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Siblings Mark and Lexy spent four years in foster care, but that all changed when they came to stay with Tom and Debra Crittenden. Now, the Georgia family has been together for two years.“The stars were aligned for us to adopt Mark and Lexy. They were literally the only kids we ever fostered; the only kids we ever met in the process," Tom Crittenden said. "So, it kind of seemed like they’re our kids."However, an adoption story like this one is not very common. Most people want to adopt babies, and at the ages of 15 and 17, Mark and Lexy almost aged out of the foster care system.Kimberly Offutt is the National Foster Care Adoption Director with Bethany Christian Services. She says the doors to the foster care system close to children once they reach the age of 18 leaving them in a very vulnerable position.“More than 10 percent of the kids who age out of foster care haven’t even graduated from high school," Offutt said. "Within two to three years, those children could end up homeless, incarcerated, where another system is now raised in them. Seven out of 10 of the young women actually have children that end up back in the foster care system."According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the longer a child is in foster care, the less likely they are to leave it before turning 18. “Our teenagers recognize that the clock is literally ticking. Every birthday is not a celebration. It is another year that they recognize, ‘if I don’t find a forever family, what’s going to happen to me,’” Offutt said.Offutt says a majority of U.S. children in foster care are between the ages of eight and 14, and the number of children in foster care continues to rise. The only hope in changing that statistic comes from families willing to take a leap like the Crittendens.“It’s just such a shame because it’s such a hindrance for these kids who age out of the system and don’t have that support network. Not just to get them through high school and college or whatever, but for the rest of their life,” Tom Crittenden said.The Crittendens say they understand people’s hesitation to adopt a teenager, but they believe you can still have a large impact on their lives. “We’re not bad. People always stereotype us saying that we have trouble and that we’re bad and stuff and how we’re like disobedient, and that’s not the case," Lexy said. "It’s actually what our parents did. That’s why we’re in foster care. Most of us are in foster care for what our parents did. Not for what we did."Thankfully, Mark and Lexy were able to stay together in their adoptive family.“Without siblings, ya know, we couldn’t really have that much fun. Because your parents are older than you, so having a close sibling is good,” Mark said.They’ve been given a new start with a new family. Debra says she loves introducing the kids to new experiences they’ve never had before.“We’ve taken them on trips. We were with them the first time they ever got on an airplane. We took them over to see the Grand Canyon and Sedona and ended up in Vegas," Debra Crittenden said. "And then, we took them out of the country to see the Caribbean about a month ago. So that’s fun, watching them experience new things that they wouldn’t have had access to."Mark and Lexy say they’d like to see other foster kids have the same opportunity.“To find someone that actually cares for them. To let them know that they are loved,” Mark said.There are 125,000 foster kids still waiting to be adopted.“If not you, who? If not now, when?” Offutt said. 3532

Sprouts Farmers Market is recalling its Frozen Cut Leaf Spinach due to listeria concerns. The recall affects both the regular and organic 16-ounce bags.According to the 181

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Indiana parents of a toddler who fell to her death out of an open cruise ship window in Puerto Rico filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Royal Caribbean Cruises, accusing the company of negligence by allowing the window to be opened.Chloe Wiegand fell to her death in July after her grandfather lifted her to the window on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas ship while the vessel docked. She would have turned 2 this week."We should be celebrating with presents and a birthday cake, but instead we are talking about her death," Chloe's mother, Kim Wiegand of Granger, Indiana, told reporters at a news conference in nearby South Bend.She said she spends time with her daughter's urn every night.Chloe's grandfather, Salvatore Anello, has been charged in Puerto Rico with negligent homicide. He insists he's colorblind and didn't know the 11th floor window in the children's play area was open. He said he believed he was lifting Chloe so that she could bang on the glass like at a hockey game.The lawsuit says the company violated industry standards by failing to provide reasonably safe windows in an area where children play on the ship.The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Miami. It seeks an unspecified financial award. Royal Caribbean didn't immediately reply to an email seeking comment."We all sit here broken," Anello said Wednesday. "But our family is strong and we will stay strong together."Anello is due in a Puerto Rico court on Dec. 17. 1511

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Fire Rescue is on scene after a gas line explosion injured two people at Raymond James Stadium.The explosion happened just after 2 p.m. on Thursday at the facility.Tampa Fire dispatchers said that at least two injuries have been reported.Reporters for Scripps affiliate WFTS in Tampa witnessed ambulances leaving the scene with sirens activated.The explosion occurred near a concession area of the stadium. 438

Richie Flores is a lead blind ambassador for the Blind Café. He guides an experience where people sit and eat in complete pitch-black darkness. "The first 15 minutes are always the most challenging for folks, so just know the longer you can hold out and work with us on it, it gets better, OK?" Flores says.Although Flores hosts events across the nation, his group today is with first-generation students, the first in their family to go to college.Before heading into the dark room, the students anticipate what to expect. "I'm anxious that I don't know what's ahead of me, but I'm excited for this experience," one student says."Not too comfortable in pitch darkness," another student expresses.The Blind Cafe is a national organization staffed by people who are either blind or visually impaired, since they already know how to navigate the world without sight. Flores says he lost his eyesight to cancer at the age of 3. But for the guests, it’s an eye opener and a path to better communication skills. "I really like the vulnerability that people show in the dark, and the community that it brings together," says Casey Papp with the Blind Cafe. "We create a safe container for people to feel uncomfortable.""Sometimes out in the visual world, we come in with judgments and choose not to talk," Flores says. "And when you're in the dark, and you're having to use your words, you have to talk and have to communicate."With hands on each other's shoulders, the students walk in."The moment you walk in, it's like a whole different world," one student says, while in complete darkness."I get really claustrophobic, so I'm feeling that," another student says.For 15 minutes, the students touch and taste different foods in front of them. Some say they can’t tell the difference between a cherry tomato and a grape. Others say their eyes want to focus on something, but they never do. After some time and reflection, the lesson suddenly becomes clear."Most people they walk out of the dark with something that they didn't have going in, or a different perspective, or some piece of themselves that they didn't realize they weren't in touch with," Papp says.Eventually, they're back into what's familiar as they walk out of the room."When you're in darkness, you experience a whole new sense of who you are, and what you can become. I just really let it flow, and let my emotions run through," one student says of the experience."That's what we're doing for college. Just kind of going into it blindly, not knowing what's going to happen or what to expect, but just knowing that it will hopefully make us a better person after and make us stronger," another student says.Flores says the experience isn't a simulation on blindness or an empathy program."It's all about creating community through empowering communication, the enjoyment and what that brings to your soul, and also what music brings to your soul," Flores says.Sometimes all it takes is a new outlook on life to change your mindset and move forward with positivity."Be proud of who you are, your culture, your language, your identities... and just keep going," Flores says. 3147