Family recounts alarming moments during home invasion

By Reg Chapman

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — Police in Minneapolis said they’re tracking five early-morning home invasions that have happened on the city’s north side in the past week.

One of the incidents involved a family being held at gunpoint after four masked men broke in.

“They had the guns all up in our face,” the mother said.

A loud thud woke her up, and when she walked out of her bedroom, she found a group of armed thieves inside her home.

“I came out and I instantly threw my hands up because I’m scared. I got my child in there, and I’m screaming, ‘No, please stop. My child is in here, my child is in here,'” she said.

The mother did not show her face during her interview with WCCO as she is afraid of the men who invaded her home, who have not been caught. She mentioned how she begged for her life and the life of her child.

“I was screaming, ‘Help, help, my child is in here, my child is in here. Don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me,'” she said.

“I woke up to yelling,” said Brenda Clark, who was in her bedroom upstairs during the incident.

Clark is the mother of the woman held at gunpoint.

“That’s when they got to running out the door, when they heard footsteps upstairs, and they heard my mom, like, ‘What’s going on down there?'” she said.

Clark went to her Ring camera and saw the men casing her North Minneapolis home.

“They were outside from 5:54 [a.m.] walking, pacing, looking dead at the camera. Like one person was like, ‘I don’t think it work.’ The other person was like, ‘It do work.’ They didn’t care. The point was they didn’t care,” Clark said.

Video shows the men helping boost one another inside the kitchen window. They then took cash, credit cards and other belongings from Clark’s daughters.

“Y’all was bold, to cut a screen, like y’all real criminals. This is what y’all do, you know, y’all’s specialty, in this, cut a screen and just come through the window. They plotted,” Clark said.

Investigators arrested one juvenile, and they are working to determine how many of the Minneapolis home invasions he is connected to.

Police are asking people to call 911 if they have any information.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Border Patrol agents arrest 11 rideshare drivers at O’Hare Airport parking lot

By Victor Jacobo

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Several rideshare drivers were arrested by immigration agents on Saturday at the O’Hare International Airport rideshare parking lot.

It was the second immigration raid targeting rideshare drivers at O’Hare in little more than a week.

The Department of Homeland Security said 11 people were arrested at the O’Hare rideshare parking lot on Saturday morning.

Citizen app video shows federal agents patrolling a lot designated for rideshare drivers near O’Hare and interrogating several people.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the incident, saying Border Patrol conducted a targeted operation near the parking lots at O’Hare, resulting in the arrest of 11 undocumented immigrants from Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Venezuela.

DHS did not provide names for the people who were arrested, but claimed they had criminal histories including domestic battery, DUI, and overstaying a visa. Officials also said some had a final order of removal requiring them to be deported.

Groups representing drivers said they are concerned.

“These are drivers that are essential to every single one of our communities,” said Bailey Koch, a spokesperson for the Illinois Drivers Alliance, which represents rideshare drivers.

Koch said the organization is working to help those impacted.

“We are trying to locate where they’re at, where their families are at, and try to get them as many resources as we can, on top of working to make sure that this does not continue to happen,” she said.

Federal agents conducted a similar operation detaining multiple people at the same lot on Oct. 10.

The Illinois Drivers Alliance said, after that incident, it has worked with the city of Chicago to put up signs and station personnel to prevent unauthorized entry into the lot in an effort to protect drivers.

“As of today, we have worked with the city to provide 24/7 security on that lot, and really enforcing that if you do not have the correct credentials to be in there, you’re prohibited from being in that lot,” Koch said.

Koch said the alliance is working to learn more information about how agents gained access to the lot on Saturday, and what other measures can be put in place in order to prevent unauthorized access.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

School defends internet policy after second grader’s explicit search

By Ashley Paul

Click here for updates on this story

    Maryland (WJZ) — Parents in Harford County are outraged after a second-grade student was able to search a sexually explicit term on his Harford County Public School-issued laptop.

The incident happened at Roye Williams Elementary School in Havre De Grace.

“Unfortunately, when I pulled up his laptop and his search history, it was typed in, and the first page that came up was Wikipedia. And unfortunately, it showed him images of what that was,” Sadie Gaupp told WJZ’s Ashley Paul.

Gaupp cried as she talked about the moment the web page loaded, and she saw the words and images her son had searched on his laptop earlier that day.

“That’s just a conversation that I didn’t even want to have with my eight-year-old, let alone having to say what that is and have it not be a huge deal because it’s a child. So you don’t know how they’re going to react to something,” Gaupp said.

She said that another student dared him to look up the sexually explicit term, and he admitted to what he saw later that night.

“I’m really frustrated he was able to access this at school. It wasn’t like the laptop, because they do come home. It wasn’t like he did that at home in our home; he did that at school, on the school’s internet, on their devices. And where’s the protection there?” Gaupp asked.

“Do eight-year-olds really even need laptops to learn…?” A letter sent to parents by the school’s principal explains they are committed to appropriate digital learning, and there are multiple firewalls and filters in place to restrict access to inappropriate websites.

It goes on to say, “Educational resources such as Wikipedia remain accessible because they are widely used for research and learning. Unfortunately, in this instance, a student intentionally encouraged others to search for a term that produced inappropriate results on that platform.”

The webpage in question, they tell us, has since been blocked by the district’s technology department.

“I don’t care if it’s well for their learning. Do eight-year-olds really even need laptops to learn in the first place?” Gaupp questioned. “Because we were learning way before that without laptops. But it’s easy to have app monitoring, it’s not hard.”

Gaupp says she plans to homeschool her children from now on because of this incident.

HCPS tells us they monitor and filter online content to the federal standards outlined by the Children’s Internet Protection Act, and any student sharing or encouraging access to inappropriate content will face disciplinary action.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Broadway League, Actors’ Equity Association reach tentative deal to avert strike

By Mark Prussin

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW YORK (WCBS, WLNY) — The Broadway League and the Actors’ Equity Association have a tentative deal in place to avoid a strike, the union said Saturday.

“After a marathon mediation session lasting until 6 a.m., Equity and The Broadway League have reached a tentative agreement on the Production Contract. Now we will bring the deal to our members for ratification, and in the meantime, we are putting our full support behind AFM Local 802 as they work with the League to reach a deal that averts a strike,” the union posted on social media.

A mediator was called to the table to attend Friday’s session between Equity, whose members include actors and stage managers, and the Broadway League.

“We’re pleased to have a reached a tentative agreement on terms both parties are comfortable with. Our focus has been negotiating in good faith at the bargaining table to reach a fair contract and we thank our mediators for their diligent work bringing us together,” Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League, said in a statement.

The exact terms of the deal are not yet known. Equity was fighting for more pay, boosted health care contributions and better working conditions.

In 2007, most shows went dark for 19 days during the most recent stagehands strike.

Negotiations continue for Broadway musicians

A Broadway strike can’t be ruled out just yet, however. Talks continue for Broadway’s union musicians, operating under a different agreement.

Equity and Musicians Local 802, which is still trying to work out a deal, have been on expired contracts for weeks amid separate negotiations.

“We are thankful that our brothers and sisters in labor at Actors’ Equity have reached an agreement. Local 802 is still in negotiation for a fair contract, and everything remains on the table, including a strike,” Local 802 Union President Robert Suttmann said in a statement.

Musicians Local 802 voted with 98% in support of authorizing a strike if they cannot reach an agreement with the Broadway League.

Broadway musicians went on strike for five days in 2003.

Dave Carlin contributed to this report.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

MSHP warns drivers of high deer activity during mid-fall and winter months

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is reminding drivers that October ranks as a high-activity month for deer, and vehicles should be cautious on the road, especially during dawn and dusk.

The MSHP reported 2,951 deer-related crashes last year, resulting in four deaths and 420 injuries. On Monday, an Eldon man was seriously hurt in Cole County after hitting a deer and crashing his motorcycle.

Statewide deer numbers appear to be declining. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, hunters harvested around 327,000 deer in 2023 compared to about 276,000 in the 2024 season, an over 15% drop.

This year, deer harvest numbers have remained generally average in Mid-Missouri, with several counties bringing in around 100-200 deer. Other counties like Callaway, Morgan and Camden have hunted more than 300 deer. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources also planned a managed deer hunt in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and the Gans Creek Wild Area for November due to signs of overpopulation.

The MSHP reports that the majority of deer crashes happen between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Deer are also most active in October and November due to mating season.

Drivers are reminded to stay aware of deer in both rural and urban areas, with the MSHP reporting that around a fifth of last year’s deer crashes happened in urban areas. To help avoid a crash, drivers should not swerve around deer to reduce the chances of losing control. It’s also recommended to keep a safe following distance in case the vehicle ahead stops suddenly for a deer.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kiwanis Club of Palm Springs cleans up Sky Valley animal sanctuary

Athena Jreij

SKY VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) — Putting service into action, the Kiwanis Club of Palm Springs helped clean Kitty’s Wildlife Refuge and Rescue in Sky Valley Saturday.

The annual event brings together club members from across the Coachella Valley, in a show of unity and teamwork.

Kitty Pallesen, the sanctuary owner, says club members completed 6 months of work in one day, helping with raking, water basin maintenance, and cleanup in the tortoise habitat and raven aviary.

Pallesen says, “I see high school kids coming out here, students coming out here and I was never exposed to anything like this when I was in high school. When I see these young people coming out here, it just warms my heart.”

For more information on the Kiwanis Club of Palm Springs, visit: https://kiwanispalmsprings.org/.

To learn more about Kitty’s Wildlife Refuge and Rescue, visit: https://kittyswildliferescue.com/.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bend-LaPine School District hosts event with Governor Kotek and Director Dr. Williams to improve school attendance

Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Class is back in session but kids are not showing up.

As of the 23-24 academic school year 33 percent of all students in the Bend-LaPine School district were considered chronically absentee.That is one in three students are constantly missing class.

The Bend-LaPine School District has decided to take action.

On Saturday, School District officials in conjunction with the Governor and Oregon department of education held a phone bank to reach out to those in the community thanking them for their continued attendance.

KTVZ News spoke with Steve Cook the Superintendent of Bend-LaPine schools to learn more about the event.

“We’re making phone calls to families of students who have just got really great attendance and these calls or to call and acknowledge and just celebrate valuing our, education process and sending kids to school,” Cook told KTVZ News. “We know that makes a big difference if kids show up. We know showing up makes all the difference. We know that to be good at school, you’ve got to be at school. So we want that for our kids.”

Over 40 Volunteers were on the phone or writing postcards to families.

Among those volunteers include Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Director of the Oregon Department of Education Doctor Charlene Williams.

KTVZ News Spoke with Doctor Williams who was excited about the event.

“In some other cases, it’s that sense of belonging and connectedness. So when we’re asking them why are you coming to school this year? They’re saying they really connect with their teachers or they really found a great peer group. They’re on the volleyball team,” Dr. Williams told KTVZ News. “Those things matter because the students don’t show up. They can’t learn. So it’s important that we take every moment to celebrate their success.”

Education is a fundamental issue in Oregon. According to State assessment, last year, only 30% of students were proficient in science, 43% were proficient in English language arts, and 31.5% were proficient in math. Officials are hopeful that as students come to class more regularly, those rates will dramatically increase.

Click here to follow the original article.

Foster kids Catch Waves Thanks to ‘More Than Conquerors Surf’

Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – More than Conquerors hosted a Ventura surf session on Saturday.

The group serves foster youth and others.

“We could not ask for a better day to take these kids surfing we are working with adoptive families, kids in foster care and human trafficing victims as well and so they get to come down to the beach and experience all that surfing has to offer,” said MTC Surf founder Elle Miller.

Miller used to teach kids from orphanages to surf in Mexico.

She created the nonprofit that hosts regular events to share the love of the sport that can be healing.

They taught children to surf at Faria Beach in Ventura County.

The event follows a major fundraiser they called rise with the tide.

They are saving up for two new surf vans to take kids to and from beaches up and down the coast.

The event follows a major fundraiser volunteers called “Rise with the Tide,” at the Museum of Ventura County.

Donors include Revolution Board Co., Betty Belt and Urban Cafe.

They are saving up for 2 new vans to take car surfboards and kids to California beaches.

Miller said the regular events they host are free to families.

For more information visit https://mtcsurf.org

Click here to follow the original article.

Fountain Walmart evacuated after customers reported smelling gas

Michael Logerwell

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) – At 1:30 Saturday afternoon, shoppers at the Walmart along Highway 85/87 were abruptly asked to leave the building by store managers.

The reason for the evacuation was the smell of gas.

The City of Fountain said that customers reported the smell of gas to employees, who then chose to evacuate the building as a precaution.

When the Fountain Fire Department arrived, they used their gas detectors to identify where the leak was coming from, but they couldn’t find the leak. The gas detectors all showed zeros.

However, they were able to figure out where the smell was coming from; it was coming from the refrigeration section towards the front of the store.

Colorado Springs Utilities representatives came out to the store. An initial assessment of the smell coming from a drain in the refrigeration section, and it was not natural gas.

The store reopened that same afternoon. No customers or employees reported injuries.

Click here to follow the original article.

Blockbuster celebrates 40 years with nostalgic block party in Bend

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The world’s last remaining Blockbuster threw a blockbuster-sized bash Saturday to mark 40 years since the chain first opened in 1985. Fans from across the country flocked to the Bend store on Northeast Revere Avenue for music, trivia, and ’80s flair.

The “Last Blockbuster Block Party” transformed the Bend parking lot into a nostalgic time capsule filled with local food trucks, live bands, and movie-themed fun. Themed events included an ’80s costume contest, karaoke backed by a live band, and trivia challenges dedicated to movie classics from Back to the Future to The Goonies.

A fully decked-out DeLorean parked outside the store drew visitors eager for photos, while nearby booths from community partners like Kona Ice and Cascade Indoor Sports provided refreshments and games. A portion of today’s proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Central Oregon.

Store manager Sandy Harding called it their biggest celebration yet. “It’s amazing to see how much people still care about Blockbuster and what it represents,” she said.

While the Bend location only became a Blockbuster in 2000, it has since become a global cultural landmark. Visitors from around the world travel to browse its shelves of more than 26,000 movies, buy exclusive merchandise, and take photos beneath the famous blue-and-yellow sign. The store even inspired a Netflix documentary, further cementing its nostalgic legacy.

Though the Bend store didn’t join the Blockbuster family until 2000, it has since become a global landmark with more than 26,000 movies, exclusive merchandise, and visitors from around the world. Once part of a 9,000-store empire, Blockbuster’s legacy now lives on in Bend, proving there’s still magic in rewinding tapes and reliving movie nights.

Harding says the anniversary isn’t just about looking back, it’s about keeping a local tradition alive.

“We’re not just celebrating Blockbuster,” she said. “We’re celebrating Bend, our shared history, and the simple joy of watching movies together.”

Click here to follow the original article.