Kansas mother and daughter back home after conflict in Iran strands them in the Middle East

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Pilar Pedraza

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    WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — A Kansas woman who was among hundreds of thousands of Americans stranded in the Middle East by the ongoing conflict with Iran is now back home in Wichita.

“I had friends waiting (for my arrival), and it was very heartwarming, heartwarming to know that they were there,” Heather Gibbs said about her return to the U.S. after being stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a week.

The missiles flying from the U.S and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, beginning in late February, closed most air space in the Middle East and trapped anywhere from 550,000 to a million Americans in several countries throughout the region.

Heather Gibbs and her mother, Martha Fair, were among them. A retired teacher from Wichita, Gibbs was on vacation in the UAE when the bombing started.

“We were there on vacation to see some friends, as well as sightsee,” Gibbs said. “That was my dream destination.”

She said the UAE government provided them with safe shelter while they were trying to get back home. They filled out all the State Department emergency forms, but say they got little help from the U.S. government.

“What’s heartbreaking to us is that our government was promising that we were going to get to the United States. That was not a promise that they were keeping,” Gibbs said.

She says charter flights to the U.S. left without them, often before she and her mother even knew the flights existed.

“It’s kind of like a lottery system. I don’t know how they picked. I have no idea,” she said.

Then, she said, they got offers from the State Department to be evacuated to other countries, specifically Turkey and Greece.

“(But,) we had to pay our own way to the United States (from there),” she said. That’s not what she felt the government had promised to do. “And we said, ‘No.'”

Gibbs and her mother had booked the trip through a travel agency and say that’s what eventually got them home. The agency managed to find them a new flight, on a diffferent airline, without charging the two any more than they’d already spent.

The flight home, though, provided even more worry for the few friends who knew Gibbs and Fair were on board.

They were watching the flight’s progress via an online tracker and saw it deviate from the planned flight path.

“They thought we were hijacked because it diverted. And so they had no idea exactly what had happened…until we got to Toronto,” Gibbs said.

From her perspective, the flight had been uneventful.

The experience, she added, has changed her view of what matters in life.

“This was not on my BINGO card to be stuck, but it’s…it is an experience. It’s been a learning experience on so many levels.”

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.

Colorado Springs officials respond to neighbors’ concerns in aftermath of drainage project near Rampart Park entrance

KRDO on March 16, 2026

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Many neighbors and park visitors express support for recent drainage work that restricted traffic at the entrance to popular Rampart Park, but they’ve also voiced concerns and offered ideas about how to improve safety there.

Of the four citizen concerns shared with KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior, the city will take action on one: installing a fence at the park entrance.

That decision addresses concerns about kids and pets possibly getting into the lower half of the drainage channel along the park’s entrance during heavy stormwater flows.

The lower half remains open and wasn’t upgraded with an underground pipe, as the upper section recently was; the upgrade was to protect a new housing complex from the type of heavy flows that damaged a retaining wall below the complex last summer.

City officials responded to a related concern by saying that the remaining open channel doesn’t require a similar upgrade because it’s “in outstanding condition.”

Speeding traffic along Lexington Drive at the park entrance is another concern raised by citizens, but the city said that Lexington is a major transportation route and, as such, doesn’t qualify for speed humps, roundabouts, or other so-called “traffic calming” devices.

Finally, several citizens believe that the downhill road between the park entrance and a popular dog park is still too narrow and should be widened.

However, the city responded that it has yet to receive such a complaint, and that the road is standard and consistent with other park roads.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and remain open to any feedback we receive,” officials said in a statement.

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KRDO13 digs into Colorado Springs’ Hollywood film history

KRDO on March 16, 2026

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – As Hollywood celebrates the best films of 2025 at the Oscars, KRDO13’s Bradley Davis met with experts around the city to learn more about Colorado Springs’ film history over the decades.

Two major blockbusters have traveled to Colorado Springs in the last 15 years. Furious 7 filmed parts of its mountain chase scene on the Pikes Peak highway. It was one of the most iconic scenes in the movie, which grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide. More recently, the late Robert Redford chose the residential district of Old Colorado City as the main site for his 2017 Netflix rom-com, “Our Souls at Night.” Redford was the producer and co-starred in the film with Jane Fonda.

Once upon a time, Colorado Springs boasted the largest commercial theatrical production company in the world. The Alexander Film Company employed over 600 people locally during its height, creating advertisements to draw audiences in before catching their movie on the big screen. The studio went out of business in the 1960s, but residents can still find its history at “The Public House at the Alexander,” a restaurant and distillery that now occupies the space.

Perhaps no space locally has gotten more love from film crews than the old El Paso County courtroom on the second floor of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. Preserved, renovated and on display for anyone who frequents the free museum, both low and high-budget productions have used the space for its authentic courtroom feel. As museum director Matt Mayberry puts it, “this is what a courtroom is supposed to look like.” The 1990 film “The Incident” used the space liberally throughout the movie, as well as the Perry Mason episode, “The Case of the Sinister Space.”

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University of Maryland researchers create device to track how often people fart

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Dennis Valera

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A team of scientists at the University of Maryland (UMD) is gathering first-of-its-kind data through a device you put on your underwear.

Smart Underwear is able to track whenever a person farts. While it may sound silly, this information could be a big benefit to our health, according to the leading scientist behind the effort.

While the research started at UMD, people around the country are now helping collect this data.

Dr. Brantley Hall’s lab looks more like a factory these days, with multiple 3D printers running at all times.

The machines are working constantly to produce devices about the size of a nickel and it goes on your underwear.

“We thought, maybe we can advance our science by making a new type of wearable device that we can have people wear all day,” said Hall, who teaches in UMD’s cell biology and molecular genetics department.

Hall’s lab studies gut microbial metabolism, the process that causes people to produce flatus, which most people know as farting.

Right now, there is no scientific baseline on what constitutes a healthy amount of passing gas. Hall wants to change that.

“More than one-in-five people report experiencing excess intestinal gas, but right now there’s no objective measure of whether they’re telling the truth or not,” Hall said. “We obviously have physiological baselines for most measures, like blood glucose or cholesterol, but without one for flatus, it’s very hard to say when someone has excess flatus or not.”

Initially, Hall and his team conducted a smaller study with mostly UMD undergrad students.

Now, they’re going bigger, launching the Human Flatus Atlas. This is a national study where anyone in the country can participate.

When you sign up, a Smart Underwear device is sent to your home. You’ll have to wear the device for three days in a row.

Hall said they are looking for people across the spectrum to participate, including:

Those with high fiber diets who don’t fart a lot, which he calls Zen Digesters Those who do fart a lot, which he calls Hydrogen Hyperproducers Anyone else in between

“Our current maximum number [of farts] is about 175 times per day, and our current minimum number is four times per day. That’s a huge variation between people,” Hall said.

All Hall is really aiming to do is figure out something about our gut and to create a new healthy standard.

“We’re trying to understand how different fibers affect gas production and how people can eat a healthy, high-fiber diet without experiencing excess intestinal gas,” he said. “We need to go beyond patient perception and measure objectively. We’re in the unknown here, and it’s always an extremely exciting place to be.”

Hall is hoping to have results by the summer.

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.

Wedding officiant has helped more than 7,000 couples say ‘I do’ in the city of love

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Tricia Kean

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In a city known for quick weddings and big romance, wedding officiant Maria Romano has had a front-row seat to thousands of couples finding love.

Romano has helped more than 7,000 couples say “I do” at the Chapel of Flowers in Las Vegas, where she performs weddings.

“I get to meet people from all over the world, all walks of life,” Romano said.

“And many of them live here and I always ask my first question is how did you meet? So definitely here in Las Vegas you can find love,” Romano said.

Romano is also the founder of True Love Knots, which works with couples from around the world to plan their wedding in Las Vegas. She says the city has long carried a reputation for neon lights and quick weddings, but that perception is changing.

“We were known for many years as a transient town. People would come, but they wouldn’t stay. But because we’re growing as a community, we have close to 3 million people where we are creating families. We’re building families, relationships, and real connections. So there’s an opportunity to definitely find love,” Romano said.

As a widow herself, Romano says she understands the vulnerability that comes with putting yourself back out there. That’s why she often encourages people, whether they meet through dating apps or everyday encounters, to stay open to connection.

Among the thousands of couples she has married, one story stands out.

“There was a couple I married not too long ago. They were both gamers online. He lived here in Las Vegas. She lived in Germany. So yes, they finally met 2 years later. I married them, as a matter of fact, right here in this chapel, so you never know where you’re going to find love,” Romano said.

After thousands of ceremonies, Romano says she has learned one thing — when people take that chance, love often finds a way.

“There are so many ways to find love in many different ways, and you know what? We’re real people. We’re out there making real connections and building real relationships, so love can happen anywhere. And why not get lucky in Las Vegas? Listen, it’s a sure bet,” Romano said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KTNV 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.

Flight cancellations and delays at Columbia Regional Airport

KMIZ on March 16, 2026

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three flights have been canceled for Monday at Columbia Regional Airport, according to the airport’s website.

The 7:10 a.m. American Airlines flight 3525 to Dallas has been cancelled. United Airlines flight 5609 at 8 a.m. and United Airlines flight 5869 at 2:41 p.m. to Chicago have been cancelled.

The 2:06 p.m. United Airlines flight 5521, arriving from Chicago to COU, has also been cancelled.

United flight 5857 at 9:05 a.m. to Denver has also been delayed until 9:45 a.m. Monday.

This is a developing story.

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Utah mother receives honor for fallen son while raising alarm on veteran suicide crisis

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Brenna Donnelly

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    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSL) — A Utah mother is raising awareness about the heightened suicide risk among military veterans after losing her own son, Private First Class Bowden Hunter of Saratoga Springs.

Utah currently ranks second in the nation for veteran suicide (adjusted for population), with 78 deaths reported last year, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Because the state has a smaller-than-average veteran population, the numbers are especially alarming to families like the Hunters.

The statistics have motivated Janaea Hunter to launch “Bowden’s Brigade,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe, community-centered spaces for veterans returning to civilian life.

Hunter said her message is especially important as more American military members are heading overseas. The United States is in the midst of its largest Middle East deployment since 2003, according to Center for Strategic and International Studies statistics. This week, military officials confirmed 5,000 more marines will deploy and join the 50,000 American soldiers already in the Middle East.

A memorial held Friday in Bluffdale honored Bowden with a “Battle Vest” ceremony — an event designed both to remember his life and to spotlight the ongoing crisis of veteran and emergency responder suicide. James Collins, president of “Heroes in the Sky,” explained the vest displays 19 names of service members who died by suicide, including seven from Utah.

It is one of several similar vests traveling the country thanks to “Heroes in the Sky.” The one dedicated in Bluffdale Friday will remain in Utah with “Bowden’s Brigade.”

“Veterans need to be around other veterans,” Hunter said. “There are so many organizations people don’t know about, and we want them to know there’s a place they can go when they get home — where they can still be with their veteran brothers and sisters. So they don’t have that sense of loss; it’s like moving to a different base.”

Bowden’s Brigade, together with Heroes in the Sky, hope to shift public understanding of post‑traumatic stress disorder, describing it not as a weakness but as a nervous system injury that results from trauma. Through awareness and increased access to resources, both groups aim to reduce veteran suicides in Utah.

“This just so happens to come right at a time where there’s international conflict that sits heavily on a lot of us combat veterans’ minds as we process what’s happening overseas right now,” Collins said. “Whether or not you deployed or not, the commitment of veterans or first responders service involves significant sacrifice.”

Hunter said she also hopes to see a behavior change in the community members the soldiers will return home to.

“My biggest concern, honestly, is the political stance that people have, and they hold it against the veterans,” she said. “They’re just doing what they’re told. They signed up because they love our country and they want to protect us. And whether you agree with the conflict or not, you shouldn’t hold it against them.”

The organization’s next major effort is a Salute to Service Gala on May 9 at Club Paddock in American Fork. The public is invited to attend and contribute to the group’s ongoing veteran meetups, which are designed to build connection and prevent isolation among Utah veterans

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.

NASA technology could help Utah water managers better understand snowpack

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Mike Anderson

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    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSL) — Technology, developed through NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, could become Utah’s new standard in measuring snowpack, and managing water supply.

A three-year pilot program called Wings Over Weber is being focused on about 805 square miles within the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. Planes flying in meticulous zigzag patterns above, collect data, using millions of tiny lasers, with what’s known as light detection and ranging, or LiDAR.

Jon Parry, assistant general manager at the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, said he’s very interested to see what they can learn from the data gathered.

“When we know what the snowpack looks like — the depths across the entirety of the drainage — we have a better ability to forecast the runoff scenarios,” Parry explained. “We have just more accurate information to help us make better decisions.”

Utah’s Division of Water Resources is running the program, thanks to about a million dollars in grants from the Bureau of Reclamation. Scott McGettigan, section manager over water efficiency, said the process to gather and create the 3D modeling is tedious and expensive. Water managers in California have been using the technology for over a decade. McGettigan said part of the pilot program will take a close look at whether the cost is worth the benefit for Utah.

“Part of the process is to understand the value that it provides versus the cost associated with the different projects,” McGettigan explained. “It’s not cheap to put planes in the air, flying back and forth over a watershed.”

Currently, SNOTEL sites, spread across wide areas help give averages of snowpack levels. Even if Utah adopts the new 3D-based technology, the SNOTEL sites will still be needed to help measure snow density.

Ideally, water managers hope the more accurate data will help them better prepare for flooding events, and improve collaboration in restoring Great Salt Lake. While the verdict is still out on whether the tech is worthwhile in Utah, McGettigan said it’s important to take a close look at resources that could help improve how we use and conserve water.

“I think we’re at a stage where we should really take advantage of learning and maybe not slow down at this point in time,” he 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.

Bomb Squad safely removes grenade from Washington home

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Erin Wencl

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    RICHLAND, Washington (KAPP) — The Richland Police Department’s Bomb Squad responded to a home Saturday after a person called and said they had found what they believed to be a grenade.

The call for help came in around 1:30 p.m. The woman said her and her mother were cleaning out a relative’s home on the 1000 block of Smith Avenue when they found the device inside a drawer. The device was moved to the front yard.

When officers got to the scene, they established a safety perimeter around the home. Members of the bomb squad checked out the device and safely removed it from the area.

According to the Richland Police Department, calls like this are not uncommon. RPD asked if anyone ever comes across devices they feel are suspicious to call police right away. Do not attempt to take the device anywhere on your own.

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.

How Hello Kitty helped arrest a road rage suspect

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Craig Smith

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — A cartoon character may have helped Tucson Police track down a suspect in an alleged road rage shooting that wounded two teens. Police say a well known cartoon cat helped identify the suspect’s car.

There were five people on board when someone fired a shot into a truck, according to police. They say the bullet went through the leg of one teenaged girl, kept going and wounded another girl.

The trouble happened near Golf Links and Kolb.

The victims said when they tried to move into the right lane, another car rushed into the spot, and the driver fired a shot into the car.

Police say the victims got a good look at the car’s personalized plate and the Hello Kitty sticker on the back glass. KGUN9 is not showing the sticker from the car. Our story shows how the cartoon cat appears on the site of Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty.

Police put the car description into their databases. That led officers to a house less than a mile from where the shooting happened.

There, they arrested 29 year old David Anthony Cedeno. He’s facing ten charges in all, including 5 charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Court documents say he claimed he heard a shot coming from the victims’ car.

Police say they also found a woman named Heather Allen leaving the house as officers arrived. They say she admitted removing the car’s plate and the Hello Kitty sticker.

She said she was in the car with Cedeno at the time of the shooting and did not see or hear anything that suggested a gun in the other car.

As of Friday night Cedeno was still in the Pima County Jail. His bond is set at $75,000 either cash or secured through a bail bond.

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.