We Are Starting Off with Headlines and a Look at Our Top Story

Maggie: Happy Friday. It is January 23rd. I am Maggie Rulli and Channel One News starts right now.

We are starting off with headlines and a look at our top story.

The 90-year-old ruler of Saudi Arabia has died.

King Abdullah ruled the oil-rich country since 2006. His half-brother, Prince Salman will be taking over.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and America’s number one ally in the Arab world. It is considered a stable country in an unstable region.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam’s holiest site, Mecca. The country has very strict laws based on the Islamic faith, and has been criticized for its human rights record.

Saudi Arabia is also the center of one of the most extreme forms of Islam, accused as being a springboard for terrorist ideology. Osama bin laden, the founder of al-Qaeda and the man behind the 9/11 attack, was from Saudi Arabia.

Now, the world will be watching which direction the new king will take the country, how that affects the balance of power in the region, and Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the U.S.

Next up, a deepening crisis in the country of Yemen. Both the country's president and his government have resigned after a week long stand-off with rebels, leaving the country without a leader.

President Abdu Hadi of Yemen said he felt he had no choice but to resign in the wake of recent violence and chaos in his country. Rebel groups have taken over the presidential palace and most of the capital city of Sanna. Now, without anyone in control, there leaves the opening for rebels or terror groups to take control.

The chaos in Yemen is essentially a three way fight between the government, the Houthi's, a Shiite Muslim rebel group who are a minority, and the terror group al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula or AQAP, which took responsibility for the recent attacks in France.

Yemen is currently known as the world's largest exporter of terrorism. That's why the fighting and vacuum of power is a concern that reaches far beyond the small country that borders Saudi Arabia.

The weaker the government in Yemen, the more of a chance that al-Qaeda can strengthen its presence in the Middle East and abroad.

1 | P a g e Next up today, more cases of measles are being linked back to a visit to Disneyland. And now, a new warning from health officials could put a damper on some vacation plans.

California health officials are telling people to avoid visiting Disneyland if they have not been vaccinated. Measles, a highly contagious disease thought to have been eliminated 15 years ago is quickly spreading among people who are not fully immunized.

Some park employees, like this one who asked not to be identified are worried.

Female: I'm a little frightened because obviously I don't want to get it.

Maggie: Disneyland is now offering to test employees for the disease and provide vaccines.

Health officials say, of the 34 infected California patients, 29 were not fully vaccinated. But five were up to date on their shots. While the modern measles vaccine is 97 percent effective, doctors say some adults may be more at risk if they got the vaccine before 1971, when it was less effective.

Coming up, boot camp is over and graduation day is finally here for a group of students trying to get their lives together. But did it work? We find out, just ahead.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been following the lives of cadets at the Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy in California, and Demetrius, a lot has changed for these students.

Demetrius: That's right Maggie, and in fact, we end our series today with their new beginning.

This was the first day at the Sunburst Challenge Academy back in July.

These rebellious, unfocused high school dropouts got a wakeup call like none they had ever had.

Over the past 153 days, they have been torn down by discipline and built back up with praise.

The rigid military-style structure these cadets receive here is just one part of this program.

But Sunburst is also a fully accredited high school.

Angel Kay LeMaster: I'm a 4.0 GPA, straight-A student.

Demetrius: A big change from the D's and F's these students are used to seeing from

2 | P a g e their normal schools. At Sunburst, cadets attend classes eight hours a day, have mandatory study sessions and have access to tutors.

Sergeant Rochelle Sonza: A lot of these kids have never accomplished anything in their lives. A victory to them is scary cause they don’t know what it feels like or how it should feel like. So they’re fighting it, because they don’t want to go back to that environment where they once were at. You know, letting go is really hard for a lot of them.

Adjekai Stewart: I'm pretty scared to leave.

Demetrius: Cadet Adjekai Stewart finds it hard not to doubt herself.

Adjekai: I don’t have that “I can do it” mentality. If someone’s told you something for so long, it’s pretty hard to try and break the chain. So I have to take it day by day.

Demetrius: But it all comes down to this, graduation day.

As the cadets shared hugs and tears while lining up for graduation, in the stands, anxious parents were emotional too. Adjekai Stewart's mother, Samantha, had just one message for her daughter.

Samantha: That I will always be there for her, no matter what. That my life didn’t begin until she came into this world.

Demetrius: Sergeant Timothy Edwards and all the sergeants who used tough love to help turn these lives around said their goodbyes too, with one final salute.

A testament to the Sunburst motto: dream, believe, achieve, and one last word of motivation…

Sgt. Edwards: The mission starts after graduation. That is when it starts, after graduation.

Demetrius: Twenty-eight of the cadets you just saw actually completed their high school diploma while at Sunburst, while the others will go back to their regular schools fully caught up on credits and a new outlook on life.

Maggie: What an incredible story. Thanks a lot.

Alright guys, coming next, Demetrius, do you golf?

Demetrius: Not very really.

Maggie: Well, alright, we got your back. Don’t worry. This week's Next Big Thing might just get you rethinking the green.

3 | P a g e Take golf, combine it with soccer and what do you get? Well, we will tell you just ahead.

But before we kick into this week's Next Big Thing, let's see what you guys thought about last week's.

We told you about public napping and a new pillow called the ostrich that allows you to tune out and doze off anywhere you are. So, is it the Next Big Thing?

Fifty- three percent said yes, nap time! Forty- seven percent said no, I am wide awake!

If you like the fairway and you also like to kick, well this next sport might just be for you. All you need is a golf course, a soccer ball, and an athletic open mind.

Soccer balls are popping up all over this golf course. It is calledg. The game is similar to traditional golf. But trade the club for your foot and the tiny ball for a big one with an extra layer of forgiveness.

Chris Homick: There’s not as much ways you can mess up. And you’re kicking into a giant tub instead of a little hole.

Maggie: Chris Homick and his sister Liz are now regulars since this course in Maryland opened last summer.

Liz: We all loved it.

Maggie: The ball doesn't quite behave the way it would on a soccer field.

Liz: But on a golf course, it could bounce up, it could bounce forward, backwards. It could go anywhere. It’s unpredictable.

Maggie: Liz isn't a golfer, but says now after spending time on the green she wants to learn. And that's exactly what golf instructors are hoping to hear.

Martin Zadravec: We’re trying to teach the game of golf through footgolf.

Maggie: After investing $3,000 in footgolf equipment, it is already brought in an extra 40,000 to this course.

Now traditional golf and its soccer ball cousin exist side-by-side.

Zadravec: It’s a game that anyone can play and that makes it accessible to everybody.

Maggie: And with 300 footgolf courses in the U.S, you might just want to try it for yourself.

4 | P a g e That looks like so much fun! But what do you think? Is it the Next Big Thing? Just head on over to ChannelOne.com to vote.

Alright guys, that’s going to do it for us. I am Maggie Rulli. Go have an awesome weekend and we cannot wait to see you right back here on Monday.

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