Month: April 2026

By Meredith Hackler

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    DANE COUNTY, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Nearly 1,000 beagles at the controversial Ridglan Farms facility in Dane County will be released, according to an animal rescue based in Florida.

The controversial Ridglan Farms breeding facility has reportedly reached a confidential agreement with the Center for a Humane Economy and Big Dog Ranch Rescue, who will assist in transporting the dogs into their care.

The beagles will reportedly be placed with other rescue partners across the nation.

It comes after about 1,000 activists went to the Blue Mounds facility in an attempt to break in and rescue the dogs.

When this announcement was made, animal activist Wayne Hsiung who led the attempt was in court in Dane county. He is charged with felony burglary following the March 15th incident.

The case against him is moving forward. The judge found enough evidence presented by the state to continue. The state played several videos showing Hsiung and other activists going through a fence and on to the Ridgelan farms property. It also showed him taking a crowbar to one of the doors and others carrying several dogs out of the facility.

Originally Hsiung was banned from Dane County due to his actions, but in court on Wednesday the judge waived that ban. His lawyers argued that ban was unconstitutional, something the judge agreed with him due to protests that have taken place at the state capital. Hsiung says he doesn’t want the case to be dismissed and that he is looking forward to his day in court.

“This case demonstrates the profound failure of the legal system to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Because these dogs can’t file a lawsuit,” Hsiung said.

Around 20 of his supporters were inside and outside the court room with signs showing support to save the dogs, many clapped as he spoke to them.

“Wayne is a hero in all of our eyes,” supporter Calli Murphy said.

As for the 1,000 dogs set to be taken in by a rescue Mr. Hsiung didn’t have a comment on it as he was just learning the news himself as he got out of court. However, he did get emotional when he was asked.

“I just want to make sure I talk to everyone on our team to see what the facts are so we don’t screw anything up but if what I heard from you is true, I will be very happy,” Hsiung said with tears in his eyes.

Mr. Hsiung was arrested with several other activists. He isn’t allowed to speak with them as the court considers them his coconspirators. Lawyers for Hsiung attempted to get the judge to lift the no contact rule but the judge ruled against. Hsiung, a lawyer from California, says he plans on eventually representing himself in court which his lawyers argue would require him to be able to talk to the other activists that were arrested. The next time he is due in court is his arraignment. A date for that hearing has yet to set.

A press conference is scheduled for Thursday where more information is set to be shared about the 1,000 dogs that are being taken in by a rescue.

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 Carlos E. Castañeda

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A massive sea lion is stealing all the attention at San Francisco’s Pier 39, along with most of the dock.

The Stellar sea lion dubbed “Chonkers” has become a star among the hundreds of barking and pungent pinnipeds that have taken over at Pier 39’s K-Dock.

People from across the country are coming to the tourist attraction to catch a glimpse of the pier’s new superstar.

“I saw on the news about Chonkers in Atlanta, Georgia, and I came all the way to San Francisco to see him,” said one visitor.

“I’m looking for the big one,” said another. “Looking for Chonkers.”

Chonkers was hard to miss. Male Stellar sea lions can weigh between 990 and 2,500 pounds and Chonkers looks to be on the upper end of the scale.

He arrived at Pier 39 sometime last month, likely due to the abundance of food in the area.

Droves of sea lions began lounging at the dock shortly in 1989 shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the Pier 39 website, within months over 300 sea lions complete took over the dock. In 2024, a record 2,100 sea lions parked themselves at the dock, with the Pier 39 marina providing an ideal living situation because of the available food and shelter from predators.

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 Neal Riley

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Gas prices in Massachusetts continue to soar past the $4-a-gallon mark, jumping 20 cents in the past week.

The current average in the state is $4.16 for a gallon of regular gas, AAA said on Thursday. The national average is rising as well to $4.30, an increase of 27 cents since last week.

Gas prices are at their highest level since the Iran War started. Crude oil prices spiked to $126 a barrel Thursday as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, and Axios reported that President Trump is expected to be briefed on plans for a potential new wave of strikes against Iran.

GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan posted to X Thursday that some parts of the country are starting to approach new all-time records for gas prices.

“Since March 1, Americans have spent $21.7 billion more on filling their tanks with gasoline,” De Haan wrote.

The record high for Massachusetts is $5.05 back in June of 2022 as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up oil costs. Earlier this month, the price of gas topped $5 at one Boston station.

Gas prices hit $4 a gallon in Massachusetts Sunday for the first time since 2022. A year ago, gas was just under $3 a gallon.

Gas is cheapest in Massachusetts in Bristol County, where prices average $4.07 a gallon. In Suffolk County it’s $4.30 a gallon, and most expensive on Nantucket at $5.56 a gallon.

Diesel fuel prices are also on the rise, reaching $5.80 a gallon on Thursday. Experts say high diesel prices can affect the cost of everything from Amazon items to supermarket groceries.

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 Aaron Parseghian

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — There was a stunning turn of events in Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday when a Boston man reversed course mid-hearing, backing out of a plea deal that could have led to his release from jail within months.

Rinnyers Pena, 47, is facing 11 different charges from three separate cases involving four different victims.

In one case, Pena is accused kidnapping, rape and assault of battery of a household member. In another he’s accused of raping two women and photographing them while they were naked and unconscious.

The third case is connected to the death of 38-year-old Alenny Matos.

Matos was reported missing in January 2020. Her body was later found in a trash bag by someone walking their dog in Hyde Park’s Stony Brook Reservation.

Prosecutors said Pena was the last person Matos was in contact with and accused him of disposing of her body there.

“Footage shows the defendant going to remove a bin from the truck and roll it down the sidewalk,” prosecutors said in court.

If Pena had taken the plea deal, he would have received credit for the five years he has already spent behind bars and could have been released within months, followed by five years of monitoring and probation.

But as prosecutors continued reading evidence and Matos’ loved ones prepared to deliver statements, Pena apparently changed his mind.

“My apologies to the court, my client doesn’t wish to proceed with the change in plea,” his defense attorney said.

The sudden reversal left Matos’ family members frustrated.

“I honestly don’t know what the next step is. We are trying to figure it out,” said Maria Avalo, Matos’ sister. “It’s just frustrating, I feel like if it was up to us, he’d be getting maximum penalty for everything he’s done. He wants to have power over everything that’s going on, everything not going his way. Him not being able to get his side out, not being heard is eating him up so he just feels like he would rather take it to trial than make himself responsible.”

Pena will head to trial on the two cases, but won’t face a jury on the case connected to Matos’ death. He’s not charged with her murder, just disinterring or moving a body and he’s already been held behind bars longer than the maximum sentence of three years if he were to be convicted.

His trial on the other cases will begin with jury selection next week. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

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 Ashley Paul

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A pleasant lunch hour at Squire’s Restaurant in Dundalk, constantly interrupted by loud trucks and tractor-trailers passing through.

Owner Bob Romiti told CBS News Baltimore that it has been that way every single day for the last 25 months, since Holabird Avenue became a popular alternate route following the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“They make a lot of noise, especially if they’re empty; they hit these bumps and rattle like crazy,” Romiti said. “When they’re pulling a heavy load, it will shake my building like an earthquake.”

Romiti said this, combined with backed-up traffic and a less direct route, has led to fewer customers coming to his restaurant.

Now, following Tuesday’s announcement that the state is seeking a new contractor to complete the rebuild project, Romiti is even more frustrated. The Maryland Transportation Authority dropped Kiewit as a contractor in an effort to seek lower costs and shorten the timeline.

“It doesn’t surprise me one bit because nobody is steering the ship,” Romiti said.

In a UMBC poll released on Wednesday, 76% of Baltimore City residents and 84% of Baltimore County residents say the collapse of the Key Bridge has had a great deal or some impact on their lives. Meanwhile, 44% of city residents and 55% of Baltimore County residents say they are not confident the bridge will be rebuilt by 2030.

Those same frustrations are felt by customers inside the restaurant, like Frank and JoAnn Hughes, who live in Old Dundalk.

“I just don’t understand why it’s taking as long as it did,” Frank Hughes said. “95 in Philadelphia collapsed, and they said it was going to take six to eight months to get it back together. It took 10 days, and it was back in operation. Why are we taking so long with this?”

“It’s just going to take longer than expected, and who knows what it’s going to look like after, and we don’t know who is going to be the contractor. And it is a big concern,” added JoAnn Hughes.

They say the traffic in their neighborhood has been a nightmare, and the roads are destroyed because of the heavy trucks forced to come through.

They’re worried the search for a new contractor will just further hold up the project.

“I’m 86 and JoAnn is 89, we hope we live long enough to see the Key Bridge reopen and be able to drive across it,” Frank Hughes said.

The state is now looking for a replacement contractor but pledged the work will continue uninterrupted.

While Romiti said there’s nothing he can do but wait it out, he has a message for the people in charge.

“Get people in there that know what they’re doing and get it going and get it done,” Romiti said. “Don’t be playing politics with this thing, it’s crazy.”

As many as 35,000 vehicles crossed the Key Bridge every day before its collapse.

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 Mary Eber

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — At 46 years old, Jodi Hicks is preparing for her final semester of nursing school in Maryland before taking the national exam to practice nursing. It’s been a lifelong dream she wasn’t sure would come true.

“Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “My dad was an EMT and a fireman, and I loved hearing his stories.”

While raising children with her husband and doing work related to her marketing and communications degree, Hicks considered going back to school at times, but with four little ones at home, the idea was daunting.

In 2013, she became a certified nursing assistant, but because of some health issues in her family, she couldn’t work.

“I actually used those skills to take care of my children and my husband, but all along, I was like, man, being a nurse would be so amazing,” Hicks said.

Now, with her kids all grown up, her 20-year-old daughter Danielle had landed on a career to pursue — nursing — and she wanted her mom to join her.

“I was like, you should do it with me, we should go into nursing school,” Danielle said.

Danielle had always heard her mom talk about going back to school and pursuing a career in nursing. While she was grateful her mom stayed home with her and her siblings, even homeschooling them, she said she didn’t want to see her mom give up on her dream.

“She had a good career that she loved, but I think I could tell she wanted more, and I wanted to help,” said Danielle.

For Jodi, it was an easy yes.

“I say this to people all the time,” Jodi said. “Anytime your 20-year-old daughter wants to do anything with mom, you do it.”

Originally, they planned to go to school at the same time and do everything together, but they settled on different schools, still pursuing the same goal.

Jodi is preparing for her final semester and is set to graduate this August from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at Notre Dame of Maryland University.

The accelerated program is 15 months, with four consecutive semesters.

“It is a rigorous curriculum; there’s no doubt about it,” said Kathleen Wisser, Dean of the School of Nursing at Notre Dame University. “I would be fooling anyone to say that this was a cakewalk because it is not, but we have an enormous number of resources to help our students be successful.”

The hybrid program, with a mix of online and in-person coursework, began in 2019. It’s designed for people who’ve completed a non-nursing bachelor’s degree and want to pursue a second, as well as people who have accumulated credits.

It’s a rolling admission process with admission three times a year in September, January and May.

After graduating, students take the national exam, the NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examination, to practice nursing. Notre Dame of Maryland University has had 100% pass rates for the exam for the last two years.

“I could not be any prouder of faculty and staff who have worked really hard to shepherd our students to a successful first-time pass rate,” said Wisser.

Danielle attends Carroll Community College and will begin her nursing program in August, when Jodi’s comes to an end.

“I’ll actually graduate just before she’s really in the thick of school, so we’re still working through it together and learning together,” said Jodi.

In fact, Danielle was able to pass along her good study tips and how she works through problems to help her mom get into a good rhythm to focus.

“Going back to school for me, I needed to develop some new study habits,” Jodi said. ” I knew how to learn, I knew how to push myself. Working wasn’t the problem, but it was just a whole new ballgame.”

They’ve even had overlaps in what they’re learning.

“I’m listening to [Danielle] talk about pathophysiology,” said Jodi. “She’s doing anatomy and physiology, actually, right now, and so we’ll study together, or she’ll ask me questions, and I’m like, ooh, I just learned that.”

Danielle said at first, she was sad that she and her mom wouldn’t be going to the same school at the same time.

“It ended up being even better cause now she’s had all of that experience, and I can see her go through it. So it’s a lot less intimidating to know what to expect, and then I do have explanations. We can share resources, books, and stuff like that,” she said.

“It’s never too late,” Jodi said. “It’s always possible. There’s always time to fulfill that dream, and take the time; it’s worth it.”

Jodi said she can’t believe how happy she is, even among the busyness and stress.

“I can feel that the end is near,” she said. “I can see this desire that I’ve had to learn being fulfilled.”

If you have a dream, this mother-daughter duo has a message.

“Just do it,” said Danielle.

“Yeah, I think that’s the biggest thing,” said Jodi. “If you have that dream and goal, start looking into it and go after it because you never know how those paths will open up and it’s absolutely possible.”

Nurses are in high demand in Maryland, and the need is projected to grow locally and nationally.

“By 2032, Maryland’s going to be in the top five states for nursing shortages,” said Wisser. “During the pandemic, quite a number of nurses decided to stay; they didn’t retire. However, after the pandemic… there was an exodus of many of our seasoned nurses.”

This exacerbated the existing nursing shortage, she said.

“Our job at Notre Dame is to create pathways for students, whether they’re second degree or they’re coming in as transfer students to complete their baccalaureate degree in a relatively short period of time and then be eligible to sit for NCLEX and become a registered nurse in Maryland,” said Wisser.

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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    ROCHESTER, Minnesota (WCCO) — For nearly a century, the Mayo Clinic carillon has been making music in downtown Rochester, Minnesota.

Rochester is a city of character. The proof is in its architecture.

The Plummer Building at the Mayo Clinic may be the biggest character of them all; its style is classic, and so is its carillon.

“I always call it a piano that has bells instead of strings,” said Austin Ferguson.

For 98.5 years, this instrument has sat at the very top of Plummer. Like clockwork, twice a day, Ferguson becomes the man behind the music. He sits alone, 19 stories above the streets, yet his songs can reach thousands of people at any given time.

“I always joke that if you ever ask somebody how they got into the carillon, their response will be that it was a complete accident. I was in the right place at the right time,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson first laid hands on the instrument in high school and then again in college. Nine years ago, he became the fourth full-time carillonneur in Mayo Clinic history.

“But the idea from the outset for actually having a carillon was to be a war memorial,” said Ferguson. “For the soldiers who had fallen and given up their lives for the country.”

Brothers Charles and William Mayo thought of that after serving in the medical corps during World War I.

The carillon has 56 bells, and the Mayo Clinic said that makes it one of the largest instruments in the world and the largest instrument in Minnesota.

But the bells never move. When Ferguson pushes down on a key, a wire causes the clapper to hit the side of the bell. The melody is entirely mechanical.

“It takes a little bit of getting used to that you use your fists instead of your fingers,” he said.

His biggest fans can be found on street level.

“It’s kind of like you know you’re home when you hear the music going,” said Jessica Johnston. “I do enjoy it. It’s part of Mayo Clinic.”

It’s a place where medicine and music work together. Ferguson said the biggest compliment he can receive is when a patient goes out of their way to thank him.

“‘You played a song that my grandmother used to sing me to sleep when I was homesick from school. That really means something,'” said Ferguson. “What better feeling could possibly you have? What better validation could you have in terms of what you are doing? It’s just wonderful.”

The Mayo Clinic carillon is played twice a day, Monday through Friday. You can watch the performances via livestream on the Mayo Clinic website.

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 Karson Wells

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    ARROYO GRANDE, California (KSBY) — An 18-year-old who says she was one of dozens of women allegedly filmed without their knowledge at Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande filed a lawsuit this week against the gym.

Police announced earlier this month that a suspect had been identified and more than 50 videos showing women inside tanning and red-light therapy rooms at the gym were found during a forensic review.

The filmings are alleged to have taken place between January and December of last year.

According to the lawsuit, the woman notified police after seeing someone filming her while she was inside a tanning bed.

She claims Planet Fitness allowed it to happen and alleges the company is responsible for gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit also alleges the company violated a California Civil Rights law.

The lawsuit is seeking financial compensation and demanding changes at the gym.

Police have not identified the suspect or said whether an arrest was made.

KSBY News contacted Planet Fitness for comment on the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.

Previously, the gym franchise told KSBY, “At Planet Fitness, the safety and privacy of our members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate inappropriate behavior of any kind. We can confirm the franchise group has cancelled the member in question and is working closely with the local police in their investigation. As this is an ongoing investigation, we refer any additional inquiries to the local authorities.”

KSBY News also reached out to the Arroyo Grande Police Department for an update on the investigation but has not heard back.

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.