Woman survives rollover crash after hitting 9-foot gator on Florida road

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Julie Salomone

Click here for updates on this story

    SARASOTA, Florida (WFTS) — A Manatee County woman survived a rollover crash after hitting a nearly 9-foot alligator in Sarasota County.

The crash happened before sunrise on Easter Sunday, around 6 a.m.

Maslin Kurtz was traveling on Fruitville Road and Cowpen Lane in a rural part of Sarasota County.

“I thought I hit something and blew a tire just because it ripped my car off the road,” she recalled.

Her Toyota 4Runner crashed into a pole.

“I was just praying that somebody would see me. Obviously, I saw lights go by, so I thought I was behind a bush or something. I didn’t know where I ended up,” she said.

She said a couple had spotted her SUV, which had crashed into the pole. They called 911 for help.

“I was crushed between the roof and the steering wheel,” said Kurtz.

Kurtz was hospitalized at Sarasota Memorial Hospital for four days. She spent two of those days in an intensive care unit.

“I had a few fractures on my spine. My sternum is fractured and then my left scapula, the shoulder blade,” she said.

She said she feels fortunate she survived the crash. She must wear a brace for four to six weeks, followed by physical therapy.

She’s expected to make a full recovery.

“I’m just grateful that I’m here and I give all the glory to God,” said Kurtz.

Kurtz said the alligator did not survive, and deputies helped remove the gator from the roadway.

A friend started a GoFundMe page to help Kurtz with her medical bills.

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.

Cheboygan business owners brace for the worst as dam water levels continue rising

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Terrance Friday

Click here for updates on this story

    CHEBOYGAN, Michigan (WWJ) — In downtown Cheboygan, Michigan, businesses are preparing for possible flooding as water levels remain high at Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex along the Cheboygan River.

As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the Cheboygan River was at 4.92 inches below the top of the dam, according to the State of Michigan Emergency Management and Homeland Security officials.

With the waters reaching closer than 6 inches, the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office says status has reached the Level 2 or “set” stage in the Ready, Set, Go instructions to the public.

As water levels are just inches below the top of the dam, business owners are bracing for the worst while hoping for the best.

“We keep going through these daily motions of trying to keep a business afloat,” said Jennifer Thorton, general manager of Cheboygan Title Agency. “I have employees who are in fear for their family and their life, so I am sending them home right now and again try to keep the day-to-day operations going in the business.”

Some businesses near the river have set up sandbags and are moving inventory to higher ground, while other businesses are holding off for now and watching conditions closely.

“We keep thinking, ‘Are we way overreacting?’ But again, is it going to hurt anything? No. I hope we laugh about this and make a sandbox of all this extra sand, that is my hope, but again, it isn’t going to hurt anything,” Thorton said.

“I think a lot of the people are not as well off as I am through this because our home is safe and we don’t have high water there,” added Cheboygan resident Tami Byron-Okuly. “We are going to be involved in this because this is our community.

“Help one another and see what you can do for somebody else who needs help right now, and give someone some relief. It’s going to be okay, and we are all going to be okay. We are all here to help.”

Local officials are reminding residents to stay cautious, to keep an eye on changing conditions and to be ready to act quickly if flooding worsens.

If conditions worsen, downtown Cheboygan and the surrounding areas will move to the “go” stage, signaling an evacuation.

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.

Sheriffs warn of cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid 10 times stronger than fentanyl

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Rian Stockett

Click here for updates on this story

    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Western North Carolina sheriffs are warning the public about a new synthetic drug they say is more potent than fentanyl.

The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning about cychlorphine on its social media accounts on Wednesday, April 15, saying it’s been linked to multiple overdose deaths in eastern Tennessee.

The drug is also on the radar of other local counties.

Captain Justin Bell with the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the danger of cychlorphine is similar to that of other synthetic opioids.

“The biggest message that we would like to get out is that it’s like other synthetic opioids that the most dangerous part is that they can be easily placed into other substances that the user may not know that they’re ingesting,” said Captain Bell.

The Facebook post from the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office says cychlorphine is up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl.

Captain Bell says that because it’s much more potent than fentanyl, smaller amounts can be deadly. He said that a cychlorphine overdose would also require more doses of Narcan to combat it.

Although they’re warning people about this opioid, Bell said authorities haven’t seen it in Transylvania County yet.

News 13 asked them about their efforts to prevent it from coming into the county. “We recognize that you can’t arrest this problem away, OK? So, it’s more about education, hopefully response and saving lives, and getting the word out there,” said Bell.

He says they learned about this drug from their narcotics task force which he says works with local, state, and federal partners to identify emerging drugs early, share intelligence across agencies, track where these substances are coming from and target and disrupt trafficking networks.

“Our approach to it is to make them aware that this is out here, that an exposure may be more significant, and to prepare them with products like the training in Narcan to counteract those reactions to the drug,” said Bell.

The state crime lab says it hasn’t seen any deaths in North Carolina caused by cychlorphine, however it’s prepared to test for it if needed.

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.

Proposed Louisiana law could require drivers to retake written test

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Web Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A proposed bill could change how drivers across Louisiana renew their licenses.

House Bill 777 would require most drivers take and pass a written knowledge exam every eight years in order to renew a standard license. The test would include questions on traffic laws, road signs and newer concerns like distracted driving.

Drivers would need to score at least 80% to pass.

“I think it’s ridiculous. I think it would be more rational to take the road test than the written test,” said one Shreveport driver.

Mark Ludke, owner of Mark’s Driving Academy, says knowing the rules does not always translate to safer driving.

“I’d rather have them every eight years do a driving test than a knowledge test because even though they might know the laws that doesn’t mean they’re going to go out on the road and follow them,” said Ludke.

Drivers who fail would get multiple attempts and could receive a temporary license while they retake the test. The law would apply to all drivers, regardless of age.

If passed, the law would not go into effect until 2028 while the Louisiana OMV prepares information campaigns to make drivers aware of the change.

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.

Vigil held for hit-and-run victim in Makiki as family pleads for answers

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Gil Cano

Click here for updates on this story

    HONOLULU (KITV) — Loved ones gathered in Makiki this week to honor a 30-year-old man killed in a hit-and-run crash, as his family continues to search for answers.

Eddie Cruz-Ochoa died after being struck at the intersection of Wilder Avenue and Kewalo Street on Thursday, April 9. Police said the driver left the scene.

A week later, dozens returned to that same intersection for a vigil, remembering Cruz-Ochoa as someone deeply loved by family and friends. Those close to him described him as someone who spent his time with loved ones and had a passion for subjects like philosophy, physics and astronomy.

His family said they are still struggling with the circumstances surrounding his death.

“I need to ask him why did you leave my son like that,” Cruz-Ochoa’s mother said. “If you would’ve taken him to the hospital, they would’ve been able to revive him and he’d still be with us.”

His girlfriend, Denielle Cabalis, urged anyone with information to come forward.

“Just please come forward,” Cabalis said. “If you know anything, if you have any cameras, dash cams, anything that could help… please let us know. Let HPD know. We’re not resting until we figure out what happened.”

Friends also shared stories of Cruz-Ochoa’s impact, describing him as someone who supported others during difficult times.

Cruz-Ochoa’s death marks Oʻahu’s 13th traffic fatality this year, compared to 21 at the same time last year.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Honolulu Police Department.

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 dies of suspected lightning strike in Pewaukee parking lot

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Kathryn Merck

Click here for updates on this story

    PEWAUKEE, Wisconsin (WDAY) — A man in his 40s died of a suspected lightning strike Wednesday, April 15, after being found unresponsive in a Pewaukee Kwik Trip parking lot during severe storms, according to police.

The man was identified by family to be 41-year-old Peter Paul Garamone Sr. He was a long-haul trucker from Pennsylvania with a wife and son.

Emergency responders say they were called to the Kwik Trip on Golf Road around 7:45 p.m.

Waukesha police say preliminary information indicates Garamone was struck by lightning while walking through the parking lot. He reportedly called first responders when it happened and later died at an area hospital.

This is the first fatal lightning strike in the United States of 2026. It is also the second lightning fatality in Wisconsin in the last seven months.

“Your likelihood of getting struck by lightning in any given year is lower than one in a million,” said Chris Vagasky, a Lightning Data Specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council and a Research Program Manager with Wisconet. “When you look at that over a lifetime, that number is down around one in a few thousand, so it doesn’t seem like it’s a big percentage, but it is still a very common way to be injured or killed by weather in the United States.”

Waukesha police are working with the medical examiner to determine the man’s identity and the cause of death. The department added that their thoughts are with the family of this man during this difficult time.

Beau Snowden lives near the Kwik Trip where this happened and said he heard the lightning strike.

“We could feel it through the whole house right over there, right up University Drive. It was the loudest thunderbolt we ever heard,” Snowden said. “It could have been any of us going to the gas station. “It’s terrible. You got to watch out for these storms. It’s real dangerous.”

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.

More than a dozen traveling preschools to close across Hawaii

CNN Newsource on April 17, 2026

By Kristen Consillio

Click here for updates on this story

    HONOLULU (KITV) — After almost 30 years, a nonprofit that has provided cultural family programs to thousands of keiki across the pae ‘aina is closing more than a dozen traveling preschools now that federal funding has dried up.

Pua Kaholokula has greatly benefited from the Tutu and Me preschool program for almost 10 years. It has helped her teach her five mo’opuna, or grandchildren, the building blocks of learning.

“It’s been a really valuable program for not just the keiki,” Kaholokula said.

But that program is about to go away.

Federal funding for Native Hawaiian organizations has dried up, forcing the nonprofit Partners in Development Foundation, which runs Tutu and Me to close 17 sites in remote and rural communities and a virtual program at the end of August.

“This is a time of deep kind of heart-wrenching decisions that have to be made because of the federal initiatives and the course corrections that we’re having to make because of the changes in resources to Native Hawaiians,” said Shawn Kana’iaupuni, president and CEO of Partners in Development Foundation.

And those changes will be painful.

The agency has lost $15 million for early childhood education, family support and youth workforce development programs affecting about 6,000 participants.

“Native Hawaiian education, Native Hawaiian health, Native Hawaiian housing — I mean all of this is under attack right now,” Kaholokula said.

The impacts are far reaching.

“They range from the developmental aspects of the youngest brains of our youngest children and in those important times of developmental growth to kindergarten readiness and things like supporting our teachers and our whole DOE educational system,” she added.

And for families like the Kaholokulas, “again we’re going to be losing a valuable resource for our keiki and for our kupuna. Hopefully somebody can step in and help out because it’s them that will be missing out.”

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.

Idaho Falls YMCA Hosting Healthy Kids Day

KIFI on April 17, 2026

Dylan Carder

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Falls Family YMCA wants to help kids and families build healthy habits all year long. To help get them started, it will be hosting its annual Healthy Kids Day on Saturday April 18.

The event will run from 9 am to 12 pm and offer a family friendly community event designed to get kids moving, learning and building healthy habits.

A wide range of activities will be available including sports games, cowboy roping and stick horse barrel racing, a family-friendly dance fitness class, crafts, health focused community resource booths, chair massages and free giveaways.

The community is invited to the free event at the YMCA building on 155 N. Corner Avenue. For more information on the event and other services the YMCA offers, go to idahofallsymca.org.

Click here to follow the original article.

SPECIAL REPORT: H-2A guest workers are the backbone of Yuma agriculture — vital to feeding America

KYMA on April 17, 2026

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Behind every grocery store shelf is a story few of us see. Yuma is recognized as the winter lettuce capital of the world and the foundation of American agriculture. H-2A workers are a big part of that story.

“They are very hard workers. It’s hard to replace those employees,” said Valentin Sierra of Amigo Farms.

More than 175 different crops are grown in the Yuma area. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Yuma agriculture generated $1.3 billion in direct sales in 2022.

But those numbers only tell part of the story. The fields are tended by H-2A guest workers who are the backbone of this operation year after year.

“We have dedicated workers through the H-2A guest program that have been with the company for about 20 years. They keep coming back every year. They know our policies and rules, our safety program. Some of them could probably run the crews themselves. They are very important to us — they are very dedicated workers. We trust them. They are safe, and it makes it all better for the company and the produce when you’re receiving it,” Sierra said.

The H-2A visa program was officially established in 1986 and is one of the most popular programs in the U.S. for temporary and seasonal agricultural workers. 8,000 workers in Yuma County are certified H-2A visa holders.

“What they earn in a week working there in agriculture they can earn it here in three. That’s why the H-2A program was invented — because some of them just work three days, make what they would make in a week over there and then head back. Then we were short-handed the rest of the week and produce has to be harvested,” Sierra added.

All H-2A agriculture workers are paid an hourly rate of $17.51, mandated by the Department of Labor. These workers make a sacrifice to get paid more working in America than in Mexico.

“If you take advantage of the money you earn here, it’s worth it to wake up and come to work this early in the morning because there are good opportunities to work,” said Ruben De La Rosa, a worker.

Male agriculture workers tend to be the dominant gender in the fields, but this type of work does not discriminate.

“We are treated equal. No — if I am treated different because I’m a woman? No. We are all the same,” said Lucia Patiño, a worker.

H-2A visa workers are the backbone of agriculture, and without them, harvesting wouldn’t be possible. With technology advancing, there’s always a fear that tech could replace their labor.

“It’s very crucial — that’s our backbone. Without them, harvesting wouldn’t be able to get done. Salads wouldn’t be able to get to your table. A lot of companies are turning to automated harvesting, but even that — there’s errors. It’s not going to be 100 percent. There are areas where machines can’t get into where people can, or some of the quality effects are better with hand harvesting instead of automated harvesting,” Sierra said.

As technology continues to evolve and reshape labor, there is still a need for agriculture workers because without them America could be left hungry.

H-2A visa workers are extremely dedicated workers who make sacrifices to make a living doing one of the most thankless jobs: Feeding America.

Click here to follow the original article.

Documents show MURR makes up MU’s top-dollar capital project in 2027

KMIZ on April 17, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first and second phases of the NextGen Missouri University Research Reactor is the top-dollar capital project for the University of Missouri in 2027.

Meeting documents from Thursday’s Board of Curators meeting shows the university is planning on spending about $140 million for Phases 1 and 2 of the project next year. Those phases include “the programming, site study, preliminary design, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing activities needed to support development of a new research reactor facility,” documents detailing the school’s capital project plan from 2027-31 show.

“The project is intended to expand the University’s capacity to support cancerfighting research and medical isotope production, building on the role of the existing MU Research Reactor as a nationally significant producer of critical medical isotopes used in FDAapproved therapies and research applications,” documents say.

The project is expected to be completed by 2033, according to previous reporting.

Additional projects next year include a $25 million repair to Jesse Hall, which includes upgrades to the exterior masonry, metal repairs and window replacement. Another $40 million for Chilled Water Capacity & Resiliency Improvements and a 2028 decommissioning of Pickard Hall is set for $10 million.

MU Health Care is also hoping for a $23 million expansion of its Callaway County location between now and 2029.

“This project supports expansion of rural health care services to improve access and capacity in Callaway County. The investment aligns with MU Health Care’s mission to address regional health needs and strengthen care delivery outside the core campus environment,” documents say.

All projects can be found in the document below.

ACTION 1 – FY27 Capital Plan COMBINED (1)Download

Also at the meeting, the school approved a pilot one-year extension to make submitting test scores optional for prospective students for the Columbia, Rolla and St. Louis campuses.

Click here to follow the original article.