Founders of Opportunity Center for the Homeless honored for their dedication

KVIA on March 3, 2026

Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)—Each year, El Paso Inc. honors a person or group that embodies El Paso’s spirit, generosity and values. The 2025 Community Spirit Award went to Ray and Lilia Tullius, the founders of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless.

Today, the Opportunity Center is the largest provider of services to the unhoused within the El Paso community.

“We want to help everybody. It’s a challenge because we can’t. Sometimes we can’t,” Lilia explained.

For more than three decades, they have been committed to improving the lives of El Paso’s homeless population. Both Ray and Lilia were once homeless, so they sought to create a shelter that was inclusive and offered a wide variety of resources.

“We’re a little bit older than when we started. We look at some of the pictures, and I had hair, and she had dark hair. And, but we made it all work,” Ray said.

The couple began with an empty warehouse.

“And so, it’s come a long way from where it was before,” they said.

Now, their shelter spans over 10 different facilities across El Paso.

“I see the finger of God in this, in this work because it’s started to come together without us really knowing a lot about what to do and how to how to make it work,” Ray explained.

The shelter now takes in over 400 people every single night. The shelter assists thousands of people every single year.

The generosity and dedication of Ray and Lilia continues to be on full display.

Ray is still heavily involved in leadership, and Lilia continues to lead programs for women. They visit the facilities every week.

“I hope that we can retire someday. I don’t think so. No. We will stay in here as long. Retirement is not in our schedules,” they both explained.

John Martin, the shelter’s current deputy director, has been an employee for nearly 13 years. He has witnessed Ray and Lilia’s dedication firsthand.

“Ray is such an incredible man, and I think you even saw, he’s very humble. He truly, he said he does things because he knows it’s the right thing to do.”

Ray and Lilia feel humbled to receive this award that honors their service and generosity.

“I don’t think I have done anything to deserve it. I don’t think I, I’ve done, I think we did what we had to do. It’s something that everybody should do,” Lilia explained.

El Paso Inc. will celebrate Ray and Lilia Tullius during a luncheon. It’s happening on Tuesday, March 3rd at Hotel Paso Del Norte.

To learn more about the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, click here.

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Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith announces Senate campaign

KTVZ on March 3, 2026

Kelsey Merison

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith officially launched his campaign for the United States Senate on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sen. Smith is a third-generation resident of Southwest Oregon who has served in the state legislature and multiple local government roles.

Sen. Smith brings 45 years of experience as a former restaurateur for his family’s business to the race. His platform focuses on making daily life more affordable for families, improving public safety and addressing homelessness and addiction.

Smith’s experience in public service includes positions on the Chamber of Commerce and the School Board. He also served on the City Council and as a County Commissioner before his tenure in both the Oregon House and Senate.

Sen. Smith emphasized that his campaign will focus on addressing issues facing working families.

“Oregonians are tired of partisan bickering, political grandstanding and headlines that produce nothing but noise,” Sen. Smith said. “I’ve never operated that way. As your next United States Senator, I won’t start now. My focus will be squarely on the people of Oregon.”

The campaign platform includes a commitment to restoring safety to streets and addressing addiction and homelessness with accountability. Sen. Smith stated he intends to ensure the voices of Oregonians are respected in Washington. He described his career as being rooted in service.

“As a third-generation Oregonian, it’s been the honor of my life to serve you locally and in Salem,” Sen. Smith said. “As your next United States Senator, my mission is simple: Put Oregon First. It’s time for leadership rooted in service — not headlines or personal ambition.”

Click here to watch Sen. Smith’s campaign launch video on YouTube.

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There’s Good News: “Chance the Fiddler” performs national anthem at OSAA Wrestling State Championship

KTVZ on March 3, 2026

Silas Moreau

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Crook County High School student Chance Mott (@chancethefiddler on Instagram) silenced the crowd at the OSAA Wrestling State Championship over the weekend.

Before any of the action even kicked off, Chance’s fiddle echoed through the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland as he played the national anthem for grapplers and fans alike.

You can find Chance’s performance of the national anthem here

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University of Oregon receives $20M grant to support students with disabilities

KTVZ on March 3, 2026

Kelsey Merison

EUGENE, Ore. (KTVZ) — The University of Oregon received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support youth with disabilities. The funding will bolster the university’s transition services, which help students prepare for graduation, the workforce, and independent living.

Experts estimate that 2 million high school students, or about 13% of the total high school population, have physical, emotional, or other disabilities. Research indicates these students graduate and enter the workforce at lower rates than their peers without disabilities. University of Oregon currently ranks third in the country for special education research.

Researchers at University of Oregon-College of Education will lead a collaborative effort with five other universities to assist state and local agencies. These agencies work directly with students as they prepare to graduate, enter the workforce and live independently.

Deanne Unruh serves as the co-director of the College of Education’s Secondary Special Education and Transition Research unit. She explained that the initiative focuses on supporting state organizations to create broader impact.

“We know that change happens at the state and local level; so this is an efficiency model with states as the true change agents,” Unruh said.

The initiative involves a group of experts from George Washington University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Maryland, University of Kansas, and Portland State University.

Unruh noted the group includes many of the researchers who developed evidence-based practices for transition work.

“Our team is comprised of many of the people who have led the research that provides the evidence-based practices for this work, so I really consider this a dream team,” Unruh said.

The center’s responsibilities include helping state agencies collect valid data on student performance and delivering professional development to educators. Staff members also work to improve engagement with families and implement career pathways for students. These technical assistance services are provided free of charge to the states.

Caroline MaGee is a researcher in the Department of Secondary Special Education and Transition. She highlighted the university’s role as a national resource for transition programming.

“We are a trusted source of research, information and resources,” MaGee said.

University of Oregon researchers have reported significant growth in the capacity of state and local agencies to serve students with disabilities. Recent data indicates that graduation and employment gaps between disabled and nondisabled youth are closing. Under the new grant, the university will provide fiscal and technical leadership for the center, which maintains affiliated staff members in 18 states.

Unruh noted that agencies often face challenges due to differing state laws and data collection requirements.

“Agencies from state to state have different measurement outcomes, different data collection rules and they have different rules and responsibilities that are related to the laws that govern their agencies,” Unruh said. She added that the center focuses on improving collaboration between these different groups, stating that the center has a “proven and unparalleled track record of improving results.”

The university’s focus on transition services began in 1987 under education researcher Andrew Halpern. He established one of the first academic departments in the United States dedicated to studying the needs of students with disabilities. Although Halpern died in 2008, the university remains a leader in the field and is currently ranked third in the country for special education research.

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Central Oregon Trail Alliance completes 11.41 miles of new trails at Cline Buttes

KTVZ on March 3, 2026

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) completed 11.41 miles of new trails at Cline Buttes, a project designed to expand the regional network while protecting sensitive wildlife habitats. The construction, which began in October 2023, now connects the Cline Buttes area to Cascade View.

This two-year effort focused on balancing outdoor recreation with environmental stewardship. By realigning sections of the cross-country trail system, the alliance created a larger protective buffer for eagle nesting sites and improved trail sustainability.

The project focused on securing long-term public access for the mountain biking community. The alliance realigned the DH1 and DH3 trails to move them off private property and entirely onto public land. These changes also improved trail access for riders traveling from the nearby communities of Tumalo and Redmond.

The expansion includes two new climbing trails designed for various skill levels. These trails offer improved flow and progression for riders. By connecting Cline Buttes to Cascade View, the project also increased winter riding opportunities throughout the regional network.

Trail Program Director Alex Brieger oversaw the planning and execution of the network expansion.

“This project started so we could construct a complete trail network on the butte with access all on public land while also protecting wildlife in this area,” Brieger said.

Brieger noted that the accomplishment required years of collaboration and hard work from the community.

Professional trail builders from Velo Solutions, led by Paul Thomasburg, assisted with the construction. COTA staff and local residents also provided significant labor for the project. Volunteers contributed more than 3,985 hours to the effort over the last two years.

Financial support for the 2025 projects came from multiple sources. Funding was provided by the Recreational Trails Program and the Future Fund.

Click here to learn more about COTA.

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Jurassic toe: Idaho State paleontologists investigate possible new dinosaur

KIFI on March 3, 2026

Devin Bodkin

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 3, 2026

By Devin Bodkin, IdahoEdNews

POCATELLO, Idaho — Turns out the key to discovering a new type of dinosaur might be a weird toe in an Idaho museum. 

Or a skull in Switzerland. 

Idaho State University paleontologists are examining whether these and other fossils represent one or more previously unidentified dinosaur species. They’ve laid their research out in a new study that has scientists rethinking long-confusing plant-eating Jurassic dinosaurs known as ornithopods. 

It’s a possible breakthrough for dinosaur enthusiasts — and a lifelong ambition for ISU geosciences professor L.J. Krumenacker, who co-authored the study.  

“Naming a new dinosaur is a childhood dream for me,” Krumenacker told EdNews.

ISU professor L.J. Krumenacker holds bones that might help identify a new dinosaur species. (Courtesy of Idaho State University)

Playing detective: A tell-tale toe bone

Paleontologists are basically detectives, but their suspects have been dead for 150 million years. They piece together Earth’s history from scattered leftovers. 

Those leftovers can spark a hunch — but naming a new dinosaur demands evidence.

At least that’s how it’s played out for Krumenacker, who has long questioned a toe bone at ISU’s Museum of Natural History. 

The bone has been attributed to the plant-eating, beaked ornithopod Camptosaurus after its discovery in a Wyoming quarry. Camptosaurus lived during the late Jurassic period in western North America and possibly Europe.

But something about the toe bone in the museum … stuck out to Krumenacker. 

It’s long and skinny, not the typical short, stout Camptosaurus toe bone. And it’s grooved on one side. 

Ornithopod bones like these could be the key to a new type of dinosaur, researchers say. (Courtesy of Idaho State University)

This might be the toe of a different dinosaur, Krumenacker thought. 

Another bone at the museum, part of a skull, also prompted questioning with a pointy part that sticks backward. 

Discovery is exciting, but science moves carefully. Bones can be tricky to identify. They vary with age and sex. Plus, “misidentification” is a dirty word among paleontologists. It can reset research and require course corrections.

Krumenacker had his hunch, but he needed to examine more bones. 

Meeting Arky: A trip to Switzerland

The good news: More ornithopod dinosaur bones exist from the Wyoming quarry where the toe bone appeared.  

The challenge: They’re some 5,300 miles away, in Zurich, Switzerland. 

So Krumenacker did what any species-hunting paleontologist would: He booked a flight to examine a skull and skeleton scientists have dubbed Arky.   

Arky’s features differ from similar ornithopods like Camptosaurus, including skull shapes scientists haven’t seen before.

These findings are important because when scientists try to discover a new dinosaur species, they look for bones shaped differently from those of known dinosaurs.

The comparison suggested the bones might belong to a different animal. 

Krumenacker is confident they are unique. He envisions a dinosaur similar to plant eaters like Dryosaurus and Camptosaurus that would have walked on two legs, ate plants and lived during the Late Jurassic period.

He pointed to a computer sketch he created of what the dinosaur might have looked like. 

Krumenacker’s rendering of what a new dinosaur species might look like. (Courtesy of L.J. Krumenacker)

What’s next? 

TThe findings support a possible discovery, but more research is needed.

One weird bone isn’t enough to prove it’s a new species. Researchers must:

Study Arky’s skull more closely

Remove repaired parts of the fossil

Take 3D scans

Compare Arky to other dinosaur skeletons

Arky was only recently donated to the Natural History Museum of the University of Zurich, where deeper examination is possible. Krumenacker plans to return to Zurich to study the skeleton more closely and confirm if he and others have found a new species.

Time — and examination — will tell, but Krumenacker stressed the special nature of the opportunity to contribute to human knowledge and introduce something new.

Robert Gay, a study co-author and education manager at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, says a discovery would shine a brighter light on a confusing corner of paleontology — and a focus area of a couple of Idaho State researchers.

“The smaller plant-eating dinosaurs from this time in North America have confused scientists for nearly 200 years,” said Gay, adding that the researchers’ fossils are “frustratingly fragmentary” but show that there’s much more to learn.  

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Husband and wife identified in deadly double shooting at Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Shannon Delcambre, Ryan Lovell, Taylor Lang

Click here for updates on this story

    HOMEWOOD, Alabama (WVTM) — The victims of an apparent murder-suicide at Baptist Health Brookwood in Jefferson County have been identified.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said Precious Johnson, 24, died after being shot multiple times. Family told WVTM 13 that she had just given birth to their first child and was a patient at the hospital. Kynath Terry Jr., 19, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Both deaths were part of a murder-suicide domestic assault, according to the coroner and police. Johnson and Terry were married, according to family.

Homewood police said officers responded to the hospital on Medical Center Drive shortly before 9:30 p.m. to investigate a report of shots fired at the Women’s Center. Officers arrived and found a woman and man dead from gunshot wounds.

No one else was injured.

Baptist Health released a statement Sunday evening, saying the hospital was on lockdown “out of an abundance of caution,” but there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public.” The statement added that Baptist Health is “cooperating fully with authorities investigating the incident.”

If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling sending a text message to 988, or you can chat online here.

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.

Jacob Sims murder case preliminary hearing concludes on day four

KYMA on March 3, 2026

Paul Vozzella

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The preliminary hearing in the murder case of Jacob Sims concluded Monday at the El Centro Courthouse, marking the fourth and final day of testimony.

Prosecutors called several witnesses to the stand to prove there is sufficient evidence to move the case forward to trial.

Ruben Campos, who described himself as a “friend” of Sims, was the first to testify.

Campos stated that in the early morning hours of the day Sims’ body was discovered, he picked up three suspects from the scene of the crime: 21-year-old Gabriel Mills Jr., 21-year-old Sadie Hiatt, and 35-year-old Daniel Martinez.

During a May 2025 interview with investigators, Campos reportedly told authorities that he “knew everything” about what happened to Sims.

However, while on the stand Friday, Campos took back that statement, testifying that he did not know anything about the crime beyond picking up the three individuals.

Genia Sims, Jacob Sims’ grandmother, expressed skepticism regarding Campos’ revised testimony.

“I believe he does know,” she said outside the courtroom. “I know that he and Jacob were…’friends,’ but he knows more than what he’s saying right now.”

In addition to Campos, two members of the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office testified, including a lead investigator in the case.

The investigator revealed that newly discovered DNA evidence collected from the trailer where Sims was allegedly tortured is currently being processed.

Despite the ongoing analysis, Sims’ family said they remain confident in the strength of the prosecution’s case.

“I’ve been confident all along that there’s overwhelming evidence that they have on this case,” Genia Sims said.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge held the defendants to answer on all counts and special allegations and ordered that they be held without bail. The ruling means the case will proceed to trial.

“Relief…complete relief that all charges are holding and we’re moving forward,” Genia Sims said. “Jacob will get his justice.”

Arraignment is scheduled to take place March 19 at the El Centro Courthouse.

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El Centro church group stuck in Israel

KYMA on March 3, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – A group of 33 people from the Christ Community Church in the Imperial Valley, who are on a biblical trip to Israel, are safe Monday night after joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes inside Iran.

The strikes are part of an escalating regional conflict, and triggered security alerts across countries in the Middle East and the U.K.

The senior pastor of the church, Walter Colace, tells KYMA that the church members were huddles in a basement bunker, where they took shelter.

All members of the group are safe. He said the first sirens rang out and the hotel guests were told it was a drill. Then, the second siren blared.

“That’s when we moved down to the safe place again, and that’s when we found out that Israel had preemptively struck Iran,” Pastor Colace shared.

Following the missile strikes, news broke that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been eliminated by the United States Armed Forces. The news was confirmed by President Donald Trump and by authorities in Iran.

That is when the church group’s plans to return home to El Centro changed.

“We had anticipated flying out. Israel struck early from what we understand, ahead of schedule because Ayatollah had his head commanders of the military in his compound,” Colace expressed.

The group is moved in and out of the basement bunkers multiple times a day. Colace said sometimes it is for a few minutes, and other times for a half hour or more.

Tehran responded, firing retaliatory missiles on Jordan, Qatar, Dubai, and other Arab Gulf states.

Due to the ongoing conflict, the air space in Jerusalem remains closed.

“We don’t know what we’re doing now. We don’t know when our flight is going to, when air space is going to open up in Tel Aviv,” Colace remarked.

For now, the group’s departure is uncertain as officials continue to monitor the situation and security alerts.

“There could be a dramatic change now in the Middle East in light of the events that took place over the last couple of days,” Colace added.

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RV crashes into backyard of a home in Yuma

KYMA on March 3, 2026

Abraham Retana

UPDATE (2:21 PM): According to Rural Metro, the RV wasn’t rear-ended, but said for unknown reasons, the RV caught on fire and veered off the roadway.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Flames erupted Monday after an RV crashed into the backyard of a home in Yuma.

According to Rural Metro’s Facebook post, the crash happened at around 5:30 p.m. in the area of S. Pacific Avenue and S. Calle Primavera.

Rural Metro says an RV was rear-ended off of S. Pacific Avenue when the driver lost control and crashed into the backyard of a home off of S. Calle Primavera and burst into flames. 

Once crews arrived, Rural Metro said they found the RV fully involved and endangering a home, prompting them to deploy hose lines and extinguish the fire.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

While the fire was extinguished and contained to the RV, the home suffered minor damage.

A person who lives in the home, Miguel Pulido, says they’re grateful things didn’t turn out much worse.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

“I think it’s more the thought that…if it had spread a little closer, then it would have been scarier, but we’re just lucky it didn’t,” Pulido expressed.

No injuries were reported, but the investigation is ongoing.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

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