Child dies from injuries after Overland Park apartment fire

CNN Newsource on April 21, 2026

By Chloe Godding

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    OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (KMBC) — One child has died from their injuries days after an early morning fire in Overland Park, Kansas, that injured several others.

Firefighters from Overland Park, Lenexa and Shawnee responded to the Sheridan Ridge Apartments just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, for a building fire.

When they arrived, crews discovered smoke and fire coming from the two-story apartment building.

Firefighters rescued two victims from the roof and another two victims from a second-story bathroom. Another victim was found on the ground outside the apartment.

One adult and three children were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Another adult was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

On Tuesday, Overland Park officials confirmed that one child did not survive their injuries and died at the hospital.

Another child remained hospitalized Tuesday.

The fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes. The cause is still under 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.

A new chapter: Blackfoot honors retiring Chief Croft after 26 years of service

KIFI on April 21, 2026

News Team

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — The Blackfoot Police Department is entering a new chapter following more than two decades of consistent leadership. On Monday, city officials and community members gathered to honor outgoing Chief Gordon Croft, who is retiring after a distinguished 26-year career with the department.

The retirement ceremony drew law enforcement officers from across the area to share memories and wish the long-serving Chief well in his next chapter.

Reflecting on a career that spanned over a quarter-century, Croft says he’s seen a lot of change over the years, and it’s been quite the ride.

“Every year I look back to how it was to be a police officer when I first started, compared to now. night and day difference. It is crazy. Laws evolve, things change,” said Gordon.

A lifelong Blackfoot resident, Croft raised three sons in the community alongside his wife. While he is stepping down from his badge, he isn’t slowing down. Croft intends to serve a senior mission for his church. 

RELATED: Blackfoot Police Chief reaches top Idaho law enforcement milestone ahead of retirement 

Courtesy Photo: Wes Wheatley, City of Blackfoot

Stepping into the position now is Wes Wheatley, who has been a part of the department for eighteen years. According to City leadership, throughout his nearly two-decade career, Wheatley has served the citizens of Blackfoot in nearly every role within the Police Department.

Wheatley says the commitment to the community and the focus of the force won’t change with him in charge. 

“Honestly, just stay committed to the community and make sure that the department moves forward in the right direction, and keep staffing appropriate and just continue what we’ve been doing,” said Wheatley.

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16-year-old hit with adult murder charge in Columbia robbery

KMIZ on April 21, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 16-year-old boy will face the adult criminal justice system after he was charged with murder and other crimes Tuesday in connection with a robbery and shooting last June.

Deshawn D. Brown of Columbia was charged Tuesday with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and second-degree murder in the killing of Zarian Simpson. Simpson after he followed the people who had robbed him at gunpoint, court documents state.

Dispatchers heard gunfire while Simpson was on the phone with them during the chase. He went silent after the shots rang out, and his car crashed into an apartment complex near Stephens Lake Park.

Brown is accused of being one of the people in a gold SUV who allegedly robbed Simpson before his death. The SUV belongs to Brown’s mother, according to court records. Police also allegedly identified Brown as a suspect through surveillance video that showed the gold SUV and Simpson’s car.

Court documents say police interrogated another defendant, Rodney Moore, 16, who confirmed that Brown was part of the robbery of a person named “Z.” Moore also admitted to firing a gun at Simpson’s vehicle during the chase.

Brown is scheduled for an initial appearance Tuesday afternoon before Judge Kim Shaw.

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Multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans to perform at Deschutes County Fair

KTVZ on April 21, 2026

Kelsey Merison

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans will join Kendall Toyota of Bend’s Free Summer Concert Series on Wednesday, July 29th. The concert will kick off a week of live music and fair experiences.

General admission to the concert is included with fair admission.

The Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo aims to provide a family-first experience, combining live music with traditional fair attractions. Wednesday night’s concert sets the stage for a full week of entertainment, including rides, food, exhibits and community tradition.

Evans is one of the most recognized names in country music, known for her powerful voice and chart-topping hits. She is the fifth most-played female artist at country radio in nearly two decades, with five No. 1 singles including “Born to Fly,” “Suds In The Bucket” and “A Little Bit Stronger.” Several of her No. 1 songs spent two weeks in the top spot and were certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. Overall, she has had 15 songs chart in the top 20 and is a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry.

VIP front-stage access tickets for the concert go on sale this Friday at 10:00 a.m. Both fair admission and VIP concert tickets are available for purchase online at www.tickets.deschutesfair.com.

The fair provides entertainment beyond music, offering activities from afternoons at the petting zoo to evenings filled with music on the grass.

The Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo thanked its concert sponsors, which include Wilco, Indian Head Casino, Kendall Toyota of Bend, and Mike’s Fence Center.

Fair admission tickets are currently available for purchase. The next concert announcement for the 2026 lineup is scheduled for next Tuesday.

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Yuma restaurant owner named Small Business Person of the Year for Arizona

KYMA on April 21, 2026

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Yuma restaurant owner has been named Arizona Small Business Person of the Year.

Alma Ornelas, owner of The Best Taquito, has some advice for small businesses just starting their journey.

“Be consistent, get involved with your communities, support locals, help each other and keep working hard for what they dream,” Ornelas expressed.

She also expresses gratitude to the community she’s served for their support.

“I just want to say thank you because to be honest, this award means a lot for me like I just mentioned, and it’s not just about me. It’s about everybody getting together,” Ornelas remarked.

Ornelas started her journey to success 17 years ago with just a food truck and a heart of service.

Ornelas described what the process of starting a business was like saying, “It’s a lot of long nights, a lot of hard work, be consistent…It hasn’t been easy obviously.”

Ornelas now has two full service locations, one in Yuma and one in San Luis, Arizona.

“When you do something that you really love, and you work hard for it, I mean everything is possible,” Ornelas remarked.

When she started her business she wanted to bring her culture to Arizona and build opportunities for others.

“Being able to share all this and also to create a better life, also opportunities for all the people that are around me, and of course, for future generations,” Ornelas further expressed.

Now, Ornelas will be heading to Washington D.C. to be honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

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Havana Nights Gala raises funds for trauma care therapy in Yuma

KYMA on April 21, 2026

Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – It was a Havana night in Yuma and it was all for a good cause.

The Healing Journey celebrated 15 years of service by hosting Havana Nights.

The gala helped raise funds for the local non-profit, which provides trauma informed care, therapy, counseling and mentoring.

They would like to thank every single sponsor for helping this event come to life.

A special thanks to Veronica Shorr, Pauline Villa, Susan James, Jennifer Steinberg, Emilia Cortez-Sharkey and Jesus Fuentes.

Thanks to sponsors Regional Center for Border Health Foundation, Allo, El Charro, Quechan Indian Tribe, Avenir Bank, Onvida, Yuma Aiport, Pilkington Construction and Valerie Donnelly, Edward Jones.

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From Tiger King to AI: Inside the launch of Nevada’s first artificial intelligence film company

CNN Newsource on April 21, 2026

By Tricia Kean

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Steven Diamond, a former star of the Netflix show “Tiger King 2,” is bringing the future of filmmaking to Las Vegas as the owner of Lumovex, the first artificial intelligence film company in Nevada.

Diamond has been in the entertainment industry for most of his life and frequently gets asked how he transitioned from “Tiger King” to AI. Today, his company specializes in marketing, brand advertising, and cinematic storytelling.

“That’s the side that has really blown up,” Diamond said.

Diamond told me a major problem with current AI content is that much of it looks fake.

“If you can watch a video clip and go, ‘That looks like AI,’ then it’s garbage. It’s what we call in the industry ‘AI slop,'” Diamond said.

To combat this, Lumovex focuses on high-quality AI production, which Diamond says has helped the business grow significantly over the past two years.

“So what we do is 100 percent cinematic, movie quality — just like filming a movie in a traditional way, except we use AI to create that cinematic look and feel at a fraction of the cost,” Diamond said. “But what we use AI really for is scale. And it allows us to create content much faster.”

The company produces a wide range of content, from micro-dramas like “The Life of the Lazy” and “Amityville” to cinematic films like “Medusa” and “Pursuit of Pearl.”

Beyond traditional storytelling, Diamond says there is high demand for AI talent to replace human actors, and Lumovex specializes in creating digital spokesmodels and influencers for businesses.

“You don’t have, you know, any of the costs that would be traditional with actresses or actors, and so you can own that influencer or that spokesmodel for your business,” Diamond said.

I asked Diamond if Lumovex could show me what television news might look like one day. He demonstrated this capability by generating an AI version of a news anchor delivering a broadcast.

Diamond told me Lumovex can take a host, spokesperson, or reporter, have them walk and talk, and place them in any global destination without viewers being able to tell the difference.

Diamond believes businesses must adapt to the changing media landscape. He says companies that fail to incorporate some form of artificial intelligence soon will just as soon be left behind.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KTNV verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.

Oregon safari owner pleads guilty to animal neglect, faces sentencing

KTVZ on April 21, 2026

Kelsey Merison

BANDON, Ore. (KTVZ) — Back in February 2025, KTVZ News brought you a developing story regarding the West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon, after a December 2024 inspection conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed the safari’s conditions.

Several big cats appeared malnourished with visible ribs and hip bones. Coos County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 52-year-old Brian Tenney in May 2025 in connection to the multi-agency investigation into the game park safari that he owns.

On Monday, April 20th, 2026, Tenney pled guilty to 47 criminal charges, 43 of which related to neglecting the animals.

PETA Foundation Managing Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler shared the following statement with us:

“After years of starving and neglecting animals and imprisoning them in filthy, decrepit enclosures, including condemning a highly social chimpanzee to solitary confinement, Brian Tenney may now get a taste of what it feels like to be stripped of his freedom, locked in a cage, and deprived of everything meaningful to him. PETA is grateful to the Oregon State Police for investigating Tenney’s crimes and urges the court to impose the maximum penalty at his July 20 sentencing.”

After executing multiple search warrants at the roadside zoo in May 2025, law enforcement officials confiscated 322 animals.

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Jury trial begins in Holts Summit deadly shooting

KMIZ on April 21, 2026

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state presented more witness testimony Tuesday as the jury trial for a deadly 2025 Holts Summit shooting continues.

This testimony included new information on both Smith’s retelling of events and the whereabouts of Dills’ gun following the shooting.

A 12-person jury was picked Monday to decide the fate of 38-year-old Heather Smith, who allegedly shot and killed 37-year-old Kara Dills at Hunter Lane Apartments in April 2025.

Smith is facing charges of second-degree murder, child endangerment, armed criminal action and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon.

Smith claims the shooting was in self-defense. It followed a tense situation between Smith and Dills’ family in the apartment’s parking lot after children who were family members of Smith and Dills got into an altercation while riding bikes.

Following a confrontation between Smith and Dills, Dills allegedly pistol-whipped Smith and walked away. When Dills hit Smith, the gun went off, grazing a man on his head. Smith then allegedly shot Dills in the stomach, killing her.

According to Callaway County Lt. Ryan Lacey, Smith’s testimony following the shooting differed. He confirmed that Smith made claims including Dills shot a gun at her head from a distance away during the altercation.

Dills’ mother, Deanna Dills, also revealed that following the shooting, she lied to officials about Dills’ gun.

“I was afraid for my daughter. I felt like she would get in trouble, and I didn’t want her in trouble,” Deanna Dills said. “I didn’t know she was dead yet.”

Deanna Dills later showed the gun to officials when they asked a second time later in the investigation.

Lacey also confirmed that he did not arrest Deanna Dills for initially lying about the gun for two reasons.

“The first one was the homicide investigation took priority, ensuring that all the bases were covered, all steps were taken.” Lacey said. “The second was, Deanna watched her daughter get killed.”

The prosecution alleged during opening statements that before the confrontation, Smith initially threatened both Dills’ mother and boyfriend with a gun.

Deanna Dills testified that Smith walked up to her porch first to comment about their children and then later left. Smith then returned to confront Deanna Dills again and flashed a gun that was holstered in the waistband of her shorts, allegedly saying, “I’m not afraid of nobody.”

Deanna Dills was with a 9-year-old girl, who is a close family friend and considered a granddaughter of Deanna during the altercation.

“I grabbed [her] arm started to walk backwards, I didn’t want my granddaughter to get shot by somebody, so I was just trying to get back inside,” Deanna Dills said. “I was shocked that there was a gun involved.”

Video surveillance showed Smith threatening witnesses with a pistol in the parking lot before the shooting.

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57th draft pick will get a lifetime supply of Heinz ketchup

CNN Newsource on April 21, 2026

By Christopher DeRose

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    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — While all eyes will be on the No. 1 pick at this year’s NFL draft, on Friday night, Heinz is going to be serving up draft pick 57 to the world.

Pittsburgh is Heinz’s hometown, and they’re the official condiment of the NFL. Since the number 57 is synonymous with the brand, the corporation says it seems only right to sponsor the 57th pick in the draft.

“We are going to be sponsoring the 57th pick and actually working with a recognizable past 57th pick, Devin Hester, so that is going to be coming on Day 2 of the draft this week,” said Jamie Mack, the associate director of communications for Heinz U.S.

The 57th pick will be dubbed “Mr. 57,” and that player will receive a lifetime supply of Heinz ketchup.

While the 57th pick is on the clock Friday night, fans can score $25 off orders from Heinz-verified restaurants, like Primanti Bros., on Uber Eats. For more information and a full list of select restaurants, fans can head to Heinz’s 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.