'In A Flash, She Was Gone': Grieving Father Said Fentanyl Poisoning Is Killing Children

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning. It's Sunday, Nov. 14, which means you have one more day to relax, watch your favorite sport on TV and catch up on the latest news before the work week begins.

Here are some stories of interest Patch is following:

• The National Guard has been called up as Kenosha, Wisconsin, awaits the verdict on the racial justice protest murders.
• An Orange County district attorney is pursuing murder charges for fentanyl dealers.
• Olympic gold medalist and St. Paul native Suni Lee said she was pepper-sprayed in a racist attack in Los Angeles in October.
• Fans pay tribute to the dolphin star of the movie, "Dolphin Tale."
• Coronavirus hot spots may be a harbinger of things to come.

National Guard On Standby For Rittenhouse Verdict

About 500 Wisconsin National Guard troops will be on standby near Kenosha when the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial is announced, Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday.

The announcement comes after the defense rested its case on Thursday after eight days of testimony from both sides in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused of killing two people and injuring another person during racial justice protests in Kenosho, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020. Closing arguments are expected to begin Monday and jury deliberations would follow.

Rittenhouse, 18, could face life in prison if a jury finds him guilty of first-degree intentional homicide. >>National Guard On Standby For Rittenhouse Verdict: Evers, Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant, Wisconsin, Patch

Related: Rittenhouse Trial: Judge In Favor Of 1 Lesser Charge

Rittenhouse Trial: Judge In Favor Of 1 Lesser Charge

It's Officially Christmas

You know the Christmas season is officially here when the giant Christmas tree arrives in Rockefeller Center.

This year's tree was installed on Saturday, ahead of its lighting on Dec. 1. The 79-foot-tall Norway spruce was cut down on Thursday in Elkton, Maryland, where it stood for about 85 years in a family's yard. >>2021 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrives: What To Know, Midtown-Hell's Kitchen, New York, Patch

Children Dying From Fentanyl Poisoning

Led by a Temecula, California, father whose daughter died, parents in Orange County, California, have persuaded the district attorney to pursue murder charges against drug dealers who sell the deadly opioid.

Fentanyl is often cut with more expensive drugs like cocaine and heroin. As a result, unsuspecting drug users are overdosing throughout the country.

The Orange County coroner's office currently has 450 deaths awaiting toxicology reports. The district attorney believes nearly all the deaths were the result of fentanyl overdoses.

"In a flash, she was gone," said Temecula dad Matt Capelouto who lost his 20-year-old daughter to fentanyl poisoning. >>Riverside County Poisoning Death Helps Spark Change In OC, Temecula, California Patch

Olympic Gold Medalist Victim Of Racist Attack

Olympic gold medalist and St. Paul native Suni Lee said she was pepper-sprayed in a racist attack in Los Angeles in October.

Lee and fellow Asian friends were waiting for an Uber ride when a car drove by with occupants yelling racial slurs. One of the passengers sprayed Lee's arm with pepper spray. >>Olympian Suni Lee: I Was Pepper-Sprayed In Racist Attack, St. Paul, Minnesota, Patch

Fans Around World Mourn Dolphin's Death

A 16-year-old dolphin who was an inspiration to children around the world is being mourned after succumbing to a gastrointestinal infection.

Winter the dolphin, who lived at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida, starred as herself in the Warner Brothers movie, "Dolphin Tale," also starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman.

The film tells Winter's real-life survival story after being discovered entangled in a crab trap and losing her tale as a result of her injuries. This led a team of veterinarians and prosthetic engineers to develop the world's first prosthetic dolphin tale to allow her to swim normally. >>Winter The Dolphin's Death Mourned By Fans, Aquarium Staff, Clearwater, Florida, Patch

Related: Fisherman Recalls The Day He Found Winter Caught In A Crab Trap

A Special Delivery

Although she's been a dispatcher for 32 years, this was a first for Trisha Ames of San Ramon Valley, California.

She helped to deliver a baby, and what made the experience all the sweeter was it was the baby of a San Ramon Valley firefighter. After helping to deliver Baby Cruz Herendeen by phone, Ames said she was thrilled to finally meet the little guy at the fire station along with the mom she helped during this life-changing moment. << San Ramon Valley Fire Dispatcher Meets Baby She Helped Deliver, via San Ramon Patch

Coronavirus Hot Spots Could Signal Surge

While the soaring national COVID-19 rates following the introduction of the delta variant over the summer have subsided, health experts say coronavirus hot spots around the county could be a prelude to the emergence of a new delta variant.

In recent days, a Vermont college halted social gatherings, a Boston elementary school was shut down and hospitals in New Mexico and Colorado are overwhelmed with new cases.

"It's hard to know what's coming next with this virus," said Lisa Marr, a leading researcher on the airborne spread of the coronavirus at Virginia Tech. "We thought we knew, but delta really surprised us. We thought the vaccine would help end this, but things are still dragging on. It's hard to know what's going to happen next." >>COVID-19 Hot Spots A Sign Of What Could Be Ahead For U.S., Across America Patch

Around 'The Patch'

• Mickey Mouse Is A Runner Up For Mayor Of Hoboken, NJ, Hoboken, New Jersey, Patch
• 3 California Students Share Breakfast With Secretary Of The Navy, Temecula, California, Patch
• California Students Raise $27K For Terminally Ill Librarian, San Ramon, California, Patch
• New Jersey Will Transform Old Railway Into Huge 'Greenway' For Hiking, Biking, Bloomfield, New Jersey, Patch
• LeBron James' Son Copies Iconic Photo In Sierra Canyon Uniform Northridge-Chatsworth, California, Patch

House Hunting

For all those people whose parents asked if they were raised in a barn, here's your chance for a great comeback.

Located in Greenwich, Connecticut, this "barn" is selling for a cool $11 million. Designed by world-renown architect Deborah Berke, the rural residence on the historic 11-acre Conyers Farm has six bedrooms, six full and three half bathrooms and three wood-burning fireplaces. >>WOW House: Rural Solitude Meets High Design In Greenwich, Greenwich, Connecticut Patch

This Day In History

On Nov. 14, 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges began attending William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, becoming the youngest of a group of African American students to integrate schools in the American South.

Find Your Patch

Patch is in more than 1,000 communities across America. Find your community and see what's happening outside your front door.