An early spring bike ride ended in an unthinkable tragedy for one Pennsylvania family, after a beloved grandfather and avid cyclist hit a pothole that caused fatal injuries.

Joseph Kenas, 69, died at the hospital on Friday after his family made the heart-wrenching decision to take him off life support.

Kenas had been riding his normal route on Tuesday when his bike hit what his family described as a massive pothole on Morris Road in Fort Washington, a suburb of Philadelphia, NBC10 reported.

“It was such a beautiful day,” Stephen Kenas, Joseph’s son, told NBC10. “It was the 80 degree weather we had. He had to get out. He just couldn’t resist. So my mom was like, ‘Make it a shorter ride. We have dinner later. We have to get you back and get you ready.’”

But his father never made it home. After three days in a Philadelphia hospital, Kenas was declared brain dead, his family said, forcing them to make an agonizing decision.

“We were there in the hospital. They wanted to do an MRI to check for brain activity, and once we got results, we knew that his life was lifeless and there was no brain activity,” Stephen said.

“And that’s when we had to make the call. And that’s really hard.”

Kenas’ family told NBC10 that he was compassionate, social, and an avid cyclist who rarely passed up a chance to ride – especially on such a beautiful day.

According to his obituary, Kenas loved the outdoors and found joy in cycling, skiing, and spending summers at a family lake cabin shared across generations. He was remembered as a devoted father, grandfather, and a constant source of love and support.

Neighbors said the stretch of road where Kenas crashed has long been a recurring problem, though the specific pothole involved has since been patched.

“I really wanted to go and see for myself,” Stephen said. “It’s hard for me to believe a pothole took out such a strong man.”

According to PennDOT, more than 13,000 potholes were reported in southeastern Pennsylvania over the past year, including two on Morris Road.

“It was powerful to see the hole, and that helped me process a little better,” Stephen said. “But when you hear a pothole taking someone’s life, you don’t want to believe it. But when you see what it is, you’re like wow. I can’t believe it got to this point.”

The project on the edge of Manchester city centre will see 15,000 homes built across 390-acres of land

The huge Victoria North development has been named in a Government list of seven ‘new towns’, described as the ‘most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century’.

Victoria North, which will see 15,000 homes built across 390-acres of land, is already well underway, with plans having first emerged seven years ago. Last year it reached a major milestone as the first tenants finally moved into their brand new council homes in Collyhurst.

Today (March 22), the Government announced that the National Housing Bank will launch on April 1, and that it will be backed with up to £16bn of financial capacity and will aim to deliver over 500,000 new homes.

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The regeneration programme will see up to 15,000 new homes built between Victoria Train Station and Queen’s Park in Collyhurst over the next 15 years in seven new and existing neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood will be linked by high quality green spaces that will open up and celebrate the River Irk.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We are glad to see Victoria North getting this backing from the Government. It is one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects right at the heart of its fastest-growing city-region. Victoria North will see the building of 15,000 new homes, including many for social rent, alongside high-quality green spaces close to our city centre.

“We believe it is the model of what a new town should be, with modern homes linked to high-quality public transport. Only this week we agreed to invest £60m in a new tram connection for Victoria North from our ground-breaking Good Growth Fund.

“Greater Manchester is ready to deliver a decade of good growth, giving people quality jobs and truly affordable homes, and Victoria North is a crucial part of that.”

Victoria North stretches from Angel Meadow in town to Queen’s Park in Collyhurst. It’s one of the biggest regeneration projects in Manchester’s history – last year, it was officially backed as one of Labour’s new towns.

Manchester council has also teamed up with the Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium (FEC) on an even bigger project with seven new neighbourhoods spanning from the New Cross quarter near Ancoats, all the way up Rochdale Road to Smedley Dip in Collyhurst.

This project would see Red Bank revamped, a new tram stop built at Sandhills, a 46-hectare park along the River Irk and plenty of ‘affordable’ homes. New business would be expected to move in under the Red Bank railway arches.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “People want real homes they can actually afford and infrastructure that really works – this government is making that a reality for communities across the country. For Greater Manchester, that means at least 15,000 new homes and a new Metrolink stop that will connect communities to jobs right across Greater Manchester.

“Alongside this, our 40% affordable housing target will mean homes will work for ordinary people, not just those who can already afford it. Greater Manchester is ready to build, and together with the new National Housing Bank, we’re laying the foundations our communities deserve.”

Seven chosen locations for new towns are: Tempsford, Leeds South Bank, Crews Hill and Chase Park, Manchester Victoria North, Thamesmead, Brabazon and West Innovation Arc, and Milton Keynes. The Government also assessed six further new town locations: Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe, Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town — but decided they will not be taken forward.

The Government said that no decisions have yet been made on the names of new towns. The proposed names the Government is considering include Elizabethtown, after the Queen, Pankhurst, after the suffragette Emmeline, Attleeton, after former Prime Minister Clement Attlee, Athelstan, after the first King of England, and Seacole, after nurse Mary, the Times reported.

Manchester council hopes the first fruits of its £4bn project to be seen in Collyhurst will help sell the wider vision for the area which would effectively expand the city centre on mostly unused land and grow the local population by 40,000 over a 20-year period.

• A public consultation on proposed locations and draft planning policy is open until May 18

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Savannah Guthrie is renewing pleas to neighbors, friends and residents of Tucson, Arizona, to jog their memories in the hopes of sparking new leads in the disappearance of her mother Nancy.

The “Today Show” co-host posted a new family statement on her Instagram account Sunday morning, hours after the show’s Instagram account shared it.

After expressing gratitude to the community, the family said in its statement that it believes someone in Tucson or in southern Arizona may “hold the key to finding the resolution in this case.”

“Someone knows something. It’s possible a member of this community has information that they do not even realize is significant.”

The family urged people to go back over their memories between Jan. 31 — when Nancy Guthrie was last seen — and Feb. 1 as well as the evening of Jan. 11.

“Please consult camera footage, journal notes, text messages, observations, or conversations that in retrospect may hold significance. No detail is too small,” the statement said.

The family also acknowledged in the statement that their matriarch may no longer be alive.

“We cannot grieve; we can only ache and wonder.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities believe the 84-year-old was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. The FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrie’s front door on the night she vanished.

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.

Savannah Guthrie visited the NBC “Today Show” studio in New York City for the first time since her mother’s disappearance on March 5. The show said she plans to return to the air at some point but “remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”

Tucson is a little over 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Phoenix and 70 miles (115 kilometers) north of the Arizona-Mexico border. The Catalina Foothills, the neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie lives, is known as an affluent area with popular hiking trails.

Savannah Guthrie has been a co-anchor of the venerable NBC morning show since 2012. One of her former colleagues, Hoda Kotb, has returned to “Today” to fill in while Guthrie has concentrated on finding her mother.

Asked on Friday about the possibility of the Carabao Cup being a springboard for Arsenal’s season, Arteta said: “Certainly, yes, because winning a trophy helps more for sure. It gives you confidence, it gives you the feeling that when it comes to that moment, you can do it, and you have enough resources to achieve what you want.”

The actor, himself nominated for a 2013 Bafta Television Award for playing Ken in the BBC’s sitcom Cuckoo, said: “I see the whole event as an opportunity to wave a flag for this beloved medium and, with the exception of one commissioner, two execs and a co-star that I have personal beef with, I will do everything I can to ensure it’s a night of warm celebration for all.”

Arsenal  Arrizabalaga; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Zubimendi, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard. 
Substitutes  Raya, Mosquera, Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman.

Manchester City Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, O’Reilly; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Cherki; Semenyo, Haaland, Doku.
Substitutes  Donnarumma, Reijnders, Stones, Marmoush, Kovacic, Nico, Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Foden.

Referee: Peter Bankes (Liverpool)

Manchester City have secured the first silverware of the season after Arsenal failed to deliver at Wembley.

The quadruple dream is over and the Gunners must now pick up the pieces after a sobering setback.

For City, it has breathed life into their campaign after a dismal Champions League exit this week.

Kepa gamble backfires spectacularly

Mikel Arteta decided to keep faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga after starting the Spaniard in each round of the competition leading up to the final at Wembley today.

Pep Guardiola did likewise with James Trafford, but it was Arsenal who paid the price for dropping one of their best players. From the moment the second-half kicked off, Kepa dallied on the ball, inviting the pressure that would inevitably swarm all over the Gunners and trigger their downfall.

Raya has been spectacular this season, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League by some margin and in sublime form. Had he started, Sunday may have been a very different story.

Old Arsenal fears reignited

We have seen Arsenal collapse in the past. Past failures have so often been used as a stick to beat them with but things have felt different this season.

Victory today would have gone some way in erasing the lingering fears over another derailment . But defeat at Wembley could serve as a catalyst for something much bleaker.

Arsenal are still fighting on three fronts, in control of the Premier League title race and well-placed to continue marching on in Europe. But the effects of today could be season-altering. The woeful second-half showing was as bad as anything served up by them this term on the stage where they needed to be their best.

O’Reilly steps up

City needed a hero at Wembley and they found a home-grown one. With Phil Foden only coming on as an injury time substitute, left-back O’Reilly stepped up as City’s savour with two headers to save their season.

City were fantastic in the second period to a man and fed off Arsenal’s apprehension but it was the 21-year-old set the standard when they needed inspiration.  

Tony Mogan, live sports editor

Locals previously blasted the plans are ‘ridiculous’ as protests were held in the area

A ‘new town’ proposals for Adlington in Cheshire have been scrapped in a new decision made by the Government. The generation of new towns, which were revealed on Sunday (March 22) are tipped to see thousands of new homes built and ‘create well-connected communities’ through jobs, transport links and green spaces.

However the news may come as a relief to those living in the Cheshire East village close to Greater Manchester, who previously blasted the plans that could have seen up to 20,000 new homes built in the area.

The proposed £8 billion scheme would have seen 2,400 acres of greenbelt land in Adlington developed into Adlington New Town. Angry locals previously dubbed the plans as ‘ridiculous‘ and said they would ‘basically join Stockport and Macclesfield into one big housing estate.’

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Many of the 1,000 residents in the area also feared the development will spoil the character of the village and destroy wildlife and farmland, raising concerns about loss of livelihoods.

The proposals last year also prompted politicians in Stockport to warn that local services there could have been left ‘overstretched.’ The site was under four miles from Woodford in Stockport. Developers said the project would have included schools and health centres as they also vowed to reopen the Grade I-listed Adlington Hall.

It prompted a number of protests to take place last year, as signs appeared in and around village including on the busy A523 London Road.

The New Towns Project, championed by former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, last year saw a dozen areas selected for construction. In a fresh announcement, the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government revealed the seven locations that had been selected for the new town developments.

Adlington, among five others, were areas that were assessed by the Government before a decision was made that the proposals were not to be taken forward. The seven locations that have been earmarked are Tempsford, Leeds South Bank, Crews Hill and Chase Park, Thamesmead, Brabazon and West Innovation Arc, Milton Keynes and Manchester Victoria North, which is already well underway in the Collyhurst area.

Victoria North, which will see 15,000 homes built across 390-acres of land, is already well underway, with plans having first emerged seven years ago. Last year it reached a major milestone as the first tenants finally moved into their brand new council homes in Collyhurst.

Described as the ‘most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century’, it has received Government backing in the newly-released list of other ‘new towns’.

However the Government has decided not to pursue five other locations as well as Adlington, which are Heyford Park, Marlcombe, Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town.

The proposed names the Government is considering include Elizabethtown (after the Queen), Pankhurst (after suffragette Emmeline), Attleeton (after ex-PM), Athelstan (first King of England) and Seacole (after nurse Mary), the Times reported.

In its manifesto, Labour pledged to begin work on 1.5 million new homes over the course of the Parliament, to expand homeownership to more Britons. According to the Government, the new towns will create ‘affordable and balanced communities’ with the schools, health facilities and community infrastructure neighbourhoods need, as well as improved public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure.

A public consultation on proposed locations and draft planning policy is open until May 18. The final locations will be confirmed later this year.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “People want real change – homes they can afford, local infrastructure that works, and good jobs in thriving communities. Our next generation of new towns marks a turning point in how we build for the future.

“From the ground up, we’re planning whole communities with homes, jobs, transport links and green spaces designed together — so we can give families the security and opportunities they deserve.”

A man has been arrested

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Police have swarmed a city train station following reports the area has been evacuated after a man was seen ‘with a weapon.’

Onlookers have taken to social media to report seeing a ‘massive’ police presence at Cambridge train station this evening (Sunday).

One X user said: “Any idea what is happening at Cambridge train station. It’s been evacuated and there are about 10 police cars outside.”

Greater Anglia said on X in response to a passenger enquiry: “There’s nothing currently publicly available. If you’re at the station I’d advise listening for any announcements.”

Cambridgeshire Police said: “Police were called at 6.26pm today (22 March) with reports of a man with a weapon on a train travelling between Royston and Cambridge.

“Armed response officers were deployed to Cambridge Train Station and the train, which was due to arrive in Cambridge at 6.37pm, was held just before the station.

“Officers boarded the train and a 25-year-old man from London was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody at Parkside Police Station.

“No one was injured. The station was closed as a precaution and reopened shortly after 7pm.

“Officers are working with British Transport Police as part of the investigation. This appears to be an isolated incident but to reassure the public there will be an increased police presence at the station.”

A new adventure series has debuted on Channel 4, with fans quickly sharing their thoughts on social media

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A fresh adventure reality programme has launched on Channel 4, and viewers are already impressed.

The Hunt: Prey vs Predator features ten contestants embarking on an exceptional test of endurance and tactical prowess, competing for a prize pot of up to £100,000.

Set within an expansive, isolated woodland, participants face off against one another in a prey versus predator format. They must endure intense hunts where the prey search for cash, whilst predators pursue them, until a sole survivor remains to secure the full prize money.

“Popularity, plotting, power plays, loyalty and friendship will all come into play and will, in fact, be crucial – as victory will depend not just on stealth in the wild, but skill as a social animal,” the official synopsis teases.

The opening instalment of the “epic” new programme aired on Sunday (March 22), with “obsessed” viewers swiftly taking to social media to share their reactions, reports the Mirror.

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“Great format and contestants. So far so good – well done,” one person posted on X (formerly Twitter), whilst another commented: “This is gooood.”

A third remarked: “Between this and Handcuffed, Channel 4 is kind of bringing back good reality competition shows,” with another similarly posting: “This is perfect viewing. Need more eps asap.”

A fifth viewer echoed these sentiments, stating: “Channel 4 getting rights back to #BigBrother vibe at mo,” whilst another contributed: “Love the premise of the show.”

Whilst most of the feedback was positive, some viewers were somewhat puzzled by the programme’s distinctive format, with one individual commenting: “Finding this new reality series #TheHunt very random !!! Got classic Byker Grove vibes with the look. Missing handcuffed series already lol.”

Another contributed: “So it’s all bogus or a re-enactment just like in Hunted, otherwise the camera operators would give them away.”

Every episode holds the potential for an exciting twist, with the participants’ roles being reversed once a predator captures a prey – resulting in the entire game being turned upside down.

Each competitor must wear state-of-the-art tracking technology, meaning they cannot hide for extended periods in the thick forest hunting ground. Consequently, they must keep moving to stay in the competition or surrender their earnings.

Smart alliances, tactical teamwork, and psychological tactics are crucial to survival, as at the conclusion of each hunt, one predator will face removal from the game back at a futuristic basecamp.

At the beginning of the opening episode, Nathan, Chris, Mia, Chloe and Roy were selected to be predators, with Shelley, Mel, Ameer, Marc and Charlotte designated as prey – with each of them beginning with £1,000.

Six competitors exchanged positions at the conclusion of the first hunt, bringing the total prize pot to £10,000, shortly before the first predator was eliminated from the game.

The Hunt: Prey vs Predator is available to stream on Channel 4