Month: June 2026

By Cameron Bopp

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    HUMBOLDT COUNTY, California (KGO) — Investigators spent a third day, Thursday, excavating the property of a Northern California animal rescue as part of an expanding investigation into shelter dog deaths, with authorities saying dozens of animal remains have already been recovered, with over 700 shelter dogs still missing.

The operation, centered in the Humboldt County town of Fortuna, involves the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and several state agencies.

In a statement released this week, the sheriff’s office said investigators have determined that hundreds of dogs were transferred to the rescue by private citizens and animal shelters and that “a significant number of those animals have not been accounted for.”

Authorities said dozens of dogs have been recovered during the excavation, many of them with microchips.

The investigation began after a neighbor uncovered a burial pit containing eight dogs with apparent gunshot wounds.

“I hope it will be the beginning of a change where the animals will be removed from and placed into legitimate rescues where they find actual loving homes,” neighbor Jennifer Raymond said.

More than two months after the investigation began, no charges have been filed against the owner or any employees. ABC7 Eyewitness News is still not naming the rescue.

The rescue remains open and operating, and the investigation remains active.

The investigation also follows reporting on a search warrant affidavit alleging the rescue accepted dogs and money from shelters across California under agreements that the animals would be cared for and rehomed.

Investigators allege some dogs were instead killed to make room for additional animals.

For a third consecutive day Thursday, excavators searched the property as residents watched the operation unfold.

“You cannot really put into words what exactly it smells like. The closest thing I think of is a pile of dead deer,” Humbolt resident Jaiden Kilby said.

Berkeley and Oakland were among the Bay Area shelters that sent hundreds of dogs to the rescue before later cutting ties.

Legal experts said the lack of charges does not necessarily indicate that none will be filed.

“I wouldn’t take the fact that it’s been a little while and charges haven’t been filed as any indication that they won’t be,” said Matthew Liebman, a professor of animal law at the University of San Francisco.

Liebman said animal cruelty investigations can be difficult to prosecute because of the nature of the evidence.

“Animal cruelty cases can be especially difficult to charge and prosecute because there are unique evidentiary challenges… the animals themselves can’t testify,” Liebman said.

Animal law attorney Bruce Wagman said one of the most alarming allegations in the case may not, by itself, constitute animal cruelty under California law.

“To euthanize an animal in California by a bullet, that alone is not animal cruelty,” Wagman said.

Wagman also noted that even if investigators were to discover additional buried animals, animal cruelty charges would not be automatic.

Investigators have said hundreds of dogs sent to the rescue remain unaccounted for.

In addition to potential animal cruelty allegations, legal experts said the investigation could involve possible fraud, conspiracy and nonprofit law violations.

Updated excavation numbers are expected Friday.

The owner has repeatedly denied allegations that dogs were killed to make room for more animals.

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 Michele Gile, Matthew Rodriguez

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    IRVINE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged the 71-year-old Irvine resident accused of beating a duckling to death with a plastic recycling bin last month.

“I’ve been very patient and wondering and hoping that justice could finally be served in this because I haven’t forgotten anything,” neighbor Ninette Infante said.

Infante said on May 13, a group of ducklings hatched on her porch and walked over to the community pool. Prosecutors said her neighbors tried to usher the Mallard mother duck and the 10 ducklings while Randall Bertsch was swimming in the pool.

“They were little babies,” Infante said. “They were babies of a mother that had just hatched them that same morning. We felt like they were our pets almost because we were taking care of them and making sure that they would be hatched OK.”

Bertsch allegedly began yelling at the birds before grabbing several and gathering them into a box, according to investigators. A video shows a man slamming the blue plastic recycling bin on the ducklings.

Infante said Bertsch claimed the ducks ran into the bushes when she later tried to round them up. Skeptical, Infante said she looked into the trash can and found a dead duck and another with a gash on its head. The Irvine Police Department said the injured duckling suffered severe head trauma. Officers said the eight other ducklings and the mother duck escaped Bertsch.

“Any act of violence against an animal or an individual is absolutely prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office. “It’s incredibly disturbing to see how he acted against these little ducklings.”

Prosecutors charged Bertsch with two counts of animal cruelty, three felony counts of attempted animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count of harassment of animals. Prosecutors added five felony enhancements for the personal use of a weapon. If convicted as charged, Bertsch faces more than seven years in jail.

While detectives arrested him on May 13, Bertsch was released after posting $20,000 bail. After the charges were filed, officers arrested Bertsch once again. His bail was increased to $50,000.

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 Ashley Portillo

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    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — There have been hundreds more bear sightings this year compared to last year, with a lot of bear activity happening even earlier in the season. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says it’s due to the warm and dry winter, impacting bears who are searching for food.

Amy Randall, a Loveland resident, has seen bears around her home three times in less than a week.

“This is the first day that I saw the bear. He pulled the bird feeder off the tree and tried to get into it. When he approached the house, he was just kind of checking stuff out on the front walkway. He was there for five or 10 minutes, then took off,” said Randall.

A small bear visited last Wednesday, and later that night, a larger bear came by. A few days later, she had another bear sighting.

“I was definitely in shock at first, because I’ve never seen a bear in my neighborhood before.”>

Luke Perkins, the Statewide Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, says there have been 36 reports of bears seen in Loveland in 2026.

“It’s not unusual to see that, but the numbers that we’re seeing this year across the state are definitely higher than normal,” said Perkins.

Perkins says there have been over 1,700 reported bear sightings this year, compared to last year at the same time, there were just under 1,200 reported bear sightings.

“We had a light snowfall during the winter. This impacted natural forage for bears; they were waking up earlier, and then we’ve had these sustained hotter temperatures and lower moisture, which certainly isn’t helping that forage situation for these bears,” said Perkins.

Perkins said while they always see an increase in sightings throughout the summer, it’s usually later in the year.

“Once we start getting into that later part of summer, or going in the fall, especially during that fall portion, whenever they’re going to hyperphagia, where they’re just trying to cram up in as many calories as they can, so they can get ready for that winter hibernation,” said Perkins.

With the surge in bear sightings, CPW is urging Coloradans to take precautions.

“It’s important that people are bear-wise and that they ensure they’re not attracting or providing unsafe foods that you would both lure bears in, but also have detrimental health effects for the bears,” said Perkins.

Perkins added people need to be bear-wise, which starts by trying to address the behaviors that might attract bears to neighborhoods.

Remove anything from your yard that will attract bears, like bird feeders, trash, or food. Do not leave trash or food behind. Be careful letting your dogs outside, and keep your dogs leashed while walking or hiking. If you do see a bear in your yard or on a trail, remain calm and back away slowly.

“Don’t corner the bear; make sure it has an avenue to get away. Bears generally don’t want to be around people, and then you know, find a way to haze it. So, hazing, we generally talk about this in terms of making a loud sound, this could be banging pots together, air horns, yelling at the top of your lungs,” said Perkins.

You can also use bear spray as needed. If a bear attacks, do not play dead and fight back.

When hiking, stay alert and stay together. Be sure to pay attention to your surroundings. When camping, also do not cook or leave food near your tent. Be sure to store food in bear-resistant containers.

Perkins encourages anyone who sees a bear to report it to CPW.

As Colorado’s furry neighbors are becoming more active, Randall is also documenting her wildlife encounters.

“This is basically my collection of all of my bear photos and videos now,” said Randall. “Who knows, it might be ever expanding, you know, in the near future.”

A bear attack in Apex Park near Golden is the most recent and high-profile example of a surge in bear activity this season. CPW says that the investigation is still ongoing. They say it’s the only reported bear attack in 2026. There were three reported bear attacks last year.

Colorado residents can find more information on living with bears online. Those who have questions or want to report bear problems are asked to call their nearest CPW office.

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 Sabella

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    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — A Norfolk woman says she watched her dog take her last breath after a police officer entered her apartment by mistake and opened fire.

Alizana Cummings says she was at the pool at her apartment complex, Renew Little Creek, off Military Highway when she saw police vehicles arrive. She returned home, where a neighbor met her with devastating news.

“My neighbor, he ran downstairs and he told me, he said, ‘Hey man, they shot your dog,'” Cummings recalled.

While at the complex pool, she had left behind her two dogs — three-year-old Stormi and seven-month-old Cashmere. Cummings says her neighbor told her police had shot Stormi.

“Stormi. That was my baby,” Cummings said. “She loved belly rubs, she loved whipped cream.”

“Stormi was laying on my chest before we left and I said, ‘Storm Storm, we’re gonna be right back,'” Cummings said.

According to a statement from the Norfolk Police Department to News 3, officers were called to Crescent Way on Sunday afternoon for a man who accidentally shot himself. The statement added:

“While on scene conducting their investigation, responding officers encountered a vicious animal, and an officer discharged their service weapon in the direction of the vicious animal as it was approaching. The dog was pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported during this incident.”

Cummings said police on scene did not allow Cummings through to her apartment. She and her girlfriend entered through a back door, and Cummings went through to the front door.

“I opened the door and peeped around the corner. I saw Stormy just laying right there by the stairwell. She was breathing so hard and she was looking at me and I just fell to my knees,” Cummings said.

She says she watched Stormi take her last breath — and that officers threatened to handcuff her as she tried to reach her dog, telling her it was a police scene.

“They were telling me that if I went by her and didn’t calm down that they were gonna put me in handcuffs,” Cummings said. “That was my life. That was my baby.”

Cummings says the assistant chief on scene told her the officer who shot Stormi had opened her door by mistake.

“It was the officer’s fault. He had the wrong apartment,” Cummings said, adding that self-inflicted gunshot wound incident had happened on the third floor while her unit is on the first floor.

Police radio audio appears to support that account.

“(Unit) 304 was where the gunshot victim was. Apartment 102 has an open door and that’s where the dog is at,” a dispatcher can be heard saying on Broadcastify.

News 3 asked Norfolk Police if they could confirm that the officer entered the wrong apartment. They responded with a statement similar to the original — but this time, the word “vicious” was removed:

“While on scene for this incident, an officer discharged their service weapon one time in the direction of an animal as it was approaching. The animal, a dog, was pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported during this incident.

The Officer involved has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of this ongoing investigation.”

Police say that’s all they’re able to share right now and will release updates when they’re available.

Cummings says she has contacted a lawyer while she waits for more information. She is also waiting to receive Stormi’s ashes. She says condolences from neighbors and friends have provided some comfort — as has knowing she was the last thing Stormi saw.

“Before she took her last breath and went to heaven, her mama fought for her. She knows that her mama fought for her,” Cummings said. “I just want to tell everybody please hug your babies tight.”

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 Ricardo Tovar

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    California (KSBW) — Months after making national headlines for advertising her search for a husband on Bay Area billboards, a Salinas native says her story has reached a happy new chapter: she has found love.

Lisa Catalano, a Salinas High School graduate who drew attention in the fall for promoting her dating website, marrylisa.com, on billboards from San Francisco to Santa Clara, recently shared that the effort ultimately helped lead her to the relationship she had been hoping to find.

While she did not meet her boyfriend directly through the billboard campaign or through an application on her website, Catalano said the entire experience played an important role in getting her there.

“I don’t feel like any of it was a waste of time or effort or resources,” Catalano said in an interview with KSBW 8. “All paths led me to where I am now.”

Catalano, 42, launched the campaign after growing frustrated with dating apps and wanting a more intentional path toward marriage and family.

Her website laid out her values, goals and non-negotiables, serving as a deeper filter for compatibility than traditional dating profiles.

Catalano said she received roughly 4,000 applications between September 2025 and May 2026, with 3,221 deemed genuine.

She said many of the responses came from men outside her area or from people who did not meet the basic qualities she was seeking in a partner.

She contacted 20 local men and went on first dates with five of them.

At the same time, Catalano continued using dating apps, often directing matches to her website to help assess compatibility early on.

In January, she matched with a man on a dating app who had also seen one of her billboards. That connection eventually turned into a relationship.

Catalano said the two went on 19 dates over three and a half months before becoming exclusive.

In June she announced on her website that she is now in a relationship with a Bay Area man she described as kind, intelligent, and aligned with the values most important to her.

She said he meets the standards she had been seeking all along, including shared views on marriage, family, lifestyle, religion and politics.

Catalano also revealed more details about the cost of her widely discussed campaign. She said the billboards themselves cost about $967, while the website and taxi-top ads in San Francisco brought the subtotal to about $1,980.

After adding follow-up expenses tied to the attention the campaign received — including wardrobe, makeup and increased security — her total spending came to $4,746.

Despite public speculation that the campaign may have cost tens of thousands of dollars, Catalano said she was strategic in choosing billboard locations and ad timing to stay within budget.

She said she started the process without ever imagining the amount of attention it would receive. Some people speculated that she was doing it for attention or fame, while others supported her. She also faced nasty and hateful comments directed at her efforts. Some even accused her of being AI.

She said she had tried all the traditional approaches, including meeting people in public and using dating apps, but none of them were working, and she was not finding dates.

She even said she turned down offers for Bachelorette-type shows in an effort not to muddy her real goal of finding love.

“I wasn’t getting dates, and I really wanted to find love, get married and have all of that,” she said. “I was like, ‘Okay, my current trajectory on things is not working. How am I going to make this work?’ I had to change something, so I decided to go big on it. And, you know, I didn’t meet my boyfriend off of the website or billboards, but I think the whole combination of everything that happened led me to where I am now.”

She also said she would not necessarily recommend billboards as the answer for everyone, but she does believe in finding creative solutions when something in life is not working.

“I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend going the billboard route per se, but I think that with anything in life, if you have a problem, it can be beneficial to try to think about creative solutions to the problem,” she said. “And that’s essentially what I did in this situation.”

Now, Catalano says she is simply grateful the story ended the way it did.

For a woman who once put her love life on Highway 101, the road appears to have led exactly where she hoped.

She said that despite the costs and effort, she does not regret what she did because it led her to where she is today.

She said she is very optimistic about her future with her new boyfriend and that they are both very happy right now. She would not disclose much about him other than to say he is a 35-year-old Bay Area man who is not bothered by her website or the media attention she has garnered.

She said she is trying to keep details about her relationship private, but added that they have spoken about a future together.

“He’s just way better than I thought I could even find in one person,” she said. “So I’m very lucky. I’m very happy. And he feels the same way about me.”

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 Romelo Styles

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    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — A Norfolk police officer and a group of strangers worked together Tuesday afternoon to rescue a woman trapped inside her car after a water main break opened a 7-foot sinkhole on City Hall Avenue.

Officer AJ Stevenson was first to act, climbing down into the sinkhole to reach the woman as water rushed around her vehicle. Bystanders, including Brennan Feldman, stopped what they were doing and rushed over — not to record the scene, but to help.

Body camera footage captured the moments Stevenson descended into the hole and talked the woman through the rescue.

Stevenson said he never considered waiting for backup before going in.

“I just immediately thought that I need to get her out that vehicle and one way or another. I was gonna get her out,” Stevenson said.

Feldman said he was driving past when he heard the woman screaming and stopped immediately.

“As I drove by, I heard the lady screaming and then as I got a little bit closer, I saw her,” Feldman said.

“And I said oh my goodness I really have to get this lady out that was my first thought,” Feldman said.

“Lady was sitting in her driver seat still buckled. There was a rushing river of water around her,” Feldman said.

While Stevenson worked to reach the woman, Feldman and others positioned themselves at the edge of the sinkhole to keep the officer anchored and help pull them both out safely.

“I’m sitting there and I’m grabbing his belt as hard as I can because he’s a big guy,” Feldman said.

Stevenson said the response from the people around him made the difference.

“Yes, I probably could’ve done it by myself, but it was a team effort. I owe a lot of thanks to the citizens that stood by. They didn’t pull their phones out and start recording. They actually stood by and even checked on me as well as the woman,” Stevenson said.

Feldman said he hopes Stevenson gets the credit he deserves for putting himself in danger to save a stranger.

“I would just tell him that you’re just like I told him that day he did a fantastic job. I hope that he gets the recognition that he deserves because he risked his life to save a ladies life,” Feldman said.

Stevenson said what stands out most from the rescue is not his own actions, but the fact that complete strangers came together without hesitation to help someone they had never met.

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 Ashley Glass

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (WPTV) — Ahead of the July Fourth holiday, WPTV is examining ways to celebrate and support our military.

As local Chris Claflin will attest to, the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach is a valuable resource in supporting the mental health and well-being of service members or anyone struggling.

As Claflin explained to WPTV Morning Anchor Ashley Glass, he graduated from Harvard Business School. He was also a U.S. Navy pilot and flew jets in combat, but all of that success fell apart when he became drug addicted for eight years.

Claflin traced the onset of the drug addiction, in part, back to not dealing with trauma he experienced as a child. He is currently more than a year sober, and has a message for anyone struggling, especially veterans.

“Get help,” Claflin said. “You have to get help. You can’t do this on your own. It’s not something you can figure out. Once you get so far down the rabbit hole, you can’t pull yourself out on your own.”

Claflin is working to become a certified counselor after receiving help at the Hanley Center. He said the care he received there changed everything for the better.

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 Taylor Epps

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WMAR) — Mystery solved in West Baltimore. A West Baltimore woman searching for the good Samaritan who rescued her stolen packages has found him and formed an immediate bond.

D. FitzGerald Smith, known by friends as Chip, wasn’t feeling well, so he went out for an early morning walk around 5 a.m. Sunday, when he spotted two people breaking into cars in his neighborhood.

“I see these individuals; they don’t see me. They actually go inside of a white SUV, and they took boxes out. At that point, they began to run, so I’m now yelling at them,” Smith said.

The thieves dropped the packages. Smith looked at the address on them and rang the doorbell at Cruz’s home, but she was asleep.

“I’m determined that this woman is going to get her packages back, I said ‘I’m not going to leave them here, I’m gonna pick them up and put them on her doorstep,'” Smith said. “To me, what I did is normal; this is not out of the ordinary for a man to do.”

Smith said it is simply how he was raised, and he was hesitant when people began calling him a hero. He eventually dropped a note in Cruz’s mailbox, and the two connected by phone.

That is when he learned the packages contained items the community had raised money to buy to improve a green space in the neighborhood.

When the two finally met in person, Cruz was overcome with emotion.

“You really, really came through, and I have to say, it’s really hard living here,” said Cruz. “Things like this really crush your spirit and chip at your happiness, but when you meet people like you, it brings back some faith in people.”

She gave him fresh sunflowers and a card to mark the occasion.

Cruz is not from Baltimore. She moved to the area because she heard there were good people here. Smith reminded her that there are. Now she knows he’s just a few blocks away.

“That’s it, we’re friends for life,” Cruz said. “I feel safer, I do. I met Chip, I’m good now.”

“And you are now, as I say, you are my sister,” Smith said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WMAR’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.