Month: May 2026

By Lyanne Melendez

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Finding a gas station in the Bay Area has become more difficult in recent years as hundreds of stations have closed, driven in part by the high cost of removing potentially dangerous underground storage tanks and complying with state law.

In San Francisco’s Mission District, a Shell station remains out of service while its steel tanks are replaced – a process that can be complex and hazardous.

During one removal, gasoline vapors inside a tank caused an explosion, underscoring the risks involved.

California first addressed the issue in 1984, when gas stations were barred from installing new single-walled tanks. The concern was environmental safety.

“We just don’t want any foreign substance in our water supply,” said Mark DeMarco of the Santa Clara Valley Water District during an interview with ABC7 news in the mid 1990s.

Back then, the state found that aging tanks were leaking MTBE, an additive used in gasoline.

“MTBE is a potentially cancer-causing chemical in our gasoline that supposed to clean the air…” said I-Team reporter Dan Noyes, whose reporting uncovered contamination of drinking water.

In 2014, California ordered all single-walled steel tanks removed and replaced with double-walled fiberglass tanks. The change aimed to prevent leaks that can contaminate soil and groundwater.

“A lot of sites will impact ground water. Every single clean up case that I worked on, it does impact ground water,” said Steve McMasters of the California State Water Resources Control Board.

During tank removal, environmental consultants such as David Grunat of Path Forward Partners, collect and analyze samples from surrounding soil and groundwater.

“We get brought in during the removal process,” Grunat said. Testing can reveal a range of contaminants.

“Benzine, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, MTBE and TBA are other additives. If it’s an old tank and very historical, we might be also looking for lead,” he said.

Cleanup efforts have come at a cost to consumers and the state. A fee of 2 cents per gallon of gasoline helps fund remediation of leaking tanks. According to the State Water Resources Control Board, California had about 50,000 single-walled tanks in the 1980s. Today, only 82 remain. The deadline to replace them or face closure and fines was Dec. 31, 2025. Nationally, many tanks are still aging. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that 40% of operating underground storage tanks in the United States are more than 30 years old, increasing the risk of leaks.

“In fact, some states were still allowing those to be installed in 2018-2019, that’s single-walled tanks installed that late. We stopped in 84,” said Tom Henderson of the California State Water Resources Control Board.

For gas station owners, compliance has been costly and time-consuming.

Michael Gharib of Twin Peaks Auto Care in San Francisco spent more than six months replacing his tanks after fighting to keep his business on city-owned land.

“Anything easy? Is there anything easy in San Francisco?” he said.

During the closure, revenue stopped while expenses continued.

“I carried my overhead. My staff stayed on the payroll. Yes, that was expensive. So far we’ve spent just about two million dollars,” he said.

The costs stem from permitting, construction and the installation of new tanks, along with lost business time. While the state offers loans and grants, some owners have opted to shut down rather than pay for upgrades. One example is the closure of the only gas station on Bay Farm Island in Alameda. Industry representatives say compliance remains a priority.

“We want to make sure that we are following all the rules. We want to be part of an outstanding community both in our environment and any of the environmental laws,” said Elizabeth Graham, CEO of the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance.

Despite the challenges, some owners say the investment is worthwhile.

“And it’s all because of Twin Peaks, the area, my community, I live here, I work here,” Gharib said.

Experts say the new tanks provide critical environmental protection.

“Certainly, going to a double wall tank is going to provide a lot of protection for these communities where these underground storage tanks are located,” Grunat said.

As California nears full compliance, the transition highlights the environmental benefits – and economic strain – tied to modernizing the state’s fuel infrastructure.

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 Cameron Bopp

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    SAN JOSE, California (KGO) — San Jose is looking at how to regulate food delivery robots that could eventually operate in city bike lanes.

The city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee discussed the idea Monday night. The meeting was only a discussion, and city officials say there is no formal application from the company because there is no program currently in place that allows for such vehicles to operate.

Later this year, the city plans to bring a proposed program to the San Jose City Council, which would make the final decision.

“It’s a brave new world as far as food delivery robots go,” said Colin Heyne with the San Jose Department of Transportation.

The robots, known as DoorDash Dot, are designed to make short food deliveries. But some cyclists say they are concerned about sharing bike lanes with autonomous devices.

“Not a fan just because bike lanes are for bikes, which seems rather obvious,” said Kevin Armstrong, an avid cyclist in San Jose.

Armstrong said bike lanes are already dealing with enough obstacles.

“There are plenty of things that shouldn’t be in the bike lane, and I don’t want to be dodging robots,” he said.

Heyne said the city currently does not have regulatory authority over delivery robots in bike lanes. The city did, however, recently see the launch of Coco food delivery bots on sidewalks.

“The potential for larger bots that want to use bike lanes and travel faster, that’s a new layer to this issue,” Heyne said. “We don’t currently have any regulatory authority over any of these delivery bots.”

Possible rules discussed Monday include a one-year pilot permit, limits on the number of robots allowed, speed caps, no stopping or parking in bike lanes, required brakes, hazard lights, constant lighting, audible alerts and input from bike advocates.

Amy Thomson, policy director for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, said community engagement will be important.

“We need to really be doing the community engagement, bringing in the experts and informed parties to see can do this safely and comfortably,” Thomson said.

Another concern is whether delivery robots could eventually take work from human delivery drivers.

DoorDash did not get back to ABC7 Eyewitness News for an interview, but its own data shows the company is still relying heavily on human Dashers using bikes, e-bikes and scooters. DoorDash says those Dashers spent about 15% less time getting to restaurants and made more than 10% more per hour on the app than Dashers using cars. That’s more money for Dashers and DoorDash’s bottom line.

Fremont launched a similar, smaller test run of DoorDash Dot in March. SKY7 video showed one delivery robot traveling along the shoulder while making a delivery.

Some cyclists said they are not completely opposed to the idea, but want to see how it would work in real life in the Bay Area’s biggest city.

“The idea is fine, I think the execution is where it comes down,” Armstrong said. “I think I just worry about the robots kind of getting confused or stuck or just being in the way.”

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 Kendall Keys

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    WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin (WISN) — Police in West Allis are investigating an arson after surveillance cameras captured a man setting fire to a house near 60th Street and Lincoln Avenue early Sunday.

The homeowner was not injured. She told WISN 12 News she hopes the video her cameras captured can help police track down the person who set her house on fire.

The video shows a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and Brewers bucket hat pouring what appears to be an accelerant on the side of Kaleigh Werra’s home. He then pulls out a lighter and sets the wall on fire.

“He starts pouring some kind of accelerant on the side of my house,” Werra said, “and then lights it on fire, almost lights himself on fire. And then he takes off running.”

Werra said she slept through the whole thing,

“I just want to thank the neighbor that drove past and saw the fire and stopped. He could have just kept going to work, and he made the choice to stop and call the police,” Werra said.

Werra’s camera shows that neighbor banging on her door, on the phone with 911. Police officers and firefighters showed up shortly after and extinguished the fire.

“It was just shocking. I really don’t understand why someone would do that,” Werra said.

Werra said she just moved back to the area last month after living out of state for 20 years.

“I don’t think it was directed towards me personally. I don’t know anybody in the city. I don’t know much in the state besides my family,” Werra said.

As of Monday morning, West Allis police have not arrested anyone.

“Obviously, I want this individual to be held accountable. I don’t want him to do it to anybody else. If it is just random, he clearly has the capability of doing something that violent,” Werra said. “I just wish somebody would recognize them and provide some information so we can get them over to the police.”

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 Hannah Hilyard

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — A driver led police on an eight-mile chase Friday night, starting on Milwaukee’s south side and ending near Port Washington Road and Hampton Avenue, with officers using multiple methods to try and stop the fleeing vehicle.

Milwaukee police said the chase began with a traffic stop for a registration violation at North 22nd and Scott streets. The driver, who they said initially stopped, ended up fleeing officers, leading them on a pursuit through much of Milwaukee County and into the suburban shopping hub of Bayshore Mall.

Body and dash camera footage obtained from Glendale police shows officers using three different methods to try and stop the fleeing driver. Watch the footage in the video above.

The first attempt involved stop sticks, which the driver ran over, continuing to evade police.

The second attempt occurred within Bayshore Mall, where a squad car blocked the driver’s path. The driver hit the front corner of the squad car but managed to get around it.

“Crash, crash, crash,” officers said as the suspect’s car collided with the squad car.

Once out of the mall and heading southbound on Port Washington Road, officers used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle.

“Pit, pit, pit, pit, pit, good pit!” officers said as a squad car tapped the back corner of the fleeing vehicle, bringing it to a screeching halt.

Witness footage shows police ordering the driver to put her hands up before dragging her out of the car.

“Hands up!” officers said.

Police said the driver, a 37-year-old woman, was arrested and taken to a hospital for medical clearance.

Charges will be referred to the district attorney’s office. No one else was injured during the chase.

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 Carmela Karcher

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    RIPON, California (KOVR) — If you drive past Fire Station 3 on the northern edge of Ripon, a big sign reads, “Station Unstaffed. In Case of Emergency, Call 911.”

That’s been the case now for over 10 years.

“When you’re waiting and told by the dispatcher on the phone that it may be 15 to 20 minutes and to just keep them stable, that’s pretty scary,” Doug Brodie said.

Brodie is one of the 20 key members of their community group called “With Ripon Fire.”

Their goal is to get their fire district the staff it has needed for years.

“We came together as a group of retirees and people that are still working, just to say that we can’t do this,” Brodie continued. “We just started last Saturday going door to door, and it was very successful. Probably one of the first things that people didn’t realize was the staffing, that there is just one truck.”

Currently, Ripon Fire District has one engine, one ambulance and one battalion chief on staff at all times.

For a department that covers 56 square miles with 2,600 calls a year and nearly a thousand of those calls coming in at the same time, it puts a major strain on the current staff.

The chief says only luck has been on their side. They don’t want that to run out.

“If we can leave the call we’re on, get it wrapped up, and then move on to the next one, that’s obviously the best of the scenarios,” Ripon Fire District Chief Eric DeHart explained. “If we can’t, then we have to rely on our neighbors to come, which has proven that on average it takes them between 12 and 14 minutes to get from the time they dial 911 until that fire engine arrives on scene.”

Fire Station 3 is ready for a crew. It is fully operational with another engine waiting to respond to the call. It was completed in 2014 with redevelopment funds that needed to be used.

The issue now is funding. That’s where the district needs to turn to the community to vote on a benefit assessment.

“If this passes, we will staff this fire station with two people that will be on per day and that will then give us two fire engines on any given day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Chief DeHart shared.

That’s where Brodie and his group at “With Ripon Fire” are trying to advocate for, going door to door every weekend, spreading information and connecting the community with their local fire department.

“You’re here to protect and serve, you’re here to help, you’re here to maintain the status quo and the healthiness of your city,” Brodie continued. “We’re not getting any smaller.”

The benefit assessment would cost single-family homeowners about $249 a year, or $21 a month.

Ballots will be given out two months before the vote, which is set for Aug. 14.

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 WABC News Staff

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    MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — A woman plunged to her death after stepping out of her car into an open manhole in Midtown on Monday night.

She was identified by family members Tuesday as 56-year-old Donike Gocaj from Briarcliff Manor.

Police sources say her death appears to be an accident and no criminality is expected.

Gocaj parked her Mercedes Benz SUV at West 52nd and Fifth Avenue just before 11:20 p.m.

She stepped out of her car, directly into an uncovered manhole. Gocaj fell down about 10 feet and the steam caused her to go into cardiac arrest.

She was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Eyewitness News spoke to Gocaj’s family members, who said they are deeply saddened and extremely shocked.

Loved ones said Gocaj was a loving mother to a son and daughter and a loving grandmother to two grandchildren.

Now her family wants answers as to how this could have happened.

Con Edison is investigating why the manhole was left uncovered in the first place. No construction was ongoing, and the manhole cover was discovered about 15 feet away from the opening.

While authorities do not know why the manhole cover was off, they are looking into the possibility a truck ran over it and caused it to dislodge.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole. We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, and safety remains our top priority,” Con Edison said in a statement.

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 Chloe Godding, Andy Alcock

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol is facing several charges in connection with a towing corruption scheme after more than a year of investigation.

Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced that Charles “Nate” Bradley, an MSHP trooper, was indicted by a grand jury. Bradley has been charged with 10 counts of tampering with physical evidence, one count of acceding to corruption by a public servant, one count of stealing and one count of first-degree property damage.

Prosecutors allege that Bradley used his position as a trooper to help towing companies profit. He also allegedly stored stolen vehicles improperly, preventing evidence collection. The improper storage, without law enforcement involvement, allowed these towing companies to charge excessive fees, forcing victims of the alleged scheme to pay thousands or give up their vehicles.

Bradley reportedly accepted gifts from a towing operator involved in the scheme. He also received a stolen necklace worth at least $25,000, which was taken during a jewelry store burglary, Johnson said. He allegedly kept this necklace in his possession and did not follow evidence recovery procedures.

In connection with one incident, Bradley told a tow truck driver to damage a stolen vehicle to disable it, Johnson said.

Bradley was indicted April 30. He self-surrendered on May 15 and was released on a $30,000 bond.

The MSHP said Bradley joined the patrol in July 1997. He is assigned to the Division of Drug and Crime Control as a criminal investigator in Troop A.

“We are aware of the arrest of Corporal Nate Bradley following a criminal investigation,” the highway patrol said in a statement to KMBC 9. “In accordance with Patrol policy, our Professional Standards Division has been notified of the incident. While the administrative review process continues, Corporal Bradley is on administrative leave without pay, which was effective May 5, 2026.

In January 2023, a Missouri state representative created a resolution to recognize Bradley for his work in recovering more than 300 stolen vehicles in the Kansas City metro the year prior. The MSHP shared in a social media post that Bradley had conducted hundreds of auto theft investigations, praising him for investigative skills and work ethic. A photo shared shows him holding a plaque to commemorate the honor.

On its website, the North Central Regional Chapter of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators lists Bradley as a past president of the chapter.

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Kansas City Police Department, the Missouri Department of Revenue and the Leawood, Kansas, Police Department all assisted in the 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.

By Jasmine Franklin

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — Just hours after graduating from Sophie B. Wright High School, family members confirmed 18-year-old Ferdinand Woolens was killed in a shooting.

“That was an innocent soul, a great soul, a soul that was not meant to leave earth this early,” said Nijah Brown.

Woolens earned his diploma with honors from Sophie B. Wright last Monday. Early Tuesday morning, he was hurt in a Treme shooting, according to police.

When officers responded to the scene early Tuesday morning, they found Woolens inside an SUV, shot multiple times. Police say he was transported to a hospital, where he died days later.

“We were just celebrating graduation that day, they had a party at a hall, we would’ve never known we would leave that party and never see him again,” said Nijah Brown.

An 18-year-old with a promising future ahead, his family says he had a full-ride scholarship to college set to study engineering this fall.

“he was on his way to LSU — full scholarship, he scored a 30 on the ACT, and the sky was the limit for him,” said Marcus Henderson.

Exactly one week after his graduation, his family, friends and classmates held onto photos of Woolens during a prayer service, honoring his life while pushing for gun violence to stop.

“I’ve lost three friends to gun violence, and I feel like there has to be a change in Louisiana. It’s so sad it takes a death to bring us together. We have to start making changes,” said Lamaj Cayou.

NOPD has not released any details about a potential suspect. They urge anyone with information to contact police or Crimestoppers.

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.