Woman rescues stranger from oncoming train

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The driver of a 1997 Nissan Altima and the engineer behind an oncoming Amtrak train crossed paths Tuesday in the Ortega area; it was an impending disaster.

"You could hear the Amtrak train," said Annette Brown, "I said 'Oh my God.'"

But to Brown, it was where faith met destiny.

"I was saying to her 'get out of the car,'" said Brown, "but she said 'but my car.'" "That's when I screamed 'get out of the car!'" 

Brown, on her way to NAS Jacksonville, got stuck behind the Nissan which was stopped on the railroad tracks.

"There were so many citizens who went around this lady and did nothing to get her off of the train tracks," she said.

Brown said she went around as well but once on the other side stopped and help.

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Man pleads guilty to slitting Bears fan's throat

 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The man accused of killing a Chicago Bears fan at the Jacksonville Landing last October pleaded guilty to second degree murder Tuesday morning.

Prosecutors say Matthew Hinson, 28, used a knife to slit the throat of 42-year-old William Pettry after the two got into an argument at Fionn MacCool's Irish Pub and Restaurant.  

Judge Suzanne Bass set Hinson's sentencing for May 28 and Hinson faces 20 years to life in prison.

Witnesses told police Hinson may have been angered after seeing Pettry and a friend talking to Hinson's wife and one of her friends.

Police said Hinson put the bloody knife in his pocket after the incident and walked out of the restaurant.

 

Financial help available to help feed your pet

JACKSONVILLE,Fla. -- Nika Williams, 24, earns less than $15,000 a year, and loves her pets.

Williams said given her small income, the decision of when to buy pet food for her four pets gets difficult.

"It does get expensive," she said.

So she buys the cheapest food she can find and the smallest bags; the tight economy has placed many pet owners in a similar position. 

"The need is great. Everyday, animals get turned in to our local shelters because people can't take care of their pets anymore, let alone their children," said Diane Wiles.

Wiles is with First Coast No More Homeless pets and said in 2010, they saw an increase in cases where pet owners gave up their pets.

"A lot of people were surrendering their pets because they couldn't feed them anymore," said Wiles.

SabreCats coach charged after Sharks game fight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- San Jose SabreCats defensive coordinator Cedric Walker was arrested and charged with battery after a post game brawl with 68-year-old Jacksonville Sharks general manager Ronald Johnson. 

The fight ended with Johnson being taken to the hospital after Walker slammed Johnson into a wall twice according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. 

The altercation began in the hallway near the locker rooms after an Arena League football game between the SabreCats and Sharks Saturday night.

Two Sharks cheerleaders were exiting their locker room when the SabreCats' owner confronted them about being on the field.

Laura Bouchy, co-owner of the Sharks, intervened and a verbal argument ensued. Due to the argument, several memebers and staff of the Sabrecats exited their locker room and intervened.

According to the arrest report, Johnson entered the argument to protect Bouchy from verbal assaults.

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Mayor Brown strives to increase graduation rates

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown called for more support Monday to raise graduation rates for city students.

Right now, the mayor said only 25% of people older than 25 have a college diploma.

Brown said one of his top priorities is to get that percentage closer to 50%.

He said higher graduation rates will lead to a lot fewer problems across the entire city.

"When we close the education gap, we will close the opportunity gap, and when you close the opportunity gap, you close the economic gap, and when you close the economic gap, you close the crime gap," he said.

To achieve his goal, Brown called on better recruitment efforts of tutors and mentors.

He said more help needs to be available to kids at an earlier age, and he said there needs to be support for high school graduates who do not pursue college.

"This will make us more competitive in the global job market," Brown said.

Parent: Son is 'trapped' by school bullying

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- David Thompson, 43, is a protective father concerned about the impact bullying has had on his 12-year-old son.

"He's always looking behind his shoulders, that's why he hates going to school," said Thompson.

Thompson said he's been trying to get the problem resolved and his family feels trapped by the situation.

"I don't know how to deal with this," he said. 

He has written email after email to the school, Twin Lakes Academy Middle, asking for help.

"My son has been dealing with it for three months and he can't get any resolution," he said.

Thompson, a retired combat engineer, suffers PTSD and in a recent meeting with school officials, after his son was elbowed in the neck, he lost it.

"When it went from verbal to physical I told the cop I want to press charges and I was told 'you can't press charges,'" he said.

Resident shoots home intruder in Jacksonville

MAYPORT, Fla. -- Cypress Cove was a quiet working class neighborhood in the Mayport community until Thursday morning when a gunshot rang out.

Alex Damiani lives on Cypress Landing Drive, a few houses from the crime scene and said she was scared.

"I had just left the house and as soon as I left, this happened. It could have been me at home," she said. 

About 8:50 a.m. Thursday, police received a call about a burglary in progress. When they arrived, it had become a homicide scene.

"It appears that the homeowner shot an intruder," said Sgt. Michael Paul. 

Paul said the suspect was carrying a bag of backpack and was dead on the floor in the house.