News

A popular Wisconsin news anchor took her own life ... after sending texts to a friend and her ex-fiancé, revealing the pain she was going through right before she shot herself.

27-year-old Neena Pacholke killed herself in Wausau, WI last month ... in the home she and her ex, Kyle Haase, purchased together back in July.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops were dispatched to their residence after getting a call from a friend to do a welfare check -- claiming Neena was "making suicidal comments via text message."

Her text read, "He [Kyle] told me he hates me and will feel like a million bucks once I am out of his life."

She also sent a last text to Kyle -- who broke things off with Neena just 7 weeks before their wedding -- saying, "I`m so sorry to do this to you but I can't handle any of this pain anymore."

Police arrived at her home, heard a noise, followed by the sound of something falling. By the time they entered, Neena had already shot herself in the head with a handgun. Cops found a receipt showing she bought the weapon 90 minutes before killing herself.

Her Google searches the night before also showed her looking up ways to end her life.

Pacholke played point guard at USF from 2013 to 2016. The school's women's basketball team said following her death last month that it was heartbroken over her passing.

Whoever said "necessity is the mother of invention" probably wasn't thinking about TV reporters putting condoms up to their mouths in the middle of a hurricane ... but, yeah, that's a thing now!

NBC's Kyla Galer is practicing safe reporting down in Florida as Hurricane Ian roars across the state -- proudly, and gently we're sure, rolling out latex protection for her microphones while out in the field.

As Kyla's pointing out to curious viewers ... "It is what you think it is. It's a condom. We can't get these mics wet ... so, we gotta do what we gotta do."

Translation: No glove, no love live shots from this reporter!

Just to wrap this up ... Kyla's getting pounded in the Naples area, just south of where Ian's eye came onshore Wednesday. She, and tons of other TV reporters, are out in the elements getting whipped by heavy wind and rain -- but a little prophylactic preparation goes a long way.

A Florida weatherman is feeling Twitter's wrath after posting a video of a struggling kitten in Hurricane Ian -- and not being able to bring it to safety -- as conditions in the area continue to worsen and pose life-threatening risks to anyone who dares to go out in the storm.

WINK-TV meteorologist Dylan Federico posted a short clip of the kitten outside the Fort Myers TV station clinging to a bench with water and wind thrashing all around it. Federico's caption read, "Storm surge is rising rapidly outside WINK News. A kitten is on the bench trying to escape the water. The doors are locked but we're trying to get the kitten inside."

More than an hour passed without an update on the kitten from Federico ... and his followers got PISSED.

One Twitter user wrote, "Less filming, more saving. If the water ain’t as high as a bench, you sure as heck can go out there and get that baby." Another said, "bro, save the cat! For the love of god!"

Dylan eventually deleted the post -- and the anger on social media continued. Another person wrote, "You may have deleted the video but none of us will ever forgive you. Cowardly, cruel and inhumane."

Finally, a couple hours after the video first went up, Federico Tweeted, "Right after the video was posted we attempted to get to the cat but it swam in a different direction out of view. I waited to post an update in hopes we could grab it. Please take your companions with you when you evacuate."

What's more, a source with direct knowledge tells us staffers were given strict instructions to stay inside the building as conditions continue to worsen and going outside could prove deadly.

On a better note ... one video showed a dog and a kitten rescued from a sailboat Wednesday while the storm hammered boats in a harbor.

Weather Channel reporter Mike Seidel looks like he deserves a raise -- he's working on the ground, in the winds of a category 4 hurricane ... and the videos are scary.

Mike threw on a rain jacket and trudged out into the thick of Hurricane Ian as the storm's eyewall made landfall Wednesday on Florida's Gulf coast ... and as you can see, the 84 MPH wind gusts are giving him a hard time.

With Ian's wind and rain bearing down on him and waves crashing at his feet, Mike admits live on the air he and his crew are getting hammered by the storm ... but the show goes on.

Mike's still out in this mess ... doing more live shots even as Hurricane Ian intensifies for folks in the Fort Myers area.

The wind is only going to pick up, and the water will continue to rise ... but so far, it looks like Mike can handle whatever comes his way.

These Florida men, who decided to go swimming off a pier in the area, also seem to think they can handle the storm. We're not as sure about their safety as we are Mike's.

Navy SEALs are apparently using performance-enhancing drugs en masse -- a phenomenon under the microscope after a recent death -- and now ... the branch is cracking down.

This all came under increased scrutiny after 24-year-old SEAL trainee Kyle Mullen died suddenly earlier this year while he was participating in the training program ... specifically, during Hell Week, where would-be SEALs are put through extreme conditions.

While Mullen's mother denies her son was on any type of steroid/PED that could've adversely affected his health -- paraphernalia found in his car shortly after his death has caused concern among Navy brass, spurring them to request more testing to detect this stuff.

There's a list of banned substances -- including PEDs -- that the Navy doesn't want its recruits using ... even though, in reality, it seems many of them are. Mullen's mother told CNN that her son relayed this to her while he was alive ... that more often than not, prospective SEALs were juicing up for competitive advantages in the elite program.

Officials believe this problem goes beyond just human growth hormone, BTW -- the PED problem is said to be rampant and wide-ranging ... which is obviously worrying, seeing how much this stuff has been found to be bad for the average person's health, increasing heart rate and blood pressure levels beyond normal -- and that can lead to death.

After Mullen's death, other cadets were ordered to undergo urinalysis to test for PEDs, but the Navy wants blood testing approved (and funded) because they believe this issue needs to be weeded out and strictly forbidden.

A Naval senior officer told CNN ... there is "beyond a reasonable doubt that a significant portion of the candidate population is utilizing a wide range of performance-enhancing drugs."

It's not every day you can wakeboard in the street ... so when the weather from Hurricane Ian caused a huge flood, a Florida man was there with his board!

A bystander in Marathon, Florida caught the performance on video ... where a pickup truck,  submerged in water, pulled the wakeboarder through the flooded streets.

There were even spectators there ... cheering on the wakeboarder.

Even though it looks fun (heck, is fun), Hurricane Ian is no joke. The storm could bring 155 MPH winds when it slams into Florida on Wednesday, according to Weather.com.

Last week, Hurricane Ian struck the Cayman Islands and Cuba, leaving at least 2 people dead in Cuba and millions without power.

This is the second major hurricane of the 2022 season.

Several sporting events in Florida, and even South Carolina, have been postponed due to the severe weather, including UCF's game, originally scheduled for Saturday game, that's been moved to Sunday.

As of now, the Buccaneers-Chiefs game is still on for Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, but an NFL spokesman said the league is "monitoring the storm and continuing to talk to both teams."

The 56-year-old Utah mom carrying her son's baby says while the pregnancy brings the potential for health risks, there's been a lot of love and peace through the whole process.

Nancy Hauck and her daughter-in-law, Cambria, joined TMZ Live Friday to talk about the unique family dynamic as they patiently await the arrival of the new baby girl. Nancy's carrying her son, Jeff, and his wife Cambria's baby after a life-saving hysterectomy left Cambria unable to support a pregnancy.

Nancy tells us she's the one who volunteered to carry the embryo, and at first, she didn't even think it was medically possible.

Nancy and Cambria said a lot of research and advice went into the decision, and so far everything is going smoothly ... both Nancy and baby are healthy. Doctors cautioned the family that at Nancy's age there's more risk of hypertension and gestational diabetes, but everything is clear.

One thing Nancy and Cambria both echo, there's been a lot of peace and love through the whole thing ... and they're excited to welcome the baby girl into the world, and let her know the unique story of how she came to be.

A Los Angeles TV anchorman just got the boot for going ballistic against management -- on the air -- after his co-anchor was not allowed to say so long to viewers after she resigned.

Mark Mester had been suspended earlier this week, but KTLA decided what he did warranted termination.

Mester was pissed off that co-anchor Lynette Romero, whom Mester called his "best friend," told management she was leaving after 24 years to anchor at another station and management didn't allow her to have an on-air goodbye.

Producers had reportedly written a segment for Mester to read as tribute to Lynette, but he refused, instead, Mester groused, "I want to start off right now by offering up an apology to you [Lynette]. I love you so much, you literally are my best friend. You did not deserve what happened to you."

Mester was not done, calling the move rude, cruel and inappropriate.

He also told viewers a plane was flying over KTLA with a banner that read, "We love you Lynette." The plane was chartered by Mester, according to the L.A. Times.

Apparently, Lynette was willing to stay if she could anchor weeknights instead of weekends, but the station wouldn't budge and that's why she left.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is giving the younger generation something they've probably never seen before -- an extremely detailed look at Neptune and its rings, which hasn't been captured this clearly in over 3 decades.

NASA released the high-res snapshot of the ice giant Wednesday ... showing off a crisp view of the planet's multiple rings -- and even its faint dust bands, too.

Some of the rings haven't been spotted since Voyager 2 first observed Neptune in 1989. Shining bright above the planet is Triton, one of Neptune's 14 known moons.

Heidi Hammel, a Neptune system expert and scientist for Webb, says this isn't just breaking ground for the visual of the rings -- "this is the first time we've seen them in infrared."

In fact, the infrared cameras are the exact reason why the planet isn't coming up blue in the pics -- looking a little different to die-hard fans of our Solar System's 8th planet.

This telescope is no joke -- as we reported, it's been giving us great looks at our universe and beyond this year. NASA showed off its capabilities in true form in July, giving everyone a clear view of the Southern Ring planetary nebula (NGC 3132) and its two stars.

We also got a look at 5 galaxies known as Stephan’s Quintet, which NASA describes as colliding galaxies that are "pulling and stretching each other in a gravitational dance."

A meteorologist is looking to clear the air about why he got canned from his job ... saying it's all about what he did on a webcam site that's extremely NSFW.

Two-time Emmy nominee Erick Adame took to Instagram Monday to address his recent termination ... saying he wants to share his truth, "rather than let others control the narrative of my life."

He says he secretly appeared on an adult webcam website while still being employed with Spectrum News NY1 ... stating he acted out his "compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men."

Erick claims the interactions were "100% consensual" ... noting he didn't make any money for the things he did on camera.

He goes on to apologize to his employers at Spectrum, who eventually found out about his actions ... as well as his audience, family, friends, and coworkers for any embarrassment he's caused.

He makes it clear, though -- "I don't apologize for being openly gay or for being sex-positive."

He goes on ... "My psychiatrist calls my actions, "compulsive behavior," others would call them reckless, stupid or brazen. I'm not in a position to argue with any of these descriptions."

He gives a final message to potential future employers ... saying "Please judge me on the hundreds, thousands of hours of television that I am so proud of ... not the couple of minutes of salacious video that is probably going to soon define me in out 'click-bait' culture."

Queen Elizabeth made her final voyage to her resting place -- and a who's who of global dignitaries are there to see it for themselves.

The procession kicked off very early Monday morning, with the Royal pallbearers carrying QE2's casket from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey ... where the actual service took place.

The route was obviously lined with people ... as they flocked to glimpse Her Majesty The Queen's casket one last time. King Charles and the rest of the immediate Royal family, including Princes William and Harry, were in tow -- similar to the procession when her body was first brought to the Hall.

The service itself was quite emotional -- King Charles was fighting back tears after adding a bouquet on top of his mother's coffin ... with a note that read "In loving and devoted memory. Charles R."

Upwards of 2,000 people were in attendance, including President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ... among several other European leaders and First Ladies -- including Ukraine's Olena Zelenska.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog was at the funeral, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss was one of the last dignitaries to enter ahead of the service.

Actress Sandra Oh also attended the funeral as part of the Canadian delegation.

Another celebrity that attended the service was Bear Grylls.

Prince Harry and Meghan were seated behind the rest of the royal family -- Harry was not allowed to wear his military uniform at the funeral.

The coffin started heading on a route through much of London after the service was over ... with the ending location at St. George's Chapel within Windsor Castle, where she'll be laid to rest alongside her late husband, Prince Philip.

A private service for the family is expected to take place later Monday evening.

The Queen died 11 days ago, and it's been an extended period of mourning across the pond, with thousands of people coming to pay their respects. There's been vigils held in her honor, by both her children and grandchildren, and some famous faces have stopped by to say goodbye to Her Majesty. Of course, there's been some drama too.

Considering Queen Elizabeth was one of the longest serving monarchs in history -- and was generally beloved by everyone -- the odds of this send-off being grand are pretty good.

Princess Charlotte was seen getting visibly upset during the procession.

QE2 was 96.

A military jet smashed to Earth right in the middle of a race with another jet -- part of an air show in Nevada -- taking one pilot's life and horrifying the onlooking crowd.

The disaster unfolded Sunday at the Reno Air Races ... and you can see the red plane -- an Aero L-29 Delfin -- swiftly lost altitude while racing another jet, and burst into flames upon impact.

Washoe County Sheriffs responded to the scene, later confirming the pilot died as a result of the crash. As for what caused it, the Sherriff's office says an investigation is underway.

The Reno Air Racing Association said it's also gathering info, and shortly after the crash, it suspended the rest of the event.

A billion people are watching the Queen's funeral on TV and online, and that's an impressive number for sure ... but more than a million people are right there -- in central London -- to catch a glimpse of her coffin and to say farewell.

It was also the most extensive, complicated law enforcement presence in the Country's history. In addition to crowd control, there's an unprecedented number of foreign leaders on hand to pay respects, including President Biden, Prime Minister Trudeau, President Macron, Prime Minister Truss, and on an on.

Some people waited more than 24 hours to get a good view of the procession, which is snaking around London with pageantry we don't see in the U.S.

Some of the mourners got some shuteye in sleeping bags on the street.

Most people in the crowd are silent ... taking in the moment as the Queen is about to be laid to rest. Many were visibly emotional, wiping away tears as they stood solemnly ... watching the casket go by.

As you know, with 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth was the only Queen most folks there have ever known, so there was a connection unlike with other world leaders, who generally serve limited terms.

Fainting seems to be a reoccurring theme as Queen Elizabeth II gets closer and closer to her final resting place ... because a policeman took a hard fall during Her Majesty's funeral procession.

The officer collapsed Monday morning as the procession passed The Mall in London, near Parliament Square. He began to sway while guards were changing positions, before passing out.

2 other officers rushed to his aid, followed by medics -- he was carried away on a stretcher. His condition is currently unknown.

As we reported, one of the Royal guards took a rough fall at Westminster Hall last week ... landing face-first on the ground while standing guard at the foot of the casket.

He wasn't the only one losing consciousness Wednesday -- 41-year-old Lady Gabriella Windsor, the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, collapsed earlier in the service.

The "Sound of Music" sing-along was fire Saturday night, after a blaze erupted at the Hollywood Bowl.

The fun show had just wrapped and folks were leaving the venue when some palm trees on the grounds caught on fire. The L.A. Fire Dept. was quick to the scene and extinguished it.

For those of you unfamiliar ... Bowl parking is a nightmare, so it's kinda scary to sit in your car in lanes that aren't moving, knowing there's a fire on the grounds.

What's more, some of the lanes were closed off so fire trucks could make their way to the blaze.

The Fire Dept. said the blaze was "stubborn" ... i.e., not easy to extinguish.

The only things damaged were vegetation, and no one was injured.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is flexing his pick-me muscles after challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis to a debate -- so much so, it's sad ... at least according to a dude famous for calling elections.

Political analyst and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver -- who once correctly predicted the presidential outcomes in nearly all 50 states in the '08/'12 elections -- had some harsh words for Newsom Friday ... this after GN threw down the proverbial gauntlet against DeSantis.

After Dan Rather floated the idea -- Newsom piggybacked ... "Hey @GovRonDeSantis, clearly you're struggling, distracted, and busy playing politics with people’s lives. Since you have only one overriding need -- attention --let's take this up & debate. I’ll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray. Name the time before Election Day. @CNN."

The hair gel thing is in response to a crack RDS made about Newsom asking the DOJ to investigate the Martha's Vineyard stunt (more on that later) ... the Gov. clearly registered it.

Enter Silver ... whose political hot takes get noticed, and this one was no exception. He blasted Newsom, writing -- "Hard to think of more of a pot-calling-the-kettle-black situation than Gavin Newsom calling someone else attention-starved. Like DeSantis, he's trying to run a 2024 (presidential) campaign while dozens of his colleagues are in tight midterm races."

The dude's getting dragged for seemingly coming out in defense of DeSantis/on the attack against Newsom -- but on the issue of trying to soak in the spotlight and frame himself as a natural foil to the Florida Gov. ... Silver is not really wrong about Newsom here.

As we've seen over the past few months, Newsom has gone out of his way to troll DeSantis ... and has often name-dropped him in an effort to slam his policies in his state. Some political pundits say Newsom's ramping up for a presidential run -- and apparently thinks DeSantis will too, wanting to set the narrative early in a would-be matchup in 2024.

Of course, this latest dustup between them stems from a wild episode this week -- when Govs. DeSantis and Abbott dumped planes and busloads of Venezuelan migrants at both Martha's Vineyard and VP Kamala Harris' D.C. residence ... just to make a political point.

Those moves are now being labeled as outright kidnapping and human trafficking -- or at the very least ... using real people as pawns to score cheap headlines and outrage points.