Month: November 2025

By Kennedy Mason

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    CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — A Cape Coral woman and her mother are demanding accountability after what they say was a humiliating and traumatic mistake — being arrested for DUI after a medical emergency that caused her to crash into a canal.

On Aug. 13, Izabella Montero’s life changed forever. The mother of three had just given birth less than three months earlier when her car veered off the road and plunged into a Cape Coral canal along Southwest Second Terrace around 7 p.m. after picking up dinner for her husband and kids.

“I was supposed to be at my son’s birthday party,” Montero said. “Instead, I was being bailed out of jail for the first time in my life. I don’t even know how to explain it.”

Cape Coral police arrested Montero on suspicion of driving under the influence, noting in their report that she had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and smelled of alcohol.

But Montero’s mother, Norma Alvarez, said she immediately knew what had really happened.

“I said, ‘Bella, you had a seizure,’” Alvarez recalled. “I was epileptic for many years. I know what seizures are like. She hadn’t had one since she was 9 years old, but I knew. She was exhausted, postpartum, and had anemia.”

Montero maintains that she told officers repeatedly that she hadn’t been drinking. At the hospital, she says she begged for a breathalyzer and drug test to prove her innocence.

Officers said they could not do a breathalyzer inside the hospital, but she offered to do it outside and even asked for one at the jail.

“I told them, ‘Just do whatever you want so I can go home to my kids,’” Montero said. “I begged them to drug test me.”

Officers did do a horizontal eye test, which she failed.

According to Cape Coral Police, officers developed probable cause to make the arrest during their investigation. However, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) later confirmed Montero had zero alcohol in her system.

The State Attorney’s Office dropped all charges on Nov. 3, citing insufficient evidence.

Montero has now filed formal complaints against three Cape Coral police officers, including Officer Riley Houlihan, calling for an internal investigation into how her case was handled.

In her complaint, Montero alleges that after fracturing her spine in the crash, she screamed in pain but was ignored. She claims one officer told her, “(Expletive) her back,” and refused to help, saying he “wouldn’t get his uniform wet.”

“My tax dollars pay his salary,” Alvarez said. “And he failed her. He failed her. I will not pay his salary anymore.”

The ordeal left Montero publicly humiliated. She says she couldn’t go anywhere in Lee County without feeling judged.

“Everyone I know saw it,” she said. “My kids’ teachers, their therapist, people at Publix — everyone looked at me like I was a criminal.”

Because of the attention and embarrassment, Montero has since moved her family out of Lee County.

Her mother hopes their story will spark change.

“As God wakes me up in the morning,” Alvarez said. “Her story ends with her. It ends here with us.”

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By Sophia Cruz

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    EAGLE, Idaho (KIVI) — At the Eagle Performing Arts Center, the beauty of ballet isn’t just for kids or professionals — it’s for anyone who wants to move, stretch, and find joy through dance.

The studio’s adult ballet classes give grown-ups a chance to reconnect with the art form, whether they’re stepping into a studio for the first time or returning after years away.

Inside the bright studio space in downtown Eagle, classes focus on balance, flexibility, and strength — but also on having fun.

Instructors guide dancers through classic barre and floor exercises, helping each person improve at their own pace. There’s no pressure, just music, movement, and encouragement.

For many, these classes are more than a workout — they’re a weekly escape. Participants say they leave feeling taller, calmer, and more confident, with a renewed sense of creativity and community.

Eagle Performing Arts Center has become a welcoming place for anyone who’s ever wanted to dance again — proof that it’s never too late to discover the rhythm, grace, and joy that ballet can bring.

And this December, experience that artistry on stage with Idaho Regional Ballet’s The Nutcracker — a beloved holiday tradition featuring stunning performances, dazzling costumes, Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, Principal Guest Artists from Miami City Ballet and the magic of the season for the whole family.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KIVI verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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By Derek Heid

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    LACKAWANNA, New York (WKBW) — A nightmare scenario for a Lackawanna family: their century-old heirloom Bible was mistakenly sold at an estate sale. Now, they’re asking the community to help bring it back.

The Barry family —Vincent Jr., the late Anna Marie, Lynn, James, and Vincent III — spent decades at 78 Victory Avenue in Lackawanna.

The kids have all since moved out, as far as Texas, but their family lineage has all been kept in one place, a very old Bible passed down the family for generations.

“Well, it’s the history of my dad’s family. He was originally from Providence, Rhode Island. His family came from Ireland. It’s all documented in there,” Lynn said. “In fact, we remember him telling us he even put himself in there along with my mother, who also has passed.”

Their father, Vincent Jr., stayed on Victory Ave. until he died last summer. Now, his wife is moving out, and hosted an estate sale last weekend, one that Lynn and her brothers didn’t know about.

“There was no communication between families,” Lynn said. “My brothers were there at 10 o’clock (a.m.), but [the Bible] was sold by then.”

Realizing the family Bible was gone, she reached out to the company that ran the sale, Carnaby Estate Sales, in a panic.

“The only thing the woman had said from the estate sale was ‘it was a woman who bought with cash, so there’s no documentation on that,’” Lynn said.

Lynn believes the Bible was sold for $85.

I reached out to Carnaby Estate Sales myself, asking for more information on the buyer… but it did not respond.

Q: “As far as the lady who did buy the Bible, what would your message to her be?”

Lynn: “I would just like it back. I’m willing to pay you back for it. It means a lot to us.”

If you have any idea where that Bible may be, you can reach out to Lynn at lynnmrobinson@yahoo.com.

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KCBS

By Lauren Pozen

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    EATON, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A coalition of Eaton Fire victims is calling on California officials for help after their testing showed that toxins remained inside homes despite remediation.

Bill and Nina Malone live in one of the homes that still has toxins deep inside, despite having a remediation company clean their home twice.

“This house is contaminated,” Bill Malone said. “They didn’t clean under any of this. We are still finding soot and stuff in our drawers and cabinets. And, if it’s in our drawers and cabinets, we can’t trust anything.”

The organization, Eaton Fire Residents United, stated that their testing revealed thousands of homes that survived the disaster were still contaminated with lead and other toxins.

“We started digging into it, and our neighboring scientists — JPL, Cal Tech — a bunch of us came together,” said Dawn Fanning, a member of Eaton Fire Residents United. “We started collecting the data that came from the industrial hygienist testing.”

Fanning said their samples from a majority of homes tested positive for chemicals despite remediation:

-96% tested positive for lead -69% tested positive for wildfire debris contamination -36% tested positive

Eaton Fire Residents United will present their findings and urge state officials to enforce clear safety standards before anyone is allowed to return to their homes.

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By Lauren Pozen

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    EATON, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A coalition of Eaton Fire victims is calling on California officials for help after their testing showed that toxins remained inside homes despite remediation.

Bill and Nina Malone live in one of the homes that still has toxins deep inside, despite having a remediation company clean their home twice.

“This house is contaminated,” Bill Malone said. “They didn’t clean under any of this. We are still finding soot and stuff in our drawers and cabinets. And, if it’s in our drawers and cabinets, we can’t trust anything.”

The organization, Eaton Fire Residents United, stated that their testing revealed thousands of homes that survived the disaster were still contaminated with lead and other toxins.

“We started digging into it, and our neighboring scientists — JPL, Cal Tech — a bunch of us came together,” said Dawn Fanning, a member of Eaton Fire Residents United. “We started collecting the data that came from the industrial hygienist testing.”

Fanning said their samples from a majority of homes tested positive for chemicals despite remediation:

-96% tested positive for lead -69% tested positive for wildfire debris contamination -36% tested positive

Eaton Fire Residents United will present their findings and urge state officials to enforce clear safety standards before anyone is allowed to return to their homes.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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.

By Kristen Consillio

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — Travelers flying in and out of Honolulu face potential delays due to a government shutdown affecting federal workers.

Some passengers landing in Honolulu are hearing the news for the first time today. With thousands of flights up in the air across the country, some at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport are anxious that they could be in for delays and disruptions.

Malama Togia’s been planning for months to visit her family in Samoa and now she has to worry about her travel plans and safety.

“It is a lot of frustration for the travelers, for people working at the airport,” Togia said. “Safety also comes first. And if that happens, people walking out of their jobs and stuff like that, how are we able to fly safely?”

Togia is among the thousands of travelers caught in the middle of the government shutdown that’s led to air traffic controllers, TSA and other unpaid federal workers walking off the job which has disrupted flights across the country.

“The people have to work to make a living right with this going on around here, them not being able to get paid, they have bills to pay,” Togia added. “Also, it’s not good, even myself too. I’d be worried if I’m the one working here, not only for my safety, but for theirs too.”

The turn of events was also alarming for Kai Barrett, who was catching an international flight on Thursday after the Federal Aviation Administration announced it’s reducing flight capacity by 10% to ensure safe operations.

“It’s definitely a little more worrisome because to some people 10% may not seem like a lot,” Barrett said. “But ideally at the end of the day on Hawaii, like 10% of the flights is a major amount, especially flying into major cities or even just flying back here.”

There are 200 flights per day coming out of Honolulu airport, a 10% reduction would affect about 20 flights.

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, which make up over half of the total flights here, said a vast majority of flights will not be impacted and any affected travelers will be accommodated.

“So today, hopefully all goes well, but definitely coming home going to be a little bit more worried, but we’ll see,” Barrett said. “Hope it’s smooth.”

The Hawaii Department of Transportation is planning a to have a press conference on Friday morning to explain the overall impact at Honolulu airport.

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By Flynn Snyder

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    WAKE COUNTY, North Carolina (WRAL) — The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has identified a woman killed in a 1968 homicide using partner agencies and advancements in forensic genealogy.

On Thursday, the sheriff’s office and State Bureau of Investigation held a news conference to discuss how investigators ended a 57-year cold case and identified the victim, Myrtle Holcomb.

“It’s the oldest cold case in North Carolina solved with forensic genealogy as far as I know, so that’s a first,” said forensic genealogist Leslie Kaufman with First Genes LLC.

Kaufman helped investigators to develop Holcomb’s family tree.

Authorities believe Holcomb died on April 27, 1968, in what witnesses described as a fire in a field near Ten Ten Road and Lake Wheeler Road in southern Wake County.

“We believe it’s important to share this information to send a message to the public that law enforcement never gives up, that we pursue every lead and we embrace technology and partnerships to solve crimes,” Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said.

Wake County investigator Sgt. Kenneth Kay said the investigation began on April 28, 1968.

“Deputies immediately called for assistance from the SBI as the body was identified as a white female who was burnt beyond recognition,” Kay said.

Kay said, at the time, there was not enough evidence at the scene for an arrest and for authorities to identify the victim. He said deputies interviewed neighbors who lived nearby. They told deputies they’d seen a woman walking in the area, but no one could identify her.

Authorities identified a person of interest as Robert Reagan, Kay said. It wasn’t until 36 years later until Reagan became a suspect.

“In 2004, investigators received new information involving Robert Reagan as a suspect,” Kay said.

WRAL News previously reported investigators interviewed Reagan in 1968. He admitted that he and a friend named David Baker drove up the road to get a look at the woman, but told detectives she had vanished when they got there.

According to Kay, authorities conducted interviews with a witness who provided details, clues and evidence that were left in the area that were not made public in 1968.

“This witness was also able to provide information saying that they had seen Reagan in possession of an identification card for a female by the name of ‘Holcomb,’” Kay said. “They could not remember the full name but knew the name ‘Holcomb’ when they provided that information.”

Kay said authorities contacted the Wake County District Attorney’s Office in 2004. The DA’s office advised it would pursue a murder charge against Reagan as a suspect.

By that time, however, Reagan had died.

“No charges were ever filed,” Kay said.

WRAL News previously reported in the mid-2000s that Reagan’s family does not accept the murder charge.

“I would like the public to know that there are two sides to this story,” Jewel Madsen, Reagan’s daughter, said at the time. “We’ve been shown no evidence, no proof. If he was alive today, he would have a trial. All the evidence would be put forward for us to make a rational decision.”

Kay said authorities found Holcomb’s body with few belongings and no identification. He said she was disfigured so authorities could not positively identify her.

Kay said a pathologist in the area provided authorities information saying they believed the woman was around 35 years old.

“A facial reconstruction was completed, but still no identification was able to be completed at the time,” Kay said.

Even after Reagan’s death, Kay said the sheriff’s office did not close the case because investigators wanted to identify the victim.

“For generations, the sheriff’s office worked on this, hoping to bring closure to a family [for a body] that had yet to be identified,” Kay said.

Kay said authorities completed multiple DNA tests on the victim’s clothing, shoes and glasses.

“However, a DNA profile was never able to be established,” Kay said.

Kay said the coroner took a key item from the dead woman, cut hair.

“This evidence was kept in the sheriff’s office custody, in our evidence for 57 years,” Kay said. “Just recently, the hair was provided and sent off for a suitable DNA comparison.”

Kay said the sheriff’s office sent the hair to Astrea Forensics.

“It’s very rare that we’re being able to do cases with hair,” Kaufman said. “That’s a recent development with Astrea Forensics.”

Kaufman said it’s the second time that she’s helped solve a case using hair.

Astrea Forensics developed a profile for the victim, Kay said.

“The profile from this victim was sent to Leslie Kaufman with First Genes LLC, and she was able to identify a possible relative after hours and hours of working on a family dynamic for this victim,” Kay said.

Kay said the sheriff’s office met with relatives of Holcomb and conducted additional DNA testing, which confirmed her identity.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, being able to give somebody an answer after all these years,” Kaufman said. “It’s incredible. I understand that it’s devastating for the victim, but it’s also satisfying to know what happened.”

Kaufman said Astrea Forensics provided “a very good DNA profile and kit.” She said it allowed her to upload to two different databases: GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA.

“From those two, I was able to develop a family tree for Ms. Holcomb,” Kaufman said. “I actually had two trees built to a total of a little [more than] 4,000 people.”

Kaufman said it took her about four months to provide a lead to Kay.

“We were able to get a final identification in September,” Kaufman said.

“My mother was 8 years old when this case started,” Kay said.

Holcomb was born in 1919 and was traveling to Raleigh from Florida. She was married and had two children.

According to Kay, Holcomb’s family knew she was traveling to Raleigh, but didn’t know why.

Kay said Holcomb’s family was shocked by her murder.

“They had just lost touch with her,” Kay said of Holcomb’s family. “They weren’t sure where she was at the time or what had gone on with her, but they knew at some time she had passed since she was born in 1919.”

SBI Director Chip Hawley said the state provided more than $10,000 to help cover the cost of DNA testing.

“These tests are very expensive, but what you get out of it is, you can’t put a price on it,” Hawley said.

Hawley said there are 37 open cold cases (unsolved homicides) across the state as of Thursday. Kay said the Wake County Sheriff’s Office had 32 of those.

“This just reinvigorates what we’re trying to do to bring closure to victims out there,” Hawley said.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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