Month: April 2026

By Adam Duxter

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Two Minnesota school districts were in federal court on Wednesday for a hearing in a lawsuit they filed to keep federal immigration agents away from schools.

Fridley Public Schools and Duluth Public Schools filed the lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during the peak of Operation Metro Surge.

The districts are trying to fight an executive order signed by President Trump in January 2025. The order reversed an October 2021 policy by the Biden administration prohibiting immigration enforcement actions at or near schools and other “sensitive locations” like churches or hospitals.

“Our district needed a helper. We needed to pursue how to keep our children safe. My job is not about federal immigration policy, it’s not about ICE enforcement, but it is about children’s safety and the safety of our children was taken away and their federal right to attend school in a safe learning environment was taken away,” Fridley Superintendent Brenda Lewis said. “And we looked at multiple ways to get that safety back and this was one of the ways, and also, we never want to see this happen to another school district in this state or the nation.”

When the lawsuit was filed, the Department of Homeland Security told WCCO in a statement that agents are not going to schools to arrest children, but instead to protect them.

“Criminals are no longer be able [sic] to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense,” said Tricia McLaughlin, former assistant secretary of DHS. “If a dangerous illegal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect public safety. But this has not happened.”

Both sides made their arguments in court Wednesday. The judge said a decision will come at a future date.

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.

By John Lauritsen

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    SPOONER, Wisconsin (WCCO) — Walleye openers are just a few weeks away in Wisconsin and Minnesota. That means you’ll see more lines in the lakes, and more fish in the hatchery.

“We have the capacity to raise a lot of fish here at the hatchery,” said Ruth King, an educator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

King is talking about thousands upon thousands of little walleyes and muskies.

As the Gov.Thompson Hatchery in Spooner, Wisconsin, celebrates three decades in operation, they’re getting ready for another season of raising fish. But first, they have to catch them. Not with bait, but with nets.

“Tedious. It takes a long time to fix these nets,” said fish technician Ben Oldenburg.

The nets capture spawning fish for their eggs. They are fertilized in the lake and then taken back to the hatchery, disinfected and put in jars where they hatch into holding tanks.

“They’ll spend a couple of days in the tanks and then we spend all summer feeding them in our ponds out back,” said King.

There are 46 rearing ponds at the hatchery. In September, the fish are taken out of the tanks and relocated to lakes and rivers across northwest Wisconsin.

“If you were to draw a line from Hudson to Eau Claire and up to Ironwood, Michigan, that’s roughly the geographic area we cover,” said King.

The entire operation gets support from a pretty unique group: Friends Into Spooner Hatchery, or “FISH.”

“They can see through the murals on the wall the story of how the hatchery works,” said Larry Damann, a FISH board member.

Damann takes guests to the visitor center which has its own fish tales to tell. His group is known for promoting conservation, including their “Adopt a Musky” program where the fish are tagged, and when caught, people can learn where they’ve been and how much they’ve grown.

“Even guys who fish will come here and learn a lot about things they didn’t know about their sport,” said Damann.

When it comes to trophy fish, the goal here isn’t to reel them in but to raise them — creating new generations of fish, and hopefully new generations of anglers.

“I highly recommend stopping anywhere around the fishing opener. We almost always have something to see,” said King.

The hatchery and visitor’s center are open Monday through Friday.

The Wisconsin DNR is also turning the old 1914 hatchery on site into a walk-through museum that will be open to the public.

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.

By Conor Wight

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    ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — If you heard the audio of St. Paul Fire Captain Brian Buxton introducing himself to Department of Natural Resources Officer Annette Schlag, you’d think the pair had just met for coffee.

Instead, Schlag was in a neck brace, lying on the ground in the woods. Buxton had just descended some 130 feet from a hovering helicopter to help her.

“Hey Annette. My name is Brian, I’m a medic with St. Paul,” Buxton said. “We called everything to get you out of here today.”

According to the DNR, Schlag was dismantling an illegal deer hunting stand when she fell about 20 feet on March 30. It happened in the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area near Plainview, east of Rochester.

At first, state trooper Lt. Craig Benz said that local first responders were able to locate the officer and provide care. But when those local firefighters realized Schlag may have internal injuries, they contacted the Minnesota Air Rescue Team (MART). Benz serves as chief pilot, taking off with Buxton and his fellow St. Paul Fire Captain Frank Tate.

The DNR shared video of the rescue. As Benz keeps the chopper steady, Tate mans the winch, helping to lower Buxton to the forest below. Once on the ground, Buxton’s bedside manner takes over. The camera on his helmet captures what he says to Schlag.

“My job is you. That’s my sole job, alright?” Buxton said.

He coaches her as he secures the DNR officer in what’s called an ARES bag; it’s like an enclosed gurney that secures a patient before they are taken up into the sky. Buxton is alongside her as they ascend; Tate is there, hanging out of the helicopter, to bring them inside.

“I don’t think there’s any time for fear,” Tate said, “When you do get a call, it’s very rewarding. We put hundreds if not thousands of hours into training to do this.”

Buxton said that part of that training is helping people feel safe as they are brought skyward.

“If the patient is not in a position to be rescued, we did our job poorly,” Buxton said.

The team brought Schlag to an ambulance waiting in a nearby field. Schlag is now recovering, putting out a statement via the DNR to WCCO.

“On behalf of my husband Ben and I, as well as our friends and family, we want to extend our most heartfelt thanks to all the incredible first responders and medical staff who assisted in the rescue and follow-up medical care. This was certainly unexpected, but we are grateful it didn’t lead to a more undesirable outcome,” Schlag said. “The outpouring of support we have received has been nothing short of incredible.”

Schlag went on to thank eleven agencies involved in emergency response and medicine.

Benz said it’s all a team effort. The equipment is also critical for MART; the helicopter they used in this rescue operation was purchased about one year ago. Benz explained that it has newer technology that ensures they can remain in the air during a rescue, avoiding the process of landing that was required with their previous aircraft.

Benz said that state police use the helicopter often for patrolling work. These kinds of rescue operations happen about 30 times a year, he said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Conor McGill

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    CITRUS HEIGHTS, California (KOVR) — A normally quiet neighborhood in Citrus Heights is recovering after a weekend Airbnb party grew out of control, causing chaos and costly damage.

According to the homeowner, the property on Dunmore Avenue was rented using a fake profile, allegedly posing as an elderly person.

Video obtained by CBS News Sacramento shows a large crowd gathered at the home, with some people even climbing down from the roof as the situation intensified.

The Citrus Heights Police Department says calls began coming in around 10 p.m. reporting a large gathering in the 6700 block of Dunmore Avenue.

At first, officers believed the home was vacant. After contacting the property owner, they confirmed it was being used as an Airbnb rental.

Law enforcement flooded the area, bringing in a drone and air support to help disperse the crowd.

A neighbor who has lived in the area for three years but did not want to be identified by name said the response was overwhelming.

“They came from all directions… they blocked it off so people could only get out the main street,” the neighbor said.

The same neighbor noted that while parties at short-term rentals can happen, they are typically much smaller.

“A lot of the Airbnb parties that are thrown are not as big… maybe 50 people and they keep it on the low,” the neighbor said.

Despite the size of the crowd and numerous calls for service, police say they did not have legal justification to make arrests, in part because the gathering was taking place at a rented property.

The neighbor said the incident was unlike anything they’ve seen in the typically calm area. They added that more safeguards may be needed to prevent similar situations in the future.

“I definitely think there needs to be an extra step of precaution… I don’t know what the action would be, but there should be something,” he said.

In a statement, Airbnb said it has a strict ban on disruptive parties: “This type of behavior has no home on our platform or in the communities we serve.”

The company says the guest responsible has been suspended and that it is cooperating with law enforcement.

The homeowner says they are now dealing with thousands of dollars in damage and emotional distress following the incident.

Questions remain about how the fake profile was able to book the property. Police say what happens next will likely depend on Airbnb’s investigation.

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.

By Dean Fioresi

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    KERN COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Three Southern California men were arrested for their alleged part in a $1 million Lego heist in the Inland Empire, according to authorities.

Deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Mojave Substation were called to the 400 block of Silver Queen Road on Wednesday, April 8, after learning of suspicious vehicles in the area, according to a news release shared by the department on social media.

“When deputies arrived, two box trucks were seen fleeing the area,” the release said.

Traffic stops were conducted on both vehicles, and deputies were able to identify the suspects as 37-year-old San Bernardino man Jose Lopez, 25-year-old Los Angeles man Ruben Lopez Flores and 35-year-old Chino man Freddy Hernandez Polinar.

Deputies searched both of the box trucks and discovered a large amount of Lego products, and upon searching the surrounding area, found two freight trailers.

“A thorough investigation, deputies discovered the trailers were stolen while in transit from Fort Worth, Texas to Moreno Valley, California,” the release said. “The loss was reported to be approximately $1,000,000 worth of Lego products.”

All three of the suspects were arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, cargo theft and conspiracy. It’s unclear where they were booked.

Deputies said that the stolen freight trailers and the stolen Legos were recovered.

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.

By Joan Murray

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    CORAL SPRINGS, Florida (WFOR) — Marlon Moraes spent most of his life in the ring, passionate about the sport near and dear to his heart: mixed martial arts. Moraes says he was only nine years old when a friend approached him about learning the sport in his native Brazil, where he says he grew up in poverty.

He was hooked after that, pursuing a lifelong dream of getting to the top. Moraes won a championship title for his weight class division nearly a decade ago, and soon after joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization.

Regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists to ever step into the ring, Moraes decided a couple of years ago to pursue a career in law enforcement. He was sworn in as a Coral Springs police officer and now patrols the streets on the night shift.

“Every time I go to work, I want to help someone,” he says. “When the call comes, I want to be the one”.

That community spirit impressed Coral Springs Deputy Chief Ryan Gallagher, who interviewed and ultimately hired Moraes.

“I found a professional, compassionate, charismatic individual who wants to serve the community,” Gallagher said.

Part of that service is passing along everything Moraes has learned to the next generation of would-be fighters at his Coral Springs studio.

Moraes says his wife and kids keep him grounded. His sport remains the center of everything: “the friendship, to be a good teammate, to be a good son, father, husband. It’s everything—you bring the whole circle.”

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.