Kids

Los Angeles local Erin Sanders was only 14 years old when she scored the life-changing role of the brainy best friend Quinn Pensky -- who shows her smarts with the other students at Pacific Coast Academy -- in the Nickelodeon kids show "Zoey 101."

Erin Sanders was cast alongside some pretty stand-out actors including Victoria Justice as the starry-eyed aspiring actress and BFF, Lola Martinez, Paul Butcher as the book-smarts younger brother, Dustin Brooks ... and of course Jamie Lynn Spears as the sporty older sister and title character, Zoey Brooks.

Kodak Black is extending his charitable streak by reaching out to the families of the FBI agents killed in the line of duty this week in Florida.

TMZ has learned the Florida rapper -- fresh out of prison after his Presidential pardon -- had his attorney, Bradford Cohen, send a letter to the FBI Miami Division offering to pay college tuition for the children of the 2 agents fatally shot in Sunrise, FL.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Cohen says Kodak knows what it's like to lose loved ones and grow up in a single-parent home, and he wants to make sure the mourning families don't ever have to worry about sending their kids to college.

Kodak's attorney says he has a friend in the FBI's Miami office who told him special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger each have minor children -- and Cohen relayed that to KB.

The agents were serving search warrants Tuesday when they were killed and 3 other agents were injured.

Alfin is survived by a 3-year-old child and Schwartzenberger is survived by a 4-year-old and a 9-year-old.

We don't know if the families will accept Kodak's offer -- we've reached out to the FBI, but no word back.

Frank Shankwitz, the Arizona Highway Patrol officer who helped a terminally ill boy realize his dream of becoming a motorcycle cop and then co-created the Make-a-Wish Foundation, has died.

Shankwitz passed at his home in Prescott, Arizona ... succumbing to esophageal cancer.  Frank passed on January 24. His wife of 38 years, Kitty, was at his bedside.

Frank heard about a boy named Chris Greicius back in 1980 ... the child had end-stage leukemia and wanted to be a motorcycle cop when he grew up, just like Ponch and Jon from the TV show, "CHiPs."

Frank wanted to make Chris' dream come true but thought the boy might not be physically up for the adventure, saying, “Figuring he’d be brought out in a wheelchair, I was surprised when the door opened and a pair of sneakers emerged.”

Shankwitz explained, “Out stepped Chris, an excited 7-year-old boy who seemed so full of life it was hard to believe he was sick.” So, Frank gave him a badge and a uniform and even had him take a driving test in his front yard to become a real motor cop. Chris was beyond thrilled.

"CHiPs" stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox later autographed a photo for Chris, but by the time Shankwitz went to give it to him ... Chris had fallen into a light coma.

Chris had hung his uniform by the bed, and when Frank pinned the badge on his shirt, he woke up and asked, “Am I an official motorcycle cop now?” “You sure are,” Frank replied.

Chris died later that day.

A few months later Frank created the Make-a-Wish Foundation. More than 315,000 children in the United States have had their dreams come true as a result of Frank's efforts.

Today the org has 64 chapters in the U.S. and 36 chapters internationally.

Frank was 77.

He vacuums. He sweeps ... and he also HITS NO-LOOK TRICK SHOTS FROM HALF COURT!!!

Check this awesome video of Liberty-Benton Middle School custodian Joe Orians casually gettin' a seriously difficult bucket while cleaning up the school gym.

THE VIDEO IS AWESOME!!!

Orians quickly celebrated -- but like a true pro, he got right back to work and carried on with his day (albeit, with a little extra pep in his step!).

But, here's the cool part ... Orians mentioned the shot to Principal Kyle Leatherman who ran back the security camera footage -- and was so impressed, he posted it on social media!

"He didn't mention that it was a no-look backwards half-court shot," Leather tells TMZ Sports.

Now, Orians -- who lives in the small town of Findlay, Ohio -- is going viral ... and the students and faculty couldn't be happier for the guy!

Casey Anthony will mark the 10-year anniversary of her acquittal by partnering up with a couple of producers for a documentary about her daughter's murder.

Casey -- along with producers Tamra Simmons and Ebony Porter-Ike -- is currently developing a documentary about the notorious Florida vs. Casey Anthony trial.

Casey will be an executive producer for what's being dubbed an "authorized" documentary in which Casey will offer her viewpoint of the gruesome death of her 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in 2008.

Of course, Caylee's mother was charged with her murder, but was acquitted in 2011 ... sparking outrage and condemnation throughout the country.

Casey and her co-producers say she's "finally ready to clear her name, bring justice to her daughter and begin the process of establishing her daughter's legacy in a different light."

The producers claim "many of the revelations will be shocking," and will answer questions much of the nation has had since the trial. Remember, Casey did not take the stand.

Don't worry, moms and dads -- The Weeknd says his Super Bowl halftime show will be a family-friendly event ... vowing to keep Sunday's performance "rated PG."

At least, he's gonna try.

Of course, the super-popular singer is known for his mature content -- drugs, sex, violence ... all the stuff that makes parents freak out.

When Abel was asked about his graphic content during Thursday's media event, the guy promised to try his best to keep things appropriate for all ages.

"For sure, I definitely want to be respectful to the viewers at home," the 3-time Grammy winner said.

Remember, people were PISSED following Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's halftime show last year ... with 1,300 complaints filed to the FCC over their provocative dance moves.

While we may not have to worry about sexy dancing this time around, The Weeknd says the show will follow the storyline of his "After Hours" album ... but "definitely will keep it PG for the families."

"I'll try my best."

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards personally reached out to a young boy who tragically lost his family in a house fire ... inspiring the kid with a special message about hope.

12-year-old Taeden Johnson was wounded in the Jan. 27 blaze at the family's mobile home unit in Athens, Georgia. He raced to a neighbor's house at 3 AM to call 911, but emergency responders were unable to save his mom, 9-year-old sister and grandmother. The fire also destroyed all of Taeden's personal possessions.

Edwards -- the #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- got wind of the story and immediately decided to help out.

Besides playing his college ball in Athens (at the University of Georgia), Edwards also lost both his mom and grandmother to cancer when he was just an 8th grader  -- and he clearly felt a connection to Taeden.

So, he got the kid's phone number and hit him up on FaceTime on Monday so they could talk ... and according to Taeden's mentor Zac Hendrix, the conversation was incredible.

"He just said, ‘Hey, Taeden, look man, I lost my mother, I also lost my grandmother at a young age and look where I’m at now. Never give up," Hendrix told OnlineAthens.com.

Edwards also told Taeden ... "Always give 110% to where you eventually want to go. Just follow your dreams and nothing will stop you from doing that."

The NBA star then instructed the 12-year-old to save his phone number and welcomed him to "reach out any time."

On another positive note ... Taeden has a GoFundMe page that has already racked up more than $209,000 in donations. The proceeds will go toward his college education, clothes and other needs.

Here's a shocker ... the Indiana high school basketball coach who went viral for throwing a chair on the court during a game last week has just been fired.

The wannabe Bobby Knight is Gary Lighthouse College Prep Academy coach Nick Moore -- who lost his mind Friday during a game against Bowman Academy in Gary Indiana.

Moore's team was down by 8 with 6:41 left in the game -- and in their comeback attempt, one of his players was called for a travel ... which set off the coach, who obviously disagreed with the call.

In the vid, you can see Moore's coaching staff TRIED to restrain the guy as he reached for a chair ... but he eventually got his hands on one and LAUNCHED IT on the court!

The tantrum continued and Moore tried throwing yet another chair -- but he was thwarted again. So, he grabbed a ball and hurled that instead -- forcing the refs to eject him from the game.

The incident triggered the Indiana High School Athletic Association to launch an investigation into the incident ... and on Monday, Moore revealed he'd been fired.

"I have been relieved of my duties by LCPA as boys coach," Moore said on Facebook ... "I would also like to thank the parents and players for letting me lead them day in and out it was a pleasure and great ride."

Over the weekend, Moore told the NWI Times he "had a chance to reflect" on the incident and admits he could have handled the situation better.

"We talk to our kids about sportsmanship, and we don't condone technical fouls and the type of acts that I displayed. I never want any of my players to display that kind of behavior, so I probably could've found a better way."

FYI, Bobby Knight was only suspended for ONE GAME when he threw a chair onto the court during an Indiana vs. Purdue game in 1985.

Rochester Police are under fire for detaining and pepper spraying a child who'd been reported as suicidal, and body cam video of the incident is disturbing.

Officers had handcuffed the 9-year-old girl during the Friday domestic violence call. Police say her mother was worried the girl would harm herself or others. While walking the child to a patrol car, she fell to the snowy ground, began flailing arms and screaming she wanted to see her dad.

A nearly 10-minute struggle ensued ... as the girl resisted, 2 officers put the cuffs on her and attempted to put her in their car. The girl continued screaming and said she wouldn't get in until she saw her dad.

A female officer stepped in, trying to convince her to get in the backseat. A male officer, who was trying to pull the girl in from the other side yelled, "Sit up! You're acting like a child, stop" -- to which she responded, "I am a child!! What the f***?"

The female officer eventually warned the child the cops were getting impatient, and she would be pepper sprayed if she didn't get in the car. Less than a minute later, a male officer said, "Just spray her at this point" ... and that's what happened.

The full arrest video includes a disturbing interaction with the child's mother, and you hear the girl accuse her mother of stabbing the father ... which the mother denied.

Rochester PD initially said it was "required" to deploy pepper spray -- but over the weekend Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said, "This video, as a mother, is not anything you want to see."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has taken notice of how police treated the 9-year-old, saying, "You cannot justify this!"

Police announced an internal investigation, but haven't said if any of the involved officers have been suspended. The child was treated at a hospital and released to her family.

Ben Crump -- the famed civil rights attorney who represents the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd -- has been retained to represent the family of the Florida HS teen seen on video being body slammed by a cop.

The family of Taylor Bracey -- the 16-year-old Liberty HS student slammed to the concrete by school resource officer Ethan Fournier -- hired Crump just days after the attorney called out the "brutality" of the Osceola County Sheriff's Deputy, who has since been placed on paid administrative leave while the department investigates.

Crump says Taylor was unarmed and posed no threat to the officer ... adding the officer did not render any aid and instead handcuffed her as she lay unconscious.

He said, "It is unconscionable what happened to this young girl at the hands of someone whose primary duty is to serve and protect our children." He added, "Do we really need to add school resource officers to the list of fears they deal with on a daily basis?"

Crump wants the deputy fired and arrested. As we reported ... the Sheriff's Dept. said it's turning the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Patriots star Patrick Chung is urging people to help a high school hockey player who was seriously injured in an on-ice crash ... saying, "I couldn’t imagine as a parent having to deal with this."

The story of A.J. Quetta is heartbreaking ... the Bishop Feehan H.S. athlete slammed head-first into the boards during a game Tuesday night, and it's now unclear if he'll ever be able to move his body again.

School officials say he's currently being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital ... and now, Chung and others are pleading for donations for help with the boy's medical bills.

Chung shared Quetta's GoFundMe page on his Instagram on Wednesday ... writing, "Crushes my heart man."

"Whatever you can do to help with medical bills etc. $10, $20, s*** $1 is good, anything from all the people that follow me and have some kind of heart."

Chung added he's "donated my thousands" to help ease the burden off Quetta's family.

The Boston Bruins, meanwhile, threw their support behind Quetta on Wednesday as well ... writing in a statement, "The Boston Bruins are sending best wishes to Bishop Feehan hockey player A.J. Quetta."

"We are keeping A.J., his family, and the Bishop Feehan community in our hearts during this very difficult time."

Quetta's family had initially hoped to raise $10,000 for his medical bills ... but as of Thursday morning, they had received well over $250,000.

"With your donations, we can get him to the best doctors to do everything we can to get him better," the Quetta family said in a statement. "We have so much hope!"

A school resource officer used a Taser on a female student who cops say was involved in a fight with another student, and severely resisted when the officer got involved.

According to the police report ... the cop approached the girl as she was going after a male student in the cafeteria of Eustis High School in Central Florida. The cop says he tried to stop her, but she attacked him by punching him several times in the head.

The deputy claims he tried to talk her down, but it didn't work and she allegedly punched him in the face. Videos shared on TikTok show the violent struggle the cop had with the student as he tried to restrain her.

The deputy says he warned her he was going to Tase her if she didn't stop resisting. When she ignored that, he fired the Taser and she went down hard.

The girl was transported to the Lake County Jail without further incident, and later released to her guardian on home detention.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office tells us ... the deputy documented at least 18 strikes he took from the student before he fired his Taser. We're told the use of force was reviewed, and the officer was found to have acted lawfully and within agency policy.

This is the second disturbing video to come out of Florida this week in which a school resource officer's seen using force on a Black female student.

As we reported ... the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that their deputy who body-slammed a female high school student is on administrative paid leave pending an investigation.

A violent video of a cop slamming a female student to the ground and seemingly knocking her unconscious is raising serious questions about the level of force used here.

The video was shot Tuesday at Liberty High School in Osceola, Florida. You can see a young woman -- allegedly a student -- with her hands behind her back as a deputy slams her to the ground. There was a loud bang as the girl's head slammed to the concrete, and she appears to be immediately out cold.

It's unclear why the Osceola Sheriff's deputy was at the school or what led up to the deputy's involvement. The Sheriff's Dept. would only tell us the incident is under investigation.

One person who posted the video said, "This girl was already separated and under control by one of the faculty members when the officer came out of nowhere, picked her up and bodyslammed her headfirst on to the concert."

We've also reached out to Liberty High ... so far, no word back.

Somehow a topless photo of 16-year-old Claudia Conway ended up on her mom, Kellyanne Conway's Twitter page ... and the teen vows her mom's going to jail over it.

Twitter users saw the pic posted to Kellyanne's Fleet story on Twitter Monday night. It was quickly deleted, but not before folks captured and shared it like wildfire. Claudia took to TikTok shortly after, and confirmed it's a legit photo.

The teenager says it was taken months ago, and her mom must've gotten it when she confiscated Claudia's phone during one of their frequent spats.

As for how it might've made its way to Kellyanne's Twitter account, Claudia speculates her ma either did it on purpose ... or she was hacked.

In any case, she clearly says Kellyanne's gonna pay for this -- legally speaking.

This is the latest dustup between the mother and daughter, who've been at each other's throats for a long time now, especially lately. As we reported, Claudia recorded herself saying Kellyanne was being abusive toward her, and even spurred someone to call in a welfare check, which resulted in a visit from cops.

We've been told the matter is still being investigated ... it's unclear how this new development might factor in, if at all.

One thing's for sure ... there doesn't seem to be any love lost in the Conway household these days.

Newly released body cam video shows cops in Arizona pulling off a dramatic takedown of an armed man who was firing shots ... moments after he'd allegedly kidnapped his baby.

The Phoenix Police Department just released video from the deadly Jan. 9 shooting, which shows an officer firing a single rifle shot at the man as he was holding the child. The man's girlfriend called cops after he beat her in a motel parking lot, snatched the child and ran into the street with a gun.

Cops say he fired a shot as they arrived on the scene ... which you can hear in the body cam video. Officers immediately yelled for him to drop the gun.

He refused, and cops say he pointed the weapon at the baby and a bystander, and that's when an officer opened fire. After the incredibly precise shot, you see cops rush over to rescue the baby.

Erin Hershey, a soap actress famous for "General Hospital," didn't want her kids tuning into Joe Biden's inauguration ... telling a teacher she'd never let them "watch a criminal."

Erin's got a daughter in elementary school in California, and after the little girl's teacher sent an email to parents Wednesday inviting kids to skip class to watch Inauguration Day, she replied with some nasty comments about the new Prez.

According to the email chain, obtained by TMZ, Erin blasted this out to the teacher and her fellow parents ... "Why watch a criminal on television? I’d never do that to my children. But thank you."

Another parent then rushed to the teacher's defense in the email chain, thanking her for considering the families who wanted to watch the historical moment and drawing Erin's ire by writing, "no matter the person taking office, we are lucky to be able to watch moments like this."

Erin quickly responded with another reply all, saying ... "I don't think we are lucky at all to watch a flat out joke."