Family injured in massive home explosion files lawsuit against PG&E, county, contractors

By Carlos E. Castañeda

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    HAYWARD, California (KPIX) — A family injured in a massive explosion in their Hayward home from a gas leak in December 2025 filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric and Alameda County on Wednesday, their attorneys said.

Three members of the Dueñas family were severely injured when their home in the unincorporated Ashland community was destroyed on the morning of December 11, 2025. The explosion happened more than two hours after a gas line was damaged during roadwork construction in front of the home on East Lewelling Boulevard, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The blast completely destroyed the home and left three members of the Dueñas family with severe injuries, including broken bones, burns, and other injuries requiring multiple surgeries as well as lingering trauma, according to the complaint. The family also lost all of their belongings.

Three PG&E workers also suffered minor injuries.

The lawsuit alleged that even though PG&E was notified that a county subcontractor had damaged a gas line across the street from the home, no one notified the Dueñas family of the gas leak or told them to evacuate.

“The Duenas family’s home exploded around them without warning,” said attorney Niall McCarthy in a prepared statement. “For more than two hours, these defendants knew gas was leaking near this family’s home, and not one of them knocked on the door and told the Duenas family to leave. This was yet another devastating Bay Area home explosion that was completely avoidable.”

PG&E told NTSB investigators that its crew at the scene had knocked on the doors of the home, and the two houses on either side of home, to make contact with the residents but no one responded. The lawsuit alleges this claim was false and was contradicted by the family’s account and by video footage from a neighbor’s camera, adding that PG&E made the false statement to cover up its failure to notify residents.

“PG&E is reviewing the lawsuit and will respond appropriately,” said spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian. “The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation process is ongoing and as a party to the investigation we are restricted from commenting further at this time under NTSB rules.”

The NTSB report said that following the initial gas leak, a PG&E responder initially told Alameda County firefighters that assistance was not needed. PG&E reported squeezing off the damaged service line about 8:18 a.m. and later detected gas near the home.

About 20 minutes later, a PG&E crew began digging and squeezed off a 2-inch gas main at 9:29 a.m., stopping the flow to service lines in front of the home, eight minutes before it exploded, the report said.

Aside from PG&E, its parent corporation, and Alameda County, the lawsuit names Oakland-based Redgwick Construction, which was contracted by the county for the East Lewelling roadwork, and Fremont-based Mayo Asphalt Milling, subcontracted by Redwick to do excavation work and whose crew punctured the gas service line. The complaint also names the homes’ landlord.

Redgwick has previously told CBS News Bay Area that its crews were working about two blocks away when a Mayo Asphalt Milling crew ruptured the gas line. The company stated that the incident should have never happened and that it was cooperating with authorities.

Mayo has not responded to previous CBS News inquiries about the incident.

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.

From pupil to caddy, this high schooler will be by Braden Shattuck’s side at 2026 PGA Championship

By Nikki DeMentri

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Oftentimes, the spotlight at a golf major is on the professionals teeing off, but their caddies are just as important.

Delaware County native Braden Shattuck qualified for his third PGA Championship late last month, and he’s sharing this dream with his young caddy.

“He’s pretty settled down,” Beau Riviere said, “and I think he’s getting a good look at the course, and I have good expectations for this week.”

Riviere is on the bag this time.

“I’m pretty lucky,” Riviere said. “I don’t know why he had me caddy for him, but it worked out.”

Shattuck said Riviere is one of the best caddies around.

“I will selfishly say that,” Shattuck said. “He’s very good.”

Riviere started caddying for Shattuck last year and was with him last month at the PGA Professional Championship in Oregon. That’s how this week the two ended up on one of golf’s biggest stages in practically their own backyards.

“It was a pretty stressful few holes before that,” Riviere said, “but it was very special, very just cool. It’s not every day you get this chance.”

Certainly, an experience not many 18-year-old high school seniors get to have.

So how did the two meet? At the Rolling Green Golf Club in nearby Springfield.

“It was great when he was my teacher,” Riviere said, “and it’s great now when he’s my player.”

It’s not a statement many can make.

Riviere first met Shattuck during a lesson at Rolling Green, where Shattuck is the director of instruction, and as they say, the rest is history.

“I think we get along pretty well,” Riviere said. “I try not to say too much to him because I don’t get in his way at all.”

“One of my favorite things about him is — he doesn’t talk unless you talk to him,” Shattuck said. “And I know that sounds crazy, but I’m the same way when I’m playing golf.”

Sounds like the right person to have by your side.

Whatever happens this week, Riviere is soaking it all in, especially when he looks out and sees familiar faces cheering the two of them on.

“It’s special, you know?” Riviere said. “I don’t think many people out here get to do that when they look in the crowd and see people they know.”

Riviere is quite the golfer himself, winning the individual Public League championship three years in a row as well as the Public League MVP.

The soon-to-be Science Leadership Academy graduate is heading to Allegheny College this fall, where he’ll golf.

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Luau and auction fundraiser happening this month benefitting La Pine Community Kitchen

Kelsey Merison

LA PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Happening this month, one of the most important pillars of southern Deschutes County is holding a fundraiser.

On Saturday, May 30th, from 5-10 p.m., the La Pine Community Kitchen is holding ‘Together for Tomorrow’ luau and auction fundraiser. You can enjoy Hawaiian food and help feed people who need a hand up at the Wetlands Taphouse.

80% of the people the community kitchen helps are seniors.

To get your tickets or help out, click here.

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New Yorker describes hantavirus quarantine experience after cruise ship outbreak: “Trying to stay positive”

By Alexa Herrera

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A New York native is among the 18 American passengers who are quarantining in Nebraska after being on the cruise ship at the center of the deadly hantavirus outbreak.

Jake Rosmarin is one of three New Yorkers who were on the M/V Hondius. Rosmarin, originally from Monroe in Orange County, described his time so far in the quarantine facility.

“I know I’m in the best care possible, and I’m just trying to stay positive,” he told CBS News New York’s Mary Calvi.

Rosmarin said the trip went downhill during the last 24 to 48 hours when passengers learned there was a confirmed case of hantavirus.

“It was that week following before we could get off the ship and repatriated by the United States, that was a really scary time, specifically for me,” he said.

Rosmarin said it was frightening that no government wanted the ship to disembark at their ports due to the virus.

Rosmarin described the trip as an expedition journey, and said the passengers weren’t on a typical cruise. He said there were only 113 passengers and everyone knew each other.

He said some of their destinations included South Georgia Island, where they saw the largest king penguin colony in the world, and Tristan da Cunha.

“We got to swim in the middle of the ocean, not far from the equator, where the ocean was over 15,000 feet deep,” he said. “Overall, I mean it was a really, really unbelievable experience.”

In quarantine, Rosmarin said he doesn’t do much during the day besides blood work, temperature checks and relax. There’s also a stationary bike inside the room for exercise.

Rosmarin said he feels well and he has no symptoms. He will continue to be monitored in quarantine for a total of 40 days.

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Firefighters honored for going beyond, comforting and aiding resident in her husband’s final days

By Erin Jones

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    MELISSA, Texas (KTVT) — In Melissa, firefighters are being honored. A local senior known around town as the “Braum’s Granny” is recognizing them for supporting her during her husband’s final days.

Earlier this year, longtime resident Judy Smith took a job at Braum’s. At the time, her husband Forrest Smith was battling several health issues, including dementia. His doctors thought working might be good for her.

“Dementia is a horrible thing, and they want you to get out of the house and get some time for yourself,” she said.

It didn’t take long for Judy Smith to become a local favorite. Among her regulars were Melissa firefighters, who had already known Judy Smith for several years.

“You know they started this journey with dementia with me,” she said. “They had come to my house so many times because he would fall, and I couldn’t get him up.”

One fire captain in particular went above and beyond. Judy Smith became especially close to Captain Tyler Wine.

“Long before she was Braum’s Granny, she was the station granny,” Wine said. “So, she became family almost immediately, and she reminds me a lot of my own grandmother.”

Last month, when her husband’s health started to rapidly decline, Wine wasn’t on duty, but Judy Smith said he came anyway. He was determined to make sure she wouldn’t face those final hours alone.

“He spent the night at the house, and he set his clock for every hour to administer the medicine and told me to kick back in the recliner and go to bed, and he would go in there and stay with Pop,” she said.

During a Melissa City Council meeting, the entire fire department was honored, and Judy Smith got to publicly say thank you.

“We signed up to do this for a job, but for a lot of us, it goes past that,” Wine said. “I think in today’s world we’ve lost a little bit of taking care of each other, so that’s why I was there for her when I was off duty. It goes past just showing up for work.”

“He’s top shelf,” Judy Smith said. “They’re all top-shelf. They have been nothing short of angels and heroes. You know, first responders—I don’t think they get enough credit for what they do.”

She said she hopes this recognition shows the department just how loved and appreciated they are.

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.

May marks Jewish American Heritage Month

Jessamyn Dodd

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – May marks Jewish American Heritage Month, honoring over 350 years of Jewish contributions to American history.

From science and medicine to the men and women who built Hollywood, Jewish Americans have helped shape the nation’s story for generations.

Officially recognized in 2006 under President George W. Bush, the history dates back centuries, starting with Jews arriving in North America in 1654, to Jewish immigrants fleeing Nazi occupation and finding their way to California.

Imperial County’s Assistant Public Defender Daniel Rosenberg says it’s important for American Jews to know their history, religion, and culture.

He praised Cynthia and Wayne Harvie, a Brawley couple who have kept Imperial County’s only synagogue alive for decades.

“There are people that are still alive today. People like the Harvie’s who maintain Judaism here in the community in Imperial County without any compensation,” Rosenberg said.

“They’re just doing it because it’s their way of giving back to the community and that’s so important,” he added.

The synagogue’s visitor book dated back to 1943.

Rosenberg does not shy away from wearing his heritage proudly, donning a kippah and tzitzit every day, even while in the courtroom.

Rosenberg said that because of the way he looks, he is constantly being asked questions that are clearly based on misinformation.

“The reason why it’s specifically so important nowadays is because of how much misinformation unfortunately is found online. You go online and you see the hate and you see the vitriol and you see the venomous libels—things are found there. And the only way to combat that is through knowledge,” he said.

Rosenberg credits his mother, his grandmother Goldie Rosenberg, and his wife, Devorah, as inspiration in his life.

He pointed out other Jewish Americans like Jonas Salk, who helped develop the polio vaccine, choosing not to patent it in an effort to keep the vaccine affordable and accessible.

“I have a laundry list of people who are very important to me,” Rosenberg explained.

Judith Klein Pritchard’s family escaped Austria and Poland during the Holocaust. She still holds on to a letter her father wrote when he was 14 to the U.S. government, begging for a visa for his family.

She said the family was alerted by a former friend of theirs turned Nazi soldier , that a train was to pick them up the next day and take them to a concentration camp. They escaped and ended up in Italy, where a group of nuns hid them until they were able to make their way to America.

“It’s very important that people remember. It’s unfortunate that people have forgotten. We are a small section of the worldwide population, and yet even to this day, we have been earmarked for, I honestly believe, destruction,” Pritchard said.

Both sides of Pritchard’s family were affected by the Holocaust.

This month is also a reminder of education, cultural understanding, and sharing stories of all cultures across Imperial County.

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YUHSD’s MAP program spotlights local student art at annual gala

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma Union High School District’s (YUHSD) Mastery of the Arts Program, commonly known as MAP, hosted their annual gala Tuesday night.

The event showcased students’ visual art projects as well as performing arts, emceed by the podcasting class offered in the program.

Program Executive Director Lauren Spurlock said, “It’s a student-ran production, so our theater technology class does all of the lights and sound…We have them backstage moving props and things, so every part of it is student-produced, and our podcasting class functions as our emcees tonight.”

Students work collaboratively with community artists and educators. One student, Chloe-Marie Keim, says the program has helped her grow as an artist.

“It’s really helped me grow especially as an artist there’s a lot more in-depth experience,” Keim explained.

MAP is designed for all YUHSD students who are interested in the arts. The program is open to students in ninth through 12th grade.

For students interested in MAP, there is an application process that you can check out here.

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Yuma labor force shrinks 6.9% year over year as more residents retire

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma labor force shrank by 6.9% year over year. Experts say it’s because more people are starting to retire.

According to the City of Yuma, the leading demographic of age in Yuma is 65+. The population of retired residents in Yuma makes up between 15 to 19%.

Doug Walls, the Labor Market Information Director, said, “Over the past few months, we’ve seen some declines in the labor force and that could be for a number of reasons that can be because people are aging out of the labor force. Individuals who are looking for a job and weren’t able to find that, became discouraged, and left the labor force.”

Arizona is seeing an aging population of individuals 65 and older expecting to retire out of the labor force, which should leave a gap for the new workforce to come in.

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Man wins Powerball using numbers from a Zoltar fortune-teller machine 30 years ago

By Joseph Buczek

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    FRASER, Michigan (WWJ) — A man in Fraser, Michigan, used a set of three-decade-old lucky numbers from an animatronic fortune-teller machine to score a $1 million Powerball prize.

Stephen Huesgen, 56, says he received the lucky set of numbers from a Zoltar machine 30 years ago in Las Vegas and has been playing those numbers in lottery games ever since.

Huesgen played the same numbers in the April 22 drawing, matching all five white balls: 24-29-32-49-63.

“The morning after the Powerball drawing, I saw an email from the Lottery, which is when I found out I’d won a $1 million Powerball prize. I yelled to my wife, ‘Is this real?’ I don’t think this is going to fully hit me until I cash the check,” Huesgen said.

With his winnings, Huesgen plans to pay off his car and house, take a vacation and save for retirement.

The Powerball is sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Tickets cost $2 apiece, with drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

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.

Northern California gas prices top $6 as food truck owners feel the squeeze

By Nina Burns

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    MODESTO, California (KOVR) — For the first time this year, the average price of a gallon of gas in Northern California has climbed above $6, and food truck owners in Modesto say the rising fuel costs are taking a serious toll on their businesses.

At Modesto’s downtown Grub Hub food truck park, vendors say the pain at the pump is hitting far beyond their personal commutes. For many, fuel powers nearly every part of their operation.

“It’s killing us. It’s crazy,” said Marshall Solorio, owner of the seafood food truck “Crab In Your Pants.”

Solorio says it costs him roughly $250 a week in diesel alone just to move his truck between events and storage.

According to AAA, California’s average gas price has now surpassed $6 per gallon, while diesel prices have climbed even higher.

“It’s jumped up about $1.26 in the past year,” said AAA spokesperson Doug Johnson.

Johnson says diesel prices have seen an even steeper increase.

“It was $5 for a gallon of diesel this time last year. Right now it’s $7.44, so that’s $2.44 higher today than it was this time last year,” Johnson said.

For food truck operators like Solorio, those increases are especially difficult because many rely on both diesel and gasoline every day.

Solorio uses a diesel pickup truck to tow his trailer and a gas-powered generator to keep his kitchen equipment running during service.

“The generator is about five gallons. Those five gallons last me about six hours running the generator because it runs the AC, the hood, the rice cooker,” he said.

At the same time, food costs continue rising.

“Even though our prices went up with corn, potatoes, lemons, gas, diesel — everything in general — we still have the same prices than we had three years ago,” Solorio said.

But that may not last much longer.

If fuel prices continue to surge, Solorio says he may have no choice but to raise menu prices.

“If diesel does go back down, then we can bring our prices back down,” he said. “But at this moment, we’re just hoping for the best.”

Even food trucks that remain parked at Grub Hub still face significant transportation costs, as many owners tow their trucks to catering events and move them into storage overnight.

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.