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Joey Grundl, Milwaukee pizza guy.

Editor's Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

Joey Grundl, who was working as a pizza delivery driver for a Domino's Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, was hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman's subtle cry for help. It's a timeless story that continues to resonate with people today. In 2018, the deliveryman was sent to a woman's house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffmann, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffmann. She appeared to be mouthing the words: "Call the police."

"I showed up, it was a normal delivery, and saw this middle-aged couple," Grundl, 24, told NBC News. "I gave him his pizza, and then I noticed behind him was his girlfriend," Grundl told WITI Milwaukee. "She pointed to a black eye that was quite visible. She mouthed the words, 'Call the police.'" When Grundl got back to his delivery car, he called the police. When the police arrived at the home, Hoffmann tried to block the door, but eventually let the police into the woman's home.


dean hoffmann, wisconsin, mugshot, pizza guy, joey grundl, Dean Hoffmann's mugshot.via WITI Milwaukee

After seeing the battered woman, Hoffmann was arrested, and she was taken to the hospital for her wounds. Earlier in the day, Hoffmann arrived at the house without her permission and tried to convince her to get back into a relationship with him. He then punched her in the face and hog-tied her with a vacuum power cord.

"If you love me, you will let me go," she pleaded, but he reportedly replied, "You know I can't do that." He also threatened to shoot both of them with a .22 caliber firearm he kept in his car. The woman later told authorities that she feared for her life.


- YouTube www.youtube.com

A day later, Grundl was seen on TV telling his heroic story, wearing a hoodie from Taylor Swift's "Reputation Tour" and her fans quickly jumped into action, tagging Swift in photos of the hero. Grundl already had tickets to go to an upcoming Swift concert in Arlington, Wisconsin, but when Swift learned of the story, she arranged to meet Grundl backstage and they took a photo together.

"She … she knew who I was," Grundl jokingly tweeted after the concert. "I'm thoroughly convinced Taylor gave me a cold."

"This has been one of the most exciting weeks of my life," Grundl said. "I'm legitimately getting emotional and I almost never get like this. But as the likely most memorable week of my entire life comes to an end … I guess I can really say … I'm doing better than I ever was."

- YouTube www.youtube.com


Hoffmann was found guilty of kidnapping, suffocating, harming, and intimidating his girlfriend and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. It was his first criminal charge. During the trial, his victim told the jury that she was "deathly afraid" of Hoffmann. In 2023, after being transferred to Waupun Correctional Institute in Wisconsin, Hoffmann died by suicide after 9 days in solitary confinement. Hoffman has a history of bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation, and his death has raised questions over whether the facility was equipped to deal with severe mental health issues.

This story originally appeared six years ago.

Music

Taylor Swift's unreleased demo from when she was just 14 is the surprise gem of 2025

With only a 12-string acoustic guitar, Taylor croons with a slight country twang.

Images via Wikicommons

Taylor Swift at a 2007 concert and in 2019

When Taylor Swift was only 14, she wasn't just dreaming of boys, cats, and cashmere cardigan sweaters. All perfectly reasonable things to dream about, by the way. She was writing songs. In fact, she wrote a whole demo of songs which she ultimately sent to record labels in 2003.

One such song was "Baby Blue," which became the second track on her demo. According to a Taylor Swift fan account called Songs by Taylor Swift (@songsbytaylor) on Instagram, Taylor wrote "Baby Blue" shortly after her family moved to Nashville. It wasn't until August of 2023 that music journalist Brian Mansfield finally leaked it, "giving fans a glimpse of Taylor Swift's early songwriting talent." With only a 12-string acoustic guitar, Taylor croons in a crisp Mezzo Soprano range, with a slight country twang over a pop vibe.

Now, the song is going viral again, and a whole new fanbase is both loving it and finding Easter eggs sprinkled into the lyrics, creating thematic through-lines so very typical of her songwriting. Such classic Swift themes include small towns, sweet young love, and, in this case, the color blue. But we'll come back to that.

The tune begins with the unmistakable sweetness of Taylor's voice singing, "Small town, big blue eyes, little blonde baby with stars in her eyes." The chyron over a teenage photo of Swift explains, "The story follows a blonde girl growing up in a small town with the color blue (her baby gown, bedroom sheets) symbolizing key moments in her life."

taylor swift love GIFGiphy

She continues to sing about having "blue on the mind," but the description on the Insta-reel digs in further. "At 18, she falls in love with a guy named Hank, who takes her to prom. He gives her a blue corsage, and their young love blossoms. The color blue comes back with their newborn baby, nicknamed 'Baby Blue.'"

The chorus is where she really shines, singing in a higher register, "She was an archangel, sweet danger, living and loving and singing her song. Knew what she wanted, and knew what she loved, and she looooooved… Baby Blue."

The online comments from Swifties sparkle with excitement. One shares, "I'm hearing strong The Chicks influence here." Another demands a "Taylor's Version" (of course referring to Taylor rerecording her masters so that she could own her songs again). And another focuses on the color choice. "It's interesting that she used the color blue to symbolize Joe at later times in her life." (Joe refers to Joe Alwyn, an English actor that Taylor dated for over 6 years.)

On the r/TaylorSwift subreddit, someone inquires about the use of blue in her songs, even before this demo leaked, asking, "What does she mean? She uses blue a lot on the Lover album." (She was dating the aforementioned Joe while writing and recording the Lover album, so theories are colliding.) Someone else adds, "I just learned the other day that in filmmaking, blue symbolizes isolation. So maybe it’s another way of saying that Taylor likes that Joe isn’t aiming to get a lot of attention and was more isolated than other guys she’s dated."

Joe Alwyn, Taylor Swift, music, baby blue, Taylor Swift demoJoe Alwynen.m.wikipedia.org

In the same subreddit, but a different thread, someone else brings up the topic. A Redditor writes, "Taylor uses her own meaning of blue, so it's not necessarily just sadness but rather a longing love. She uses it more specifically in her songs about Joe; in her previous lyrics, it has traditional connotations of blue. It seems to symbolize this sort of emotional, difficult, heartbreaking love."

Seeing as how the theme goes back over 20 years, it's possible she simply likes the color blue. But it's Taylor Swift, and usually, every lyric and idea is meticulously crafted to symbolize a feeling or a longing or an A-list actor or a Kansas City Chief. We might never know exactly the meaning behind "Baby Blue," but either way, fans agree—the song sure bops.

Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' helps 5-year-old win MMA match

Playing a sport can be tough no matter what age you are. You learn what it feels like to work hard and lose anyway, but you also get to experience seeing all your hard work pay off when you win. But no matter what sport is played, enjoying the process can make the experience worthwhile even when the outcome doesn't go in your favor.

Dominic Barry is teaching his daughter how to appreciate all aspects of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), recently uploading a video of the young girl learning to refocus after losing several grappling matches. Barry explains that his daughter, who appears to be around 5-years-old was placed with all boys, in a weight class and experience level higher for a recent competition.

The tougher competition against more experienced fighters gave her confidence a bit of a bruising, causing the little girl to leave the mat in tears. Enter Queen Tay-Tay, also known as Taylor Swift.


Barry was trying all he could to get the girl to calm down, refocus and finish the rest of the competition. But it seems even the best pep talk wasn't doing anything to get her back into the competitive spirit. That's when Barry whips out his phone, puts the earbuds in his daughter's ears and hits play on Swift's "Cruel Summer." Maybe there's some sort of underlying Rocky track hidden beneath the catchy summer beat. Whatever it is, It's exactly what the tiny MMA fighter needed.

"Now I don't know what's in Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' but it activated my baby girl, cause her very next match she went to work," Barry explains before sharing he thought the little boy was getting the best of her. But the little girl quickly turned the fight around causing her dad to burst out in song singing a pitchy version of his daughter's fight anthem.

Watch the inspiring video below:

Commenters appreciated the encouragement he gave the little girl and praised her fighting skills.

"I love her determination. She's going to be a super star. No more crying!!! She's that girl! Girl power," one person says.

"Bro you speaking to her like this is astounding, breaking it down so she understands fully. You’re an amazing dad keep it up. She’s gonna be a problem when she gets older," another writes.

"Love you and your daughter’s relationship.Teaching her so many life lessons thru mma at such a young age is awesome she’s gonna be a great," a commenter shares.

it may not be a sport for everyone but from the looks of Barry's page, she thoroughly enjoys it. There's no doubt that she will keep getting better with the help of her dad and of course, Ms. Taylor Swift.

@SavannaheBananas/Youtube, Raph_PH/Wikipedia

Swifites aren't just on the football fields these days.

Some songs hype you up no matter where you are. For baseball player (slash entertainer extraordinaire) Jackson Olsen, that song seems to be Taylor Swift’s “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.”

A video posted to Youtube shows the Savannah Bananas Infielder bustin’ a move to one of the pop star’s latest hits from her “Tortured Poets Society” album as he walked up to the home plate. Guess Swift is an icon in every sport—not just football.

Watch below Olsen not only gets the crowd involved, but the unsuspecting umpire as well.

Down in the comments, people were praising Olsen for his unapologetic Swiftie-ness, and just his infectious energy all around.

“Taylor Swift needs to see this.”

“Omg this is my favorite thing ever. Protect this man at all costs”

“I absolutely love this I don't get into baseball or sports in general and have nooooo idea who this guy is - but I'm so here for his energy.”

“He's a whole vibe and I love it.”

“He’s definitely a Swiftie!!”

Of course, anyone who follows the Savannah Bananas knows that fun dances are just par for the course. Here’s a small sampling of what the team does on a regular basis:

It’s this commitment to fun that compelled Olsen to join the team in the first place.

In a reel posted to the Savannah Bananas’ Facebook page, Olsen explained how seeing videos from the team’s TikTok account convinced him that it was “the most fun team in the world” and he had to get involved. Even his application (which also consisted of TikTok videos) involved dancing. And since becoming part of the team, he’s been dancing ever since. When he’s not swinging a bat, that is.

Case in point: only two months ago, Olson delighted fans with a rendition of the iconic “I’m just Ken” performance from the Oscars…just before hitting a single.

Just goes to show that no matter what you’re doing in life, it will always be that much better with a little dancing.