Man wins $1 million after allowing woman to go ahead in Walmart line

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Ryan Dickstein

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    SEVERN, Maryland (WMAR) — You never know what future fortune a single good deed can lead to.

In one man’s case, the reward was worth $1 million bucks.

Ryan’s story started with a trip to Walmart on George Clauss Boulevard in Severn.

At checkout Ryan let a woman go ahead of him in line.

As a special thank you, she gifted Ryan a pair of Maryland Lottery scratch-offs.

One turned out to be a $50 winner.

So get this, Ryan used that $50 to buy two $25 Crossword tickets.

Lo and behold, he hit the $1 million jackpot.

The win couldn’t have come at a better time, as Ryan plans to get married in just a few weeks.

“Prior to this, they were stressing about the wedding,” Lottery officials recalled Ryan telling them.

A carpet cleaner by trade, Ryan said he plans to use the money on a new car for his fiance.

This sure sounds like good karma!

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.

Disabled Army veteran denied bathroom access at Chicago’s Real ID Super Site

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Jermont Terry

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A local veteran is speaking out about what he calls a humiliating experience at a DMV facility in Chicago.

He said workers denied him access to the bathroom, even when he proved he had a disability.

At age 64, Army veteran Jose Fernandez is still proud to have served his country.

“I had to separate early because of PTSD issues,” he said.

Due to his PTSD, he relies greatly on his wife these days as she is considered a caregiver by Veterans Affairs. So when he accompanied his wife to the downtown Real ID Super Site for her renewal, Fernandez quickly learned he could not stand in the long lines with his wife.

“A representative that’s taking care of her told me you need to go,” he said.

But separating from his wife isn’t so easy for the veteran, calling her his safe space. Before leaving his wife’s side, he made one request to the DMV employee.

“I said, ‘Ok, no problem, can I use your restroom?’ I really need to use the restroom, and he said, no.”

As Fernandez waited at the front door, his separation anxiety from his wife kicked in, and also his urge to use the restroom. So he said he asked two others, including a security supervisor, and at one point, he pulled out his VA card, which shows he’s 100 percent disabled.

“This is a medical emergency. My PTSD is accompanied by certain physiological issues … issues with the prostate and my bladder,” he said.

After explaining to three different people at the Super Site his medical condition, they all refused. They insisted the location doesn’t have a public restroom. Fernandez said it was only after he threatened to file a disability claim that they finally let him behind the counter to an employee restroom, but it was too late.

“At that point, I had already had an accident. So, not only was I denied access to the facility three times, I was denied humility and dignity,” Fernandez said.

After fighting for his country, he’s now fighting to figure out why the Secretary of State’s office believes it’s ok to not have a public restroom at this supercenter that’s been operating for so long.

The Secretary of State’s office responded to not having public restrooms at the Super Site. They said in a statement:

The Chicago REAL ID Supercenter at 191 N. Clark St. does not have a designated public restroom. While most permanent DMV locations do, there is no statute requiring them, and this temporary, high-volume REAL ID facility was not designed with public restroom accommodations.

However, after Mr. Fernandez spoke with a supervisor and shared that he had a medical need, staff made an exception and escorted him to a secured employee restroom.

We sincerely regret any distress Mr. Fernandez may have experienced. No one should experience embarrassment while seeking services, and we affirm that our staff responded to this situation compassionately.

“I don’t think no one is listening,” Fernandez 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.

‘The Pawscars’ to boost senior pet adoptions

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Jeff Hager

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    FALLSTON, Maryland (WMAR) — An affectionate bully breed with a gentle demeanor, workers display a dog, which remains available for adoption at the Humane Society of Harford County.

“China is eight years old and I believe she came in as a stray so we really don’t have much history on her,” said Erin Long, the marketing & development manager at the shelter. But it’s China’s long history, the dog’s age, which is working against it.

“I think the challenge with senior pets is that people see an animal, an older animal, that might start to have health problems and they may or they may not,” said Long, “but I think people—they have this misconception that they’re going to fall in love with an older or maybe middle-aged pet or an older pet and they’re not going to have it very long.” With a growing number of aging animals at the shelter, it got creative—promoting an adoption event with a theme tied to the Oscars, called the Pawscars.

“Let’s turn this into something really fun,” explained Long, “I could see putting stars on the kennel and maybe just doing something really fun.I thought about maybe rolling out a red carpet for the animals.” The promotion allows any animal six years of age and older, including cats and even guinea pigs, to be adopted at half of their normal rate.

Unlike the Oscars, which will be limited to one star-studded evening, the Pawscars will be continuing throughout the month of March. It’s a bargain for people interested in picking up a pet with a chance to measure its future in companionship rather than days, months and years.

“Dogs can live 12, 14, 15 years.Cats, same thing, so take a chance on an older pet,” said Long, “I mean they’re kind of my jam.I love an older animal, because what you see is what you 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.

Group safely returns to US from Israel amid Iran strikes

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Jack Watson

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    JERUSALEM (WMAR) — A Maryland group which was in Israel as this weekend’s Middle East fighting started is back in the U.S., the executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council told WMAR-2 News.

Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, said the locally-based men’s mission group was in Israel Saturday, scheduled to leave not long after, as the U.S. and Israel struck Iran and Iran retaliated.

“That was among our top concerns was, the 20 or so people we had there in Jerusalem,” Libit said.

The Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore posted a video on Friday, hours before the strikes, showing the group holding a flag displaying their Baltimore roots, and the Israeli flag.

Libit told WMAR-2 News the group had spent the last week visiting Israel, seeing the sights, and were in their hotel in Jerusalem on Shabbat when the war started, having to keep safe in the shelter in the hotel.

Libit said the group made it out safely.

“My understanding is fortunately they got out across land to Jordan, and are on a flight now that’s supposed to be landing in Chicago this afternoon. So they’re home, wonderful news,” Libit told WMAR-2 News on Monday.

While the local group appears to have found safety, the danger persists across the Middle East; a conflict many Maryland leaders are speaking out against.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wrote: “We can stand with the Iranian people who support the cause of democracy and freedom without risking another conflict that sends another generation of American troops into combat.”

Brandon Scott, the Baltimore mayor, posted on X: “Trump is a liar and a chaos agent. He’s never been anti-war or pro-public safety. He’s choosing to cause violence in our city streets and across the globe, because he’s failing on his promises to bring down prices and invest in communities.”

When news broke that a strike had killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Andy Harris, the state’s lone Republican Congressman, wrote on social media: “The leading sponsor of terrorism worldwide has met an appropriate fate. Let’s all hope that the people of Iran can be freed from the yoke of an oppressive theocracy.”

Libit said many in the local Jewish community see the strikes as a chance at security from the Iranian regime.

“I think what I’m hearing a lot is a resolve, and a hope, that maybe once and for all, we can get rid of this four decade plus Iranian threat,” Libit said.

“Will we seek absolute and total peace? I think that’s unlikely, but maybe this is a major step forward,” Libit concluded.

Following the weekend’s strikes, the Naval Academy has raised its security measures, suspending general public visitation and conducting 100 percent ID checks.

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.

Sister of woman killed in fire demands answers more than a year later

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Megan Mannering

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    LINCOLN COUNTY, Kentucky (WLEX) — More than a year after a camper fire killed a 37-year-old mother in Lincoln County, her sister says she still does not have the answers she deserves — and has taken it upon herself to find them.

Megan Milburn died in the fire in December 2024. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said another person was inside the camper at the time but escaped. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department told LEX 18 last year that foul play was not suspected, but few updates in the case have been made public since then.

Milburn’s sister, Emma Clines, said she has spent the past year investigating the case herself, balancing grief with growing frustration.

“I pack her folder with me. I pack copies of it in case I run into someone that could help me. It is very frustrating because I’ve had to educate myself on law and things related to death investigations. I’ve had to look at pictures that I’ll never unsee,” Clines said.

Friends and family of Milburn have rallied around Clines, gathering beneath a billboard in Stanford on Monday as a visible show of support. Clines has also built a growing online following as she continues pushing for answers.

Clines said she believes investigators have not made the case a priority and suspects her sister’s struggles with addiction may have contributed to the lack of urgency.

“They have gotten a couple of things done and I’m appreciative of that. I’m very thankful for the things that they’ve done, but I do feel like it’s on the back burner. It’s not a priority whatsoever,” Clines said.

She stressed, however, that her sister’s life mattered.

“She’s a priority to me. She might not have been to them, but to her son, and to me and my dad, my grandparents. I mean she was everything to us and she’s gone,” Clines said.

Clines said she wants answers to basic questions about the investigation — including the cause of the fire, whether neighbors were interviewed, whether security video was obtained, and what investigators learned from the other person inside the camper the night Milburn died. She said those steps should have been taken immediately and thoroughly.

While Clines said she hopes authorities are right that foul play was not involved, she said she cannot be certain without more information.

“They want me to prove that the fire was not an accident, but I want them to prove that the fire was an accident,” Clines said.

Clines said she will not stop pushing for answers. Anyone with information about Milburn’s death is urged to come forward.

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.

Community gathers to stand up to bullying, one truck at a time

CNN Newsource on March 3, 2026

By Caleb Barnes

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    LONDON, Kentucky (WLEX) — After a video of a bullying incident at North Laurel High School surfaced late last week, community members decided to take a stand against bullying. That included a pop-up event featuring hundreds of trucks.

On Friday, Joe Burns saw a video of his foster son Nate – a 16-year-old with autism – being bullied in one of the school bathrooms.

“One individual held him as the other and struck him in the back,” he said. “That was not the first day but that was the fourth day of this abuse in the restroom.”

Through social media, that video caught the attention of many in the community.

“It blew up,” said Tanner Burns. “It went crazy, just everybody mad over it.”

“Initially my heart broke for the young man,” said London Mayor Randall Weddle, who spoke out against the bullying in the video.

“Nobody in the restroom had a voice for him,” Joe added. “Nobody spoke for him and that’s sad.”

“Watching that happen, it like kind of set a fire through me,” said Logan Johnson.

He spoke to Joe about Nate, and Johnson learned Nate loved trucks and Taco Bell. That gave him the idea to be that voice to support Nate by organizing the Trucks Against Bullying pop-up.

“We were just going to drive by and wave and hand Taco Bell gift cards out the window,” he said.

In just a matter of hours, however, the Trucks Against Bullying pop-up meet grew to around 200 trucks.

“It was like truck after truck, burnouts after burnouts,” said Johnson. “The sheriff was there. I mean, the mayor kicked it sideways leaving. It was truly an awesome event.”

“(Nate) was just, he was beside himself,” Joe shared. “They let him rev the trucks up. They rode in the police cars. It was just a day he’ll never forget.”

“It was truly just overwhelming to see just how happy he was,” said Weddle, who joined the event and met Nate. “He’s seen then he wasn’t alone, right? Hundreds of people standing around saying we love you and we support you.”

The hope is for Trucks Against Bullying to help teach a valuable lesson to stand against bullying.

“Don’t be scared to make a change,” Tanner said. “If you see something that you don’t think’s right, going against another kid, jerk out your phone, video record it. Tell somebody.”

“I only hope for it to get bigger because bullying is not cool at all,” said Johnson, who is working to set up another Trucks Against Bullying event in the future.

Laurel County Public Schools responded to the video on Monday, saying, “Laurel County Public Schools is aware of a video circulating on social media involving an incident at North Laurel High School. Administration and the Laurel County Schools Police Department began a full investigation on Friday to determine the facts. We prioritize student safety above all else and continue to follow all district policies and state laws to ensure a secure learning environment. Due to federal student privacy laws (FERPA), no further details can be shared. We ask the community to respect the privacy of the students and families involved as we work to resolve this matter.”

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.

Harriman State Park in jeopardy?  Legislation threatens founding charter at Idaho’s oldest state park

KIFI on March 3, 2026

David Pace

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a revised quote from Rep. Jerald Raymond, at the lawmaker’s request.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Senate passed a bill today that could jeopardize the future of Harriman State Park, according to the nonprofit organization Friends of Harriman State Park.

“In 1977, our family gave the ‘Railroad Ranch,’ now Harriman State Park, including over 11,000 acres of pristine wild lands to the people of Idaho. The family did so on the condition that the property would be managed by personnel chosen on the basis of merit, not politics,” said Averell Harriman Fisk, grandson of Averell Harriman, in a statement.

The Idaho Senate voted 21 to 14 Monday to pass Senate Bill 1300 that would require the directors of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Idaho Fish and Game and the Idaho Transportation Department to be appointed by the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation.

“The gift is currently under threat by a bill pending in the Idaho Legislature. For years, Harriman State Park has been enjoyed by our family and millions of visitors,” Harriman continued. “It must be protected from political whims. It must be protected for the people of Idaho.”

The bill would break the agreement that Idaho made with the Harriman family when they gave their Railroad Ranch to the state nearly 50 years ago, said Rep. Jerald Raymond, whose district includes both Harriman and Island Park.

“The Senate journals are very clear that the director was not to be a political appointee,” Raymond said.

According to Friends of Harriman State Park Board Chair Charlie Lansche, if the agreement is breached, it puts the park at risk.

“If that happens, the land could revert back to the family. If that happens, you know, Idaho, the people of Idaho lose 11,000 acres of pristine park in the greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and that’s a huge chunk of public land to see privatized,” Lansche said. “There’s no guarantee that that would actually happen. There would no doubt be litigation that would be very costly for the state to defend.”

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation was created with the formation of Harriman State Park, and since that time, the director has been appointed by a bipartisan commission based on qualifications and experience.

“They wanted to keep politics out of the professional management of Harriman Ranch State Park,” said Charlie Lansche, Board Chair, Friends of Harriman State Park. “… and this has worked really well for a long time.”

Senate Bill 1300 originated in the Senate State Affairs Committee and is sponsored by Senator Doug Okuniewicz, R- Hayden. Local News 8 reached out multiple times to Senator Okuniewicz to learn about his position and reasons for promoting the bill, but we did not receive a response prior to publication.

Eastern Idaho legislator Sen. Mark Harris joined the majority, voting in favor of the bill. Senators Van Burtenshaw, Kevin Cook, Dave Lent, Doug Ricks, James Ruchti, and Julie VanOrden voted against it.

“The state of Idaho can’t afford to lose that as a state park,” ” Raymond said. “It would just be devastating to us.”

Currently, 250,000 people visit the park each year, said Friends of Harriman State Park Vice President Mary Noonan.

“I can’t even imagine the number of kids that have caught their first fish here, seen their first elk, families that have had reunions here – its magic is indescribable,” she added. “And, you know, my dad used to always say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’”

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The Pine Creek hockey team wins their first ever state championship

KRDO on March 3, 2026

Rob Namnoum

The Pine Creek hockey team won the Class 4A state championship on Monday night. The Eagles beat Steamboat Springs 6-3.

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Ex-site of Return to Nature sits barren, racking up tax bills, while victims search for memorial site

KRDO on March 3, 2026

Michael Logerwell

PENROSE, Colo. (KRDO) – A month ago, Jon Hallford was finally sentenced on his state criminal charges. An El Paso County judge handed down a sentence of 40 years to be served at the same time as his 20-year federal sentence, a sentence that Hallford is appealing.

RELATED COVERAGE: Jon Hallford sentenced to 40 years for abuse of a corpse charges at Return to Nature Funeral Home

“I don’t think this is the end of it for us, the living victims. We are going to have to live with this forever. I will take it as a step towards healing, knowing that you know he won’t see the light of day, or know what a hamburger tastes like, or a Slurpee for quite a long time,” said Derrick Johnson, after Jon Hallford’s sentencing hearing in February.

Now, a month later, Johnson is searching for a spot to memorialize his mother, whose body was improperly stored and left to rot at the Return to Nature Funeral Home.

The only issue is that potential locations keep denying him.

“It’s so heartbreaking that we’re not getting the yeses,” Johnson said over a video call.

Johnson wants to build a wind phone in Southern Colorado. A wind phone looks a lot like those neighborhood libraries, but instead of books inside, there is a landline telephone that’s only connected to the wind and a call log.

It would be one more chance to speak to his mother over the phone, something Johnson says they did often after his life took him to Hawaii while his mother stayed in landlocked Colorado.

“We talked on the phone constantly. We were always around each other. So having a place where I can speak to her and know that my voice is being carried off by the wind, in particular, it means the world,” Johnson said.

The hang-up is that Johnson doesn’t have a place to put it. He’s been denied by multiple parks and trails in Colorado Springs. He was even denied by Bear Creek Park, where a bench dedicated to the Return to Nature victims was unveiled in 2024.

KRDO13 Investigates asked if he had considered the former site of Return to Nature itself.

“There were talks about this wind phone going out there,” Johnson said. “Who even owns that piece of land right there?”

What’s going on with the former funeral home site?

In late April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finished the demolition and clean-up of the funeral home formerly located at 31 Werner Road in Penrose.

During the six-day process, the EPA said, “the building materials and foundation were disinfected, demolished, and transferred off-site for disposal. The foundation was replaced with clean soil.”

Driving by the site today, it’s just an empty field running up a hefty tab of property taxes.

The Fremont County Treasurer, Kathy Elliott, says the owners of the property owe $18,774.96 in unpaid property taxes. It’s a hefty tab that would typically lead to the property going up to a tax sale.

A tax sale, according to the El Paso County Treasurer, is the last step the county takes to collect unpaid taxes on properties.

But that hasn’t happened, mainly because Fremont County officials aren’t convinced there is any interest. Elliott told KRDO13 Investigates over the phone that she didn’t think anyone would buy the property.

Stacey Seifert, the Fremont County Assessor, further confirmed that the Hallfords, under their LLC, still own the property. Seifert also expressed similar concerns about the commercial interest of the property.

“Even if it was for sale, it would never bring more than a fraction of those [potential lien] costs, and who would want it anyway?” she wrote in an email.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, there are two liens currently against the property. The most recent was filed in late November last year.

Could the site become a memorial?

KRDO13 Investigates asked Fremont County Commissioner Kevin Grantham if the county would consider buying the property for cheap at a tax sale auction and turning the site into a memorial for victims of the Return to Nature Funeral Home.

Grantham said there were no plans for that to be done by the county and presented a different vision for the now vacant land. “Our preference is for it to remain on the rolls and be available for future commercial/business use,” Grantham said via email.

Johnson said he would love to see the land donated to the victims or a victims’ group such as Colorado Remembers.

“[To] take a spot that you know was once what you would call one of the worst places in the state and turn it into something where people can heal from it,” Johnson said.

While Johnson is on board, others are torn, unsure if they ever want to go back to 31 Werner Road in Penrose ever again.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

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Slap Me Some Skin

KRDO on March 3, 2026

Rob Namnoum

Top prep playoff performances for the week of February 25th.

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