Month: May 2026

By Emily Pofahl

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Milwaukee homeowners will need to bag their leaves this fall instead of sweeping them into piles or onto the street, following a surprise policy change announced Wednesday by the Department of Public Works to address flooding concerns.

Beryl Harper, a resident of Cold Spring Park, said leftover leaves on her street contributed to flooding after record rainfall earlier this month. She’s not convinced the new policy will help.

“Are you going to actually come out on a scheduled time and actually get those bags up, or are we going to turn around, and it’s blowing down the street?” Harper said.

Jerrel Kruschke, commissioner of the Milwaukee Department of Public Works, announced the city will require residents to bag their leaves instead of piling them along curbs. Kruschke says the change will start this fall.

It took the Public Works Committee by surprise.

“We do not need city approval. I think, as we just discussed in this committee meeting, that we’ll come back and lay out the plan for them so everyone understands,” Kruschke said after the meeting Wednesday.

Alderman Lamont Westmoreland said he wished DPW had consulted the public and the council before implementing the policy.

“They say it’s going to start this fall. The hell it is. Not over my dead body,” he said.

He noted that the change has overwhelmed his office with constituent calls.

“It killed the efficiency of my office today,” Westmoreland said.

Alderman Scott Spiker also criticized the decision, saying it places an undue burden on residents.

“You’re telling me I have this city service that’s been provided for decades, and now I have to tie everything up in a bow?” Spiker said. “Some folks have trouble enough raking to the curb. Asking this puts them to the breaking point.”

While DPW does not require council approval to change the policy, aldermen can file a resolution to block it.

Harper voiced her concerns about the impact on retirees like herself.

“Now you’re telling me that now that I’m retired and I’m on Social Security, we want this? You’re constantly raising the taxes, and I don’t understand it,” she said.

A DPW spokesperson said the announcement was just the beginning of the process and that the department is working on a detailed plan for bagged leaf pickup to present to the Common Council later this year. The spokesperson added that DPW welcomes the aldermen’s debate and is committed to collaborating on a solution.

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 Erin Lowrey

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (WDSU) — A Shreveport cemetery is donating plots and vaults to eight children who died in a mass shooting last month.

Forest Park Cemetery is donating the space for the children who were shot and killed by Shamar Elkins on April 19.

The children were identified by their mothers as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.

Elkins was the father to seven of those children.

A spokesperson for the cemetery issued the following statement regarding the donation.

“It’s the least that we could do, we can’t imagine what they are going through,” the statement read.

According to KTAL news, the children will be buried on Saturday, May 9. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. that day at Summer Grove Baptist Church, located at 8924 Jewella Ave.

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 Shanice Hopkins

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    EDMOND, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Thirteen people were injured when gunshots rang out Sunday night during a party at Arcadia Lake in Edmond.

The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Sunday, prompting a large law enforcement presence at the lake near 15th Street.

Amid the chaos, uninjured people were taken to a Walmart near Interstate 35 and 15th Street to be reunited with friends and family.

Several witnesses told KOCO 5 that the incident started with an argument that led to gunfire. Some were separated from their friends, and others were left not knowing how many people were hurt.

Those who were at the reunification center said they were grateful that they made it out safely.

The Walmart has since been cleared and is open for business on Monday. The law enforcement investigation and suspect search are ongoing.

Information about the victims and suspects has not been released.

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 Patrick Talbot

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — May is Trauma Awareness Month, and Andrew Reyes, an Oklahoma resident, is sharing his journey of recovery and how he turned a traumatic accident into a mission to help others.

Reyes was struck while riding an electric scooter across a street last year and was transported to OU Health in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

He spent more than a month recovering in the hospital.

“I was crossing the street on an electric scooter and, next thing I remember, I was lying in the middle of the street,” Reyes said.

He recalled the paramedics asking him where he wanted to go.

“I was like, I don’t know either. Well, it looks like you’ve been through some really traumatic stuff, so we’re going to take you to OU,” Reyes said.

Reyes’ recovery extended beyond physical healing. Catheren Miller, a trauma program social worker with the Trauma Survivor Network, worked closely with him during his recovery.

“It is about the person as a whole. It is about the emotional aspect, the social aspect, the family, the friends, everything,” Miller said.

At the time of the accident, Reyes was working toward sobriety. He leaned on his recovery community for support, enrolled in college, earned his peer recovery support certification, and has now been sober for 20 months. He is using his experience to help others.

“I think that’s one of the most powerful things that somebody can have, especially to help the next person that might be going through addiction or a traumatic experience,” Reyes said. “Just anything that, I think, lived experience is such a powerful tool. And any recovery field, whether it’s trauma or addiction.”

Miller praised Reyes’ contributions to the Trauma Survivor Network.

“He’s just been an integral part of Trauma Survivor Network with me, with everything that we do,” she said. “I always reach out to him with any needs that I have. He’s my first call that I’m like, ‘Hey, let me get Andrew on this one because he would be as excellent on it.’”

Reyes’ doctors at OU Health have been amazed by his progress and his willingness to return to speak with healthcare providers to help them better understand situations like his.

“I think one of the special things about Andrew’s story is that he has really come full circle for us,” said Dr. Alisa Cross, OU Adult Trauma medical director. “He comes back to OU to teach about trauma, to help us be a lived expert for our trauma-informed care course, which really talks about recovery outside of trauma.”

For Reyes, his message is simple: recovery is possible and can lead to something greater.

“The life I have now compared to the life I had 20 months ago, I couldn’t imagine,” Reyes said. “The relationship I have with my parents is awesome, you know, to where it wasn’t before. In 20 months, I would never imagine I’d be where I’m at today, and I’m so grateful for that.”

Reyes said he hopes to continue helping people around him.

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By Jon Schoenheider

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    PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (WMUR) — Guests at a downtown Portsmouth hotel were jolted awake early Saturday morning by vulgar language through an emergency intercom system.

Police say the incident happened around 4 a.m. at the Hampton Inn on Portwalk Place.

According to hotel staff, a person broke into a locked intercom panel in a separate part of the facility. They then delivered a vulgar message that was heard throughout the hotel and an attached apartment complex.

Staff says the individual accessed the building through a hallway kept unlocked for police and fire personnel. Then, they broke open the panel, which is usually locked. Police say they suspect the person was under the influence at the time.

One anonymous hotel guest was staying at the Hampton Inn for his birthday weekend. He didn’t know what was happening when the alert sounded.

“When I first heard it, I thought it was my cell phone going off, or Facebook, something like that,” he said.

After the initial alert, guests say they heard the message broadcast by the suspect.

“It was a male voice with very homophobic and threatening language,” said Ralph Basiliere, another guest at the hotel.

Some visitors, including the birthday guest, said they want more than an apology from the hotel, after spending hundreds of dollars on their stay.

“We’re debating whether to stay tonight or not, but they can refund me the whole thing,” the guest said. “I mean, this is just uncalled for.”

Hotel staff say the security of neither the hotel nor the apartment building was ever compromised during the incident, since access is locked. They add increased safety patrols will remain in the area for the foreseeable future.

Police say no arrests have been made and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

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 Amanda Rooker

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Iowa lawmakers have approved a plan to fund pediatric cancer research by creating a new tax on vape products and nicotine pouches, sending the bill to the governor’s desk Saturday night.

The proposal would impose a five-cent tax per pack of nicotine pouches or per milliliter of vape fluid. Beginning in July 2027, the first $3 million collected each year would go directly to the University of Iowa to support research into childhood cancer. Lawmakers say they are also putting $3 million from the state budget toward that effort starting in July 2026, allowing research to start sooner.

Supporters say the plan creates a dedicated funding stream that could help launch clinical trials, develop new treatments and potentially save children’s lives. Families who have experienced childhood cancer have told lawmakers they need funding now, regardless of how it is structured.

State Rep. Brent Siegrist, a Republican from Council Bluffs, defended the approach during debate.

“We will be putting a tax on a product that is unhealthy and will be helping and giving hope to those family members who have lost children to cancer, and also for the future people that we can maybe get better treatment and help prevent this,” Siegrist said.

But the plan has faced pushback from both sides of the aisle. Some lawmakers argue the tax is too small to significantly reduce nicotine use. Others say tying cancer research funding to products linked to cancer sends the wrong message.

State Rep. Austin Beath, a Democrat from Des Moines, suggested the proposal benefits the tobacco industry by avoiding a higher tax that could more directly cut into profits.

“They are doing this to prevent us from ever touching their taxes for another two decades. We cannot let that happen,” Baeth said. “I think it is shameful that the big tobacco companies have used Iowa’s sick kids as political pawns.”

Despite those concerns, the bill passed the House as lawmakers race to adjourn the session. The measure now heads to the governor, who will decide whether to sign it into law.

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.