‘Partially consumed vodka bottle’ found in now-fired Florida police chief’s vehicle after crash

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Allison Petro, Madilyn Destefano, Meghan Moriarty

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    KISSIMMEE, Florida (WESH) — Titusville Police Chief John Lau was terminated on Wednesday after refusing to take a drug/alcohol test following a rollover crash on Tuesday night, according to a letter from the City of Titusville.

However, the city said Florida Highway Patrol “determined no criminal charges will be filed.”

The crash occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Barna Avenue and River Oaks Drive, FHP said

Lau was in a 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe, which was an unmarked Titusville Police Department vehicle.

The Tahoe ran off the roadway and overturned several times. Lau was extricated from the vehicle before he was transported to Parrish Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The letter from Titusville said Lau was terminated “effective immediately” for “violating the City Policy on Drug and Alcohol after refusing to do a drug test after the crash.”

The release says officers observed at the scene, “a partially consumed vodka bottle and a metal cup.”

According to a case report from TPD, officers also “could hear a slight slur in Chief Lau’s speech.”

Officers also said Lau’s eyes were bloodshot.

Lau refused to submit to an alcohol test at the hospital. He was discharged on Wednesday.

The city says TPD will release body camera video, photographs, and the incident case report.

Lau began his career with the Titusville Police Department in 1992. He worked his way up the ranks to police chief in 2013.

Deputy Chief Tyler Wright has been appointed acting chief of police.

>> This is a developing story.

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83-year-old drives 1937 Pontiac from Seattle to Pontiac for centennial celebration

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Jolie Sherman

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    PONTIAC, Michigan (WXYZ) — Thousands of car enthusiasts are in Pontiac this weekend for the 54th annual Pontiac-Oakland Club International — a convention the state has only hosted twice in its history.

The timing is no coincidence, as this year marks 100 years since the Pontiac brand was introduced.

Among those making the trip is 83-year-old Gary Cummings, who drove his 1937 Pontiac 2,446 miles from his home in Seattle, Washington to Pontiac, Michigan for the centennial celebration.

“They would honk at me, and I would [pushes horn] honk at them,” Cummings said.

“Like the Pontiac factory, it wasn’t one employee who built the car, and it hasn’t been one person to keep the car running. It’s with friends, and I’m giving back to my friends by driving out here,” Cummings said.

The car holds a lifetime of memories. Cummings’ girlfriend — who would later become his wife — found it at a yard sale.

“I actually purchased it for $175… He wanted $300 for it, which is still a great price. But I told him, I can’t afford it. Remember, this is 1961 dollars,” Cummings said.

The very next day, he drove that Pontiac to his high school graduation. The car went on to become a fixture in his family’s life.

“I used it as our only car when got married, our honeymoon, and for two children brought them home in the car. So it is truly a family car,” Cummings said.

Cummings made the six-day cross-country journey with a good friend. The trip wasn’t without its challenges — the two dealt with a dead battery along the way — but a good Samaritan stepped in to help.

“There’s lots of people out there to help you when you need it,” Cummings said.

Cummings made it to Pontiac just in time for this weekend’s festivities, which include a parade in downtown Pontiac Friday night and a car show at the Oakland Expo on Saturday.

The Pontiac Transportation Museum organized the event. Terry Connolly, the museum’s board chair, encouraged people to visit.

“This city has a wonderful legacy in car culture, and come and visit the Pontiac Transportation Museum as well. You can see it all on the floor in air conditioned comfort,” Connolly said.

Connolly also spoke to the enduring appeal of the Pontiac brand.

“As you may have found out talking to people, Pontiac has probably the largest following of any retired brand of automobile,” Connolly said.

For Cummings, the car is a time capsule in more ways than one — carrying both his personal stories and a piece of living history.

“When I get into the car, and I’m able to feel the transmission when I shift, and look out the window, and see the emblem, the Pontiac Indian head, I feel like I’m in a time machine, traveling back in time,” Cummings said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’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.

Oklahoma City lights up giant cowboy boot sculpture as part of Route 66 centennial

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Patrick Talbot

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Oklahoma City unveiled a 35-foot-tall cowboy boot sculpture outside the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, adding a new attraction to Route 66 as part of the highway’s centennial celebration.

The oversized sculpture celebrates two Oklahoma icons — cowboy culture and America’s most famous highway. Artist Cameron Eagle, who designed the piece, said the inspiration came from a lyric in the song “Kicks 66.”

“Oklahoma City’s mighty pretty. That’s it, doesn’t describe any other town,” Eagle said.

Eagle explained that every detail of the sculpture was designed to reflect Oklahoma’s culture and identity.

“The boot just kept really, really speaking to me as far as, you know, one of the things that they wanted, they wanted it to represent Oklahoma and Oklahoma culture. So the boot is for everybody,” Eagle said.

He added that the design includes a cactus, which he said symbolizes strength and resilience.

“The cactus, a lot of people have said, ‘We don’t have a cactus here in Oklahoma.’ I said, ‘I beg to differ.’ That’s an indigenous plant. It’s in all 77 counties, and I put that in there as a balance to also symbolize strength and resilience,” Eagle said.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said the goal was to create a landmark that connects the city to Route 66 and encourages visitors to stop and take photos.

“I wanted the words of that song in there, and I wanted it to be something people would stop by, check out and take pictures with,” Holt said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official unveiling of the sculpture, and as the sun set, the boot was lit for the first time, shining brightly as part of the celebration.

The cowboy boot joins a growing list of attractions across Oklahoma celebrating Route 66, including the Wellston Pin, a giant pushpin art installation marking the midpoint of Route 66 within the state. Communities are also restoring historic landmarks and creating new destinations to attract visitors from around the world.

Oklahoma boasts more than 400 drivable miles of Route 66 — more than any other state — and officials hope new attractions like the cowboy boot will keep travelers exploring the highway for generations to come.

This giant boot serves as a reminder that the Mother Road isn’t just preserving history — it’s still making it.

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Man accused of hiding camera in tanning booth at salon

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By KCCI Web Staff

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    ALBIA, Iowa (KCCI) — A contractor has been charged for allegedly secretly recording people using a private tanning bed at a southern Iowa salon.

Authorities say Kevin Zaputil, 49, placed a hidden camera in the wall of Just Teasin Hair Salon in Albia, and filmed several people who used a tanning bed between 2023-2026.

Records show Zaputil was the main contractor for the salon and had access with a master key.

According to court documents, Zaputil told police he would watch video of people using a tanning bed. Owners of the salon told KCCI the tanning bed was for private use and was never available to customers.

Zaputil is charged three counts of invasion of privacy.

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.

iHeart-broken: Listeners react to mass layoffs at local sports radio station

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Beau Bowman

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Some local sports fans say they are ready to find a new radio station after mass layoffs at iHeartRadio gutted Des Moines’ KXNO.

The layoffs came Tuesday afternoon, leaving much of the station’s local staff out of work.

Longtime host Heather Burnside posted on X, “I’m no longer at KXNO and The Bus. Thank you so much for listening and being part of my extended family.”

Burnside hosted the morning show, and her co-host and producer were also laid off.

KXNO program director Sean Roberts was also cut from the lineup, along with his co-host and producer.

Roberts wrote online, “I got to live out a dream and I will be forever thankful. This is all I ever wanted to do.”

Listeners said the loss goes beyond sports talk.

“We’re losing a lot of outlets for our local colleges to talk to us fans through them,” Ryan May said.

“I think that even speaks to a broader thing in our community, we’re losing local spots. Local bars, local restaurants, we’re losing a local radio station. That’s scary,” Travis Halm said.

The layoffs in Des Moines are part of broader cuts across the iHeartRadio family nationwide.

The lone remaining local sports talk show is Miller and Condon, which is independently owned by the hosts, Ken Miller and Trent Condon, and not iHeartRadio. The announcement came less than 24 hours before Miller was set to retire. He skipped his farewell show, protesting the layoffs.

Miller had been at the station for 30 years.

Since the layoffs, listeners will hear national programming instead, with some saying their favorite teams may barely get mentioned.

Of the four iHeart stations in Des Moines, three lost all of their local talent and both of their female hosts.

iHeartRadio and KXNO did not respond to requests for comment.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY: Does the Missouri General Assembly fund schools appropriately?

KMIZ on June 26, 2026

Matthew Sanders

Budget time is here again for schools, whose fiscal year begins July 1.

That means administrators and school boards are facing some thorny outlooks, some worse than others, when it comes to funding. The Missouri General Assembly didn’t provide the funding increase that educators had sought last session, and school districts say that puts them in a bind with increasing employee salaries and other costs.

Public school funding is one of the primary duties of the legislature, but many education advocates have long been critical that the General Assembly isn’t doing its job. Depending on who you ask, the state ranks anywhere from No. 49 to somewhere in the 30s when it comes to education funding.

Do you think the General Assembly funds public education appropriately? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Tanker transporting ethanol overturns, forcing evacuations

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By KAKE News Staff

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    EL DORADO, Kansas (KAKE) — A tanker truck transporting 8,000 gallons of ethanol overturned in El Dorado on Thursday, causing evacuations and highway closures.

Keri Korthals, Director of Emergency Management for Butler County, said the incident happened Thursday afternoon when a tanker hauling 8,000 gallons of ethanol overturned near Kansas Avenue and South Main Street in El Dorado.

Korthals says the vehicle rolled on its side and some ethanol breached, went down the street and into the storm drain.

A small amount of ethanol did get into the river, Korthals said, and Butler County 911 dispatchers are currently contacting landowners on the river with cattle, warning them to temporarily keep cattle away from the river.

Despite this, Korthals said this is “not an excessive contamination.”

Korthals said that emergency management has contacted the Kansas Department of Health and Environment regarding the spill.

Residents in the nearby vicinity were evacuated for several hours while crews worked to clear the scene. The evacuation has since been lifted, and the highway has reopened.

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.

Flooding leads to road closures across Wichita, police respond to over 400 calls

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By KAKE News Staff

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    WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — Overnight storms have left flooding across Wichita roads, stalling cars and closing streets.

Sedgwick County dispatch confirms there are multiple road closures, including:

Woodlawn from 47th to 49th

Hillside from 95th to 119th

Oliver from 47th to 55th

47th from Greenwich to Webb

119th from Meridian to Hoover

103rd from Hoover to Ridge

Ridge from 71st to 103rd

Tyler from 71st to 103rd

The Kansas Department of Transportation advises that KS-55 between US-81 and KS-15 is closed and asks drivers to watch for flooding.

Officials are asking people to drive with caution and, if they see water in the roadway, to “Turn around, Don’t Drown.”

“Don’t drive around road closed barricades!” Mulvane Fire Rescue wrote.

“Please stay home if you don’t need to be out,” the Wichita Fire Department wrote.

The Wichita Police Department said between 6 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. on Friday, officers responded to 424 emergency calls — a 35% increase over last week.

If your vehicle was left in floodwaters Thursday night, police ask you to return to check on it if it’s safe to do so and arrange your own tow truck to remove it as soon as possible.

“Vehicles that remain abandoned in roadways and are blocking traffic may be impounded so they do not create additional hazards for motorists and emergency responders,” the WPD wrote. “If your vehicle is no longer where you left it, please contact our Records Bureau at 316-268-4186 to determine whether it was impounded and which tow lot it was taken to.

“We appreciate your patience as our officers and our city partners continue working to restore normal operations following last night’s flooding. Please continue to use caution around flooded areas and never drive through standing water.”

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.

Spit in food? Arby’s employee accused of giving herpes to customer

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Erin Christy

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    MCCURTAIN COUNTY, Oklahoma (KJRH) — Many have heard claims of retaliatory restaurant workers spitting in customers’ food, and hope it’s just a gross, urban legend.

But in McCurtain County, a former Arby’s manager is charged with felony poisoning—accused of spitting in a woman’s food and, as a result, giving her herpes.

“I love Arby’s—not anymore,” said Jennica Church.

After a long night of bartending, Church stopped at an Arby’s in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

“It was taking a little bit of time,” Church recalled. “I thought they were mad at me because it was about to close.”

Church said she had a little history with Amanda Hendricks, the manager at the time, but nothing major. She went home, ate, and shared sandwiches with her father-in-law and grandmother-in-law.

Church lives in a home with her husband, kids, and paternal grandparents. After that night, Church’s mouth flared up, and that had never happened.

A doctor later diagnosed her with herpes.

Because Broken Bow is a small town, word travels fast. Church says Hendrix had been bragging about spitting in Church’s sandwiches, and Church’s daughter heard about it.

According to the affidavit, Broken Bow police officers say they pulled cameras from Arby’s and saw Hendricks spit in the food. Hendricks is charged with felony poisoning with intent to injure.

A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

Church and her family filed a lawsuit against Hendricks, Arby’s and their affiliated restaurant groups claiming the incident has caused extreme anxiety, emotional distress and fear of infection. Church fears it will impact her work in the service industry.

“If I go out to each and see someone with a big thing on their face, I don’t want them serving me food,” she said.

The fallout is tough for Church’s mother-in-law, Patricia Dollarhite, to discuss.

“My son was sitting at my table, eating breakfast and he wanted a kiss, and he could not get one, so you bet I’m angry,” said Dollarhite. “I see what it’s doing to my grandchildren, my son, my husband. I don’t want to kiss my husband. He ate the food! Because he hasn’t had an outbreak, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it.”

The family attorney, Will Blocker, says he is floored that it appears to be acceptable behavior. He said no other employees who witnessed the spitting did anything to stop it.

“They let it go all the way out the door and my client now has a communicable disease,” he said. “That has to be a culture deeper than Arby’s in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Maybe it’s Flynn Restaurant Group and all 300 stores they own. I don’t know, but we are going to find out.”

We reached out to Arby’s for comment and have not heard back yet.

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.

Caney River reaches dangerous flood levels in Washington County, closing roads

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By CJ Maclin

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    BARTLESVILLE, Oklahoma (KJRH) — Flood warnings are in effect in Washington County as the Caney River rises to dangerous levels Friday morning.

According to the National Weather Service, the Caney River near Ramona currently sits at just over 23 feet.

Washington County Emergency Management reports Virginia Avenue leading to Oak Park has been shut down since midnight due to rising water. With Sunset Boulevard also blocked, first responders are now using alternate routes to serve the Oak Park community. Flooding is also impacting additional low-lying areas along the riverbank.

The situation is more serious downstream at Ramona, where the Caney River continues climbing toward 28.6 feet — that’s moderate flood stage. The river there is expected to crest at some point later Friday afternoon.

Washington County Emergency Management Deputy Director Melissa Mayes said:

“We will see a lot of agriculture flooding and a lot of county roads will probably be underwater, so there will be some, some closed roads in the south end of the county, more so down there than there will be in Bartlesville. Barnesville will have more minor impacts compared to the south end of the county.”

Multiple county roads around Ramona are already underwater, with additional closures anticipated Friday afternoon.

Authorities stress the importance of avoiding flooded roadways — even shallow water can sweep vehicles away.

Emergency officials say this flooding event should be short-lived, but are asking everyone to use extreme caution on the roads Friday.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KJRH’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.