Month: February 2026

By Alexa Herrera, Alice Gainer

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Two NYPD officers allegedly covered up a drunk driving crash involving an off-duty officer by manipulating their body cameras, prosecutors said.

Michael Caligiuri, 31, and Ryan McLoughlin, 30, were arraigned Friday on a host of charges, including tampering with evidence, public records and falsifying business records.

The two are accused of manipulating a body-worn camera during the incident. The NYPD says it initiated the investigation and referred the case to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

What happened? The two responded to a 911 call just before 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2024, about a crash involving an intoxicated driver near Eighth Avenue and West 26th Street, according to prosecutors.

They were told by a bystander that Eli Garcia, the driver of an Infiniti SUV, was under the influence.

Prosecutors said Garcia struggled to provide his license and registration to officers, but showed Caligiuri an NYPD identification card. There was also an NYPD-issued parking card on the dashboard of his car.

“I’ll hold your camera” Prosecutors said Caligiuri never questioned Garcia about his supposed intoxicated state. Caligiuri positioned his body-worn camera so it wouldn’t fully capture his interaction with Garcia, according to prosecutors.

Caligiuri and McLoughlin allegedly texted on their personal phones. McLouglin texted, “Idk what to do,” and Caligiuri responded, “It’s bad man.”

At one point, McLoughlin texted, “I’ll hold your camera.”

Then, Caligiuri removed his body camera from his chest and slid it into McLouglin’s hand, prosecutors said. McLoughlin allegedly put the device at chest level while holding it beside him so it would look like the other officer was standing next to him.

Caligiuri allegedly walked away so his voice wouldn’t be heard and called a supervising lieutenant.

Garcia was later arrested, resigned from NYPD Shortly after, Garcia allegedly drove away from the scene without asking or getting permission. Prosecutors said the two officers didn’t make an attempt to stop him or call over the radio to say Garcia left.

A police captain went to Garcia’s apartment hours later, where he saw his car apparently illegally parked in a crosswalk.

After the two spoke, Garcia was arrested and charged. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and resigned from the NYPD.

He was sentenced to a conditional discharge, an impaired driver program, a 90-day license suspension, and more than $1,500 in fines.

Arguments over accountability “The defendants allegedly went to great lengths to protect a fellow officer from accountability,” DA Alvin Bragg said. “This type of conduct significantly harms the public trust in law enforcement. Everyone must be treated the same under the law, regardless of their position or background.”

“Their reputations are being tarnished by this DA’s office because of assumptions, because what they were thinking, not what they actually did. This case was resolved a year ago and the person that was involved was arrested, was prosecuted. These police officers did their job. We should not be here today,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said.

A plea deal is on the table for Caligiuri and McLoughlin. If they were to take it, they would be terminated from the department.

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 Victor Jacobo

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — On a cold February night in Chicago, dozens of people braved the frigid temperatures to sleep outside on Friday night to raise awareness and support for the city’s homeless population.

Volunteers, supporters, and staff members for the organization Care For Friends were spending the night outdoors in Lincoln Park as part of their annual Sleepout for Homelessness.

“The community needs good support, good love and a good heart,” said Care For Friends volunteer Carlos.

Their aim is to raise funds and awareness to help Chicagoans facing housing and food insecurity.

Gathered outside, with chilly winds and cold temperatures, they were spending the night in tents to put the issue of homelessness in the spotlight.

“At the end of this, I’ll go home to my house to my warm bed and family, but there’s people who don’t have that option, and so we’re out here tonight representing them, and trying to live in their shoes for a little bit,” said Care for Friends board member David Berkley.

The organization provides support for those experiencing food and housing insecurity, and this is the 11th year of their sleepout event to raise money and awareness.

On a cold February night in Chicago, dozens of people braved the frigid temperatures to sleep outside on Friday night to raise awareness and support for the city’s homeless population.

Volunteers, supporters, and staff members for the organization Care For Friends were spending the night outdoors in Lincoln Park as part of their annual Sleepout for Homelessness.

“The community needs good support, good love and a good heart,” said Care For Friends volunteer Carlos.

Their aim is to raise funds and awareness to help Chicagoans facing housing and food insecurity.

Gathered outside, with chilly winds and cold temperatures, they were spending the night in tents to put the issue of homelessness in the spotlight.

“At the end of this, I’ll go home to my house to my warm bed and family, but there’s people who don’t have that option, and so we’re out here tonight representing them, and trying to live in their shoes for a little bit,” said Care for Friends board member David Berkley.

The organization provides support for those experiencing food and housing insecurity, and this is the 11th year of their sleepout event to raise money and awareness.

“We are excited. It’s going to be our biggest sleepout ever, and it is the year that we need it the most,” Pavich said.

The group will sleep out in tents Friday night, and head home Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m.

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 Alexandra Simon, Kerri Corrado, Dan Snyder

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Remaining slavery exhibits at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia do not need to be put back up for now after a last-minute ruling from an appeals court.

Third Circuit Judge Thomas Hardiman granted the Trump administration a partial stay shortly before it was set to miss a court-mandated 5 p.m. deadline to restore a series of exhibits and educational materials on the history of slavery at the site. Hardiman was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

Hardiman’s order calls to “preserve the status quo” at the site, meaning panels that have been put back up should stay, while those that haven’t don’t need to be reinstalled for now.

National Park Service crews have been reinstalling displays over the past two days. Crews continued to reinstall panels Friday, though the rain seemed to halt their progress.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker briefly visited the site Thursday and thanked NPS workers for carefully restoring the displays.

“Today we celebrate the return of our history at this important site,” Parker said in a statement released later in the day. “We are thankful for all the supporters across the city to get us to this point. We know that this is not the end of the legal road. We will handle all legal challenges that arise with the same rigor and gravity as we have done thus far.”

On Jan. 22, 2026, the informational signs were removed with almost no warning to the shock of many city leaders and activists.

The city of Philadelphia quickly filed a lawsuit in federal court to have the signs put back. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and several of the surrounding suburban counties filed amicus briefs in support of the city’s suit and accused President Trump of attempting to “rewrite and whitewash” history.

Earlier this month, a judge ordered the exhibits and related items be safely stored while the legal battle continued.

On Feb. 16, the judge ordered the Trump administration to restore the historic site to the way it was before the signs were removed. As part of the order, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe said federal officials needed to keep all of the items safe and undamaged, and couldn’t install any “replacement materials” without a mutual agreement with the City of Philadelphia.

The Trump administration filed an appeal the following day. In a statement, a Department of the Interior spokesperson said, “Updated interpretive materials providing a fuller account of the history of slavery at Independence Hall would have been installed in the coming days,” though didn’t provide details on what those “updated materials” would entail. The exhibits were removed by the NPS nearly nine months after Mr. Trump issued an executive order called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The President’s House Site, which was once the home of Presidents George Washington and John Adams, included displays about nine enslaved people who once lived there.

The Avenging The Ancestors Coalition, an organization of African American historians, activists and more, was among the leaders of the effort to get the slavery exhibit signage restored.

The group gathered at the President’s House Thursday and celebrated the city’s win in court.

“We were ecstatic,” Michael Coard, of the ATAC, said. “But we understand that this is a lawless administration. And even if we win in the courts, we don’t know they’re going to do the right thing with it. But first, we gotta win in the courts.”

Thursday’s sight came as a shock to some Philadelphians who came to the site expecting to take photos of bare walls. Mary Ann Cardillino says she rushed over after her husband saw the news. She had been to several rallies supporting the restoration of the displays. Seeing them back was emotional for her.

“Well, it’s important. It’s important,” Cardillino said. “It happened. It happened, and it’s part of our history. You can’t deny it. This is not just about 6th and Market. It’s not just about Philadelphia. It’s not just about Pennsylvania. This was the right thing to do for our country.”

“I am hopefully optimistic that, based on what has happened since they were taken down, the outrage that flew across the country, if not the world, that this decision will stand,” said Fred Miller, who also visited the President’s House Site on Thursday.

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 Andrea Nakano

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    OAKLAND, Californa (KPIX) — News of Alysa Liu’s gold medal in the women’s single skating event, the first American woman to win gold since 2002, is the talk of the town in Oakland.

Liu was raised in Richmond and trained at Oakland Ice on her way to the Olympics. While she dazzled on the ice in gold, many were cheering her on at her old rink.

Giada and Keanu Lee drive all the way from eastern Contra Costa County to get a few hours of practice at Oakland Ice. Giada started when she was 7 years old.

“When I was younger, I watched the Olympics and stuff with my mom, and I told her, ‘I want to go up and skate there, too,'” Giada Lee said.

She even inspired her brother to take up the sport. Both have been watching Liu’s career take off. Keanu even had a minor collision with the Olympic star when they were all training together at Oakland Ice.

“I accidentally bumped into her once, and I was really nervous,” said Keanu Lee. “Sorry and stuff like that. She was, like, ‘That’s okay.’ Really friendly.”

Giada has different memories of Liu, those that motivate her to love the sport.

“I really like how she’s always smiling when she practices,” she said. “She really gives me happiness when she skates.”

The impact of Liu’s success can be seen as beginners take the ice.

“I thought it was crazy and she’s so good,” said 10-year-old skater Chloe, who added that she’s not as good as Liu yet but has a passion for skating.

“I love it because I’m gliding on the ice and I can dance around,” she said.

Skaters say there is a big lesson to learn from Liu’s journey to the gold medal stand. The 20-year-old walked away from the sport after the Beijing Olympics and came back on her own terms.

“She hopped back on the ice now feeling confident and happy because this is what she truly wants to do,” Giada Lee said. “She knows that now. It’s really inspiring.”

While Liu inspired, she also taught many here to dream big and never give up.

“She comes from this rink, so it proves that anybody from here can also go to the Olympics and compete,” Lee 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 Anabel Munoz

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    LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Los Angeles County has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, alleging the massively popular online gaming platform fails to adequately protect children from online predators.

The county argues the platform, widely used by young players, does not have sufficient safeguards to prevent adults from posing as minors and interacting with children.

“I can sign up, say I’m 12 years old, create an avatar for myself, and start playing the game, and start interacting with 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 12-year-olds,” said Scott Kuhn, assistant county counsel.

The county pointed to a recent lawsuit filed on behalf of a 12-year-old girl. According to the girl’s mother, her daughter was allegedly befriended by a predator posing as a teenager, who then lured her to another platform and manipulated her into sending sexually explicit images and videos.

“We are seeking to have Roblox change the way it does business to protect children and not to put profits over the price of children’s protection,” Kuhn said.

He added that the county wants stronger age verification tools, including the use of IDs, along with independent monitors of conduct on a platform where users can create experiences.

“Investigating complaints, checking on what the different games have been created,” Kuhn said.

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Roblox said it strongly disputes the claims in the lawsuit, saying in part, “We have advanced safeguards that monitor our platform for harmful content and communications, and users cannot send or receive images via chat, avoiding one of the most prevalent opportunities for misuse seen elsewhere online.”

Roblox also said that as of January, it requires users to complete a facial age check to access chat features and sorts players into age groups.

County officials maintain the measures aren’t enough.

“I would just encourage parents whose kids are playing Roblox to make sure they check in with them, they monitor what’s going on, and they file complaints with Roblox if they see anything,” Kuhn 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 Tim Caputo

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    BURBANK, California (KABC) — Crews worked to repair a stretch of road in Burbank after a water main break buckled the pavement Friday morning, temporarily trapping a pickup truck.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. near Hollywood Way and Whitnall Highway.

There were fears of a sinkhole as the rushing water from the broken water main flushed out much of the foundation below the road, and a large section of the pavement gave way underneath a white truck that was parked on the street.

The vehicle was eventually hoisted out, and no injuries were reported.

It doesn’t appear that the damage extended to the sidewalk or close to any homes in the area.

The cause of the break is still under investigation.

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.