25 June 2026
H.I.T.s - Redux
The limited amount of news I collected this week wasn’t very “S.H.I.T”ty. And much of it consists of updates on prior news or things occurring that are similar to other things I’ve been reporting on.
Two more in UFC White House attack plot arrested
The DOJ announced on Monday that two more men have been arrested in the plot to attack the UFC event at the White House on June 14: William Lee Spartacus Falkner (age 21) of Belfair, Washington was arrested on Friday; Jordan W. Rincker (age 28) of St. Joseph, Missouri was arrested on Sunday.
Falkner, who had a Nevada drivers license—despite apparently living with his grandmother in Washington—appears to have been the main conspirator working on obtaining drones for the plot, and he claimed he could operate up to 40 drones at a time. He also discussed places from which ballistic shells could be stolen to use as the drones’ payload. After Falkner learned that the gig was up, he told another Instagram user: “We didn’t trust my boss to do this right going into everything. We all felt something was going wrong. Good news is I’m still being paid.” It is not yet clear who would be paying him. There is very little about Falkner’s social media content that suggests he had anything but left-wing views.
Authorities allege that Rincker met in person with Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez in Omaha, where Rincker “traded” a shotgun and ammo for an assortment of equipment that included body armor and a 3D printer, supposedly for making drone parts. Those items, along with four firearms, were found in his home and storage unit. It is also alleged that Alvarez gave Rincker $1,200 in cash, which he was then supposed to distribute to other conspirators; apparently he sent $100 via CashApp to Bryan Omar Roa as “gas money” to get to D.C.; Roa was supposed to pick up a “drone operator” along the way. (Note that Roa turned back, when his car supposedly broke down.) Rincker told an investigator that he wasn’t going to use the 3D printer he’d been given to make drones, but instead planned to “make and sell crafts.”
Prairieland rioters given maximum sentences
In March, nine members of the Antifa group that rioted at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas last 4th of July were convicted—eight of Riot, Providing Material Support to Terrorists, and other charges relating to carrying explosives (in this case, fireworks). The group’s acknowledged leader, Benjamin Song, was also convicted of Attempted Murder and several related firearms charges as a result of his use of a trigger-modified AR-15-style rifle to shoot at three officers, striking one of them—an Alvarado Police Officer—in the neck. One of the rioters and a ninth person who was not present at the riot were convicted of charges related to concealing documents.
Now, eight of those people have been sentenced to the maximum penalty allowed by law. Benjamin Song was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada, who was only involved with concealing documents, was sentenced to 30 years. Maricela Rueda, the rioter who was also involved with concealing documents, was sentenced to 70 years. The remainder who were sentenced this week were given 50 years in prison: Elizabeth Soto, Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Bradford (aka “Meagan”) Morris, and Cameron Arnold (aka “Autumn Hill”).
Ines Soto was also convicted at the same trial, but for unknown reasons is expected to be sentenced next month, at the same time as seven other defendants (three of whom were at the riot and four of whom assisted Song in evading arrest) who chose to plead guilty to one count each of Providing Material Support to Terrorists. Those who pleaded guilty are expected to receive up to 15 years in prison, although several turned state’s evidence and may receive lighter sentences as a result.
Update on French teacher
Evidently, Denver-area French teacher Jennifer Honka—who was put on paid leave in February 2025 as a result of reports of requiring female students to kiss each and regaling her classes with tales of her suicidality—had, in fact, been hired as a English Language teacher at Malley Drive Elementary School in Northglenn, Colorado. It is not clear when she was hired there, but her paid leave from Denver Public Schools appears to have ended in December 2025, so she may have been hired mid-year.
When I first heard the rumor that she had been hired at an elementary school, I had doubts about whether it could be true, due to issues with certification. But a little digging showed the likely explanation: Malley Drive is a failing elementary school, with reading proficiency under 25 percent and math proficiency under 15 percent. I suspect that, as in California, the ‘requirements’ tend get thrown out the window when schools are desperate for warm bodies to plop down in front of a class. I think that would be even more likely when hiring a mid-year replacement.
In any event, as a result of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education decision to actually fire her, the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district chose to not renew her contract for the next school year.
Update on Guthrie case
I never really covered the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case that started back in February. Since it happened in Tucson, Arizona, it seemed as likely as not that it was cartel-related. And the only reason that it got widespread coverage was because the victim was the mother of Savannah Guthrie, a host of the Today show.
But I found a new development rather interesting. Tucson’s CBS station, KOLD, apparently received two ransom notes that were deemed credible in the early days of the investigation. The second of those notes reportedly admitted that Nancy had died after her abduction and was “buried in nature,” according to what sources told ABC News. This information has never previously been admitted.
Just to make everything more dubious, media outlet TMZ is denying that there was any admission of Nancy’s death in the ransom notes it received. But as TMZ apparently received a series of emails from someone who was not one of the kidnappers but claimed he could provide information leading to them (and to Nancy), it is not clear whether the same documents are being referred to. TMZ also claims that the FBI never got back to them about their idea of TMZ paying the person sending the emails and doing a documentary about it.
Another corrupt probation officer
Crystal Lawson (currently age 32) was hired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February 2022 as a Juvenile Probation Officer. Later that same year, she was fired after being arrested on suspicion of Battery. But her access to the Comprehensive Case Information System (CCIS) database was somehow never revoked.
It now appears that, between January and May 2026, Lawson accessed the database 106 times, looking up arrest warrants and details about upcoming arrests, and passing that information to a drug trafficking organization that was “under active criminal investigation.” As a result of her leaks, evidence was lost, assets were unrecovered, and at least one person was able to flee to avoid arrest (although that person was eventually caught).
Lawson was taken into custody by the Orange County Sheriff's Office last week. She faces a possible 113 counts of “Computer Crimes – Unauthorized Access”: a felony offense with a potential five years in prison per count.
Another Los Angeles warehouse fire
A fire that started over a week ago in a 500,000-square-foot frozen foods warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles has proven to be very difficult to extinguish. Even though, as of yesterday, there are no longer flames coming from the roof, the interior of the building is still burning. The warehouse, called Big Bear, is operated by Michigan-based Lineage, which calls itself “the global leader in the temperature-controlled logistics industry.”
Apparently the reason it is so hard to put out the fire is connected directly to the infrastructure that makes it perfect for cold storage: “heavily insulated ceilings, roofs and walls.” According to an LAFD spokesperson, such facilities can burn for weeks. Air quality has been particularly bad across the east side of Los Angeles, with dangerous particulate matter in the smoke; Mayor Bass and Gov. Newsom have both declared an emergency as a result. It is also feared that, as the food inside thaws and decays, air quality will be worsened by the resulting smell.
It is now suspected that the fire started as a result of work being done on the rooftop solar array. According to Lineage, the company leases the building and subleases the roof to “a third-party solar company, which is responsible for operating and maintaining the array.” The work on the solar array was purportedly being done by subcontractors of the solar company. It it worth noting that this same solar array caught fire in August 2024; the LAFD was able to quickly extinguish that blaze while it was still limited.
Firefighters have been working to peel off the exterior walls, since the usual practice of opening up the roof has been stymied by insulation. Another factor that makes the fire particularly dangerous for firefighters to try to enter the building is the presence of floor-to-ceiling shelving units. It is believed that what remains of the roof is resting on those units, making it too hazardous to go inside. At present, drones are being used to find interior hot spots that can then be targeted by water cannons.
Possible Stonehenge prototype discovered
A new archeology find suggests that the focus on solstice celebration in the area of Stonehenge had a long history even before the huge stones were set into place in the third millennium B.C. About three miles from the monument, at Bulford, archeologists discovered that two large poles had been set up, with their bottom ends buried in pits, about 400 feet apart. Those poles would have lined up precisely with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset, the same as at Stonehenge.
Carbon dating of remnants in the pits determined that the poles would have been set up in roughly the same era as the earliest earthworks around the Stonehenge site, about 500 years before the stones there were moved into place. It is possible that the older site may have been used for whatever religious purposes Stonehenge was used for (still a subject of speculation rather than certainty) until the larger site was developed. One of the artifacts found in the pits was a disc-shaped stone knife, which may have symbolized the sun.
Got news?
Interesting news this morn. Thanks so much Celia for keeping us informed.
Stonehenge was interesting. There are hundreds of stone monuments all over the world. They were built during the Pleistocene and throughout the Holocene by prehistoric humans. The most thorough report on world archaeology I've read is edited by French renowned archaeologist, Jean Guillaine, "Prehistory: The World of Early Man," 1986. It's one of my hobbies. You'd be surprised to learn what Man was up to, early on. Much more interesting than now. I think early Man was smarter, in the use of his time.