Teens allegedly held bus passengers at gunpoint, rise in youth violence

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Madison Perales

Click here for updates on this story

    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Investigators are looking into a robbery on an Omaha bus. The incident involved two 15-year-olds and one 17-year-old. The oldest suspect was on probation.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said youth crimes are higher than he’s ever seen them before.

He said the crimes are getting more violent and more frequently involving guns.

Seventeen-year-old Maurice Smith-Walker is now charged as an adult for allegedly holding two Metro Transit bus passengers at gunpoint Saturday.

“Juvenile court’s jurisdiction ends when a person reaches the age of maturity, which is 19,” Kleine said. “So, the closer people get to that age, the more difficult it becomes to send somebody to juvenile court, because the process itself takes time.”

He highlighted programs to rehabilitate youth at places like Boys Town, but the only place for what he calls violent young people are YRTCs.

“Not a whole lot of other options,” he said.

The judge gave Smith-Walker a no pre-trial release, a $250,000 bond, and no contact with the victims.

Kleine said that given the teen’s criminal history and being in and out of the Douglas County Youth Center.

“The judge probably decided that they’re too big a risk,” Kleine said.

Right now, DCYC is the only place Smith-Walker can go.

It’s still in operation, despite the new Douglas County Youth and Family Support Center sitting empty downtown.

It has been since 2024 because of capacity and financing issues.

KETV Investigates asked the county for an update. At the moment, DCYC has 68 youths.

The new building can hold 64 beds in total.

Those young people can’t move into the new space until those capacity numbers are down.

Smith-Walker is slated to go before a judge again in June.

Metro Transit said it does not comment on ongoing investigations.

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.

Student finds gun in school staff bathroom

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By WGAL

Click here for updates on this story

    WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — An 18-year-old student at Washington High School in Pennsylvania found a gun in a staff bathroom earlier this month, prompting questions about school safety and communication.

Lucas McCarthy said he had asked a staff member for a key to use the staff bathroom, where he discovered the gun lying on the ground.

“I looked down and I saw the gun just lying there. I didn’t touch it or anything, trying to stay calm because I know a lot of people get fast reactions and nervous anxiety, so I kind of kept it calm,” McCarthy said.

The gun was later determined to belong to a school resource officer. McCarthy immediately alerted the same staff member who had given him the key and then informed his mother.

McCarthy’s mother expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the school district following the incident.

“From that point on, I just kind of waited, thinking the school was gonna call. I got nothing. It would’ve been nice to get a call from the superintendent or, you know, I haven’t been spoken to, or they could’ve said, you know, put out a call to the parents. This is what happened,” Mary Jane Vasko said.

She also questioned how the gun could have gone unnoticed.

“Everybody is human, we all make mistakes. We don’t understand how that hits the ground,” Vasko said.

I hear my phone when it drops, it’s obvious. I don’t know how you don’t hear a 5-pound gun,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy’s mother also expressed concerns about the officer’s continued presence at the school.

“I don’t think that that particular officer should be at the school anymore. I don’t wanna see anybody’s life be ruined, but the repercussions of what could’ve happened could’ve ruined multiple lives,” Vasko said.

The school district released a statement addressing the incident.

“We take the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously. We are reviewing our procedures and reinforcing expectations with all staff,” the statement said.

The district added that “appropriate disciplinary action has been taken in accordance with district policies” and emphasized its commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment.

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.

Bank drive-thru collapses on multiple vehicles, one person taken to hospital

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By JoBeth Davis

Click here for updates on this story

    INDEPENDENCE, Missouri (KMBC) — At least one person was taken to an area hospital and two others were treated at the scene after a bank drive-thru collapsed on multiple vehicles in Jackson County, Missouri, Monday morning.

That incident happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the Central Bank Sugar Creek branch.

Sugar Creek Police and Fire authorities responded to the location, which has an Independence, Missouri, postal address.

Officials with the Sugar Creek Fire Department said three customer vehicles were pinned under debris after that collapse. At least three people had to be helped out from under the structure. One person was taken to an area hospital by ambulance.

Officials said the scene has since been handed over to the Sugar Creek Buildings Department. The bank drive-thru remains inaccessible.

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.

Scientists use raccoons, possums with tracking devices to locate invasive Burmese pythons in Florida

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Malcolm Shields

Click here for updates on this story

    FLORIDA (WPBF) — Scientists discovered a way to lure invasive Burmese pythons that have upset Florida’s ecosystem, including the Everglades.

According to a 2023 report by Southern Illinois University, in September 2022, researchers who were tracking the movements of raccoons and possums in Key Largo noticed that the animals were being eaten by Burmese pythons.

The raccoons and possums were fitted with tracking devices, so the researchers had to retrieve the tracking devices.

While retrieving the tracking devices, the scientists discovered that it allowed them to find the Burmese pythons that had eaten the possums or raccoons.

The researchers determined that using raccoons and possums with tracking devices as bait could help with capturing Burmese pythons and removing them from the environment.

The USDA National Invasive Species Information Center and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have designated the Burmese python as an invasive species, as the large snakes are native to Southeast Asia.

Burmese pythons were introduced in the United States as exotic pets, but over the years, the snakes either escaped or were intentionally released into the wild, primarily in South Florida.

Since 2017, the FWC has enacted the Python Action Team — Removing Invasive Constrictors program to find and kill Burmese pythons on public lands.

As of April 2025, the state has removed more than 23,500 pythons from public lands, and of that total, more than 11,000 pythons were removed by the Python Action Team in conjunction with the South Florida Water Management District.

The FWC also sanctions the 10-day Florida Python Challenge annually.

The competition encourages participants to remove Burmese pythons from seven locations in South Florida.

Participants who reach certain criteria are eligible for cash prizes. According to the FWC, last year, a record 294 Burmese pythons were removed from South Florida with the help of 934 participants from 30 states and Canada.

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.

School bus driver on trial, accused of child sexual assault

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Kendall Keys

Click here for updates on this story

    WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (WISN) — A Pewaukee school bus driver is on trial, accused of sexually assaulting young girls on his route. Thomas Felser, 63, faces 11 felony charges, including first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The jury trial began Monday. A jury of 14 was seated, including seven men and seven women, two of whom will be alternates.

In opening arguments, the state pointed to video evidence collected from Felser’s bus, saying it proves the accusations against him.

“This case is about a bus driver who was entrusted with the safety of the students. And instead of getting them safely to their destination, he preyed upon them,” Waukesha County Assistant District Attorney Vivien Morris said.

Felser’s defense attorney set out to poke holes in the state’s evidence.

“The videos in this case are, most of them are ambiguous, or just flat out not showing what the police believe they show,” defense attorney Craig Powell said.

The first surveillance video was shown in court Monday.

The mother of a 6-year-old victim said she became concerned after tracking her daughter’s bus app, noticing the bus was staying in one location. She drove to the bus’s location and found her daughter alone on the bus with Felser.

“I was just talking to her about her day a little bit. Sometimes we do that,” Felser said in the video.

The video shows Felser and the young girl walking to the front of the bus, where her mom picks her up.

The mother said she called 911 minutes after the exchange.

“He was like a deer in headlights. When he looked up, you could tell his eyes were wide and he took a deep sigh and, to me, he was scared,” the mother of the victim said.

She said her daughter also appeared to be scared.

“I could see her fear. I could physically see her heart. When I looked through my rearview mirror, I could see her chest, and it was beating, and I had strong suspicions that something had gone on, I didn’t know to what extent,” the mother said.

Pewaukee police obtained weeks of video evidence from the bus. Prosecutors say the surveillance video shows Felser sexually assaulting four girls on his bus. One of the victims is just 4 years old.

Monday, the state also called two Pewaukee police officers to the witness stand, and a worker for GO Riteway, the bus company Felser worked for. GO Riteway suspended Felser immediately following his arrest.

Felser was a teacher in the school district for 37 years before becoming a bus driver. He taught at Pewaukee High School and Asa Clark Middle School.

The trial is expected to last until Friday.

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.

8 guardsmen injured in military vehicle accident in Fort Smith

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Talya Holgate-Allen

Click here for updates on this story

    FORT SMITH, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — Eight soldiers were injured in a military vehicle accident at Fort Chaffee, according to a news release from the Arkansas National Guard.

The accident happened Monday morning around 11 a.m. during a training exercise. According to the news release, the accident included three heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks (HEMMTs).

Officials said the vehicles were driving down a dirt road at the time of the accident. They said visibility was low because of dust kicked up, which the HEMMTs and drivers could not see when another one stopped.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident.

“The road’s dusty conditions. I’m sure that has probably something to do with what happened,” said Col. Joel Lynch, State Public Affairs Officer with the Arkansas National Guard. “But anyhow, the first vehicle stopped, second vehicle didn’t react in time and hit the first vehicle. Then that third vehicle in that convoy hit the second vehicle. And somewhere in there we had all the injuries and we had the one soldier seriously injured.” They had to use the jaws for life to to, to pry him out of the, the, the cab because it was damaged to that point. So that’s where he sustained some serious injuries on his back and his leg, I believe, as well.”

Seven soldiers were taken to Mercy hospital in Fort Smith with minor injuries and one was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville with serious injuries.

The soldier who was evacuated by air to Washington Regional underwent surgery. Officials said that soldier was taken to a Springfield, Missouri hospital and is now in stable condition.

The other seven soldiers were eventually released from Mercy hospital in Fort Smith Monday and returned to duty.

As of Tuesday, May 5th, one soldier is currently in stable condition at a Springfield hospital.

The soldiers were identified as being part of the 1st Battalion, 142nd Field Artillery Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard which is based in Northwest Arkansas.

Correction: It was previously reported that seven soldiers were injured, but the Arkansas National Guard gave more information confirming that eight soldiers were injured.

In the updated release, they stated that four soldiers returned to duty.

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.

Sister remembers brother who died saving her service dog

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Denzen Cortez

Click here for updates on this story

    EL DORADO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — A Sacramento woman is mourning the loss of her brother, who died while trying to save her service dog during a trip to Rock Creek Bridge.

Kia Hapoy-Clipper said the outing was meant to be a simple day trip with her brother, Robert Solomon III, and family. Hapoy-Clipper said her brother had recently visited the area and suggested they go.

“It wasn’t in my mind to go in there to have fun or go swimming,” she said.

However, things would take a turn. Hapoy-Clipper’s 5-year-old service dog, Sammy, slipped into the water.

“When my dog slipped, my brother automatically jumped in,” she said.

Authorities say the swimming area beneath Rock Creek Bridge contains a powerful hydraulic current, often described as a “washing machine” effect, that can trap swimmers and make escape difficult.

Hapoy-Clipper said both her brother and dog were swept away. She jumped in, trying to reach him.

“I kept pulling him, and I kept getting pushed back by the current,” she said.

She eventually brought him to shore and attempted CPR. Despite her efforts, Robert did not survive. Sammy remains missing.

Through her grief, Hapoy-Clipper wants people to understand her brother’s actions, saying, “His intentions were pure.”

“He wasn’t being reckless,” she said. “He jumped in there to save my dog.”

A GoFundMe has been created to support the family during this time.

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.

Baseball game unites special needs players and amputees

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Jacquelyn Quinones

Click here for updates on this story

    HOLLISTER, California (KSBW) — A baseball game in Hollister brought together players with special needs and amputees this morning for a day of inclusivity, fun, and socialization.

The Challengers Little League and the Prosthetic Solutions team joined forces to show that disabilities are no barrier to enjoying a friendly game of baseball.

The San Benito Challenger Division is a special needs baseball program for children and young adults with mental or physical disabilities.

Their goal is to allow participants to play baseball at their own ability.

“I call it my ‘yes I can’ game because last year we introduced amputees for the first time to Little League, and it was just amazing,” one organizer, Shellie Vegelia, said.

“My kids, without knowing what an amputee was, took it in stride, and they were accepting and they played like they were playing any other ordinary team,” Vegelia added.

Prosthetic Solutions Inc. was invited to participate, bringing amputees who are finding strength and mobility through exercise.

“Our biggest thing is doing things we thought we’d never do again, and having fun is the best way to do that,” one participant, Wade Skardoutos, said.

Prosthetic Solutions staff said events like these empower them and others.

“We feel like we’re limited when we have limb loss, and what we want to show them is you’re not,” Skardoutos said.

One participant from the Prosthetics team shared their hope to inspire others.

“Show them that we can do everything and show the young kids to never give up,” the participant 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.

Ube’s already popular in Hawaii, but now it’s a global sensation

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Kristen Consillio

Click here for updates on this story

    KALIHI, Hawaii (KITV) — Kalihi isn’t your typical visitor destination, but more and more tourists are venturing there just to get a taste of ube.

“It’s part of my bucket list,” said a customer visiting from California. “That’s for sure. Come and try it.”

It’s become a social media sensation — ube in everything from cookies, cheesecakes, soft serve and even liquor.

“It’s definitely something that I see a lot on social media so it’s coming out and the more people talk about it, the more we want to come try it,” said a woman who recently moved to the islands.

The vibrant starchy root vegetable — or purple yam — is a common staple in Filipino cuisine.

“It just shines light on ube and Filipinos and you take pride in that,” said Jeremy Jataas, owner of Ubae in Kalihi. “We share it with the world, we share with whoever wants to try it.”

Jataas started his Ubae dessert shop in 2017 and saw the wave coming.

“It’s becoming a huge craze, way more than it was in 2017 for sure,” he said. “It’s almost like the next chocolate and vanilla. It’s just being incorporated in all kinds of stuff.”

And it’s now gaining global popularity with demand for ube surging not only in the U.S. but in Europe and the Middle East.

And with the appetite for the purple delicacy not slowing down, it’s leaving a sweet taste in the mouths of up-and-coming customers.

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.

Coyote’s epic swim to Alcatraz Island started much farther away than San Francisco, National Park Service says

CNN Newsource on May 5, 2026

By Carlos E. Castañeda

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A coyote that gained international attention after it was spotted swimming in frigid San Francisco Bay and arriving at Alcatraz Island earlier this year began its epic swim farther away than initially assumed, according to the National Park Service.

The intrepid coyote was spotted in January; a viral video showed it struggling to get its footing and shivering as it crawled out of the water onto the rocky shore of the former federal penitentiary. On Sunday, the NPS said in a press release that researchers determined the coyote likely started its journey from Angel Island State Park, and not from San Francisco. Alcatraz in about 1.25 miles away from San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, and approximately 2 miles from Angel Island.

“We are surprised by the coyote’s origin,” said park service wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle in a prepared statement. “Our working assumption was that the coyote made the swim from San Francisco because it is a significantly shorter distance. We couldn’t help being impressed by his accomplishment in making it to Alcatraz. Coyotes are known to be resilient and adaptable, and he certainly demonstrated those qualities.”

NPS said that after the coyote was spotted, park biologists surveyed Alcatraz for tracks, placed cameras along trails, and collected evidence to learn more about the island visitor. Coyote scat was collected and sent to the University of California, Davis veterinary genetics lab, and the results matched the male coyote’s DNA to Angel Island’s coyote population, NPS said.

Researchers were interested in finding the coyote and relocating it because of the seabird nesting habitats on Alcatraz, but the coyote not seen again or captured on any of the recording devices placed. Despite the extensive search, the NPS said there is no evidence the coyote is still on Alcatraz Island, and no remains have been found.

“We don’t know what happened to the coyote,” Merkle said. “But he proved himself an expert swimmer to get to Alcatraz, and I hope he made a successful swim back home to Angel Island.”

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.