Caleb Nguyen
NIPOMO, Calif. (KEYT) – CAL FIRE SLO crews knocked down a greenhouse fire in Nipomo just before 7:30 p.m. at the 600 block of Eucalyptus Road.
The fire first broke out just after 7:00 p.m. and crews issued warnings to avoid the area to allow a safe operation.
City News Service
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Care Network hospitals are wrapping up their annual Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive on Thursday. Officials are asking the public for monetary or cereal donations to feed children and their families a healthy breakfast during the summer.
The “Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive” will run through June 18.
People can donate boxes of cereal in the lobby of Desert Regional Medical Center, 1150 N. Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs; JFK Memorial Hospital, 47111 Monroe St. in Indio; or Hi-Desert Medical Center, 6601 White Feather Road in Joshua Tree.
“A healthy breakfast is important to start the day right, and through this initiative, we aim to support those in our community facing food insecurity,” Linda Evans, chief strategy officer for community advocacy for Desert Care Network, said in a statement.
The fundraiser supports Find Food Bank’s summer feeding program in Indio and the Way Station in Joshua Tree.
Officials said more than 84% of public-school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals in the Coachella Valley, which is an indicator of food insecurity in the region.
To provide a financial contribution, visit https://findfoodbank.org/event/desert-care-network-2026-healthy-over-hunger-cereal-drive/.
Jesus Reyes
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The first installation of Palm Springs International Airport’s new public art program was unveiled today.
“Desert in Motion,” created by artist Patrick Barwinski, was unveiled Tuesday in the baggage claim area. The large-scale installation transformed 14 baggage claim columns into painted desert landscapes using geometric forms and vivid colors, airport officials said.
The artwork was selected though a competitive process from more than 270 submissions to the new Art@PSP public art program.
“PSP is often visitors’ very first impression of our destination and a welcoming return home for our residents,” Victoria Carpenter, interim executive director of aviation at PSP, said in a statement. “Art@PSP allows us to showcase the incredible creativity and cultural identity of our region while creating a more memorable airport experience for travelers.”
Airport officials said the exhibition will be on display through January 2027 as part of PSP’s rotating baggage claim columns exhibition series.
“For years, there has been a shared vision of bringing more art into the airport,” PSP Chairman Kevin Corcoran said in a statement. “With Art@PSP, that vision is becoming a reality, connecting millions of travelers each year with the culture, creativity and character that makes Palm Springs unique.”
Dylan Foreman
CASCADE, Colo. (KRDO) — Driving up Pikes Peak provides the kind of scenery that can pull your attention away, even in the middle of a race. Just ask Phillip McGilton, who’s experiencing Pikes Peak for the first time.
“The view… I gotta keep telling myself, pay attention to what you’re doing,” McGilton said. “Because I’m looking around, look how beautiful, where am I at? This is awesome, right? But wait a minute… focus on racing.”
It’s a fair reminder for a newcomer. McGilton has never raced his vehicle on Pikes Peak, or even on paved roads like this. That’s because this year introduces a brand-new class to the mountain: Ultra4.
Ultra4 vehicles are known for their versatility, built to tackle just about any terrain imaginable.
“Ultra4 is unique in that we build trucks that can do anything,” driver Paul Wolff said. “That’s the point; they’re unlimited four-wheel drive.”
“We race not just desert, not just woods, we race everything,” McGilton added.
Typically, an Ultra4 race involves rough terrain, crawling through rocks and mud, or powering across open desert.
But Pikes Peak presents a completely different challenge.
Instead of dirt and obstacles, drivers now face a fully paved course climbing one of Colorado’s most iconic mountains, forcing teams to adjust in real time.
“It’s a massive learning curve, definitely for us Ultra4 guys,” Wolff said.
Teams are constantly tweaking their setups to match the new environment, while drivers adjust their approach behind the wheel.
“We have to change these cars constantly for setups and adapt to these different race courses, and then adapt ourselves as drivers,” Wolff said. “To come out here, slap it on asphalt, and go hill climb racing—it shows how versatile our sport is and how versatile the car is.”
With only four competitors in the class this year, the focus isn’t just on winning; it’s about introducing the sport to a new audience.
“We’ll see how it plays out,” Wolff said. “I know slicks will be a little faster, but in the spirit of Ultra4, I kept it fully built like we would for Hammers or any other race.”
Even with their reputation for going anywhere, there are still limits.
When asked whether drivers would consider skipping the pavement and going straight up the mountain, Wolff couldn’t help but laugh.
“I would like to, but I heard the Forest Service might get a little mad, so I’m gonna leave that one alone.”
For now, Ultra4 drivers will stick to the course, learning, adapting, and proving they belong on one of racing’s most iconic stages.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A road to a pair of lakes will remain closed as crews work to lower the water level at one of them.
Because of significant rainfall, Peters Lake was closed on June 1, while D.C. Rogers Lake closed on June 4. A Tuesday morning social media post from the City of Fayette says the Department of Natural Resources
The post says Peters Lake empties into D.C. Rogers Lake and that D.C. Rogers Lake needs to be lowered by 5-7 inches.
“Thank you to the Army Core of Engineers for providing two, 16″ pumps which pull 7,000 gallons per minute to assist in strategically meeting the requested water levels,” the post says. “The pumps are operating on the west side of the dam, with two 16″ pipes lying across the road. They are releasing excess water around and beyond the wingwall outfall repair project.”
The road to the recreation area is closed because of the placement of the lines, the post says. The water level is being lowered “to prevent further erosion of the wing wall outlet repair project. The erosion was caused by the massive release of storm water on June 1st,” the post says.
The wing wall project was about 45% done before the rain started, the post says. The city says water levels at the lake are decreasing.
Haley Swaino
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)
Stakeholders are in active talks about a possible 800,000-square-foot data center in Callaway County.
Western District Commissioner Christopher Scott told ABC 17 News that Crusoe, a Denver-based artificial intelligence company, would build the 14-acre center somewhere in the northern Callaway area. It would be a private land transaction, and he said it is not his information to share the exact location of the proposed site.
The non-partisan group Missouri Protest Organization, Inc. held a meeting at the Callaway County Co-Op Monday night to discuss the data center. Scott said the focus of the forum was water usage.
The event was an opportunity to start conversations with members of the public about the proposed project and share possible concerns. Experts in water testing and quality were also in attendance and gave input, Scott said. The county does not have planning and zoning commission.
“Planning and zoning does allow for a little more enforcement of environmental rules and things,” Scott said. “It’s more difficult to try to put that in place without, and we are looking at whether there’s some safeguards we can try to negotiate with the builders regarding environmental concerns.”
The data center would use about 1.4 million gallons of water per year for cooling. But Scott said while talks are still in the very early stages, he said he is thankful a closed loop system with a glycol mix is being planned. That means the mixture would circulate through sealed piping and not be exposed to the outside environment.
“What if it spills? What if they have to discharge it,” Scott said. “Those discussions have already been started with the sewer district as well, who would assist in disposing of and cleaning up any discharge or any fluids that would need to be expelled. Some data centers you may have heard about are being built with their own water treatment plant on site. That has not been proposed here.”
A request has been made to connect to the Callaway 2 Water District and Callaway Electric Co-Op, according to Scott.
“As passed last year in Missouri Senate Bill 4, they [Crusoe] have to pay all the upfront connection costs to connect to the water district, to connect to the electric co-op. So they’re still working with those groups to identify what all those costs are, what they’re going to take, and whether or not those entities can service them,” Scott said.
There are a few steps that need to be handled before a construction timeline can be discussed. Scott said Crusoe needs to get approval from the water district and electric co-op and negotiate connection costs. The company also needs approval from the commission on a tax abatement plan.
“These developments are very large. They’re putting billions of dollars into their buildings. They’re putting billions of dollars into the hardware that goes in them. So the tax base is very large. And that’s part of the reason why they come in and ask for tax abatements as a bulk user,” Scott said.
Cursoe has yet to share who their “end user” will be.
Amazon announced Monday that it’s investing about $10 billion to create a data center in Montgomery County. The facility will be built on about 1,000 acres north of Interstate 70 between New Florence and High Hill.
“Loop systems aren’t going to use nearly as much water as evaporative systems. Montgomery is getting one of each,” Scott said.
Missouri Protest Organization, Inc. is set to host another public meeting on the data center on June 29, according to Interim Director and Co-Founder Khyron Cooper. More details should be released on the group’s Facebook page.
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Linn Creek woman was charged on Tuesday in Camden County with four felonies after authorities claim she used fake credentials to serve as a nurse.
The Missouri Attorney General’s office has charged Darcee Heath with three counts of forgery and one count of practicing nursing with fraudulently obtained academic credentials. Court documents also accuse Heath of using the aliases of Darcee Hedrix, Darcee Sipes, Darcee Spaudlding, and Darcee Bush.
Court documents allege Heath applied for a nursing position in Osage Beach and submitted falsified academic records, including a college transcript and a forged diploma indicating she was eligible to work as a graduate practical nurse.
In July 2025, Heath was hired after providing an employer — whose name was redacted in court records –with documents indicating she had graduated from a Licensed Practical Nurse program.
According to the Missouri Board of Nursing, obtaining an LPN license requires completing a state-approved practical nursing program, passing a licensing exam, submitting an application for licensure, providing identity and educational documentation, including transcripts, completing a criminal background check and paying licensing fees.
Skylar Mitchell, who worked as a registered nurse in Des Moines, Iowa, for four years before becoming a registered nurse in Colorado and has also worked as a preceptor, told ABC 17 News that nursing credentialing includes multiple layers of review and is typically hard to forge.
Iowa and Colorado are both compact states, like Missouri, meaning nurses licensed in one participating state can practice in another compact state, which makes many of the review processes similar.
“No part of me was ever, like, I could easily forage all of these,” Mitchell said. “They send all of your information up to the Board of Nursing, and they’re the ones who review your application and approve or deny that, and then they’ll issue you a license number. A lot of jobs, when you are applying for them they require you to give your license number.”
After Heath was hired, several licensed nurses, known as preceptors, were assigned to oversee the care she provided as part of standard practice. However, court documents allege the preceptors immediately raised concerns about Heath’s lack of nursing skills, including difficulty performing routine tasks such as obtaining vital signs.
“That’s a very basic skill that you learn in your schooling and that you should be fairly confident in when you start your actual job,” Mitchell said.
Investigators said the preceptors eventually refused to oversee Heath’s work out of fear that they would lose their own nursing licenses.
Mitchell, who has been a preceptor, said that the role carries a lot of liability with it.
“It is uncomfortable at first when you are following someone around that, doesn’t quite know what they’re doing. But you can kind of tell when you’re training, if they’re picking things up,” Mitchell said. “When you are training as an experienced nurse, your license is on the line because you’re essentially, in charge of that person and their care.
“So you want to make sure that whatever they are doing, they’re more competent in it. So if you feel like, maybe they’re not doing something right or like, this isn’t safe, you would have to kind of raise concerns to that person and whoever is in charge as well.”
She added that having an inexperienced nurse, let alone one who had forged documents, can add extra stress on the medical teams.
“It’s like a fine balancing act between they need to also learn how to time manage and provide care, versus me knowing, ‘Hey, this stuff needs to get done now,’” Mitchell said. “So it does add a lot more stress in your job because you have an extra person that doesn’t quite understand.”
Court documents say following the preceptor’s concerns, Heath was terminated from her first job in August 2025 after an internal investigation found she had forged her college transcripts. Her employer later reported the incident to the Missouri Board of Nursing.
The Board of Nursing interviewed the dean of students at a college — that was also redacted from court records. According to court documents, the dean noted Heath’s transcript listed a 10-digit student identification number, whereas the school uses 7-digit identification numbers.
After being fired, court documents allege Heath was hired by a senior living community in the Lake of the Ozarks area as an LPN. However, after completing onboarding, she did not return to orientation and was later terminated, the probable cause statement alleges.
Court documents allege Heath continued to apply to several other health care facilities in Osage Beach and the Lake of the Ozarks area, using additional falsified records claiming she had recently graduated from an LPN program and planned to begin an RN program in the spring.
Heath was later hired at a Lake Ozark health care facility in October after submitting a new “certification of graduation from the Associate Degree in Health Science LPN program,” which investigators determined was falsified because the school she claimed to have attended does not offer that degree program.
She held the job for only 10 days after staff determined she lacked the knowledge and skills required to work as a nurse, the statement says. Court documents state no “patients or nursing home residents were harmed by her incompetence.”
ABC 17 News reached out to the attorney general’s office and the Missouri Board of Nursing for comment.
A warrant for Heath’s arrest was requested on Tuesday.
Hadley Bodell
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Pocatello Animal Shelter is expanding their reach in the community this summer by offering story times from 1-2 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. “Once Upon a Paw” is part of the Children’s Story Time Program designed to educate children about animals and introduce them to the shelter through interactive storytelling.
The sessions will include the reading of an animal-themed story as well as a fun craft for kids to complete and take home. Tuesday story times are for kids aged five and under, while Thursdays are for ages six to 10.
Through the stories and other educational activities, the kids will learn about animals and pet care.
“It’s a good way to get the community out here and aware of the shelter and what we do here,” said Courtney, the Educational Outreach Specialist at the Pocatello Animal Shelter. “We’re going over some safety things and just incorporating some education about animals and how to care for them into the story time. We’re also doing some crafts.”
Courtney also said the kids and families can enjoy seeing all the animals waiting for adoption at the shelter. “It includes a little information on the animals within the community, how to go about handling them in our community, how to care for them, so it’s a bit of education as well,” she said.
Story time is free for the public to attend every Tuesday and Thursday from 1-2 p.m. at the Pocatello Animal Shelter located at 3100 Avenue of the Chiefs, Pocatello ID 83204.
Sutton Parker
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
On Monday night, the Jefferson City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of minibikes on public streets.
The vote passed 8-1, with Ward 5 Councilwoman Mackenzie Job being the lone vote against the ordinance. ABC 17 News reached out to Job on Tuesday morning.
According to the ordinance it classifies minibikes as two-wheeled motorized vehicles that are not registered with the Missouri Department of Revenue.
The document lists types of minibikes that fall under including dirt bikes, mini-motorcycles, pocket bikes and trail bikes.
When it comes to penalties that riders could face the ordinance lists the minimum fine for first-time offenders at $75. For second time and subsequent offenders the fine then goes up to $150, and allows for law enforcement to be able to tow or remove minibikes found operating illegally on public streets.
Additionally the ordinance sets noise limits for minibikes operating on public and private property.
The Jefferson City Police Department said that it could take a while to start enforcement as the department needs to educate its employees on the new rules.
Ryan Shiner
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Jefferson City Council expects to have a new representative for the Third Ward chosen by Aug. 17, according to a Tuesday press release from the city.
Former Ward 3 Councilman Derek Thomas’ last day was June 2, citing medical issues facing his family requiring him to move out of the state.
Tuesday’s press release says Ward 3 residents who are interested in serving must submit a letter of interest to City Clerk Emily Donaldson at edonaldson@jeffersoncitymo.gov by Friday, July 10. Those who are interested can also share a resume.
Eligibility requirements include being at least 21 years old, a US citizen, a qualified voter, have lived in Jefferson City for at least a year and within the ward for six months, the release says.
Council nominations will occur during the July 20 City Council meeting, with a candidate forum scheduled for Aug. 3. The council will vote to appoint a new councilmember on Aug. 17, according to the release.
