Month: November 2025

By Malcolm Shields

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    FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (WPBF) — A South Florida teacher accused of sexual battery of a former student more than eight years ago will avoid additional jail time.

According to court documents in Broward County, Pamela S. Stigger, 42, pleaded no contest on Oct. 20 to two counts of felony battery.

Stigger was found guilty by the court and sentenced to five years’ probation, must pay court costs, submit to a psychosexual evaluation, no contact with the victim, may not apply for a teaching license, no unsupervised contact with minors unless family members and may transfer her probation to Palm Beach County.

Stigger was initially charged with two counts of sexual battery and one count of lewd conduct. Court documents note that the state attorney’s office did not pursue those charges.

Stigger was arrested early on May 11, 2017, after Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies were notified that a vehicle was stationed in the roadway and obstructing traffic in Tamarac.

When deputies arrived at the scene, Stigger was found in the back seat of the vehicle with the 15-year-old boy partially undressed.

The boy was previously Stigger’s student in an eighth-grade drama class, but on the night of the incident, he told deputies that he was helping Stigger prepare for an upcoming production event.

The victim was in the process of being dropped off at home by Stigger when Stigger stopped the vehicle.

The victim told deputies that he and Stigger engaged in sexual activity in the back of Stigger’s vehicle.

However, Stigger denied any sexual activity with the boy and said the victim was trying to seduce her.

In Florida, a consenting adult is at age 18.

Stigger was a 33-year-old teacher at Forest Glen Middle School in Coral Springs at the time of her arrest.

The Broward County Public Schools District confirmed to WPBF 25 News on Tuesday that Stigger’s employment with the district was terminated on July 1, 2018.

Before her termination, Stigger was placed on leave from March 21, 2018, to June 30, 2018.

WPBF 25 News contacted the attorney representing Stigger for comment and is awaiting a response.

According to Florida Department of Corrections database, Stigger’s probation is being overseen by the circuit office in West Palm Beach.

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By Suzanne Phan

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Some promising news about the future of San Francisco’s Union Square. A local developer has been chosen to reshape the future of Macy’s flagship store. The store has been a staple of the shopping district for than 80 years and had been slated for potential closure.

There are so many reasons people love to come to Union Square around the holidays. Some of it has to do with Macy’s.

“It’s a great anchor of the store,” said Jeanine Elstor, a Bay Area resident. “I especially admire the puppies in the window.”

Last year, Macy’s announced it would close its flagship store in Union Square.

But big news and new hope for positive changes to come.

TMG Partners— a real estate investment and property management firm –has come to an agreement with Macy’s for the future development of its landmark complex.

The firm has done dozens of development deals, historic rehabs, and they have experience dealing with large historic buildings.

We talked to TMG Partners about what they plan to do.

“With a clean sheet of paper, we are going to look what we can do with the building. How can we make it part of the community other than one giant 600-thousand square foot department store,” said Michael Covarrubias, Chairman of TMG Partners.

TMG Partners and Macy’s say they are still in the early stages.

“To have the opportunity for us to work with Macy’s hand in hand to come up with a new solution for the building that includes all the potential opportunities of rent , housing, retail, experiential office. It’s the most exciting project we have,” said Covarrubias.

Macy’s released a statement to ABC7 on Tuesday saying it’s partnership with TMG is “part of Macy’s ongoing strategy to evaluate compelling options for its real estate portfolio.”

Local leaders are hopeful for what this means for San Francisco’s Union Square.

“It’s a good day for our city. We are creating the conditions for success for downtown. This is an example of what is working,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

“We’re all being waiting for this for long time to understand what the future Macy has stood for 80 years,” said Marisa Rodriguez, President and CEO of Union Square Alliance. “They’re looking at it from a very forward-thinking perspective.”

For shoppers like Jeanine Elster of the Bay Area, new development means new opportunities and a reason to return to Union Square—for visitors and locals alike.

“I hope so. It would be great to continue to have that vitality around here,” said Elstor.

TMG Partners and Macy’s confirmed there is currently no closing date set for the store. Macy’s is going to continue to operate through the end of the year, through the holiday seasons and end of the first quarter.

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By Evan Dean

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    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — When Hurricane Ian hit in 2022, the Caloosahatchee River flowed inside homes on East Riverside Drive.

Storm surge poured through the Fort Myers neighborhood like an angry stream.

“It’s really intense. It moves everything,” Jon Iglehart said to Gulf Coast News in 2024. “There’s really no stopping wave action and wind.”

Iglehart owns a rental in the neighborhood. Ian washed all sorts of debris onto his property: everything from old family photos to a small coffin.

But of everything he found, one discovery took a little more digging.

“This fence had been pushed down and had a huge pile of debris over it,” Iglehart said on his property. “As we were going through the debris, removing it, under a grandfather clock was this canoe that was kind of pushed into the ground.”

And not just any canoe: a historic one.

A single-log dugout canoe.

“We have no idea where it came from,” Iglehart said. “I come from a family of antiquers. So it’s like, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool. This is awesome. This is quite an object — and it probably has some significance.'”

Last year, Iglehart donated the canoe to the state. It’s been in Tallahassee at the Florida Division of Historical Resources ever since, as the team there works to learn more about it.

Gulf Coast News visited last year to do the same.

Fast forward to now — a year later. After working to clean and preserve the canoe, conservation is complete.

“It’s everyone’s history, right? And so I think that’s important,” Sam Wilford said.

Wilford, the deputy state archaeologist, caught Gulf Coast News up to speed on the progress.

If you thought the mystery of the canoe was fascinating before, it’s even bigger now.

“There’s two things about the canoe that make it very unusual, and the first one is its shape,” Wilford said. “It’s quite small for a canoe, it’s 9 feet long. But it’s also very canoe-like. It looks like a modern shape of a canoe, which is not typical of a dugout canoe, or Native American pre-contact canoe, which looks more like a log.”

Also unusual is the type of wood, which the team uncovered after sending out a sample.

“The University of Georgia tested that. And actually discovered it was made of mahogany. And so, this is the first mahogany canoe that we have in the collection. And in fact, the first mahogany canoe recorded in Florida,” Wilford said.

Almost all historic canoes found in Florida are traced to either the Calusa Indians or the Seminole or Miccosukee tribes, all of whom lived in the state.

But this canoe, researchers wonder, may have had a longer journey to get to Fort Myers.

“We know that mahogany is native to South Florida. But it’s also native to the Caribbean,” Wilford said. “And because of that form, looking at the form and looking at examples that we see in the Caribbean, it could be from the Caribbean. That’s a possibility.”

If it is, how it got to Fort Myers could be the biggest mystery yet.

It’s one Wilford and his team may never be able to solve for certain.

For now, the work to uncover its origins will continue.

“Our collection is the public’s collection. We get it out there to learn and to teach is our main mission,” Wilford said. “I think that’s why people are passionate, clearly passionate about things like canoes and other objects that we have in our collection. It’s everyone’s shared collective history.”

Researchers have also tested the age of the wood, which came back to the 1300s or 1400s. That raises even more questions, because that era pre-dates some of the tools used on the canoe.

There is a 3D image of the canoe online for you to explore.

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By Forrest Sanders

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    CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — Two people would seem quite different. They grew up in different ways and from different parts of the country. They’re even 85 years apart in age. None of that matters in this wonderful friendship.

“Well, I don’t feel 100,” laughed Col. Joseph A. Peterburs. “Number one, I don’t know how I’m supposed to act at 100-years-old!”

I first spoke to Peterburs in April when he was among 16 World War II veterans boarding a plane for the National WWII Museum.

“We’re going to New Orleans!” Peterburs said.

It was a partnership between the Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines. Some Rossview High students out of Clarksville joined to learn the vets’ stories.

“I served 36 years in the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force,” Peterburs said.

In his aircraft Josephine, named after his then-fiance and future wife, Peterburs flew missions over Germany in WWII.

“Ended up being shot down on my 49th mission after destroying six aircrafts,” Peterburs continued. “I became a POW. I escaped.”

Peterburs is today a veteran of WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Flash forward to Tuesday in Clarksville. Olivia Buehler is a 15-year-old at Rossview High in the JROTC program. She was on that flight to New Orleans back in April.

When the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville held its Interview a Veteran Essay Contest, Buehler decided to write about Peterburs.

“He’s definitely had the most experience in the military that I’ve ever met!” Buehler said.

From his home in California, Peterburs read Buehler’s essay. He liked it enough that he flew all the way to Tennessee to be present for the essay reading event.

“It’s an honor!” Buehler said. “I’m very happy he could make it. I knew it was a long shot.”

“I read her essay, and it was just so heartwarming, and I loved it so, so, so much,” Peterburs said. “I just couldn’t miss this. It was a no-brainer.”

There were more than 6,500 essays sent in to the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville. As it turns out, Peterburs is not the only one who thinks Buehler’s essay is pretty great.

“The high school grand winner, Olivia Bueler!” a voice announced.

A surprise congratulations video was sent in from actor Gary Sinise, founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation.

“Joseph, obviously, is a great hero,” Sinise said. “[Bueler], you were moved to write that about him. I just wanted to congratulate you, once again, on winning the essay contest.”

“WWII often seems like a chapter of a textbook,” Bueler read from her essay to the room. “When you sit with someone who lived it, the weight of their courage and sacrifice makes the history come alive once again. At only 19, [Peterburs] drove a P-51 Mustang into a sky of only chaos, fire, and steel to defend vulnerable bombers from German jets. True leadership is not measured in titles or victories but by the courage to shoulder sacrifices for others. Thank you for becoming such a meaningful part of my life.”

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By Tim Fang

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A jury has convicted a San Francisco man of murder, robbery and other felony charges in connection with a 2019 crime spree that predominantly targeted Asian Americans in the city.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office announced Tuesday that 25-year-old Keonte Gathron was convicted of first-degree murder during the commission of a robbery and burglary. Gathron was also convicted of eight counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping for robbery, two counts of carjacking, two counts of burglary, along with elder abuse and child endangerment.

Prosecutors said the jury also found that Gathron personally used a firearm in three of the incidents.

“Mr. Gathron is now being held accountable for his crimes that terrorized so many in our community,” Jenkins said in a statement. “My office is committed to fighting for justice in every case for as long as it takes.”

Prosecutors said in January of 2019, Gathron robbed seven people over the span of 13 days, with six of the victims being Asian. Three victims were elderly, while three were youths on the way to or from school.

Authorities said one of the victims, 88-year-old Yik Oi Huang, was brutally attacked by Gathron at a park in the city’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood during the crime spree. Huang died from her injuries a year later.

The park, which was next to her home and where she had exercised every morning, was renamed in her honor last year.

Prosecutors said most of the victims spoke little or no English.

“During this trial, each of the surviving victims and witnesses not only had to directly face their assailant who was representing himself – but did so through the use of interpreters, where so much can be lost in translation,” said Assistant District Attorney Nathan Quigley. “It was inspiring to see them each stand up for themselves and each other – to ensure that this man who has already taken so much from so many members of our community will never harm anyone again.”

According to the DA’s office, Gathron remains in custody ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 25.

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By Tori Apodaca

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    WOODLAND, California (KMAX, KOVR) — People across the Northern California city of Woodland were woken up early Tuesday morning by a loud, mysterious boom that rattled windows, set off car alarms and left neighbors wondering what caused it.

A home security camera captured the strange sound and aftermath. In the video, you can hear it start with a whistle, followed by a flash of light and then a big boom.

“I thought it was a bomb, actually,” said Jennie Buse, who heard the loud noise.

What the 5:20 a.m. wake-up call was is still a mystery to investigators with the Woodland Police Department.

“The first thing I thought was it was probably a home that exploded or something,” said Pablo Cruz, who also heard the boom.

People across the Northern California city of Woodland were woken up early Tuesday morning by a loud, mysterious boom that rattled windows, set off car alarms and left neighbors wondering what caused it.

A home security camera captured the strange sound and aftermath. In the video, you can hear it start with a whistle, followed by a flash of light and then a big boom.

“I thought it was a bomb, actually,” said Jennie Buse, who heard the loud noise.

What the 5:20 a.m. wake-up call was is still a mystery to investigators with the Woodland Police Department.

“The first thing I thought was it was probably a home that exploded or something,” said Pablo Cruz, who also heard the boom.

Residents say they have never heard or seen anything like this.

“It was kind of scary,” said Buse. “It kind of threw me off.”

Police said that at this point, they cannot determine what caused it. No injuries were reported.

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 Laurie Perez

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — A couple said their dog became violently ill after eating meth after a Sunday morning walk in North Hollywood.

Karla Vicuña said her dog Atreyu started acting erratically, crying and whimpering after the morning walk.

“His eyes were like just moving around, so something that we’ve never seen before on him,” Vicuña said.

After Atreyu tested positive for methamphetamines, Vicuña and her husband believe the husky-shepard mix may have eaten something in the alley behind their home.

“The doctor said that he was grateful that we got there so fast because he could have had a seizure,” Vicuña said. “His heart rate was over the charts. He had a fever.”

Vicuña said the 12-hour hospital visit cost them $2,000.

In 2023, the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab System found that marijuana and amphetamines were among the top 20 toxins most asked about on the pet poison helpline.

“So either they start acting very erratic, or on the opposite, some downers will cause them to act very sleepy and depressed,” Dr. Julio Lopez said. “Many times, they have tremors or twitching. Sometimes they will urinate just on their own, without having any reason to urinate.”

In Santa Monica, residents have found flyers suggesting pet owners carry Narcan and warning that narcotic residue in human feces can be deadly to animals if they eat it.

Lopez said that’s probably not needed. While toxic exposure can happen in an instant, he suggested pet owners carry a flashlight at night and monitor their dogs to make sure they don’t ingest anything.

“The quantity that would be in that fecal matter is probably a very small amount, so I don’t expect the dog to be able to ingest enough to really cause any significant danger to them,” Lopez said. “If your vet determines that your pet’s exposure history in the past and likelihood of re-exposure in the future warrant it, they may discuss you having Narcan handy. But again, for the majority of pet owners, it’s not something that you’ll need to do.”

Vicuña said the experience has made the couple nervous.

“He’s not an easy dog, that’s for sure, but we love him,” she said. “He’s a good dog, like he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

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.