Month: December 2025

By Kayla James

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    CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCCI) — A recent partnership between the Meskwaki Nation and the University of Northern Iowa has facilitated the return of cultural items to Iowa’s only federally recognized tribe, underscoring the significance of preserving indigenous heritage.

The Meskwaki Cultural Center and Museum now houses these artifacts, each contributing to the rich history of the Meskwaki people.

Tieranny Keahna, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, explained the process of federally funded institutions reaching out to tribes with ancestral claims.

“Things that we know of the land that they don’t know of, just to show that there’s something here that maybe you should reach out and try to avoid what you’re trying to do with building and such,” Keahna said.

Keahna was involved in a project that recently brought Meskwaki cultural items back to their rightful home.

“It was a welcoming home ceremony for about 12 or so artifacts that came home,” she said.

The University of Northern Iowa donated its entire Meskwaki collection from the university’s museum.

“They got to bring the collection home to us and view the museum and learn a little bit more about Meskwaki history,” Keahna said.

The collection includes items dating from the 1980s to possibly as far back as the late 1800s. It also includes items like a fork called a mimishi stick, which Johnathan Buffalo, the museum’s Historical Preservation Director, remembers using as a boy. Buffalo is also the tribe’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act coordinator.

“Repatriation is when the tribe wants to make a claim for something that a museum or institution holds, saying we have ownership to this and they want to bring it back,” Keahna said.

Keahna noted that museums or institutions often acquire artifacts through purchases or donations from individual tribal members, often without the tribe’s awareness.

“Most of the time it’s via private collectors that have donated this, and we are not aware of those collections being donated,” she said.

Buffalo initiated conversations with UNI in the ’90s, which were later revived when the university reached out earlier this year.

“It was a short process. Some of these repatriations take a long time,” Keahna said.

Despite the time involved, the return of these items is invaluable to tribes across the U.S.

“They’re not objects. They hold special significance to our tribe. Every item has a purpose, has a soul in a way. Being able to welcome these individual souls home is a homecoming, and we just want to welcome them home with open arms,” Keahna said.

KCCI reached out to UNI, and the university’s president, Mark Nook, expressed honor in returning the cultural items, recognizing their deep significance and reflecting a commitment to respecting and strengthening the relationship between UNI and the Meskwaki people.

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

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By Maria Wilson

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    LEBANON, New Hampshire (WMUR) — Sarah George of Enfield said she was driving when a piece of the Route 120 bridge fell, shattering her sunroof.

“At first, it kind of just sounded like the roof exploded a little bit,” George said.

Sarah George’s ride home came to an unexpected halt.

“We were just coming home from picking up dinner, and we were driving I-89, we were driving through Lebanon, and I mean neither one of us really knew what it was at first,” George said.

The Enfield woman was in the car with her husband, Justin, and their three dogs.

“The wind was really loud because we were obviously still on the highway,” said Justin George of Enfield. “My first thought was definitely, thank God it wasn’t 10 seconds earlier or something like and then it came crashing through the windshield, that would have made the whole situation a lot worse.”

They took the next exit and drove to the police station.

“Originally, I wasn’t sure if someone had thrown something off the bridge, like what really happened,” Sarah George said. “That was kind of my initial thought.”

But that wasn’t the case.

“And then when we got to the police station and the officer came out and looked at the car, he was like, ‘No, it was probably a piece of the bridge,'” Sarah George said.

“If it was a piece of the bridge, like that makes me kind of nervous, that’s the route we drive to work every single day,” said George.

Sarah said, luckily, no one was hurt.

For now, Sarah said she’s in the process of filing a claim with her insurance company.

“I’m a nurse, so missing work isn’t really an option for me either, so it’s just going to be a little bit of a hassle, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” said Sarah George.

News 9 reached out to the state’s Department of Transportation.

They said this incident has been reported to them, and they are actively looking into it.

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

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By Shelly Andrews

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    FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Firefighters rescued two residents from an apartment fire in Framingham, Massachusetts, on Sunday night.

Fire crews were called to 33 Interfaith Terrace at 7:30 p.m. for reports of a fire and people trapped, Fire Chief Michael Dutcher said.

Crews experienced heavy fire and smoke upon arrival and made their way to rescue a 49-year-old woman and a 22-year-old woman who were trapped on the second floor. The residents were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

One firefighter was also transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.

The fire was contained to one unit, but seven units sustained fire or smoke damage, officials said.

The Red Cross is helping the displaced residents.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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By Allen Cone

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    OKEECHOBEE, Florida (WPBF) — The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office wants people to see the dangers of leaving someone in a locked vehicle — even when it’s November.

On Saturday, the agency posted video of Tuesday’s incident on Facebook from north of the county.

“The video is graphic in nature and shows the real and immediate dangers of leaving an animal inside a vehicle — even for a very short period of time,” the post reads.

Both dogs involved in this incident were saved and made a full recovery after receiving emergency veterinary treatment from Dr. GW Jarriel at Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital.

Sgt. Richard Varnadore busted open a window with a device as the temperature inside was rising.

He carried one dog out of the vehicle and gave the animal some water from a bottle. The rescuer noticed the dog felt really hot.

After retiring the one dog, Varnadore and K-9 handler Carson Reno rescued the other one.

The vehicle was equipped with an automatic shut-off feature that turns the engine off after 15 minutes. The owner thought the feature had been disengaged, but the system activated and the vehicle shut down.

When the owners realized they had no way to enter the locked vehicle, they called the sheriff’s office for help.

The interior temperature rose rapidly — a dangerous scenario.

“This incident is a direct example of how quickly conditions inside a vehicle can become life-threatening for pets,” the sheriff’s office posted. “Our intention is not to shock, but to educate and prevent future tragedies. Please help us share this message responsibly to protect our pets, our children, and our community.”

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By Rachael Lardani

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    EAST PENNSBORO TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — A group of pickleball players from the Susquehanna Valley broke the world record by playing for 48 hours.

The athletes played at Ace Pickleball Club in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, surpassing the previous record of 36 hours.

The players were allowed to take short breaks throughout the game, but had to make up the lost playtime.

While trying to break the record, each player was playing for a different charity or cause.

“We’re all doing four different charities, I’m doing Homelessness in Harrisburg within my church, Market Square Presbyterian Church. Renee is doing Four Diamonds, Steve is doing suicide awareness and Steve is doing borderline disorder,” said Andrew Hunter, one of the players.

The group raised more than $4,700 for their charities of choice.

Andrew Hunter (Homelessness): $2,200 Steve Dunham (Borderline Personality Disorder): $870 Steve Lesko (Suicide Prevention): $815 Renee Sipos (Four Diamonds): $828

Sources tell WGAL that a group in Texas has heard about the Cumberland County record and is now trying to beat it already.

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By Michelle Meredith

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Harold Sauter, an 85-year-old retired Air Force veteran and former coach, is a dedicated volunteer at Second Harvest in Orlando, where he has logged more than 1,300 hours of service, impressing fellow volunteers and staff with his commitment and energy.

Surrounded by thousands of pounds of food, Sauter is part supervisor, part comedian, and a full-time hard worker.

“You impress us. Good, I’ve been around long enough. It’s time for me to impress somebody. Tell my wife that, though,” he said.

Known as “Coach,” Sauter could be lounging in an easy chair with his feet up, but that’s not his style.

“When I retired when I was 70, I said I’m not going to just go somewhere and drink beer and take cruises, I’m going to go try to help people,” he said.

Sauter, who coached women’s softball and soccer at a college in Massachusetts and Celebration High School in Florida, began volunteering at Second Harvest during the pandemic when other organizations closed.

Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s words during his college years, Sauter said, “This guy named John started talking about not what the country can do for you but what you can do for the country — and that kind of stuck with me.”

Mindy Ortez from Second Harvest praised Sauter’s dedication, saying, “And it’s physical work. You’re standing for three to four hours at a time. You’re moving boxes, you’re moving pallets. He’s doing all that twice a week.”

Sauter’s wife, Lorna, who has been married to him for 57 years, also admires his commitment.

When asked what she would rate her husband on a scale of 1 to 10, Lorna said, “Probably a 9. I give very few people a 10.”

Despite her modest rating, Sauter is considered a “10” by those who witness his volunteer efforts, embodying style and grace in his service.

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By Will Doran

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    CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (WRAL) — One of the most heavily debated new laws is what sponsors call “Iryna’s Law,” which makes it harder for people to get out of jail on bail for low-level crimes. It also attempts to restart the death penalty in North Carolina.

It’s named for a woman who was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte. The homeless man accused of killing Iryna Zarutska had been released from jail earlier this year, without being required to pay bail, following his arrest on a separate misdemeanor charge in another case. Police allege he misused the 911 system in that case. He was charged and arrested after calling from a hospital, claiming his body was being controlled by someone else, but then quickly released back onto the street.

After he was later accused of murdering Zarutska in the seemingly random attack in public, many scrutinized the earlier arrest and questioned why he hadn’t been held in jail longer, or potentially committed to a mental hospital.

Iryna’s Law requires stricter scrutiny on judges and magistrates when considering pre-trial release. It bans one type of cashless bail in North Carolina. And it makes it easier for people who have a history of mental health issues to be involuntarily committed to a mental hospital after an arrest.

The law also attempts to bring back the death penalty in North Carolina, ordering the administration of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein to find a solution to get around the fact that lethal injections are essentially banned due to a series of court rulings and other factors. No one has been executed in North Carolina since 2006, even though more than 120 prisoners remain on death row.

The law requires Stein’s top prison officials to recommend new ways of executing people, such as firing squads or the electric chair. Stein is opposed to that piece of the law, saying that as long as he remains governor, no one will be executed by firing squad.

Democratic lawmakers heavily criticized other parts of the law as well, saying it contained no funding for mental health care and does nothing to try stopping violent crime, instead focusing solely on punishments to be doled out after a crime has already been committed.

Stein signed the bill into law but echoed many of those same concerns. He said he signed the bill even though he was “troubled by its lack of ambition or vision. It simply does not do enough to keep you safe.”

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