Month: July 2026

By Taylor Locke

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    LOUISA COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — A 29-year-old man is charged with murder and aggravated sexual assault in connection to the death of a 2-year-old girl in Louisa County, Virginia.

Raul Ortiz Moran, 29, of Mexico, faces charges of second-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault in connection to the July 4 death, according to the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office.

Louisa County Sheriff Donnie Lowe says the case began when Ortiz Moran, his girlfriend, and her toddler left their home in the 1500 block of Owens Creek Road in Louisa and showed up at the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office saying they needed emergency help for the child.

“Goochland deputies stepped in. The baby wasn’t conscious at the time. They tried to revive the baby along with the fire rescue that showed up immediately after, but their attempts were unsuccessful,” Lowe said.

The child was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico County, where she was pronounced deceased.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

Deputies launched an investigation into what happened to the child after noticing numerous injuries to her head and body.

That same day, deputies went to the magistrate to request an arrest warrant for Ortiz Moran — they were denied and told to bring back more evidence.

When asked why the couple went to the sheriff’s office rather than a hospital, Lowe said he could not comment on that at this time.

He also said he could not yet disclose what led deputies to suspect Ortiz Moran in the toddler’s death.

Ortiz Moran was initially taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement based on his immigration status.

“We were afraid that he was going to bolt. So we called ICE, and yeah, they picked him up,” Lowe said.

Ortiz Moran will remain in federal custody without bond pending Louisa County judicial proceedings, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said.

“It’s a heartbreak to our community. It’s a heartbreak to every parent. It’s a heartbreak to every journalist that has to cover this, from every cop that has to deal with it,” Lowe said.. “It’s a total heartbreak. It’s not just devastating one family. You devastate a whole community when you do that, and I have no sympathy for them.”

Lowe says this remains an active investigation and that deputies are seeking any information that can help the case.

“I’m going to do everything in my power, in my ability, pull every resource I can, to put this man in jail for the rest of his life,” Lowe said.

CBS 6 reached out to the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office about its efforts in helping the child.

“This was a heartbreaking and tragic incident for everyone involved. I am incredibly proud of our deputies, who immediately responded with compassion and professionalism by doing everything they could to save this young child’s life. We extend our deepest condolences to the child’s family and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” Sheriff Steven Creasey, Goochland County Sheriff, said. “I also want to recognize the outstanding work of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office for their diligent investigation and commitment to pursuing justice. The Goochland County Sheriff’s Office will continue to assist in any way necessary as this case moves forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office at 540-967-1234 or Louisa Crime Solvers at 800-346-1466.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR 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.

By Brady Halbleib, Lyanne Wang

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    YOLO COUNTY, California (KOVR) — The Yolo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a local state of emergency declaration in response to the invasive golden mussel species.

The first North American detection of the species occurred in the Port of Stockton in October 2024, and the mussels have since spread as far north as West Sacramento, where they were spotted in the port last month.

Yolo County joins Sacramento, Kern, and San Joaquin counties in declaring local emergencies over the species. West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero is calling for immediate action to remove the mussels as they overtake crucial city infrastructure, including drainage pipes and pump stations, putting the city at risk of flooding.

“Say there’s heavy rain. We have to get the water out of the city. We live in a bowl,” Guerrero said. “My concern is, the only way to be able to do that is by sending divers in.”

She hopes for the state to send resources soon, given that the longer the mussels spread, the more expensive it will become to remove them from water infrastructure.

“We need to get that immediately here in West Sacramento, in partnership with the reclamation district, to make sure those discharge pipes are clear.”

Guerrero says that Reclamation District 900, which oversees West Sacramento’s drainage system, is working with port leaders to address the issue.

The invasive species clog irrigation pipes and other water infrastructure, damage boats, and outcompete crawfish and native species, which decreases the food source for fish and other wildlife.

“They go into pipes and drains in areas where we are required to either bring in water or to pump water out,” Guerrero said.

Some researchers have also linked golden mussels to toxic algal blooms.

Officials call upon anyone who spots a golden mussel to report it to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife through its Report an Invasive Species Sighting page, emailing Invasives@wildlife.ca.gov, or by calling 866-440-9530.

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 Kenny Choi

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A historic neon sign is glowing again in San Francisco’s Chinatown, bringing renewed attention to the couple who pioneered what’s believed to be the first Chinese-language radio program in North America.

Tommy and May Chin Tong launched the Golden Star Radio Company and began producing “The Chinese Hour” from their basement studio in 1939. The couple purchased airtime on San Francisco radio station KSAN, broadcasting news, music and entertainment to Cantonese-speaking listeners across the Bay Area.

“The new immigrants feel wanted and comfortable to hear stories and news in their own language when nobody else was doing it,” said Steve Kushman of the California Historical Radio Society.

May Tong prepared and delivered the news, while her husband managed the technical side of the broadcast.

“I hear it every day,” their son, Ron Tong, said while recalling his childhood. “My mom is preparing the news, and my father is the technician.”

For immigrants adjusting to life in the United States, the program offered both practical information and a cultural connection.

“I think it was important for people coming to a new land, not being able to speak the language or starting to assimilate, but still wanting a tie to the homeland,” Ron Tong said.

The Chinese Hour continued for 40 years, from 1939 until 1979. Researchers examining the Tongs’ broadcasting legacy last year discovered photographs showing the Golden Star Radio sign, which remained attached to the company’s building at 846 Clay Street.

“We’re looking at the pictures, I scratch my head and go, ‘Look at that sign. Why don’t we restore that sign?'” Kushman recalled.

The California Historical Radio Society launched a campaign that raised approximately $65,000 for the project. Restoration crews repaired the once-rusted and deteriorating sign piece by piece, applying customized paint that matched its original colors and installing new neon lights.

The restored sign was recently relit after remaining dark for decades.

Many people who pass the building may not notice the sign or know the history behind it. Ron Tong said he did not fully understand the significance of his parents’ work when he was young.

“As a kid growing up, you don’t realize the significance until you’re older,” he said. “You start to appreciate history and culture more and realize the impact it actually had.”

Few, if any, recordings of The Chinese Hour are known to have survived. But the restored sign now provides a visible reminder of the Tongs’ contributions to broadcasting and San Francisco’s Chinese American community.

The Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame inducted Tommy and May Tong as broadcasting pioneers in 2025.

For their family, seeing the Golden Star Radio sign shining once again carries a simple but powerful meaning.

“It puts a smile on our face,” Ron Tong said.

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 Dean Fioresi, Michele Gile, Lesley Marin

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    ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Hundreds of Orange County residents and some lawmakers filled the halls of a community meeting on Tuesday evening as they voiced their concerns over an extremely rare childhood cancer that several children have been diagnosed with in recent years.

Last week, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley wrote a letter to California’s Department of Public Health Director Dr. Erica Pan, asking that they expedite their ongoing review of the reported Ewing sarcoma cases in the Ladera Ranch neighborhood.

“Ladera Ranch families have reported six children diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, an exceptionally rare cancer that most often affects children and young adults,” Foley’s office said in a statement after her letter was sent. “The number of reported diagnoses in a community of approximately 26,000 residents has raised serious concerns among families and residents.”

Some community members have raised concerns about an herbicide used in their community as a potential cause, including Brian Dalton, whose daughter Lily spent most of her time in Ladera Ranch throughout high school with her boyfriend and his family.

“Spent a lot of nights, weekends and summers in Ladera Ranch, and we also lived six miles away,” Dalton said.

Lily died in January of a rare soft tissue cancer that had been diagnosed a few years earlier. Doctors told him that her tumor had an Ewing sarcoma gene fusion.

“This is so rare that there has to be something, and if it’s not pesticides, then what is it?” he said.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Dalton offered an emotionally charged plea to the crowd, hopeful that some sort of answers could help others from having to deal with the same thing they’ve had to.

“I don’t want another family planning a funeral instead of a future,” Dalton said. “I don’t want another father standing where I stand today.”

Foley said that the Orange County Health Care Agency asked the California Cancer Registry to evaluate concerns in Ladera Ranch in 2024, but no discernible pattern of cases was discovered at that time. After renewed concerns from the community, they again asked CCR, UCI’s Cancer Center and the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner to revisit the issue.

The results of that assessment are still pending.

“Ladera Ranch families deserve answers, transparency, and urgency from the state,” Foley said in a statement. “We do not yet know what caused these cancers, but that uncertainty demands a comprehensive review of every credible factor, including possible environmental exposures, along with direct communication and the public release of the findings.”

The California Cancer Registry tells CBS LA that the purpose of their assessment is to determine whether the number of cancers diagnosed in the area appears higher than expected based on population-based cancer registry data.

A spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health says that because Ewing sarcoma is so rare, small numbers can make statistical interpretation difficult, and that they cannot determine if an environmental exposure caused the cancers. Ewing sarcoma typically affects 200 to 250 children throughout the U.S. annually, according to the American Cancer Society.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, the Ladera Ranch Civic Council, which is made up of community members, presented a special agenda item titled “Community Health Concerns,” where they spoke about banning toxic herbicides in their neighborhoods.

Another parent at the meeting, Lisa Edgerton, held a sign showing her son’s steps to recovery after battling the same soft tissue cancer as Lily Dalton. He was diagnosed in 2015, when he was just 15 years old.

“I needed to come and make sure that we remembered that there were more cases, back 10 years ago,” Edgerton said.

Orange County-based oncologist and the physician in chief at City of Hope, Edward Kim, who is not involved in the study, says that sometimes cancer cases like this are happenstance.

“Sometimes it is just by chance that a certain location, over a certain amount of time, has a higher number of cases, but it may still fall within the norm of the cases described through the country,” Kim said.

Logan Spector, an epidemiologist who studies the causes of childhood cancers, and Ewing sarcoma in particular, says that he has already been contacted by some Ladera Ranch families over the concerns.

“There are environmental causes of some childhood cancers; Ewing sarcoma is not really one of them,” Spector said. “The other thing about Ewing sarcoma is the strongest risk factor is actually the ancestry of a child.”

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has also raised concerns, penning a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency to “conduct an appropriate investigation to determine if there are any environmental factors causing this cancer cluster” and to see if any federal environmental laws are implicated.

State Assemblymember Kate Sanchez on Monday addressed the topic as well, stating that she formally called on Gov. Newsom to launch a “coordinated, state-led investigation” into the cancer cases.

“This is bigger than any one agency. It requires California to bring together state, local and federal partners under one unified effort to investigate every reasonable environmental factor, follow the evidence where it leads, and keep the public informed every step of the way,” Sanchez said.

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 Mamie Bah

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    MCKEESPORT, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A McKeesport family says their 3-year-old pet emu was hunted and killed by their neighbors’ pit bulls.

The frantic chase was captured on cellphone video. It shows two dogs chasing after the emu. It lasts only moments, but for one family, the ending changed everything.

“It was like a hunting,” said David Callos.

Callos and Carly Stroman said they received a call on Tuesday afternoon that one of their emus was out and under attack by their neighbor’s dogs.

“By the time I got there, McKeesport police had already had to put her down,” Stroman said. “She was lying in the middle of the road at the bottom of our property line after the dogs had torn her throat out, and the damage they did is just unbelievable.”

The emu, named Barb, was 3 years old, 160 pounds and 6 feet tall. Allos and Stroman say that, like their other emus, she wasn’t aggressive, and this was her first time getting out.

They say they don’t have any video of the attack, only the ones circulating online. Also, they say their neighbor hasn’t said anything to them.

“We’ve had problems with these neighbors and these dogs before, and they deny having the dogs,” Callos said.

“We spoke with the dog warden about pressing charges, at least doing some kind of a civil suit for the killing of the animal. It’s considered livestock, and they’re expensive,” Callos added.

KDKA-TV reached out to the McKeesport Police Department on Tuesday but did not hear back.

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 Mahsa Saeidi

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — The death of a woman after she visited a Bronx lifestyle center for a popular anti-aging injection is raising questions about the safety of treatments used to keep people beautiful.

The incident prompted CBS News New York Investigates to look into how you can keep yourself safe when attempting to do any of these treatments.

The 27-year-old walked into Bereshit Lifestyle Center on Riverdale Avenue on Sunday and police say Luis Rojas Cabrera injected her with NAD+, a compound some market as an anti-aging miracle.

A little more than an hour later, she was dead, police say.

“I am not a licensed doctor in New York,” Cabrera told police in the criminal complaint.

The 55-year-old is now charged with reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice.

Cabrera was arraigned and released and his attorney declined comment at this time.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of the woman’s death.

A treatment going horribly wrong is a scenario that’s not uncommon, according to the New York Department of State, which posted a warning about unlawful medical spas back in January.

The state said another woman in Flushing, Queens, was apparently told she was getting Botox and stem cells. Instead, officials say an unknown substance left her burned and blistered.

Walter Mosley, New York’s secretary of state, is currently overseeing an investigation into med spas.

“We have over 337 med spa inspections that have been completed,” Mosley said.

The Department of State said 24 have been shut down via an emergency order, and 16 lost their license, adding investigators found expired drugs, counterfeit products, and even fentanyl.

CBS News New York Investigates asked Dr. Tommaso Addona, a board-certified plastic surgeon at New York Plastic Surgical Group, how people can protect themselves before beauty treatments.

“When I was in training, we had providers inject in their garage in Queens and we would see the complications from those patients,” Addona said.

He said there are three licenses you should always ask about — the person, the building, and the bottle.

“The person administering the injection, you want a license there. The facility that’s actually hosting the provider, you want a facility licensure there. And then on top of that is the manufacturing license. These products have to come from companies that are authorized and approved to manufacture these products,” Addona said, adding a medical license is needed to do injections.

He explained his own rule.

“When I send my family to see someone, I do a deep dive online about them,” Addona said. “The reality is, it’s been going on for decades. It’s tough to control. but patients can control it, because they can do their homework.”

Addona offered his reaction when he learned of what happened to the woman in the Bronx.

“Terrified for patients is how I felt,” Addona said.

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 Chelsea Jones

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A Taco Rico franchise owner is apologizing after he was captured on video using a racial slur during a confrontation following Sunday’s World Cup match.

The incident happened at a World Cup watch party near 72nd Street and Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, according to police.

Video shows two people wearing Argentina jerseys arguing with a man wearing a Mexico jersey. During the confrontation, one of the men is heard shouting the N-word at the man in the Mexico jersey.

The man seen using the slur is the franchise owner of the Taco Rico location in West Kendall.

The incident has since sparked widespread backlash online, with negative reviews flooding the restaurant’s Google page and lowering its overall rating.

However, the fallout is also affecting other Taco Rico locations.

Tato Gonzalez, who owns the Taco Rico in Homestead, said customers are mistakenly blaming his independently owned restaurant for the incident.

“Basically, they blame it on Taco Rico itself, and what they don’t know is, for example, Taco Rico Homestead is my location, and he owns his own location with his wife,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said the backlash has had a significant impact on his business, pointing to the negative reviews now appearing on his restaurant’s Google page.

“It’s affecting us tremendously, and we work very hard,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody knows if you go into my Google and you see the reviews that we have, you’ll see the type of food, not just the food, but we actually give an experience to the customer.”

Late Monday afternoon, the West Kendall Taco Rico owner sent CBS News Miami a statement apologizing for his actions.

“I used a racist and hurtful slur, and there is no excuse for it. I am deeply sorry, and I owe a direct apology to the Black community, who I hurt with my words, along with everyone else who was rightfully harmed by my poor actions. That language is wrong, it does not reflect who I want to be, and I take full responsibility for it.” the statement said in part.

It continues saying:

“I also apologize to my family, my employees, my fellow franchisees, and this community I have served for more than 10 years. My words do not reflect them, and they should not bear any consequence for my actions.

The team members at the West Kendall franchise are community members with families of their own. They played no part in this situation, and they do not deserve any hostility, harsh judgment, or retaliation. I ask the public to allow our innocent staff and other locations to continue their work in peace. I am committed to doing the work to be better, including anti-racism education, and to earning back the trust I’ve broken. To everyone I’ve hurt, I am sorry.”

A separate video circulating online shows the man wearing the Mexico jersey being handcuffed.

However, Miami Beach police say that video does not show the full context of what happened.

CBS News Miami obtained exclusive body-worn camera video from Miami Beach police, providing another vantage point of the interaction.

Police said they had increased their presence throughout the city for World Cup celebrations and were able to quickly spot the disturbance and investigate.

No one was arrested, according to police.

Christopher Bess with the Miami Beach Police Department said the man in the Mexico jersey told officers he was an influencer and was live streaming the confrontation.

CBS News Miami has not independently verified that man’s identity.

Gonzalez said he hopes the incident does not continue to affect other Taco Rico franchise owners.

“I hope that this stops, number one, and number two, that he recognizes what he did wrong,” Gonzalez said.

Taco Rico corporate also sent CBS News Miami a statement, saying the West Kendall franchise owner is under formal review and calling the language used “racist and indefensible.”

The full statement reads as follows:

Taco Rico Corporate is aware of the video showing the franchisee and owner of our West Kendall location, using a racial slur. We want to be unequivocal: this language is racist, indefensible, and has no place in our company or our communities.

The West Kendall franchise is under formal review by Taco Rico Corporate. This review will assess the franchisee’s continued fitness to operate under our brand, in accordance with the terms of our Franchise Agreement, and will determine what corrective actions are warranted.

Taco Rico was built more than 34 years ago on the principle that every guest, employee, and community member is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background.

We recognize that words alone are not enough. We are taking direct, concrete steps, and we will update our guests, franchise owners, employees, and community as this review progresses.

To the Black community and to everyone who was rightfully angered and hurt by this video: we hear you, we stand with you, and we are acting on it.

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 Stef Manchen

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    TULSA, Oklahoma (KJRH) — Kimberly Hiddleston faced her grief head-on, with basketballs,

During the Western Conference Finals, she placed three basketballs in her front yard, all complete with the words ‘Love Stone’ written on them in black marker.

“He was a huge Thunder fan; I’ve become a huge Thunder fan as well,” she said. “He always thought he was going to be a professional basketball player, but at 5’7, his chances weren’t that strong.”

Her son, Stone, passed away at 31 in 2025 from an overdose, three days after the Thunder’s championship parade.

When neighbors started asking about the balls in her yard, Hiddleston decided to buy more and place basketballs in yards all across her OKC neighborhood.

“I thought it looked good and I thought it was an inexpensive way to really keep his name alive,” she said.

What started as a memorial of three basketballs quickly grew to 5,000 basketballs. With the help of Cleats for Kids, 250 were donated to TPS.

“These kids are in need of these basketballs,” said Emily Stone, Statewide Manager for Cleats for Kids. “It’s probably one of the most important sports, and you see it played all over the state, and with our little kids being Thunder fans, they can kind of grow up and think maybe I can do that one day.”

While this work is about keeping Stone’s name alive, it’s also about keeping other families from feeling the same grief and pain her family deals with daily.

That part resonated with Nathan Hale senior basketball player, Kedaar Cole.

“I feel like it’s kept me out of trouble,” Cole said. “I hung out with the wrong crowd, but when I joined basketball, I kept my grades up, stayed out of trouble, stuff like that.”

Hiddleston doesn’t want the mission to stop in Tulsa or in OKC; she plans to take her foundation ‘Stone’s Thunder Balls’ nationwide.

“We started our GoFundMe, and now we have a foundation, and people were just pouring in,” said Hiddleston. “We raised $30k in just two weeks of people wanting to support this to get the word out.”

Her goal is to purchase 20K basketballs for the start of playoffs – April 19 – which she’s hopeful the Thunder will be playing in. That also happens to be Stone’s birthday.

“A lot of people look at me and go ‘Oh my gosh, how can you survive a major tragedy like this,’ and I will tell you I went from bawling to being a major baller,” said Hiddleston. “The community pulling together and bringing awareness has been monumental, and I think you all are seeing it here today. My son would love the laughing, the competitiveness and the community.”

For any basketball donations, reach out to Cleats for Kids.

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 KJRH Digital

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    MUSKOGEE COUNTY, Oklahoma (KJRH) — Warning: this article contains details of rape and sexual assault.

A jury recommends that a Muskogee County woman should spend the rest of her life in prison after her 11-year-old daughter was raped and impregnated by her husband.

Cherie Walker was convicted on six counts of child neglect and one count of enabling child sexual abuse on July 17. She will be sentenced by a judge at a later date.

Walker’s husband, Dustin, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison last month.

Prosecutors say Cherie knew the abuse was happening and failed to protect her. The 11-year-old victim gave birth at home without receiving any medical care.

The victim’s grandmother, Michelle Justus, is also charged with child neglect and will face trial later this month. Justus is scheduled for trial on July 23rd.

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.