio, and night talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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The Cubs plan to visit the White House. However it’s unclear if they’ll make the trip while Obama is still in office or when newly elected president, Donald Trump, comes into term. The Cub’s president, Theo Epstein, publically supported presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Epstein said he’s still processing Tuesday’s results. President Obama, being a Chicago native, invited the Cubs to visit the White House before he leaves.

By, Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from Chicago Tribune, ESPN, USA Today, NY Daily News and Billboard.

Photo, Slash Film.

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Cleveland Cavaliers visit the White House

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Marlins Man was absent from game 7 of the World Series Wednesday, because he feared for his safety at Progressive field. This is the first World Series the Marlins man, Laurence Leavy, misses in five years.

Credit, For The Win.

Leavy received death threats earlier this year from Cleveland Indian fans for wearing a Miami Marlins jersey. The incident began when the Marlins Man attended game 6 of the NBA championships in Cleveland. The next day he went to an Indians game and that’s when fans began harassing him.

Leavy is known for wearing an orange Marlins jersey to big sporting events. His decision to not attend any World Series games was a safety concern. He believes Indian fans are still bitter that the Marlins beat them in game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Leavy decided to wear the jersey of Marlins pitcher, Jose Fernandez to honor him after his sudden death in September. He planned to wear Fernandez’s jersey to postseason games for baseball fans to sign his jersey.

Leavy vocalized his concern on social media as to why he could not attend the World Series. He said it just takes one person to ruin his life. Indian fans said to Leavy, they wish they had a gun or knife to use on him. After receiving numerous threat, the Marlins man changed his settings on twitter to where only those he follows can direct message him. He was unable to witness, in person, the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series after a 108-year drought.

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By Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from The Score and The Miami Herald.

Photo, For The Win.

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Baseball fans help a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan attend game three of the World Series this week.

Credit, Sunny934.

It’s been 71 years since the Cubs have played in a World Series and 108 years since they’ve won the World Series. Cubs fan Jim Schlegel, 97, attended the last World Series game the Cubs played in 1945. He watched the Cubs play the Detroit Tigers in game six and seven at Wrigley Field. Schlegel is a World War II veteran and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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His granddaughter made a website to raise money for him to go to the World Series. Local news coverage in Chicago helped spread the word. CNBC’s Marcus Lemonis from the show, The Profit donated two tickets to Schlegel. The profits from Schlegel fundraiser will now go to The Purple Heart Foundation. Schlegel got to sit front row at Wrigley Field as the Cubs played the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

By Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from New England Sports Network, Chicago Tribune, and Go Fund Me.

Photo, Sunny 94.3.

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VALLEY VILLAGE, CA – Presidential candidate Donald Trump called the National Football League’s concussion rule soft in comparison to a woman who fainted and then left his rally. She returned to the rally after recovering in Florida on Wednesday.

Credit,  University of West Florida.

Trump said she was out cold and now she’s back. He also said that his people are tough and they don’t go by the new and softer NFL rules.

The National Football League is trying to fix the stigma connected to its rules on head injuries and players. In 2009 the NFL enforced a league-mandated concussion protocol. This protocol requires teams to remove players from the game if they’re showing signs of a concussion. The NFL recently joined an agreement with the players association to fine teams that don’t follow the concussion protocol.

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Trump’s comments about the NFL didn’t resonate with some athletes. New York Jets safety Calvin Pryor said Trump’s comments were sickening. New York Giants tight-end Larry Donnell said let Trump should get hit before he criticizes the concussion rule. Another Jets player Lorenzo Mauldin said that Trump hasn’t gone through that pain of a concussion. Pryor also said the NFL is very serious and for Trump to say that isn’t good.

By, Mabelynn Capeluj.

Contributions from CNN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports.

Photo, University of West Florida.

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Support for Trump 

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