Month: March 2026

By Abner Sosa

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    BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KHBS, KHOG) — Community members and businesses in Northwest Arkansas are being encouraged to support Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay during the ongoing partial federal government shutdown.

At Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA), 92 TSA officers continue reporting to work each day to maintain security operations, even as federal payroll remains disrupted.

Airport officials say those officers are considered essential employees, meaning security lines continue moving and travelers remain safe, but behind the scenes, the shutdown is taking a growing financial toll.

Zackary Hicks, a TSA officer and president of AFGE Local 917, said he has returned to frontline screening duties during the shutdown.

“Right now, with the partial shutdown, I am currently returned to my original duties as a screening officer,” Hicks said.

While operations are holding steady, Hicks said the strain on workers is increasing as the shutdown drags on.

“It is starting to get a little bit hard since we’ve now gotten to day 33 of the partial shutdown. We’re starting to feel a little bit of the squeeze,” Hicks said.

Hicks added that many officers live paycheck-to-paycheck and continue showing up to work despite not being paid.

“It’s hard to see them come in, loving doing their job and just seeing the devotion they have to keeping the airways safe and knowing that they’re not getting paid for it. It breaks my heart as well,” Hicks said.

In response, airport leaders said the community has been asking how to help.

While federal rules prohibit TSA workers from accepting cash donations, they are allowed to receive certain in-kind support, including food and gift cards. Any donations must be distributed evenly among all officers.

“Food is obviously an excellent donation. Also gift cards, to local restaurants, Visa, Vanilla, Walmart gift cards. That would be a huge support,” said Olivia Tyler, XNA’s public affairs manager. “We’re trying everything that we can in order to support them in the ways that we can.” Businesses or organizations interested in coordinating donations are encouraged to contact Tyler via email to arrange logistics.

Hicks said that support is already making a difference for officers facing uncertainty.

“It makes me really supported by my community. I really appreciate it. It kind of brings tears to my eyes, too, because it’s hard. It’s really hard on us when we go through this,” Hicks said.

As the shutdown continues, TSA officers remain on the job, ensuring safety at the airport — even without pay.

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 Krista Tatschl, Chloe Godding

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Kanbe’s Markets took a hit overnight when vandals broke into the warehouse parking lot and stole the catalytic converters from five work trucks.

The warehouse had cameras and locked gates, but the vandals cut a hole in the fence to get inside.

“I went out and checked all of them and determined that five of the eight pack truck converters had been sawed off,” said Henry Noth, operations manager for Kanbe’s.

A catalytic converter is an important piece of a vehicle’s exhaust system. Converter theft is a common crime because they are easy to steal and easy to sell. In this instance, it only took the vandals about 10 minutes.

Not only did the theft cause $50,000 in damage, which isn’t entirely covered by insurance, losing the catalytic converters puts a wrench in Kanbe’s usual food distribution. These trucks deliver vital fresh food deliveries to 122 locations around the metro.

Kanbe’s partners with stores in food deserts and installs stand-alone coolers in the stores to offer fresh food, operating on a consignment basis. This system helps provide produce in areas where it is less available.

“We have people in these communities that rely on our coolers, that expect us to be there every weekday, stocking them with fresh produce options,” Noth said. “And when we have to take a truck off the road, some of those stores — all of which are vital to these communities — some of those stores don’t get stocked.”

Now, Kanbe’s is working on solutions to continue its deliveries around the metro.

“Other nonprofits actually offered to let us use their truck for a day yesterday, which kind of helped us in the immediate,” Noth said. “But as far as having a solution for a couple of weeks, we’ll definitely have to go rent trucks. … So we appreciate everything we can get.”

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 Cassie Schirm

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    VIOLET, La. (WDSU) — A 16-year-old boy is dead after being dragged and run over during an altercation with another teen in St. Bernard Parish, deputies said.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened Monday night on Meraux Lane in Violet.

Deputies identified the victim as Franklin Osmar Ayala Linares.

According to investigators, surveillance video shows Ayala approaching a white van, where an altercation occurred with the driver. Authorities said the driver attempted to leave while Ayala was still holding onto the vehicle, dragging him down the road before he fell into the roadway and was run over.

When deputies arrived, they found Ayala lying in the street with critical injuries. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

A 15-year-old has been arrested in connection with the case and is facing charges of negligent homicide and hit-and-run resulting in death. His identity has not been released because he is a juvenile.

Deputies said the two teens likely knew each other. The investigation remains ongoing.

A neighbor who lives nearby said family members were the first to spot Ayala in the roadway.

“My daughter pulled up and saw something in the street,” the neighbor said. “At first, she thought it was something that fell out of a truck.”

The neighbor said that when they got closer, they realized it was a person.

“He was just lying there, kind of curled up, just moaning,” the neighbor said. “We didn’t know if he had been hit or if it was some kind of medical issue. We called 911 right away.”

The neighbor said deputies arrived within minutes, followed shortly by emergency crews.

The neighbor also said home surveillance cameras captured parts of what happened before the incident, including a van driving down the street with its lights off, slowing down and briefly stopping before leaving the area.

Ayala’s mother, Dilia Laneris, said her son had just finished dinner at home shortly before the incident.

“He was finished eating dinner when he got a message, my daughter asked if it was his girlfriend,” Laneris said through a translator. “He just laughed, went outside with a trash bag, and he didn’t come back.”

She said she is now asking for justice.

“I would like for everyone to help me get justice for my son. I don’t want revenge, just justice for his death,” she said. “It can’t stay like this.”

Laneris said she wants her son to be remembered as a happy and playful teenager.

“He was a very happy son. He liked to play with the girls. He was very playful,” she said. “He loved to play games and be with me while I cooked dinner.”

Family members said they are now working to raise money to bring Ayala’s body back to Honduras so his father can see him one last time and lay him to rest.

“May he have a Christian burial, and that my daddy see him one last time,” his sister said.

The driver involved has been identified by investigators as a 15-year-old boy. Authorities have not released his name because he is a juvenile.

Deputies said the teen was taken into custody following the incident and booked on charges of negligent homicide and hit-and-run resulting in death

Deputies said the investigation remains ongoing.

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 Jason Burger

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — An Oklahoma City father was alarmed when his 11-year-old son woke him up to report a stranger sleeping in his bedroom.

“At 8 a.m. maybe, my son woke me up, and he said, ‘There’s a man in my bed,'” Josh Hodnik, the father, said.

Hodnik said he initially doubted his son but soon realized the situation was real.

“I was like, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure?’ He said, ‘Yeah, there’s a man,'” Hodnik said.

According to an Oklahoma City police report, the suspect was found in the child’s bedroom. The report said the man was a transient.

Hodnik said he was concerned about the potential danger to his children.

“I did something violent to him where he couldn’t react, but you know, he could have done something to my child while he was asleep, or my daughter while she was asleep,” the father said.

Hodnik said he led the suspect to the living room and punched him.

The suspect claimed an unknown female told him he could spend the night at the house, but Hodnik clarified that only he and his children live there.

“It was left unlocked because my kids were playing the night before, and didn’t lock it, but that’s not an excuse for someone to walk in,” Hodnik said.

The Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office said that the suspect had previously pleaded into Mental Health Court, now called DREAMS Court, in Oklahoma County.

“It was believed that the stability that comes with a treatment court would benefit him. Based on the allegations that he committed a new crime while in the program, our office will evaluate his future as a participant. Committing a crime while in a treatment court can get a participant revoked,” the District Attorney’s Office said.

Hodnik said he was frustrated with the system.

“These politicians and these judges and all these people need to be held accountable. That’s what needs to happen,” the father said.

None of the children were harmed, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. He is currently held at the Cleveland County jail.

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.