Month: May 2026

By Laney Toliver, KOMU 8 Reporter

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    MEXICO, Missouri (KOMU) — — In a hangar in central Missouri, pieces are built and put into a kit for customers to purchase.

Zenith Aircraft Company has been manufacturing kit airplanes in Mexico, Missouri, since the early 1990s, operating in a niche corner of aviation where buyers build their own aircraft from supplied parts and instructions.

The company traces its origins back to aeronautical engineer Chris Heintz, who began designing light aircraft in the 1970s. Zenith Aircraft was later established in Missouri to produce and distribute those designs in kit form, according to company history.

Ownership has remained within the family. Sebastian Heintz, the company’s owner and president, said the business is rooted in his father’s work in aviation.

“My dad started building airplanes even before I was born, so I kind of grew up in the business,” Heintz said. “Being surrounded by airplanes, it was always a love for me. And we’ve been doing this for over 34 years now.”

Zenith does not sell completed aircraft. Instead, customers receive pre-manufactured components and assemble the plane themselves.

The company operates in what aviation groups describe as the experimental and amateur-built aircraft category, where thousands of aircraft are registered across the United States each year.

For many customers, Heintz said, the appeal is both financial and personal.

“Building an airplane is an interesting way of going about it,” he said. “And the nice thing is, when you’re flying in the airplane that you’ve built yourself, there’s definitely a big reward there.”

Most builds take hundreds of hours, often stretching across multiple years depending on the builder’s experience and available time.

Roger Dubbert, a demo pilot with Zenith Aircraft, said many customers come to the company later in life after years of wanting to build and fly their own plane.

“I’m talking to customers who have waited all their lives to build their own aircraft and fly it,” Dubbert said. “And so it’s very rewarding to be with them and help them achieve their goals and then take them for a demo flight.”

Dubbert, who has worked with Zenith since the 1990s, said he also built his own aircraft, a Zenith 701.

“I built a Zenith 701 back in ’98, and we use it as a demo airplane also,” he said.

During a flight in one of the company’s aircraft, Dubbert said the plane being used had taken about two years to build.

Heintz said the building process can feel intimidating at first, especially for first-time builders.

“It’s getting started, having the confidence in yourself that you can do it, and then actually doing it,” he said.

To help with that learning curve, the company hosts workshops where builders can practice skills such as drilling and riveting before beginning their own aircraft.

While modern manufacturing techniques have made kits easier to assemble, Heintz said the core appeal has not changed.

“It used to be you got a flat piece of sheet metal, you had to cut it, measure it, drill it,” he said. “Now the parts are ready for assembly.”

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 KABC Staff

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    KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and throughout the next few weeks, Eyewitness News is highlighting members of the community.

On Wednesday, the focus turned to Kim’s Home Center, a home goods store in Koreatown that has become a beloved staple for Korean families across the Southland.

Kim’s Home Center was founded in 1979 by the grandfather of current vice president Scott Kim. He immigrated from Korea and recognized a gap in the market for Korean appliances and household items.

“There weren’t a lot of Korean appliances, there weren’t a lot of Korean kitchenware or even home goods that anyone is able to provide, so that’s something he saw a market in,” he said.

The family-run business has evolved through multiple generations, with each bringing different perspectives on what customers want.

Cindy Kim Evans, the store’s import director, said those differences have helped the business grow.

“My dad is 40 years older than I am. Two very different generations, but we have, like, different eyes,” she said. “He sort of knows what the older generation Korean wants. I’m like, ‘Hey, younger people are more into this.’ Now with Scott joining the business as like the third generation, it’s great because he has a whole different set of eyes.”

The store is known for its wide-ranging inventory, from Korean slippers ordered in large quantities to popular K-beauty products.

Customers say the selection is difficult to find elsewhere.

“So these are the visors that sold out, and they’re amazing because it covers 180. You can’t really find them in [Orange County.] That’s why we buy them here,” said Sarah Ahn of @ahnestkitchen.

For many shoppers, Kim’s Home Center is more than a place to buy household items; it is a link to cultural memory and family history.

“It’s just the nostalgic place for us,” Ahn said. “For our parents, it was their version of Korea to get their products, and for us, new generation, it’s where we continue to buy our parents’ things that they use. I think it’s just such an iconic part of K-Town and no one knows beyond maybe the Korean community and people who live around here. But I feel like every SoCal Korean knows this place. It’s low key, but also not.”

Other customers echo that sentiment, citing both the products and the people who work there.

“I love just the people that work here. I come in and I feel like their aunties are just like watching over me as soon as I come in,” said Keehup Yong of Koreatown. “To have a store like this, where again, you can see everything that you grew up with. It’s like really nice. Fifteen different rice cookers?! It’s like a dream to me.”

Kim Evans said she now sees younger generations continuing the tradition of shopping at the store for hard-to-find items.

“It’s all of the kids and the grandkids who are now shopping here when they’re like, ‘Hey, I think I need to buy this thing for when I make this thing,'” she said. “It’s like, where can I find that? Oh, let me try Kim’s, and usually, we’ll have it here.”

Ahn summed up the appeal simply: “Where else are you going to get the big kimchi bowls? Where else are you going to get the Korean home slippers that last a long time?”

For Scott Kim, continuing the family business is about more than retail success.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to continue to preserve that Korean culture,” he said. “It’s not just for us, but also for the people who come here and shop here.”

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 Tia Maggio, Graham Cawthon

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    SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — A Savannah police officer was suspended without pay after an internal investigation into an encounter at Ellis Square.

The case drew wider attention after a video of the incident began circulating online, prompting a response from the Savannah Police Department.

In a statement shared Monday on Facebook, Police Chief Lenny Gunther said the department had already reviewed the complaint.

“We’re aware of the video circulating involving one of our officers and an allegation of improper use of force,” Gunther said. “What’s important for people to know is that while this video is just now making its way around social media, the incident itself happened on March 20.”

He said a complaint was filed, an internal investigation was immediately opened, and the inquiry resulted in disciplinary action, including a suspension without pay.

Bodycam captures key moment

Police bodycam shows the moments before and after the use-of-force incident.

In the above video, you can see the officer approach several women as one of them is being placed in handcuffs.

The women take issue with the claim that the one in custody is drunk in public. The video shows one of the women briefly putting her hand up, with the officer swatting it away and shoving both women.

One of the two women falls completely backwards, with the back of her head coming close to hitting the curb.

“She hit my arm, so I shoved her back,” the officer is heard saying. “I could arrest her for that.”

One of the women goes on to ask his name and badge number.

Department says complaint process worked Gunther said the case moved through the department’s internal review system as intended.

“When our officers fall short of expectations, we take that seriously, and we act,” he said. “Our officers are working in fast-moving, sometimes volatile situations, but that doesn’t change the standard. We hold our people accountable.”

He also said the department wants the public to understand there is a formal process for reporting and reviewing complaints against officers.

“In this case, that process worked the way it’s supposed to,” Gunther said.

The department’s statement did not identify the officer, describe the exact policy violation, or detail the length of the suspension.

Mayor comments During a scheduled media briefing on Tuesday, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the case was reviewed internally soon after it happened and that the officer was suspended for one day without pay. The officer did not appeal the punishment.

Johnson said he personally believed the force used was inappropriate.

“When they fall short of our expectations, when they fall short of policy or the law, we take that seriously and we act,” he said.

Community sessions planned Johnson said Savannah plans to hold public sessions this summer to explain police use-of-force policies in plain language.

He said he wants an independent expert — not someone from the Savannah Police Department — to lead the discussion and help residents better understand what officers face in the field.

The sessions may also include a police simulator to give community members a more hands-on sense of how officers make split-second decisions.

“We should have nothing to hide,” Johnson 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 Graham Cawthon

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    LEXINGTON, South Carolina (WJCL) — A teen who was reported kidnapped during an armed home invasion in South Carolina is now accused of helping plan the crime himself, police said.

Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green said the case began Sunday night when two armed men broke into a home on Hendrix Street. Investigators said the intruders, both described as Black males, threatened and assaulted several relatives inside the house, whose ages ranged from 12 to 61.

During the break-in, police initially believed 17-year-old Sema’j Corvin Gardner had been abducted, prompting an extensive search and investigation.

Investigation shifts

As detectives worked with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, authorities said they uncovered evidence that Gardner had conspired with the two suspects to stage his own kidnapping.

Gardner was found Monday evening and arrested, police said.

Because he is being charged as an adult, Gardner was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center. He faces six counts of kidnapping, six counts of first-degree assault and battery, conspiracy, pointing and presenting a weapon, and first-degree burglary.

At a bond hearing, Gardner was denied bond and remains in custody, authorities said.

Another teen arrested, third suspect sought

Police also arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the case. He is charged with six counts of kidnapping, six counts of first-degree assault and battery, conspiracy, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, pointing and presenting a weapon, and first-degree burglary.

The teen is being held by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice while awaiting a bond hearing in Lexington County Family Court.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are still looking for a third suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Cpl. Kenneth Heath at 803-358-1557 or kheath@lexsc.gov.

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 Anthony Carlo

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    GRAND CONCOURSE, New York (WABC) — A Bronx man who relies on a specialized motorized wheelchair says he has been left stranded and in pain after a thief rode off with the $5,000 device outside his Grand Concourse building two weeks ago.

“Devastated that somebody could stoop that low,” said 59-year-old Steven.

Steven needs a hip replacement and wears a colostomy bag because of a rupture in his intestines.

His stolen wheelchair extends upright, a feature he says is essential for his comfort. Without it, even basic tasks have become overwhelming.

“It’s been really hard,” he said, choking up. “I can’t get out to get air like I used to. I used to go to the park. I can’t go to the store. It’s too far for me to walk. I have appointments. I need to pick up prescriptions that are not close by. and I have to walk to the bus.”

Navigating his building has also become a daily challenge. One elevator is blocked by stairs, and the only accessible elevator does not reach his floor.

To get home, he must ride it to the basement and transfer to another elevator, a route that becomes impossible after 8 p.m., when the basement level is no longer accessible.

On late nights, he must leave any mobility device in the lobby and climb upstairs with a cane.

Police are searching for the suspect seen on security video riding away in the wheelchair.

Steven, who lives on Social Security, said replacing it is not financially possible.

“Think about if it was your brother, your sister, your mother or your father and how would they feel if their lifeline was taken from them,” he said. “Think twice before you do something like that.”

The investigation is ongoing.

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.