Month: July 2026

By Abigail Kurten

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    LAKOTA, Iowa (KCCI) — A man from Lakota is being praised by law enforcement after saving two teenage brothers from a burning car following a train crash.

As he was driving home from work on July 14, Alex Horak said he saw a flash of dust in the corner of his eye — just enough to encourage him to turn down a gravel road he passes almost every day to investigate.

“I saw the train was coming to a stop. It was slowing down. I work in rail, so I know that’s not a good sign. I get a little bit closer around this hill right up here, and I see the car down here,” Horak said.

The car, located about a dozen feet from the road, was mangled and crushed from a train accident. Inside were two brothers, ages 12 and 16.

Within seconds of Horak arriving at the scene, the car burst into flames, just feet away from thousands of gallons of ethanol on the stopped train.

“It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to really weigh the options. I just knew something had to get done. I couldn’t leave the kids in there,” Horak said.

His actions saved the boys’ lives.

“By him removing those boys from the vehicle, I have no doubt that he saved them from either very critical burns or possibly even death,” said Kossuth County Sheriff Roger Fisher.

The scene remains vivid in Horak’s memory, marked by charred grass, shattered windows, and broken eyeglasses left behind.

But Horak doesn’t see himself as a hero.

“I just did what anybody else should have done. I mean, I saw somebody in trouble. There was something I could do about it, and I just acted,” he said.

Fisher said in the coming weeks, the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office will host a ceremony recognizing the quick actions of Norak, alongside two emergency communications operators.

Both victims are recovering at a hospital in Minnesota. They sustained head and upper-body injuries in the crash and needed multiple surgeries before starting the long road to recovery.

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 Kayla James

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A Des Moines man who lost touch with his daughter about a decade ago says the Evelyn K. Davis Center helped change his life and played a role in bringing them back together.

“I haven’t seen my daughter for 10 years. She was 13 the last time I seen her,” said Christopher Evans.

For years, the image Evans held onto was of his daughter, Kaitlynn, as a teenager.

“I had custody of her. Her mom had a heart attack,” said Evans. “She wanted to live with her mom, and at the time, and when this happened, they didn’t expect her mom to live.”

Evans said he threw himself into work, hoping to provide for his daughter.

“I was a trucker. I was a good ol’ boy. I believed in being out working,” said Evans.

Over time, distance and hardship took a toll.

“I wanted to work. I wanted to be a better father. I wanted to be a better man, and we just lost track,” said Evans. “Call it depression. Call it whatever that you want to. I lost my way.”

Eventually, Evans says he fell into harder times.

“I lost my home and everything; it wasn’t just because of COVID,” said Evans. “I’ve been on the street ever since, living in the woods actually and stuff like that.”

That changed when he connected with the Evelyn K. Davis Center in Des Moines.

“They opened the doors to me in 2019 when I was sent here to Des Moines, Iowa, to start a better life, to find work, etc.,” said Evans.

The center is widely known for helping people with education and employment, but staff says their mission goes beyond job placement.

“What we do here is above and beyond service,” said Eric Idehan, manager of the Evelyn K. Davis Center. “We’re not just providing programs to people. We’re trying to add value to people’s lives.”

Idehan told KCCI that the center offers a range of support services.

“We provide financial education,” said Idehan. “We provide digital literacy and all of that program and services.”

Robert Bibens, who runs the center’s Men on the Move clothing closet, said building personal relationships is part of that work.

“What I love about Christopher is that he wears his heart on his sleeve,” said Bibens.

Bibens said Evans’ story resonated with him as a father.

“I can’t imagine not having spent the amount of time away from my daughter that it’s been since Christopher has seen his daughter,” said Bibens.

Evans said while all of the skills and conversation he gained and had through the center are important, one he highlights involved computer literacy.

“Without these computer skills here at Evelyn K. Davis, I wouldn’t have the knowledge, the know-how or the ability,” said Evans.

Those skills helped lead to a life-changing moment this spring.

A photo of Evans and his daughter from a decade ago, displayed as his Facebook cover photo, helped Kaitlynn, now a young woman, find her dad and led her to message him in April.

“She says, ‘Dad, this is Kaitlynn. Your daughter.’ Wow!” said Evans.

At first, with Kaitlynn in Nebraska and Evans in Des Moines and a lack of a car and limited funding, the two were limited to phone calls and text messages. Evans said either way, the communication was still impactful and important to him.

“It’s just invigorating,” said Evans. “The most important thing to me: She still loves her dad.”

Earlier this month, the two reunited in person for the first time in 10 years. Evans said he was able to buy a bus ticket out to a town in Nebraska and walk the rest of the way to meet his daughter.

“She has her own place. She’s been through so much, and she did it without me,” said Evans. “Her mom passed a couple of years ago.”

KCCI spoke with Kaitlynn over the phone. She said, “I missed him for so long. The whole situation felt like a dream. I just wish I could see him more.”

Though they still live in different states, Evans said they are a family again — and he credits the Evelyn K. Davis Center for helping him get there.

“This is my family,” said Evans. “I didn’t have no other family in my life except for Evelyn K. Davis for six years until my daughter found me.”

Evans said with the help of people with the Evelyn K. Davis Center, a GoFundMe was set up to help him travel to meet her.

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 Jake Flores

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    SALINAS, California (KSBW) — The California Rodeo Salinas drew a sold-out crowd of over 10,500 fans Wednesday night for its Big Week Xtreme Bulls event at the Salinas Sports Complex.

Cullen Telfer, a 27-year-old bull rider from Plant City, Florida, won the championship after covering two bulls for a combined score of 172 points. In the championship round, Telfer scored 88.5 points on Chuck’s Boy, a famous award-winning bucking bull raised by Four Star Rodeo.

“This is my second time winning in Salinas, this is probably the biggest win of my career. It was the first time I won it, and it is now,” Telfer said. “It’s a place we all look forward to coming, the crowd, the atmosphere, the weather, the bulls, the money. It’s a great spot.”

The night also featured mutton busting, where young participants clung to sheep for as long as possible. Seven-year-old Maverick Ryder Ruiz won the event, holding on for about seven seconds to secure the longest ride of the day.

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 Nicholas Brooks

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    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — Jackson police are revealing new details about the department-issued rifle investigators believe was used in the triple homicide that claimed the lives of two sisters and a 2-year-old boy.

Police told 16 WAPT News the SWAT rifle was stolen after suspects broke the rear window of a marked Jackson police vehicle parked at an apartment complex. Investigators believe that same rifle was later used in the June killings.

As the investigation continues, Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard is speaking publicly about the emotional toll the case has taken on him and other first responders.

Howard said the scene involving the young child is one he will never forget.

“To have a 2-year-old still lying in bed. I was even worse. The cartoon is still playing on the TV while we’re there, and again that just brought even more emotions to it. I’ll be honest, it was extremely difficult to put my emotions in my back pocket,” Howard said.

Howard said notifying families of a loved one’s death remains one of the hardest parts of his job.

“And that’s a tough pill to swallow even as a coroner. I’ve done this hundreds of times of telling moms that your baby is not coming home anymore. Then on top of that, I can’t let you see your baby because I have to treat them as evidence,” Howard said.

Howard said Hinds County has experienced years with between 120 and 160 homicides, giving Jackson one of the nation’s highest homicide rates per capita.

“I think there’s been years that we were working 120 to 160 homicides a year. Obviously, for Jackson to have such a low population, that’s a high per capita rate, which made us one of the deadliest cities in the world,” Howard said.

He said he has noticed progress over the past year.

“I noticed last year our homicide rates came down a pretty good bit. This year we were starting that trend of having the homicide rates continue to decrease,” Howard said.

Despite the decline, Howard said the triple homicide remains one of the most difficult investigations of his career.

At the scene, he said it appeared everyone inside the home had been targeted.

“It was their intention to kill everybody in that house. My opinion now,” Howard said.

Jackson police continue investigating the triple homicide while working to determine everyone responsible in the case.

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 La’Nita Brooks

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — Cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported across Missouri and Kansas, prompting health officials to urge residents to take precautions to protect themselves and their families.

More than 80 cases have been reported in Missouri, and 55 have been confirmed in Kansas.

Health officials say the two most important steps to reduce risk are washing hands and washing food. Before eating, cutting, or cooking fruits and vegetables, wash them thoroughly under running water. Cooking produce can also lower the risk.

It is also important to note that if symptoms appear immediately after consuming food, it is likely food poisoning or a different intestinal virus — not cyclosporiasis. Symptoms of cyclosporiasis typically present themselves after a few days.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease physician with the University of Kansas Health System, said people should know what symptoms to watch for.

“The symptoms can range from mild to more severe, meaning diarrhea that won’t stop. And you need to know your own body,” Hawkinson said. “If you are more at risk, if you are taking care of a small child or an elderly person, you are going to be more at risk at having those dehydration symptoms and problems, complications. And if you are immune suppressed.”

Hawkinson said treatments are available for those who test positive.

“There are treatments available,” Hawkinson said. “Our most common treatments are Bactrim or ciprofloxacin. There’s also alternative treatments for those who can’t tolerate those.”

Hawkinson said washing produce will not guarantee the removal of the parasite. The only way to know if you have cyclosporiasis is to get tested.

Anyone experiencing symptoms for more than a few days or who becomes extremely dehydrated should see a doctor.

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 Marlon Martinez

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — Missouri drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses will soon face tougher penalties under a new state law aimed at improving student safety.

Last week, Gov. Mike Kehoe signed legislation increasing fines and penalties for stop-arm violations. The law takes effect Aug. 28, just as students across Missouri return to school.

The change comes months after sharing concerns from school transportation officials, bus drivers, parents, and the county prosecutor who said stronger consequences were needed to discourage dangerous driving around stopped school buses.

For the past year, I have highlighted stop-arm violations in Platte County of drivers illegally passing school buses while students were loading and unloading.

“It’s something that needs to be addressed, and I was lucky in the fact that your station picked this up and started running it,” said JT Thomas, transportation director for Platte County School District. “Without that, I don’t think any of this would have happened.”

After seeing the reporting, Representative Mike Jones filed legislation to strengthen Missouri’s stop arm law.

What’s changing?

Beginning Aug. 28:

The minimum fine for a first stop-arm violation will increase from about $130 to at least $500. Each conviction will add five points to a driver’s license. Repeat offenders face steeper penalties, including the possibility of felony charges if a child is injured. In a statement to KSHB 41, Representative Mike Jones said, “I am pleased that Governor Kehoe has signed SB 1421 into law, strengthening penalties for drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus while its stop arm is extended.

Every child deserves to be safe when getting on or off the school bus. This new law sends a clear message that reckless driving around school buses will not be tolerated. My hope is that these stronger penalties will deter dangerous behavior and help prevent needless tragedies. It’s unfortunate that legislation like this is necessary, but protecting our children must always come first.

This legislation would not have become law without the dedication and advocacy of many people. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to KSHB 41 Reporter Marlon Martinez, whose reporting brought much-needed attention to this issue, and to Platte County School District Director of Transportation J.T. Thomas, whose expertise and tireless efforts were instrumental throughout the process. Their commitment to student safety made this important achievement possible.

I am proud to have supported this legislation and will continue working to improve the safety of Missouri’s students and families.”

Thomas said the tougher penalties are a step in the right direction, but the real goal is changing driver behavior.

“Now we’re not at the top, but we’re certainly not at the bottom as we were. I think that the prosecutors, law enforcement, now have tools that can help solve this problem.

Thomas said he hopes the tougher penalties will encourage drivers to slow down, pay attention and stop when school bus stop arms are extended — helping prevent a tragedy before it happens.

“I don’t want to be talking to a news reporter because a child has been killed.”

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.