Month: January 2026

By Briana Smith

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    WEST WHITELAND, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — After more than 170 grueling hours of training and tests, Emily Gindele graduated from the entry-level firefighter program as a West Whiteland Fire Company volunteer firefighter on Wednesday night.

“I never thought I would see this day,” said the 26-year-old from Exton, Pa. “I’m so excited I can finally do it. After the accident, I was definitely kind of hopeless and thought that I would never get to this point, but I’m here. I did it, and I worked really hard to get here.”

It’s a miraculous dream come true for Gindele after a car crash left her critically injured and killed her boyfriend, 25-year-old Colin Reedy, two years ago.

Both of the volunteer firefighters were responding to a call at the time.

“It was hard. I went through a lot. My body went through a lot. I still feel pain every day. I still have cognitive issues,” said Gindele.

Despite her brain injury, broken bones, stroke and heartache, Gindele wanted to prove to herself she could accomplish her original goal.

“I did everything that I could to be like everybody else,” said Gindele.

Gindele’s parents beamed with pride as they watched her cross the stage, saying firefighting is her calling.

“She persevered and she got through this, and we’re thrilled she can pursue her dream,” said her father, Mark Gindele.

“I think she just wanted to finish what she started, and I’m just glad she’s here with us,” said her mother, Fran Gindele.

Reedy’s parents showed their support, too.

“I know that he (Colin) would be cheering. He would be screaming, ‘Come on Em. Go Em.’ I just, I could hear it in the background,” said Tracy Reedy, who is Colin’s mother.

And Colin’s not too far, as Gindele wore his Mass card in her hat, and he’s forever in her heart.

“Colin would be so proud of me,” said Gindele. “I’m really excited to see where my life goes, and I feel like I haven’t been able to say that in a really long time.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Michelle Bandur

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    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — The Berkeley man known as the “NorCal rapist” who terrorized women for 15 years had his nearly 900-year prison sentence reduced due to new state laws, making him eligible for elder parole and raising concerns among his victims.

New state laws were passed after Waller’s trial and prison sentence.

Two of Waller’s nine victims, each attacked in 1991 and 1992, returned to the Sacramento County Courthouse.

“I fought for 27 years until he was arrested after he committed his crimes against me, 29 years to make sure that he served the punishment that he deserved for what he had done to all of these people,” said Nicole Ernest-Payte, believed to be Waller’s first victim.

She remembers the night of her attack every day.

“Woke up at night, after it was dark and there was a masked man in my house with his arm around my neck and a gun to my head,” she said.

Over 15 years, Waller broke into women’s homes in six Northern California counties, and DNA evidence finally connected him to the sexual assaults.

He faced 46 counts, resulting in guilty verdicts and a 2020 sentence of 897 years to life.

Ernest-Payte expressed relief at the time.

“I’m done. He’s gone. I never have to think of him for one second of my life, and that is the greatest relief I could ever, ever feel,” she said in 2020.

However, the recent developments have been unsettling for her and the other victims.

“It’s intrusive. It draws a lot of things back up again,” she said.

During Waller’s appeal, one of the charges was changed from kidnapping to false imprisonment, which scheduled Wednesday’s resentencing hearing with Judge James Arguelles.

Arguelles was the trial and original sentencing judge.

With the lesser charge, the judge reduced Waller’s sentence by 39 years to 858 years to life.

Waller, 65, is also eligible for elder parole, a program that allows for the release of inmates, age 50 and older, who serve 20 years of their sentence.

“If somebody is bedbound and unable to actually do something, the Department of Corrections could release them through a compassionate release. But the legislature has an act on something called elder parole, which makes people eligible for release as young as in their 50s,” said Chris Orr, Assistant Chief District Attorney for Sacramento County.

Orr prosecuted Waller in 2020.

Waller must serve 20 years of his now 858-year sentence to be considered for elder parole.

“There’s some irony in the fact that if you’re a victim of elder abuse, you have to be age 65,” said Orr. “But if you’re somebody who commits nine different rapes over 15 years, you only have to be age 50 to be considered elderly.”

Victims are now facing the reality of Waller’s potential release in about 14 years.

“This man was caught at 58 years old. When he was arrested, he had a backpack full of equipment ready to go to rape someone else at 58. So how elderly was he?” said Ernest-Payte.

Judge Arguelles shared similar concerns.

Talking about Waller, Arguelles said, “If he’s not a danger to society, then I don’t know what a danger to society is,” and that Arguelles expressed certainty that if Waller is released, he would harm more victims.

He also had harsh words for the legislature.

“They seem to be more worried about defendants’ rights than victims’ rights,” he said in court.

Waller’s defense attorney refused comment leaving court.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 JoBeth Davis & Mark Lea

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    FOREST CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — Less than 100 miles north of Kansas City is a yearly spectacle — the annual bald eagle migration at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.

“We’ve been seeing an increase in eagles now for years,” said William Kutosky, wildlife refuge manager.

Missouri is one of the best-known states for wintering eagles, and 2025-2026 is proving no exception. Loess Bluffs celebrated a new bald eagle record at the refuge just last week.

“Our previous record was set on January 3, 2022, and we had 833 bald eagles here,” Kutosky said. “This past week, we set a new bald eagle record.”

On Dec. 30, wildlife experts observed 1,012 bald eagles at Loess Bluffs.

“I’ve never seen this many eagles in one place,” said Jim Belote.

Belote drove in from Conway, Arkansas, to see the migration.

“I would just encourage folks to come visit,” Kutosky said. “This is a phenomenal resource for the public.

While some of the birds have left, as of Jan. 6, the reserve was still home to at least 500 bald eagles, plus thousands of geese, ducks and trumpeter swans.

If you’d like to visit and see the eagles for yourself, Loess Bluffs is open from sunup to sundown seven days a week. It’s approximately two miles off Exit 79 on Interstate 29.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Lisa Rozner

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — This week marks 20 years since the passing of NYPD Det. James Zadroga.

The 9/11 first responder died at the age of 34 from a respiratory disease attributed to toxic exposure from Ground Zero.

His illness is still changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people connected to the tragedy. A federal bill in his name, signed in 2010, provides medical treatment to survivors and created a Victims Compensation Fund.

Leah Betso says her late father, NYPD Officer James Betso, was supposed to be off on 9/11, but he rushed to Ground Zero when tragedy struck and continued to work there for months.

“He loved the police department and his country,” Leah Betso said.

He retired in 2002, but in 2012, she says her father had a seizure.

“Then they found the tumor in his brain. It was the glioblastoma,” Leah Betso said. “My dad was a really tough guy, and we took it day by day.”

She said because of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, her father was able to connect the illness to 9/11 and get treatment until his death in 2015.

Attorney Michael Barasch helped push for the bill’s passage in 2010 with the Zadroga family. He said Zadroga’s autopsy was pivotal for thousands of people, like Leah Betso’s father.

“A 34-year-old man shouldn’t die. He was totally healthy before 9/11, and in the autopsy, they found ground glass in his lungs,” Barasch said. “We were able to use his autopsy results to convince NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to link all these respiratory illnesses.”

Today, Leah Betso works at Barasch’s firm, which helps 9/11 survivors and first responders.

Through tears, she told CBS News New York the work is in honor of her father, as she recalled his last days.

“It was tougher to communicate with him, but I know that right now, in the position that I’m in … I know that I’m making him really proud,” Leah Betso said.

While a lot of progress has been made since Zadroga’s passing, Barasch said trips to Capitol Hill are still necessary to fight for more work to be done.

“The health program needs more funding. And if they don’t get that funding, they’re in danger of not being able to take more patients after 2027,” Barasch said.

He said the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 needs to be attached to the year-end budget, and the deadline for Congress to vote on it is this month.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Meghan Mosley

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    PUTNAM CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A Putnam City police officer was honored Wednesday after a mission to spread holiday cheer ended with needing a Christmas miracle.

It was a typical day in December when the Putnam City Police Department set out to deliver gifts for Christmas.

“It started off as a fun day, because we were delivering presents to one of our families we adopted through our Christmas program through care share,” Captain Greg Mauck of the Putnam City Public Schools Police said.

However, the situation quickly changed when Assistant Chief Herb Nelson suddenly collapsed.

“There was no warning signs, or he hadn’t been feeling bad or anything like that. He just doubled over when he was lifting presents out of the car,” Chief Mark Stout of the Putnam City Public Schools Police said. “I had so many things running through my mind. So many.”

While some might think it is second nature for these officers to perform CPR, they never expected it to be for one of their own.

“We had to start doing CPR on him,” Stout said. “Fortunately, our training kicked in, and we were able to just get right into it without any question.”

Their quick action, which likely saved Nelson’s life, was recognized on Wednesday when state Sen. Julia Kirt honored them with a citation. “

We heard about your amazing bravery, and we wanted to recognize you,” Kirt said. “I was just blown away by this story, and thank you for your work and being prepared and doing such an amazing duty for your colleague.”

Nelson spent the winter break in the ICU, but his colleagues say he is now on the mend.

A GoFundMe has been created to help with expenses.

“He’s doing a lot better. So, hopefully with everybody’s thoughts and prayers, we’ll get him back to work,” Mauck said.

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

WFOR

By Steven Yablonski

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    LARGO, Florida (WFOR) — A Florida woman is suing her former apartment complex after she said she suffered from severe medical issues due to repeated spider bites.

Patricia Shields said spiders were found in the bathroom of her old apartment in Largo and even had to have some of her toes amputated due to being bitten repeatedly.

In a lawsuit against Grand Oak Apartments in Largo, she said she reported the issue to management, and they did nothing to help her.

“They threw them away or blew me off,” Shields said. “And then the very last time when I went and asked them to release me from my lease, mutual agreement, and they told me ‘No.'”

According to court documents, the apartment complex is denying Shields’ allegations and said they aren’t responsible for causing her claimed injuries and damages.

Shields, who is on disability and lives in section 8 housing, said her options were limited.

“I just want everything settled,” Shields said. “I really just want to go back to my life.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Steven Yablonski

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    LARGO, Florida (WFOR) — A Florida woman is suing her former apartment complex after she said she suffered from severe medical issues due to repeated spider bites.

Patricia Shields said spiders were found in the bathroom of her old apartment in Largo and even had to have some of her toes amputated due to being bitten repeatedly.

In a lawsuit against Grand Oak Apartments in Largo, she said she reported the issue to management, and they did nothing to help her.

“They threw them away or blew me off,” Shields said. “And then the very last time when I went and asked them to release me from my lease, mutual agreement, and they told me ‘No.'”

According to court documents, the apartment complex is denying Shields’ allegations and said they aren’t responsible for causing her claimed injuries and damages.

Shields, who is on disability and lives in section 8 housing, said her options were limited.

“I just want everything settled,” Shields said. “I really just want to go back to my life.”

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

WJZ

By Mike Hellgren

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore agreed on Wednesday to pay $14 million to a man who was wrongfully convicted of a 1986 murder.

Gary Washington spent more than 30 years in prison and always maintained his innocence. He alleged that police threatened a child witness whose testimony led to his conviction.

The witness statement signed by 12-year-old Otis Robinson in January 1987 named Gary Washington as a killer.

It was the key evidence in the case against Washington, who spent more than three decades behind bars after a jury convicted him.

The tragedy began in the 2300 block of Barclay Street in East Baltimore two days after Christmas in 1986.

The victim, Faheem “Bobo” Ali, was walking down the street, according to court records, when he encountered two men. They began arguing. One of them shot and killed Ali.

Police focused on Washington as the suspect. A new dad who was just 25 years old at the time, he lived on the block.

Washington never wavered in his claims that he did not commit the killing.

In court filings, Washington’s lawyers said police, desperate to make an arrest, threatened the 12-year-old that if he did not identify a shooter, he would be taken from his mother and could be arrested for the homicide himself.

Baltimore City’s spending board voted Wednesday to pay Washington $14 million to resolve his civil rights lawsuit and claims police manipulated witnesses and fabricated evidence.

“Based on the unreliability of the detectives’ testimony at this point due to their advanced age, due to the recanted witness, which was the reason the plaintiff was released from prison, we felt at this juncture prior to trial was the best time to settle the case,” Chief Baltimore City Solicitor Justin Conroy said. “And so, for that reason, we negotiated pretty aggressively and got a settlement value that we think is the best deal for the city and resolves the matter.”

Mayor Brandon Scott said the Baltimore Police Department has changed dramatically since the Washington case.

“We have come a long way. First of all, making sure that we do a much better job of hiring and keeping folks that should be employed as police officers versus those who may have questionable character,” Scott said.

This is the second settlement Washington has received since his release in 2019.

The state authorized a $3 million payment that came with an apology from the governor in 2024.

“11,459 days or 31 years were stolen from Mr. Washington,” Governor Wes Moore said at the time.

Washington told the governor he got through the ordeal by reading, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Strength to Love,” a collection of the late civil rights leader’s sermons.

“On behalf of the entire state, I’m sorry for the failure of the justice system,” Moore said.

Washington’s attorney Renee Spence told WJZ Investigates, “Almost exactly 39 years ago today, Baltimore homicide detectives went into Mr. Washington’s house and wrongfully arrested him for the murder of Faheem Ali. The arrest and Mr. Washington’s eventual wrongful conviction were based on evidence these detectives fabricated. While this settlement cannot make up for the more than three decades Mr. Washington spent wrongfully imprisoned and falsely branded a murderer, it is an important end to a nearly 40-year legal battle to clear his name and hold these officers accountable.”

Both of Washington’s parents died while he was in prison. He is now 64 years old.

“She knew that you were innocent,” Gov. Moore said of Washington’s mother. “…I know she’s looking down with pride in her son.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Mike Hellgren

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore agreed on Wednesday to pay $14 million to a man who was wrongfully convicted of a 1986 murder.

Gary Washington spent more than 30 years in prison and always maintained his innocence. He alleged that police threatened a child witness whose testimony led to his conviction.

The witness statement signed by 12-year-old Otis Robinson in January 1987 named Gary Washington as a killer.

It was the key evidence in the case against Washington, who spent more than three decades behind bars after a jury convicted him.

The tragedy began in the 2300 block of Barclay Street in East Baltimore two days after Christmas in 1986.

The victim, Faheem “Bobo” Ali, was walking down the street, according to court records, when he encountered two men. They began arguing. One of them shot and killed Ali.

Police focused on Washington as the suspect. A new dad who was just 25 years old at the time, he lived on the block.

Washington never wavered in his claims that he did not commit the killing.

In court filings, Washington’s lawyers said police, desperate to make an arrest, threatened the 12-year-old that if he did not identify a shooter, he would be taken from his mother and could be arrested for the homicide himself.

Baltimore City’s spending board voted Wednesday to pay Washington $14 million to resolve his civil rights lawsuit and claims police manipulated witnesses and fabricated evidence.

“Based on the unreliability of the detectives’ testimony at this point due to their advanced age, due to the recanted witness, which was the reason the plaintiff was released from prison, we felt at this juncture prior to trial was the best time to settle the case,” Chief Baltimore City Solicitor Justin Conroy said. “And so, for that reason, we negotiated pretty aggressively and got a settlement value that we think is the best deal for the city and resolves the matter.”

Mayor Brandon Scott said the Baltimore Police Department has changed dramatically since the Washington case.

“We have come a long way. First of all, making sure that we do a much better job of hiring and keeping folks that should be employed as police officers versus those who may have questionable character,” Scott said.

This is the second settlement Washington has received since his release in 2019.

The state authorized a $3 million payment that came with an apology from the governor in 2024.

“11,459 days or 31 years were stolen from Mr. Washington,” Governor Wes Moore said at the time.

Washington told the governor he got through the ordeal by reading, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Strength to Love,” a collection of the late civil rights leader’s sermons.

“On behalf of the entire state, I’m sorry for the failure of the justice system,” Moore said.

Washington’s attorney Renee Spence told WJZ Investigates, “Almost exactly 39 years ago today, Baltimore homicide detectives went into Mr. Washington’s house and wrongfully arrested him for the murder of Faheem Ali. The arrest and Mr. Washington’s eventual wrongful conviction were based on evidence these detectives fabricated. While this settlement cannot make up for the more than three decades Mr. Washington spent wrongfully imprisoned and falsely branded a murderer, it is an important end to a nearly 40-year legal battle to clear his name and hold these officers accountable.”

Both of Washington’s parents died while he was in prison. He is now 64 years old.

“She knew that you were innocent,” Gov. Moore said of Washington’s mother. “…I know she’s looking down with pride in her son.”

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