Month: November 2025

By Siafa Lewis

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    BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — On a sunny, brisk November morning, Election Day no less, First Lt. Gerald J. Melofchik completed a police-escorted trek to his final resting place in Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 81 years after he was killed in combat in World War II.

Melofchik was just 24 years old when the B-17 G Flying Fortress he was piloting was struck by anti-aircraft fire, collided with another plane and crashed near Néron, France, on Aug. 1, 1944.

Melofchik’s parents and his three siblings have all passed in the 81 years since his death, but on this Tuesday morning, many of the 18 nieces and nephews he never got to meet joined to celebrate his bravery, sacrifice and return home.

“We’re all sad that our parents weren’t alive to see it,” nephew Jeffrey Melofchik said. “But I think it’s great for the family now.”

In 2013, it was determined that a crash site in Néron, France, should be excavated. From 2021 to 2023, the site was excavated, and all human remains were recovered. After thorough DNA testing, on June 24, 2025, Melofchik was positively identified, and his family was notified.

“It was shocking,” Jeffrey Melofchik said. “We never thought that it would happen.”

“It was incredible walking into their home and seeing a binder with news clippings from years and years and years of things they have collected, just waiting to bring him home,” Capt. Rebecca Butler said.

State Sen. Frank Farry, who represents the 6th District, discovered upon reading Melofchik’s obituary that he requested his family members send him Hershey bars overseas.

“We were able to reach out to The Hershey Company, who have a very strong veterans workforce, and some of them actually drove out from Hershey today to be here,” Farry said. “They actually gave us a five-pound Hershey bar to give to his family, as well as bringing individual Hershey bars to be able to give to the veterans that were here and other family members.”

Eight decades after Melofchik left the United States to defend her honor and democracy, the nation has defended and honored his service.

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WFOR

By Anna McAllister

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    PINECREST, Florida (WFOR) — A cool, calm and collected 61-year-old Silvia Perez didn’t say much as she was released from jail.

“Nothing to say, sorry… the truth will prevail,” said Perez.

Perez’s demeanor on Tuesday was a stark contrast to how she appeared in the now-viral video of the incident.

According to police, Perez was driving a Bentley on Southwest 57th Avenue in Pinecrest on Oct. 18, near the Wayside Food Market, when she encountered a group of kids riding e-bikes in the street.

Investigators say Perez pulled over and began scolding the kids, telling them to get out of the road.

As the argument escalated, police say Perez snatched one of the kids’ phones.

According to the arrest report, Perez then picked the damaged phone off the ground, held it in the air, and threatened to throw it in a canal before tossing it back on the ground.

Police say the juvenile whose phone was taken had an injury on his hand. The report states Perez then left the scene.

Perez turned herself in early Tuesday morning. During her bond hearing, her attorney argued that the kids were creating a safety hazard.

“She’s observing juveniles on motorbikes, electric bikes, popping wheelies, being disruptive kids on the highway,” her attorney said.

The judge also weighed in.

“There’s more to this story. Have you ever driven down a street with folks doing wheelies and going in and out of cars?” said Judge Mindy Glazer.

When Perez walked out of jail, a reporter asked:

“What message do you have to the parents of those kids?”

She responded: “No, I won’t say anything. I can’t.”

Perez is charged with robbery by snatching and battery by touch or strike. She was released on her own recognizance.

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 Anna McAllister

Click here for updates on this story

    PINECREST, Florida (WFOR) — A cool, calm and collected 61-year-old Silvia Perez didn’t say much as she was released from jail.

“Nothing to say, sorry… the truth will prevail,” said Perez.

Perez’s demeanor on Tuesday was a stark contrast to how she appeared in the now-viral video of the incident.

According to police, Perez was driving a Bentley on Southwest 57th Avenue in Pinecrest on Oct. 18, near the Wayside Food Market, when she encountered a group of kids riding e-bikes in the street.

Investigators say Perez pulled over and began scolding the kids, telling them to get out of the road.

As the argument escalated, police say Perez snatched one of the kids’ phones.

According to the arrest report, Perez then picked the damaged phone off the ground, held it in the air, and threatened to throw it in a canal before tossing it back on the ground.

Police say the juvenile whose phone was taken had an injury on his hand. The report states Perez then left the scene.

Perez turned herself in early Tuesday morning. During her bond hearing, her attorney argued that the kids were creating a safety hazard.

“She’s observing juveniles on motorbikes, electric bikes, popping wheelies, being disruptive kids on the highway,” her attorney said.

The judge also weighed in.

“There’s more to this story. Have you ever driven down a street with folks doing wheelies and going in and out of cars?” said Judge Mindy Glazer.

When Perez walked out of jail, a reporter asked:

“What message do you have to the parents of those kids?”

She responded: “No, I won’t say anything. I can’t.”

Perez is charged with robbery by snatching and battery by touch or strike. She was released on her own recognizance.

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 Michele Gile

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    IRVINE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A rat-infested home has plagued an Irvine neighborhood with rodents running around the streets for the last few weeks.

Resident Sandy Turner said rats mostly come out of the house at night and camp underneath nearby cars.

“We have videos of rats in the street, in our cars,” Turner said. “If we drive away, they will come out from the bottom. They’ve been chewing up wires. My concern is, really, we need to get rid of the rats. It’s a safety issue.”

Turner and her neighbors on Typee Way have made several calls to Irvine’s Code Enforcement Department. They were told that the homeowners would have to deal with the rat problem. Neighbor Elaine Duncan said she knows the family that lived in the house. Authorities took three people from the home to the hospital at the end of October, according to the Irvine Police Department.

“They had a lot of incapacity and financial issues, and some mental issues. That’s why it got to this level,” Duncan said.

Duncan said the apologetic family believed there were 300 to 500 rats inside the home.

“If anyone understands rat behavior, they multiply as we speak,” Duncan said. “In the last week, they might have doubled.”

Irvine issued a nuisance violation to the homeowners because of the rat infestation.

“They’re given notice of correction and they have about 30 days to fix that problem,” Officer Ziggy Azarcon said. “They’re given time to fix that issue.”

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.