Month: January 2026

By Daniel Macht, Jaiden Singh, Michelle Bandur

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    SACRAMENTO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — A family of four in Sacramento County recently fell ill after picking and eating wild mushrooms, the county’s public health officer said on Thursday.

Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said the family was hospitalized. It’s believed to be the first cases of their kind in the county involving Death Cap or Western Destroying Angel mushrooms amid a wider outbreak across the state.

At least 35 people who range from age from 19 months to 67 have been hospitalized in Northern California and the Central Coast after experiencing experienced amatoxin poisoning, Sacramento County health officials said.

Most cases are in the Monterey area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jim Adams, president of the Sacramento Area Mushroomers said the family found the toxic fungi at the William B Pond recreation area and that two of the family members are still in the hospital a week later.

“When we have above average rains, the organisms know that. And so they come out in an abundance,” said Adams.

He said the poisonous caps are popping up everywhere, but they really like growing in the moist sale and shade under Oak trees.

“These native Oaks are having a pretty big bumper crop of poisonous mushrooms this year,” Adams said.

Health officials said that wild mushrooms can remain toxic even after cooking, boiling, freezing or drying.

Sacramento County also shared photos of the mushrooms that sickened the family:

“The important thing is that these mushrooms, the poisonous mushrooms, look very similar to the safe mushrooms,” Kasirye said. “So we are advising that people do not take or eat wild mushrooms at this time. It is safest to buy your mushrooms from a store or a place where you know that these are. They’re safe. Some of the symptoms related to, eating these poisonous mushrooms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.”

Other symptoms could lead to dehydration or kidney and liver failure, she said.

Adams agrees foragers don’t pick, don’t taste, don’t eat.

“They were coming up everywhere,” he said. “I hadn’t seen them in Sacramento County before.”

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 Jessica Schmid

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — A Milwaukee jury found a security guard guilty of killing a man shoplifting snacks.

William Pinkin was found guilty on two counts, including first-degree intentional homicide.

Pinkin was working at the Clark gas station near Teutonia Avenue and Roosevelt Drive in 2023 when he shot Isaiah Allen for shoplifting snack cakes.

On the stand Thursday, Pinkin said he did not remember what happened the day of the shooting.

After the verdict, Pinkin asked the court to find him not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The court set a hearing for next 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 Josh Wallace

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    EL RENO, Oklahoma (KOCO) — An investigation is underway after an inmate was found unresponsive at the Federal Correctional Institution El Reno and died on Thursday, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons officials.

Officials said Dujuan Cole, 44, was found unresponsive at the facility at about 12:20 p.m. Thursday.

“Responding employees initiated life-saving measures. Emergency medical services (EMS) were requested while life-saving efforts continued,” officials said in a news release.

Cole was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

Cole was sentenced in the Southern District of Illinois to a 120-month sentence for distributing methamphetamine, officials said. He had been in custody at the facility since Wednesday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified of his death.

“No employees or other incarcerated individuals were injured and at no time was the public in danger,” officials said in the news release.

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 Brian Johnson

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — As winter weather moves into the Kansas City area, a new app is offering homeowners another option for snow removal, without making phone calls or negotiating one-on-one.

GreenPal, a service often described as “Uber for lawn care,” has expanded its platform to include snow removal in the Kansas City metro. The app connects homeowners with local contractors through a marketplace-style system.

“Stay inside. Let the pros handle it. It’s too cold,” said Gene Caballero, founder of GreenPal.

Caballero founded the company 14 years ago. He said the snow removal feature was recently added locally as demand grows during winter storms.

“It’s free for homeowners to sign up and get bids,” Caballero said.

Instead of calling multiple companies, homeowners can send one request through the app and receive several competing bids. Caballero said that competition can work in the homeowner’s favor.

“Also kind of creates a price advantage for the homeowner,” he said. “Maybe somebody is just starting out and like, ‘Hey, I really want this’ or ‘I really need this,’ and they are able to give pretty aggressive pricing.”

Caballero said about 45 companies are currently available for snow removal jobs in the Kansas City area. Each contractor must have a verified ID, along with customer reviews and ratings. Homeowners can also ask contractors for proof of insurance.

With heavy snowfall, Caballero said patience is important.

“Give the next business day, you know, especially when it’s a big snowstorm coming like this one is,” he said.

Homeowners can also pre-book snow removal services if they know they will need help ahead of time. Caballero emphasized that users stay in control throughout the process.

“The power is ultimately up to the homeowner and they can decide who they want to work with,” he said.

Payment is handled through the website or app after the job is completed. GreenPal keeps 5% of each contract.

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 McKenzy Parsons

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    GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska (KETV) — A federal judge sentenced a Grand Island man to prison for trying to damage a federal property with a Molotov cocktail.

Eulisis Martin, 35, will spend five years behind bars.

Martin spray-painted the words “Kill ICE” on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in June 2025.

He then lit and threw the explosive, but it didn’t work.

After prison, Martin will be on supervised release for three years and pay over $1 million in restitution.

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.