Month: January 2026

By Beverly Kidd

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    VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — Friday, Dec. 19, was more like “Freaky Friday” for Norfolk resident Danny Dietrich. Dietrich, a valet, was on the job when he saw a man drive past Chick’s Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach.

“I was standing right there and he drove all the way to the end of the road and I saw him hit the pylon between the boats and land on the boats. He was slowly sinking,” Dietrich said.

He ran down to the dock and saw the man was still inside the car. Without hesitation, he jumped in to save him with help from a few bystanders.

“He was sideways. It was weird. Once we got the door open he started sinking fast, and we got him out at the last second. It was really close,” Dietrich said.

The driver was taken to a hospital. Chick’s staff told News 3 the man had a medical emergency and accidentally drove off the pier.

When News 3 heard about Dietrich’s actions, we surprised him as he started his shift at Chick’s and presented him with a News 3 Everyday Hero Award.

“We are here to give you a News 3 Everyday Hero Award. Congratulations!” I said. “That’s awesome. Thank you very much.”

“We have a community partner, Southern Bank, and this is the best part: Southern Bank would like to give you $300,” I added.

“Thank you, I love it! Thank you, Southern Bank!” Dietrich said.

His supervisor Zack Desimas said, “Danny embodies the definition of selflessness. Next thing I know I’m parking a car and he’s in the water saving someone’s life.”

News 3 attempted to contact the man Dietrich saved but was unsuccessful.

One thing is for sure: Dietrich’s quick action saved a life.

“If there was anybody who would’ve done it that night, it was Danny,” said Desimas.

And that’s why he’s Positively Hampton Roads.

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 Jeff Hager

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    ELKTON, Maryland (WMAR) — It’s suspected a faulty power strip may have started the fire on the second floor of the townhouse on Thyme Street in Elkton just after midnight on Monday.

C.J. Fowler sprang into action when he learned his girlfriend and six-month-old son, Waylin, were trapped.

“Girlfriend was screaming upstairs,” recalled Fowler, “I got up to go see what she was screaming about. Couldn’t make it up the steps. Screamed to her, ‘Open the window! Throw the baby out!’”

Doctors have already released Waylin from the hospital, but his mother, Tiffany Honaker, is in critical condition at the Bayview Burn Center after crawling through the flames to make it downstairs.

“She is stable doing a little bit better. Hoping to remove the tube tomorrow as long as she keeps progressing,” said Fowler.

“So she got some smoke inhalation?” we asked.

“Yes, smoke inhalation and burns—face, neck, chest, arms and hands” he replied.

It was a busy night for the Singerly Fire Department after firefighters spent three hours extinguishing the fire on Thyme Street before receiving the call for another fire here on Weed Lane.

It’s suspected a deep freeze in the garage may have sparked the fire, and four adults and a child all made it out in time thanks to a special feature of the home.

“This was one of the newly-built homes with a fire sprinkler system,” said Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire, “That system there gave them time enough to actually get out of the house and get away.”

The owner did suffer from smoke inhalation saving two of his dogs and had to be restrained from going back in for the third, which tragically perished as smoke filled the home.

“I know that pets are like family members and that’s a very difficult thing,” said Chris Plank, the victims’ neighbor, “but it’s never a good idea once you get out of the house to go back in.”

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 Jose Fabian, Tim Fang

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A mountain lion recently spotted in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights has been captured Tuesday, after it was seen around the neighborhood and at a nearby park.

Officials with the city’s Animal Care and Control found the animal near California and Octavia streets Tuesday morning. The animal was contained and the agency was working with the San Francisco Zoo on next steps.

“I’m glad they’re they know where it is. I mean, mostly for ourselves, but also for the animal,” Abram Cortez, a neighborhood resident, told CBS News Bay Area.

Around 11 a.m., crews were on scene as they were attempting to capture the mountain lion.

The Santa Cruz Puma Project was also called to help. It was founded in 2008 in partnership with UC Santa Cruz to research how mountain lions and their habitats are impacted by people and housing construction.

One of the biologists who responded was Richie King, who had interacted with this lion before.

“On the way out, someone texted me and said, ‘Oh, he’s got an ear tag on.’ And I was like, ‘Is it orange? And is it in his left ear?’ And they were like, ‘Yep.’ And I was like, it’s that same guy,” King told CBS News Bay Area.

King was part of the team that originally tagged this mountain lion when he was 5 weeks old in the Rancho San Antonio area. Last September, the same mountain lion was spotted in a backyard in Saratoga.

He was tranquilized then and relocated to the area around the Lexington Reservoir. Then, within the last few months, King said he must have made his way north to get into the city.

“I don’t think he’s seeking out these areas. For the most part, he’s being pushed around by other males who have these home ranges that aren’t letting him go in there. Really, he doesn’t have much of a choice about where he’s going and he just happens to end up in these bad situations,” King said.

King said the lion is in good health and looks like he’s been eating well.

Shortly after noon, the captured mountain lion, which was in an enclosure, had been loaded onto a pickup. They did put a GPS tracking collar on him this time, and he will be released back out into the wild in an open space far away from people.

Animal Care and Control San Francisco had warned residents on Monday about the mountain lion, which was spotted near Lafayette Park Sunday night.

“It’s likely that the mountain lion got lost while dispersing, is confused, and will soon find its way south and out of San Francisco,” Animal Care and Control said at the time.

Madrey Hilton told CBS News Bay Area in an interview Monday that she saw the mountain lion between Sacramento and Gough streets as she was driving to work and recorded the encounter.

“It was super big too, so I knew it wasn’t like just a stray cat or anything, and it kind of walked up the road, like towards like where my car is,” Hilton said. “And so immediately I got out my phone to record because I wanted to send a video to my friends.”

When encountering a mountain lion, residents are advised not to go near the mountain lion, and if they see it, slowly back away — Do not run. And people with children should pick them up and keep their pets on leashes.

If a mountain lion approaches, people should make themselves “big” by waving their arms, yelling and throwing something, and again, do not run.

Katie Nielsen contributed to this report.

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 Ashley Sharp

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — Some residents living at the Hotel Woodland Studio Apartments on Main Street say a broken elevator has left people stranded inside their second, third and fourth-floor apartments for two months now.

One resident reached out to CBS Sacramento for help, saying she and other seniors and residents with mobility issues are unable to get up and down the stairs to leave their homes.

“How can they be allowed to get away with this?” resident Jennifer Rowland asked. “I feel like we have just been abandoned.”

Rowland says residents have gotten no communication about when the elevator will be fixed from property management.

Thanksgiving night, Rowland says the elevator first broke down. Now, nearly in February, frustration and isolation are growing for Rowland and fellow residents.

“I just don’t feel like anybody cares,” Rowland said.

Hotel Woodland is a 76-unit affordable housing community that offers furnished, single-room occupancy units for their residents.

Rowland lives on the third floor. She is disabled and relies on a walker and scooter to get around. She estimates a few dozen of her neighbors are in the same boat, stranded, with no way of leaving their upstairs apartments.

“We have nowhere to go. We have no means to get out,” Rowland said. Rowland is on a fixed income and has lived at the Hotel Woodland apartments for ten years, utilizing Section 8 housing vouchers. She is now having to rely on a friend to help bring her food and other necessities.

“I mean, the only thing keeping me sane is my, my crazy kitty here,” she said of her pet cat.

Aside from the loneliness, Rowland says day-after-day stuck inside has left her depressed and fearing the worst.

“I just feel like it’s gonna kill me eventually. I mean, if there is an emergency or something, I’d be dead for real. I don’t want to die for something stupid,” Rowland said.

There was recently a change in property management for these apartments.

Residents told CBS Sacramento that VPM Management, Inc., based out of Irvine, is now in charge. The company’s name is now listed on the communications being sent to residents in the mail, but we were unable to confirm directly with anyone from VPM that they are, in fact, managing the property.

Any information about the management change has not been clearly updated online and CBS Sacramento has been unsuccessful in reaching either VPM Management or the previously listed property managers, CHOC Housing, by email or phone for comment.

We first reached out to the city of Woodland with these concerns more than a month ago. On December 19, 2025, the City of Woodland sent CBS News Sacramento the following statement:

“The elevator is in question is out of service awaiting parts delivery. The Hotel Woodland’s property management company has staff on-site during business hours to help residents up and down the stairs and are also in the process of sourcing a ‘stair chair.’ The property management company is currently surveying residents and providing hotel rooms for those who are not ambulatory. While the City does not manage the historic Hotel Woodland property, we continue to work with the property management company and other community members to ensure the safety of all residents.”

Rowland told CBS Sacramento she could not go to a hotel because of her need for specific disability accommodations and her two pets. She says some residents who were moved to hotels have already returned to the apartments because it did not work out.

“I can’t be up here another month or two. I can’t,” Rowland said.

Nearly a month after our first inquiry, CBS Sacramento checked back in with the City of Woodland on January 14. City officials told us there was no update and that they were still waiting for the parts to fix the elevator.

We reached out on Monday to ask again. City officials responded and said the elevator is scheduled for repair next week.

Rowland says she isn’t holding her breath.

“Somebody with influence has to get involved, because we’re stuck,” Rowland said. “I just want to be able to be treated like a human being that has rights, that deserves a safe place to live.”

Rowland said the elevator also broke down in the Summer of 2025, but it was only out of order for a few weeks, at most.

CBS Sacramento will update this story if we hear back from the apartment’s management.

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 Marissa Armas, Doug Myers, Amelia Mugavero, Briauna Brown

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    FANNIN COUNTY, Illinois (KTVT) — A North Texas mother is grieving the loss of three of her sons after they drowned Monday in a frozen pond near the home where the family had been staying, according to the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office.

Multiple state and local agencies responded to a call about three brothers who had fallen through the ice on a private pond off Rec Road #3, just outside Bonham, about 70 miles northeast of Dallas.

The pond sits about 100 feet from the house, separated by an embankment.

The mother of six, Cheyenne Hangaman, said she was outside with her children when they were playing and that “it all happened in an instant.” She said she had warned the boys to stay away from the water, but they didn’t listen.

Hangaman told investigators her youngest son tried to “ice skate” on the frozen pond and fell through.

His two older brothers jumped in to try to save him.

Mother describes frantic rescue attempt “I tried to pick one up and put them on the ice,” Hangaman told CBS News Texas. “It would just break and keep falling in.”

“There was three of them and only one of me,” she said. “That’s why I couldn’t save them.”

First responders and a neighbor pulled the two older boys, ages 8 and 9, from the water and began life‑saving measures before they were taken to a hospital, where they later died. The youngest child, age 6, did not resurface and was recovered after an extensive search.

Authorities did not release the children’s names, but family members identified them as 6‑year‑old Howard Doss, 8‑year‑old Kaleb Doss and 9‑year‑old EJ Doss. All three were students in Bonham ISD.

Community mourns three young brothers Hangaman said she realized something was wrong when her daughter ran to her yelling that the boys had gone into the water.

“When I seen them, they were struggling, and I know their bodies were already in shock,” she said. “The water was freezing cold.”

“I tried to fight for my kids’ life,” Hangaman said. “I had to watch them struggle and drown, and I couldn’t help them.”

She described her sons as full of personality – EJ dreamed of becoming a football star, Kaleb loved to dance and sing, and Howard “liked making people laugh.”

Bonham ISD said counselors would be available for students and staff this week.

“We are devastated by this unimaginable loss, and our thoughts are with the family, friends, and all who knew and loved these children,” the district said in a letter to families.

A neighbor who heard the screams ran to help and was able to pull Hangaman from the water, she said.

Hangaman said she might have lost her life as well if it weren’t for a good Samaritan who pulled her from the water.

“He said he heard the screaming or the call for help and came running. My friend had a horse rope, and he pulled me out with it,” Hangaman said.

That good Samaritan – Bonham ISD’s athletic director and football coach, John Ramsey – declined an interview but shared a statement.

“Right now, all focus should be on supporting a family that is suffering unimaginable loss. They need privacy, prayers and support as they navigate this incredibly difficult time,” Ramsey said. “I’m asking the media and our community to direct all attention toward helping them.

“I was nearby helping a neighbor when I heard someone calling for help and went to assist. Any person in that situation would have done the same thing. I was simply close enough to help in a moment of crisis, doing what I hope anyone would do for someone in need.

“I will not be doing interviews at this time. Instead, I ask that we all come together to support this family however we can. Thank you for your understanding.”

As she prepares to bury her children, Hangaman said she hopes her tragedy serves as a warning to other parents.

“It can happen to you,” she said. “Make sure that you hold your kids tight. Always tell them that you love them.”

The family has created a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.

The Fannin County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate. Authorities have not said whether any charges will be filed.

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.