'I Knew I Had To Do It': Woman Saves Kids From Frigid Water

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Thursday, Jan. 13. If you’ve made a trip to the grocery store recently, you may notice the shelves are a little more bare than usual. There’s a reason for that — several of them, actually — which we’ll get to in a moment. First, here’s a look at some other headlines we’re following today:

• If anyone was going to save three children from drowning, it was 23-year-old Dusti Talavera.
• The American Red Cross is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade.
• Dozens have been sickened with salmonella infections tied to pet bearded dragons.
• A Miami school says it won’t teach the “mainstream narrative” about COVID-19.

From inside her Denver apartment, Dusti Talavera saw tragedy unfolding around 3:30 p.m. Sunday: Three children in a group playing on an icy pond crashed through and plunged into the icy water.

There were no adults around. If anyone was going to save the children, it was going to have to be her, the 23-year-old said Monday at a news conference.

"Nobody was outside," she said. "It was me. I knew it was me that had to do it."

She pulled two kids — a 4-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy — from the icy water — before the ice gave way and she fell into the 15-foot-deep pond herself. In the end, Talavera saved all three children from almost certain death. »Woman Sees 3 Kids Fall Through Ice, Rushes Outside To Save Them, via Denver Patch

Grocery Shelves Are Empty Again

It's a sight oddly reminiscent of the coronavirus pandemic's early days. People in search of items such as cat food, heavy whipping cream, chicken breast and even cream cheese are heading to the grocery only to find shelves empty. This time, however, shortages are being caused by a combination of factors including the fast-spreading omicron coronavirus variant and severe weather. Changing demand and consumer behavior also play a role. »U.S. Grocery Store Shelves Are Empty. Here's What's Behind It, via Across America Patch

U.S. Faces Blood Shortage ‘Crisis’

Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, the American Red Cross is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade as omicron variant cases surge in cities across the country. In a statement released Tuesday, the Red Cross called the shortage a "national blood crisis" that's forcing doctors to delay life-saving treatments for those in need. »Red Cross Declares Blood Shortage 'Crisis.' Here's How To Donate, via Across America Patch

Bearded Dragons Tied To Outbreak

More than 40 people in 25 states have been sickened with salmonella infections tied to pet bearded dragons, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Fifteen of the salmonella cases were serious enough to require hospitalization. »Bearded Dragons Culprit In Salmonella Outbreak In 25 States: CDC, via Across America Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

• White House Pledges 10M COVID Tests A Month To Keep Kids In Class
• Photos: The Body Of Sen. Harry Reid Lies In State At U.S. Capitol
• U.S. Inflation Soared 7% In Past Year, The Most Since 1982
• Army Enlistment Bonus Rises To $50K As COVID-19 Takes Toll
• Senate Votes To Honor Emmett Till And His Mother
• Giuffre's Prince Andrew Suit Goes Ahead Despite Epstein Deal
• Pentatonix Singer Ties The Knot In Gorgeous Malibu Ceremony
• SAG Awards Nominees Announced

Around ‘The Patch’

A 2-year-old boy and a pair of 5-year-old girls are among 17 people who died in a tragic apartment fire in the Bronx borough of New York City on Sunday. »Bronx Fire Claimed Lives Of Seven Children, Police Say, via New York City Patch

It's not every little girl across the pond from London who catches Her Majesty's attention. But it's not every little girl who so perfectly nails Queen Elizabeth II's signature style. »Who Wore It Better? Queen Elizabeth II Or This Little Darling?, via Across America Patch

More local news:

• Pittsburgh-Area Dentist Killed Wife On Safari: Indictment, via Pittsburgh Patch
• ‘Mainstream Narrative’ On COVID-19 Won’t Be Taught By Anti-Vaccine Miami Private School, via Miami Patch
• A Glance, Then Grim Truth For Brother Of Bronx Fire Victim, via New York City Patch
• Dad Charged With Murder After Infant Daughter's Death, via Mahwah, New Jersey, Patch
• Massachusetts Hospital Nurse: 'We're Burnt Out', via Weymouth, Massachusetts, Patch
• NJ Pizza Spot Gets Nearly Perfect, Rare Review By Barstool Founder, via Bridgewater Patch
• Waukesha Christmas Parade: New Charges Filed Against Suspect, via Waukesha Patch
• RI's COVID-19 Rate Tops 20%, Hospitalizations Near 2020 Peak, via Cranston, Rhode Island, Patch
• Library Staff Hand Out Entire Allotment Of Antigen Self Tests In 5 Minutes, via Reston, Virginia, Patch

House Hunting

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This Day In History

In 1968, American singer and songwriter Johnny Cash recorded the album “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison” in front of an audience of some 2,000 inmates at California's Folsom Prison.

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