Month: September 2025

By Sabrina Franza

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Mom and pop restaurants who rely on communities that ICE agents have been targeting in the Chicago area said they’re seeing fewer and fewer customers amid the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.

One restaurant owner compared what he’s experiencing now to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying foot traffic is the lowest he’s seen since 2020.

The food served at Taqueria La Paz in Belmont Cragin dates back generations.

“Our cooks have been with us 18 years,” said co-owner Nestor Cruz. “There was something about my mom always telling us, ‘Oh, you could always own your own business.’ So that seed got planted in our head.”

Weekday afternoons are normally one of the busiest times of day at Taqueria La Paz. Usually its tables would be full, but on Tuesday they sat empty, something Cruz said is a new trend over the last few weeks as Operation Midway Blitz began and customers started to see federal agents in their communities.

“People are not really going to sit-down places,” he said.

The restaurant’s business model has switched over to mostly mobile orders during their peak hours.

“At the end of the month, it barely makes it,” he said.

One of their customers told Cruz some of their loved ones were detained by ICE, and described how she felt thinking of leaving her house.

“She couldn’t come out. She was trying to get enough money, because now delivery was going to charge her more, but she was afraid to come out. She been a customer for a long time, so I said, ‘No worries, I’ll take your food,'” Cruz said.

Cruz just wants to keep his family’s American dream alive by feeding his community.

“I was raised in this industry. I love how my mom, my grandma and my mom, cook. So my brother and I continue,” he said.

CBS News Chicago has heard of the same trend happening in communities like Little Village and in Pilsen. The long-term effects of this trend are still not clear.

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By Alicia Roberts

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    DELAWARE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Inside Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, the family of PFC Evelyn Preston LeSueuer gathered more than 13 years after her passing to mark a part of her life and our nation’s history that went untold for decades.

LeSueuer, a graduate of West Catholic High School, served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II in what became known as the Six Triple Eight – the U.S. Army’s 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion – the only all Black, all-female unit to serve overseas, tasked with clearing three years of mail backlog for troops in Europe.

Their mission was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal this past April and made popular by a Netflix movie released last December.

Gamal Preston, LeSueuer’s nephew, said his family first learned of the historical significance of his aunt’s service through the film.

“About a month and a half to two months after the movie came out on Netflix, and she said, you know Aunt Eva was in there,” Preston said.

Now, thanks to the work of the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference, which launched the Unmarked Graves Project, all members of the Six Triple Eight will receive military marked graves and full honors

LeSueuer is the first in the nation with this distinction.

“I think if our family could represent all the other families who have been underrepresented or misrepresented, I think that this means a lot,” Preston said.

Ta-Wanda Preston is LeSueuer’s cousin. For her, this day is a long overdue step in honoring the sacrifice, bravery and resilience of a group of women who forever shaped history.

“It’s so important that we never forget because you know you don’t want your history to be gone,” Ta-Wanda Preston said.

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By Doug Myers

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    Texas (KTVT) — A Texas mother charged in the deaths of her two children told authorities she saw them before going to sleep, then woke to find the front door open and discovered them unresponsive in her hot car.

Investigators in Bexar County have said her account contains inconsistencies.

Deputies respond to San Antonio home Tiona Lasaisha Islar, 28, has been charged with two counts of causing serious bodily injury or death to a child, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

Her bond was set at $300,000 after her two children — a 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter — were pronounced dead on Saturday afternoon.

Mother describes waking to open door Deputies responded Saturday afternoon to a report of injury to a child in the 7000 block of Chancery Gate, on the far west side of San Antonio.

Islar told authorities that she last saw the children around 8 a.m. before dozing off and awoke at about 3 p.m. to find the front door open. She then said she located the children, who weren’t responding, in her car.

Deputies arrived on scene at around 3:30 p.m. and attempted life-saving measures after she said she had brought the children into the house. Her two children were pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

Medical examiner reviewing cause of death Bexar County’s medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of death, according to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information or security footage is asked to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000 or email BCSOTIPS@bexar.org.

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By WDJT News Staff

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    KENOSHA COUNTY, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Eight people are facing charges in Kenosha County after authorities uncovered a large retail theft operation linked to Cartel La Familia Michoacana in Mexico.

According to a news release from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, Sept. 23, investigators began looking into the group in March 2025 after being contacted by police in Oak Brook, Ill., along with federal agencies.

Officials claim the cartel has moved stolen goods around the country for years using fake IDs, stash houses and vehicles, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually to fund drug, gun and human trafficking.

The group was seen stealing items in Pleasant Prairie on April 6, according to officials. Four days later, deputies stopped several members and found more than $21,000 in stolen merchandise from Madison. A May 6 search of a Kenosha apartment uncovered more items and led detectives to a storage unit, where another $16,000 in stolen property was also found.

In total, more than $120,000 in stolen merchandise was seized in Kenosha County. Four suspects are still in county jail. Four others bonded out but were deported to Mexico and now face warrants if they return.

Those arrested include Fausto Gonzalez-Medrano, Jose Antonio Baez-Fuerte, Jorge Alberto Villeda-Sevilla, Sharon Jazmin Villeda-Sevilla, Ana Paola Villeda-Sevilla, Manuel Perez-Sanchez, Danna Paola Gomez and Yareli Salas-Ramirez.

Sheriff David Zoerner said the case was a collaborative effort between local and federal agencies.

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By Shannon Brinias

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    SHREVEPORT, LA (KTBS) — A Shreveport business is recovering after a late-night break-in that was all caught on camera.

The burglary happened Sunday night after closing at Chuck Wagon Crawfish, 1209 East Bert Kouns Loop near the auto dealerships. Surveillance video shows the suspect using a metal folding chair to smash the glass on the front door.

Once inside, the burglar grabbed a near-empty cash register and checked the manager’s office but left without taking anything else. Police say the suspect’s distinctive sneakers could be a key clue, since another nearby business recently reported a break-in involving someone wearing the same shoes.

For employees, the damage left behind is more frustrating than the theft itself.

“We don’t keep a lot in here. You’re costing me more money and more headache than you actually took,” General Manager William Rice said. “You broke a $500 window to get $150. That’s pathetic. Go get a job.”

Rice said the alarm system immediately alerted him and responding officers. Since the door was destroyed, he had to spend the night at the restaurant until it could be secured.

Police K-9 units tracked the suspect’s trail to a dead end, suggesting he either drove away in a vehicle or was picked up. Investigators are also looking into whether this crime is connected to other recent business break-ins in the area.

Rice said that anyone who can provide solid suspect information to police will be rewarded with two large sacks of crawfish and the fixings once the season opens up again in the spring. If you have information, call Shreveport police or Crimestoppers at 673-7373.

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By Christopher Harris

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    DEKALB COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — A DeKalb County man is facing multiple charges after police say he stole more than 90 manhole covers from county streets this month.

According to DeKalb County Police, investigators with the East Precinct’s Investigative Unit arrested Kailan Whatley on Sept. 16 on charges of theft of government property.

Since Sept. 2, police say there have been five incidents involving the theft of at least 91 DeKalb County Public Works manhole covers, also known as catch basin lids.

Investigators said the break in the case came when a witness in Rockdale County recorded two men removing two manhole covers, placing them into a 2020 Nissan Kick, and driving away. Detectives identified the vehicle’s owner, linked him to the other thefts, and later conducted a traffic stop in DeKalb County, where Whatley was arrested.

Whatley is charged with eight counts of theft of government property. Police said additional charges are expected.

DeKalb investigators said they are also working with authorities in Rockdale and Gwinnett counties to solve similar cases.

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By Tammy Mutasa

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    CHELSEA, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Chelsea Police arrested a man seen on surveillance video trying to violently rob the EZ Mart in Chelsea, armed with two knives in broad daylight Monday morning.

Suspect in robbery faces charges Investigators said Edwin Geovanny Videz-Trinidad, 27, faces several charges, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed robbery and malicious destruction of property.

Police say Videz-Trinidad walked into the store wearing a black ski mask, but the clerk quickly spotted him.

Investigators said that’s when a violent struggle started, with the suspect trying to force his way to the register and swinging a knife at the clerk. But the clerk fought back with a screwdriver.

The suspect is seen on video finally knocking over a display case onto the clerk before running out.

Community supports clerk

Long-time customers like Brian Flint came to check on the clerk when they heard what happened.

“He did a good job fighting him off, even though he didn’t have a weapon, and he wasn’t giving up. He didn’t back down, and I respect him, you know?” said Flint. “He didn’t just say, ‘Here’s the money.’ He fought for that money because he works hard for that money.”

Investigators said the suspect was seen on surveillance video ditching the mask in a nearby trash can and taking off the sweatshirt worn in the robbery on Forsyth Street.

“A dangerous and violent incident”

Detectives tracked down Videz-Trinidad and arrested him at an apartment. They also found the knife in the robbery.

“This was a dangerous and violent incident that could have had far worse consequences,” said Chelsea Police Chief Keith E. Houghton in a press release. “Thanks to the quick response and thorough investigative work of our officers, the suspect was swiftly identified and apprehended.”

Videz-Trinidad was arraigned in Chelsea District Court.

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