Month: February 2026

By Angela Rozier

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    INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — A dispatcher at the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is being recognized for helping a woman deliver her baby over the phone on Valentine’s Day, just weeks after starting her job.

Autumn Martin, who began working as a dispatcher on December 8, received a 911 call on February 14 from a woman in active labor.

The caller explained that the midwife was on her way, but the baby was arriving faster than expected.

Martin admitted feeling a bit scared initially but followed her training with her supervisor by her side. She said the mother’s sister and husband were also present to assist during the call.

“I was just answering calls as they were coming in. I got the call, and they said the baby’s crowning, and I said, okay—we’re having a baby,” Martin said.

Shannon Wells, the mother, said Evie is her fifth child.

Wells and her husband had planned a water birth at home with a midwife, but Evie had other plans.

“I looked at my sister and I said, we’re not going to make it. I can feel her head. I could feel she had shifted her position finally and was coming,” Wells said.

While the midwife was en route, they were advised to dial 911, and Evie made her entrance on Valentine’s Day.

“It’s sweet to hear a baby cry. I have two of my own, and I think it’s music to your ears when you first hear the little baby cry,” Martin 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.

By Pamela Comme

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    VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A simple act of kindness at DeBary Elementary School is now touching hearts around the country.

Sophia Campbell was laughing through tears as she looked at her desk, completely covered in bright pink, sunshine yellow and neon green sticky notes. Each one carried a handwritten message from a classmate.

The moment, captured on video, has now been seen by millions online.

“Shining like a diamond,” Sophia read from one note. “Smiles follow you,” another said.

Just minutes earlier, the fourth grader had been struggling, worrying she wasn’t smart enough.

Her friend Ashton Miller noticed.

“I wanted to encourage her to keep reading,” Ashton said.

He shared an idea with the rest of the class: surprise Sophia by covering her desk in messages of encouragement.

The response was immediate and overwhelming.

Within minutes, classmates filled dozens of sticky notes with affirmations, compliments and reminders of her strengths. When Sophia returned to her seat, she was met with a colorful display of support.

It’s the kind of culture fourth-grade teacher Joanne Miller has intentionally built at DeBary Elementary School over the past decade through what she calls the “Kindness Squad.”

“Every Friday morning, we line the whole parent loop, and we greet all the families that come to the elementary and get them pumped up for the day,” Miller said. “It’s just what we do.”

From dancing in the car line to celebrating academic and personal victories in the classroom, encouragement is woven into daily life at the school.

In this now-viral moment, that culture was on full display.

But Miller said the most meaningful part wasn’t just Sophia’s emotional reaction.

“While I’m very excited that it made her feel special, equally important is how it made the rest of my students feel to see how their act of kindness impacted her,” she said.

For Sophia, the words from her classmates left a lasting impression.

“I felt like I was appreciated, loved, like I was smart … All the feelings that are happy,” she said.

She now has a stack of sticky notes she plans to keep, reminders of one powerful lesson learned early in life: sometimes the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference.

The viral video may have introduced millions to the moment, but in this DeBary classroom, kindness is simply part of the curriculum.

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 Madilyn Destefano, Luana Munoz

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — A man was arrested after deputies found him in a Chinese restaurant with a shovel, shouting, “I had to destroy that restaurant. All Chinese restaurants are going to release a new strain of COVID on July 6,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested 43-year-old Richard Jarvis on Monday after receiving a 911 call related to an aggravated battery.

OCSO responded to Pearl’s Chinese restaurant, located at 5438 Central Florida Parkway, where the owner told deputies Jarvis first attempted to enter through the back door of the establishment, shouting, “He was going to kill everyone inside,” the affidavit said.

Deputies said when Jarvis could not get in through the back door, he made his way to the front, entered the restaurant, and went straight to the kitchen, where he began tossing food and destroying restaurant equipment with the shovel.

“I am a prophet, I’m trying to save everyone,” Jarvis said.

When the owner saw Jarvis vandalizing the kitchen, deputies said he attempted to run away.

That’s when Jarvis struck the owner in the back with the shovel and said, “If you run away, I’ll kill you,” documents said.

OCSO detained Jarvis, and he is charged with aggravated battery, criminal mischief, and burglary of a structure with a weapon.

The following day, a nearby business manager spoke to WESH 2 and said she dialed 911.

“I heard help, help. ‘I said, did you hear that?’ I immediately went to get my husband to go back there,” said Vanessa Tregjo.

Trejo and her family manage the June-Bee martial arts studio just two doors down from Pearl’s Chinese restaurant.

On Monday, Trejo says she picked up lunch from the restaurant, and 30 minutes later, she heard the owner shouting for help.

“Then, when we came to the front, the owner was already in the front. He kind of locked them in. He told me both ladies were still in there, and he was attacking them.

Trejo says she immediately called 911.

She says restaurant staff locked the back door after seeing a man in the area talking to himself.

“We were really scared because nothing like this really happens,” said Trejo.

WESH 2 has requested the body-camera video from OCSO.

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 Eric Graves

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — It was a chilly February day when Jason Howery spotted what he thought could be the biggest discovery of his life in a northwest Missouri waterway.

Howery, a self-described independent researcher in archaeology and anthropology, has spent two decades combing Missouri for ancient remains thousands of years old.

“I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life searching for the first North American inhabitants,” Howery said.

On Feb. 13, Howery was exploring an area in northwest Missouri where he had already found pieces he believed to be the remains of mammoth and mastodon.

In about shin-deep water, Howery spotted what he believed to be the femur of a Colombian Mammoth.

“I thought, ‘Man, that really looks like ice age bone, that looks like what I’m looking for,'” Howery said. “But the water was so cold, there was ice on the edge and ice floating down, that I didn’t really want to get in the water right then.”

Howery said after searching around the site for half an hour, he took off his shoes and stepped into the cold water to try to confirm his suspicions. He said he knew as soon as he touched it.

“As soon as you feel ice age bone, especially when it’s still wet, it has this texture that is sticky and glassy at the same time,” Howery said. “And it’s unlike anything else in the world that I’ve ever felt.”

Howery struggled to pull it from the lake. The bone itself weighs 92 pounds.

“When you’re looking at that type of staining that’s on there, and the mineralization of it, it’s definitely an authentic piece that hasn’t been seen in 10,000-plus-years,” Howery said.

Howery considers this find a manifestation of the work throughout his life.

“It’s all of the hard work coming together over 20 years of doing the research, doing the analysis, doing the fieldwork, and being there and being the first person to, you know, have permission to go in and find the right places to look,” Howery said.

The femur joins his extensive collection of artifacts already found from across Missouri.

Howery is now raising money to preserve the mammoth femur. He said the next steps are a CT scan and getting the bone radiocarbon dated.

He also hopes to use the money to help inspire the next generation through his Paleo Outreach Program.

“To inspire them into, first of all, getting out, putting your phone down, get out into nature, get reconnected,” Howery said. “Because you never know, there’s so much history out here that is all around us.”

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 Carson Zorn, Alexa Velez

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    NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — Naples Classical Academy announced it has canceled or rescheduled all public-facing on-campus events and activities after a person with measles was on campus.

According to Christopher Wester, head of the school, the Florida Department of Health verified that a person with a confirmed case of measles was on campus on Feb. 10.

Wester said the visitor was an adult who spent a limited amount of time on campus.

Staff and parents were notified that the case had been reported to the school and were provided with all applicable information provided by the FLDOH, Wester said.

The school followed FLDOH guidelines for reporting and communicating with all stakeholders regarding the possible exposure and canceled or rescheduled all public events for the recommended time frame, according to Wester.

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 Deborah Weiner

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Changing technology is enhancing how sketch artists can help police solve cases, as evidenced by a recent sketch in Baltimore that helped to provide closure to a family.

When the identity of a person — who sometimes may be a victim of a crime — is unknown, they are referred to as “John Does.”

That’s where Michael Streed’s sketches come in, having helped police solve kidnappings, murders, robberies and much more over decades.

A recent John Doe case was particularly brought to life, not just by the artist’s expertise, but also by a new tool that produced startling results.

It was a gripping image, a picture that couldn’t be ignored.

But this was no photograph. Rather, it was a lifelike sketch that went viral on social media.

“There’s that hybrid blend of photography and art, so people don’t take it too literal, but yet, at the same time, it causes it to jump off the screen and get people’s attention,” Streed told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

Late last month, police officers found an unresponsive man near Lombard Street and Market Place in Downtown Baltimore. The victim had no identification and had been experiencing homelessness. Investigators called the man’s death suspicious.

Without a name, he was considered a John Doe.

That’s where Streed comes in.

A retired police sergeant known as the “Sketch Cop,” WBAL-TV 11 News first met Streed in 2017, reporting on how he has produced thousands of forensic sketches, many for the Baltimore Police Department.

Streed, who now works virtually from California, receives photographs of the deceased and incorporates artificial intelligence to create images. It’s a far cry from how his sketch work appeared in 1979, and how it has evolved over the years.

“It helps me enhance what’s there. It helps me become a better artist and be able to serve the decedents themselves and their families, and the detectives much better,” Streed told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

AI, anthropology, Photoshop and a keen artist’s eye gave the downtown John Doe case unprecedented humanity.

When the Shields family saw Streed’s sketch on social media, they knew instantly that it was Marcell Shields.

“This picture was the first thing on my timeline. As soon as I saw it, I immediately knew it was my brother,” Brittni Shields, Marcell’s sister, told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

The eyes in the image made him look familiar; the mouth and chin were just like Marcell’s.

“It was spot on,” Brittni Shields told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

The family covets the “before” pictures from Marcell’s childhood, before the 37-year-old struggled with mental illness and homelessness after he left his job at 7-Eleven. The family had driven around to Marcell’s typical haunts to check on him; he always refused help but was happy to see them.

“I would just go downtown to ride around to look for him, that’s how I would find him, and I hadn’t been able to find him,” Brittni Shields told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates. “Days later, I see this sketch and it broke my heart.”

“Even though they’re homeless, even though they may suffer from mental illness, there is someone, somewhere that is thinking about them, that is praying for them and just hoping that, one day, things will get better,” Marcell’s aunt, Erica Shields, told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

But for the sketch from Streed, the family might never have known that Marcell was not only unreachable; he was gone.

“I just have to thank the artist for the accuracy because we wouldn’t have known,” Brittni Shields told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

“I didn’t like reading about how he died,” Streed told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates. “I was so grateful I was able to do something to help his family and help him.”

Streed’s sketches have led to high-profile convictions, including the killer of Rachel Morin in Harford County.

The Shields family also hopes the sketch can help answer questions for them about what is believed to be a pedestrian hit-and-run case. Anyone with information about what happened to Marcell around 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 28, 2026, is asked to call Baltimore police.

The Shields family established an online fundraiser to help lay Marcell to rest.

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 CBS 58 Newsroom

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — Milwaukee police are investigating a robbery and shots fired incident that happened on Milwaukee’s east side on Thursday morning, Feb. 26.

Police say around 9:10 a.m., a suspect held victims at gunpoint on Terrace Avenue — near the Terrace Villa Museum and Gardens.

The suspect reportedly entered a residence and then discharged a firearm.

No one was struck by the gunfire.

Officials say the suspect, a 25-year-old, was arrested in the area.

An investigation is ongoing and criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

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 Kate Hussey

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    PORT ST LUCIE, Florida (WPTV) — A Port St. Lucie family says what they believe is a loophole in Florida’s My Safe Florida Home program is leaving elderly, low-income homeowners without critical hurricane protection — and they’re calling on the state to close what they describe as a growing gap.

Helen and Alfred Nonnemacher, who are in their 80s, applied for a home-hardening grant to replace their 20-year-old windows, which they say are now leaking, taped together with packing tape, and unable to open and close properly.

Alfred Nonnemacher is also recovering from a stroke.

“So these are the inefficient windows that my in-laws have,” said the couple’s son-in-law, Steve McGuigan. “You can see the water damage here, water has seeped through there. This one is actually taped. They actually taped it with packing tape to keep it in place… just very disturbing to me,” he added, showing investigative reporter Kate Hussey the home.

Yet the couple was denied a My Safe Florida Home Grant.

The family says a licensed inspector visited the home in August for a two-hour inspection — and denied them that same day. Though the inspection report is no longer available, the family says they were rejected because of the shutters.

“When I saw that report, I was just like, devastated, heartbroken,” said Helen Nonnemacher. “You go through all this, and you know that you’re qualified, and then they say no, and it is very disappointing, heartbreaking, almost.”

According to the program’s website, the state generally disqualifies homeowners who already have hurricane shutters from receiving grants for impact windows. The Nonnemachers have shutters — but because of their age and Alfred’s medical condition, they cannot physically put them up themselves.

“See how long and big they are?” said McGuigan, showing WPTV the shutters. “Even one panel is pretty heavy. In any storm, this would be a huge concern.”

“You know, it’s scary, and these windows would never hold up to something like that,” added Helen Nonnemacher.

McGuigan first brought the family’s concerns to our “Let’s Hear It” community event in Port St. Lucie, where he and his wife came looking for help.

We took video and photos of the home to mitigation expert Calvin Johnson, who said the windows should be replaced — regardless of whether shutters are present.

“That’s probably the window itself that’s leaking,” said Johnson, looking at the photos. “Water would definitely get inside there.”

“And that compromises the rest of the home?” Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey asked.

“Yeah, exactly,” Johnson replied.

Johnson said he sees this situation regularly — families denied because they have shutters, but physically unable to deploy them.

“Yes. Absolutely, we get that a lot,” said Johnson.

Johnson also warned that failing to have working protections in place could put homeowners at risk of losing their insurance coverage.

“Your insurance company wants everything to be working and everything to show proof that you got those protection in place,” Johnson said.

WPTV reached out to Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia’s office about the Nonnemachers’ case. In an email, his office encouraged the family to file a disability waiver exemption by submitting a support ticket at MySafeFLHome.com.

“We encourage homeowners like Mr. and Mrs. Nonnemacher to file a waiver due to disability, which they can do by submitting a support ticket at MySafeFLHome.com, understanding that the licensed inspector determined that Mr. and Mrs. Nonnemacher’s home already has adequate protection against hurricanes and is therefore ineligible for grant funding from the program,” the CFO’s office said in an email statement.

The office also said a team member would reach out directly to the Nonnemachers to help them through the process.

The CFO’s office pointed to the program’s governing statute — Florida Statute § 215.5586 (2025) — which states the purpose of the My Safe Florida Program is to help Florida’s most in-need homeowners with home-hardening projects to enhance the survivability of homes during hurricanes.

Under the statute, grant funds may only be used for the following:

Opening protection, including exterior doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections Improving the strength of roof-deck attachments Secondary water resistance for roof

The office also referenced Rule 69J-7.001 of the Florida Administrative Code, which outlines acceptable projects in further detail.

The Nonnemachers are not alone.

At a separate “Let’s Hear It” event in Jensen Beach, Kimberly Caldwell Blazie said she fell into the same gap — unable to install shutters because of her disability.

“I want to cry right now. I just keep praying,” Caldwell Blazie said. “I mean, you feel like you’ve lost hope.”

Caldwell Blazie has already filed her disability waiver exemption following her interview with WPTV and since received a letter saying she was approved. She’s still waiting on the contractor to complete work on her home.

The Nonnemachers are now working to file their own exemption. The CFO’s office says funding will not run out before the exemptions are reviewed — but neither family is entirely convinced.

There is currently no data available showing how many applicants have been approved this year. However, data the state released in October 2025 showed just 33% of more than 120,000 applicants received grants during the last grant cycle.

Previous reporting from WPTV reporter Matt Sczesny has documented homeowners being denied and delayed, with lawmakers questioning whether the program is even lowering insurance premiums as promised.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WPTV verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.