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The incident happened Wednesday, Oct. 22, during a gym class at Odessa Shannon Middle School in Silver Spring, according to a letter sent by Principal Dr. Natasha H. Booms to families.

“During the class, a student was struck by what was described as a metal object thrown by another student, resulting in injuries that required immediate medical attention,” Booms said.

Emergency Medical Technicians responded and transported the student, identified by his family as Lenny Diaz, to the hospital.

“At this time, we understand the student remains in serious condition,” Booms wrote, adding that the school “enacted a HOLD status to allow EMTs and first responders to quickly and safely assist the student.”

The principal said the school is offering counseling to students who witnessed the incident and will “continue to reinforce expectations for safety and appropriate behavior.”

Meanwhile, the boy's mother, Emily Diaz, shared heartbreaking details about her son’s injuries and his uncertain road ahead.

“My son was struck in the head by a student in his school on (Oct. 22),” Diaz wrote. “The injury he sustained was an open skull injury and the bone fragments went into his brain. He’s currently in PICU and on a breathing tube to help him breathe and recover.”

Diaz said her son is “a very smart, loving, adventurous young boy,” but she fears his life will never be the same.

“I feel like his life was taken even though he’s still alive,” she said. “We are unsure of how he will be after recovery but the possibilities of him being impaired are there — speech, mobility, and memory."

"I’m praying God does his miracle in him and he recovers and comes back as he was.”

On Facebook, Diaz shared emotional posts asking for prayers and strength.

“How can someone do this to my baby?” she wrote. “Why did they have to hurt him this way. Lord I’m begging you to guide me and help me get through this.”

She also shared messages of faith and hope:

“God is in control,” she posted. “Lenny baby, you got this. You’re a strong boy. Pull through, my boy — your brothers can’t wait to see you when you come home.”

A GoFundMe created by Diaz — titled “Support Lenny’s Recovery Journey” — had raised more than $11,000 in less than a day as of Friday afternoon to help with medical expenses and recovery needs.

She said she’s “not the type to ask for money or handouts,” but “desperately needs whatever help I can get.”

"I'm making this to help us with funds during these difficult times," she wrote. “We aren’t sure of medical bills yet and special items he might need on his road to recovery."

ACECO, a company based in Silver Spring, MD, is facing an “online firestorm” for playing a lead role in demolishing key portions of the White House, per the Baltimore Banner, as part of Donald Trump’s continued fascist takeover of our country.

Since ACECO’s backhoes and other demolition equipment started appearing in news photos on Monday, critics of the project began leaving negative online reviews for the company, shaming it on social media and calling on others to do the same.

A voicemail left on the company’s answering machine Tuesday was not immediately returned.

The newspaper notes that that company’s website now says it’s “under construction” and that “it wasn’t immediately clear when ACECO made that change.” I can tell you from my own experience that ACECO’s website was up and running on Monday night and a fellow Bluesky user told me it was still up as of 9:30 am CT on Tuesday morning. So ACECO went into hiding online just today, likely due to the swell of criticism it is justifiably receiving for destroying an historic government structure that belongs to the American people — not Donald Trump.

ACECO currently has 35 1-star reviews on Yelp and an average 1.1-star rating, as reported by The Daily Beast. Yelp says it is currently monitoring the company’s page.

If you want to let ACECO know what you think about their lead role in destroying the White House, the company’s CEO is Rob Wilson and he can be reached via email at rwilson@acecoworld.com. The company’s general email is info@acecoworld.com and its general phone number is 301-588-0707.

In addition, the company that got the contract to build Trump’s disgusting ballroom, once key portion of the White House is demolished by ACECO, is Clark Construction Group in Bethesda MD. The company brags about being able to “nab” the project on its website here.

The principal contact for Clark Construction Group is Jay Grauberger, jay.grauberger@clarkconstruction.com, 301-272-7412. You can also find the company on Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Like ACECO, Clark Construction might be interested in hearing your thoughts about their work.

NEW YORK — Warner Bros. Discovery — the home of HBO, CNN and DC Studios — has signaled that it may be open to selling all or parts of its business, just months after announcing plans to split into two companies.

What You Need To Know

In an announcement Tuesday, the entertainment and media giant said it had initiated a review of “strategic alternatives” in light of “unsolicited interest” it had received from multiple parties, for both the entire company and Warner Bros. specifically.

Warner Bros. Discovery did not specify where that interest was coming from, and a spokesperson said the company couldn't share additional information when reached by The Associated Press. But its review arrives after growing reports of a potential bidding war — including from Skydance-owned Paramount, which closed its own $8 billion merger in early August.

Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Paramount approached Warner Bros. Discovery about a majority-cash offer in late September — but that Warner Chief Executive David Zaslav had rebuffed those first overtures. According to the outlet, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison later considered taking a more aggressive approach, such as going directly to shareholders.

CNBC has also reported that Netflix and Comcast are among other interested parties, citing unnamed sources. Comcast declined to comment Tuesday. Paramount and Netflix did not immediately respond to the AP's requests for statements.

If a sale of all or part of Warner Bros. Discovery arrives, it would mark a considerable shift in the U.S. media landscape that is "already trending towards a concerning level of consolidation,” said Mike Proulx, a VP research director at Forrester.

He pointed to the streaming space in particular — noting that, on one hand, a potential transaction could help scale the company's streamers to better compete with other platforms. But on the other hand, consumers could see fewer choices controlled by just a handful of corporate giants.

“When just a few conglomerates, like Skydance, increasingly control the lion’s share of some of the most popular platforms, it raises all sorts of questions around the future of content diversity and expression,” Proulx said over email Tuesday. “Bigger is better might be good for shareholders but will consumers ultimately benefit with better quality content, lower prices, and accessibility?”

Still, he added, much of that will depend on if a sale happens and who ends up buying Warner Bros. Discovery.

Back in June, Warner Bros. Discovery outlined plans to split its cable and streaming offerings — with HBO, HBO Max, as well as Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, to become part of a new streaming and studios company; while networks like CNN, Discovery and TNT Sports and digital products such as the Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report would make up a separate cable counterpart.

Warner expected the split to be complete by mid-2026 — and said Tuesday that continuing to advance this separation was still among the options it's considering.

“We took the bold step of preparing to separate the Company into two distinct, leading media companies, Warner Bros. and Discovery Global, because we strongly believed this was the best path forward,” Zaslav said in a statement. Still, he added, “it’s no surprise that the significant value of our portfolio is receiving increased recognition by others in the market."

The company said that there's no definite timeline for its review process — and noted that, beyond the separation that is already underway, “there can be no assurance” that a transaction will emerge.

Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, headquarted in New York, were up nearly 10% by Tuesday afternoon trading.

Warner Bros. Discovery was created just three years ago when AT&T spun off WarnerMedia, which was merged with Discovery Communications in a $43 billion deal. An even bigger transaction could attract antitrust scrutiny — but like other recent mega-mergers and proposed transactions, could find success under the Trump administration.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Businesses impacted by Purple Line construction in downtown Silver Spring say they are desperate for help after three years of local roads being shut down.

What we know:

As of Tuesday, the intersection of Fenton and Wayne Ave. was back open — sort of — following months of construction this summer that began in mid-June.

But a block away on Bonifant St., the pain of the Purple Line is felt at every business — all locally owned, mom and pop.

"I don't know how long we're going to be able to stay here with this, as you see there's no one here," said Abeba Tsegaye, who owns Kefa Cafe with her sister.

The Ethiopian coffee shop has been here for 29 years, desperate to celebrate 30, at a place they call a home away from home.

"This is a community coffee shop, we're here because of the community, we'd love to stay," Tsegaye said.

"Prior to and throughout this intersection closure, the Purple Line worked closely with multiple Silver Spring business associations and individual business and property owners to ensure the public is aware of detours and that businesses had access to additional 'open for business' signage," said an MDOT spokesperson in a statement to FOX 5. "The project collaborated on social media posts with local businesses and groups throughout the summer to inform the public about access points and promote the area during construction."

Dig deeper:

A round of grants just went out — but many owners we spoke with say they haven't seen a cent.

Kefa Cafe is one of 30 businesses in Silver Spring and Takoma Park who received grants to help in this latest round, but they say the amount they got was a slap in the face.

"Feels like complaining but we're not complaining, we're just suffering," Tsegaye said. "It was not enough, not enough at all."

The grants ranged from $5,000 to $40,000, with more than 350 applicants this time.

But several business owners on Bonifant, most impacted by more than three years of construction, said their applications were denied.

"We've been trying to contact the Purple Line people to help us, we don't know why they denied our application," Kalab Tadle and Mahelt Degefe of Ivela Lounge said, adding that they were initially told construction would be complete by 2024. "It's hard for us, very very hard. We try to survive but it's hard, we need help."

Elias Tobe owns XOXO Lounge, and said he also applied multiple times and meets the criteria, but did not receive any funds.

"We're happy with what they're doing but they need to support the small businesses," Tobe said.

MDOT shared the following statement with FOX 5 DC:

Administered by Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Purple Line Small Business Grant program was created specifically to address financial impacts to businesses during Purple Line construction. MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant awards are prioritized to eligible businesses located in areas most impacted by construction. During the first two rounds of grant applications, Bonifant Street was designated as an impacted area, and several Bonifant Street businesses were awarded grants. More information about the MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant program is available on the project website at

What's next:

And as one intersection opens, another closes.

Sligo Creek Parkway between Piney Branch and Wayne Ave. will be shut down for two months starting on September 22.

MDOT officials say Purple Line construction is 80 percent complete, and expected to open in Winter 2027, five years after initially planned completion in 2022.

Full statement:

The intersection of Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street in Silver Spring was reopened on Monday, September 8. Over the summer, Purple Line crews worked to install light rail tracks, reconstruct sidewalks, perform stormwater management upgrades, and complete utility crossings across the intersection.

The Wayne-Fenton track installation is vital to Purple Line service as it completes the connection to the Purple Line Silver Spring Library. The Purple Line recently reported that, overall, the project is more than 80% complete, with more than 65% of rail track installed across the 16-mile alignment.

Prior to and throughout this intersection closure, the Purple Line worked closely with multiple Silver Spring business associations and individual business and property owners to ensure the public is aware of detours and that businesses had access to additional "open for business" signage. The project collaborated on social media posts with local businesses and groups throughout the summer to inform the public about access points and promote the area during construction.

Additional details on Bonifant Street: Administered by Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Purple Line Small Business Grant program was created specifically to address financial impacts to businesses during Purple Line construction. MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant awards are prioritized to eligible businesses located in areas most impacted by construction. During the first two rounds of grant applications, Bonifant Street was designated as an impacted area, and several Bonifant Street businesses were awarded grants. More information about the MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant program is available on the project website here.