Month: July 2026

By Abel Garcia

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Long before the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip, before the casinos and the crowds, the city that would become a global destination was nothing more than a small creek in the Mojave Desert.

That creek — and the springs that fed it — changed everything.

The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort stands as the oldest non-native building in Nevada and the birthplace of modern Las Vegas. Lisa Leavitt Messenger, a historian at the fort whose family ties to the property stretch back more than a century, walked us through the remarkable timeline of how it all began.

“In 1776 this part of the country wasn’t even part of the United States yet. It was a desert, vast barren empty desert, but there was one amazing resource in the middle. This dry area, there were springs with an incredible amount of abundant water that just bubbled out of the ground and a runoff creek, inspiring plant life, animal life and Native Americans and Southern Paiute,” Messenger said.

“Water is the source of anything and everything that happened here in Las Vegas,” Messenger said.

That water made the Las Vegas Valley a critical stop for travelers crossing the Mojave Desert. Explorer John C. Fremont was among those who helped spread the word.

“It was the only water for 50 miles… once word spread, travelers, explorers — John C. Fremont — made sure people knew you could stop here, refresh yourself and your animals, and survive the journey,” Messenger said.

By 1855, Mormon missionaries identified the desert oasis as the ideal location for an outpost — making it the first permanent non-native settlement in the Las Vegas Valley.

“One of those outposts… was here in Las Vegas because of the water. In the spring of 1855 he called 30 men in his congregation to please come to Las Vegas and set up an outpost,” Messenger said.

The missionaries arrived in June 1855 and quickly got to work.

“The Mormon missionaries arrived in June 1855 and just a couple months later started forming, hand-making, and sun baking adobe bricks to build a fort,” Messenger said.

The structure they built was no small outpost.

“This fort is 150 ft square, and as far as Mormon forts go… this was one of the largest,” Messenger said.

Just weeks after arriving, the missionaries marked a milestone that connects the site to the nation’s founding.

“The very first Independence Day celebrated here in Las Vegas was by those Mormon missionaries on July 4th, 1855,” Messenger said.

When the Mormon mission ended, a man named Octavius Gass transformed the fort into a working ranch.

“Octavius Gass took the old Mormon fort, built a family home in one corner… expanded the acreage of crops — starting a ranching era that lasted 90 years,” Messenger said.

That ranching era took a dramatic turn when Gass sold the property to a man named Mr. Stewart — who did not live long enough to see what it would become.

“Mr. Stewart, he was killed two years later, he was murdered,” Messenger said.

Stewart’s death left his wife, Helen Stewart, in an extraordinary position.

“He left his wife pregnant with her 5th child to run this ranch… She was forced to learn the industry — unheard of for a woman then — and what she accomplished sets an incredible example,” Messenger said.

Helen Stewart’s leadership of the ranch eventually attracted the attention of railroad surveyors, and what they found at the Las Vegas springs sealed the valley’s future.

“They saw the springs in Las Vegas and knew that this is where the railroad had to come through because they were gonna have to refresh not just the people and the travelers and employees but the steam engines on the trains. They needed water,” Messenger said.

“That essentially brought everybody here to Las Vegas. They wanted to come to this new town. Amazing event happened over a two day period, a land auction sponsored by the railroad. It brought in hundreds of people and in 48 hours, a town of Las Vegas was born at Fremont and Main Street,” Messenger said.

The original adobe structure at the fort has endured for more than 160 years — surviving every chapter of Las Vegas history, including a surprising role in one of America’s most iconic engineering projects.

“This old adobe building was used as a concrete testing laboratory for Hoover Dam for 2 years,” Messenger said.

“It has survived over 160 years, and it is the oldest building in the state of Nevada,” Messenger said.

Through every transformation — from desert oasis to missionary outpost, from ranch to railroad town, from dusty auction site to global destination — Messenger says one truth has never changed.

“It was the water. Nobody would have stayed or built anything here without it,” Messenger said.

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

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    DENVER (KMGH) — There’s no ocean near landlocked Colorado, but next year, a man from Pine Junction will try to be the first Coloradan and oldest person ever to sail around the world non-stop by himself, including the challenging Five Great Capes.

Steve Siguaw is planning to start that roughly 27,000 nautical-mile journey next August in France and finish about 300 days later. He’ll be 78 years old at that time, which would set a new record, though he said that’s not his only motivation for the voyage.

“I’m always looking for adventure,” he told Denver7. “I’ve completed the Leadville 100 Race 18 times… I also ran a race across Colorado once — which was 310 miles — and so [my family has] seen me doing these crazy things.”

Siguaw said the journey will be in honor of French sailor Bernard Moitessier. As part of his preparation, he just did a trip across the Atlantic to Portugal. That’s where he used his Starlink internet connection aboard his boat to talk with Denver7.

Siguaw has sailed around the world before with his wife. He said his biggest challenges will be stocking up on enough food for the journey and dealing with the stormy Southern Ocean.

“The storms sweep off Antarctica, come right across there, and that’s what you have to battle,” he explained. “You hang on a lot, and you know, I think if the boat can make it, I can make it, and I’m just worried about getting de-masted, you know, the mast falling off or something like that. But I’ve re-rigged the boat, and the boat is in great condition, and it’s ready to go.”

Although Colorado is not known for its plentiful sailing options, Siguaw said the unexpected thunderstorms he’s faced while sailing on Dillon Reservoir have actually helped him prepare for this voyage on a much smaller scale.

Siguaw compared this potential accomplishment to his previous milestones on land, urging people to push themselves.

“It’s like Leadville, when you do the 100-miler the first time, when you finish, you know, you’re dead, you’re just beat the pieces,” he said. “And then after a period of time, you realize, ‘Wow, what have I done?’ You know, it’s something monumental… Just go for your dreams. It can be anything, you know, it could be, you know, running a race, running a marathon. Okay, running a 5k. If you never run a 5k, do that, but just push the limits.”

The Five Great Capes are Cape Horn off of South America, Cape of Good Hope off of South Africa, Capes Leeuwin and South East Cape off of Australia and South Cape off of New Zealand.

Australia’s Bill Hatfield is and would remain the oldest person to complete the global, non-stop solo journey, though he did not navigate the Five Great Capes.

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 Jordan Bontke

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    GOLD CANYON, Arizona (KNXV) — A retired Phoenix police officer turned rattlesnake wrangler has captured what experts believe is an exceedingly rare albino rattlesnake in the Gold Canyon area — and she’s pregnant.

Phil Roberts, of Gold Canyon, has relocated more than 85 rattlesnakes over the past year, all free of charge, after spending more than 30 years with the Phoenix Police Department’s violent crimes bureau.

“After 33 years in the department, I wanted to do something a little safer, so I became a rattlesnake wrangler,” Roberts said, smiling.

Roberts takes calls from friends and neighbors in the Gold Canyon area and removes rattlesnakes at no cost.

“I appreciate neighbors looking after neighbors,” Roberts said.

One of those neighbors spotted a white snake and initially mistook it for a walking stick. Instead of reaching for it, they reached out to Roberts.

“Vivian, this is so rare, you wouldn’t believe it,” Roberts said in a video he took.

After Roberts posted about the capture on social media, Bryan Hughes of Rattlesnake Solutions — the largest snake relocation and prevention business in the United States — said the reptile community took notice immediately.

“Whenever we get an interesting animal, our inbox just goes nuts with people wanting it,” Hughes said.

Once the snake sheds her skin, that will allow for more testing to be done to determine exactly what species the snake is, but Hughes said initial research leads him to believe it is a tyrosinase-positive albino snake. That trait is exceedingly rare in the wild, though more common in the pet trade.

Of the more than 24,000 rattlesnakes Hughes has relocated over his 20-plus years in the field, he has encountered a snake like this in the wild only twice.

“I never expected to see something like this in my life,” Hughes said.

During a closer examination of the snake, Hughes made an additional discovery — the snake is pregnant.

Rattlesnake Solutions will continue researching the discovery to determine the best course for the rare snake.

If you find a rattlesnake at your home, Rattlesnake Solutions advises against trying to kill or catch it. Keep pets away, try to keep an eye on the snake, and call a licensed professional. According to the company, snakes are more scared of people than people are of them.

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

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    VERMILION, Ohio (WEWS) — A dog named Sugar had been missing since a June 29 rollover crash near German’s Villa in Vermilion — until a group of kids out paddleboarding found her trapped between rocks along the shoreline and helped bring her home.

Police said the driver was texting when her car struck a large landscaping boulder in Vermilion, causing the vehicle to roll several times before coming to a stop. Sugar, who was inside the car, was ejected and fled into the nearby woods.

Ten-year-old Maverick Sharon was out on the lake with 11 other kids when they came across the wounded animal.

“We were paddleboarding to the other side of the lake to find my sisters,” Maverick said.

When the group reached their destination, they spotted Sugar in distress.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s a dog,'” Maverick said.

The dog was stuck between rocks along the shoreline.

“She was grabbing her ear because there were a lot of flies on her face,” Maverick said.

Maverick immediately went to get help, and his family called 911. That is when they learned they had found the dog missing from the crash.

Vermilion Police Chief Scott Holmes said the rescue required more than just officers on scene.

“The officers arrived on scene and immediately realized that we were going to need the expertise of the Vermilion Fire Department to get her out of the rocks. It was a severe angle of the shoreline and rocky,” Holmes said.

The Vermilion Fire Department was able to free Sugar from between the rocks. A Life Care Ambulance then transported Sugar to the Vermilion Veterinary Clinic for treatment.

Vermilion Fire Chief Bill Brown said the outcome was one worth celebrating.

“To have the happy ending like we did with both owner and the dog being safe was certainly a big plus,” Brown said.

On Wednesday, all 12 kids gathered at the Vermilion Fire Station, where they were met by Vermilion Fire, Holmes and Vermilion Mayor Russ Owens.

“I can’t thank them enough for their heroism and bravery,” Owens said.

Owens also announced a reward for the group.

“I’m going to take them to their favorite restaurant for dinner,” Owens said.

Sugar’s owner chose not to go on camera but shared a message for the kids and officials who helped save her dog, saying she is touched that people care as much as they do and is grateful for every single person who helped. She said Sugar is doing amazing and relaxing in bed.

As for Maverick, he had a message of his own for Sugar.

“I hope Sugar is doing well, and please take good care of Sugar,” Maverick said.

For Maverick, the experience left a lasting impression, as he put it, “like a hero that saved a dog’s life.”

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 Mike Holden

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    WESTLAKE, Ohio (WEWS) — What started out as a loud music complaint in Westlake ended with two adults behind bars and a 13-year-old girl at the center of a police investigation.

According to Westlake Police, officers responded to the 29000 block of Center Ridge Road on June 21 after neighbors reported loud music and the smell of marijuana coming from a red Ford Focus.

When officers located the car, they discovered the driver was a 13-year-old girl from Cleveland.

Police said the vehicle smelled of marijuana.

During their investigation, officers spotted a semi-automatic pistol magazine in the passenger-side door and later found a loaded handgun underneath a seat.

“It’s just a dangerous situation to allow this 13-year-old to drive the car, especially when you have drugs and guns involved,” said Westlake Police Captain Jerry Vogel.

Body camera video shows officers questioning the young driver after learning her age.

Investigators said the girl’s 24-year-old guardian told officers she had driven the group to the condo complex before going inside to meet someone.

While she was inside, police said the 13-year-old and a 19-year-old passenger drove the vehicle around the parking lot.

Police said both adults admitted they knew the loaded gun was inside the car, although investigators said their accounts of what happened did not match.

“When you mix in marijuana and a loaded firearm in the vehicle, it causes us alarm and creates a very dangerous situation for the public,” Vogel said.

The 24-year-old guardian and the 19-year-old passenger were both arrested.

They each face charges of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and endangering children.

The 13-year-old was released to a family member after being taken to the police station.

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 Katrina Markel

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    MALVERN, Iowa (KMTV) — Four Mills County friends share a birthday that is hard to top: July 4, 1976 — the day the United States turned 200.

Now, as the country celebrates its 250th birthday — Jenni, Holly, and twins Allan and David Hughes — are marking their own milestone: turning 50.

Jenni arrived first.

“I’m the oldest,” Jenni said.

Holly followed 13 minutes later.

“She’s older,” Holly said, laughing.

The Hughes twins came a few hours after that. Allan edged out David by three minutes.

“Dave was first after that I think in about everything,” Allan said.

The four were among 13 babies born that day at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. According to family stories, Dr. Warden, came in from his farm for one delivery or maybe two.

“And another one kept coming in right after the other,” Holly said.

The story goes, he told some of the mothers he wanted to get back to his cattle.

Growing up in the Glenwood area, the four sometimes celebrated their birthdays together.

“I feel like the four of us will always have a bond,” Jenni said.

Their shared history includes milestones like the year Jenni passed her county fair queen crown to Holly.

“I always told the kids that the fourth of July fireworks were because of my birthday.” Holly said.

“I would say, if you can be born on the 4th of July I would recommend it,” said Allan.

David connects their personal celebration to something larger.

“I think that’s one thing that’s neat about the 4th of July — the country kind of comes together that day,” he said.

In an era when many people leave their hometowns behind, all four have returned to the community that raised them and raised families of their own.

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

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    TREYNOR, Iowa (KMTV) — A Treynor, Iowa, man who faced a demand from the Social Security Administration to repay benefits he received 30 years ago — after losing his only parent at age 17 — has had that debt waived.

Christopher Storm requested the government reconsider the roughly $10,000 it said he owed but did not expect he request to succeed.

“Honestly (I) just settled into the idea that I would just give them permission to just take out tax returns for the next couple of years to get it paid off and didn’t really expect to receive the waiver, honestly,” Storm said.

Then, on Father’s Day, he opened his mail” “And that’s when we received a letter stating that they were granting the waiver.”

The agency determined the overpayment was not his fault and that repaying it would create a hardship.

KMTV first reported on Storm’s case in May. More than half a million people viewed the originaly story and people across the country with similar stories sent messages to the the the station newsroom.

“It seems like every overpayment has a story behind it and a lot of times a heartbreaking story,” Storm said.

Storm received the payments, for a year, a survivor benefits when his dad died from cancer.

“It was hard, it was devastating. My father was a really good man,” he said.

After the first story aired, Storm — who grew up in Texas — said he was contacted by family members he didn’t know.

“I actually was able to reconnect with some family on my father’s side,” he said. “And I actually discovered that I have a family member here in town in the small town of Treynor that I didn’t even know I had.”

Storm said the experience also taught him the importance of advocating for himself. When asked if he had advice for others facing a similar situation, he had a straightforward answer.

“Fill out the paperwork,” Storm said.

Storm said he is grateful to everyone who tried to help and who shared their stories.

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

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    BLUE SPRINGS, Missouri (KSHB) — A Blue Springs archivist is sharing the remarkable story of Jeremiah Burnett, a Revolutionary War soldier who helped shape the history of the city through his family’s legacy.

Kay Burris, an archivist with the Blue Springs Historical Society, said Burnett is directly connected to the city’s origins.

“Well, Jeremiah Burnett was the father to Rhoda Harris. Rhoda and William are actually the founders of Blue Springs,” Burris said.

Burnett enlisted as a volunteer soldier in 1777 at Valley Forge alongside his brother.

“You have to remember when Jeremiah signed up as a volunteer, he was 16 years old, no screens, no really formal education, he went out and did what he thought was right with his brother, who was 18, they, they wanted freedom, they wanted to be able to cast their own destiny and give their children a better life, and look what it became,” Burris said.

Burris said the conditions Burnett and other soldiers endured at Valley Forge were brutal.

“The hardship that they had to go through at Valley Forge… As I’ve been reading more and more information about it, and understanding when they went AWOL, this was not uncommon at that time. They had run out of food, they, their clothing was actually tattered, they had no, there was just no supplies,” Burris said.

Burnett went on to build a life as a farmer, raising a large family and outliving 3 wives.

“So, in the harsh reality of life for them, he was a remarkable person,” Burris said.

His daughter Rhoda later made a journey back to Virginia to bring her aging father west to Fort Osage.

“Rhoda decided to take one of her sons, Samuel, back to Virginia to go meet her father, who was 90 years old at the time, and they went over trails to Virginia, picked him up and came back over trails to St. Louis, and at St. Louis they got on a river boat,” Burris said.

The riverboat journey came with its own dramatic chapter.

“One of the stories they talk about is while they’re on the riverboat, they have a wreck. He gets separated from Rhoda. She cannot find him. She goes into a town and finds him singing and dancing a jig at ninety years old, entertaining the townspeople,” Burris said.

As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, Burris said Burnett’s story feels especially close to home.

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

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — The Kansas City Royals invited Judy Manning and her family to Tuesday night’s game to honor the legacy of her late husband, Shannon Manning, a Hallmark artist who designed the team’s original crown emblem that’s the inspiration for design of the Kauffman Stadium scoreboard.

KSHB 41 News Reporter Ryan Gamboa first told the Manning’s story back in April after the Royals announced plans for a downtown stadium.

The Royals saw Gamboa’s story and invited Manning to Tuesday night’s game to honor the family.

Shannon Manning, who passed away about four years ago, was recruited by Hallmark in 1967 to work in its package design department.

Shannon’s design was selected after the Kauffman family asked Hallmark designers to create a lasting emblem for the new team.

“They chose Shannon’s over 16 to 20 people who designed emblems, but they chose Shannon’s, which was a wise decision I thought,” Judy Manning said in an April interview.

His design and emblem are still worn and celebrated today. It can be seen in various forms across Kauffman Stadium and on fan apparel.

On Tuesday night, Judy was invited onto the field, where she delivered the game ball to the pitcher’s mound.

“That was easy,” Judy Manning said after delivering the game ball in front of a cheering crowd.

Her daughter, Nancy Manning Smith, called the moment a milestone for the entire family.

“Seeing that his artwork is still recognized after 50 years, he would just be thrilled,” she said. “It’s a full circle moment.”

In the latest renderings for the Royals planned downtown stadium, Manning’s crown design in the scoreboard still sits beyond the outfield wall — a sign that his contribution to the franchise will likely carry forward into the team’s next chapter.

“I am so proud of being his wife,” Judy Manning said. “I watched him grow and produce that beautiful emblem. It brings tears to my eyes. It really does. To see people enjoying the emblem, and I think it’s here to stay… I’m just a real proud lady right now.”

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