Month: July 2026

By Monique John

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — A group of workers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are celebrating a major milestone: ratifying the first-ever union contract for technicians operating the airport’s plane train across terminals.

Ninety airport workers are covered in this agreement. Their union, the Transportation Communications Union/IAM (TCU/IAM) says the negotations were successful because of the gains they made in employees’ wages, procedures for grievances, and in how quickly they were able to turn this agreement around.

“At the end of the day, it was workers sticking together for a common goal and the mission was to get as strong of a contract as we could…” said Matt Hollis, the national president of TCU/IAM.

Terms of the workers’ union contract include: an 18% wage increase with retroactive pay to April, 3% raises each year and a $2,600 ratification bonus among others. The union also negotiated enhanced procedures for members to be able to express grievances at work.

“We didn’t just mean…work rules, or just mean wages,” Hollis said. “We made a solid agreement as long as it took to get an agreement that contained work rule enhancements, real provisions of a contract, as well as desperately needed wage increases.”

The technicians that operate and manage the plane train voted to unionize and join TCU/IAM last August. Hollis says that the fact that they negotiated a contract in under a year is also an accomplishment.

“If you look at across the country, the typical timeline is that it takes well over a year to reach a collective bargaining agreement. And that’s for the unions that actually get a first contract. It’s kind of an alarming statistic of the number of bargaining units that are formed that actually never reach a first contract.”

Alstom issued a statement to CBS Atlanta saying in part that it is glad to have reached an agreement with the workers’ union, and that it values its relationship with its union partners.

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport has not responded to CBS Atlanta’s request for comment.

The union says workers still want to make improvements the next time they negotiate their deal, particularly in improving healthcare and making even more wage gains. A smaller set of Alstom employees at the airport that unionized with TCU/IAM in February are still negotiating their deal.

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 Juli McDonald

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    WEST ROXBURY, Massachusetts (WBZ) — On a visit to West Roxbury’s Millennium Park on Friday, a local woman couldn’t have known it would be her final walk with her dog Dobby along their favorite route.

“It was so beautiful and clear. I saw her drink some water, which I didn’t like, but I didn’t catch her soon enough,” Elivia Savadier Sagov recalled.

By Sunday, their dog of more than a decade had died. And the family fears the sudden suffering may have been caused by blue-green algae poisoning.

“This year I was very aware. I thought maybe not to let them in the water at all but it’s so tempting. We miss her terribly. It’s just been so sudden. Just really miss her,” she said sadly.

Dobby, 16, was an older dog, but according to the couple both of their pets became sick within hours of exposure to the water. Dobby’s symptoms were worse, including muscle stiffness, seizures, weakness, and GI issues.

The Charles River Watershed Association told WBZ-TV it is not aware of any recent testing in that section of the river. Over the last decade, the Charles River has had cyanobacteria blooms almost every summer; the longest bloom lasting 12 weeks in 2020.

“I almost feel there should be permanent notices here that state it very strongly: July and August there is likely to be algae. If there’s rain you may not even see the scum but spores are still in the water. And once the dog get this, the vets say there’s nothing that can be done,” she said.

The MSPCA confirms toxic blooms usually discolor fresh water in shades of green but it’s impossible to tell by appearance alone. The Charles River Watershed Association said blooms can develop quickly and asks volunteer visual monitors to be the eyes and ears of the river helping to collect data.

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 Adam Thompson, Drew Aunkst

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Two men are accused of using exotic animals and fire in a photo shoot in a parking garage of a Baltimore County mall.

Jayden Evans, 25, and 32-year-old Vernon Crowfey III were arrested and are now facing charges for the incident at the Towson Town Center parking garage on June 30.

Crowfey, the owner of photography company “Photogeniks,” was the photographer, and Evans was the animal handler during the photo shoot. Video and pictures from the incident show part of the garage floor was lit on fire while women posed with exotic animals like snakes and a monkey.

“We talkin’ about an empty parking lot, with no civilians, full of concrete and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a parking lot be set on fire with lighter fluid,” Crowfey told CBS News Baltimore.

He said they had permission to have the photo shoot in the mall’s parking garage.

“We spoke with the security at the mall as well. We explained to him that we was gonna have the fire flame photo shoot. He told us basically just be out before the mall closed,” Crowfey said.

CBS News Baltimore reached out to the mall’s owner to see if they gave permission for the photo shoot in the parking garage, but we have not heard back.

According to charging documents, Crowfey and Evans now face several misdemeanors and a single felony charge in connection to the photo shoot.

Investigators said they went to Evans’ apartment and found snakes, lizards, rabbits and a tarantula. The charging documents also allege a lemur and a spider monkey were not given proper care and that the monkey’s “spinal cord was fully exposed through its fur.”

“You can’t show me a baby spider monkey whose spinal cord don’t show through their back because they’re born that way,” Crowfey said.

According to the documents, Evans told investigators he had not taken any of the animals in for routine veterinary care and he had no documents for basic care. CBS News Baltimore reached out to Evans for comment, but he has not responded.

The two were arrested on July 16 after an undercover police officer attempted to schedule a photo shoot.

The Maryland Zoo is now taking care of some of the animals, including the spider monkey. A spokesperson for the zoo declined to comment on the health of the animals.

In Maryland, privately owning a primate is illegal. The law states that “a person may not import into the state, offer for sale, trade, barter, possess, breed, or exchange a live nonhuman primate.”

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), primates, including lemurs, pose a public safety risk.

DNR says that lemurs and spider monkeys can cause health concerns to humans and themselves. Bites and scratches can transmit bacteria that can cause serious infections.

Lemurs can also contract and spread tuberculosis, and intestinal parasites can sometimes be transmitted between people and the animals. The lemurs can also catch influenza, COVID-19, common cold viruses, and other respiratory pathogens, which are more harmful to the monkeys.

Officials said spider monkeys can inflict serious bites and scratches and could become aggressive when frightened, stressed, or reaching sexual maturity. They also require a specialized diet and constant social interaction, which is typically not met in private homes.

DNR says that the restrictions on spider monkeys and lemurs are because of the combination of higher injury potential, specialized care requirements, and the possibility of diseases spreading between monkeys and humans.

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 Craig Smith

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — In the aftermath of that mass shooting that happened in Tucson over the weekend we are learning more about the history of the man charged in that case and we are talking to people about how concerned they are about visiting downtown.

The shooting began with what Tucson Police called a confrontation between two groups that know each other.

Police say one man, 21 year old David Leroy French started shooting. Nine people were wounded. French became number ten when officers shot him.

Now he’s facing 19 charges in all.

We checked court records and found he pleaded guilty in a gun case from two years ago when an argument led to him firing shots at a man.

In that earlier case French pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The judge gave him four years probation. That conviction made French a felon and made it illegal for him to even possess a weapon.

At this latest shooting Eddie Ramirez was working security about a block away at the new Johnny Gibson’s Food Court.

He heard the commotion right after the shooting and was grateful for the quick response by TPD. But that burst of violence is still troubling.

“Preventing it is a hard thing. It just depends on the people. Like they shouldn’t have firearms. I don’t think it’s safe for them to. It just depends on them. You know, it’s not something we can stop. I wish that it was more in our control to stop stuff like this, but I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. It’s just an everyday thing in the world, sadly.”

Mindy Driscoll and Eric Berg are just wrapping up a visit from Montana. To them the mass shooting doesn’t really reflect on Tucson.

Mindy says, “I have to admit that I was not shocked-not because of anything unique to this community, but just it seems to be the situation that we’re in in this country right now, where there’s a new mass shooting almost every week. It feels like.”

Eric says, “I would say it is a little shocking, just because we were here for a few days and it was just a really nice town, and it just doesn’t seem like something like that should happen there. But again, like she said, it does seem to happen too often all over.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Cameron Polom

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — Rowley’s story starts like many shelter dogs. Lost. Rescued. Waiting.

For months, the 7-year-old Pit Bull terrier remained at the Arizona Humane Society searching for a home. Then a medical emergency gave him an opportunity no one could have predicted.

When a critically ill rescue Pug named Tilly arrived needing an emergency blood transfusion, Rowley became the donor who helped save her life.

The act of kindness gave Tilly a second chance, and not long afterward, Rowley got one, too.

ABC15’s Cameron Polom met the rescue dog whose greatest contribution came before he ever found a family, proving that sometimes the pets waiting the longest still have the most to give.

Their story highlights a critical time of year for the Arizona Humane Society. Summer is AHS’s busiest season, with thousands of sick, injured, and homeless animals arriving through its doors. Through its Urgent Summer Fund Drive, donations are being matched to help provide lifesaving medical care, emergency treatment and second chances for pets just like Rowley and Tilly.

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.