Helping federal workers during shutdown

KVIA on November 6, 2025

Hillary Floren

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) –As the government shutdown drags on, more and more families with federal workers are feeling the financial strain. With no paycheck coming in, many are having to turn to food banks to feed their families.

We spoke with a local Americorps employee, who says she’s seeking assistance from the very food bank she works at. Ariana De La Hoya adds that she understands the emotions written on the faces of people who walk in the door.

“For the month of October, we haven’t been paid at all, so it’s been a stressful time, especially for my colleagues that are parents or attending school,” De La Hoya says.

She and 7 other Americorps Vistas workers are part of the El Paso Independent School District’s Community Schools Outreach program, which runs the district’s 6 food pantries. They serve about 150 families a month, but the demand has grown significantly since the shutdown began.

Simon Chandler, director of the outreach program, is asking for the public’s help with donations of food, toiletries and gift cards for his Americorps workers and others in need.

Donations can be dropped off at the Alamito Stream Center at 508 S. Virginia or you can call Simon Chandler at (915)613-7756.

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Oregon Agriculture awards Bend teacher with Educator of the Year for immersive ‘road trip’ across state

KTVZ on November 6, 2025

Claire Elmer

(Update: adding video, interviews with teacher and program coordinator)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — For second- and third-graders at Highland Magnet School in Bend, learning about Oregon isn’t just a classroom lesson — it’s something they can see, taste, and travel through.

This year, that creative approach earned teacher Cam Glogau statewide recognition as Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom’s 2025 Educator of the Year.

“I grew up in Oregon and I have a really strong connection to this place,” Glogau said. “A lot of my kids come from other states, and their families are kind of new to Oregon. So it’s really fun that I get to share what our state has to offer.”

The award honors teachers who bring agricultural literacy to life in meaningful, lasting ways. For Glogau, that means transforming his classroom into a statewide road trip where each student creates a character to “travel” across Oregon.

Through hands-on discovery, they learn about different landscapes, industries, and locally grown foods. That includes some tasty lessons.

“We’ve tasted cheeses from Tillamook, fresh hazelnuts, and we’re going to have apple and pear tasting,” Glogau said. “It’s just fun for them to see their food comes from close by. It doesn’t just show up packaged on a shelf — it comes from the land. Hopefully that just encourages curiosity.”

Evelyn Tedrick, program coordinator for Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom, said that sense of connection is exactly why Glogau was chosen for the honor.

“Kids seem to be moving further and further away from understanding where the things they eat and use come from,” Tedrick said. “The Oregon Road Map — this is just a really engaging way for kids to feel like they’re leading their own learning. Students look forward to being in his classroom, which is really exciting to see.”

Glogau hopes that spark of discovery stays with students long after they leave his class.

“I hope they go out and explore the world,” he said. “I hope this always feels like home and that they know about it.”

The adventure continues — Glogau’s class is set to take a live virtual field trip to an Oregon dairy farm, courtesy of Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom, to see firsthand where milk comes from.

Thanks to their teacher, these young explorers are on a learning journey that feeds curiosity — and a deeper connection to Oregon.

Earlier Story — November 6th — BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend-La Pine Schools is congratulating one of its own for receiving the 2025 Educator of the Year award from the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation!

The district said Highland Magnet School’s Cameron Glogau takes his classroom on an Oregon road trip, teaching his students about our region’s food sources. It’s all incorporated into Highland’s Scottish storyline method.

Congratulations and thank you for connecting your classroom to Oregon food sources and agriculture, growing a new generation of lifelong learners who appreciate their roots.

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Batavia chiropractor charged with secretly recording nude videos of over 180 child, adult patients

CNN Newsource on November 6, 2025

By WLS Staff

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    BATAVIA, Ill. (WLS) — A west suburban chiropractor is accused of secretly recording nude videos of over 180 of his patients, ranging from young children to adults, officials said.

David Hanson, the 43-year-old owner of Hanson Family Chiropractic in Batavia, is facing multiple felony charges, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

The suspect was arrested Wednesday night after a warrant search at his home and his chiropractic office, 1928 W. Wilson St. in Batavia, officials said. The investigation was conducted by the Batavia Police Department and the Child Exploitation Unit of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Many of the recordings appear to be taken from a red light room used for red light and near-infrared light therapy. Hanson made the video recordings using hidden cameras secretly placed throughout his chiropractic office,” a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office read in part. “Hanson was also found to be possessing and disseminating multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material that were unrelated to his chiropractic practice.”

Hanson is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 10.

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said Hanson is facing the following charges: Producing Child Pornography, Class X felony (5 counts) Disseminating Child Pornography, Class X felony (3 counts) Possessing Child Pornography, Class 2 felony (6 counts) Unauthorized Video Recording of a Minor Through/Under the Clothes, Class 3 felony (3 counts)

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Mayor Mueller declares food emergency for South Bend

CNN Newsource on November 6, 2025

By Annie Kate

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    SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WBND) — Wednesday afternoon, South Bend Mayor James Mueller issued an executive order declaring a local disaster emergency amid the ongoing government shutdown, now that families who rely on nutrition assistance (SNAP) begin to miss payments.

The city is suspending all utility shut-offs through Feb. 5 for all residents enrolled in South Bend’s Utility Assistance Program (UAP).

This affects the same folks who would also be eligible for SNAP benefits, and is meant to ease some of the burden, so they don’t have to choose between paying to keep the lights on or put food on the table.

“The only real solution and sustainable solution to this is for Congress to reopen the federal government,” Mueller said. “They’ve got to do their jobs. Keeping the lights on is the lowest bar to pass.”

In addition, the city has identified $70,000 to help local food banks and other agencies. $50,000 comes from city administration, $10,000 from the common council, and another $10,000 from the South Bend Clerk’s Office. Most of the funds will go to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, and some will also go to Cultivate Food Rescue.

Local philanthropies and nonprofits are putting up another $55,000 to help these efforts.

Just last month alone, the Food Bank of Northern Indiana saw more than 800 new households utilizing the food bank, according to CEO Marijo Martinec. There has been a 23 percent increase in need since this time last year. Martinec said last month, they saw more than 4,100 households, the largest amount of people in the past five years.

The South Bend location will open an extra day throughout the shutdown, Martinec said, and that will be Thursdays from 11am to 3pm.

“No family in South Bend should go hungry because of a temporary disruption in federal aid,” said Canneth Lee, South Bend Common Council President. “We care. As a city, we care about the residents who are being affected. This is unfair, this isn’t right. And so, we’re doing what we can to help individuals in our community.”

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Spotted lanternfly, an invasive species, confirmed in Michigan’s Jackson County

CNN Newsource on November 6, 2025

By Paula Wethington

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    DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — Michigan officials have confirmed a population of spotted lanternfly in Jackson County, adding to the list of southeast Michigan counties where the nuisance insect has been found.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued that report Thursday, saying an “attentive Michigander” used the state’s Eyes in the Field reporting tool to note their observations in Jackson County.

“Spotted lanternfly does not pose a risk to human or animal health, but it can be a serious outdoor nuisance,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring. “Public reporting plays a key role in identifying new spotted lanternfly infestations and helping MDARD and its partners respond quickly.”

Previous sightings this year were in Lenawee, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne counties.

Those who notice a spotted lanternfly egg mass, nymph or adult in locations without previously confirmed locations are asked to take a photo and report the date, time and location of the sighting to Eyes in the Field. The adult insects are about 1 inch long and ½ inch wide; brown forewings with black spots at the front and scarlet hindwings.

The spotted lanternfly feeds on a variety of plants including grapevines and black walnut trees. Researchers are still studying which insecticide is most effective at limiting a population.

The invasive species, which is native to eastern Asia, was first noticed in the United States in 2014. The population has spread rapidly since that time, with 17 states reporting confirmed sightings.

State efforts to limit the spread of spotted lanternfly include surveying any populations near Michigan’s shipping ports, working with the horticulture industry to slow the pest’s spread and

This most recent report is expected to be the last of the spotted lanternfly reporting for the 2025 season, the agriculture agency said.

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St. Paul City Council hears residents’ thoughts on city ordinance aimed at restricting guns

CNN Newsource on November 6, 2025

By Ashley Grams

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — The St. Paul, Minnesota, City Council turned the mic over to residents on Wednesday, with over a dozen people sharing their thoughts on a city ordinance aimed at restricting guns.

“This is common-sense gun legislation,” said City Council President and Ward 2 Council member Rebecca Noecker.

Noeker is one of the ordinance’s sponsors and Wednesday marked its second time before the council. The proposed ordinance would ban public possession of assault weapons, large capacity magazines and binary triggers. It would require all guns to have serial numbers and restrict firearms in some public spaces like parks and libraries, require public facilities to inform residents of the new restrictions and define enforcement style and penalties.

There would be exceptions for active-duty law enforcement and military personnel, as well as licensed federal firearms curators and those transporting guns through the city.

The main hurdle, however, is Minnesota’s preemption law, which blocks cities from creating their own gun ordinances.

Noeker acknowledged the preemption law, saying the City Council sees this as a way to put pressure on state lawmakers.

“It’s really important for two reasons: One, to show what the City Council’s values are, what the city of St. Paul believes is acceptable and unacceptable,” Noeker said. “It’s also important to pressure the legislature to take that action.”

Rob Doar from the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus says they plan to file a lawsuit, citing state statute 471.633, which reads, “Local regulation inconsistent with this section is void.”

“There’s a lot of things the city can do in order to try to mobilize action,” Doar said at the meeting Wednesday. “The one thing you can’t do is pass an ordinance that violates state law.”

Noeker says the city is ready for that legal challenge and believes the council is within its rights to pass it.

“I feel very strongly that we have unanimous support for this ordinance,” she said.

Noeker says there’s still time for residents to share their perspective on the ordinance before council members vote on the matter next week.

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The Playmill Theatre new building construction underway in Island Park

KIFI on November 6, 2025

Danielle Mullenix

Island Park, Idaho (KIFI) – Construction of The Playmill Theatre’s new location in Island Park is progressing well. The main building’s metal structure and exterior have been put up before winter hits the area, meaning construction crews are on schedule to complete the project in 2026.

For decades, the Playmill Theatre has been a cherished tradition for countless families and tourists visiting the area.

The theatre has operated out of a building in West Yellowstone, Montana, since 1964 and announced its official move to Island Park last summer. They closed their doors in West Yellowstone after the final season in that location this past summer. It remains unknown what will happen to the original theatre’s building.

“We’ve outgrown the space we were in, but it will always be like home to us,” Sam Merrill, one of the Playmill’s family owners, said. “The magic of the original space will be put into this new theatre, and be even greater with better technology and experiences.”

The new site will feature a 22,000-square-foot building at 4111 North Big Spring Loop in Island Park, near the Springhill Suites by Marriott. The new building will be five times larger than its previous West Yellowstone location, with the theatre’s seating capacity expanding from 267 patrons to 480.

The Playmill Theatre will expand its new space with two additional features: a steakhouse restaurant and a gift shop. Steakhouse 64 will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offering a menu of steaks and other fine dining. The restaurant’s unique space will include a small stage where servers can sing at the mic while awaiting tables. Inside, there will also be a gift shop named Mill Creek Mercantile.

The construction of the new theatre was initially scheduled to begin in 2020, but the Merrill family faced significant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other varying factors.

Sam Merrill says there are multiple reasons for building a new theater. One of the main factors is the age and wear of the previous building in West Yellowstone. Originally a pharmacy, it was built in the late 1920s and “not up to code with Playmill’s audiences or the show’s demands”.

After the 1959 Hegben Earthquake, the original occupants locked the doors and abandoned the space. Later in 1964, a group of BYU-I theatre students created a small row of audience chairs for a performance in the space, and it has grown ever since.

The Playmill was originally owned by Lynn Benson. Roger Merrill purchased the business from John Bidwell in 2005, but the business has always operated in a leased building in West Yellowstone. Now a family business, the Merrills are eager to create a space where audiences can continue to enjoy Playmill in an exciting and enhanced way.

The construction is expected to be completed by spring 2026, with the theatre set to launch its inaugural season in the summer of that year. The Playmill Theatre has announced a year-long expansion of its production season, which previously operated as a summer stock regional theatre.

The 2026 Production Season will feature the regional premiere of Disney’s “Frozen”, along with Disney’s “Newsies” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Additionally, the theatre will present two shows in the fall and winter: “The Foreigner” and an original production titled “A Very Playmill Christmas.”

2026 marks the theatre’s 63rd year in operation and the first in its new location in Island Park, Idaho.

To purchase season tickets for the new theatre and learn more, click here.

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Erosion, drainage concerns expressed along Highway 105 in Palmer Lake

KRDO on November 6, 2025

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Along the three-mile stretch of Highway 105 between Monument and Palmer Lake, you’ll find many places where drainage has significantly eroded the shoulders or the ground on the roadside.

The worst example, however, appears to be at the Highway 105/South Valley Road intersection in Palmer Lake, in front of a duplex maintained by Rick Rank.

Rank contacted KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior about the situation that he said began in the spring of 2023.

“I had reported up the road (about) the property or next to the property (where) runoff during rains was undermining the road,” he recalled. “CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) came out and dumped crumbled asphalt in there, which they said would solve that problem. But it only diverted the water and mud onto the property here.”

Rank said that the redirected flow of water and mud clogged an underground drainage pipe and has gradually led to erosion, creating a chasm ten feet long and four feet deep.

He said that he last heard from CDOT about the matter this summer, when he was told the agency was waiting on a machine part to fix the problem — but nothing has happened since.

“My big concern is the school bus turns here,” Rank said. “If it should skid on the ice, even if it’s full of snow, and the back wheel goes down in there, you’re going to have a school bus lying on its side.”

Rank has created a makeshift barricade around the chasm to help drivers see it better, especially at night.

Recent dry weather has kept the eroded area stable, but this is likely to change with any significant rainfall or runoff.

CDOT told The Road Warrior that it’s investigating the situation.

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Endangered African penguin chick hatches at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo

CNN Newsource on November 6, 2025

By Adam Harrington

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — An endangered African penguin chick recently hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo just in time for the holiday season.

In a news release issued Thursday, the zoo reported the healthy chick hatched Oct. 1 after a 40-day incubation period. The penguin chick is hitting early developmental milestones on schedule and is being closely monitored by animal care and veterinary staff at the zoo.

The zoo said the sex of the penguin chick has not been determined.

The chick’s egg was laid by African penguin Rosie and her partner Cecil as part of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan, a population management effort set up among members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Cecil and Rosie have not been so great at raising penguin chicks in the past, so another pair of penguins, Liam and Maria, will raise the chick, the zoo said.

The zoo emphasized that African penguins are critically endangered.

“As a critically endangered species, each new African penguin chick represents an immense amount of hope for the species’ future. It’s a true testament to the collective work being done by zoos, field researchers, and conservationists worldwide to turn the tide for African penguins,” Lincoln Park Zoo Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Nicole Finch-Mason said in a news release. “It’s been great to see Liam and Maria rise to the occasion as fosters, giving them a chance to experience parenthood regardless of their genetics.”

The chick will continue to reach developmental milestones behind the scenes, and the care team hopes the baby bird will explore outside its nest box soon. The penguin chick weighed 4.23 pounds at its most recent exam, the zoo said.

It will be a few weeks from before the penguin chick will join the African penguin colony at Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove. The bird must first fledge and start to swim, the zoo said.

The zoo is asking the public for naming suggestions for the penguin chick.

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‘Absolutely heartbreaking’: Dog death sparks animal cruelty investigation

CNN Newsource on November 6, 2025

By Alyssa Bethencourt

Click here for updates on this story

    HENDERSON, California (KTNV) — A dog found stuffed inside a trash bag in a Henderson neighborhood has died despite rescue efforts, prompting a police investigation into possible animal cruelty.

The disturbing discovery was made Tuesday evening around 6:30 p.m. when a resident was bringing in his recycling bins and noticed one felt unusually heavy. Inside, he found a brown Maltese or poodle mix, estimated to be 10 to 12 years old, struggling to breathe inside a garbage bag.

“I didn’t hear the dog crying or whining, but I did hear a faint breathing sound, and I saw the garbage bag kind of like inflating and deflating,” the man who found the dog said.

The dog was immediately rushed to a nearby animal hospital, but despite medical efforts, it did not survive.

Henderson police detectives canvassed the neighborhood Wednesday morning, going door to door searching for security video or witnesses who might help identify whoever is responsible for the alleged cruelty.

The incident has shaken residents in what neighbors describe as a close-knit community where everyone looks out for one another.

Adrian Gascon, who lives nearby, expressed his heartbreak over the discovery.

“The first thing is why didn’t they put it on my porch? I would’ve kept it,” Gascon said. “That’s heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. I’m glad I wasn’t the one that found it. If I would’ve seen something like that, I’d probably be in jail.”

The investigation remains ongoing as police work to determine who abandoned the dog and whether criminal charges will be filed.

Animal Protection Services is helping transport the dog to an external facility where a necropsy will be performed. Investigators hope it helps determine what exactly happened and who’s responsible.

If you have any information or video related to this case, you can call the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

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

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