Man pleads guilty to role in “one of the largest” drug busts in Minnesota history

CNN Newsource on March 6, 2026

By WCCO Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — One of two men federally indicted in what officials at the time called “one of the largest” drug busts in Minnesota history pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Guillermo Mercado-Chaparro was arrested and charged last July after authorities seized nearly 900 pounds of meth from two vehicles in St. Paul.

Court documents say an undercover police officer bought a pound of meth from Mercado-Chaparro. Through surveillance after the purchase, police learned he was traveling around south Minneapolis to conduct several suspected drug deals.

Several days later, charges say police observed Mercado-Chaparro receive two large bags from his truck’s bed and place them in a nearby Jeep.

Authorities eventually stopped the Jeep with Mercado-Chaparro and another man, Joel Casas-Santiago, inside. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the odor of drugs. During a search of the Jeep, police found more than 250 pounds of meth, according to charging documents.

Police then obtained a search warrant for Mercado-Chaparro’s truck, where they seized more than 630 pounds of meth from the bed, court documents say.

A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled for Mercado-Chaparro.

Casas-Santiago has a plea hearing scheduled for March 24.

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.

Feds arrest alleged members of powerful LA street gang in sweeping drug trafficking bust

CNN Newsource on March 6, 2026

By Leo Stallworth

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Federal authorities said they’ve struck a major blow against one of Los Angeles’ most powerful street gangs.

A sweeping investigation targeting the 18th Street gang led to multiple arrests and uncovered what prosecutors describe as a violent criminal enterprise operating in the heart of the city.

“My office is unsealing seven indictments charging 14 defendants with racketeering and drug trafficking offenses stemming from their membership in one of the largest and most violent gangs in the Western Hemisphere,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said at a press conference Thursday.

Federal agents and local police arrested 12 members and associates of the 18th Street gang, a group authorities said has been running a large-scale drug operation centered around MacArthur Park.

“The 18th Street gang is a transnational criminal organization that controls the rampant drug trafficking in multiple areas of Los Angeles, including MacArthur Park, parts of Hollywood, downtown and the San Fernando Valley,” Essayli said.

Prosecutors allege the gang transformed the park into an “open-air drug marketplace,” using tents among the homeless population to conceal narcotics sales and avoid law enforcement detection.

“Since January of 2023, the LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Division, working with the FBI Gang Task Force, conducted a comprehensive investigation into the gang’s leadership and narcotics distribution network,” Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said.

During the investigation, authorities seized more than 175 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with cash, firearms and additional drugs.

“Evidence was collected highlighting the free flow of narcotics between distributors in the areas of MacArthur Park and Skid Row,” said Robert Molvar, acting assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “These drugs were being taxed through extortion payments known as rents by high-ranking members of the gang for continued permission to operate in their territory.”

According to the indictment, the 18th Street gang has more than 100,000 members in the U.S. and also operates in Mexico, Central America and South America.

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.

Man found cut into pieces and left in Massachusetts pond was recently released from prison

CNN Newsource on March 6, 2026

By Riley Rourke, Louisa Moller

Click here for updates on this story

    SHIRLEY, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The man who was cut into pieces and left in a pond in Shirley, Massachusetts has been identified as a convicted felon, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

She said 69-year-old Peter Degan of Rockland, Massachusetts, was most recently seen alive last week.

The mystery started Wednesday afternoon when a group of teens walking along Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road found a severed leg sticking up in the water of Phoenix Pond. Police divers later found several other body parts, according to Ryan.

“Those parts appear to have been clean cut, that is they were severed with a sharp force instrument,” Ryan said at a news conference Thursday evening. She said the parts belonged to the same person, but all of them have not been found yet.

The DA said Degan was released from prison last month. Investigators were able to identify him by his fingerprints. He was last seen alive on Friday, February 27.

“We do not believe this to have been random,” Ryan said. A cause of death has not been determined.

Previous drug charges

Degan was arrested in February 2018 after police found two kilos of cocaine and more than a million dollars in his home. He was charged with money laundering and cocaine trafficking. He was sentenced to eight years in prison before he was released with a GPS tracking bracelet and required to stay at a pre-release home in Rockland.

The Massachusetts Department of Correction said Degan was released from nearby MCI Shirley, a medium security state prison, on February 6.

Police are looking for anyone who might’ve seen Degan or anything suspicious near Phoenix Pond since last Friday.

Teens found leg in pond

The grisly discovery was made by a group Shirley teenagers Wednesday afternoon.

“I definitely didn’t like that,” said 15-year-old Dominic Dunn. “I didn’t like finding a leg with younger siblings here. Especially from having a snowball fight with my little sister, that was messed up.”

The group had been playing in the snow across from the bridge.

“One of the officers or EMTs got his gear on. He got in the water, and you could just see his face drop and he got all pale. Then he was like yeah, it’s a real leg,” Dunn said.

A nearby resident said that she overheard the group discover the body part.

“The neighborhood kids were saying, ‘That’s so messed up. That’s so messed up.’ A couple of them were kind of dry heaving off into the snow,” Katy Marsh said. “I heard one of the officers, or someone with the police department saying down the bank, ‘Yeah, that’s a leg. That’s a foot.'”

Tom Satriale said that the news quickly spread through town.

“We see, I think cops with flashlights around the backside of the pond, and then there’s crime scene tape, which is like, wow, this is real, right?” Satriale said.

Shirley Police Chief Samuel Santiago said that any Shirley residents can call them about anything suspicious at 978-425-2642.

Phoenix Pond connects to the Catacoonamug Brook, which flows into the Nashua River. It’s also connected to Lake Shirley. Shirley, Massachusetts is about 44 miles northwest of Boston and around 13 miles from the New Hampshire border.

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.

San Francisco Skee-Ball champion opens arcade and launches city’s first league

CNN Newsource on March 6, 2026

By Andrea Nakano

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — It may have taken years, but a San Francisco man has been able to turn his dream into reality. Joey the Cat, as he’s most commonly known, opened an arcade in the Mission District Thursday night and he got the ball rolling on the first official Skee-Ball league.

Skee-Ball is a game most people fondly remember playing as a kid, but for Joey the Cat, he turned fun and games into a profitable business.

“The cat came from a nickname that I got in college, just sort of a metaphor for being on the prowl on a Thursday night,” Joey Mucha said. “Then, when I joined the competitive Skee-Ball league, that was my alter Skee-go that I gave.”

Mucha is a 3-time national champion and originally bought a Skee-Ball machine to practice in his home. He now owns hundreds of arcade games and rents them to dozens of bars in the city.

“My passion for Skee-Ball and then putting it into bars and other venues basically blossom to business that was very organic,” he said.

This space used to be his warehouse for the arcade games, but owning his own arcade was his ultimate dream. He started this project in 2018.

“It was a lot of work,” he said. “A mixture of red tape, construction woes, the pandemic was in the middle of all that. Then just really seeing this vision through took a lot of tenacity.

While this space is open mostly for private parties, it opened to the public Thursday night for the first Skee-Ball league kick-off party.

“I did this as a kid,” player Alisa Yee said. “We went to Chuck E. Cheese as a kid, and I’m like, oh my God, there’s a Skee league. I think it’s perfect.”

Yee is the leader of the Pickle Rollers. She says it doesn’t matter if her team finishes in last place, but she has been working on her Skee-Ball skills.

“I figured it out,” she said. “You gotta use a netting to rebound it into the other ones. You can’t just go for the concentric circles. That won’t work.”

Seeing the smiles is what Joey the Cat hoped for when he built this place.

“This is a dream come true,” he said. “Building this venue has been a lot of work but just feeling the fervor that we feel right now has really just washed over me with joy. I’m so glad to be past the construction woes and now what’s happening behind me is in the future.”

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.

Market brings women-owned businesses together for International Women’s Day

CNN Newsource on March 6, 2026

By Kaley Fedko

Click here for updates on this story

    ATLANTA (WUPA) — International Women’s Day is Sunday, March 8, and it’s all about celebrating the women who lead, create, and lift others up.

This weekend in Atlanta, women-owned businesses are coming together for a market built around that mission at the Shed at Elizabeth and Edgewood in Inman Park.

CBS News Atlanta caught up with three entrepreneurs, part of an Atlanta business owner sisterhood selling their products on Sunday.

Kate Terentieva designed her own card game called Off The Record, meant to bring people together and start conversations.

The cards have unique questions to ask your partner, friendly or romantic, that invite conversation and depth.

The cards were designed with women top of mind.

“We do love to engage in deeper conversations and deeper discourse naturally, and that’s supported by data as well,” said Terentieva. “Two-thirds of our customers for Off The Record are women.”

A few tables down, Eva Lester will be showcasing her line of sunglass brand Gleam Eyewear that she built from the ground up.

“I just created something that I wish I had because I’ve overpaid for eyewear since I was 8,” said Lester, “and so I wanted to create, like, eyewear that was fashionable but also accessible.”

Each pair is named for a trailblazing woman in history.

The ones she was sporting were named in honor of Frieda Kahlo, the Mexican painter known for her self-portraits.

“They kind of have a fun nod to her unibrow,” said Lester.

Madilyn Dubois built a business around handbags that combine style and practicality and have a unique tieing handle feature.

“That’s our motto on the website: one bag for every moment, and that’s the goal. It’s a product you can wear from the yoga studio to the boardroom, or from the airport to soccer practice pick up,” said Dubois.

Together, the women say markets like this are about more than selling products.

“That’s the best part, truly, seeing women’s reactions when I tie the knot in front of them is just the coolest thing, and when they’re excited about the product and when they know how to style it, like when it clicks, I’m like, oh my gosh, like, that’s community,” said Dubois.

The three women will be part of a cohort of eight businesses selling on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.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.

Cellphone video shows Colorado cop in “road rage” crash case; “Completely unacceptable,” says victim’s father

CNN Newsource on March 6, 2026

By Brian Maass

Click here for updates on this story

    COLORADO (KCNC) — On a Saturday afternoon last August in Colorado, Polly Voss was a passenger in a car headed northbound on Interstate 25. She was planning to spend the weekend in Wyoming with friends. But for the registered nurse, things were about to change quickly and dramatically.

She noticed two cars speeding in the I-25 express lane, brake-checking each other at high speed and “inches apart” said Voss.

“It was really 10 out of 10 intensity level. I’m thinking a gun is coming out next … this is escalating so I started recording,” she told CBS Colorado.

Her video shot on her phone shows the driver of one of the cars swerving suddenly to the right out of the express lane, nearly hitting a passing Jeep, which was driven by a 17-year-old named Katie Bush. The video shows Bush trying to avoid a collision but losing control of her car, crossing back across the interstate and rolling into the median.

he Jeep ended up on its side.

“It’s terrifying how quickly things can escalate out of rage and anger,” said Voss, who stopped to provide medical care to the driver of the Jeep.

Voss’ video, shared with CBS Colorado, would apparently lead the Colorado State Patrol to the drivers of the two “road raging” cars and an unsettling discovery; one of the drivers was an off-duty police officer. The CSP says Jack Ross, an officer with the Keenesburg Police Department, was behind the wheel of his personal car in the incident on I-25. He has been charged with reckless driving and failure to report an accident or return to the scene — both misdemeanors. Through his attorneys, Ross declined to comment.

In their report, the Colorado State Patrol said Ross, 33, had been “tailgating another vehicle” and was “actively road raging” with the other car. The report says Ross “fled the scene.” When troopers tracked him down and talked to him, they said Ross “stated that he didn’t see a crash but when we spoke to his wife during the investigation separately stated that she saw that a vehicle had crashed and when she mentioned to (her husband) that she hoped the person was okay … (Ross) stated it wasn’t their fault.”

Polly Voss said, “I’ve always been taught that police officers were there to serve and protect. This couldn’t have been more opposite of that.”

Voss said that when she approached the overturned Jeep to help the driver, she was “terrified” at what she would find.

“I’m thinking the person in the white Jeep is probably dead.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Voss. “It felt like a miracle. It felt like there were angels looking over us.”

And there would be another unexpected twist — Katie Bush’s father is also in law enforcement. Jeff Bush has worn a law enforcement badge for 23 years, but he has no tolerance for the conduct of his fellow officer.

“It was completely unacceptable behavior by both motorists that day,” said Jeff Bush. “In law enforcement we have a higher standard set upon us both in our professional and in our personal lives. To see that kind of behavior from an off-duty officer and the lack of care and compassion to leave the scene after causing an accident was really frustrating…” said Bush. “In my gut, I don’t believe he was unaware he caused an accident.”

Bush says Ross should have called 911 and should have stopped and rendered aid to Bush’s daughter.

“It just might be time for him (Ross) to pursue another career,” suggested Bush.

Officer Ross’ employment record was recently highlighted in a CBS Colorado investigation of “second chance cops” who move from agency to agency after blemishes on their work records.

“I understand,” said Bush, “that the smaller agencies have a hard time finding quality candidates but there’s got to be a line somewhere with the hiring standards, even in the smaller agencies.”

Keenesburg Police Chief James Jensen said he was aware of the crash and criminal charges against Ross when he hired him in 2025. But Jensen defended the hiring, saying Ross is a good officer and is a good fit in the Keenesburg community.

Ross is due in Larimer County Court next week to face charges stemming from the I-25 case. There are indications that a plea deal may be in the works. Jeff Bush says while it’s difficult to speak out against a fellow officer, he is adamantly opposed to a plea deal for Ross.

“He needs to face the music on this one,” said Bush.

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.

Kayla Day wins first round match at Indian Wells

KEYT on March 6, 2026

Mike Klan

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara pro tennis player Kayla Day defeated Francesca Jones 6-3, 6-1 in a first round match at the BNP Paribas Open.

The 26-year old Day will next face #2 seed Iga Swiatek on Saturday. Swiatek is a 6-time major champion.

Day has been ranked as high as 84th in the world and has reached the third round in the past at Indian Wells.

Click here to follow the original article.

CIF-State playoff results: St. Joseph advances to regional semifinals in girls basketball

KEYT on March 6, 2026

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

CIF-State Girls Basketball Round 2

Division 1: Francis Parker 60, Oak Park 46

Division 2: St. Joseph 60, St. Margaret’s 52: Knights host Rosary Academy on Saturday in a regional semifinal

CIF-State Boys Basketball Round 2

Division 3: Colony 67, Atascadero 61

CIF-State Boys Soccer Regional Semifinals

Division 5: Crystal Springs Upland 5, Nipomo 0

CIF-State Girls Soccer Regional Semifinals

Division 1: Mater Dei 2, Oaks Christian 0

Division 2: Westlake 1, Garces Memorial 0: Warriors host Westview on Saturday in regional final

Click here to follow the original article.

Mousa reaches milestone in loss at UC Irvine

KEYT on March 6, 2026

Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Cayden Ward led three Cal Poly men’s basketball players in double-digit scoring figures with 16 points and Hamad Mousa (above) became just the second player in program history to reach 600 points in one season, but UC Irvine pulled away late in Thursday’s first half as the Mustangs fell inside the Bren Events Center, 107-85.

Mousa finished with 15 points and Austin Goode added 13 for Cal Poly (13-18, 9-10), which sank 10 three-pointers. Big West leader UC Irvine (21-10, 14-5), however, shot 56.3 (40-for-71) percent, committed just five turnovers and outscored Cal Poly in the paint, 64-38.

Mousa reached his historic milestone with two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening half, sinking a jumper in the lane to become the first and only player in program history since Stuart Thomas (1990-91) to reach 600 points in one year.

Keyed by a 4-for-4 shooting start and nine early points from Ward, Cal Poly found itself locked in a 21-21 stalemate after eight-and-a-half minutes. UC Irvine though scored the next six points to surge in front for certain, eventually shooting 50.0 (18-for-36) percent during the first half and leading by as much as 15 before taking a 52-42 lead into the break.

Into the second half, Cal Poly closed within eight points of UC Irvine three times – including a 73-65 deficit with 12-and-a-half minutes to go following a layup by freshman Ali Assran. The Anteaters, however, answered with an 11-4 run and maintained a double-digit lead the remainder of the night.

Up Next: Cal Poly closes the regular season on Saturday, March 7 when hosting Cal State Bakersfield at 4 p.m. Prior to the game, Cal Poly will honor its lone senior, Luka Tarlac.Having already clinched a spot as one of eight programs for the March 11-14 Big West Championship, Cal Poly landed the No. 8 seed after Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis – who entered play Thursday just one game ahead of the Mustangs in the standings – both prevailed.With 15 points, Hamad Mousa – the Big West’s leading scorer at 20.3 points per game – improved his season total to 608. He requires just 51 more points to overtake Stuart Thomas (659, 1990-91) for the all-time single season lead.Also, 4-for-4 from the free throw line Thursday, Mousa brought his season total to 174 free throws to match current Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Sanders (2023-24) for the second highest single season tally in program history and just four behind Stuart Thomas’s program record from 1990-91. Mousa’s 87.4 percent free throw mark this season also ranks eighth all-time.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

Click here to follow the original article.

Teachers say restrictions under proposed law are ‘demoralizing,’  but lawmakers argue they protect taxpayer funds

KIFI on March 6, 2026

David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A bill that prohibits public employers from using taxpayer funds to promote government unions is drawing pushback from teacher unions across Idaho.

House Bill 745 zeroes in on the collective bargaining powers of teachers unions.

It passed the Idaho House of Representatives on Tuesday and is moving to the Idaho Senate.

The bill states, “No agreement … may require or permit a school district, including specially chartered districts, to use taxpayer funding to promote a local education organization or its affiliate…”

According to Idaho Ed News, this means public school districts would not be able to:

“Deduct union dues from paychecks. 

“Cover union dues in employee wages. 

“Provide personal information about employees (including contact information) to the union. 

“Require employees to meet with union representatives. 

“Communicate on behalf of the union. 

“Offer employees paid leave for union activities – although the union could still reimburse districts for paid leave,  or employees could use their own sick leave or paid time off.”

Idaho Falls Education Association President-Elect Nick Raines said the changes “hurts more than it helps, and at times can feel demoralizing.”

“It’s pointed right at our teachers who are in our buildings, who have the right to organize as provided under state code,” Raines said. “But then it basically tries to take away every single aspect of what they can do within their association and within their union – especially at the local level.”

However, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, a House Education Committee Member, said the measure protects taxpayers’ funds.

“It doesn’t prevent them from having unions, being a part of a union, but it definitely says that it’s not right for our taxpayer dollars to basically be funneled and be used as part of that union,” Ehardt said.

She noted the measure had broad support from Republicans across the House of Representatives.

The law specifically refers to teachers’ associations, not police or firefighter associations, according to the bill’s sponsor Rep. Judy Boyle.

Raines said the bill would take away the teachers’ association right to dispute and serve as a representative for its members to help deescalate situations.

He also said the union would be prevented from using school facilities for its meetings.

But Ehardt said the teachers’ union could likely still use school facilities, they may just have to pay a fee, like other entities.

The law passed the Idaho House on a 45-14 vote.

Local Representatives Ehardt, Rod Furniss, Marco Erickson, and Jerald Raymond voted for the bill.

Representatives Erin Bingham, Rick Cheatum, Ben Fuhriman, Dustin Manwaring, Stephanie Mickelsen, Britt Raybould, and Jon Weber voted against it.

Click here to follow the original article.